Examples of the influence of Taoism and Buddhism on China culture

In the cultural history of China, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism really influenced China society. Early Confucianism was full of vitality, and when it developed into Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties, it was mainly based on the theory of mind and nature. The content of the theory of mind and nature is the weakness of China's early philosophy. Although Mencius and Yijing are involved, they are generally thin. The Mahayana and Hinayana classics of Buddhism have rich and in-depth explanations of mind. It should be noted that Buddhism's understanding of mind and nature has not only made achievements in theory, but also been implemented in specific revisions. Zen, in particular, pays special attention to the understanding of mind and nature. Throughout the history of China's philosophy, Buddhism has always occupied a very important position. Mr. Hu Shi wrote the Outline of China's Philosophical History in his early years, but he was half-baked because he didn't understand Buddhism. Later, he also began to study Buddhism and collected a lot of information about Zen. Although his textual research may not be accepted by the teaching community, it also reflects his emphasis on Buddhism and his far-reaching influence on China's philosophy. Buddhism also has a wide influence on China literature. There are so many Buddhist scriptures that there are more than 10,000 volumes of Dazheng Tibetan alone. Many Buddhist classics, such as Diamond Sutra, Vimalakīrti Sutra and Goblet of Fire, which are widely circulated in the teaching circle, are masterpieces handed down from the literary perspective. The genre of Buddhist classics is also very rich, including poetry, prose, novel and drama. Even if it is not accepted from the belief level, it can be studied as a cultural heritage, so it is very popular with traditional literati. As early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty, eighteen monks gathered in Lushan Mountain, and under the leadership of Master Hui Yuan, a monk, set up a Lotus Club to cultivate a clean business. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, scholars' good Buddhism became more popular. Wang Bo, Wang Wei, Bai Juyi, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi and Su Dongpo are all devout Buddhists. Literary works represent the author's observation, experience and life accumulation of the world, and also reflect the author's ideological realm and spiritual belief. So many ancient literary works contain Buddhism and Zen. If we don't know Buddhism, it is difficult to understand the details of these works. In addition, some works are directly drawn from Buddhism or related content. For example, The Journey to the West took the experience of Tang Priest (Genjyo Sanzo) going to India to learn Buddhist scriptures as the theme. Students who have studied history should know that Master Xuanzang is one of the four great translators in the history of Buddhism in China, and he has made outstanding contributions to Buddhism in the Han Dynasty. Based on this history, The Journey to the West naturally permeated many Buddhist thoughts in his creation. Regrettably, after the interpretation of some film and television works, Tang Priest became a poor foil for the Monkey King and Pig Bajie, and failed to reproduce the historical truth. Notes novels such as Yuewei Caotang Notes and Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio also reflect the Buddhist thought of karma to varying degrees. As for the classic Dream of Red Mansions, there are many Zen poems for readers. If you know nothing about Buddhism, you will not be able to interpret these works correctly. The influence of Buddhism on artistic creation can not be ignored. The introduction of Buddhism and the prevalence of Buddhist statues greatly promoted the development of sculpture, architecture and painting in China. China's paintings and calligraphy are also inseparable from Buddhist themes. In landscape painting, there are ancient temples, Brahma and Alonro. There are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, King Kong Lohan and Monks and Virtues in figure paintings. Scriptures copied in various dynasties not only promoted Buddhism, but also preserved a large number of ancient calligraphy works for us. Among them, there are countless masterpieces copied by calligraphers, such as Wang Xizhi's Religious Sutra, Zhang's Heart Sutra, Liu Gongquan's Diamond Sutra, Su Shi's Sutra, Zhao Mengfu's Lotus Sutra, Lin Zexu's Amitabha Sutra, New Heart Sutra and Master Hongyi's Huayan Sutra. In addition, Dunhuang also preserves a large number of scriptures written by the Tang Dynasty, which are not only precious Buddhist classics, but also a rare treasure house of calligraphy art. Apart from its influence on the art field, Buddhism has also entered the homes of ordinary people since it was introduced into China. In its heyday, it spread to "every family has Guanyin and every household has Amitabha". As a result, religious festivals such as Buddha's Birthday and Bodhisattva's Birthday have gradually become generally accepted folk festivals in society.

When Taoism came into being and grew up in China society, it was bound to absorb the spiritual nutrients produced by this society, including literature and art of course. At the same time, Taoism, as a special form of belief, once accepted by the society and enjoying a high status, will in turn affect literature and art.

The influence of Taoism on China literature can be roughly seen from the following aspects: First, Taoism retains a large number of fairy tales and folklore, and also creates many fairy tales, which add color to the myth part of China literature. Legends in Taoism about the Jade Emperor, the Dragon Duke, the Queen Mother of the West and the True Pangu. They are all passed down from ancient myths, and these oral documents circulated among the people have been completely preserved. In addition, the fairy tales created by Taoism itself, such as the legend of the Eight Immortals, the fairy tales of Mount Tai, Huashan, Longhu Mountain and Wudang Mountain, are also widely circulated among the people, which have had a great influence on China literature. Therefore, some foreign scholars regard "Taoist myth" as one of the four components of ancient China mythology when studying China mythology, and give a high evaluation. Some scholars in Taiwan Province Province also said: "Taoist legends are spread all over the world, and their rich imagination and fantastic plots can create different flavors in the mouths of speakers of different times. Things that human beings can't satisfy in real life, such as marriage, pain and death, can be temporarily relieved in narrative. Especially through the stage, some immortal people, fairy tales that solve difficulties, and the ability of immortals to play in the world and do whatever they want, people who have lived in poverty for a long time have purified their hearts with laughter. The satisfaction of this kind of literature and art is by no means limited to the seclusion of literati, but also the joy of life for the general public and one of the outstanding achievements of China literature. "

Secondly, the Taoist description of immortals and the romantic color of tour guides have a great influence on China literature. Taoism inherits and develops the extremely rich romantic spirit of Taoism, and the characters and scenery it depicts are full of color and charm. This strange and magical romantic sentiment has deeply penetrated into all fields of China literature and has become a major feature of ancient China literature.

Thirdly, the unique poetry of Taoism has a far-reaching influence on China literature. Taoist poems describing immortals' soaring or wandering, poems describing immortals' life, and some poems explaining monastic theory all add new and special contents to China's poetry treasure house. Li Bai, Li He, Li Shangyin and other famous poets in ancient China were deeply influenced by Taoism. Their poems exude a strong Taoist flavor and have many excellent works. In addition, there are many epigrams named after Taoist fairy stories, such as Yaochi banquet, colorful feathers and fishing songs. Taoism has indeed played a considerable role in promoting the development of China's poetry.

In addition, the influence of Taoism on China literature is also manifested in novel creation. If nothing else, we can see the influence of Taoism from a large number of novels describing the struggle between gods and demons in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Mr. Lu Xun called this kind of novels "ghost novels", such as Romance of Gods, Biography of Three Demons in Suiping, Biography of Han Xiangzi, Flying Sword of Lu Xian, Biography of Seven True Stories and so on. , are based on Taoist thought. In addition, works based on historical romance also have a strong Taoist color, such as Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Taoism and China traditional folk custom China has a proverb: "A hundred miles of different winds, a thousand miles of different customs." This means that folk customs are extremely complex and extensive. Its content involves food, clothing, housing, transportation, weddings, funerals, entertainment festivals and other aspects. Generally speaking, Taoism is closely related to folk beliefs and customs, and further influences the customs and entertainment customs at the age of 20 through its connection with beliefs and customs.

First of all, the gods worshipped by Taoism are illusory products, but they are closely related to the folk cultural traditions of China. Many famous Taoist vulgar gods, such as Leigong, Fengbo, Guandi, Wenchang, Door God, Kitchen God, Town God, Land God, Mazu, Pestilence God, Silkworm God, Medicine King, God of Wealth, etc., were first circulated among the people, and then gradually absorbed by Taoism to become Taoist gods with different names. This is not only a way for Taoism to continuously expand its influence, but also an important means for it to attract the masses. In other words, Taoism concentrates common folk gods into its own beliefs and becomes an integral part of the Taoist immortal system; On the other hand, Taoism used its own advantages to make these Taoist gods return to the people, which had a deeper and wider impact on folk sacrificial activities. Like the city god, the land god and the kitchen god, ordinary people are in awe of them, and the worship and prayer of these gods has actually become a folk custom. Some Taoist gods, such as, Fu, Lu and Shou, are also widely sacrificed.

Secondly, Taoist witchcraft has also penetrated into the people, often combined with folk witchcraft, and played an important role in people's lives. A considerable part of Taoist witchcraft originated from folk witchcraft, and it has become more systematic after the transformation and development of Taoism. There are also many Taoist spells, such as praying for rain, curing diseases, prolonging life, dying, crossing over, praying for dreams, asking for a sign and so on. These are combined with folk witchcraft, which makes Taoism popular with the help of folk customs, which is an important link between folk customs and Taoism.

In addition, Taoism also permeates all kinds of folk activities carried out at a fixed time. For example, the Spring Festival, the largest folk festival in China, can be seen everywhere, and some customs have been passed down to this day. For example, Respect for the Kitchen God, Dressing as a Night Fool, Sticking to the Door, Fu Tao and Portrait of Zhong Kui are all related to Taoism. The celebration of the birth of Taoist immortals is also very influential among the people. For example, on the birthdays of Lv Dongbin and Taishang Laojun, people often go to the Taoist Temple to burn incense and worship. Moreover, these Taoist celebrations and festivals are also mixed with many folk entertainment methods and become very secular. At this time, the relevant temples have become folk entertainment centers, and the well-known "temple fair" is the performance of this situation. This is also an important aspect related to Taoism and folk customs.

The belief of Taoism and China ancient science and technology Taoism is "immortality". In order to achieve this goal, Taoism tirelessly explores and seeks various methods to achieve this goal. In this process, it objectively promoted the development and progress of ancient science and technology in China.

Ancient medicine-early Taoism (Pentecostalism and Taiping religion) used water spells to treat people. Taiping Jing, an early classic of Taoism, also describes people's physiological conditions from the perspective of Yin-Yang, Five Elements and Collaterals. It is believed that human diseases are related to heaven and earth, yin and yang, four seasons, five elements, cold and heat, and it is proposed to regulate 360 pulses of human body with acupuncture and treat diseases with animals and plants. Some classics regard strengthening the essence, refining qi and nourishing the spirit as the methods of strengthening the body.

The most notable ones are Ge Hong in Jin Dynasty, Tao Jinghong at the time of Qi and Liang Dynasties in Northern and Southern Dynasties, and Sun Simiao in Tang Dynasty, who have made indelible contributions to the development of Chinese medicine. Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty wrote Synopsis of the Golden Chamber and Elbow Emergency Prescription. There are records of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and smallpox in synopsis of the golden chamber, and it is pointed out that tuberculosis ("corpse") can infect people and lead to the collapse of the whole family. There are more than 100 simple prescriptions in the compilation of elbow emergency prescriptions, which can be described as the first first aid manual in China. Tao Hongjing, a native of Qi and Liang Dynasties, is proficient in medical skills, and has written Notes on Materia Medica, Prescriptions for Prescriptions, Effective Prescriptions and Hundred Prescriptions after Elbow. Among them, Compendium of Materia Medica included 730 kinds of drugs used at that time, all of which were made from the land used by the imperial edict. It expounds the name, source, origin, characteristics, identification, function and processing of drugs. It is a compendium of materia medica in Tang Dynasty and an important work of ancient pharmacology. In addition, Tao Hongjing also pioneered the method of classifying drugs according to their properties. Sun Simiao, a famous Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty, who is known as the "King of Medicine", has written more than 30 kinds of medical works, such as Emergency Prescription, Theory of Nursery Care, Classic List, and Pilin Zhongfang. Sun Simiao attaches great importance to diet and medical ethics in medicine, and also attaches great importance to maternal and infant diseases. There are three volumes in Qian Jin Fang Yao: Women Fang and Xiaoer Fang.

In addition to the medical achievements of the three Taoist disciples mentioned above, there are also some Taoist health preservation methods, such as promoting qi circulation, dredging, pranayama and massage. , has been included in the field of Chinese medicine; Taoist external alchemy has been brought into the pharmaceutical field and become a pharmaceutical method; Taoist inner alchemy also greatly enriched China's traditional medical theory and means.

Metallurgy-China alchemy has the earliest origin and a long history. It spread to India, Arabia and Byzantium in the west, and then to Europe, and was transformed into scientific chemistry after the Renaissance. Alchemy is one of the magical methods of Taoist specialization. It has made considerable achievements in practice and still attracts the attention of the scientific community. Taoist classics about alchemy are mainly kept in Taoist books, and their masterpieces include Jiuding Danfa by Zhang Ling in the Eastern Han Dynasty and Zhouyi Shentongqi by Wei Boyang, all of which discuss alchemy. Mercury described in the book is active and can combine with sulfide. The synthesis of two elemental compounds is recorded for the first time, and the concept of distribution ratio when substances in lead smelting change chemically is also described. Bao Puzi written by Ge Hong (252-334) in Jin Dynasty? In the inner chapter, "Then", "Zhi Li", "Fairy Medicine" and "Huangbai" talk about alchemy, describing the chemical changes of general inorganic substances and various methods of making gold and silver. Researchers of chemical history believe that Gabriel, an Arab alchemist in the 8th century, was deeply inspired by Ge Hong's works. Taoist alchemy is the pioneer of modern chemistry. A Liang Tao Hongjing (456-536) in the Southern Dynasties wrote Records of Ancient and Modern Swords, describing the methods of casting steel and smelting, which was an outstanding achievement in early steelmaking. He also found that different substances can be distinguished according to different flame colors, which is the first example of analytical chemistry in later generations.

Astronomical calendar-Taoism has such theories as "Taoism is natural", "cultivating Dan is connected with heaven and earth" and "heaven and man are connected". A practitioner should know astronomy, geography, yin and yang, and divination. Therefore, Taoism has a close relationship with the changes of astronomy, meteorology and precession of the four seasons, which objectively has a great influence on ancient astronomy, meteorology and calendar science in China. Taoism is also closely related to calendar science. Kou of the Northern Wei Dynasty was good at arithmetic, and Hongjing wrote five volumes of The Emperor's Calendar, which was quite original. In the Tang Dynasty, Fu was good at calendar calculation, and wrote the Five-Tone Calendar, which was the first official calendar in China.

Taoist culture also has a certain influence on the development of philosophy, traditional morality, environmental protection and architectural painting in our society, and objectively presents achievements.

In a word, Taoism is an integral part of the mainstream of traditional culture in China. Its influence and infiltration on China traditional culture is manifested in philosophy, religion, politics, art and other aspects. Because of its great influence, Lu Xun said that "China culture is rooted in Taoism ..." Xu Dishan also thought: "It is Taoism and Taoist culture that dominate the ideals and lives of ordinary people in China ..." The influence of Taoism on ancient China from the palace to ordinary families can be said to be a flood of mercury. Pervasive, this influence can also be seen in today's society.