Three Taoist cultivation methods you don't know
paulpeng
Taoist cultivation aims at achieving a long life. To reach this overall goal, there are three introductory skills for cultivation.
The first kind of cultivation is moral cultivation. You may not expect that at the beginning of Taoist cultivation, moral cultivation is emphasized - the so-called accumulation of virtue and deeds to establish the foundation for becoming an immortal.
This tradition began with Ge Hong, a famous Taoist priest in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Before this, to achieve a long life, one only needed to refine the "golden elixir". Liu An, the King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, refined so much golden elixir that it overflowed from the furnace. The chickens and dogs in the house of the King of Huainan were fortunate to eat the golden elixir and actually became immortal things. Thus, the idiom "When one person attains the Tao, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" was left behind.
Although this kind of story is not an isolated case, it is obviously unfair to those who practice hard. So Ge Hong put forward the merit theory of cultivation. He emphasized that Taoist cultivation cannot rely only on internal cultivation and external nourishment and other techniques, but must also accumulate good deeds and make contributions, taking loyalty, filial piety, harmony, kindness and faith as the foundation. This is very in line with feudal morality and promoted the development of Taoism in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
According to different levels, "Those who want to become celestial immortals should perform 1,300 good deeds; those who want to become terrestrial immortals should perform 300 good deeds." Success in accumulating good deeds leads to becoming a god by accumulating essence. If one does evil, there are gods in charge of punishing mistakes in heaven and earth. Not only can one not achieve success in cultivation, but it will instead lead to a shortened lifespan. Those who practice goodness will receive blessings, and those who do evil will bring disasters.
The second kind of cultivation is the cultivation of the mind. This is the forte of Taoism, mainly including many methods such as gathering the mind, stopping thoughts, keeping the mind, internal vision, and regulating the spirit. When Taoism was founded, it attached importance to spells such as talismans and alchemy. When the Shangqing School was established in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it began to attach importance to the method of cultivating the mind. This is to pick up the tradition of Taoism again. In the "Tao Te Ching": "Carrying the soul and embracing the one, can one be without separation?" Zhuangzi's "sitting in oblivion": "Destroying the body, abolishing wisdom, separating from form and discarding intention, being the same as the great unity." These are all such skills.
Inspired by Laozi and Zhuangzi of Taoism, the Shangqing School attaches importance to the method of internal contemplation and cultivation. The "Classic of the Yellow Court" and "The Great Scripture of the Cavern Mystery" taught by Wei Huacun, the founding patriarch of the Shangqing School and the Lady of Nanyue Mountain, are all classics in the aspect of cultivating the mind. Later, the orthodox cultivation method of Taoism - internal alchemy, also originated from this.
The third kind of cultivation is replenishing the deficiencies of the body. Mainly it is to get rid of diseases and replenish essence and qi. The obvious difference between Taoism and other religions is that Taoism is a religion that cultivates "life", while other religions are mostly religions that cultivate "death". How to understand this? What other religions promise to believers is either going to heaven after death or receiving blessings in the next life. Although it cannot be confirmed, it cannot be falsified either.
Taoism clearly proposes that the goal of cultivation is to achieve a long physical life. Although it sounds fascinating, it is very easy to be "watched" by the masses. So Taoist cultivation has invented many methods of refining the body. The Five Animal Exercises that have been passed down for thousands of years are the guidance techniques of Taoism. "Stretching like a bear and extending like a bird, blowing and exhaling, are all for the purpose of longevity!"
Taoist body-refining techniques do have obvious effects on human health. However, when some practitioners are cultivating the Tao, they are already afflicted with various diseases and exhausted in energy. This requires getting rid of physical pain first and replenishing essence and qi. Essence, qi, and spirit are the three elements of Taoism. Only when essence is full, qi is sufficient, and spirit is complete can one begin formal Taoist cultivation.
The above are the three introductory skills for Taoist cultivation. In Taoism, these three skills are collectively called "refining oneself". Only when these three skills are cultivated thoroughly can one further deepen one's cultivation. Eventually, it is possible to achieve the goal of a long life.
The first kind of cultivation is moral cultivation. You may not expect that at the beginning of Taoist cultivation, moral cultivation is emphasized - the so-called accumulation of virtue and deeds to establish the foundation for becoming an immortal.
This tradition began with Ge Hong, a famous Taoist priest in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Before this, to achieve a long life, one only needed to refine the "golden elixir". Liu An, the King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, refined so much golden elixir that it overflowed from the furnace. The chickens and dogs in the house of the King of Huainan were fortunate to eat the golden elixir and actually became immortal things. Thus, the idiom "When one person attains the Tao, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" was left behind.
Although this kind of story is not an isolated case, it is obviously unfair to those who practice hard. So Ge Hong put forward the merit theory of cultivation. He emphasized that Taoist cultivation cannot rely only on internal cultivation and external nourishment and other techniques, but must also accumulate good deeds and make contributions, taking loyalty, filial piety, harmony, kindness and faith as the foundation. This is very in line with feudal morality and promoted the development of Taoism in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
According to different levels, "Those who want to become celestial immortals should perform 1,300 good deeds; those who want to become terrestrial immortals should perform 300 good deeds." Success in accumulating good deeds leads to becoming a god by accumulating essence. If one does evil, there are gods in charge of punishing mistakes in heaven and earth. Not only can one not achieve success in cultivation, but it will instead lead to a shortened lifespan. Those who practice goodness will receive blessings, and those who do evil will bring disasters.
The second kind of cultivation is the cultivation of the mind. This is the forte of Taoism, mainly including many methods such as gathering the mind, stopping thoughts, keeping the mind, internal vision, and regulating the spirit. When Taoism was founded, it attached importance to spells such as talismans and alchemy. When the Shangqing School was established in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it began to attach importance to the method of cultivating the mind. This is to pick up the tradition of Taoism again. In the "Tao Te Ching": "Carrying the soul and embracing the one, can one be without separation?" Zhuangzi's "sitting in oblivion": "Destroying the body, abolishing wisdom, separating from form and discarding intention, being the same as the great unity." These are all such skills.
Inspired by Laozi and Zhuangzi of Taoism, the Shangqing School attaches importance to the method of internal contemplation and cultivation. The "Classic of the Yellow Court" and "The Great Scripture of the Cavern Mystery" taught by Wei Huacun, the founding patriarch of the Shangqing School and the Lady of Nanyue Mountain, are all classics in the aspect of cultivating the mind. Later, the orthodox cultivation method of Taoism - internal alchemy, also originated from this.
The third kind of cultivation is replenishing the deficiencies of the body. Mainly it is to get rid of diseases and replenish essence and qi. The obvious difference between Taoism and other religions is that Taoism is a religion that cultivates "life", while other religions are mostly religions that cultivate "death". How to understand this? What other religions promise to believers is either going to heaven after death or receiving blessings in the next life. Although it cannot be confirmed, it cannot be falsified either.
Taoism clearly proposes that the goal of cultivation is to achieve a long physical life. Although it sounds fascinating, it is very easy to be "watched" by the masses. So Taoist cultivation has invented many methods of refining the body. The Five Animal Exercises that have been passed down for thousands of years are the guidance techniques of Taoism. "Stretching like a bear and extending like a bird, blowing and exhaling, are all for the purpose of longevity!"
Taoist body-refining techniques do have obvious effects on human health. However, when some practitioners are cultivating the Tao, they are already afflicted with various diseases and exhausted in energy. This requires getting rid of physical pain first and replenishing essence and qi. Essence, qi, and spirit are the three elements of Taoism. Only when essence is full, qi is sufficient, and spirit is complete can one begin formal Taoist cultivation.
The above are the three introductory skills for Taoist cultivation. In Taoism, these three skills are collectively called "refining oneself". Only when these three skills are cultivated thoroughly can one further deepen one's cultivation. Eventually, it is possible to achieve the goal of a long life.
