Taoist theorist, a famous alchemist and medical scientist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was called Little Fairy Weng by the world. Bao Puzi inherited and developed alchemy since the Eastern Han Dynasty, which had a great influence on the development of Taoist alchemy and provided valuable historical materials for studying the history of alchemy in China and ancient chemistry.
Ge Hong inherited and reformed the immortal theory of early Taoism. In Bao Puzi's Inner Chapter, he not only comprehensively summarized the immortal theory before the Jin Dynasty, but also systematically summarized the immortal magic methods before the Jin Dynasty, including keeping one, promoting qi, guiding and sexual intercourse. At the same time, it combines the skill of immortals with Confucianism, emphasizing that "those who want immortals should be loyal, filial and benevolent." If you don't practice virtue, you can't live forever. "He also integrated this Confucian orthodoxy with Taoist precepts and asked believers to strictly abide by them. He said: "Looking at the precepts, we can know that those who want to live forever will want to accumulate virtue, be kind, forgive others, be good at catching insects, enjoy people's blessings, relieve people's suffering, save people's poverty, abstain from hurting their lives, keep silent, regard people's gains as their own, and regard people's losses as their own." "Ge Hong advocates that immortals should keep in good health and Confucianism should be externalized.
Ge Hong devoted himself to human gains and losses in Bao Pu Zi Wai Pian. He advocated the application of severe punishment when dealing with troubled times, and advocated heavy punishment and heavy law to save the world in time; Embracing Confucianism, Mohism, Ming and Fa, respecting the monarch is heaven. Dissatisfied with the talk of Wei and Jin dynasties, he advocated paying equal attention to literature and morality, and his words should help to educate.
Medicine and pharmacology
Ge Hong is proficient in medicine and advocates that Taoist priests should also learn medical skills. "Since ancient times, Taoists must learn medical skills to save the near future." He believes that if monks don't learn medical skills at the same time, they will be "unable to attack themselves", not only unable to live forever, but even unable to save their own lives.
Ge Hong recorded and explained in detail the morphological characteristics, growth habits, main producing areas, medicinal parts and therapeutic effects of various medicinal plants in Bao Puzi's Inner Chapter Fairy Medicine, which had a great influence on the development of TCM in later generations.
Ge Hong's medical work "Elbow Backup First Aid Prescription", the title of which means a first aid book that can always be put behind the elbow (with you), is a practical book that should be kept at all times. A large number of emergency prescriptions were collected in the book, which were collected and screened by him during his medical practice and travel. Ge Hong specially selected some medicines that are easy to get, even if he wanted to buy them at a low price, which changed the shortcomings of difficult to understand, difficult to find and expensive emergency prescriptions.
Ge Hong wrote a lot in his life, and Bao Puzi is his masterpiece. This book is divided into two parts: inside and outside. The inner chapter consists of 20 volumes, discussing the immortal prescriptions, preserving health and prolonging life, eliminating evil but eliminating evil, and summarizing the immortal prescriptions before the Jin Dynasty, including keeping one, promoting qi and guiding. , accumulated valuable information for medicine; The external chapter, totaling 50 volumes, discusses the gains and losses of the world, whether the world is obscure or not, and expounds its social and political views. This book links the theory of immortal Taoism with Confucianism, and integrates the two philosophical systems of Confucianism and Taoism for the first time.