1. Natural inaction
Taoist philosophy of life is the core of Taoist philosophy. In essence, the fundamental problem to be solved by philosophy of life is the meaning and value of life. Different from Confucianism, Taoism mainly reveals the significance and value of human existence by revealing the unity and connection between man and things, that is, nature. The concept of "nature" was first seen in Chapter 25 of Laozi: "People walk on the ground, the ground goes to heaven, the sky goes to heaven, and the road goes to nature." The "nature" mentioned by Laozi is nature, and it is a natural and non-artificial state of things. For example, the so-called "everyone calls me natural" in Chapter 17 also means this: the people live and work in peace and contentment under the rule of saints. They only know that there are saints, but there is no saint's work, so they think that their life is like this. So we say that nature is the Tao, and we don't need to look for the Tao. In short, "nature" means "relying on one's own internal function without the help of others, that's all." (2) Laozi's "nature" created a unique perspective for Taoist and later thinkers to think about the relationship between heaven and man. Maintaining "nature", advocating inaction, opposing man-made, and conforming to nature is inaction.
"Nature is the best representation of inaction, and inaction is the inevitable requirement of nature"; (3) Inaction is the attitude and way adopted by Taoism in dealing with the relationship between man and nature, man and society, and man and himself. Inaction is an important code of conduct of Taoism, and people are now more and more aware that Taoism's inaction is obviously not inaction, but contains great inaction, because Laozi's Tao is about inaction and self-improvement. Inaction means not going against nature, not violating internal laws, drifting with the flow, resembling inaction, but actually achieving all good results.
4. Be gentle and quiet.
Chapter 52 of Laozi puts forward the view that "softness is better than strength". Laozi believes that softness is the real strength, while "strength is not the real strength" (Chapter 42 of Laozi) is lifeless and unsustainable. Therefore, Taoism advocates "water" because it is weak in water, but it can push boulders. As the saying goes, "the world is the softest and the strongest" (Chapter 43 of Laozi). In Taoism's view, strength is only temporary, and softness is the ultimate winner, and it also has profound enlightenment on how to face people and deal with things in such a fast-paced and materialistic society. It can be seen that the spirit of valuing softness and calmness lies in rationally recognizing the situation, calmly controlling yourself and being patient. In fact, quietness is the guarantee of softness, and it is not soft enough without quietness. The forty-fifth chapter of Laozi put forward the famous viewpoint that "quietness is the right thing in the world", and the fifty-seventh chapter said: "I am quiet, and the people are right." From the ruler's point of view, if we can be pure and have no desire, society will naturally govern; From their own point of view, with silence, you can prevent subjective assumptions from affecting your judgment and choice. Taoism is not absolutely opposed to movement, but believes that the necessary "movement" is the need to maintain physical health, and "quietness" does not require the body to remain motionless, but is mainly used for the cultivation of mind and peace of mind. Whether the action is appropriate depends on your own mind.
Direct relationship, if the heart can control the movement and conform to the way of heaven and earth, then the self can settle down.
[13] Light things are reborn.
First of all, Taoism has a very calm attitude towards life and death. It believes that there is no death without life, and there is no life without death. Facing life and death naturally is the attitude that life should have. Taoism believes that birth, aging, illness and death are natural processes, and people should not violate this nature, but this is not because Taoism does not cherish life or regards life as dispensable. Generally speaking, Taoism has a strong value of life, and believes that only by loving one's own life can one accumulate virtue and enter the Tao.
"Liezi Yang Zhu" has a Yang: "Everyone does not lose a penny, everyone is not conducive to the world, and the world is the rule." Yang Zhu believes that if everyone loves life and does not exchange his life for the interests of the world, then the world will be rectified and personal safety will be preserved, which is regarded as a typical example of Taoism's light rebirth. "Zhuangzi Jean Wang" also said: "People who can respect life, although rich, do not care about their health, although poor, do not care about their health." Respecting and caring for one's life is the foundation of existence in the world, and those who know how to cherish one's life must be tall, cheap and not harmful to one's health. The sixty-fourth chapter of Laozi is "a rare commodity that saints don't want", and the twelfth chapter is: "All five colors are blind; Five tones are not deaf; Five flavors are refreshing; Galloping and hunting makes people crazy; Don't make people hurt by goods. A saint, for the stomach, not for the purpose. So go there and get this. " It advocates that people abandon the desire of external material, improve their bodies and return to nature itself. Therefore, it is Taoism that tells people to understand the harmony between nature and themselves, and not to blindly pursue things outside. Without strong desires, we will not be hurt by them, so as to achieve the goal of living in peace with each other.
Second, the political outlook of Taoism
Practical application is a remarkable feature of China ancient culture. Taoism also has its own unique views on its political governance. Laozi and Zhuangzi have never talked about their thoughts and views in isolation from politics and society. Laozi's political ideal is the so-called "small country with few people", and Zhuangzi's political ideal is the so-called "ideal country under the rule of Germany". Obviously, different from other philosophers, they adopted the method of "governing by doing nothing", which is the same as the core of Taoist philosophy "doing nothing naturally". They believe that rulers should also adopt natural methods to govern the country. For example, Chapter 57 of Laozi said: "I do nothing and the people enjoy themselves; I am so quiet, the people are self-righteous; I have nothing to do and the people are rich; I am simple without desire ",and Zhuangzi also said in Heaven and Earth:" Nothing in the world is enough, nothing is everything, and the people are quiet ". Laozi's "inaction" is not passive inaction, but not doing things that violate the laws of nature or social development. We should actively participate in things that conform to nature and are beneficial to social development.
Although the political thought of Taoism governing by doing nothing has a certain ideal color, it also has a great relationship with the social reality at that time. Laozi and Zhuangzi lived in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, respectively, and saw too many disadvantages brought to the people and society by the "promising" politics at that time. On the one hand, the rulers blindly fought military battles for years, on the other hand, they abused their private rights to satisfy their own selfish desires. Therefore, they put forward the idea of governing by doing nothing, and severely attacked and flogged the promising politics at that time. Laozi has a famous saying in governing the country that "governing a big country is like cooking a little fresh food", which means that rulers can neither restrain the people with etiquette nor be meticulous, thus falling into the wrong path of transactionalism and making the country more chaotic. The ideal is "when I succeed, people call me nature." (Chapter 17 of Laozi) Although Laozi's "small country and few people" and Zhuangzi's "the world of supreme virtue" have certain fantasy significance, they were really produced in view of the heavy and depressed reality at that time, and also reflected the strong desire of the working people to live and work in peace and contentment at that time. This state of inaction also "expresses and longs for a simple and equal society without exploitation and oppression, and without confrontation between man and nature, man and society, and man and man."
Third, the Taoist concept of health preservation.
With the rapid development of society, people pay more and more attention to their own maintenance, and "health preservation" is also one of the core contents of Taoist thought. Taoist figures' exploration of health preservation before Laozi mostly stayed in health preservation. Taoism, starting from Laozi, systematically thinks about "keeping in good health" and puts people under the background of society, nature and the universe. Laozi first put forward the concept of "taking the body", while Zhuangzi specially wrote an article on the way of keeping in good health.
1. Nourishment of mind and nature
The "heart" here not only represents the heart as an entity and its function, but also mainly represents people's ideological activities and spiritual realm. Taoism's "nourishing the heart" is how to transcend the tangible and intangible constraints of external relations and internal ideological activities, so as to maintain the nature of the self and achieve self-stability. Among them, "governing the mind" is the main way for Taoism to realize individual freedom, that is, to make the mind peaceful and calm. Taoism advocates peace of mind and health preservation with peace of mind, but peace of mind is only a state of cultivation. Both internal and external reasons will affect peace of mind. External reasons, such as all kinds of debauchery temptations, are usually internal reasons that one's basic needs are not guaranteed, so one can't reach a state of peace of mind. Taoism does not exclude people's basic desires, but wants to
The desire to ask for help should be moderate, not greedy. There is a cloud in "Lu Chunqiu's Appropriate Sound": "People's feelings, want to live and hate death, want to be safe and hate danger, want to be proud and hate shame, and want to escape and hate work. If you want four things, you will feel comfortable if you remove four evils. The achievement of the four desires lies in winning reason. If you win the reason to heal your body, you are completely born; Born with it, long life. " When people's natural desires are satisfied, their hearts will be stable, their bodies and minds will be smooth, and they will naturally live longer.
Taoism's theory of nourishing nature is based on naturalistic theory of human nature, in which "sex" refers to human nature or human nature and essence. First of all, Laozi and Zhuangzi believe that human nature has natural characteristics. The primitiveness, congenital and naturalness of human nature are all natural and man-made. If you add external artificial elements, you will be hurt. Laozi emphasized that the essence of human nature lies in innocence, and no man-made gains and losses are allowed. Secondly, it is the characteristic of super good and super evil. The theory of evil nature is the viewpoint of various scholars in the pre-Qin period. Taoism, Laozi and Zhuangzi are concerned about the super-good-evil and super-morality of human nature, and oppose introducing the subjective concept of good and evil and the traditional moral category into the field of human nature to discuss human nature. Therefore, Laozi and Zhuangzi put forward the theory of nourishing nature with the purpose of "sex" and "integrity", emphasizing that in the face of human nature, people must act according to sex and move with it, which is the correct way to preserve health, while "integrity and loyalty" is the purpose of health preservation, which means preserving human nature or nature, and "loyalty" is to maintain the truest side of people. Zhuangzi Tianzifang once said: "A person's appearance is empty, but his fate is real and his affairs are clear." It can be seen that "all truth" can not only make people healthy, but more importantly, make people full of energy, thus prolonging life.
2. Double cultivation of form and spirit
Cultivating body is the basis of Taoist health, because body is the support of life and the source of vitality. "Form seeks its safety, gas seeks its filling, and God seeks its suitability. All three are suitable for a healthy life. " ⑤ There is a saying in Zhuangzi Sheng Da that "if a person is born, he must leave his form first" and "if he wants to exist, he must take things first". Life is inseparable from your body, and your body needs nourishment from things. But you should pay attention to the scale of keeping things, and improper eating and living will also hurt your health. Taoism emphasizes that the basis of keeping fit is moderate diet, regular daily life and proper exercise. "God" generally refers to people's spiritual consciousness, that is, spirit. There is a saying in the seventy-second official seal of Laozi River: "People live because they have spirit." Taoism believes that man is composed of form and spirit. Although life is inseparable from form, it shines with spirit. Therefore, Taoism often puts "nourishing the spirit" in the first place. Wen Zi Friedrich Hirth put forward: "To cure the body, first cultivate the spirit, and then cultivate the body. God is clear and harmonious, and all festivals are peaceful, which is also the foundation of health preservation; Fat skin, full of intestines, the end of health. "
Taoist ideology and culture is not only an important part of China's traditional culture, but also a precious wealth left by the sages, which occupies an important position in the long history of China. Its main ideological content is also worth learning from the development of our modern society. For example, the Taoist outlook on life advocates treating people naturally and calmly, which fully embodies the spiritual pursuit of freedom, calmness and tolerance of human life. People have their own subjective initiative, but we should respect the objective laws and follow the laws of nature, which is of great benefit to cultivate our spirit and exercise. The political wisdom of Taoism governing by doing nothing also inspires us. In modern management art, managers should "grasp the big and let go of the small" and engage in management activities without doing anything, which will certainly produce the positive management effect of "doing nothing". Therefore, we can draw a conclusion that no matter how the times change, Taoist ideology and culture is a high-value and high-level ideology and culture. We should not only inherit it well, but also take its essence and carry it forward.