Taoism and traditional Chinese medicine are closely related
In terms of origin, Chinese culture has the greatest relationship with Taoism. Although the name of the Taoist school was formed relatively late, it was not named after the Jiuliu in the early Han Dynasty. However, its origins can be traced to Taoist literature, which can be traced back to Yi Yin in the early Shang Dynasty. By the Zhou Dynasty, Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" was a comprehensive collection. This does not include the initial stage of Taoist thought, which has to be pushed back to the Yellow Emperor. hour.
"Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" contains ancient Taoist books, and the first one is "Yi Yin" fifty-one. This book was lost long ago, and is not even recorded in "Sui Shu·Jing Ji Zhi". However, in recent years, the lost silk book "Yi Yin·Nine Masters" was unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb, which not only enables us to understand "Yi Yin", an early Taoist classic. I have a rough understanding, and it proves that the emergence of Taoism is inseparable from the way of heaven. For example, the nameless and the famous are a center of the study of "Laozi", and "Yi Yin Jiuzhu" believes that "name" comes from the way of heaven. The article says: "Heaven lacks (fan) and has no (name). All things are reborn, and living things are not things, so they all have names."
The so-called "tianfan" is the "way of heaven", which is the essence and nature of heaven. The laws of heaven's movement are said to be "unnamed". Since "name" is the product of the way of heaven, then everything that comes from it has a name. "Laozi" said: "The nameless beginning of heaven and earth is the name of the mother of all things." Footnotes can be found here.
Traditional Chinese medicine has a close connection with Taoism. It particularly emphasizes that "human beings are connected with heaven and earth, as well as with the sun and the moon." Traditional Chinese medicine is placed in a large system of heaven, earth and people to study and explore its origins. , that is, from Taoism. Therefore, the "Nei Jing" believes that an excellent doctor must understand the following: "Knowing astronomy at the top, geography at the bottom, and human affairs at the bottom can be used for a long time to teach the people without any doubts. Treatises on medicine can be written It can be passed on to future generations, and it can be the main thing. "Equalizing the requirements for doctors and Taoist standards is the fundamental reason why medicine is connected to the Tao, or the medical Tao has the same origin. Therefore, if we want to study traditional Chinese medicine in depth, we must not ignore the study of Taoism, especially the value of Taoist medicine.
Taoism has a long-standing belief in "rebirth", advocating immortality and attaining immortality; it also values ??the value of individual life and believes that after a certain amount of practice, individuals in the world can be reborn and directly transcend into immortality. Therefore, Taoism absorbed the original shamanistic blessings, magical alchemy and the health-preserving methods of the ancestors, and created and constructed a complete Taoist health-preserving system. This system has a very close relationship with traditional Chinese medicine, the main body of traditional medicine in the motherland. Since ancient times, China has said that "medicine and Taoism have the same origin."
In terms of theory, traditional Chinese medicine’s view of the unity of man and nature, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, as well as its insights into the meridians, qi and blood, and internal organs of the human body, are basically inherited and developed by Taoism, and are used as the basis for refining and nourishing. The basic theories about human life permeate into the inner alchemy of guiding, pondering, and convincing and will become more mature in the future.
In addition, Taoist health science and traditional Chinese medicine have some basic issues of common concern. For example, Taoist health care attaches the most importance to the maintenance and cultivation of human essence, qi, and spirit; while the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine such as the view of the unity of man and nature, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, the theory of human meridians, viscera, qi and blood, and clinical practice, It also attaches great importance to the balance and coordination of human essence, Qi and spirit. Taoist health preservation and traditional Chinese medicine also have many similarities in methods such as psycho-social therapy, rehabilitation therapy, music therapy, environmental therapy, etc.
Belief in immortals is the main reason for the emergence of Taoist medicine. According to the belief in immortals, immortals are first and foremost the infinite extension of individual life. If this is possible, logically speaking, since it is infinitely extended, then individual life should be healthy and long before infinite extension. In the early days when Taoism focused on life cultivation, believers would think so. For example, if they see a young Taoist priest with light steps and bright eyes, or an old Taoist priest with sharp ears and eyes, with fair hair and childish face, believers will regard them as immortals and sincerely worship them. On the contrary, who would believe that a Taoist priest with a sallow complexion, skinny muscles, disease, weakness, and a lack of energy would be able to achieve immortality in one day? Therefore, "Yangxing Yanming Lu" explains: "Tao and life are mutually beneficial, and life and Tao are mutually beneficial." This means that belief in gods requires the preservation of life, and medical health care and immortality cultivation are inseparable. "Vipassana Sutra" says: The enlightenment of the Tao is generated, and the Tao protects life. "If the Tao of life is unified, then there will be immortality." That is, using medicine to maintain health and seek immortality, and seeking immortality and immortality. "The Internal Scene of Huangting's Internal Scenery of the Five Internal Organs and Replenishing and Reducing Diagrams" says: "First understand the internal organs, and then talk about cultivation." "Danting Zhenren Lu Zushi Xuantan" says: "If the disease is not eliminated, it will be difficult to establish an immortal foundation." To practice inner elixirs, you must first " Build the foundation”.
These are all preparatory stages, necessary conditions or foundations for taking medical health care as an immortal. If you seek immortality, you must value your life, and if you value your life, you must seek medical treatment. Taoist medicine will inevitably come into being. Helping the world and saving people is the second important reason for the emergence of Taoist medicine. Taoism advocates the spirit of unity and love, and requires Taoist priests to take it as their duty to help the world and save people. "The Book of Saving People" says: "The Immortal Way values ??lives and cannot save people." "Rescuing the world with medicine" is one of the ways to save the world and save people, and it is easier to achieve results. According to Taoism, helping the world and saving people is not only to show kindness to others, but also to accumulate virtue for oneself. Only by accumulating virtue can one become an immortal. Therefore, the Taoist Scriptures say: "Cure all kinds of diseases, heal people's sufferings, and can also make people immortal." Quanzhen Sect calls cultivating one's own mind and body "real power", and helping the world and saving people is called "true practice", saying that "both merit and action" Only then can you become enlightened. It is in this sense that Wang Chongyang, the founder of Quanzhen Religion, said that "those who learn Taoism must not be ignorant of" medicine. Qiu Chuji even said to Genghis Khan: "There is a way to maintain health, but there is no medicine for immortality." Therefore, the Taoist philosophy of salvation also requires Taoist priests to master the knowledge of medicine and health preservation. Using medicine to help the world often results in the objective effect of using medicine to teach. Some Taoist priests master medical knowledge just to preach medicine. For example, in the early days of Taoism, Yellow Turban's Taiping Dao and Erzhang's Five Pecks of Rice Dao used Fu Shui to treat people's illnesses at the beginning of their mission, and they quickly won a large number of believers.
Taoism attaches great importance to medicine and health care, which is also related to the actual needs of Taoist priests’ own lives. This is the second important reason for the emergence of Taoist medicine. In ancient times, many Taoist priests lived in remote areas, and some chose to live in caves in rocks. There are also some Taoist priests who travel through mountains and rivers, eat and sleep in the open air in order to collect medicine or visit Taoism. If they lack the knowledge of medicine and health care, are unable to withstand the harsh and harsh environment, and cannot treat themselves when the disease strikes, it will be difficult for them to survive. Therefore, Ge Hong, a Taoist theorist of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, warned Taoist priests to "learn medical skills as well." In addition, some Taoist scriptures, based on the theory of induction between heaven and man, use treatment as a means of sensing that heaven and earth will not bring disasters, and try to use medicine to regulate heaven. There are also Taoist scriptures that use medical theory to explain teachings and promote Taoism through medicine. These are also the reasons that led to the emergence of Taoist medicine.
The theory of gods in my country originated very early. Documents such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Chu Ci", "Han Feizi", "Zhuangzi", and "Zuo Zhuan" all record myths or alchemy about immortality, elixirs, real people, gods or immortals, etc. During the Warring States Period, Fangxian Taoism, which was dedicated to immortality activities, became popular, and the three schools of Qi, Yaoji, and Baojing stood side by side. In the Han Dynasty, some Huang-Lao scholars turned to magical alchemy and formed Huang-Lao Taoism. "Hanshu Yiwenzhi" records the works of Fang Xiandao and Huang Laodao. There are 8 Fangzhong schools and 10 Shenxian schools, including Fangzhong, Daoyin, massage, bait, Huangbaizhu and other alchemy. Wang Chong's "Lunheng Daoxu" criticized Huang Laodao and listed five methods of nourishing the essence and loving the qi, bigu, eating qi, guiding, and taking medicine. Some scholars refer to the alchemy techniques of Fang Xiandao and Huang Laodao as alchemist medicine. Alchemist medicine takes immortality as its highest goal, traditional Chinese medicine and witch doctors as its main content, and is based on ancient Chinese philosophical thoughts. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taiping Dao and Wu Dou Mi Dao used talisman water to treat people's illnesses, and taught people to self-heal by repenting, taking medicine, meditating, taking talismans, and reciting incantations, which marked the formal formation of Taoist medicine. Alchemist medicine is the predecessor of Taoist medicine. The core content of Taoist medicine is traditional Chinese medicine. It can be said that Taoist medicine absorbs and integrates all the contents of traditional Chinese medicine. Taoist doctors of all ages have carried out medical practice and theoretical exploration with religious piety and a humanitarian spirit of saving lives and healing the wounded, and have made great contributions to traditional Chinese medicine. For example, Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was the first to record smallpox. Xiao Liang Tao Hongjing collected "Yang Xing Yan Ming Lu", which includes medical treatises, medicines, and various techniques such as striving for the spirit, convincing the spirit, nourishing the body, guidance, speech, diet, living in the house, anti-customs, taboos, prayers, chanting mantras, and meditating. , is the earliest extant health care collection in my country. His book "Compendium of Materia Medica" has innovations in the collection, processing, classification, and compatibility of drugs. Sun Simiao in the Tang Dynasty laid the initial foundation for the development of gynecology and pediatrics, and developed the science of health and longevity. Xiyuan Pulsology founded by Cui Jiayan in the Southern Song Dynasty occupies an important position in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. Some external medicines developed by Waidan are still in use today. Nei alchemy has promoted the development of health preserving techniques and research on the human body in ancient my country. Many important Chinese medicine works in my country include a large number of Taoist medical prescriptions.