1, thus becoming a fairy or a real person. The concept of immortal or real person is inherited from the ancient Fang Xiandao. Its characteristic lies in the hope that through certain cultivation, people's spirit and body can be transformed, imperceptibly, well-informed, beyond the constraints of the real world, and even when the catastrophe of the destruction of heaven and earth comes, they can still maintain the existence of life. Immortality is the unity with Tao, so it is the connection point between the believed Tao and the realistic people. The ideal of becoming immortal is one of the cores of Taoist teachings, and health preservation is an indispensable part of the theory and system of becoming immortal. At the same time, immortality lies in the pursuit of both form and spirit, that is, the permanent combination of form and spirit. Although the way of combination, that is, the specific connotation of wonderful shape and wonderful spirit, has changed in the understanding of Taoism in past dynasties, it is also the fundamental difference between Taoism and Buddhism and other religions. Tao Hongjing, a Taoist theorist in the Southern Dynasties, briefly expounded the main differences between Taoism and Buddhism. In his view, the difference in nature (aspect) between the immortal family and Buddhism is mainly manifested in the different understanding and pursuit of the relationship between form and spirit. "All qualities are like knots, but the form and spirit are the same. Form and spirit are one, and people are things; If form and spirit are separated, it is spirit and ghost. It is inseparable, what Buddhism takes, and it is also separated and combined, and the fairy road depends on it. How to do this today? Immortals are extremely refined, and the sense of change is also reasonable. ..... Those who pretend to be immortals, refine their shapes with medicinal stones, carve gods with spirits, cultivate their qualities with kindness, and solve their disputes with kindness. All methods are barrier-free and there are no obstacles. If they want to be together, they will ride a cloud and a dragon. If they want to leave, they will dissolve their qualities. If they don't leave, they either live or die. So each went his own way, taught and taught, and gradually it was endless. After all, he is dead. "
The unity of form and spirit, or liberation, is the fundamental feature of the immortal family, which is quite different from Buddhism, which does not seek the unity of form and spirit. Therefore, the famous scholar Mr. Tang Yongtong thinks: "It seems very important for Tao Hongjing to clarify the difference between Buddhism and Taoism in religious theory."
Therefore, the immortal theory is a sign that Taoist teachings and basic characteristics are different from other religions. From this point of view, the idea of health preservation contained in the theory of immortals is the expression of Taoist characteristics.
Taoism takes immortality as its ultimate pursuit. For a long time, Taoism has been looking for ways to live forever. A large number of health-preserving works and Taoist health-preserving methods in Taoist literature are the result of their hard research and continuous practice. This fully shows the enthusiasm and exploration spirit of Taoism, which loves life and longs for eternal life.
The so-called Taoist concept of health preservation is the basic understanding and attitude of Taoism to a series of problems such as human life, the relationship between man and nature, and the relationship between god and nature, and it is also the basis of Taoist health preservation thought. In fact, the Taoist idea of keeping in good health is the main body and characteristic of Taoist thought and philosophy.
Paying attention to man and life-the starting point of Taoist health preserving thought
"Paying attention to people and life" is an important proposition of China's traditional ideology and culture, and it is also the basis and starting point of China's traditional health preservation culture. Since Taoism takes immortality as its ultimate pursuit, it is bound to judge the value of human life and answer a series of important questions such as the meaning of real life.
Early Taoism inherited the traditional thought of "attaching importance to people and life" since the pre-Qin period, and took it as one of the essentials. Taoism is the religion that pays the most attention to the existence of secular life in the world. In the Taoist view, human life is the most precious, so the most important task and the biggest goal of life is to strive to preserve and develop one's own life. The core of Taoism is Tao, and the so-called Tao is the way for people to become immortals through practice. Those who have reached the Tao can return to their original state, and they are integrated with the Tao of nature and will never change. The early Taoist classic "Taiping Jing" said: "The nature of heaven and earth, 22,000 things, human life is the heaviest." Therefore, people should love their own lives. "People are the best. If you want to be happy and thirsty, you can do it later." Based on this understanding, self-cultivation, health and longevity are naturally the most important things in life. Ge Hong said: "The size of heaven and earth is innate. Life is a good thing; What matters is the secret of Taoism, which is nothing more than immortality. " Because Taoism regards immortality as the core of belief, Taoism puts the maintenance and continuation of the body on a very high value scale. Sima Chengzhen, a famous Taoist in the Tang Dynasty, said in "On Sitting and Forgetting": "What is dear to your wife is your life, and what is dear to your life is the Tao. Therefore, medical staff should be careful not to get lost; For Tao, be careful not to lose your life, so that Tao and life are together, and life and Tao protect each other. The two are inseparable, and then you will live forever. If you talk for a long time, you will get the quality of Tao. " As long as people get the Tao, they can "get the eternal shape" and become immortal gods. In the view of Taoist health-keepers, if you want to live forever, you must first take good care of your body and life and pay attention to your exercise and maintenance. Therefore, the early Taoist health preserving family put forward the idea of rebirth and strengthening the body, enjoying life and hating death.
As for how to live a long life, Taiping Jing put forward the idea of "self-love and self-support". The so-called "people who live a long life should know how to love themselves, so as to support themselves, but there is no harm." In other words, only through self-care and exercise can we live forever. According to the basic teachings of Taoism, being born in the world is a kind of happiness, and dying is a kind of pain. So encourage people to at least strive for their best years, and it is best to live forever. This is a unique and positive concept of health preservation, which is different from other religions. "Taiping Jing" said: "People's lives are near you. Knocking on the door of the heart and shouting what is heaven? If you don't know who you are, who will you know? Who should I miss if I don't love myself? Who do you blame if you don't blame yourself? Reflecting on this statement, ghosts and gods are innocent. " Ge Hong, a Taoist priest in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, said: "The husband cultivates nature and the morning is in people. Therefore, those who reach its shallowness can serve everything; He who gets the deepest can live long. Knowing the immortality of medicine, we should use it to seek immortality. Knowing the longevity of the turtle crane is effective in guiding it to increase the year. " To sum up, the above viewpoints and propositions of Taoism reflect such a theme, that is, to explore and realize human health and longevity with human initiative, and to obtain ways for human beings to grasp their own lives through various practical methods. Therefore, attaching importance to people and life is one of the important characteristics of Taoist health preservation.
The Theory of Vitality —— The Foundation of Taoist Concept of Health Preservation
The foundation of Taoist health preservation is the theory of vitality. The theory of vitality is the ideological and theoretical basis of China's ancient philosophy, medicine, health preservation and other natural sciences. Taoism has comprehensively inherited and developed the theory of primordial qi in the idea of health preservation, and on this basis, it has formed the practice methods and theoretical system of Qigong, taking food and room in ancient China. Taiping Jing, an early Taoist classic, holds that qi can be divided into weather, local qi and neutral qi, and the three qi are "combined into one" and "mutually reinforcing" to support all beings. Man is the product of harmony between heaven and earth. If you want to live forever, you must cultivate your roots and take the cultivation of Qi as the main means to achieve this goal. "However, the way of heaven and earth can be long and long, and it is endless with its vitality. Therefore, heaven takes qi as good or ill luck, and everything is like this. If there is no breath, you will eventually die. If you want to be poor, you should be Xuanzang and Qi, such as Heaven, and you can die peacefully. " Since Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Taoism has gradually formed a complete theory of vitality, which unifies the theory of universe generation, the theory of human life generation and the theory of health preservation. Its purpose is to demonstrate the purpose of "Tao lies in health preservation" and the theory that health preservation focuses on nourishing qi and refining qi. Vitality is the source of human life, the foundation of life and the foundation of life. Health preservation is based on nourishing vitality. Therefore, Taoist health care, whether it is guiding qi, taking medicine bait, indoor supplementary guidance or daily hygiene, aims to cultivate qi, enrich human vitality, invigorate the spirit, and finally achieve health and longevity. It can be seen that the reason why Taoist health preservation is unique among similar cultures in the world is that it has its own system in basic ideas, theories and methods because it is based on the theory of vitality. Without learning and understanding the theory of primordial qi, it is impossible to truly understand and practice Taoist health-preserving culture and methods and techniques. More importantly, refining and nourishing qi is the first step of longevity and health preservation, and it is also the premise of cultivating immortality.
Harmony between man and nature —— A theoretical model for dealing with the relationship between man and nature in health preservation
Another notable feature of Taoism's health-preserving thought is to examine and understand people's health-preserving practice in a macro environment. The concept of heaven and man is another important viewpoint of Taoist health preserving thought, which takes the theory of "the unity of heaven and man" in China's ancient thought as the core, and reflects the Taoist understanding of the relationship between man and nature in health preserving practice. The significance of this understanding lies in its direct influence on the formation and development of Taoist health preserving theory and practice mode.
The concept of heaven and man in Taoist health preservation thought is mainly reflected in the following two aspects. Firstly, it is considered that the internal environmental system of human body is consistent with the external natural environmental system, and they have the same law of generation, change and rise and fall. This is the inheritance of the theory of harmony between man and nature represented by Huangdi Neijing. Huangdi Neijing said: "People are born with the spirit of heaven and earth, which is formed by the method of four seasons." He added, "Madam was born on the ground, and her life hangs in the sky. Heaven and earth are in harmony, and her life is amazing. People can cope with the four seasons, and heaven and earth are parents; A man who knows everything is called the son of heaven. There are yin and yang in the sky, and there are twelve segments in people; The weather is hot and cold, and people are fake and true. Those who can transform the yin and yang of heaven and earth without losing the four seasons, those who know the twelve classics, should not deceive saints. " 10 Taiping Jing pointed out: "People are like heaven and earth, and the four seasons, five elements and six waters go hand in hand, one happy and one sad, and there is no solution for themselves." Therefore, we should be prepared, keep a good source of good and bad luck, and never forget danger, death and chaos for a long time. "
Taoist health care pays great attention to practicing according to season and time, and it is also very important to carry out health care indoors. This is especially true for daily health care. The theoretical roots of these health preserving methods all come from the Taoist view of heaven and man.
Second, the structure of the human body and the universe is the same. Not only the structure of human organs corresponds to the structure of the universe, but also the structure of heaven and man is skillfully combined into an isomorphic system through the symbol system of Yin and Yang five lines of gossip. The universe is an enlarged human body, and the human body is a reduced universe. Wei Boyang's Zhouyi Shentongqi in the Eastern Han Dynasty first expounded this view by using the theory of Yin and Yang and five lines of gossip. Guided by Huang Lao's theory, with the hexagrams in Zhouyi as the theoretical framework and the method of combining internal and external alchemy, he sought the health-preserving effect of "nourishing the heart and replenishing essence, regulating morality, regulating essence and strengthening bones and muscles, eliminating evil and preserving righteousness, and turning into immortals over time"1/. Wei Boyang developed the cosmological schema of "The Book of Changes", combined with Huang Lao's peaceful thoughts and his own experience of internal and external alchemy, and established a health-preserving theory and practice system integrating the changes of heaven and human health, and refining external alchemy and internal alchemy. Its purpose and function is to master the law of the same change between the human body and the nature of heaven, and to engage in health cultivation by changing the ups and downs of the world, the sun, the moon and the yin and yang, so that the essence of the human body can run up and down under the idea of "holding the yuan and keeping the one", thus promoting the perfection and development of the human life system. The connotation thought initiated by Yijing Shentongqi had a very important and far-reaching influence on the mode of harmony between man and nature in the Taoist health-keeping thought popular in the late Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Yu Yan, a Taoist health care practitioner in the Song Dynasty, said: "The way to view the sky is to travel in the sky. Therefore, using the advance and retreat of celestial phenomena and the flexion and extension of yin and yang, it is designated as fire and the law shows people. Cover the heavens and the earth like a tripod, and the sun and the moon are medicine. The sun and the moon shuttle between heaven and earth, coming and going, even the temperature is waiting. If people can do this, they can ask for all the bodies, and they can silently wait for the fire to advance and retreat. " (Zhou Xi) 12
Cultivation of recipes-technical system and innovative concept of health preservation
In front of us, we pointed out the premise, foundation and way of thinking of Taoism in dealing with the relationship between man and nature. On this basis, a set of health preservation methods aimed at making people healthy and live longer are developed. This is a practical technical system, which represents and reflects the basic understanding and attitude of Taoist priests to health preservation, and has been successfully transformed into health preservation practice.
The Taoist concept of health preservation is characterized by being active and enterprising. The Journey to the West said: "My life belongs to me, not to heaven and earth" 13 This spirit runs through the whole process of Taoist health preservation development. Its inherent essence is to give full play to people's subjective initiative, so that life itself can be greatly extended and developed, thus gaining transcendence and freedom of life. This kind of thought makes Taoist health-keeping constantly gain the source and motivation of life and promote its continuous development. Tao Hongjing's Record of Nourishing and Prolonging Life quoted the Judas Scripture as saying: "People's form gives birth to foolish wisdom, and heaven also gives birth. Both the strong and the weak live long. Heaven is natural and humane to yourself. At the beginning, there was enough fetal gas and milk, but the taste was not enough. People who are strong and in a good mood are strong and live longer. At first, the fetal gas is wasted, the raw milk is insufficient, and the taste is more than enough. Those who are strong and self-indulgent die of weakness. Long feet, plus guidance, cannot be measured in years. " 14 expounds the meaning of Taoism's "My life is in my absence" and the true meaning of Taoism's concept of health preservation. From this point of view, Taoism in past dynasties has made long-term unremitting exploration of health preservation methods, leaving extremely rich experience and theory.
In terms of means and principles of health preservation, Taoism has formed many cultivation viewpoints. Generally speaking, it can be divided into the following categories.
First, the concept of quiet health. Taoism's theory of cultivating students is "pure heart and no desire, quietism", and its specific methods are "think less, think less, desire less, talk less, laugh less, worry less, be happy less, be happy less, be angry less, be good less and be evil less". Twelve trips were omitted, and the cost of health care was also contracted. 15 thinks that these twelve "little" are the basic rules of health preservation, so as to oppose the "twelve more". "Twelve plus" means thinking more, thinking more, thinking more, thinking more, talking more, laughing more, thinking more, being happy more, being angry more, being good more and being evil more. 16 Taoism believes that if you think too much, your spirit will be hurt; If you have more distractions, your mind will escape; Addicted, you will be unconscious; Excessive fatigue leads to physical fatigue; Talking too much will make you short of breath and tired; Laughing too much will damage the five internal organs; More sadness leads to inner fear; If you are happy, you will be arrogant; If you are happy, you will forget your mistakes and your mind will be confused. If you are angry, your blood will gush out. Many hobbies are uncontrollable; If you hate too much, you will be flustered and have no joy. If these more than twelve are not removed, it will definitely hurt life and death. If you can't do twelve, go to more than twelve. After a long period of practice, you will reach the point where you want to do whatever you want, which is close to the realm of enlightenment.
Second, the idea of keeping in good health through exercise. "Then Mind Method, Exercise Your Bones and Muscles" says: "The celestial bodies move, and the sun, the moon and the stars all circulate. Gaiyang is active, energetic and regular. Only by working hard and striving for self-improvement will it never stop. " 17 Taoist health theory not only emphasizes exercise health, but also advocates moderate exercise. Ge Hong's "Bao Puzi Extreme Words" said: "The prescription for health preservation is that you can't spit far away, walk fast, listen hard, look long and lie down. ..... I don't want to work hard, I don't want to get up late, I don't want to sweat, I don't want to sleep, I don't want to run around, I don't want to look far. " 18 Tao Hongjing's "health record and teaching precepts" said: "The way to raise people is not to walk for a long time, to sit for a long time, to see and listen for a long time ... Those who can be neutral will live a long life." 19 also said: "A husband's running water does not rot, but a household is immortal because of his labor." Sun Simiao said more clearly: "The way to keep fit is to work hard without fighting, and to lift weights and sprint." "I often want to work hard, but I am extremely tired and strong." The idea of "2 1" health-keeping movement has greatly promoted the development of various Taoism and internal strength training methods, and it still has the value of health-keeping and fitness. "Life lies in sports" is the concentrated expression of its essence.
Third, the idea of double cultivation in life. The Southern Sect advocated by Zhang Boduan in the Song Dynasty emphasized the supremacy of life, and then advocated sex, that is, starting with the merits of life and ending with the merits of sex. Beizong, on the other hand, is the all-true Taoism, which advocates that sex comes first and life comes later, that is, starting from sexual merit and then achieving life merit. However, the difference between the two schools is limited to the second place in training methods, and it is not biased towards one achievement. Its essence is to advocate the integration of tangible body organs and spiritual consciousness in health care practice, and take it as the training object of equal significance in health care practice. Wang Zhongyang, the pioneer of Quanzhen Taoism, pointed out in Five Spirits: "Life is asexual and invalid, and sex cannot be separated from life." This idea of dual health care has had an extremely important impact on the development of Taoist health care, pushing Taoist health care to a higher and more complete method system, that is, not only paying attention to the physical health cultivation of "life merit", but also paying attention to the spiritual consciousness and ideological and moral cultivation of "sex merit"; Li Daochun, a Taoist priest in the Yuan Dynasty, pointed out in On Life: "Sex is innate by God, and one spirit is also called. Life is born to the essence, and it is also called at one breath. The essence of sex depends on the heart and the essence of life depends on the body. " He believes: "An official can achieve both his life and his heart. First of all, he should guard his wisdom and empty his heart, and then he should practice spiritual protection. If you are healthy, your life will always be solid; if you are guilty, your nature will be round and bright. A round sex leads to nothing, while a constant life leads to neither life nor death. As for the reunion dinner, straight into inaction, life is complete, and the shape and spirit are wonderful. " 24
Fourth, the idea of multi-technical training. Ge Hong put forward the viewpoint of "growing with the help of various technologies", saying that "anyone who keeps healthy wants to learn more, learn more and choose well." If you are partial, you have to rely on it. He opposed and attacked those who "know the art of metaphysics", saying that only the art in the room can survive in the world; People who know how to breathe and breathe clearly say that only guidance can make them not easy to get old; People who know the formula of vegetation will say that only drug bait can be endless. "26' s health-keeping prejudice puts forward the scientific health-keeping proposition of combining various techniques and learning from each other's strong points. He said: "People who keep in good health should not only take God's medicine, but also give unremitting guidance day and night to inspire Wei Rong and make it endless." . In addition, with the skill in the room, you can eat less and drink less, do not commit rheumatism, do not suffer from anything, and be disease-free. "Ge's theory of joint training is a great contribution to Taoist health preservation and has a far-reaching impact on the development of Taoist health preservation in later generations. Tao Hongjing inherited Ge Hong's tradition, sorted out the theory and technology of health preservation since ancient times in the Record of Nourishing and Prolonging Life, and made some research on the aspects of promoting qi, guiding qi and alchemy. This eclectic tradition has been inherited by successful health care practitioners in later generations. From Sun Simiao's Thousand Golden Formulas (including Thousand Golden Formulas and Thousand Golden Wings) in the early Tang Dynasty to the health-preserving works in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, health-preserving techniques such as promoting qi circulation and guiding food were widely accepted.
Judging from the various concepts mentioned above, each concept can lead to different methods, and all concepts point to the improvement of human body and spirit. Therefore, Taoist health preserving thought is not only a treasure house of wisdom, but also an infinite resource of concrete methods.
note:
1 collected Taoist scriptures, vol. 1 1, p. 334.
2 "A Book of Two Religions of Answering the Immortals and Buddhists".
3 Collected Works of Tang Yongtong's Academic Recognition, Zhonghua Book Company, 1985, p. 142.
4 Too calm and cheerful.
5 "Bao Puzi's internal articles are refined".
⑥ Collected Taoist Scriptures Volume 22, page 2.
7 The number of volumes of Taiping Jing should be counted. "
8 "Bao Puzi's inner chapter, anti-custom".
9 "Taiping Tian entangled in the air without stopping".
10 "Su Wenbaoming holographic theory".
1 1 collected Taoist scriptures, volume 20, page 9 1.
12 collected Taoist scriptures, volume 20, page 199.
13 collected Taoist scriptures, volume 14, p. 594.
14 record of nourishing and prolonging life, collected Taoist scriptures 18, p. 474.
15 the record of nourishing and prolonging life quotes Xiaoyao Jing, collected Taoist scriptures 18, volume 476.
16 the record of nourishing and prolonging life quotes Xiaoyao Jing, collected Taoist scriptures 18, volume 476.
17 "Tibetan Taoist Collection" Volume 25, page 444.
18 collected Taoist scriptures, volume 28, page 22 1.
19 collected Taoist scriptures, volume 18, p. 477.
20 collected Taoist scriptures, vol. 18, p. 478.
2 1 "Jiangxi-Jin one-party pension case No.3".
22 "Introduction to Wuling".
23 "Zhongheji" Volume 4 "Collected Taoist Scriptures" Volume 4, p. 503.
24 "Zhongheji" Volume 4 "Collected Taoist Scriptures" Volume 4, p. 503.
25 "Bao Puzi's Inner Chapter, Micro-purport", Collected Taoist Scriptures, Volume 28, p. 193.
26 "Bao Puzi's inner chapter, micro-purport", Collected Taoist Scriptures, Volume 28, p. 193.
27 "Bao Puzi's inner chapter, micro-purport", Collected Taoist Scriptures, Volume 28, p. 193.