The Historical Background of Health Preservation and the Origin of Health Preservation Culture

The emergence of Taoist health preservation is not accidental.

It originated from the oldest primitive witchcraft in China, and it is the inevitable result of the development of immortal thought in pre-Qin, Taoist cultivation of Laozi and Zhuangzi, immortal Taoism in Qin and Han Dynasties and Huangdao Taoism.

Like the establishment of Taoism, the emergence of Taoist health preservation has its specific historical conditions.

The historical background of Taoism is mainly based on the political darkness and social unrest in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The emergence of Taoist health preservation is the result of the development of science and culture in the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties.

In terms of philosophical thinking, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of great social changes, Taoism, Confucianism, Mohism, Yin and Yang, military strategists, famous artists, legalists, strategists and immortals appeared one after another, forming a prosperous situation in which a hundred schools of thought contend.

In the contention of a hundred schools of thought, besides Taoism and immortals, Confucianism, Mohism and Yin and Yang also have considerable influence on the formation and development of Taoist Qigong.

In ancient China, there was a saying that "life and death have life".

"Confucius' Family Language, This Proposition" says, "It is divided into the life of Tao, which is shaped by the nature of one statement, superior to Yin and Yang, and the pictographic character refers to the life; Turning poverty into poverty is death.

Therefore, the beginning of life is also the beginning of life, and the end of life is also the end. Where there is a beginning, there is an end.

People are born with something they don't have. They can't see, eat, do, say or change. Born in March, but slightly warm, see you later; Teeth are born in August, and then you can eat; Born in the future, and then can do it; After three years of marriage, I can talk; Nine times out of ten, you have mastered it, and then you can change it.

Yin poverty is against Yang, so Yin changes with Yang; Yang is poor and negative, so Yang is negative.

It is based on the fact that men have teeth in August and are eight years old. The woman gave birth to a tooth in July and died at the age of seven and 27.

One yin and one yang are matched even and odd, and then the end of life is formed here. That is to say, the change of life and death is attributed to the movement of Yin and Yang. With the constant growth and decline of Yin and Yang, a person's life goes from infancy, adolescence, middle age to old age and death, which is an irresistible natural law.

It should be admitted that this view does not violate science.

Of course, Confucianism also has a different outlook on life.

For example, Mencius said, "It is natural to do things because you are concerned with your heart and nurture your sex." .

I don't want to die young, but I want to cultivate myself, so I made up my mind. "("Mencius devoted himself "), thinking that sex is influenced by heaven, so he intends to cultivate sex.

There is no doubt that everyone dies young, but self-cultivation can make a living.

Making a living is to affirm your life.

Xunzi's attitude towards life is to control it and use it.

He said, "It is better to praise it from the sky than to use it to control fate? Look forward to it and make it timely? " ("Xun Tian Zi"), advocating the use of sanctions against the mandate of heaven.

Although living there, people should not stay on waiting, but should try to control it and make use of it.

This is Xunzi's unique thought.

It is also very important to live in Yi Zhuan.

"The Legend of Incense" says: "There are many fires in the sky. A gentleman suppresses evil and promotes good, and if he is in harmony with heaven, he will stop his life. " "Cohesion Biography" said, "Lotte know life is not worried." "Shuo Gua Zhuan" said, "Exhausted and even fatal." Later scholars regard these views as the consistent inheritance of life by Confucianism, and Yi-ology as the theory of expounding the truth of life and the unity of man and nature.

Many concepts in these Confucian life theories have been absorbed by Taoist health preservation, especially Xunzi's thought of "conquering heaven" and the theoretical system of Zhouyi, which have had a more profound and extensive impact on Taoist health preservation.

Mohism's influence on Taoist qigong health preservation is mainly its five elements theory and man-made change view.

China's ancient theory of five elements was originally simple materialism.

People think that water, fire, gold, wood and earth are the five most basic substances that make up the whole world.

During the Warring States Period, this idea was copied by idealism, resulting in the Yin and Yang School and the Five Elements School represented by Zou Yan.

They arranged the five elements into a series: life and destiny win, wood makes a fire, fire makes soil, soil makes gold, gold makes water, aquatic wood; On the contrary, water wins fire, fire wins gold, gold wins wood, wood wins soil, and soil wins water.

This is the so-called "eternal success".

Zou Yan's theory of "five elements always winning" has hindered the development of science in China.

In the later period, Mohism broke this academic theory and put forward a new proposition that "the five elements may not necessarily win" on the old theory that the five elements coexist and win.

"Mozi Xia Jing" said, "The five elements are not always victorious, but they are appropriate." "Jing Shuo Xia" explains: "Fifty gold, water, earth, wood, fire and separation.

However, the fire is bright and there are many fires.

There is more gold than charcoal.

Water is in the golden house, and fire comes from wood.

If you know the number of elk and fish, you will only benefit. "In this passage, it not only refutes the theory of the five elements winning each other, but also denies the theory of the five elements generating each other.

Mr. Tan explained: "Gold, water, earth, wood and fire are all interdependent, not interdependent, so it is said that golden water is separated from folk fires.

Why? Water is hidden in gold, and fire is attached to bacteria. "Like" the benefits of elk are in the mountains; The advantage of fish lies in the water in Sichuan.

Therefore, the forest full of elk is gone, the water is big, and the fish is hidden.

If we can realize this, then water is not gold and wood is not fire, and we can suddenly realize it. "

As for winning or not, it is not fixed.

On the contrary, because of its quality and quantity, because of its various opportunities, it changes.

Such as the relationship between gold and fire, gold with less fire can melt gold; On the contrary, more gold and less fire can put out the fire.

Wang Chong's On Balance, Life and Justice said: "The analogy between fire and water is even worse. Water is better than fire, and fire is better than water. It is also useful to meet the owner. " It is also believed that the victory of the five elements changes with the change of quality and quantity of both sides of the contradiction, and there is no rigid development procedure.

This dialectical theory of the Five Elements of Mohism not only criticizes Zou Yan and others' metaphysical thoughts and views on the Five Elements, but also opens the way for later Taoists to dialectically explore nature and science.

In Taoism, both the external Dan school in Han and Tang Dynasties and the internal Dan school in Song and Yuan Dynasties absorbed this dialectical thought of Mohism.

For example, the exposition of the five elements in Zhouyi Shentongqi is in the same strain as Mohism.

The book says: "cinnabar wood essence, gold is the combination, gold water is the combination, and wood fire is the companion." This is based on the Mohist theory of attaching beauty to the five elements.

On this basis, Zhouyi Shentongqi further put forward the theory of "five elements wrong king".

The book says, "The five elements are wrong.

According to the other party, the fire sells gold, and the gold log is glorious. Yan explained: "Water is in gold and water is in wood. This is the common way of the five elements.

Today I'm talking about Danfa.

Then wood is accompanied by fire, and fire gives birth to wood; Where gold is hydrated, water will produce gold.

Therefore, the five elements are not right and are based on each other. "("Zhouyi Shentongqi Play "volume).

In other words, the changes of the five elements have a general law, that is, the "normal way"; There is also a special law, that is, "wrong king."

The key to the cultivation of Dan Dao lies in mastering and applying the special laws of the five elements.

This special law is also called "inversion of five elements".

Zhang Boduan's "Five True Articles" said: "Zhenlong Mercury left home, Tiger Lead was born in Kanfang, two things often gave birth to children, and the five elements all entered the center." Song Wengbaoguang explained: "Mercury is an earthquake, dragons belong to wood, wood makes a fire, wood is the mother of fire, and fire is Mu Zi. This is a natural way.

As for cinnabar, it belongs to fire, and the fire disappears. Mercury gives birth to sand, but fire returns to wood, so children give birth to mothers.

Taibai reality sings:' The five elements are reversed, and the dragon makes a fire' ... Lead is an exchange, tiger belongs to gold, gold is water, gold is a jellyfish, and water is gold. This is also the normal way.

And almost black lead belongs to water, water is a hurdle, and silver is born of lead, but it is water that returns to produce gold, so children give birth to mothers.

Taibai reality sings:' The five elements are not born, and the tiger is born in water.

"("* * "Notes on True Stories" Volume 4).

The so-called "five elements are smooth, there is always life and death; It is a basic principle of inner alchemy that the five elements coexist and resist each other, and the body of Dan lives forever.

From the theory of "five elements wrong king" in Zhouyi Qi to "five elements reverse technique" in Wuzhenpian, its ideological source is the Mohist theory that "five elements may not necessarily win".

Mohism talks about change.

"Mozi Shang Jing" said: "Hua, the levy is also easy." Jing Shuo Shang explained: "Hua, if a frog is a quail." There are many forms of change.

The classic says, "Yes, yes, die, change, swing, rule and transform." "Jing Shuo Shang" explains: "Being, Pavilion, and Existence; Disease, death; Buy, lick, easy, Xiao, do, swing; Shun, long and governance; Frog, bend, change. " It is believed that these changes are not all natural, such as the existence of pavilions, the recovery of diseases, trading, elimination and long-term cultivation, all of which are human behaviors; Even such changes as frog buckling can be observed and understood.

This Mohist view, which emphasizes man-made change, is very valuable because it sees the great role of man in transforming nature.

Later, Taoist health care experts absorbed and developed this progressive view of change and put it into practice in the long journey of exploring nature and life.

In terms of natural science and technology, the pre-Qin and Han dynasties have reached a fairly high level.

Because of the idea of "the sky hangs, see good or bad", China has attached great importance to astronomical observation in all previous dynasties; In the imperial court, there is A Qin Tian Jian who specializes in astronomical observation, and there is also a special Chronicle in the official history. Therefore, China's astronomical record can be said to be a treasure of mankind, which can be traced back to Shang Dynasty.

These precious records include the earliest Halley's comet record and the earliest Qin meteor shower record in history.

During the Warring States Period, Shigan Star Classic and Shen Shixing Classic each recorded more than 500-800 stars, which are the earliest star distribution maps in the world.

In the theory of the universe, there are "the theory of covering the sky" and "the theory of muddy the sky"

Zhang Heng, a scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty, summed up the astronomical achievements at that time, expounded the cosmology of "Huntian Theory", and created the earliest Huntian instrument rotating by water in the world.

Geographically, Gong Yu, published during the Warring States Period, contains the characteristics of soils in various parts of China and divides the world into Kyushu for the first time.

The nature of local products and the direction of rivers are recorded.

Shan Hai Jing Shan Jing recorded 89 kinds of minerals and 309 producing areas, which were identified by hardness, color, luster and state.

In addition, the phenomena of iron and aragonite, platinum and iron deposits are also recorded, which is 200 years earlier than the Stone written by the Greek Jeffrey Stis (37 BC1-286 BC) and is rich.

In terms of crustal changes and seismology, the Book of Songs clearly puts forward that "the high shore is the valley and the deep valley is the mausoleum".

The Chronicle of Bamboo Records records an earthquake in Mount Tai in BC 183 1 year, which is the earliest earthquake record in the world.

By the time of Zhang Heng in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the seismograph was invented to measure the orientation and intensity of earthquakes, which was the beginning of the world seismograph.

In chemistry, the origin of alchemy may also be very early.

Because "The Warring States Policy" and "The First Part of Han Feizi's Talking about Forest" both recorded that alchemists offered the king of Chu an elixir of life.

In addition, the earliest study of alloy composition in the world was found in Textual Research.

In biology, the Book of Songs recorded more than 100 plant names and 200 animal names.

Erya compiled in Han Dynasty annotated the names of plants, insects, fish, birds and animals in The Book of Songs.

In Li Zhou Di Guan, animals and plants are formally divided into five categories: hairiness, naked scales and soap paste, which shows that the analysis of ancestors is quite detailed.

In Agriculture, Shangshu Gong Yu listed all kinds of soils and their main crops in Kyushu at that time.

Guan Zi Yuan Di is a special article about soil.

Four articles in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, Clothes, Man and Land, Distinguishing Soil and Testing Time, are devoted to agriculture, and are the earliest existing agricultural works in China.

According to the Records of Hanshu Yiwenzhi, there were nine kinds of agricultural works in the Western Han Dynasty, such as Dajie Agricultural Book.

The Four Seasons and the Moon Order by Cui Shi in the Eastern Han Dynasty is also an earlier agricultural masterpiece.

In terms of medicines, Shan Hai Jing explicitly mentions 130 kinds of medicines, including animals, plants and minerals, and mentions simple usage, such as eating, washing, wearing and wiping.

More than 30 kinds of diseases are treated.

Later, medicine gradually gained experience, broke away from witch doctors and became a branch.

For example, Zhou Li Tianguan divides medical officials into food doctors, sick doctors, selected doctors and veterinarians, and puts forward a set of medical policy system.

According to Records of Historical Records, Biography of Bian Que and Cang Gong, there was a doctor's order in Qin during the Warring States Period, which has been inherited by later generations to this day.

China's unique acupuncture originated very early.

The predecessor of acupuncture is Bian Shi's therapy, and Shuo Wen Jie Zi says: "Bian, stone, stab disease." Many bone needles and bamboo needles were found in Neolithic sites.

By the Zhou Dynasty, due to the development of bronze technology, the use of metal needles was more advanced.

During 1973, a variety of medical books written in Zhou Dynasty were unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha. The contents in Eleven Veins of Foot and Eleven Veins of Yin and Yang indicate that acupuncture therapy has been quite popular in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the medical quality has also been greatly improved.

In addition, the buried gold needle unearthed from the tomb of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan in Mancheng County, Hebei Province, and the medical slips of Han Dynasty unearthed in Wuwei, Gansu Province are all evidences of the development of medicine at that time.

It is on the basis of these practices that several immortal medical works have been produced, such as Huangdi Neijing, Huangdi Eighty-one Difficult Classic, Shennong Herbal Classic and Treatise on Febrile Diseases.

The birth of these classic documents marks the initial formation of China's medical theory system.

Secondly, in terms of health care, since the Xia and Shang Dynasties, people have paid attention to hygiene and formed the habit of washing their faces, hands and bathing. For example, there is a word "bath" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, just like a person taking a bath in a basin with water.

In addition, Oracle Bone Inscriptions also found information about indoor cleaning and dust cleaning (the picture shows the statue of the Yellow Emperor).

In sports, the ancients have long known that dancing can relax muscles and strengthen bones.

Later, gymnastics and physical therapy were developed on this basis, which was called guidance at that time.

Huangdi Neijing mentioned the method of guarding God, and Su Wenyi Fang Lun said: "The land of the central man is flat and wet ... so his illness is flaccidity, cold and heat, and the treatment should be guided by stilts." Su Wen Yan Gu Naive said: "Nothing is indifferent, and the true qi follows, and the spirit is hidden inside, and it is safe." He also said: "Breathe * * * to keep God independent, and so do your muscles." These all refer to health care methods.

In Zhuangzi, there are Peng Zu's methods, such as "bear through bird", sitting and forgetting, fasting and first-class self-cultivation. There are six guiding styles in Huai Nan Zi: bear sutra, bird stretching, bathing, ape catching, watching battle and tiger bone.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, political theory linked the guidance, the circulation of qi and the governance of the country, emphasizing the maintenance and practice in peacetime.

Xun Yue talked about the importance of Qigong in treating diseases and keeping in good health under the umbilicus in Shen Jian. "If the sky guides and stores gas, it will be seen from the inside, and more will be lost, and phlegm can be cured." "Two inches beside the navel is a barrier.

Combination, so the combination of breath, to give four gas also.

Therefore, people who breathe long will stop breathing, while those who breathe short will breathe slightly higher, their pulse will be slightly faster and their spirits will be slightly higher. As for the breath on their shoulders, they will be relieved. Its god is a small expert, as for Guan and Qi Yan.

Those who follow the old path often lead to gas clearance, which is called heavy surgery. "Has begun to mention the problem of" abdomen ".

Wang Chong, a great thinker, wrote 16 books that nourish nature, fully affirmed the scientific value of Qigong, and kept practicing. "Self-control, proper diet, moderate drinking, staying indoors, loving essence and self-protection, and assisting medication guidance can prolong the life of ordinary wings."

The famous doctor Zhang Zhongjing's synopsis of the golden chamber said, "I only feel that my limbs are stagnant, that is, I guide my breathing, point acupuncture and rub points, so that I don't know nine things." It is clearly pointed out that qigong has special effects in treating diseases.

Hua Tuo, a surgeon, compiled a set of "Five Animal Plays" based on the theory that "running water does not rot, joints do not bite, movements are the same, and forms and qi are the same" in Lv Chunqiu and Ji Chun Tongzhi.

And "put forward the theory of guiding the body to strengthen the body", the human body wants to work, but it should not use its ears.

Shake it, the valley gas will disappear, the blood will circulate, and the disease will not be born. For example, the household pivot will be immortal. "(The Biography of Were Ji Fang).

Unearthed cultural relics also prove that China's Qigong reached a considerable level in Qin and Han Dynasties.

Yu Peiming was the first to describe the method of promoting qi completely, which was produced in the early years of the Warring States Period.

1973 There are more than 40 tourist maps of the Western Han Dynasty unearthed from No.3 Han Tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha. There are men, women, old people and young people, and most of them are lower-class people. It can be seen that the guide movement has spread to the lower class in Qin and Han Dynasties.

In addition, Quegu Shi Qi Pian is also a precious Qigong document in the pre-Qin period.

A large number of practitioners with advanced kung fu have emerged in the society.

For example, Peng Zu, Chi Songzi in the Warring States Period, Pei, Feng Junda, Fan Youchong, Huang Hua, Ge Yue and Yue Guang Xin in the Han Dynasty are all famous qigong artists.

They are deified by the world because of their extraordinary skills and superhuman kung fu.

The establishment of Taoism.

It itself contains the ingredients that an alchemist trains to support his family. These famous figures in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties were naturally brought into the Taoist system and became important figures in the history of Taoist qigong health preservation.

The above is the historical background of Taoist Qigong health preservation.

Due to the advocacy of the ruling class in Qin and Han dynasties, the spirit of seeking immortality prevailed, and the theory of qigong health preservation widely influenced all social strata, thus many qigong experts and special works appeared, which constituted the social conditions for the formation of Taoist qigong health preservation thought.

The rise of a hundred bees, the prosperity of immortal theory, the extravagance of Huang Lao's way and the development of science and technology have become the conditions for the formation of Taoist qigong health preservation.

Taoism's unique qigong health preserving system was conceived, produced and formed under such a historical background.