"Tao" is the only theoretical basis in Taoism, and it is a kind of "Tao" that takes emptiness as teaching, nothingness as body and softness as use. This kind of "Tao" is the origin and master of the universe. It is all-encompassing and ubiquitous, and it is the beginning of all things and the biochemical person of all things. With the Tao, the universe is born, and the "vitality" in the "universe" constitutes heaven and earth, yin and yang, four seasons and five elements, from which everything is born. Tao Te Ching says, "Tao gives birth to one, one, two, three and three things". "Taiping Jing" said, "What is the way of husband? The head of all things is indescribable. Among the six poles, there is no way to change. The vitality of the Tao gives birth to all things, and the size of heaven and earth is born of the Tao. " Yun said in Metaphysics: "What is Tao? The system of nothingness, the root of nature, the foundation of gods, and the element of heaven and earth. There is nothing in it, but there is nothing in it. Vast and boundless. To the secluded, hanging out with Daming. It's a good thing to be quiet and unintentional. The desert is invisible, lonely and silent. Everything is born from this and can do anything. The living has no promise, the winner has a cloud, and the living has success. This is called Tao. " Laozi's "Tao" refers not only to the universe itself, but also to the laws of nature. Jules, an old Xiangzi, further transformed Lao Tzu's incarnation of Tao into a god, saying, "One is Tao", "One is Qi, and the other is an old gentleman. The Kunlun Mountain in Changzhi is the same, whether it is nothingness, nature or namelessness". Laozi said: "People should be everywhere, the land should follow the sky, the sky should follow the Tao, and the Tao should be natural." . Explain that the root of the "universe" is "nature"; After the universe was born by nature, everything was born by the universe. "Tao" also refers to the "emptiness" of space, because it is invisible and has no image, so the scriptures say that everything is born of "being" and born of "being without". "Clean Sutra" said: "The avenue is invisible, giving birth to heaven and earth; The avenue is ruthless, and the sun and the moon run; The avenue is nameless, and everything grows. I don't know its name, it's better than words. " Tao Te Ching says, "Tao can be Tao, but not surprising". Thought the avenue was invisible and could not be said. The Taiping Jing says, "Tao is the teacher of all things. Those who get it are clear, and those who lose it are lost. " Those who gain the Tao can return to their roots and be integrated with the Tao of nature forever. The Taoist scriptures say, "Taoist people are reasonable." . People think that this "absolute principle" is flexible, universal and eternal. If a monk can understand this "principle", he can forget all his fantasies, become extraordinary and get enlightenment. The Book of Eliminating Demons says: "The industry of the true Tao will never fade, never get sick, never die, and live forever." I hope that through cultivation, I can achieve harmony with Tao and live forever. The old gentleman said: there is no life and death in the Tao, but there is life and death in the shape. Therefore, people who live and die belong to the Tao. The shape of the living, from the Tao also. So the form of the dead, lost its way. People can exist, they can keep the way, but they will not die. He also said: knowing is easy, and the channel is difficult. The channel is easy, but the road is difficult. The road is easy, but the road is difficult. Easy to get, hard to keep. Keep the road and you will live forever. He also said: people often lose their way, not the Tao loses people. People often die, but they don't. Therefore, health care workers should be careful not to lose their virginity, and Taoist priests should be careful not to lose their virginity. Make Tao and life together, and life and Tao together.
Tao Te Ching says: Tao is my "virtue". Different from Tao, there must be "virtue" in the evolution of everything, because "Tao" is a whole, "virtue" is an individual, and virtue refers to the characteristics contained in everything. As far as the relationship between "Tao" and "virtue" is concerned, there is a * * * relationship between essence and characteristics. The virtue mentioned in the Tao Te Ching refers to this kind of virtue. When explaining "virtue", Laozi said: "Virtue is not virtue, but virtue … doing nothing and doing nothing". Explain "Xuande": "It is for Xuande to survive for a long time, to be familiar with it, to raise it again, to be born without it, to serve without it, and to be long without killing it." Explain "Changde" and say: "Changde is not special, but returns to infinity ... Changde is enough, returning to simplicity." "Nature Classics" said: "The staff sergeant is uncontroversial, the corporal is competitive, the morality is not high, the morality is low, and the persistent person does not know morality. Therefore, all beings can't be true to the truth because they have an empty heart. " Therefore, Taoism must attach importance to "Xiu De" and regard "Tao" and "Morality" as the most fundamental beliefs and general principles of action, which requires both Xiu De and Xiu De. Laozi said: "Virtue is not virtue", "Virtue does nothing without doing anything". Therefore, "Tao" and "morality" are the basic principles of Taoism's "teaching theory and doctrine". Tang Wuyun said in Metaphysics: "What is virtue? The gift of heaven and earth, the gift of yin and yang. Five elements of longitude and four seasons of latitude. Mu Zhi took the monarch as his teacher. It is advisable to plant in a quiet and bright way. Liu Ze is endless, and many students don't know Xie Qigong; People don't know how to rely on their own strength. This is a virtue. " Taiping Jing holds that the restraint of Tao and virtue dominates all things in the universe, and the three categories of heaven, earth and man are inseparable from the maintenance of morality. Tang Wuyun's metaphysical theory summarizes the meaning of "virtue": "virtue is the ancestor of heaven and earth; Father of all things; The emperor is the master of three talents. However, morality, heaven and earth and emperors are also integrated. " Laozi believes that according to the principle of "Tao", "cultivate yourself in the body, morality is true, cultivate yourself in helping, morality is abundant, cultivate yourself in the world, and morality is universal". Therefore, Taoism advocates that monasteries should "accumulate goodness and virtue", take pleasure in people's happiness, care about people's sufferings, care for others' worries, help the poor and needy, and do not hurt their lives with their hands, persuade disasters with their mouths, blame themselves, praise themselves, envy them or flatter them. This is a virtue. "Tao" and "virtue" are widely used in Taoist books, and their explanations are often different because of the different categories and nature of the issues discussed. There are also some Taoist scriptures that regard "virtue" as a social ethical norm, such as "spreading Xiu De" and "accumulating virtue", which have inherited Lao Tzu's thought that "Heaven has no relatives, and always be kind to others". Taoism advocates "purity", "inaction", "gentleness", "indisputable", "adherence to unity", "no desire", "nature" and "Hyunri" as the methods of life and self-cultivation, which also develops from the basic principles of "Tao" and "virtue".
"Purity" is one of the basic concepts of Taoism, and it is also the practice method and attitude that Taoism must follow. "Integrity" and "inaction" are two similar concepts. It means abstinence, inaction and quietness. Taoism believes that "purity" is the root of Tao, and everything is pure, so "Tao is born." Laozi thinks this is the earliest form of nature; It also refers to a successful realm in the process of self-cultivation; It also refers to his ideal society and the political style of leaders, that is, the "inaction" of "Tao"
Laozi said: "Purity is the right thing in the world. I am inaction and the people are self-righteous. I am quiet and the people are self-righteous. I have nothing and the people are rich. I have no desire and the people are simple." Therefore, "purity" is regarded as the basic law of self-cultivation and governing the country and the people. The "invisibility", "ruthlessness" and "namelessness" mentioned in Pure Classics all refer to the "purity" phenomenon of Tao. Taoism's self-cultivation efforts should follow the example of its "Tao" purity and "constant purity", which means that it has reached the highest realm of "purity", that is, "Tao does nothing and does everything". Sima Chengzhen, a Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty, believed that the cultivation of monasticism must be closed, and the key to closing the heart lies in "calming the mind and removing desires". He said: "The mind is the instrument of the Tao, and it is wise to be extremely quiet"; "Quiet is wise, while moving is faint". Taoism believes that people should follow the pure nature of Tao, "clear the source of mind", "calm the sea of qi" and "always be quiet without forgetting to meditate". Do "look at the heart, there is no heart in the heart; Form is in the form, form is outside the form, and finally reach the realm of six desires without enlightenment, so you can practice the way of elixir.
"Inaction" is the attitude and basic law of Taoism towards social life. It is also one of the important ideas of Laozi's philosophy. He thinks that heaven is natural, doing nothing, and people should follow the example of heaven. Don't be self-contemptuous, stress on pure lust, be detached from things, and be cautious about doing far-reaching disasters. Laozi advocated: "inaction, inaction, tasteless"; "Sages do nothing, but teach without words"; Those who do lose, and those who do lose. Those who believe in "promising" (strong action) will eventually fail, and those who believe in "inaction" (letting nature take its course) will not fail. Laozi's Notes on the River said: "Doing nothing by law is beneficial to God, and governing the country is beneficial to all". Tao Te Ching said: "Tao always does nothing." It is believed that "Tao" is the ontology that produces all things in the universe, which is naturally produced in the process of production without any external force, so "Tao" is "inaction"; However, judging from the results of its creation, everything is born of Tao, so it can be said that it is "doing everything". Taoism emphasizes "doing nothing as a victim, doing nothing as a teacher, being silent if there is no one, and doing nothing" to get rid of danger and blame. Because to do nothing, we must first avoid harm, and "stay away from suspicion, stay away from villains, stay away from income, and stay away from travel." Watch your mouth, your tongue, your troubles, your strength. Always thinking about mistakes and forgetting their shapes. "The Theory of the Original Energy" said: "Those who do nothing still have their hearts. If you don't move, you can't afford it. If you don't enter, you will be outside. If you are quiet inside and outside, you will be quiet. "
"Weakness" Lao Tzu said: "The weak are used by the Tao" and thought that "weakness" was the function of the Tao. The proposition that "weakness is better than strength, and keeping soft is better than strength" has become an important outlook on life of Laozi. Taoism absorbed this idea and developed it into a practice idea and method to cultivate longevity and adapt to the world. In terms of self-cultivation, we should "devote ourselves to softness, like a baby"; Physically speaking: "the world is softer than water, and the strong are invincible and easy"; As far as human physiological phenomena are concerned, "people are born weak and die strong". Everything grows soft and brittle, but it dies and withers. Therefore, the strong die and the weak live. Thus, it is put forward that "the strong place is below and the weak place is above". Laozi thinks that softness can overcome rigidity and weakness can overcome strength, which is a dialectical method to explain its "weak" function and "strong" disadvantages.
"No dispute" is one of the contents of Taoist teachings, and it is also the basic attitude of Taoism towards social life. Laozi said, "Goodness is like water. Water is the good of all things, and it is the evil of all, so it is a minority." Tao Te Ching said: "If you don't look at what you know, you won't be proud, you won't make contributions, and you won't be proud. The husband does not dispute, and the world cannot compete with it. " Laozi believes that all human actions should conform to nature and can be achieved: first, it is beneficial to all things; Second, be selfless; Third, be modest; Fourth, do not compete with others; Fifth, be broad-minded; Sixth, keep your word; Seventh, we must act in time; Eight must be good at governing the country; Nine must have the ability to do things. This is an important principle of Laozi's philosophy of life. It is believed that saints should follow the example of heaven, nurture all things, do nothing naturally, and do not seek merit and gain wealth, so as to be "one step ahead and live outside". Laozi advocated: "Heaven is beneficial and harmless; The way of a saint is indisputable. " "Old Xiangzi Jules" warns: "Those who seek longevity will struggle without toil, seek wealth and strengthen their health, rob the king without toil, win glory, indulge without eating tasteless, and wear clothes and shoes without dispute. "Emphasize that saints don't argue with the vulgar. Taoism emphasizes inaction rather than inaction; But don't compete with the world for worldly fame and wealth. For things that conform to the natural operation law of heaven, we should try our best to show "justice of heaven." It is believed that everything in the world and life should conform to the "laws of nature" and cannot be forced. " "Seven Signs of Yun Qi" says: "Those who contend with the times will prosper, and those who contend with others will die". If a monk can win this indisputable person, he will meet the teaching requirements of Taoism.
"Baoyi" is an important concept of Taoism. "Hug one" is also called "keep one". Tao Te Ching says, "Can you leave the camp?" There are clouds: the sky is high and the clouds are light, the land is peaceful, the gods are full, and everything is animistic. The marquis thinks that the world is virtuous. "Embracing one" is a basic cultivation skill of Taoism. Simply put, it is in a state of "mixed gas" when sitting quietly, so "one" means "mixed gas". "Five Kitchen Classics" said: "One breath and one place are all harmony, but there is no harmony". The note of "Sum of One Breath" said: "One breath has a wonderful purpose, and the so-called vitality is also. If it is used in the sky for Yang and the earth for Yin and harmony for Taihe, then the sum of people's lives is considered Taihe. " The note says, "If you get something, you can hold up your spirit in one breath. Think of it as the garage outside, and you can be in harmony with your body in one breath." "Taiping Jing" says: "First, the root of Tao, the beginning of qi, the destination of life, and the master of heart". It is believed that "one", like "Tao", is the foundation of heaven, earth and people. "Lao" said: "One is Tao, the other is Qi, and the other is Tai Shang Lao Jun". "Taiping Jing" said: "The ancient and modern arteries are all said to be one, but they can last forever. People know how to keep one, which is called the infinite way. " There is another cloud: "If you keep one, you don't know much. If you keep one and don't retreat, you will know everything, and you will say everything." He also said: "the law of keeping one is the root of all gods." Ge Hong's A Record of Bao Puzi said: "If yin can generate yang, it can turn cold and summer, spring will grow in summer, and autumn harvest will be stored in winter." Taoism believes that if a monk wants to live forever, he must practice the law of "keeping one". There is another cloud: "Keeping the truth is the magic power. It's not difficult to know the truth, but the difficulty lies in the end. Never stop. " In Taoism, there are two kinds of "keeping the truth one" and "keeping the mystery one". In the cultivation method, the importance of "keeping one" is particularly emphasized: "First, the mind is also, the mind is also, the will is also, and the body is also the god. Everything is possible in the world "; "So keep one, and then have the fault of knowing good and evil, and then keep the Tao"; "ancient and modern arteries, all keep one word, but never get old." It is believed that "keeping one" can eliminate disasters and avoid disasters, and prolong life.
"Unmarried desire" is one of the contents of Taoist teachings, saying that believers should strictly control their personal desires in practice and life, otherwise they will accomplish nothing. Tao Te Ching says, "Sin is greater than desire, disaster is greater than dissatisfaction, and blame is greater than desire". Laozi advocates "simplicity and simplicity" and "selfishness, no desire and no desire". It is believed that "five colors are blind, five tones are deaf, five flavors are refreshing, hunting is crazy, and rare goods are harmful." Excessive material desires can only cause mental confusion. Taoism has formulated some commandments and made some restrictions and regulations on vulgar desires. For example, there are "abstinence from prostitution", "abstinence from prostitution" and "no greed" in the first ten commandments, and "no killing, no stealing prostitution and no drinking" in the last 300 commandments. In the Great Immortal Commandment, there are some practices, such as walking away from the body, getting rid of evil thoughts, keeping silent, being thrifty in love and not having lewd thoughts. Yin Zhiping, a Taoist, said, "The harm of spiritual practice is that eating, sleeping and lust are the most important things. Eating more means sleeping more, which is the result of lust. As we all know, few people can do it. If you want to control it, you must first reduce your desire to sleep. " Taoism combines Laozi's view of lack of desire with practice, and holds that secular beauty, strong interest, warm clothes and melodious voice are all excessively injured material desires, harmful to the atmosphere and the "root of evil", and monks should categorically abandon them.
"Sex" Laozi first put forward the concept of "sex" to explain "Tao" and "virtue". Tao Te Ching said: "Man should be in the land, the land should be in the sky, the sky should be in the Tao, and the Tao should be natural". In other words, Tao gives birth to all things, and the activities of heaven and earth should be based on "natural inaction", rather than saying that there is a "natural" entity above "Tao". Taoism believes that nature is the nature of all things in the universe, and Tao is the law and Tao is the law. Tao Te Ching also said: "The respect of Tao is precious, and the life of a husband is often natural." It is believed that everything in the universe is natural, and people should let nature take its course instead of doing it deliberately.
Mystery is used many times in Tao Te Ching, such as "Mystery is both mysterious and the gate of Wan Qi" and "Xuande is far-reaching". It means "far" and is a description of Tao and virtue. "Old Xiangzi Jules" said: "Xuan, heaven is also. Ancient immortals can be trusted and connected with the sky. " Taoism believes that if you advocate "nothing" or "being", it is paranoia, so "nothing" and "being" are called "metaphysics" It is considered that "metaphysics" means "emphasizing metaphysics" Treating all things and phenomena in the world with metaphysical thinking, advocating that all opposites between rigidity, movement, existence and nothingness, good and evil, and right and wrong should be excluded from mental understanding, so as to achieve the realm of nothingness of "ignorance and wisdom" and "forgetting everything", which is the characteristic of philosophical thinking in Taoism.
"My life depends on my absence" is one of Taoist teachings. It means that human life, like heaven and earth, is generated by natural qi. Therefore, one can live with the Tao and live a long life by practicing and keeping qi, emphasizing that one's life can be decided by oneself and is not controlled by heaven and earth. Taoism delights in life, reincarnates and hates death. Therefore, it emphasizes "rebirth is expensive" and pursues long-term vision. "Bao Puzi Huang Bai pian" said: "My life depends on my absence, and it will last for hundreds of millions of years." It means that the survival of a person's life, the length of his life, depends on himself, not on fate. People believe that you can live longer after practice. If you keep practicing, you can become a fairy. Ascension Scripture advocates "nothingness" and "nature", and holds that nothingness gives birth to nature, and nature gives birth to Tao, Tao is angry, qi gives birth to heaven and earth, and heaven and earth give birth to everything. Fundamentally speaking, heaven and earth and people are all angry, so they are equal. As long as you abandon your wisdom and nourish your spirit and stick to your vitality, you can live a long life, all of which is caused by "nature". It is believed that Tao gives birth to all things, that Tao is in harmony with life, that life is in harmony with Tao, and that two and one, one and two, are inseparable for a moment. Taoism believes that living in the world is a kind of enjoyment and dying is a kind of pain. Therefore, the doctrine of Taoism is happiness and rebirth, so it emphasizes "the rebirth of Xiandao". It is believed that conventional natural things and phenomena can be changed through people's own efforts.