Nine Levels of Yu Lie Cultivation
Ask who in the world has no worries, only the gods are carefree. Da Luo Jinxian lives in Da Luo Tian. He is immortal and immortal. He is in the paradise of paradise and has no worries. Mortals in the world of mortals live in the earthly realm, adapting to life and death and multiplying endlessly, with gains and losses, pains, joys and desires intertwined. For immortal cultivators, worldly fame, fortune, glory, and wealth are just a blur in the long river of time. Only ascending to the Purple Mansion and ranking in the immortal class is the eternal pursuit. "Tao" is formless and imageless, and it gives birth to all things in the world. The manifestation of "Tao" in people and all things is "De". Therefore, all things should respect Tao and value virtue. When the Tao disperses, it becomes Qi; when it gathers, it becomes Shen. Immortals are both the incarnation of Tao and the model of attaining Tao. There is a sequence of teachings, and there are high and low virtues. Taoism says that burning incense will not do any good if you have evil intentions; if you stand upright and upright, there is no harm in not worshiping me. Immortals only have different understandings of Tao, but there is no difference in rank or status. They all have the purpose of helping the world and saving people. However, cultivating immortality is a heaven-defying act that seizes the power of nature. It will be checked and tested by heavenly tribulations, and the road to ascension is extremely rugged and difficult.
The heavenly tribulation is a restriction imposed by nature on tyrannical beings. Only those who have experienced the baptism and transformation of the heavenly tribulation can refine their divine bodies to transcend the world. Those who cannot survive will turn into ashes and return to the origin of heaven and earth. Early immortal cultivators did not have such troubles. Heavenly catastrophe would not come until their lives were less than a certain number of years. However, as the techniques of cultivating immortals continue to be improved, effective cultivation methods become popular in large numbers, and immortality becomes easy, how to resist the catastrophe becomes the top priority in life and death for those cultivating immortals in Youguan. Cultivation has become the main daily routine for most cultivators.
In order to ascend to heaven or survive disasters, both good and evil sects attach great importance to cultivation. The righteous path focuses on refining one's own essence internally, while the side sect prefers to rely on natural energy. The evil sect is popular in collecting and seizing the essence to refine the soul. Each sect has different methods of cultivation, but all of them need to go through various tribulation tests to ascend to the upper world. The vast power of heaven is the touchstone to test the cultivation achievements of immortal cultivators. Even if you use magic weapons to actively abandon your body and "fight to escape" to escape, sooner or later you will have to face the test again. The method of cultivating immortals is mainly composed of "fate" and "learning":
"The destiny of cultivating immortals" consists of three methods: heaven's fate, earth's fate, and human's fate. The stars take the essence of the sun and the moon, eat the purple clouds and wear the jade dew, and combine the virtues of the sky. When it comes to geography, we should pay attention to: law, lovers, wealth, and land. Among them, the word "earth" is the most critical. We must use the energy of the Big Dipper to find the location of the earth's eye, possess one's spiritual energy, and follow the path of the earth. The first thing to achieve popularity is to be an immortal talent, and the second thing is to be in harmony with nature and man, and to be in a good state of mind. Therefore, those who want to become immortals should have great perseverance, great ambition, and great courage. Only after years of hard work can they achieve success.
"Zhonglu Chuandao Collection" discusses the five grades of immortals
Zhong said: "There are three levels of Dharma, which are different from small, medium and large. There are five levels of immortals. , ghosts and immortals, human immortals, earthly immortals, gods and heavenly immortals are all immortals. Lu said: "What are the so-called ghost immortals?" Zhong said: "Ghost immortals are one of the five immortals. They are detached in the shadows, have unknown gods, and have no names in the three mountains. They are not reincarnated. It's hard to return to Peng Ying. It's just a matter of giving up after being reincarnated. "Lu said: "What kind of skills did this ghost and immortal use to achieve this?" Zhong said: "This is the beginning of practice. Those who do not understand the Dao, but are eager to achieve quick results, have a shape like a stick, a heart as gray as ashes, and a mind that is not scattered, so as to bring out the Yin spirit. This is a ghost with a pure spirit, not a pure Yang spirit. The spirit is not dispersed, so it is called a ghost. Although it is called an immortal, it is actually a ghost. Those who practice Buddhism in ancient and modern times are said to have achieved the Tao. "Lu said: "What is the so-called human immortal?" Zhong said: "Human immortals are two of the five immortals. People who cultivate the truth do not understand the Tao. They have a method in the Tao and a skill in the method. They have faith and determination and will not change for the rest of their lives. The energy of the five elements is misunderstood. , The shape and nature are solid, and the eight evil diseases cannot harm it. It is more safe and less diseased, so it is called a human immortal." Lu said: "This human immortal, what skills and achievements can lead to this?" Zhong said: "Practice it. People may have heard of the Great Dao, and have experienced all kinds of tribulations, but they have changed their original intentions and stopped at small achievements. It is said that the Dharma has merit and cannot be changed in the four seasons. How can it be known that there are six qi and forgetfulness. Those who have seven emotions, do not know that there are ten precepts. Those who gargle and swallow are wrong. Those who take supplements and laugh at them think they are stupid. Those who gather the essence of the sun and the moon are unwilling to guide them. They sit alone and rest, knowing that there is nature. They do not know how to do nothing. Eating women's breasts is different from those who refine elixirs. However, they are all Tao, and they are not all in the Tao. They only achieve happiness and longevity in one method or the other. . There are also many people in the world who are happy with their life for a short time but are tired of it for a long time. They are not diligent in their efforts and have trouble with the time. They will not be able to prolong their life. " Lu said: "What are the so-called earthly immortals? "Zhong said: "The immortals of the earth are half of the heaven and the earth. The talents of the gods are not limited to the method of small achievements. They can only live forever and not die in the world." Lu said: " How does the immortal start?" Zhong said: "The beginning is also the principle of the rise and fall of the sky and the earth. The number of the sun and the moon is used. The first is to identify the dragon and the tiger, and the second is to identify the water source. The turbidity is divided into morning and evening. Collect the true one, observe the two rituals, rank the three talents, distinguish the five movements, determine the six qi, gather the seven treasures, sequence the eight trigrams, and move the nine continents upside down. The qi is transmitted to the mother and the liquid moves to the couple. . Three fields are repeated, and the elixir is burned, and the elixir is suppressed forever. After refining the form and living in the world, he becomes immortal and becomes a land immortal, so he is called an earth immortal.
Lu said: "What are the so-called immortals?" Zhong said: "The immortals are tired of living in the world as earthly immortals. They work hard, connect the joints, draw lead, add mercury, and refine the top with gold." The jade liquid returns the elixir, refines it into qi, and the five qi move toward the yuan, and the three yangs gather at the top. When you are fully accomplished and forget your form, the fetus will turn into an immortal. The yin is exhausted and the yang is pure, and there is a body outside the body. Dematerialize and become immortal, transcend the ordinary and become a saint. Those who reject the secular world and return to the Three Mountains are called gods. Lu said: "What are the so-called immortals?" Zhong said: "Earthly immortals are tired of living in the mortal world. They work hard and achieve transcendence. They are called divine immortals." Earthly immortals are tired of living on the three islands and preach to the human world. They have meritorious service on the path and perform good deeds in the human world. When their meritorious deeds are satisfied, they receive the book from heaven and return to the cave. They are called heavenly immortals. Since he is a heavenly immortal, if he is tired of living in the cave heaven, he will serve as an immortal official: the lower level is called Shuiguan, the middle level is called Earth official, and the upper level is called Tianguan. He has made great achievements in heaven and earth, and has done great deeds in the present and the past. The official was promoted, and he successively served in the thirty-six cave heavens, and then returned to the eighty-one sun heavens, and then returned to the three pure realms of nothingness and nature. "Taoism believes that there is a sequence of cultivating Taoism, and there are high and low levels of immortality, so Taoist immortals also have levels of taste. The early Taoist classic "The Taiping Jing" divides immortals into six levels: one is a god and the other is a real person. , the third is the immortal, the fourth is the Taoist, the fifth is the saint, and the sixth is the sage. It is also said: "The god controls the sky, the real person controls the earth, the immortal controls the wind and rain, the Taoist guides the good and bad, the saint governs the people, and the wise man assists the saint in governing the people." , which is insufficient to help Liuhe. "Jin Gehong's "Baopuzi Neipian. On Immortals" quoted the "Immortal Sutra" and divided the immortals into three categories: heavenly immortals, earthly immortals, and corpse-reflecting immortals. It said: "When a superior lifts his form to ascend to the void, he is called a heavenly immortal; When a scholar travels to a famous mountain, he is called the Immortal of the Land; when a corporal scholar dies and sheds his body first, he is called the Immortal of the corpse. "Liang Tao Hongjing's "True Spirit Position and Industry Map" further divides immortals into seven levels: Yuqing, Shangqing, Taiji, Taiqing, Jiugong, Dongtian, and Taiyin. And the "Supreme Secret Essentials" of the Northern Zhou Dynasty divides the levels of becoming immortals from the Tao Starting from this, the gods are divided into: Taoist Deguiguan, Taoist Dedixian, Taoist Dezhen, Taoist Dejiugong, Taoist Taiqing, Taoist Taiji, Taoist Deshanqing, and Taoist Deyuqing. "Taoist" arranges for immortals and ghosts after death, indicating that there is hope and opportunity for immortality after death, thus explaining that there was a saying of "ghosts and immortals" in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. "Tian Yinzi" in the Tang Dynasty further divided immortals into five categories. Names: People are called human beings, people are called earthly beings, heavenly beings are called celestial beings, water beings are called narcissus, and those who can transform themselves are called gods. According to the entry of "Sanqing" in "Yunji Qizhuan Taoist Sandong Zongyuan" written by Zhang Junfang of the Song Dynasty. The immortals are divided into nine grades, saying: "There are nine immortals in the Taiqing realm, nine true ones in the Shangqing realm, and nine saints in the Yuqing realm. There are thirty-nine and twenty-seven. "The nine immortals are: Shangxian, Gaoxian, Taixian, Xuanxian, Tianxian, Zhenxian, Shenxian, Lingxian, and Zhixian. The names of Zhen and Sheng are also above, Gao, Tai, Xuan, Tian, ??Zhen, Shen, Ling and Zhi are the order. This is roughly the same as the classification method in "Taizhenke". In short, there are many classification methods for immortals. Later, "The Secret Library of Immortals" summarized them and said, "There are three ways of teaching, and immortals are divided into three categories." "Five Levels", the five levels of immortals are: heavenly immortals, gods, earthly immortals, human immortals, and ghost immortals. Basically laid the foundation for the grade of immortals.
1. The grade of immortals is also called "immortal", "immortal" "Flying Immortal", "Daluo Golden Immortal". Refers to the immortals who live in heaven and can ascend. "Tianxianpin": "Flying in the clouds, deified with light movements, thinking of heavenly immortals, also clouds and flying immortals" "Baopuzi Nei Chapter, On Immortals" "" and "Secret Library of Immortals" both rank it as the first level. "Yongcheng Collection of Immortals" divides the immortals who ascend to heaven into nine levels: the first level of immortals, the second level of immortals, the third level of supreme immortals, and the fourth level. From the perspective of cultivation, the Heavenly Immortal, the Fifth Immortal, the Sixth Immortal, the Seventh Immortal, and the Ninth Immortal are the highest level of attainment and the highest level of alchemy cultivation. It refers to the great state of "refining the void and combining the Tao". At that time, the divine light shines everywhere, and there are thousands of incarnations.
2. Immortal grade is also called "immortal" and "immortal", collectively referred to as "immortal". The Taoist scriptures say: "Refining the form into Qi. Said real person. ""To obtain the original vitality, it is called refining the form into qi, and to have a righteous nature without falseness, so it is called the real person. Zhuangzi said: "There are real people, and then there is true knowledge." What is a real person? A true person in ancient times does not rebel against the few, does not become a hero, and does not imitate others." He "climbs high without losing his mind, enters water without getting wet, and enters life without feeling hot." "He does not know how to enjoy life and does not know how to hate death." Don't worry, his food is not satisfied, his breath is deep, the breath of the real person is in the heel, and the breath of everyone is in the throat. "Huainanzi said: "No life, no death, no emptyness, no surplus." From the perspective of cultivation. , Gods become immortals through cultivation. The Tao of Alchemy is said to be the breastfeeding stage of refining the spirit and returning it to the weak state. At this time, the form is refined and turned into Qi, the fetus immortal is transformed into itself, the Yang God is completed, and the body is dematerialized and promoted. That is to say, the fire of the Great Zhoutian is used to combine the energy with the spirit. The spirit and energy become one, and the heart has no birth and death, and the breath has no entry or exit. The form of heavy turbidity is transformed into light and pure Qi; the body of pure Yang is transformed into a myriad of magical powers. At that time, the body becomes pure Yang, and the Yang God has become, possessing the function of supernatural powers and myriad transformations.
3. Earth Immortal Grade: A type of Taoist immortal lineage, which is an immortal without supernatural powers. According to "Tian Yinzi" records, he is an earthly immortal on earth. "The Book of Immortals" says: When a sergeant travels to famous mountains, he calls them immortals. Earth Immortals are middle-level immortals in the lineage of Taoist immortals. According to the "Secret Library of Immortal Art", earthly immortals have the talents of immortals and are not classified as immortals. Achieve immortality and become a leisurely immortal on land, which is the middle level among immortals. The "Secret Essentials Sutra" believes: "If you perform three hundred good deeds, you can become an earthly immortal and live in the caves of the Five Mountains." From the perspective of cultivation, earthly immortals are achieved during cultivation. The Tao of Alchemy refers to the completion of the embryonic stage of refining Qi and transforming into God. At this time, immortality can be achieved on the basis of longevity, but there is no magical transformation at all, so one can only walk on the ground.
At this time, there is still breathing and eating, and the form and quality have not been completely transformed into light and clear. But after cultivating to this point, my face is radiant, my steps are light and brisk, and my life expectancy has increased immeasurably.
Four. Immortal grade: a type of Taoist immortal lineage, a person with a solid body and eternal life. "Zhonglu Chuan Dao Collection": "Human immortals are those who are below the five immortals. People who cultivate the truth do not understand the Tao. They have a method in the Tao and a skill in the method. They have faith and determination, and they will not waver in the whole life. They have no spirit of action. , Mismatched and mismatched, the shape and quality are solid, and the eight evil diseases cannot harm it. It is more peaceful and less sick, so it is called a human immortal." It is also called: "People who practice may have heard of the Great Dao, and their karma is heavy and their blessings are poor. All tribulations change the original intention and stop at small achievements. The practice has merit and cannot be changed throughout life. The four seasons cannot be changed. For example, those who have eliminated the five tastes know that there are six qi; those who forget the seven emotions do not know that there are ten precepts. Those who make mistakes in the teachings of vomiting and accepting; those who are interested in collecting supplements, laugh at tranquility and think they are stupid; those who like to use things to capture the energy of heaven and earth, refuse to rest; those who like to collect the essence of the sun and moon, refuse to guide; Sit quietly and relax, knowing that there is nature; bending the body and working hard, not knowing about inaction; taking the yin to absorb the woman's energy is different from the one who shrinks the turtle; nourishing the yang and eating the woman's breast is different from the one who refines elixirs. There are countless of them, but they are all Tao. They cannot be limited to one method or one technique in the Tao, which can only achieve happiness and longevity, so they are called human immortals. "The Preface to the True Biography of Jindan says: "To replenish Qi. The blood is restored to the dry body, and the external medicine is recovered to form the inner elixir. This person is also an immortal. ""Martial Arts Huizong": "There are those who practice from Xiaguan, and do not let the true energy leak into the Yangguan, and guard the vitality. If you go to the fields and don't understand the method of moving the cauldron and change the furnace, but you can enjoy the fruit of immortality, you may extend your life to hundreds of years, or you may extend your life to thousands of years, and you will not die for a long time." From the perspective of cultivation, people are immortals. It is achieved through cultivation. The Tao of Alchemy refers to the foundation-building stage of refining and transforming Qi. At this time, the cultivator has acquired a method in the Tao, a technique in the method, and has achieved long-term success. It can prolong life, rejuvenate youth, strengthen the body, and live a long life. The methods include: Juegu, forgetting emotions, absorbing fluids, vomiting and breathing, maintaining tranquility, observing precepts, contemplating, gathering the essence of the sun and the moon, guiding, closing the breath, naturalness, inaction and other exercises. Moving is enough to preserve life and prolong life, but the physical body will eventually deteriorate.
5. Ghost Fairy Grade: Also known as "spirit ghost". It refers to the practice of Taoism that fails to achieve pure yang. After death, yin spirits emerge and become ghosts and immortals. "Zhonglu Chuan Dao Collection": "The ghost immortal is one of the five immortals. He is detached in the underworld. The idol is unknown. The ghost pass has no surname. The three mountains are nameless. Although there is no reincarnation, it is difficult to return to Pengying. In the end, there is no destination. It's just a matter of rebirth and taking away the tongue." Also known as: "Practiceers who do not understand the Dao, but want to achieve it quickly, are like a gray tree. Ghosts are not pure yang immortals. They are called ghost immortals because of their one will and Yin spirit. Although they are called immortals, they are actually ghosts. ""Martial Arts Huizong": "Sit quietly with your eyes closed and your mind will be silent, and you will be quiet. Seeking tranquility, one realizes that the emptiness is gone, but the samadhi has not yet been exhausted, and only a strong samadhi can be cultivated. When the qi is exhausted, the yin soul becomes a spirit ghost, which is called a ghost." From the perspective of cultivation. It seems that ghosts and immortals are the lowest form of cultivation. The Tao of Alchemy is limited to the basic stage of Xingong cultivation. When revising certificate. The body is like a gaunt tree. The heart is ashes of death, the will of God is guarded within, and the realization is that people are stubborn and empty. When the time comes to let go and settle the matter, the Yin God can emerge from the concentration. The Yin God belongs to the ghost of pure spirit, not the immortal of pure Yang. When practicing, some people are old, their bodies are decaying, or their environment is difficult and there is no way to protect them. There is no hope of achieving success in this life. This method can be used to get rid of the ghost spirit and think that they can continue to practice in the next life. They also belong to Qian Guixian. This method includes: reincarnation, seizing a body, borrowing a corpse, reincarnation, etc.
Lianpeng chose airbending, which was more difficult for him.
After all the hardships, he returned to his original state, and finally achieved great success in immortality.
The Emperor asked him what he wanted. Lotus pod responded, a star in the Big Dipper. The Emperor of Heaven laughed and made Lotus Peng Marshal, in charge of the Tianhe River.
When Lianpeng went to Tianhe, he found that the Huansha girl was still washing yarn on the other side of Tianhe, and she was still as beautiful as ever. But it’s on the other side!
He transforms into a fish swimming in the river, and sometimes a few small bubbles appear on the surface of the water because of his breathing. He does not have big and beautiful scales, nor does he have big and bright fish eyes, but He could see the bright underwater world and the scenery on the shore.
The veiled woman on the shore closed her eyes and kissed the breeze. A hint of coolness made her open her charming eyes and see the thin ripples on the water surface shimmering like fish scales. The woman does the simplest thing every day, which is to keep washing her gauze. Every time he sits quietly by the river, his mind is concentrated in the ripples. In the ripples there is the brightness of the sun, the joy of the fish, and the distant memories.
Whether it is the human world or the lotus pods in heaven, they are all dreaming of the same distant dream. The distance seems far but is close, the distance seems close but is far away.
It wasn’t until Chang’e appeared that I had another dream. ........(Bo Chang) 1. Take medicine and refine weapons to help the world and save people. In ancient times, there were many alchemists refining elixirs and weapons in the mountains. It is said that after the alchemy is taken, one can become an immortal. It is said that the chickens and dogs in the Huainan Wang family can ascend to heaven. This is the reason.
2. Practice inner alchemy. Similar to Qigong, through meditation and other methods, it is said that one can become an immortal. Lu Dongbin and others belong to this category.
3. Study philosophy. He who understands the principles of creation of heaven and earth will naturally become a god. For example, Lao Dan, who wrote the De Jing.
4. Dedicate oneself to benevolence and make meritorious deeds. Loyal people who sacrificed their lives for the country, such as Guan Yu, Yue Fei, etc.
5. Cultivate your spiritual realm, sit quietly and meditate, and achieve perfect wisdom. Knowing the profound secrets of the changes in the heaven and earth, and knowing the mysteries of the creation of the universe, only when the heaven and earth come to a glance can one enter the palace. So that heaven and man become one.
6. I dig a cave in Xiangshan Mountain and choose a place for cultivation based on Feng Shui, thinking that I can absorb the spiritual energy from the mountain, break through the mortal body, gain self-control over my spirit and body, and reach a state where I can control my destiny and not God!
7. Accumulate merit and save all sentient beings. It is a true secret that there is no fate inside and there is a negative relationship outside. There is nothing strange about it. There are gods in heaven and earth who are responsible for faults. Those who desire heavenly immortals should do three thousand good deeds. Those who desire earthly immortals should do three thousand good deeds. Three good deeds a day. Look at good deeds, speak good words, and do good deeds. After a religion has been popular for a long time, there will inevitably be consequences. There are some dross and baggage, so it is often necessary to inject new blood or make reforms so that it can adapt to the times and become lasting and new, and its theories and preaching methods can also become more and more perfect. For example, Buddhism was founded in India and has become one of the three major religions in the world today. In fact, it is constantly absorbing the strengths of others and making it its own. Hinayana Buddhism advocates impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness, and is a religion that focuses on transcendence. After Mahayana was introduced to China, it was influenced by Chinese culture and absorbed a large number of Taoist thoughts from Wei and Jin metaphysics, and began to transform and advocate Chang, happy, me, pure. In the Tang Dynasty, it turned into a Tantric sect that worshiped altars and offered sacrifices, and was deeply embedded in ordinary people's daily lives of seeking wealth and medical treatment. After the Republic of China, the west wind spread to the east, and traditional society underwent great changes. In the second year of the Republic of China, Master Taixu of Buddhism vigorously advocated the Buddhist revolution. Starting from the aspects of doctrine, organization, property, etc., he advocated humanistic Buddhism and got rid of Buddhism. The religion that only valued the world (the dead) became a religion of the living. Although these changes gradually turned Buddhism into a non-Buddhist form of Buddhism and attracted strong opposition and struggles at that time, they allowed Buddhism to survive. Taixu's Buddhist revolution made a great contribution to Buddhism.
Taixu was born in December of the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1890) and became a monk at the age of sixteen. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were great social changes at that time, with a large influx of Western trends and the prevalence of Darwin's theory of evolution. While studying Buddhism, Taixu was deeply aware of the great changes in social customs and also realized the need for Buddhist reform. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Taixu often interacted with revolutionaries. After the founding of the Republic of China, Taixu advocated Buddhist revolution. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), Taixu advocated at the memorial service of Bazhi Tutuo in Shanghai:
"There are three ideal revolutions in Buddhism: first, organizational revolution, second, property revolution, and third, theoretical revolution." However, such an idea was slandered as a heresy by the "Buddhism Series" at that time, and was regarded as a frame-up of Sakyamuni. Muni's Devadatta; Wen Yun: "Monk Taixu said: There are three kinds of revolutions suitable for Buddhism: one is organizational revolution, two is property revolution, and three is academic revolution. ... This newspaper's note: The term "Buddhist revolution" was discovered not long ago, and it is also delusional. If you talk openly and openly in public, it would be unscrupulous! However, even if a certain monk said that there are three aspects of Buddhism that should be revolutionized, there is still room for discussion on the second property issue. As for the academic theory involved, I am afraid that Devadatta, who claims to be the new Buddha, has risen from hell! As for the four words "organizing revolution" in the first article, not only is there no reason to explain, but the logic is also incomprehensible."
Although Taixu's reform ideas were attacked by Buddhists themselves at the beginning, Taixu still maintained his original intention, and successively published "Personal Addresses", "The Truth of the Universe", and "The Truth of the Universe" in the "Buddhist Monthly" "Atheism" and other articles deny the Creator and the theory of the soul, arguing that "without God, there is no Creator and no soul, and everything is ultimately inaction." Taixu regards Buddhism as an atheistic religion, and "inaction" The word is even more Taoist. It can be seen that there are differences between Taixu and traditional explanations of doctrine. Taixu wrote "Organizing the Sangha System" in the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915 AD). The Buddhist organizational structure established was quite similar to the Western Catholic organizational model, advocating the separation of politics and religion, "dividing religious institutions, religious groups, and religious groups into The system of membership, religious property, and canons are divided into separate systems, and a collective property system is implemented." He also wrote the "Principal of the Right Dharma" to set the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds of Buddhism as the moral standards for lay believers, intending to use this to penetrate into the people and improve society. Gradually transform Buddhism from the world into the world. In February of the ninth year of the Republic of China (1920), the first issue of the magazine "Hai Chao Yin" founded by Taixu was released. "Hai Chao Yin" magazine is an important publication of Buddhism. Tai Xu used it to advocate his own reform ideas. He once used Articles have been published in this journal and in different publications under their own names or pseudonyms. Taixu himself trained many students, and his students were also infected with Taixu's revolutionary enthusiasm. In order to achieve the goal of reforming Buddhism, they constantly fought against the majority of conservative monks at that time, and they did not hesitate to make extreme remarks. When the Buddhist New Youth Association under the jurisdiction of Taixu launched a fierce reform movement, it distributed leaflets to attack traditional monks such as Yin Guang, and called Yin Guang the "First Demon King."
Taixu students Ning Dayun, Zhang Zongzai and other new Buddhist youths will describe Yin Guang and Di Xian as great devils; Taixu student Da Xing calls Yin Guang and Di Xian "pig-headed elders" , calling Wang Yiting and Huang Hanlao "maggot laymen"; the words used are extremely harsh and shocking. From the fact that Yin Guang's letter said that "his leaflets contain three thousand words" and that Taixu's disciples called Yin Guang and other monks "devil kings" and "pig heads", we can imagine the fierce situation in which the Buddhist reformists attacked traditional monks at that time. This situation is easily reminiscent of the fierce debates, attacks, and even killings between traditional Theravada Buddhism and the reformed Mahayana Buddhism when Theravada transformed into Mahayana. Later, although Mahayana won, the teachings and doctrines of Hinayana were still absorbed and retained. Hinayana and Mahayana were contradictory and opposed, and finally unified.
In the same way, although the modernized reformist Buddhism has achieved victory as the current situation changes, the conservative forces represented by Yin Guang insist on traditional practice methods, especially simple ones such as concentrating on chanting the Buddha's name. The easy-to-understand method of rebirth in the Pure Land has also been absorbed and promoted by modern Buddhism. The above detailed description of Taixu's Buddhist revolution is mainly used to show that the reform process of a religion is arduous and difficult, but it has to be so. On the other hand, Taoism advocates that "my destiny lies with me, not with heaven." It believes that there is no need for death in life, and that one can use one's own efforts to compete with heaven and pursue eternal life. According to "Historical Records. According to "Book of Fengchan", the theory of seeking immortality was already popular during the Warring States Period. From the Zhou Dynasty to the present, the major reforms include Zhang Ling's Five Pecks of Rice Dao in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Kou Qianzhi's improved rituals in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Wang Chongyang's Quanzhen Dao in the Jin (Song) Dynasty. These reforms are not as big as those of Buddhism. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, no new major reforms have occurred in the past 800 years. Especially after the Republic of China, the entire social trend of thought and social form has undergone tremendous changes under the impact of the West. New and old Chinese and Western religions have emerged side by side. Taoism has not adjusted its pace to adapt to it, and there is no complete The religious organization and preaching methods could not compete with other religions, so they gradually lost their believers and declined. The decline of Taoism is related to the lack of powerful people to lead the reform of Taoism; here are a few more to discuss the main reasons for its decline: Emphasis on skills and neglect of learning makes it difficult to improve the quality of believers
Taoist priests, let him act Reciting rituals can last for three days and three nights; but if he is asked to preach scriptures, it is difficult for him to speak or last for half an hour. There is a serious imbalance between "learning" and "skill". Today, the abbots of many palaces and temples in Taiwan not only cannot understand Taoist scriptures, but even recite Buddhist scriptures mistakenly for Taoist scriptures. There is a common problem of low quality among abbots and believers in palaces and temples. Although there are many reasons for the formation of this phenomenon, Taoist temples emphasize "techniques" rather than "good words". In April 1982, Keelung Shifang Dajue Temple printed and presented other books. "Master Yinguang's Wenchao" is a collection of printed The book with the most comprehensive text was later published by the Taichung Lotus Society, but this letter was not included, probably out of the mentality of being a sage. Yin Guang was attacked by Taixu's students more than once. In the 18th year of the Republic of China, Yin Shun's "Chronology of Master Taixu" says: "Lao Yin (on May 29th) wrote a book written by a certain layman, denounced the great fool." It can be seen that in addition to the leaflets of the Buddhist Youth Association, Dayu, a disciple of Taixu who was ordained, also wrote an article attacking Yin Guang.
"Learning" is one of the main reasons
"Skills" refers to rituals, Feng Shui, divination, and fortune telling. "Learning" refers to the elaboration of the principles of the scriptures. Chinese societies in Taiwan and Southeast Asia attach great importance to the five arts commonly known as "mountain", "medicine", "fate", "Xiang" and "divination". Shan (immortal path) refers to meditation, Qi refining, health preservation, medicine, spiritual practice, etc. Medicine (medical treatment), acupuncture, prescriptions, massage, dietary therapy, spiritual therapy, etc. Fortune telling (fortune telling) refers to Ziwei Dou Shu, eight characters, four pillars, etc. Phase (survey) refers to palm reading, face reading, bone reading, name reading (name science), tomb reading (yin house), house reading (yang house), Feng Shui survey, etc. Divination (divination) refers to divination techniques such as Yi Zhan, Liu Ren, and Tai Yi Shen Shu. These long-standing theories on magic have their own value. However, excessive emphasis on "techniques" and scientific rituals without a coherent discussion from a philosophical perspective can easily lead to false accusations of superstition. "Skills" must be led and introduced by "study", so that they will not become vulgar and inferior. Moreover, the deeper the skill, the higher the practice should be, so that the skill will not be regarded as evil. "Learning" refers to the philosophical essence of the scriptures. There are many good classics in the Taoist scriptures, some of which talk about principles, such as "Tao Te Ching", "Nan Hua Jing", "Huang Di Yin Fu Jing", "Taiping Jing", "Zhou Yi Shen Tong Qi", "Bao Pu Zi", "Qing Jing" Sutra", "Wuzhen Chapter", etc., some of which involve folk customs such as "Beidou Sutra", "Nandou Sutra", "Laozi Shou Geng Shen Seeking Immortality Sutra", "Shou Sheng Sutra", "Jade Calendar Treasure Notes", "Jade Box" "Records" and so on, these must be simplified and selected by someone, and their meaning and influence on the folk customs of later generations can be introduced to the world in the form of ancient books and modern translations. Today, there are too many Taoist techniques, and the understanding of academic principles is generally ignored, making it difficult to improve the quality of believers.
3. Lack of religious organizations, inability to preach, and no sense of identity
Most of the religions in the world today, such as Western Christianity, Catholicism, and even Taiwanese Buddhism and emerging religions, etc. There are regular gatherings (or frequent gatherings), religious organizations, and methods of preaching. But in contrast, Taoists are scattered. They usually worship their own gods and have no regular gatherings. The palaces and temples do not belong to each other, and no one preaches or preaches. Those who worship Mazu consider themselves followers of Mazu; those who worship Guan Gong consider themselves followers of Guan Gong; they have no concept of Taoist gods and have no sense of identification with Taoism, and do not even consider themselves Taoists; some even deliberately try to get involved with Buddhism and engage in The Enlightenment Temple was abboted by a monk, and it became a strange phenomenon that was neither Buddha nor Taoism. Therefore, although there are many popular palaces and temples in Taiwan, they are unable to play their due role because they are independent and have no sense of identity.
4. Lack of preachers
The abbots and Taoist priests of palaces and temples mostly focus on rituals and skills throughout their lives. There are very few people who can preach the scriptures. There are no regular public lectures. There are many wireless TV stations in Taiwan, and six or seven of them broadcast Buddhist lecture programs on a regular basis. There are even many TV stations that broadcast Buddhist programs all day long. Buddhism has its own dedicated TV station for preaching. In addition to television stations, expanded radio stations also have Buddhist sermon programs. In contrast, there are almost no Taoist sermon programs on television or radio stations.
How can we win believers by preaching like this? In terms of cultivating talents, although there is a small-scale Taoist college in Muzha, it has never cultivated talents who can preach scriptures. A religion that lacks the initiative to preach to the people has lost a lot from the starting point. Not training sutra preaching talents and not paying attention to sutra preaching talents will lead to the rapid loss of Taoism among the younger generation of believers. The consequences of an old trunk without new branches can be imagined.
5. Practice methods are too scattered and not organized
In various religions around the world, believers are often divided into "holy" and "ordinary". Ordinary people are "ordinary". Only after going through specific religious practices can they turn from "ordinary" to "holy". "Practice" plays an important role in religious activities. In terms of Taoism, those who understand the Tao are considered saints, and those who do not understand the Tao are ordinary. Ordinary people are ordinary people, gods are saints. Ordinary people who have not practiced and become ordinary people; those who have contributed to the society and become "gods" after death, and "immortals" who have accumulated good deeds and practiced practice are all "holy". From ordinary people to saints, practice (cultivation) must be the bridge. Since Taoism has been around for a long time, it has many sects and different cultivation methods. The main talisman is a talisman, the upper part is pure and the thought is concentrated, the outer elixir is yellow and white, the inner elixir is for refining essence and spirit, and the room is for men and women to harmonize; in addition, prayer, summoning, medicine and bait, avoiding grains, eating Qi, keeping one, and being quiet and inactive There are many different methods. In today's utilitarian society that favors simplicity and dislikes complexity, someone needs to simplify the order of practice and guide it step by step. If there is no one to comprehensively organize the many teachings of Taoism, it will be difficult for beginners to get started and they will not be able to attract believers.
6. Excessive tolerance, loss of self
Tolerance is a virtue, and it should also be one of the conditions for success; because Taoism has broad tolerance, it is In China, although there are religious disputes, there will be no religious wars. The result of the dispute is gradually moving towards integration. However, excessive tolerance turns advantages into disadvantages, loses its own characteristics, and becomes the main reason for failure. Since the Song Dynasty, a large number of Buddhists have been mixed into Taoism for a long time. As a result, today's people cannot distinguish between Buddhism and Taoism, thinking that worshiping Buddha means believing in Taoism. This situation is not only true in Taiwan, but also in overseas Chinese societies. The author went to Singapore for a meeting in early March this year. Taoist priest Li Zhiwang told the author that some Taoist temples in Singapore even worshiped Indian gods and Muslim gods together in the temple. However, this seems to be a fusion of religions and ethnic differences. Not only was his broad-mindedness not recognized, but it also attracted protests from Hindus and Muslims, who believed that it had blasphemed their gods. This example shows that excessive tolerance is not only unhelpful, but also harmful. Tolerance is not a bad thing, but it must be selective, and it cannot just start with tolerating the other party's gods, but must start from many aspects such as philosophical principles, scientific rituals, and missionary methods, and use tolerance to absorb the other party's strengths as one's own. Only in this way can we benefit. The tolerance of Taoism has promoted the integration of Buddhism and Taoism, but excessive tolerance has also caused Taoism to lose itself. For example, due to the advocacy of novels such as "Journey to the West" and "The Romance of the Gods" in the late Ming Dynasty, Taoism absorbed gods such as Guanyin, Dingguang Buddha, and Manjusri as its own gods, all under the jurisdiction of the Jade Emperor. However, due to giving too high status, this approach has the consequences of not distinguishing between Buddhism and Taoism. In contrast, although Buddhism also absorbs Taoist gods, for example, Guan Gong is an emperor in the Taoist hierarchy. However, Buddhism regards him as a god who was transformed by Zhiyi. His hierarchy is only a Buddhist protector god, and his status is low. It can be known. Taoism places the gods of Buddhism at a high level, and Buddhism places the gods of Taoism at a low level, thus causing the Buddha to mislead on the Tao.