What are the cultivation bases for achieving immortality in Taoism?
paulpeng
The ultimate goal of Taoist cultivation is to achieve a long life. This is different from the claims of other religions seeking an afterlife or going to heaven after death. Taoist cultivation seeks this life and pursues the attainment of immortality for the current physical body. Most modern people do not think that one can really cultivate to become an immortal because this is too easily falsified. But why did ancient people believe in Taoist cultivation? This is because from the perspective of ancient thinking, Taoist cultivation has solid and reliable foundations.
The first basis for Taoist cultivation is "Tao." Taoism believes that Tao is mysterious, eternal, and objectively existing. As long as Taoist priests can attain "Tao" through cultivation, they can transcend the limitations of the physical body and achieve eternity. Tao gives birth to all things and is also contained in all things. As long as people achieve success in cultivation, they can attain Tao. As it is said in the "Tao Te Ching," "Returning to the root is called tranquility. This is called returning to life. Returning to life is called constancy. Knowing constancy is called enlightenment. Not knowing constancy and acting recklessly leads to disaster. Knowing constancy leads to tolerance. Tolerance leads to impartiality. Impartiality leads to completeness. Completeness leads to heaven. Heaven leads to Tao. Tao leads to longevity. One will not be in danger even after death." After attaining Tao, one can be "free from danger even after death."
The second theoretical basis for Taoist cultivation is based on the thought of change. Therefore, one of the signs of successful cultivation is transformation, which people often see in literary and film and television works. Sun Wukong has seventy-two transformations, and Zhu Bajie has thirty-six transformations. This is a simple conclusion drawn by the ancients based on real observations. In ancient times, the level of technology was not high, and in many cases, observations were made with the naked eye, so there was the saying that decaying grass turns into fireflies. Tan Qiao, a Taoist in the Five Dynasties, wrote "The Book of Transformations" to expound on the theory of Taoist transformation.
When the theory of change is directly applied to Taoist cultivation techniques, it is alchemy. Alchemy is inspired by the observations of Taoist priests. Cinnabar, the main ingredient of alchemy materials, is mainly composed of mercury sulfide. Heating mercury sulfide can decompose it into liquid mercury, and mercury will turn into a solid after oxidation. Therefore, Taoist priests believe that the refined external elixir can help people rejuvenate and become immortals. As it is said, "My life is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven. Returning the elixir to gold lasts for billions of years."
The third basis for Taoist cultivation is the Taoist theory of essence, qi, and spirit. Taoism regards essence, qi, and spirit as the three treasures. The "complete authenticity" of Quanzhen Taoism means complete essence, complete qi, and complete spirit. Taoism believes that everything is composed of qi. In today's scientific terms, it means that human cells are all composed of atoms, and everything is also composed of atoms. Can atoms always exist for a long time?
People are in qi, and qi is in people. It's just that people's qi and spirit are easy to be turbid and difficult to be clear, easy to be dim and difficult to be bright. The inevitable result of ordinary people's inability to avoid death is caused by the exhaustion of essence, depletion of qi, and decline of spirit. Through Taoist cultivation and achieving treasuring essence, loving qi, and maintaining complete spirit, Taoist priests believe that "knowing cultivation can truly achieve a long life."
The fourth basis for Taoist cultivation is the Taoist medical theory. Taoist medicine is an important source of traditional Chinese medicine. When Taoist priests practice in the mountains, they will inevitably encounter poisonous snakes and wild beasts. Knowing medical principles for self-rescue and rescuing others is very necessary. In long-term medical practice, Taoist priests have discovered many drugs and prescriptions. They believe that through the action of drugs, the goal of cultivation can be achieved. In the pre-Qin period, these drugs were called "elixirs of immortality."
As early as the Warring States period, the rulers of the states of Qi and Yan near the sea began to send alchemists to the immortal mountains on the sea to look for elixirs of immortality. The climax of this activity occurred during the time of Qin Shihuang. The alchemist Xu Fu led five hundred boys and girls to sail out to sea, but in the end, he never returned. It is said that Xu Fu later went to Japan and became Emperor Jimmu of Japan. Of course, this is a digression.
The "Inner Canon of Huangdi" says, "In ancient times, people lived to be a hundred years old without showing signs of decline in their activities. In today's times, people start to show signs of decline in their activities when they are only fifty years old." In response to this situation, Ge Hong, a Taoist priest in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, said, "As for immortals, they nourish their bodies with drugs and prolong their lives with techniques. They prevent internal diseases from arising and external disasters from entering. Although they can live a long time without dying and their old bodies remain unchanged. If there is a way, it is not difficult!" Later generations of Taoist priests refine drugs based on this theory.
In short, people today are not smarter than ancient people, and ancient people are not stupider than people today. Under the conditions and cognitions of that time, Taoist cultivation techniques had solid theoretical foundations. From today's perspective, there are still many aspects in Taoist cultivation methods that are worthy of our promotion.
The first basis for Taoist cultivation is "Tao." Taoism believes that Tao is mysterious, eternal, and objectively existing. As long as Taoist priests can attain "Tao" through cultivation, they can transcend the limitations of the physical body and achieve eternity. Tao gives birth to all things and is also contained in all things. As long as people achieve success in cultivation, they can attain Tao. As it is said in the "Tao Te Ching," "Returning to the root is called tranquility. This is called returning to life. Returning to life is called constancy. Knowing constancy is called enlightenment. Not knowing constancy and acting recklessly leads to disaster. Knowing constancy leads to tolerance. Tolerance leads to impartiality. Impartiality leads to completeness. Completeness leads to heaven. Heaven leads to Tao. Tao leads to longevity. One will not be in danger even after death." After attaining Tao, one can be "free from danger even after death."
The second theoretical basis for Taoist cultivation is based on the thought of change. Therefore, one of the signs of successful cultivation is transformation, which people often see in literary and film and television works. Sun Wukong has seventy-two transformations, and Zhu Bajie has thirty-six transformations. This is a simple conclusion drawn by the ancients based on real observations. In ancient times, the level of technology was not high, and in many cases, observations were made with the naked eye, so there was the saying that decaying grass turns into fireflies. Tan Qiao, a Taoist in the Five Dynasties, wrote "The Book of Transformations" to expound on the theory of Taoist transformation.
When the theory of change is directly applied to Taoist cultivation techniques, it is alchemy. Alchemy is inspired by the observations of Taoist priests. Cinnabar, the main ingredient of alchemy materials, is mainly composed of mercury sulfide. Heating mercury sulfide can decompose it into liquid mercury, and mercury will turn into a solid after oxidation. Therefore, Taoist priests believe that the refined external elixir can help people rejuvenate and become immortals. As it is said, "My life is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven. Returning the elixir to gold lasts for billions of years."
The third basis for Taoist cultivation is the Taoist theory of essence, qi, and spirit. Taoism regards essence, qi, and spirit as the three treasures. The "complete authenticity" of Quanzhen Taoism means complete essence, complete qi, and complete spirit. Taoism believes that everything is composed of qi. In today's scientific terms, it means that human cells are all composed of atoms, and everything is also composed of atoms. Can atoms always exist for a long time?
People are in qi, and qi is in people. It's just that people's qi and spirit are easy to be turbid and difficult to be clear, easy to be dim and difficult to be bright. The inevitable result of ordinary people's inability to avoid death is caused by the exhaustion of essence, depletion of qi, and decline of spirit. Through Taoist cultivation and achieving treasuring essence, loving qi, and maintaining complete spirit, Taoist priests believe that "knowing cultivation can truly achieve a long life."
The fourth basis for Taoist cultivation is the Taoist medical theory. Taoist medicine is an important source of traditional Chinese medicine. When Taoist priests practice in the mountains, they will inevitably encounter poisonous snakes and wild beasts. Knowing medical principles for self-rescue and rescuing others is very necessary. In long-term medical practice, Taoist priests have discovered many drugs and prescriptions. They believe that through the action of drugs, the goal of cultivation can be achieved. In the pre-Qin period, these drugs were called "elixirs of immortality."
As early as the Warring States period, the rulers of the states of Qi and Yan near the sea began to send alchemists to the immortal mountains on the sea to look for elixirs of immortality. The climax of this activity occurred during the time of Qin Shihuang. The alchemist Xu Fu led five hundred boys and girls to sail out to sea, but in the end, he never returned. It is said that Xu Fu later went to Japan and became Emperor Jimmu of Japan. Of course, this is a digression.
The "Inner Canon of Huangdi" says, "In ancient times, people lived to be a hundred years old without showing signs of decline in their activities. In today's times, people start to show signs of decline in their activities when they are only fifty years old." In response to this situation, Ge Hong, a Taoist priest in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, said, "As for immortals, they nourish their bodies with drugs and prolong their lives with techniques. They prevent internal diseases from arising and external disasters from entering. Although they can live a long time without dying and their old bodies remain unchanged. If there is a way, it is not difficult!" Later generations of Taoist priests refine drugs based on this theory.
In short, people today are not smarter than ancient people, and ancient people are not stupider than people today. Under the conditions and cognitions of that time, Taoist cultivation techniques had solid theoretical foundations. From today's perspective, there are still many aspects in Taoist cultivation methods that are worthy of our promotion.
