Chapter 24 Section 5 The Ups and Downs of Taoist Thought in Taoism

Although the "Taiping Jing" in the Eastern Han Dynasty advocated the use of Lao Tzu's way to govern the country, in terms of weight, there are too few such remarks. The "Taiping Jing" has a total of more than 100 volumes, and Lao Tzu's thoughts were overwhelmed by other speeches like a vast ocean.Later, "Laozi" was increasingly regarded as a qigong book about immortality.But as Ge Hong said, there were many Daoist scriptures at that time, but very few belonged to Huang-Lao Taoism.The few Daoist works that are as rare as morning stars are also submerged in the vast ocean of other Daoist books.Wang Bi, Guo Xiang and others annotated Laozi and annotations, but they were not annotating Daoist scriptures.In their eyes, Laozi and Zhuangzi are still great thinkers, not gods; the books of Laozi and Zhuangzi are still works of thinkers, not books written by gods.From the point of view of the whole society, only in the eyes of a few Taoist priests, Lao Tzu is a god, the Supreme Lord.Lao Tzu's book, even among Taoist priests, does not have a high status.As for books such as Liezi and Liezi, they have not even entered the scope of Taoism.

However, history has made Taoist works one after another a Taoist classic, and history has made the status of Taoist works in Taoism rise step by step. After the Han Dynasty, Confucianism became the ruling ideology of the country. It has a huge and profound theory that guides politics and people's daily life.Later, Buddhism came in.Buddhism also has a large and profound set of theories.It claims to save all living beings, and it requires people to give up all material desires and pursue the spiritual realm of infinite silence.But what are the priests doing?They rattled their teeth, gulped down their saliva, and said it was jade liquid; they taught people to adjust their breathing, collected medicines everywhere in order to refine them into elixir or gold, and their purpose was to keep the body alive.In order to prevent unnecessary interference in the process of cultivation, they chanted spells, drew symbols to drive away ghosts, and preserved many witchcrafts of primitive religions.In the view of Confucianism and Buddhism, physical longevity is impossible, and it is a low-level and very despicable pursuit.Some of the methods used are very low-level.Theories about these methods are also extremely poor.In religious struggles, Confucianism and Buddhism have repeatedly pointed out that only Lao Tzu's spirit is still noble and his theoretical level is still high.The fact that the three religions struggle with each other forces Taoism to constantly adjust its direction.

When Zhang Jiao rebelled, Taoism taught people to accumulate virtue and do good deeds.During the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589), whether in the Southern Dynasties or the Northern Dynasties, Taoist priests generally asked people to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, and said that only those who did good deeds could become immortals.They have learned ideas such as karma and reincarnation from Buddhism, and educate people not to do evil.Human behavior is dominated by the heart, so many Taoist priests have gradually shifted the focus of their practice to the cultivation of the mind.

However, "Laozi" originally requires people to cultivate their hearts, to be content, to give in, to oppose material desires, and to oppose the pursuit of material interests.Therefore, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, when some Taoist priests preached their teachings, they mainly talked about "Laozi".In the Tang Dynasty, during the time of Emperor Gaozong, the emperor often organized public debates among Taoists, monks, and Confucianism.The theories held by Taoist priests are mainly the theory of Laozi.For example, once, Taoist priests argued that: Tao produces everything.The monk retorted: Tao produces goodness, but does Tao produce evil?The Taoist said: Tao is good, how can evil be born!The monk said: Tao does not produce evil, where does evil come from?The Taoist priests were speechless.

According to Buddhist records, in every debate, Taoism always loses and Buddhism wins.At that time, the cultural and theoretical level of Buddhist monks was relatively high, while the cultural and theoretical level of Taoists was relatively low, but Taoism may not all fail.A Buddhist argument: Maha Prajna Paramita.It means "great wisdom to the other side".The Taoist said: You Buddhists often say "neither the other nor this", why do you still talk about the other shore?The monk replied: From the point of view of Buddhist wisdom, there is no each other, and the other side is just sighs and praises.The Taoist immediately retorted: Since there is no each other, why not praise to the other side?I think these questions are also difficult for monks to answer.

During the struggle, the theoretical level of Taoism improved day by day, and at the same time, the need for theory became more and more urgent.Of course, theories can be created, but it is of course more convenient if there are ready-made things.Therefore, the country in the Tang Dynasty formally named Taoist works Taoism, not only to deify itself, but also to meet the theoretical needs of Taoism's own development. However, almost none of these works advocate the pursuit of immortality. On the contrary, they regard life as the root of disaster (such as Laozi), or require the same treatment of life and death (such as Zhuangzi). Then, what is the purpose of practicing Taoism?

From then on, with the continuous improvement of the status of Taoist works in Taoism, the nature of Taoist gods has also quietly changed. They are no longer immortals who live in the sky and travel in the sky, and even oppose the pursuit of immortality in the body.The purpose of Taoism has also shifted from physical longevity to spiritual cultivation.Some Taoist priests in the Tang Dynasty clearly stated: "Cultivating the Tao is cultivating the mind" and "cultivating the mind is cultivating the Tao" ("Taishang Laojun Shuo Yuandao Zhenjing").The Taoist priests also created a "Taishang Laojun Said Chang Qingjing Sutra", the central content of which is: peace of mind is everything!Su Zhe, the younger brother of Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, said: "The Sutra of Chang Qing Jing" is similar to the "Prajna Heart Sutra" of Buddhism.

Since the Song Dynasty, Taoism has gradually divided into two major schools, the North and the South.People call them the Southern Sect and the Northern Sect just like the Northern and Southern schools of Zen in the Tang Dynasty.The founder of Nanzong was Zhang Boduan (987-1082 AD), he said: There are more than three hundred precious words in "Yinfu", and only five thousand spiritual words in "Tao De", there are infinite numbers of immortals in the past and present, and all of them can reach the true interpretation from here. (Zhang Boduan's "Enlightenment")

That is to say, and "Yin Fu Jing", are the most important classics of Taoism. Beizong is also called "Quanzhen Sect", and its founder is Wang Chongyang (AD 1113-1169).He does not advocate believers to read more scriptures.Among the several scriptures he required to read, Lao Tzu was the most important one. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), some people sorted out the previous Taoist scriptures and compiled them into the "Orthodox Taoist Collection", in which Taoist works occupy an important position.In the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644-1911), some people felt that Daozang contained too many books and it was difficult for ordinary people to read them all, so they selected them and compiled them into "Daozang Collection".Later, someone compiled "Dao Zang Ju Yao". "Laozi" and other Taoist works occupy a more important position in Taoist classics.

In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the whole society did not regard Lao Tzu as a god.After the Tang and Song Dynasties, famous thinkers such as Zhu Xi (1130-1200 A.D.) had to try their best to argue: "Lao Tzu is a man, not a god. Zhuang Zi said that he is dead!" Taoism also often regards "Lao Tzu" as a Taoist scripture.They annotate Laozi just like non-Buddhists annotate Buddhist scriptures. Although they themselves are laymen, what they annotate are Taoist scriptures. When Lao Tzu was alive, his teachings did not attract much attention.Several years after his death, people regarded him as a god and made him emperor; his books were regarded as religious classics.Because he is dead, his image can be shaped by others, and his words can be interpreted by others.