The highest realm of Taoism: "harmony between form and spirit, soaring and immortal." It means that spiritual cultivation, physical exercise and the unity of form and spirit are inseparable from the concept of health preservation.
Taoism regards the human body as a "small universe" and nature as a "big universe". The operation of size should be harmonious, conform to the way of nature and cannot be violated. Only in this way can we enjoy the happiness of interpersonal relationship.
The Taoist way of keeping in good health is divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. The best is the quietism advocated by Laozi in the pre-Qin period. The middle rider is the immortal of alchemists in Qin and Han Dynasties, and the lowest rider is Zhang Daoling in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Taoist health preservation has developed to a quite perfect level, and a set of methods have been formed in the aspects of spirit, breathing, body and diet cultivation, many of which have strong vitality and have been passed down to this day as the essence of Taoism.
Taoism especially emphasizes spiritual cultivation, with "quietness and inaction" and "forgetting to leave the country" as the core of spiritual cultivation. Taoism believes that nature is boundless and desires are endless. Pursuing endless material fame and fortune with limited life is bound to hurt the body and health. To achieve "not to harm the body by fame, not to change the heart by position", we must "get rid of material desires and simplify the complexity"
Although this kind of psychological and spiritual "quietism" advocated by Taoism is unrealistic, it will be beneficial to people living in a fast-paced and competitive society. If there is a moment in the tense and noisy modern life, the whole body and mind will return to the natural state and enter the realm of excellent monasticism, which will help to reduce diseases, purify the soul and enlighten wisdom. Another core way of Taoist health preservation is to pay attention to breathing practice. The most basic and important method is the method of taking qi, which is very similar to the methods of pranayama, breathing, internal vision and internal defense in modern Qigong. Taoism believes that you can live forever by inhaling the righteousness of the four seasons of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun, moon and stars. Combined with breathing exercises, Taoism also attaches great importance to physical exercises. Its main contents include massage, instruction and boxing. Massage, that is, along certain acupoints, acts on the human body by pressing, kneading and pinching; Guiding and boxing is to guide the limbs to do various flexion, extension and supination actions, so as to achieve the therapeutic effect of dredging meridians, regulating qi and relieving pain.
The ultimate goal of Taoist health preservation is to live forever. This idea of longing for immortality was elaborated in the works of Laozi and Zhuangzi as early as. In Zhuangzi's "Wandering Away" and "On Everything", there is a description about immortals: "The skin is like ice and snow, and it is graceful like a virgin. Don't eat whole grains, suck the wind and drink dew. Take the cloud, the dragon, and travel overseas. " It means that the fairy's skin is as smooth and white as ice and snow, and her appearance is as beautiful as a girl. Don't eat whole grains, just suck wind and drink dew. Riding clouds in the sky, driving dragons, traveling around the world. Zhuangzi also talked about these immortals, who don't feel hot when they are on fire, don't feel cold when the river is frozen, and don't panic when they are hit by lightning and hurricanes. There is a story of offering fairy medicine in the Warring States Policy Chu Ce. Although it satirizes the king of Chu and exposes that people who take medicine "bully the king", it reflects that our ancestors have been seeking ways to live forever and explore the mystery of life and death for a long time.
Biography of the First Emperor in Historical Records and Sacrifice to the Suburb in Hanshu both recorded that Qin Shihuang and Wu Di were keen on seeking fairy medicine. /kloc-during the reign of Qin Shihuang in 0/2, the alchemist took boys and girls to the sea to make an alchemist. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, alchemists obtained the elixir of life by refining Huangbaiyao.
Throughout the Taoist way of keeping in good health, the main contents are as follows:
Keep one direction
The way to preserve one's health refers to the way to preserve one's health by concentrating one's mind on the belief of "one" (that is, "Tao") in a state of peace of mind and body, so as to achieve a long life. It was widely popular around the Eastern Han Dynasty. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, it gradually merged with thinking, rest and guidance, and became an important link in Inner alchemy.
(2) mode of thinking
The way of thinking refers to storing thoughts in the body or somewhere outside the body in order to achieve eternal life under the condition of high peace. It was widely popular in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Some people say that every part of the body has a position of God, and thoughts are stored in the body, which is called the existence of God. If you keep God and be one with God, you can ascend to heaven. Some people think that in the process of thinking, we should look at our internal organs with our thoughts, and then we can get the image of our internal organs. This is Vipassana. However, it is worth noting that there is a strong mysticism in existential literature.
(3) the way of guidance
Guidance means stretching, pitching, walking and lying, tilting and other human movements. With respiratory regulation, it can unblock blood vessels, prolong life and eliminate all diseases. It was popular around Qin and Han Dynasties. Since then, there have been more and more methods of guidance, and the relationship with breath regulation has become more and more close, which has become a part of Neidan's later practice.
(4) Breathing style.
The way of breathing and inhaling refers to breathing adjustment, which spits out the turbid air in the chest and sucks in fresh air to prolong life. It was popular around Qin and Han Dynasties. Later, Neidan method also attached importance to breath, emphasizing the acquisition of innate qi in breathing to supplement acquired qi.
(5) the way in which the fetus is interested
The way the fetus breathes means that when the breathing is adjusted to a certain extent, the air will be bound together. If there is breathing, it seems that the breathing is carried out in the navel, just like the fetus is in the mother's stomach. It was popular around Qin and Han Dynasties. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, it gradually merged with breathing and guidance. Adjusting breathing to achieve fetal shape became an important part of Neidan later.
(6) Ways to get food
The way of taking food refers to seeking immortality by taking specific foods or drugs. During the Warring States period, Wei, Jin and Tang dynasties became the main method of health preservation twice. There are roughly two kinds of objects to take, namely herbal medicine and stone medicine. The function of herbs is to remedy deficiency, which is what Chinese medicine often says: nourishing vitality, regulating five internal organs, nourishing essence and blood, and treating diseases. Because stone medicine came from heaven and earth, the ancients compared it with class and thought that eating stone medicine would lead to immortality.
(7) External use of elixir
The way of external alchemy refers to smelting lead, mercury and other minerals with a furnace pot, and refining the immortal elixir in order to live forever. It was formed in the Western Han Dynasty and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. Because many people died of taking Dan medicine, it has been criticized by the ruling and opposition parties, and it declined after the Tang Dynasty. From the perspective of historical reality and modern science, it is meaningless to live longer and prolong life, or it is of little significance. Some pills are harmful, and eating too much will lead to death. However, it is an influential objective existence in the development history of Taoist health preserving methods, which objectively has a considerable impact on the history of ancient chemistry and ancient medicine in China.
(8) The Way of Inner Dan
Inner elixir means that the human body, as a cauldron, takes the human spirit as the object and runs the mind. After certain steps, the spirit condenses into elixir in the body in order to live forever. Inner Dan is opposite to outer Dan. Inner Dan theory originated in the late Southern and Northern Dynasties. After the decline of external alchemy, internal alchemy gradually became the main method of Taoist health preservation. From the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the content of Taoist Inner alchemy was gradually enriched, and various methods such as observing thoughts, guiding actions, breathing, and fetal interest were integrated in ancient times, forming factions such as Nanzong, Beizong, Zhongzong, Dongzong, and Xizong, and each faction also had its own emphasis.
(9) the way in the room
The way in the room refers to the methods in the room, such as moderate harmony between men and women, brain tonic, in order to live longer. During the Warring States period, the art of sexual intercourse was formed. There was a systematic theory in the Western Han Dynasty. Early Taoism was not abstinence, so it was incorporated into Taoism. Later, she became a slut and was excluded from Taoism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Judging from the small amount of existing literature, the sexual health content contained in it still has its scientific significance.
(10) Lifestyle
Daily lifestyle refers to people's lifestyle and environmental requirements, including diet, speech, work and rest, clothing, housing and so on. This requires going with the flow, adapting to changes, following the right time and place, and striving for health and longevity. The above regimen is the treasure of the whole Taoist heritage and the backbone of the traditional regimen in China. Joseph Needham, a famous British scholar, spoke highly of China's science and civilization.
"Taoist thought has the concept of immortality from the beginning. There is no such example in other countries in the world. This immortal thought is of inestimable importance to science. "
Because of this, Taoist regimen has become an irreplaceable treasure in the world's traditional regimen.