Is it true that Taoist monks revived the dead? The main ideas of Taoism (briefly)

Life in a Taoist monastery. Conversation with the abbot of the Taoist monastery Liao Shifu

The Taoist theme in Moscow today is perhaps one of the most mysterious and mystified, as a result of which my interest in the life of "real" Taoists was gigantic.

The life of Taoist monks is simple and the inexperienced look of a layman will hardly distinguish the life of Taoist monks from the life of Orthodox monks. The temple consists of 2 floors. The earthly floor - the first, is occupied by women, the 2nd floor - the heavenly one is occupied by male monks. Taoist monks adhere to a strict austerity and vegetarian diet.

The monks get up at half past five, conduct a morning service, after which the woman monks go to cook food, and the man monks go either to work at a construction site or in the field. With my own eyes, I did not see any mass meditations, qigong, wushu, etc. in the temple. Kostya, who visited China more than 30 times, said that everything is different in each temple, but in general, the life of all the monasteries where he was was built this way: severe and simple. The image of a monk meditating between ear training or tantric exercises is very conditionally connected with reality. And this connection in most cases is due to the economy. Indeed, in China there are monasteries, such as Shaolin, where wushu is taught (most often to Europeans and Americans), but in most of these monasteries they are no more than 30 years old and they are usually created in the semblance of tourist centers.

Each monastery has its own rules. Due to the commercialization of China, there are more and more "hotel-type" monasteries in the mountains. There are fixed rates for accommodation and the amenities of a 3-star hotel. Our monastery belonged to a different category. The monks sheltered and fed us, just as they would have fed any other traveler. There was no fixed fee. Each left as much as he saw fit to donate.

In addition to money, I left a few pictures as a gift to the monastery, which I painted in the monastery. The Chinese were very surprised that the Europeans "also know how." Abbot Liao Shifu liked the paintings very much and decorated them with calligraphic inscriptions (Liao Shifu is a great calligrapher). Liao Shifu suggested that next time I come with a seal.

As for the monks of our monastery, each monk chose his own type of practice. Here is the abbot Liao Shifu, in addition to all his other functions, in the evenings he was engaged in calligraphy, wrote prayers and loaded amulets. As I wrote above,

the abbot was a real master of calligraphy, he flawlessly wrote hieroglyphs consisting of dozens of lines with the tip of a brush. Each hieroglyph was no more than a quarter of my little finger in area. Taoists spent the evening mostly "in the rooms." Of course, what the Taoists did in their cells there, I don't know. I only say what I saw. As far as I understand, Taoists adhere mainly to the principle of occupational therapy, like our Orthodox monks.

The second service in the Taoist temple was held at 18.00, at sunset. After dinner, the workers who helped renovate the temple gathered around the TV and watched a Chinese TV series about the civil war over tea and cigarettes. The plot was incredibly drawn out and forced, worse than in Mexican 2000-episode dramas, it was filmed terribly, but the Chinese could not take their eyes off the blue screen and vigorously discussed plot twists. Sometimes Liao Shifu also joined the viewers.

Liao Shifu is a highly respected person. On weekends, the monastery is filled with crowds of lay people from the nearby city, eager to get an audience with the abbot, and he received everyone. Among the laity were businessmen and mothers with young children and many others. And yet, despite his high rank, Abbot Liao was very easy to communicate with, open and extremely friendly. On the very first morning after our arrival, over tea, I asked Abbot Liao Shifu to answer our questions. He generously agreed. He is over 45 years old and looked at most 30. Liao is the name of the abbot, Shifu, from Chinese - "chief". But due to the influence of mass cartoon culture on my mind, I didn’t call him other than “master Shifu” (remembering the cartoon “Kung Fu Panda”).

I convey our conversation over tea as truthfully as possible. Although, I can tell you that I communicated with Liao Shifu through the translator Oleg. And Liao spoke one of the southern Chinese dialects and the translator sometimes could not understand Liao's words. Plus, it must be borne in mind that I myself could distort something, tk. I recorded this conversation only a week after it took place.

Me: - I heard that there are several types of Taoists, there are those who live alone and there are entire monastic communities, is this true? And what is the difference between them.

Liao Shifu: - Taoism does not bind to life in a monastic community. Anyway, everyone practices separately, everyone is looking for their own path and practices in their own way. Some choose to practice helping other people and follow their own path, helping others and accepting help from others. These people usually go to the monastery. Other daredevils go to the mountains and live there alone with nature and thus solve their problems themselves, without involving external people in this process. Some of these hermits lived to be 200 years old and are still alive. But in any case, everyone goes their own way, just different people choose different types of practices.

Me: - Liao Shifu, why did you choose Taoism?

Liao Shifu: - Taoism is the most ancient cultural trend in China and has always been the pointing finger of our country's development. Taoism helps you find your way in life. (He also said a few more phrases, but alas, the capabilities of our translators were limited)

Me: - Liao Shifu, tell me, what is the principle of Taoist non-action?

Liao Shifu: The principle of non-action is the adequacy of reality. In the ability to listen to the outside world and respond adequately without delay, following only your own path, and not your selfish impulses. That is, doing not what you want to do, but what will be adequate to external conditions. For example, when you drive a car, you can also follow the principle of non-action, that is, respond adequately to external factors in time, and not press the pedal when you want to push and turn when you want to turn, just do not cling to the rules of the road. You just need to be attentive and adequate, and then it will be non-action, then you will follow your life path and will not go astray.

Me: - I heard that non-action is also a kind of practice. For example, - busting rice and buckwheat, or red beans from white. Is it true?

Liao Shifu: - I have not heard anything about such practices. But in general, the principle of non-action is applicable to any activity.

Me: - Liao Shifu, many people in Moscow understand Taoism as different types of bodily, tantric and sexual practices. Tell me, do Taoists practice such varieties of practices?

Liao Shifu: - I heard that in ancient times the Taoists practiced something similar, but these practices, especially those related to sex, were extremely dangerous and those who practiced them rarely avoided falling and in most cases turned off their path. In my memory, Taoists take a vow of celibacy and do not use sexual practices in order to avoid that disgrace when people give one after another and do not follow their Tao as a result, but only their ego, as it happens ... in your Moscow.

Me: - In Moscow, I often heard incredible magical stories about Taoists. Say if Taoism contains a magical, mystical part, such as the magic of talismans.

Liao Shifu: The Way of Tao is one, and ordinary life and the magic of talismans and much more, all this is part of the path and should be harmoniously combined with each other. If one of the parts begins to greatly outweigh, the person goes astray.

Me: - In Moscow we talk a lot about Feng Shui, you can buy a lot of books, but the authors in most cases are Russians or Americans. What have you heard about feng shui, how is feng shui applied in the construction of this temple, and is it applied?

Liao Shifu: - If you want to learn feng shui, you need to find a good teacher and follow in his footsteps and avoid reading books on this topic at all costs. The fact is that there is a lot of creativity in Feng Shui, each master has his own understanding of Feng Shui, which is different from the understanding of another master. Here is an example of how it was with this temple: It was founded in the late 70s on the path leading to the holy mountain spring. Initially, they invited a feng shui master and asked him if it was possible to build a temple here. He thought, looked and said that it was “not feng shui” and the place was unsuitable. The construction of the temple was postponed.

A few years later, another master came and said that this place was ideal for a temple, after which the temple began to be built.

Inspired by an interesting topic, our companion Lena, who was a student of the famous Moscow feng shui masters May Bogachikhin and Bronislav Vinogrodsky, began to ask Liao Shifu about feng shui trifles, for example, about a coin that oscillates on a thread, like a pendulum, and each time Liao Shifu made round eyes and spoke that I had never heard anything like it before.

Many other topics were touched upon in the conversation, but they were not of particular importance to me.

... He conceals in himself purity-goodness and preserves Primordial simplicity, knows neither passions nor sorrows and is an empty vessel of perfect truth. His life is smooth and simple, his habits are pure and insipid. It embraces everything in the vastness of its spirit and is identical to the primary Chaos in its naturalness.

Ge Hong treatise "Baopu-tzu"

Before talking about "Taoist thinking", it is also worth mentioning the Taoists themselves, who use its principles in their life-practice. Of course, Taoists are, first of all, people striving for spiritual development. That is, they constantly remember the Tao, empty their heart-consciousness, clearing it of obscurations and delusions, take care of their health, develop not only the spirit but also the body, and try to comprehend their Primordial nature with the help of Taoist methods.

At the same time, many Taoists at certain periods of their lives were in society, but still retained a constant intention to follow the Path of Tao and cultivated an inner desire to know their Primordial nature. Daily orientation to the Primordial allows a person to move away from worldly fuss to some extent, while being among people and their affairs, to become less dependent on their Ego. You seem to soar over your life and all the events that take place in it. If in any situation we remember that we came into this world to develop and that any difficulties on our way are an opportunity to become better and show our new qualities, life becomes more joyful and bright.

In order to constantly keep the focus of consciousness and heart on the comprehension of one's Primordial nature, a steady intention and everyday awareness are necessary. The higher the level of awareness, the more attention you pay to what is happening around you, you see the interconnections of events, and the primordial wisdom begins to manifest in you. And this leads to a better life: your actions are efficient, the number of worries is reduced and harmony is established by itself.

One of the main methods of transformation is emptying yourself. Emptying oneself means cleansing one's body, qi (life force) and heart-consciousness from muddy, harmful, superfluous and unnecessary. Taoists have mastered these methods to perfection.

Modern man is most often accustomed to acquiring and filling himself and his life. We come into this world without clothes, without thought patterns, without words, without thoughts… and then throughout our lives we accumulate material things, delusions, resentments, behavior patterns. Every day there is less and less freedom in the life of an ordinary person. It is hard to be conscious if most of your actions are done according to the rules that you have accumulated over the years.

That is why the Taoists are constantly purifying, emptying themselves. This allows you to remain flexible, young, growing and, at the same time, not overwhelmed, not taken to extremes. After all, bringing something to the limit, you will certainly begin to move in the opposite direction.

Ridding oneself of everything superficial (what is imposed by upbringing, society, all sorts of unwritten rules and one's own Ego) allows the Taoists to return to naturalness and non-action. When you do not have other people's thoughts imposed by society, then many problems simply disappear, there is no need to constantly do something. The Taoist begins to live a simpler life, to act with minimal effort, and the result comes easily, as if by itself. The Taoist master has no attachment to the fruits of his actions and no desire to prove anything to anyone - this frees him from many unnecessary emotional reactions and actions that people often do.

But such devastation of oneself does not at all lead to anarchy and a disregarding way of life. The Taoist takes life lightly, but not flippantly! He has certain obligations to the society in which he lives, but does not become attached to them. He spends energy and time on social affairs, but does not exhaust himself. He is freed from passions and desires, but this does not mean that he ceases to feel and live fully!

Naturalness brings harmony and a deeper awareness of oneself and one's place in the world to a person's life. The Taoist responds to current events and refuses to worry about the past and the future, but in the present he acts without being attached to what he is doing, surrendering to the will of the Tao. He, as it were, entrusts his life to Eternity, concentrating on the dance that dances on the stage of Genesis. It is similar to how a person swims on a turbulent river: he tries to feel all the turns of its course, rowing carefully, saving his strength, using the momentum of the river to get where he needs to. But he is submissive to fate and acts without acting, accepting the force of the current, makes movements, but does not fight the river and is internally ready for the water to throw him ashore in a completely different place.

Purification of oneself and naturalness lead to the fact that the virtuous qualities of the soul become easier to cultivate and manifest. A more benevolent attitude towards life, towards all living beings and the world as a whole, gradually leads to the fact that the practitioner manifests the Heart of Tao.

The heart of Tao is an internal state of consciousness and heart, which helps to keep striving to comprehend the Primordial nature. This state is characterized by a high level of awareness, inner and outer serenity, a kind, positive attitude to everything that happens around, increased sensitivity to the “flow of life”. The heart of the Tao brings primordial wisdom into a person's life; he becomes as if led by some Higher forces. Such a person begins to more effectively go through all the turns and obstacles on his Path, gaining rich experience and living each day more fully and deeply. All this allows you to quickly change yourself, becoming light, flexible and open to the world.

Along with the process of self-purification, the Taoist also constantly cultivates Te. Te is, at the most primitive level, all the virtuous qualities of a person, and at a deeper level, the Primordial heart nature of a person. True Te does not look like Te. That is, truly virtuous deeds can be completely unremarkable or even seem rude. The fact is that a Taoist master who has reached a high level in his practice thinks in completely different categories. His actions reflect the flow of the river of Life more than his own desires. And Life, as you know, is not always kind to us. Many good things only happen after big upheavals.

Therefore, a Taoist who has almost completely purified himself, cultivated true Te, and possesses the Heart of Tao is almost a pure manifestation of Tao. He is so natural that he practically does not bring into his manifestations (actions in this world) any particles of his Ego. It can be said about him that he fulfills the will of Heaven.

And at the moment of reaching the "body of light", the Taoist master becomes a pure manifestation of Tao and merges with it. Thus, through the life of a Taoist, the highest non-action of Tao is manifested.

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E.S. Stulova

DAOIST PRACTICE OF ACHIEVING IMMORTALITY

APPS

We bring to the attention of the readers of the Russian edition of Lu Kuan Yu's book "Taoist Yoga" an article by orientalist E.S. pp. 230-270). We believe that the review of Taoist techniques given in this article, made on the basis of materials from foreign publications, as well as from translations of Chinese translations, will allow readers to expand their understanding of the applied side of the Taoist religion, associated with the most interesting methods of spiritual self-improvement.

The formation of religious Taoism dates back to the beginning of the Han era (206 BC - 25 AD). After a long feud between the philosophical schools of the Taoists, Legists, Confucians, after the fall of the Qin Empire (249-207 BC) - the stronghold of the Legists, the Taoists competed with the Confucians in an effort to influence the pretenders to the throne of the new dynasty in order to be able to realize their political ideals. Thus, Zhang Liang, a statesman and famous Taoist, engaged in the search for immortality, who supported Liu Bang, who became the first emperor of the new dynasty, had a certain weight under Gaozu. Later, in the 1st c. n. e. the Zhang family became famous (tradition considers them to be the descendants of Zhang Liang), which played a big role in the history of Taoism. The head of the family, Zhang Daoling was a famous Taoist and alchemist. From his many followers, he organized a kind of state on the border of the current provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi. The prestige of Taoism increased so much that in 165 the official state sacrifice of Lao Tzu was performed for the first time. The theocratic "state" of the Taoists existed until 1927 (since the 11th century, it was relocated from Sichuan Jiangxi), preserving its structure, rituals, customs, as well as the inherited institution of the Heavenly mentor, patriarch, head of the community (tianshi).

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Taoism continued to occupy a strong position, leading a fierce debate with Buddhism and successfully competing with Confucianism. It can be assumed that Taoism for some of its adherents was a kind of reaction "to the official Confucian ideology and the way of life sanctioned by Confucianism, forms of social structure" .

Taoism enjoyed the patronage of the imperial family, whose last name was Li, like Lao Tzu. During this period, many significant treatises were written, and many large monasteries were built. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Taoism was still strong. The Taoists felt especially confident at the court of the second Sung Emperor Zhen Zong (998-1022). In 1190, the Daoist canon "Daozang" was published for the first time. After the conquest of the north of the country by the Jurchens, many Taoist sects arose, which aroused suspicion among subsequent foreign dynasties (Mongols, Manchus), who seized the Chinese throne. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, there was a weakening of the positions of Taoism. Although there were still some ups and downs, tides of sympathy from some emperors, Taoism finally left the political arena and became a "religion of individual salvation" / 27, p. 155).

In the XII century. there was a split of religious Taoism into two schools: northern and southern. The northern school was called "quan-zhenjiao" ("absolute truth"). southern - "zhengyijiao" ("genuine unity"). The northern school, in turn, consisted of two main directions: the northern direction "quanzhenjiao", founded by the patriarch Wang Zhe, also called teacher Chongyang (lived during the time of the Sung emperor Huizong, who ruled in 1101-1125) and the southern branch of "quanzhenjiao" founded by patriarch Liu Haichan, a disciple of Lu Chunyang.

The southern school "zhengjiao" was also called "tianshidao" - "the path of the heavenly mentor". Its patriarch Zhang Zongyan in 1276 received from the Yuan emperor Shih-zu the official title of thirty-sixth Heavenly Master.

The followers of the southern school ("zhengyijiao") believed in fate, tried to learn it with the help of various divination and influence it using talismans, amulets, spells, prayers. They lived in the world, got wives and children. Fasting was observed only on certain days. This school developed mainly that part of Taoism that came from the ancient magicians, sorcerers, shamans. She did not attach much importance to a person's own nature, its improvement, but relied on external means, on the help of magicians (fanshi).

The northern school "quanszhenjiao" attached equal importance to the improvement of a person's own nature and the use of various external means offered by magicians. At the same time, preference was given to improving their nature, using their own internal means and resources. The followers of this school - usually monks who lived in monasteries or cloisters, led a secluded life, were celibate, were vegetarians, did not drink wine. The teaching was not passed on by inheritance, as in the southern school, but from teacher to student. It consisted in instructions on meditation, respiratory and motor gymnastics.

Over time, the line between the southern and northern schools disappeared, the ideas and practices of one school penetrated the ideas and practices of another. The southern school did not at all turn away from the methods of self-improvement characteristic of the northern, and the northern did not shy away from talismans and spells. Hermits, busy searching for immortality, also lived in the south. And in the north, fortunetellers and soothsayers, magicians and wizards met constantly and everywhere.

The search for immortality - on your own, or turning to the help of magicians and spells - is the central, main position of religious Taoism, its most important component. The immediate goal of the Taoists was to get rid of ailments, prolong life, and rejuvenate.

The search for immortality was engaged long before the formation of Taoism as a religion. Chinese literature is replete with stories of hermits, alchemists, emperors searching for immortality, the elixir of life, islands inhabited by celestials. The elixir of life tried to find Qin Shi-Huangdi (221-210 BC). The Han Wudi (140-87 BC) took immortality pills. Tai-wu (424-451), emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty, was honored with a miraculous talisman. The aging Genghis Khan turned to the Taoist monk Chang-Chun (1222) for the medicine of immortality. The history of rulers' fascination with the elixir of life, the ups and downs of Taoist advisers, the enmity between Taoists and Buddhists, heated disputes at imperial courts - all this took place from ancient times until recently. Under the Manchu Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Taoism fell into decay completely, devoid of any support from the court. However, many Confucian officials privately practiced the "religion of individual salvation" Taoism.

Immortality in religious Taoism was conceived as material immortality, the immortality of the body, not the soul. Taoists believed that souls and spirits cannot exist without a body shell. “If the Taoists, in search of longevity, imagined it not as spiritual, but as material immortality, this was not a choice between various possible solutions, for them it was the only possible solution. The Greco-Roman world early began to oppose spirit and matter to each other. opposition of a single spiritual soul to a material body. The Chinese, on the other hand, never separated spirit and matter. For them, the world was a continuous sequence from emptiness at one end to the grossest matter at the other, and therefore the soul did not become an invisible and spiritual antipode of the visible and material body. Moreover, There were too many souls in a person for any of them to counterbalance the body.There were two groups of souls: three upper souls (hun) and seven lower souls (po).And if there were discrepancies in terms of what happened to them in other world, everyone agreed that they were separated at the moment of death.During life, as at the time of death, these numerous souls are often indefinitely we are foggy. After death, when this army of spirits is scattered, how can they gather together again? The body, on the contrary, was a unity and served as a home for these and other spirits. Thus, only the perpetuation of the body in one form or another can ensure the continuation of the living personality as a whole.

The search for immortality, this ultimate goal of religious Taoism, “required considerable sacrifices from a person, forcing him to mobilize all his will and endurance, all his abilities and patience. its sorrows and joys, renounce all aspirations and passions, limit yourself in everything and purposefully move towards only one great goal.

Since there are many ways to achieve immortality, a wise mentor was needed who would indicate which path to follow, in which direction to make efforts. In addition, in the treatises and manuals, only the most general instructions are given. Without the teacher's explanations, without deciphering it, it is impossible to master the method and procedures in full. The secret will remain unsolved.

The first step on the great path to immortality was the universal human virtues, since, as the Taoists believed, immortal people became mortals who achieved this as a result of patient and long work. And above all, they had to be virtuous and worthy, faithful and humane, respectful and sincere. False, unworthy people would seek immortality in vain.

Taoists believed that doing good deeds lengthens life, while doing evil deeds shortens it and brings death closer. Moreover, whoever wants to reach the position of an immortal on earth (di xian) must, as indicated in Baopu-tzu, perform 300 good deeds. Whoever wants to become immortal in heaven (tian xian) must perform 1200 good deeds. If at the same time he performs 1199 good deeds, and then one bad deed, all good deeds are annulled, and it is necessary to start anew to perform the prescribed number of good deeds. Even special gungoge tables appeared, in which good and bad deeds were recorded. Such tables were kept by many Confucian officials.

A number of prescriptions had to be fulfilled not only by Taoists seeking immortality, but also by ordinary virtuous people. First of all, these are five prohibitions: do not kill, do not drink wine, do not lie, do not steal, do not commit adultery, as well as ten good deeds: honor parents, be faithful to the master and mentor, compassion for all creatures, help the suffering even to the detriment of oneself, liberate to the will of animals and birds, build bridges, plant trees, build dwellings and wells along the roads, instruct foolish people. Vegetarianism was one of the elementary requirements for a monk who perfected himself on the way to the ultimate goal. Some Taoist schools, however, allowed their followers to eat meat and drink wine, requiring fasting only on certain days.

As we have already said, the Taoists believed that a person has three upper hun souls and seven lower po, which leave the body after death. The body itself was seen as the dwelling place for souls. Therefore, the Taoists sought to preserve the body. To achieve immortality, one had to work hard to destroy the causes of death and decay. Among the spiritual efforts, the most important was the nourishment of the spirit (shen), strengthening the unity of the soul and body.

Taoists imagined that the human body is a microcosm, inhabited, like the macrocosm, by various deities. They populated it with a huge army - 36 thousand spirits, which are divided into three large and six small groups and are associated with certain organs, parts of the body. Taoists prescribed to dispose of these spirits in their favor, leading a pure, righteous life and doing good deeds. In addition, it was necessary to "nourish the body" so that the spirits would not leave it. If the spirits remain in the body, the person continues to live.

In addition to these spirits, the so-called "three corpses" or "three worms" settle in the human body even before his birth. They live in the "cinnabar fields" (tribute tian): the "old blue worm" lives in the "palace of nirvana" in the head. "White young lady" - in the "purple palace" in the chest, "bloody corpse" - in the lower "cinnabar field". These "worms" are trying to shorten the life of the person who sheltered them, harming the "cinnabar fields" and trying to leave the human body, because the sooner their owner dies, the sooner they will be freed, become "ghosts" and go free. Therefore, Taoist teachings recommend getting rid of these "worms" as soon as possible, exhausting them by abstaining from cereals, which is the basis of dietary prescriptions and regimens.

The release of the body from the "three corpses" marks the completion of the first, preparatory stage on the path to immortality.

The Taoists considered the strengthening of the spirit of Shen, which was formed as a result of the fusion of air qi with the essence of jing, to be an extremely important procedure for the Taoists. The shen spirit was considered the ruler of a person, controlling his good and bad deeds. He had to be preserved and strengthened by appropriate exercises (which will be discussed below), so that he would not leave the body, which usually happens at the time of death. This is done by melting the "inner pill" (nei dan).

Among the physical means recommended by the Taoists in search of immortality were breathing exercises, motor gymnastics, sometimes accompanied by medication, massage. Great importance was attached to "nourishing life with the help of yin-yang", i.e. sexual practice.

Along with the "internal pill" already mentioned above, the Taoists also recommended an external pill, which was prepared by alchemy. As you know, the Taoists believed that the use of a number of metals, minerals, plants can ensure longevity. However, the most effective drugs are specially prepared. They are based on cinnabar, gold, silver, etc. The medicine was considered the more effective, the more purified and refined it was. There were a maximum of nine such cleansings or swimming trunks. There were many ways and methods of smelting medicines, "external pills", set out in detail in Ge Hong's treatise, as well as recipes for pills1. When melting medicines, pills of immortality, it was necessary to follow certain rules - fasting, purification, solitude in the mountains or on islands (in extreme cases - in a house, behind a high fence). In no case was it possible to divulge the secrets of manufacturing, to initiate the unworthy into it. In this case, it was impossible to count on success. This secret could not be made public even in books. The mentor passed it orally to his worthy students.

As can be seen from the above, the search for immortality Taoists were in physical and spiritual terms. These were the moral and ethical standards of life, adherence to certain dietary prescriptions, performing breathing and motor exercises, knowing certain recommendations in the field of sexual practice, mastering certain skills of concentration and meditation, and using medicines.

Consideration of the main Taoist ways of "nourishing life" must be preceded by a short digression into the field of Taoist anatomy and familiarization with the terminology used in treatises and, in particular, in the ancient medical treatise "Huang Di Nei Jing" ("On the Inner"), attributed to the Yellow Emperor. . At the same time, one must take into account the confusion and deliberate uncertainty that reigns in writings on this issue. Often, individual organs, vessels, body parts have several names. Sometimes different organs and parts of the body have the same designation.

As we have already said, according to the Taoists, the human body is a microcosm, all parts of which have parallels in the macrocosm. Like everything in nature, it is controlled by the forces of yin and yang. All organs in it are correlated with the five primary elements. The five internal organs were: liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys. Sometimes they also included the pericardium, brain and bone marrow. The five organs were believed to be controlled by the power of yin. The power of yang controlled the six "receptacles" or hollow organs: the stomach, the large intestine, the small intestine, the gallbladder, the urinary bladder, and the "three burning regions"2. In addition, the Taoists identified 12 paired channels in the human body. Through these channels, as the Taoists believed, the forces of yin and yang move. They contain acupuncture points, the number of which varies in different sources, but more often the number 365 is indicated. These 12 channels are divided into 23 segments and are interconnected by 8 channels, of which two are considered the most important - jenmo and dumo. Renmo contains the power of yin, starts at the perineum, runs up the front along the body and ends at the lower lip. Dumo contains yang power, starts at the coccyx, travels up the back, across the back of the head, down across the forehead from the crown, and then ends at the upper lip.

Each of the three parts into which the Taoists divide the human body (upper - head and arms, middle - chest, lower - stomach and legs) have their own center. These are the three fields of cinnabar" or "pill fields" so called because cinnabar is the main ingredient in the immortality pill. The upper "cinnabar field" is in the head and is called the "palace of nirvana" (nivan gong), the MIDDLE "field" is located near the heart and is called the "purple palace" (jiang gong). The lower "vermilion field" is located three centimeters below the navel (1.5 cun) and is called the "ocean of vitality" (qi hai). The lower "cinnabar field" is considered the most important in cases where when it is said about dan tian without specifying whether it is the lower one or some other "field", it is always the lower one that is meant.

There are no detailed descriptions of these parts (with the exception of the upper head), but it is assumed that they all have nine "palaces" arranged in two rows. In the head, these rows of palaces are arranged horizontally in two floors, five palaces below, four above. Nine palaces of the chest and abdomen are arranged vertically - five in the front row, four in the back.

In the head, in the bottom row, at the entrance, there is a "palace of light hall" (min tang gong). Then it is followed by the "palace of the room of the newlyweds", or "secret room" (dung fang gong) and the "palace of nirvana", also called the "palace of the field of cinnabar" (tribute tian gong). In addition, in the bottom row there are also the "Palace of the Moving Pearl" (liu zhu gong) and the "Palace of the Jasper Emperor" (yu di gong). In the top row, the first in front is the "palace of the heavenly court" (tian ting gong). Behind it is the "true palace of the great limit" (tai chi zhen gong), the "palace of secret cinnabar" (xuan dan gong), which is located above the "palace of the field of cinnabar". The last in the top row is the "palace of the great august" (tai huang gong).

In the chest, the entrance is the "terem with floors" (louge) - the trachea leading to the "light hall" and other rooms. The "palace of the moving pearl" located in this part is identified with the heart, the "light hall" located in the stomach is the spleen.

The three palaces closest to the entrance (the lower row for the head, the front row for the chest and abdomen), together with the side pavilions, form three "yellow courtyards" (huang ting), the center of which is the eyes for the head, the heart for the chest, and the spleen for the abdomen. . The entrance to the palace is guarded by spirits inhabiting the side rooms. So, the ears are the "towers" of the bell and drum, from which visitors are announced.

At the entrance to the upper "cinnabar field", in the middle of the forehead above the eyebrows, there are: on the right is the "yellow portico" (huang quye), on the left is the "purple terrace" (jiang tai). They guard the entrance vestibule of the "double field guarding one cun space" (shou cun shuang tian), which is located between the eyebrows. Eyebrows are called "flower bedspreads" (hua gai). The right eye is the western or white palace. The left eastern, or blue, palace. They communicate with the "palace of the bright hall", behind which there is a room for the newlyweds "(or" secret ") with many pavilions. First come the dwelling of the innermost essence" (xuan jing she) and the "dark portico" (yu quye), then the "yellow portico "(huang quye) - on the right and" red gate "(zi hu) - on the left"3.

Let us now turn to the main Taoist methods of "nourishing life" recommended for achieving immortality4.

Among the many ways of breathing, the method of "embryonic breathing" was the most famous. This method got its name because it sought to reproduce the breath of the fetus in the womb. The Taoists taught that the fetus does not breathe through the nose or mouth, that breathing is done through the umbilical cord, which they called the "gate of fate" (ming men). All Tao practitioners were encouraged to master fetal breathing, i. breathe like a fetus in a mother's womb. Taoists considered this method of breathing the basis of life, believed that with its help one could reach the state of the embryo, expel old age, "return to the source, return to the base", and this meant achieving the ultimate goal.

"Embryonic breathing" was discovered at the beginning of the Tang era. In Taoist writings, it was defined as internal breathing, that which uses the internal air that is in the human body from the very beginning. As for external respiration, it uses the external air. There were many "old", pre-Thane, theories of external respiration. So, in a small Taoist work of the 4th century. the following way of breathing with external air is given: every day at sunrise, turning your face to the east, you should rinse your mouth with saliva and then swallow it. After that, "absorb air" one hundred or more times. After completing the respiratory cycle, one should greet the sun twice. Since, however, it was believed that not everyone could breathe in this way with the ease necessary to achieve immortality, preparatory operations were recommended: secluded in a room specially prepared for this occasion, lie down on a comfortable bed, take the correct position, close your eyes and hold, "lock "air in the chest, plugging the nose with fluff and not opening the mouth.

It seems undoubted that breathing exercises existed in China already in ancient times. So, the inscription on twelve jade tablets dating back to the 6th century BC. BC, recommends holding the air so that it accumulates and increases in volume, after which it should be sent down, where it calms down, and then thickens and sprouts. When it expanded, it had to be directed upwards again to reach the crown of the head.

Such authoritative classical Taoist treatises as the Tao Te Ching, Zhuang Tzu, Huainan Tzu contain passages that mention breathing exercises, but if the Tao Te Ching recommends them, then the Zhuang Tzu and "Huainanzi" they are spoken of in prejudice.

As already noted, "embryonic breathing" became known only in the Tang period, when the ideas of the Taoists about breathing techniques changed significantly and when they paid attention to the circulation of air in the human body. Breathing was divided into external and internal. According to the Taoists of that time, the internal air came out of the "field of cinnabar", from the area of ​​the liver and diaphragm. This internal air, contained in the body of each individual, was also called "original air" (yuan qi). The Taoists believed that the "original air" in a person corresponds to the original air of Heaven and Earth, that a person receives this original air of Heaven and Earth at his birth, that this air becomes his "spirit" (shen) and his body (xing), that a person receives originally a single air, which also becomes his saliva and essence (i.e. seed). In addition, the Taoists believed that the original air of Heaven and Earth in the macrocosm arises in the north, belongs to the element of water, correlates with the trigram kan, dominates in the northern regions and, in particular, in the region of Mount Heng, the Peak of the North. The "original air" of man, i.e. microcosm, arises in the kidneys, corresponding to the elements of water, the trigram kan and the north. It is the source of vital air moving between the kidneys. He is the basis of the five internal organs, the root of all twelve channels, the gates of inhalation and exhalation, the source of the "three melters" ("three heaters" or "burning regions"). This air is the root of a person, so if the root is destroyed, all organs and channels will behave like branches and leaves that dry up with the death of the root.

Since the "original air" seemed to the Taoists to be the root of life, it had to be carefully preserved, especially since its quantity, as it was believed, was very limited, only six cun. The loss of one cun of "original air", the Taoists believed, reduces a person's life by thirty years, while the preservation of all six cun provides eternal life. Therefore, it was prescribed to master the rules of breathing, so that the "primordial air" would not go out through the nose and mouth, but would constantly fill the "vermilion field" and circulate throughout the body without mixing with external air.

The theory and practice of indoor air circulation was developed by the Taoists of the Tang and Song periods. They imagined the circulation mechanism as follows: since the movement of internal and external air is coordinated, then when the external air rises for exhalation, the internal contained in the lower "cinnabar field" also rises; when the outer air descends after inhalation, the inner air also descends and returns to the "cinnabar field". The circulation of internal air, as the Taoists believed, took place in two cycles: firstly, the absorption of air and, secondly, the actual circulation of this air. Taoist writings describe only one way of absorbing air and two ways of circulating.

Absorption of external air is the simple inhalation of air, accompanied by the constant swallowing of large amounts of saliva, or "jasper juice". The absorption of internal air is necessary in order to prevent it from escaping when exhaling external air and to force it to circulate through the body.

Let us illustrate the method of absorbing internal air with the following description from Yun Ji Qi Qian, a peculiar anthology of Taoist texts included in the Daozang: the absorption of air consists in swallowing. The profane swallow the outside air, the knowledgeable people should swallow the inside air (nei qi). After leaving the "ocean of vitality" (qi hai), this air rises to the throat. At the moment when a person exhales external air through the throat, one must quickly close the mouth and "beat the heavenly drum"5, thereby swallowing the internal air that is at that time in the throat. This air descends noisily, drop by drop, like water. He is mentally led through the esophagus, massaged with a hand, so that he enters the "ocean of vitality" (qi hai), which is also called the "cinnabar field" and is located 1.5 cun below the navel. Elsewhere, Yun Ji Qi Qian specifies that at the moment of swallowing air, the nose and mouth are closed and empty. When the internal air fills the mouth, it is necessary to "beat the heavenly drum" at least fifteen times, but more is better. It is necessary to swallow the air like a large sip of water, then lead it with concentration into the stomach and further, into the "cinnabar field". There are three obstacles, or barriers, on the way of internal air to the "cinnabar field": the first obstacle is in the heart, the second - above the spleen, the third - in the lower "cinnabar field". It is not easy to remove these obstacles, to pass air through them: this, as it is said in the treatise, took months and years.

After three swallowings, the Taoists taught, the "ocean of vital forces" (chi hai) is filled and then the air must be carried throughout the body. If we are talking about illness, then the air should be led to the sore spot. The method of guidance depended on the particular individual: one was advised to visualize two bands of white air, mentally follow these bands as they make their way through the body. The more usual procedure was to create in your imagination a homunculus, who was supposed to be instructed to lead the breath, and he himself had to mentally follow him along the entire route.

In addition to the method of air circulation, controlled and led by practitioners, the Taoists recommended the method of free circulation, when the air is not controlled by a person, but flows freely throughout the body. It's called "blowing air". The procedure recommended by Master Yan-ling is this: retire to a quiet room, loosen your clothes, loosen your hair, lie down on a clean bed with your arms and legs stretched out. Swallowing air, hold your breath for as long as possible until it becomes unbearable. "Darken" the sun so that it does not think, and let the air flow at will. When it becomes unbearable to hold your breath further, when the air tends to escape, you need to open your mouth and let it out quietly. Having calmed the breath and brought it into harmony, one should again proceed to the "melting of air". You can’t do this daily, only at intervals of five to ten days.

According to the recommendations contained in the Taoist writings of the 8th-9th centuries, "embryonic breathing" can be practiced by itself, but more often it is a necessary prerequisite for "melting" and leading air. This whole complex is called "the use of air." All recipes for "using air" suggested first doing a series of gymnastic exercises in order to "relax the body." Then you should sit up straight and take three breaths. Calm the mind and distract from the body, calm the breath. Then quietly and easily exhale impure air through the mouth and inhale clean air through the nose. Repeat this six to seven times. This is the order of "bringing the air into harmony." When the harmony of the air is reached, and the mouth and nose are "closed and empty", one must fill the mouth with air, and then "beat the heavenly drum" at least 15 times.

After that, swallow the air as one swallows water and focus on the air that passes into the "ocean of air", where it remains for a long time. After a certain period of time, the swallowing procedure must be repeated and so on until the stomach is "filled". "Filling the stomach" and "freeing the heart" from vain thoughts, it was necessary to close the mouth, massage the stomach with the hands in order to force the air to circulate and enter the nose. At the same time, one should not breathe strongly, so as not to disturb the harmony of the air. After that, you should lie down in bed, stretch your arms and legs, slightly apart. Breathe through the nose, focus on breathing, forcing the air to circulate throughout the body. This procedure is called "making the air circulate". At the same time, it was prescribed to intensively move the fingers and toes, as well as "bones and joints" until sweat broke through. This procedure is called "air penetration".

The breathing procedure was accompanied by a whole series of prescriptions that were considered secret, mysterious, and were passed down orally from teacher to student. In Taoist writings before the Tang period, nothing was said about the inner air, it was only about the outer air. As the authors who have studied this problem note, the scheme of air circulation in the pre-Tan and post-Tan works did not differ in basic features. External air - that which is inhaled through the nose and which then descends into the kidneys and passes through all five internal organs and six receptacles: "from a long valley (i.e. nose) to a dark region (i.e. kidneys) air passes through the suburbs and districts (i.e. by internal organs)".

The famous work of Ge Hong "Baopu-zi" (beginning of the 4th century) says that while practicing air circulation, one should inhale through the nose and then close, lock the air, holding it for 120 heartbeats, and then carefully exhale through the mouth. Inhalation and exhalation should be done silently and without tension, so that the pen placed in front of the nose or mouth does not move. In this case, you need to inhale a large amount of air, and exhale a small amount. As this practice was mastered, it was necessary to increase the interval between inhalation and exhalation to a thousand heartbeats, which, in the author's opinion, should have led to the rejuvenation of the old.

Huang Ting Jing (Book of the Yellow Court, 3rd century) is one of the earliest treatises on the quest for immortality. In seven-syllable verses, in esoteric terms, it consistently and in some detail describes the ways to achieve immortality: air circulation, return of the seed, its increase, nutrition, etc. According to the descriptions of the Huang Ting Jing, the air had to be inhaled through the nose ("stove"), passed through the gate, the key to which was kept by the spirits of the spleen. Having overcome this complex barrier, the air was led to the lower "cinnabar field", where the air met with the seed, mixed and sublimated in the process of melting. At this time, the mouth should be filled with saliva. The "smelted" air and semen are carried out from the lower "cinnabar field" to the upper "cinnabar field" located in the head. This is the "return of the seed" (we will discuss this practice in more detail below). If you do not practice this process, then exhale through your mouth. Here is an example of a description: "Inhaling and exhaling at certain intervals through the stove, they introduce air into the" cinnabar field. .

Taoists paid great attention to exhalation. They attached great importance to this technique even in ancient times. Many names of exhalation methods are found in Chuang Tzu. However, a meticulous exhalation technique was developed during the Tang and Song periods. With one way of inhalation, six ways of exhalation were known: chi, he, hu, xu, chui, si. These exhalations, according to the ideas of Taoist teachers, each corresponded with a certain organ and were used to treat diseases, the cause of which was rooted in these organs. Thus, it was believed that the exhalation of qi affects the lungs, heals and strengthens them, relieves fatigue, relieves exhaustion, treats skin diseases, various inflammatory processes, and is effective in extreme cold or high heat. Exhalation he affects the heart. By practicing it, they sought to get rid of headaches, dry mouth, and intense heat. The exhalation of hu, being associated with the spleen, was considered useful in stomach diseases, fever, high temperature. Exhaling xu affects liver function and is said to be effective in treating eye diseases and melancholy. The exhalation of chui is associated with the kidneys, it is useful for chills, cold, impotence. Exhalation xi controls the "three smelters" (san jiao explanations about this special organ of the human body were given in the treatise of the end of the first millennium BC "Nanjing", for more details see D.A. Dubrovin "Difficult questions of classical Chinese medicine", St. Petersburg, 1990 ), improves their activity, is useful in the treatment of rheumatism. Since it was believed that the heart controls all organs, it was possible to get by with one exhalation he, which correlated with the heart.

How should one exhale according to these six methods? Information about the exhalation technique is very scarce. Here are some descriptions. Xu exhalation is done with a wide open mouth, the air is released gradually, quietly, the hand in front of the mouth feels warm. Chui exhalation is performed with a compressed mouth, the air is released quickly, with tension, the hand in front of the mouth feels a strong jet of cold air. When making this or that exhalation, you should pronounce the sound corresponding to the name of the exhalation being performed, i.e. chi, he, hu, chui, xu, si.

Exhalation he is done, in particular, as follows: slightly fold your lips, silently pronounce "he", exhaling the impure air of the heart through your mouth. Then close your mouth and inhale fresh air through your nose, mentally directing it to your heart. The exhalation should be short and the inhalation long. Repeat the exercise six times.

Taoist mentors recommended practicing a certain way of exhaling not only to treat diseases, but also to prevent them, to improve health, to protect against heat or cold. heh, when it's hot, exhale hu, when it's cold, exhale chui.

In Taoist treatises from different periods, one can find many prescriptions regarding what time and in what place one should practice breathing exercises. The most general instructions boil down to the following: you need to get rid of vain thoughts, take a bath, clean yourself up, relax or unfasten your clothes, retire to a quiet room, clean and not cluttered with things, light incense, read sacred books and pray to the deities. Before absorbing air, one should "beat the heavenly drum" 36 times, then make two or three long exhalations. After that, you can proceed directly to the absorption of air. Breathing exercises are usually accompanied by the practice of saliva absorption.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the doctrine of "fetal respiration" lost its dominant influence among Taoist practitioners. The theory of internal respiration, air circulation in the "cinnabar fields" became widespread. For the treatment of diseases, the method of holding the breath, or "locking the air" on inspiration, was recommended. To nourish the internal organs, the method of "five sprouts" was recommended: say a prayer, turning around the cardinal points and absorbing air a certain number of times: three times, turning to the south, to nourish the heart; five times facing north to nourish the kidneys; seven times facing west to nourish the lungs; nine times, facing east, to nourish the liver; to nourish the spleen (center) they absorb air twelve times. This procedure is called "absorption of air three, five, seven, nine (times)".

One of the varieties of breathing exercises was the practice of "absorbing the sun's rays", which complemented the procedure of "absorbing the breath of the sun and the image of the sun." Early in the morning it was necessary to sit or stand facing the sun, concentrate and "absorb the solar breath" 45 times, then swallow saliva 9 times and knock your teeth 9 times. The procedure for "absorbing the image of the sun" was as follows: in the morning it was necessary to turn to the east, holding a sheet of green paper in hand, on which the hieroglyph "sun" (H) * was drawn in vermilion inside the square. It was necessary to concentrate on this image, then swallow it, after which it was necessary to swallow saliva 9 times and knock teeth 9 times, holding the image of the sun in the heart. Further, in addition to this, you can practice the method of absorbing the sun's rays: three times a day, turning in the morning to the east, at noon - to the south, in the evening at boo hour - to the west. Having absorbed the image of the red sun and introduced it into the heart, as described above, one should imagine that nine rays rise from the heart to the teeth, which must be directed to the stomach. Further, it was necessary to meditate on the image of these rays in the heart and stomach, after which to withdraw these rays along with the exhalation and swallow the saliva 39 times.

In the future, this procedure became more complicated - the image of the red sun in the heart had to be made to circulate throughout the body. First of all, it should be directed to the lower "cinnabar field", from there to the left foot, and then to the right. When the image of the sun passed through the chest, it was necessary to make it illuminate all five internal organs, and then also the kidneys, from where white air rises through two channels to the "palace of nirvana", and black air - to the heart.

Another procedure was to focus on the sun, which is like an egg located in the center of the "palace of nirvana." Then, in turn, it was necessary to get rid of three types of solar air: black, "corpse air"; white, "old air"; blue, "dead air". Releasing air each time, it was necessary to concentrate on its color and name. After that, it was necessary to inhale the yellow air quietly and carefully four times, and then swallow the saliva three times. Following this, it was instructed to concentrate on the sun, located in the center of the "palace of nirvana", and imagine that it exits through the eye and is located in front of the mouth at a distance of nine cun. Closing your eyes for a while, open them and inhale red air this time, then swallow saliva three times. After that, it was necessary to move the arms and legs, and then absorb the green air.

Along with the practice of absorbing solar air, the Taoists recommended a number of others: absorption of lunar air, absorption of fog, etc. .

Some European researchers are inclined to see in these procedures of absorption of solar and lunar air the beginnings of heliotherapy and selenotherapy, the merits of which the Taoists appreciated in ancient times.

The breathing exercises described above, according to the instructions of the Taoist mentors, had to be additionally accompanied by motor gymnastics, various types of which were described in treatises or transmitted orally from a teacher to a student. The general name of this gymnastics is "stretching and squeezing" the body (daoyin). Later, other names began to be used: "work" (gongfu), "work directed inward" (neigong), etc.

The exercises recommended by practitioners of daoyin, kung fu and neigong were aimed at training the body and preventing or curing disease. It was a kind of therapeutic gymnastics. Modern authors, including physicians, recognize it as undoubtedly effective in strengthening the body, increasing its resistance, in the prevention and treatment of a number of diseases, in reducing fatigue, etc. There is also a positive psychotherapeutic effect of this gymnastics.

Massage, rubbing, light blows and other passive movements of a hygienic and therapeutic nature have been an integral part of gymnastic exercises since ancient times. They were used for overwork, convulsions, dislocations, fractures, rheumatic pains, bleeding.

In the second half of the XVIII century. remedial gymnastics, practiced by the Taoists, attracted the attention of European physicians, supporters of the treatment of a number of diseases with the help of movement. This was facilitated by the articles of the missionaries who lived in China, and first of all by the article of the Jesuit Father Amio.

The gymnastic exercises practiced by the Taoists were performed sitting, standing or lying down. Taking various positions, making the necessary movements, it was necessary to breathe in a certain way, inhaling and exhaling air as prescribed for each set of exercises.

There were many manuals that described in detail the various types of gymnastic exercises. One of the most important was Gao Lian's "Zun sheng ba jian" ("Eight chapters adapted to life"), written in 1591. Of the earlier works, the treatise of the Sung Taoist author Yin zhenzhen's "Xing ming guizhi" ("Laws of Nature") was famous. and destiny").

For clarity, we will describe some of the exercises from the complex "Zhong-li ba duan jin fa" ("Brilliant method of the immortal Zhongli, consisting of eight exercises"). These are preventive, health-improving exercises. They are performed while sitting, legs should be crossed. Duration - at your own discretion. The run time is from midnight to noon (i.e. yang time). Before starting the exercise, you need to concentrate. The first exercise instructs you to chatter your teeth and collect saliva in your mouth. Concentrating, sit for some time with "clenched fists"8, then, clasping the kun-lun (ie the top of the head) with your hands, take nine quiet breaths and exhalations, then breathe inaudibly for a while. After that, hit the "heavenly drum" 24 times. To do this, close your ears with your palms, press the middle fingers with your index fingers and then slide off them, thereby hitting the back of the head. Next, you should knock your teeth 36 times and collect saliva. Finish the exercise by tapping the "jasper pillow" (i.e., the back of the head) in the indicated way, 24 times with the right and left hands separately.

The second exercise is the swinging of the "celestial pillar" (ie the neck). Having tightly connected the hands, it is necessary to turn the head to the right, then to the left, while looking at the shoulder, 24 times in each direction.

The third exercise prescribes with a "red dragon" (i.e. tongue) 36 times in the mouth over the sky, teeth, cheeks, thus accumulating "sacred water" (saliva), then rinse the mouth 36 times with this saliva, and then swallow three sips her with the sound "gu-gu", imitating the bubbling water. After that there will be a "feeling of fire" (in the heart?)9.

The fourth exercise is rubbing the kidneys. Holding your breath, rub your hands until they get warm. After that, with both hands, rub the lower back at least 36 times. Then remove your hands, clench your fists tightly. Hold your breath again, concentrate, ignite the "cinnabar field" with the fire of your heart (obviously, the lower "cinnabar field" is meant). "When you feel the heat in the cinnabar field, move on to the next exercise."

Taoist doctors believed that some diseases could be cured by sweating. To do this, they recommended a set of exercises "five animals", the development of which is attributed to the famous surgeon Hua Tuo (2nd century), a well-informed, competent doctor, who was also initiated into many Taoist secrets.

The patient was instructed, depending on his illness, to perform one of the exercises, imitating any of the five animals: a tiger, a bear, a deer, a monkey and a bird.

Here is a description of the exercise "tiger": hold the air, tilt your head forward, tightly clench your fists and assume a ferocious tiger pose. Hands should slowly lift an imaginary huge weight. While the body is in an upright position, one should "lock" the air, and then swallow it and draw it down into the abdominal cavity, thereby causing the "sacred air" to move from top to bottom and produce a sound like thunder in the abdominal cavity. This exercise was prescribed to be done seven times. It was believed that it harmonizes the air and pulse, preventing all diseases.

The exercise "monkey" was prescribed to be done as follows: stop breathing, take the pose of a monkey climbing a tree. The hand seems to be holding the fetus, the foot is raised. On the heel of the other foot, turn and force the "sacred air" to circulate, holding it in the abdominal cavity (apparently in the lower "vermilion field") until sweat comes out.

The complex for the four seasons consists of 24 exercises corresponding to 24 seasons, which began on the first and fifteenth of each of the twelve months of the year. The exercises are named after the names of the corresponding seasons. For example, the first half of the first month is called "beginning of spring", and the first half of the second month is called "insect awakening". The exercises that were to be performed in these periods of time are also called. The whole complex is subdivided, in addition, into four groups, according to the seasons.

The Taoists considered the liver to be the main organ of the three spring months, and its symbol was the dragon. The heart was considered the main organ of the three summer months, and the red bird (phoenix) was its symbol. The main organ of the autumn months was the lungs, and the symbol was the tiger. The kidneys were considered the main ones during the winter months, and the symbol was a tortoise entwined with a snake. Accordingly, in each of the four seasons and in addition to the main 24 exercises, it was necessary to perform more exercises aimed at strengthening the organ that dominated at this time of the year.

Here are a few examples from this complex (most of the exercises were performed while sitting).

Sit cross-legged. Close your ears with your palms. Spread elbows. Do tilts to the right and left "three times five" times (obviously, it means that you need to tilt to one side five times, then five times to the other side, and repeat all this three times). Then knock your teeth, breathe, swallow saliva. There were also listed the diseases from which the performance of this exercise cures. In this case, it is rheumatism, asthma, shortness of breath, etc. The exercise described above was to be performed from the fifteenth day of the eighth month until the end of it.

From the first to the fifteenth day of the eleventh month, it was prescribed to perform the following exercise: stand straight, strain your knees, take your hands to the sides and alternately stamp your feet, each seven times, repeating the change of legs five times. After that, knock your teeth, breathe, swallow saliva. Many diseases are listed, such as asthma, cough, blurred vision, feeling of fear, dry mouth, jaundice, etc.

The tiger was revered by the Chinese as the king of wild animals, the strongest among the quadrupeds. They believed that he lives a thousand years, and when he reaches the age of five hundred years, he becomes white. Tiger claws and ashes from the hide were worn as an amulet. It is clear, therefore, that the Taoists attached great importance to the exercises of the "tiger" complex. An exercise from this complex, called "a tiger jumping in the mountains," prescribed 24 jumps in different directions, while returning to its original position after each jump. The "tiger out of the cave" exercise called for moving forward and backward on all fours 12 times in each direction. The Crooked Tiger exercise called for 24 consecutive handstands with knees bent freely.

The dragon, also revered by the Chinese, was dedicated to another special complex, consisting of 12 exercises: "the dragon beats the ground with its paws", "the dragon shakes its tail", "the dragon rubs its head", "the dragon is afraid of fire", etc.

There was also a complex where each exercise was named after one of the Taoist deities or immortals and was accompanied by the adoption of various medicines, the recipe of which was given right there. Thus, the exercise "Li Teguai shows the Way" was prescribed for the treatment of paralysis. Having taken a stable position, it was necessary to raise the right hand, pointing it to the right. The gaze should be directed to the left. Take 24 sips11, making the air circulate. Then take a step forward with your right foot.

To illustrate, here is a recipe for a "powder that harmonizes qi", which was to be taken by performing the exercise described above: mix an equal amount (about 4 g each) of conifer, linder, pleurospermum, angelica root, aegle, orange peel with licorice, dried ginger, wide bell (about 2 g each). Take with boiled water infused with 3 slices of ginger.

The exercise "Immortal He Xiangu rises into the sky" was performed while sitting: bending over slightly, one should wrap his hands around his knees at the level of the navel. Raise and lower with force alternately the right and left legs nine times. Make the air circulate by taking 24 sips.

While doing this exercise, one had to drink very salty water12 to induce vomiting. It was believed that this exercise helps with renal colic, relieves stones.

From stones and sand in the kidneys, Taoists also recommended another exercise from this cycle - "Bai Yuchan, like a tiger, grabs food." It was performed as follows: lying on the stomach, with the force to lift up the arms and legs. Make the air circulate with twelve sips, then move the arms and legs "three times five" times, respectively with the right leg and arm, and then with the left arm and leg. After that, sit upright, take 14 sips to force the air to circulate. During this exercise, it was prescribed to drink a medicine that was made from red clay and alum, which had to be crushed, mixed with cold water, allowed to settle and taken.

For the treatment of lumbago (lower back pain), pain in the abdominal cavity and in the legs, the Taoists recommended the exercise "Cao Guojiu takes off his boots." It was necessary to become stable, raise the right hand, as if about to climb the fence. The left hand hangs freely. Raise your right leg, take a step in the air, without lowering it to the ground and remaining standing on your left leg. Make the air circulate 16 times. The same movements are performed in the other direction - with the left hand and foot.

To restore strength, a decoction was prescribed, prepared according to the following recipe: take 4 g each of gornik, pleurospermum, atractylis, angelica root, arizema, ligustinum, "divine leaven", 3 g each of cardamom, clematis, cassia bark, add 3 slices of ginger.

Many Taoist prescriptions and recipes remain obscure. Despite the extensive literature, the development of these methods required the presence of a mentor, a teacher who would explain how to perform this or that exercise, check the sensations that arose as a result of their implementation, control the general condition of the patient and the course of treatment.

The presence of a mentor was also necessary in mastering a different type of gymnastic exercises - to strengthen the body, accumulate strength, master combat and defensive techniques, in a word, external methods or styles. Taoist monks (as well as Buddhist ones, by the way) regularly trained, mastered a number of techniques that helped them, if necessary, to overcome a physically stronger or numerically superior opponent. Without dwelling on this side of Taoist practice here, let us move on to consider another way in which the Taoists hoped to achieve immortality, namely, sexual practice.

It is well known that Taoism did not forbid its lay followers to have a family and children. They considered the intimate relationships of people in the light of the yin-yang theory as connected with the mechanism of the universe, with the great rhythm of nature and repeating the great unity of the forces of yin and yang, in this case, the connection of Heaven and Earth. Celibacy is contrary to the natural law of nature, since everything in nature has properties either feminine or masculine, i.e. refers to either the yin element or the yang element. Moreover, the Taoists believed that "nourishing life with yin and yang", or "combining yin and yang to nourish life" (yin yang yang sheng zhi dao), is one of the important means - along with others - to achieve immortality. Taoist sexual mysticism developed on the fertile ground of Chinese society, in which family relations were one of the norms of Confucian morality, and procreation was a sacred duty of every Chinese. It is not surprising, therefore, that already in ancient times there was an extensive literature devoted to the problems of intimate relationships between people. Only the titles of some of the works have come down to us. However, a number of treatises of a later time have been preserved in the collection of medical writings "I xin fan" ("Basic medical prescriptions"), compiled at the end of the 10th century. Japanese physician Tamba Yasuori and published in Japan in 1854. The collected texts became the subject of research by the Chinese scientist Ye Dehui, who in 1914 completed the publication of both the texts themselves and the results of his research. Among the fragments collected by Ye Dehui is the "Su nu jing" ("Book of the Pure Maiden"). "Xuan nu jing" ("Book of the Mysterious Maiden"), "Dong Xuanzi" ("The Book of the Mysterious One"), "Yu fan bi jue" ("Secrets of Jasper Chambers"), as well as "Tian Di Yin Yang Jiao Huan Da le fu" ("Ode to the great joy of connecting the yin-yang of Heaven and Earth"), written by Bo Xingjian, brother of the famous Tang poet Bo Juyi.

In such writings, it is rather difficult to draw a clear line between the recommendations of the Taoist mystics, aimed at the search for immortality, and the didactic instructions regulating the intimate relationships of people. The persistence of the precepts and ideas contained in these treatises can be judged by J. Needham's remark that popular versions of some of them until recently were still in circulation in the libraries of pedlars or were passed from hand to hand privately. In addition, one Taoist in Chengdu13, when asked how many people follow these precepts, replied: "probably more than half of the men and women of Sichuan."

The main goal of the exercises for "nourishing life with the help of yin and yang" was to preserve as much of the jing seminal fluid as possible, to acquire the vital energy of a partner. The Yun Ji Qi Qiang states that the seminal fluid is contained in the seminal vesicles ("houses", "rooms" of the jingshi) in the lower "cinnabar field". In the corresponding part of the female body, menstrual blood is collected. According to the prescriptions of Taoist authors, with the help of sexual practice, it was necessary to increase the amount of the life-giving essence of jing and in every possible way to avoid spending, and even more so losing it. It was believed that the systematic feeding of the yang force in a man at the expense of the yin force in a woman provides a man with health, longevity and a male child. Accordingly, a woman achieves health and longevity by feeding her yin power at the expense of the yang power of a man.

In Taoist literature, there are many stories about people who have achieved immortality as a result of mastering the secrets of sexual practice. In one of the stories "Le Xian Zhuan" ("Lives of Eminent Immortals"), there is a story about a certain Nu Ji who sells wine. “It happened to one immortal, passing by her house, to drink her wine; as a pledge of payment, he left her the “Book of the Pure Maiden” in five scrolls. Opening and getting acquainted with his book, Ji found in it advice on nourishing the life principle and intimate union. Ji secretly rewrote the main ones, and then, settling in a separate house, began to lure young guys there with good wine and leave them to spend the night in order to test the book prescriptions in practice.This went on for 30 years, her face became younger, as if she were only 20. After For many years, the same immortal appeared. He jokingly remarked to Ji: "Without a teacher, a kidnapping dao, even with wings, will not fly away." Then she left her family and followed the immortal. No one can tell where they went." Let us note in passing that in this passage we find confirmation of what we have said above about the extremely important role assigned by the Taoists to mentors. And here a woman, having mastered the secret, could not become immortal on her own. Only by following her mentor could she expect to gain immortality.

Taoist mentors offered two main methods for practicing "nourishing the life principle" by combining yin and yang: coitus reservatus (coitus interruptus) and "semen return" (huan jing).

The first method involved multiple coitus reservatus with a continuous series of partners to nourish the yang force with as much yin as possible. The simplest procedure from the treatise "Yu fan zhiyao" ("Guide for jasper chambers") is given in the work of A. Maspero. It describes preparatory caresses and the technique of love union, it talks about getting rid of all diseases and prolonging the life of one who is able to carry out coitus reservatus during twelve copulations during the day, while changing as many partners as possible in succession. "If you change ten partners in one night, this is the highest degree of superiority."

Another method ("returning the seed") was to squeeze the urethra at the time of ejaculation. In this case, the seed is diverted into the bladder, from where it is then excreted in the urine. Taoist practitioners, however, believed that in this way it was possible to force the seminal fluid to rise up in order to to nourish the brain with it.Therefore, this method was also called "to force the seed to return and nourish the brain" (huan jing bu nao).

Just like the breathing exercises, the procedures described above require prior preparation and guidance from the teacher. In a small essay of the 5th century. from the anthology "Yun ji qi qian" it is said that one should start these studies "on the day of kai or chu of the first decade of the month, when they coincide with the day of the chia-tzu of the sixty-day cycle at the hour of living air after midnight," and one should not be drunk , dirty, burdened with food, because the violation of these conditions gives rise to disease. It is necessary by "perfect meditation" to renounce all extraneous thoughts. After that, "men and women can practice the method of eternal life." This practice was declared absolutely secret, "it cannot be passed on to anyone except the sages." Those who practiced this method in accordance with the rules, whether young or old, gained energy, became strong and healthy.

During the reign of the Tang Dynasty, various manuals on sexual matters written in pre-Tang and Tang times were widely distributed. Among the latter, the medical treatise of the famous Taoist physician Sun Simiao (601-682) "Qian jin yaofang" ("Priceless Recipes") deserves mention, first printed in 1066 and reprinted in 1307, 1544 and 1604. A special section of the treatise was devoted to "healthy sexual life." In eighteen parts of the section, the author set out recommendations that generally coincided with previous guidelines. However, there are also new elements. Thus, Sun Simiao draws attention to the achievement of forty years by a man, considering this age a turning point in his sexual life and for his physical condition in general. "When a man reaches the age of forty, he suddenly notices that his potency is decreasing ... Peng-zu said: "Treatment of one person at the expense of another is the true treatment."

To achieve the same "semen return" effect, Sun Simiao suggests pressing on the pingyi acupuncture point, which is one tsun above the right nipple. The last part of the section deals with prohibitions. For example, in order to avoid infertility, it was recommended that a woman beware of mercury, and a man - deer fat.

We reviewed some of the teachings of Taoist doctors and teachers, in which sexual relations were seen as a means of prolonging life, achieving immortality. They were not intended to have offspring. However, the continuation of the family, the birth of children was, as noted above, the duty of every member of society. It is clear that Taoist treatises could not ignore such an essential aspect of sexual practice. They were supposed to correct the emerging discrepancy between the procedures recommended for achieving the highest goal of Taoism - immortality, and the procedures necessary for procreation. The treatises "Dong Xuanzi", "Yu Fang Bijue" say that since the essence of yang is lost as a result of ejaculation when yin and yang are combined, it must be compensated by absorbing the essence of yin. So, a Taoist who wanted to have offspring had to first increase his essence so that its consumption would not harm him, would not shorten his life. Pengzu pointed out that it is necessary to nourish the essence and breath, to beware of frequent ejaculation, to conceive a child, to enter into an intimate relationship only three or four days after the end of the menstrual cycle. A boy born under these conditions will be endowed with talent, longevity, fame. If a girl appears, then she will be wise, virtuous, marry a noble.

The Yu Fang BiJue contains the following dialogue between the Yellow Emperor and the Pure Maiden: "The correct way is not to spit out semen and keep it. How should you spit out semen to have a child?" the Yellow Emperor asked the Pure Maiden. To this she replied: "It is not the same for the strong and the weak, for the young and the old. Every man must regulate the eruption according to his vitality." The Pure Maiden goes on to list the possibilities of ejaculation for men of various ages: strong men in their twenties may ejaculate twice a day, while weak men ejaculate once; forty-year-olds - once every three or four days (depending on health); fifty-year-olds - once every five or ten days; sixty-year-olds - once every ten or twenty days; seventy-year-olds - once a month, and the weak should not lose essence at all. Taoist Liu Jing adds: "A man can afford to ejaculate once every three days in spring, twice a month in summer and autumn. In winter, one should abstain from it altogether."

In later writings, such as the "Su nu *miao lun" ("Secret discourses of the Pure Maiden"), written around 1500, the procedure described above for "returning the seed" is called "making the Yellow River flow back" (* Huang He * nile).

Taoist recommendations paid more attention to the choice of partners. Often these instructions were extremely contradictory, but all agreed that those who knew the procedure themselves should be avoided. Age was considered significant - the most tangible benefit from girls 14-19 years old. A woman over 30 was considered unfit, as was a woman under 30 with a child. Some authors recommend choosing beautiful partners, others do not consider it essential. In some recommendations, a whole list of properties and qualities is given, the presence of which is desirable, as well as a list of disadvantages, the owners of which should be avoided. According to the immortal patriarch Peng-zu, three prohibitions must be observed: one cannot "nourish the life principle with the help of yin and yang" during heavy rains, strong winds, thunder and lightning, eclipses and earthquakes - this is the prohibition of HEAVEN. The prohibition of a person is when intoxicated, burdened with food, excessive joy or sadness, being in fear or anger. The prohibition of the earth ordered to avoid places where there is a mountain, a river, an altar of the god of the Earth, a hearth. Those who violate these prohibitions will fall ill, and the children conceived at the same time will die. ° there were days on which it was forbidden to practice the "nourishment of life", including the days of jian, po, zhi, ding, the last days of the lunar month, six days of ding and six days of bin, fifteen days before the winter and summer equinoxes, days of the change of four times year, the sixteenth day of the fifth month, when Heaven and Earth unite.

Numerous instructions regarding the choice of partners and many prohibitions depending on the season and phase of the moon, weather conditions and astrological situation meant that favorable occasions for the union of yin and yang could not be too frequent. However, all these prohibitions were obligatory for those who aspired to achieve immortality, and were not observed in families in which such a goal was not set. Meanwhile, the teacher Dong-hsuan14 prescribed in his manual to observe the correct cosmic orientation and favorable time for the union of yin and yang. So, in spring it was necessary to lie down with your head to the east, in summer - to the south, in autumn - to the west, and in winter - to the north. Even days of the month Dong-hsuan considered unfavorable for sexual intercourse, and odd days - favorable. Positive clock, i.e. the time from midnight to noon he considered favorable, and negative, i.e. the time from noon to midnight is harmful. He considered the most favorable terms: in spring, the days related to the primary element "tree" (i.e., the days of chia-i), in the summer, the days related to the primary element "fire" (i.e., the days of bin-ding), in the fall - days related to the primary element "metal" (i.e. days of gen-xin), in winter - days related to the primary element "water" (i.e. days of ren-gui).

Along with the above-described Taoist recommendations regarding the union of yin and yang, nourishing life with the help of the union of yin and yang, the Taoist sexual practice of achieving immortality also included collective orgiastic actions, which were called the "true art of air equation" (zhong qi zhen shu) or air union "( he qi, hun qi).They were widely practiced from the 2nd century to the 7th century.From the treatise "Xiao dao lun" ("Derision of Taoism"), written in the middle of the 6th century by Zhen Luan, who left the bosom of Taoism and converted to Buddhism , we learn that the festivals were intended for purification, "deliverance from sin" (shi zui), were held at night on the full moon and new moon, after a certain period of fasting. The ceremony included a ritual dance, which was called the coils of the dragon and the games of the tiger "and ended with hierogamy. Although after the VII century. there were no festivals anymore, in Taoist monasteries this practice existed until the 11th-12th centuries, and among some part of the laity - until recently. Such vitality of this tradition can be explained by the search for immortality, on the one hand, and the rules of sexual hygiene in polygamous families15, on the other. In both cases, Taoist mentors acted as the most competent advisers and leaders.

Taoists recognized the exceptional importance of the role of women in achieving immortality, moreover, they admitted that a woman who mastered the secrets of nourishing life with the help of yin and yang could well achieve the ultimate goal. There were many Taoist women engaged in the search for immortality. One of them is dedicated to the ode of Han Yu. Finally, Siwangmu herself, the mistress of the West, according to numerous legends, achieved immortality precisely because she fed her yin power at the expense of the yang power.

The ways to achieve immortality described above assumed that practitioners devote themselves entirely and completely to the ultimate goal, for the achievement of which they spare neither effort nor time, and although they need a wise mentor, the main emphasis was on their own strength in order to improve their own nature, which, as the Taoists taught, is inherent in every person from the very beginning and given to him by Heaven. Alchemy is another method practiced by the Taoists in search of immortality and divided into two directions, which differed sharply from one another. One was concerned with the improvement of human nature, the "smelting" of the pill of immortality in the body of the person himself, and thereby adjoined the category of methods and procedures described above. ("Internal pill" (nei tribute), i.e. a pill melted inside the body). Another direction was engaged in the smelting or preparation of medicines from various plants, metals, minerals, which were to be taken to prolong life and ensure eternal youth; it is an "external pill" (wai dan), i.e. a pill that has been prepared and then injected into the body.

There is a huge literature devoted to various aspects of alchemy, containing lists of elixirs of immortality, recipes for their preparation and the conditions that were necessary to fulfill the ultimate goal, obtaining a medicine. The earliest surviving treatises are "Can Tongqi" by Wei Boyang (2nd century) and "Baopu Tzu" by Ge Hong (beginning of the 4th century). In these writings, which became the sacred books of Taoists, the illustrious teachers instructed their contemporaries on a variety of issues, including the issues of "melting" the pill of immortality inside their body, as well as on what substances and how to "melt the external pill." "what effect can be expected from a pill "smelted" from one or another starting substance.

Let us dwell on the consideration of internal means or means of "melting the internal pill." Wei Boyang considered them to be the main ones, and the absorption of medicines (wai dan) was an additional remedy.

Supporters of internal means in their writings used a lot of obscure expressions, allegories; often their terminology was different, so the practitioners could not master this method by studying the treatises in full, but had to get the necessary clarifications from the mentor. In general terms, the practice consisted in the melting of "three jewels", or "three flowers": seed (jing), air (qi), brain (shen), in other words: animal strength, vitality, spirit. The procedure involved, firstly, the preservation of these jewels and, secondly, their replenishment. Taoists distinguished between "true" and "ordinary" jing, qi and shen. It is clear that in order to achieve immortality, we could only talk about "true jewels. These are the original elements of a person, his nature. By "smelting" jing, you can get qi, "smelting" qi - get shen, "smelting" shen return to the void, and returning into the void, to unite with the Tao. Their weakening and disappearance leads to illness and death of a person. How did the Taoists recommend preserving and replenishing jing, qi, shen?

Preserving jing meant refraining from wasting it. Here we have in mind the recommendations of the Pure Maiden, Dongxuan, and Sun Simiao, prescribing the best options and frequency depending on age. Replenishing jing was considered most effective through sexual practice, nourishing yang at the expense of yin. Some Taoists were opposed to these procedures, considering them immoral. They recommended suppressing base desires, not overworking the eyes, ears, heart, not getting angry, not allowing outbursts of joy, i.e. be impassive and unperturbed. It was recommended to eat simple food, plenty of fruits, vegetables, not to drink wine and give up seasonings and spices. In addition, it was possible to replenish jing by "smelting" qi, i.e. doing gymnastics and breathing exercises. In order to “melt out” the original jing of the “former sky”, laid down in a person by Heaven, it was prescribed to renounce all thoughts, plunge into concentration and meditation. And then, in the process of meditation, "lower the fire of the heart into the dan tian." Someone Yuan Liaofan considered the following method to be simple: since the jing is in the kidneys, one must get out of bed at midnight, at the hour of tzu, put on clothes, sit down; rub your hands to warm up well, put one hand on the "outer kidney" and massage the navel with the other, then the "inner kidney" (left?) will accumulate jing, which will bloom in abundance if practiced for a long time.

Qi, like jing, distinguishes between true (zhen qi) and ordinary (fan qi). The first is the primordial air of the "former heaven", which is inside a person, i.e. internal air. The second is the air of the "following sky", a person breathes it, inhaling it through the nose and mouth. Both qi are equally important because, as the Baopu Tzu says, "Man is in the air, and air is in the man." For their nutrition, it is necessary, firstly, to get rid of all strong emotions that harm qi, violate its harmony; secondly, harmonious breathing is necessary. It is necessary to harmonize ordinary breathing, and then true. This is achieved by air circulation in the process of breathing exercises, which have already been mentioned.

"Smelting" qi means "smelting" the true air of the "former sky" and the ordinary air of the "next sky", while the main thing is the "smelting" of true qi. Here is how it is said about the "melting" of true yang and true qi in the verses of Shi Heyan: "When the moon is round (i.e., on a full moon), go to a quiet place. When the wind touches the surface of the water, save one particle in your chest. Then red you will know the sun by yourself." There is no doubt that we are talking here about the absorption of wind qi at a certain time and in a certain place, apparently during meditation, and the transformation of this qi into a true shen - "red sun".

Shen spirit is the main thing in the human body, its "owner". One should distinguish between the true spirit and the original (zhen shen, yuan shen) and the ordinary and cognizable (fan shen, shi shen). Yuan Shen is a piece of the sacred light of the "former sky". The nourishment of the spirit is prescribed to begin with its accumulation, for this it is necessary to calm the spirit, i.e. renounce thoughts and aspirations, purify the heart, protect it so that no thought disturbs it, then the spirit is calm, and the true spirit of the “former heaven” arises by itself, “melts out”. Thus, a particle of the sacred light, which was originally in the human body, had to be preserved, preserved, and by nourishing jing and qi and thereby shen, it was possible to achieve the "melting" of the true shen, and eventually merge with the tao, the formation of the "golden pill" , gaining immortality.

As the Taoists believed, the "inner pill" is smelted in the lower "cinnabar field", which was considered the most important of the three. The Taoists do not exactly indicate its location, but only say that it is located "three cun below the navel", or "two cun below the navel". Its other name is "ocean of air", or "sea of ​​life force" (qi hai). It stores jing, animal power, and not qi at all, as one might expect from the name. Qi is stored in the middle "cinnabar field", under the heart. Taoists call the heart the "purple palace" (jiang gong), so the middle "cinnabar field" is also called the "purple palace". The Taoists place the upper "cinnabar field" between the eyebrows, they call it the "palace of nirvana" (nihuan), as well as the "ocean of the brain" (nao hai). Shen is stored in it.

In the "Book of Cinnabar" you can find the following definitions and instructions: "the original qi in the heart is called the dragon, the original jing in the body is called the tiger", "the dragon is the heart, the tiger is the kidneys", "first, from qian and kun, make a crucible and a furnace , then take the medicine of the crow and the medicine of the hare and cook" (the crow is yang, the hare is yin).

As we have already written, the Taoists attached exceptional importance to sexual practice. In the smelting of the "internal pill", the nourishment of yang at the expense of yin played a large role. According to the terminology of sexual mysticism, yang is shen located in the upper "cinnabar field" and is also called one of the "three jewels", one of the "three flowers", "three medicines". Yin is the jing located in the lower "cinnabar field" , the original ingredient from which shen is "smelted" Together with qi, they make up the other two flowers, two medicines, two jewels. Combining them eventually leads to the "smelting" of shen, which is represented by the "red sun". In numerous books about " smelting" pills, their authors allegorically used the names of metals, minerals, trigrams and hexagrams, meaning by them the various organs of the body, its parts, the elements and forces laid down by Heaven, the processes occurring in it. And ignorant people, understanding what is stated in the treatises literally, they melted ordinary lead and mercury, made medicines and poisoned themselves and others with them. shining light", "special light", "original light", "returning pill" (zheng yang, zhuan yang, yuan yang, huan dan). Such expressions as "nine-layer method of melting a pill", "nine turns-meltings create a pill", "seven returns, nine turns", "returning pill of nine turns", etc., found in many Taoist writings, mean "return to the base", "return to the source", and this, in turn, means "the return of the true jing, qi and shen to the former sky", i.e. merging with the void, gaining immortality.

And on this path of searching for immortality, the role of a mentor is great. After all, those who want to achieve immortality are just mortal people, it is not easy for them to achieve the goal on their own. The instructions of the teacher will lead to it sooner, and less effort will be expended. After all, there are many ways to achieve immortality, and immortals are different. "How many ranks of immortals and how many ways to smelt the pill?" Bai Yuchan once asked Chen Nihuan. And he received this answer: “There are three ranks of immortals and three categories of pills. Immortals in the sky can reincarnate and fly, people of the highest dignity can become them; the body (kidneys?) serves as lead, and the heart serves as mercury, calmness serves as water, and fire - wisdom Condenses in a short time, matures in months It is a pill of the highest category It cannot be determined, it cannot be weighed The method of obtaining it is very simple, it is transmitted by the heart, the result is very easy to achieve Immortals among people can enter and exit at will, appear and disappear, they can become people of average virtues, lead is air-qi, mercury is spirit-shen, fire is wu (the seventh cyclic sign, corresponds to fire), water is chi (the first cyclic sign, corresponds to water). merges into a single whole, takes three years to take shape.This is a medium-grade pill.Although it can be defined, it cannot be weighed.The method of its preparation is secret, so that to get along with them, it is necessary to receive verbal instructions from the mentor. Immortals on earth can leave their body, ordinary people can become them. Semen serves as lead, blood serves as mercury, kidneys serve as water, and the heart serves as fire. Within a year it is tied up, after nine years the efforts are completed. This is a pill of the lowest category, it can be determined and weighed. This method is very complicated, transmitted in writing, it is difficult to achieve success.

It is curious that Ge Hong's reasoning is that it is not at all necessary for a practitioner of Tao and a wish to gain immortality to leave literature and a political career, to give up the joys of life. According to Ge Hong, it is not difficult for an outstanding person to combine both activities - to engage in "life nourishment" in private and devote himself to public affairs in the service. Such a person teaches the six Confucian books to ordinary people, and the "nourishment of life" recipes to those who can understand them. He stays in the world as long as he wants for the benefit of his country and the help of his generation. He can easily fly to heaven and become immortal if he wants to. Such people belong to the highest category. People who realize that they cannot combine both activities leave the arena of public life and devote themselves to Tao and Te. These are second class people. Ge Hong gives many examples when the immortals combined the search for Tao with activities in the public arena16. Here and Huang-di, and Lao-tzu, and Chuang-tzu and many others. In general, Ge Hong, as follows from his treatise, considered the most important preparation of such a medicine, the intake of which would ensure immortality, i.e. preferred "external ways". Since it takes a lot of effort, time and money to prepare the "great" pill, he considered it necessary to make and take medicines of not so high quality, sufficient only to strengthen and maintain the practitioner's health6 prolong his life so that he could continue his search" main drug. In addition, he believed that the practitioner should master ways to avoid the many dangers in the mountains, where he should go to "smelt" the elixir of life. Ge Hong considered sexual practice, breathing exercises, gymnastic exercises and taking conventional medicines as secondary means that can only prolong life, but cannot give immortality.

In connection with what has been said above about the "internal pill" and its "smelting", an anonymous work of the 17th century is of undoubted interest. "Tai and jin hua zongzhi" ("The teaching of the golden flower of the great one").

There is a noticeable strong influence of Buddhism on the creator of the book, although in general it is undoubtedly Taoist. In it, the Taoist immortal teacher Lu-tsu, the patriarch Peng-tsu, on the one hand, and the Buddha, bodhisattvas, on the other, are mentioned side by side. Some procedures are described in the Buddhist spirit, others - in the Taoist. In parallel, Taoist and Buddhist terms are used, often when describing the same exercises, to define the same concepts. Thus, for example, the Taoist lower "field of cinnabar" is called in parallel by its Buddhist synonym "center among conditions". With all this, the composition and practice of nourishing the original nature of man by "melting out the original spirit", turning it into a "golden pill" ("golden flower"), which then merges with emptiness, returns to the "former sky". To do this, it is recommended to circulate the light, for which it is necessary to direct the fire of the heart (i.e. qi) down into the "cinnabar field", where it must unite with the water of the kidneys (i.e. jing%, after which, in the process of long practice and meditation at different levels, this connection will generate true light, and then a pearl will appear. To "melt" the true light in the center of the "heavenly heart", which is located between the sun and the moon, i.e. between the eyes, for its crystallization and appearance " "golden pill" (or "golden flower") requires the presence of three flowers: jing, qi and shen, their successive transformation.

What has been said is enough to see that the work under consideration describes the same method of “melting the inner pill”, that the same intermediate and auxiliary procedures are recommended to achieve the final goal: breathing exercises, the reverse flow method (the same as “returning the seed and nourishing the brain "), concentration and meditation, combining qi and jing, melting jing and receiving qi from it, then, in turn, the formation of true spirit (shen) from it, and from it a "golden flower" (or "golden pill"), merging with the void, becoming immortal.

In the light of the foregoing, it seems very plausible J. Needham's assumption that the book "Tai and Jin Hua Zong-zhi" is a work of the secret Taoist sect Golden Pill (Jindanjiao).

The composition of another secret sect - the Yellow Sky (Huangtiandao) is "Baojuan about Buddha Pu-ming's knowledge of the ultimate meaning of non-action", written about a century earlier than discussed above. It also presents a mixed, Buddhist-Taoist creed, Taoist and Buddhist ideas are set out side by side, Buddhist and Taoist deities are revered equally. However, the teaching itself is not presented in it so systematically and consistently as it is done in "Tai and jin hua zongzhi".

Concepts, descriptions, terms are scattered throughout the text, they are given very briefly, literally in one phrase, sometimes only one name is given. Nevertheless, they provide an opportunity to get some idea of ​​the direction in which the author's thought flows. So, along with the mention of various aspects and provisions of Taoism and Buddhism, which are not directly related to the topic of the article, there are terms and concepts in baojuan, behind which are the procedures and recommendations that we have considered above.

The main goal of the teaching set out in "Baojuan on Buddha Pu-ming's knowledge of the ultimate meaning of non-action" is salvation. The methods of achieving salvation are recommended in a variety of ways. These are Taoist and Buddhist methods and techniques, vows and rituals, this is the very familiarization with the preached teaching, and the instructions of a wise teacher. Often these recommendations are mixed in the most bizarre way, so that the achievement of Buddha Amitaba's Pure Land is quite possible with the help of the Taoist pill of immortality. Here we will not talk about the ways of salvation offered by Buddhism, but will turn to those recommended by Taoism and presented in baojuan.

Thus, according to the references and descriptions, one can see that in bao juan such methods of salvation and immortality were recommended as breathing and motor exercises, sexual practice and "smelting the inner pill." The method of "returning the semen and nourishing the brain with it", revered by the Taoists as the most important for gaining immortality through sexual practice, is only called in baojuan, but is not described in any way. The "smelting of the golden pill" is described in more detail in the following poem:

To improve, it is necessary

collect the old sky,

[Then] plenty of seed and air

penetrate into sacred secrets.

Four forms united in one body,

the golden pill melts.

The elements of yin and yang merge

only then is it the Way.

girl and baby

sleep together.

Left blue dragon

which people cannot conquer,

Right white tiger

indeed, he is fierce.

Between them was

true immortal,

Grabbed with both hands

put them together.

The dragon has disappeared, the feeling has appeared,

The tiger calmed down

Two origins joined

a golden pill ensued.

Above the golden lord

he is a yang father

Below is the yellow lady,

it nourishes the germ of the immortal.

[Thanks to him] leave the five primary elements,

as well as four forms,

[Having fulfilled] forty-eight vows,

become wise and kind.

Cultivating truth, nourishing nature,

Collect the old sky.

A lot of seed and air will become whole.

Its transparent body will become translucent,

The four forms will then complete.

In the true fire of the five primary elements

A golden immortal will smelt.

Blue dragon, white tiger

They contain the most secret of the secret.

There are many references to the "golden pill" in the text: one grain of the "returning pill" is enough to get into the circle of immortals; the "golden pill" is hidden in the nine melting circles; with the help of the "returning pill of nine turns" one can reach the Jasper Pond, i.e. abode of immortality, etc. In the above passage, the scheme of "melting the golden pill" is quite clearly presented. It melts in true fire, which unites in harmony with the water of the kidneys. "Baby" and "maiden" - the elements of yin and yang, at the same time, this is an allegorical name for the first formations during the "smelting of the returning pill." They appear from nothing and are, as it were, sprouts, from which the pill then develops. The "blue dragon" is mercury, the "white tiger" is lead. When united, they give rise to a pill. "Golden Lord" is another name for lead, but at the same time one can see here the fire of the heart (i.e. qi) or the true spirit of shen. The "yellow lady" is the "matchmaker", which unites the dragon and the tiger in harmony. At the same time, this can mean the animal power of jing, which nourishes the spiritual power of shen, which is further transformed into the "embryo of the immortal."

Here is another passage from baojuan:

Perfected Patriarch

from Weilu Gate

rose to the sky.

In the second watch

rested, acted according to his will.

Through the Jiaji Double Gate

penetrated into the hidden void.

Met the true spirit.

Illuminated the grains of the Ganges

at the very bottom is clear.

innermost thought

people don't know

search in your body...

At Wuming Palace

illuminated the black tower.

The top of it showed up.

silver river

flows down.

Truly intimate

clay cauldron, yellow yard,

nature and fate united.

This passage illustrates another way of achieving immortality recommended by the Taoists - through breathing exercises. It is about the respiratory cycle, in which the air moves from the lower body to the head, overcoming barriers and obstacles on its way. This provides freedom, bliss, i.e. qualities of immortals. The approach to the cherished goal is also indicated by the "union of nature and fate", achieved by "melting the golden pill", which is carried out with the assistance of proper air circulation. The Weilu outpost, as the Taoists believed, is located in the region of the coccyx. Jiaji Double Gate - the name of the passage located at the eleventh vertebra and representing the second passage on the path of the pill of immortality. "Black tower", probably the throat. "Wuming Palace" is difficult to identify. In the human body, according to the Taoists, there are two "palaces of light". One is located inside the head between the eyebrows and is called the "upper palace of light", the other is located where the throat ends and is called the "lower palace of light". "Silver River" is another name for the dumo canal that runs inside the spinal column. A pill passes through it. The "clay cauldron" is in the lower "cinnabar field"; it is the vessel in which the pill matures. "Yellow Yard" is located in the center of the human calving, in the middle "cinnabar field". According to another version, there are three "yellow courtyards" - the center of the brain, the center of the heart and the center of the spleen.

Examples of this kind could be continued, but it seems to us that the above passages quite convincingly demonstrate the good knowledge of the author of baojuan with the main Taoist methods of searching for immortality, which he strongly recommended and widely promoted in his work (along with Buddhist ones, by the way).

As is known, knowledge of the Tao was considered by Taoists as gaining immortality. The knowledge of the "secret" (or "dark") passage (xuan guan) had the same meaning. The authors of the treatises avoided specifying the exact location of it, sometimes saying that it is somewhere between the kidneys and the navel, and sometimes placing it between the eyes. In the book "Tai and jin hua zongzhi" xuan guan is another name for the "heavenly heart", "the space of the former sky", the upper "yellow court", and therefore we can assume that it is located between the eyebrows. In "Baojuan about Buddha Pu-ming's knowledge of the ultimate meaning of non-action", it is not indicated where the "secret passage" is located, although there are references to it ("let everyone take a vow, receive an indication of the sacred passage", "the true celestial met, explained the sacred passage" ). Perhaps "indicating the secret passage" was part of the rite of entry into the sect. After all, it is known that in all the secret sects of China, "indication of the secret passage" by the mentor was part of the rite of passage upon admission to the sect.

From all that has been said above about "Baojuan on Buddha Pu-ming's cognition of the ultimate meaning of non-action" and "The Teaching of the Golden Flower of the Great One" it seems possible for us to conclude that the creators of these medieval works (the first was written in the second half of the 16th century, the second - in the second half of the 18th century) were well acquainted with the theory and practice of the search for immortality, the nourishment of life, which were recommended by the Taoists one and a half to two millennia before. Moreover, they widely recommended these ancient methods to save from the mortal world of evil and injustice, which was the ultimate goal of many secret sects in China and in particular the Yellow Sky sect.

We would like to acquaint readers with modern Chinese health and healing methods based on the traditional methods of breathing and movement exercises described above. As for the stability of traditional skills in the field of intimate relationships of people, here we can recall the testimony of J. Needham in the mid-40s of the current century, which we spoke about above. In addition, the problem of China's sexual life from antiquity up to the 17th century, the stability of its basic principles became the subject of a detailed work by the Dutch scientist R.H. van Gulik, to which we refer those interested.

The method of treating diseases with the help of breathing exercises was developed by Chinese traditional medicine doctor Liu Guizhen and practiced under his leadership in one of the sanatoriums of the Beidaihe resort since 1955. Then it spread throughout China. The descriptions given in Liu Guizhen's book testify that this method is a fusion of a number of traditional Taoist respiratory and motor gymnastics complexes, gleaned by the author from written sources, as well as passed on to him by Taoist mentors, guardians of certain areas of respiratory or motor gymnastics. Among them is the old teacher Li, who practiced breathing exercises that were kept secret and passed down from teacher to student for more than 20 years. Liu Guizhen received a number of information from teacher Yang Zhenqing, a representative of the Yang school, widely known for many years. Liu Guizhen himself also studied breathing and movement exercises at one time.

Based on traditional complexes, as well as ancient Taoist breathing and movement exercises, such as daoyin, neigong, as well as shen huxi "deep breathing", tuna fa "exhalation and inhalation method", jing zuo huxi yang sheng fa "method of nourishing life with breath in quiet sitting", Liu Guizhen developed breathing exercises, which he divided into three sets. These are "healing exercises" (neiyang gong), "strengthening exercises" (qiangzhuang gong) and "improving exercises" (baojian gong).

In Liu Guizhen's book, we find recommendations reminiscent of those prescribed in the ancient Taoist manuals. This also applies to subjective conditions (abandonment from all kinds of worries, worries, maintaining a cheerful, good mood), and objective ones (a clean, quiet room, without unnecessary things), as well as the exercises themselves, which can be performed sitting, lying, standing.

For clarity, we give a description of one of the "therapeutic exercises": having taken the desired position, start breathing through the nose. First, breathe normally for one or two minutes, then utter a phrase to yourself, consisting of three syllables at the beginning of the lesson. When pronouncing the first syllable, take a breath, when pronouncing the second - hold your breath, when pronouncing the third - exhale. Gradually, the number of spoken syllables is increased, bringing them to nine. At the same time, when pronouncing the first syllable, they take a breath, the last - exhale, while pronouncing intermediate syllables, the breath is held. When inhaling, the tip of the tongue should rest against the sky. After holding it in this position for a while, lower it while exhaling. Breathe naturally, freely.

An important procedure when performing breathing exercises is the concentration of attention on the lower "cinnabar field", as in the exercises recommended by the Taoist mentors, which we spoke about above. The next stage is to learn how to meditate, to "plunge into peace." It takes a lot of practice and patience.

Medical and recreational complexes, according to Dr. Liu Guizhen, are effective in many diseases, including gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric prolapse, chronic indigestion, inactive pulmonary tuberculosis, neuralgic skin diseases, scar formations, neurasthenia, primary hypertension, etc. .d.

Some exercises of the "health complex" are very close to the breathing exercises from the ancient Taoist manuals. So, for example, an ear exercise performed to get rid of tinnitus, dizziness, headaches, prevention of hearing loss, is nothing more than "playing the heavenly drum", which often appears in Taoist recommendations. The same applies to the exercise for strengthening the teeth, in which one should, with concentration, knock the teeth (not too hard), as well as the exercise for the tongue, in which the tongue should collect saliva in the mouth, wash the mouth with it, and then swallow it in three small sips. , conducting saliva into the lower "cinnabar field". It is believed that this procedure, familiar to us from Taoist manuals, relieves bitterness in the mouth, sore throat, sore throat, moisturizes the gastrointestinal tract and promotes digestion.

To improve sleep, appetite, and work capacity, Liu Guizhen recommends using two methods he received from the Taoist teacher Li. This is the "way of breathing nine times" and "the way of keeping air in the field of cinnabar".

As can be seen from the foregoing, in modern China, medical and health-improving methods, modified recommendations gleaned from ancient Chinese Taoist treatises, are widely used. In some cases, the procedures have hardly changed at all.

Recently, various Chinese and Japanese systems (tai chi quan, daoyin, karate, aikido, kenpo, etc.) have become widespread in the West, including both combat and defensive techniques. some sets of exercises are called gongfu, which is not entirely correct, since such exercises in China are called wushu "martial art" or goshu "national art".

Above, we have already talked about the role of gongfu, daoyin, neigong as wellness gymnastics. This, however, does not end their significance.

The emergence of kung fu legends date back to the time when the Yellow Emperor fought the horned monster Chiyu. It is also associated with wrestling, in which the opponents were wearing helmets with a horn, with which they had to gore each other to death for the amusement of the audience. Defense was allowed only in the form of blocks and footwork.

The martial art is mentioned in "Chun qiu", "Li ji", "Shi jing", "Lun yue". However, the Taoist theory of non-action, with its non-interference in the natural course of nature and events, as well as Taoist breathing exercises, had a decisive influence on the development of internal, or "soft" styles of kung fu. At first, the art of war was the occupation of the privileged classes. Then common people began to engage in boxing and wrestling. Many Taoist monks have become masters of unarmed fighting. Various sets of motor exercises appeared (for example, the "five animals" complex attributed to Hua Tuo). A whole stage is associated with the name of the founder of Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma (527) and the monks of the Shaolin monastery, where he settled. The name of the famous Sung commander Yue Fei (1103-1142) is associated with the new style of the internal system. Later, the Shaolin forms of boxing were influenced by the Taoist monk Zhang Sanfeng, who lived during the reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It is traditionally believed that it was he who created tai chi quan, one of the most popular forms of internal style today.

According to legend, the emperor called on Zhang to help him deal with his enemies. In a dream, an immortal appeared to Zhang and revealed a secret that gave him the ability to defeat more than a hundred opponents with his bare hands. According to another version, once in the courtyard of the monastery, Zhang Sanfeng saw a battle between a snake and a crane. The crane attacked the snake, but it dodged every time. Watching this, Zhang realized that he saw the Taoist idea of ​​overcoming, achieving victory through concessions, brought to life.

During the Tsang Dynasty, Taoist and Buddhist monks provided shelter in the monasteries for supporters of the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. As a result of repression, the monks moved to the southern, safer regions, which led to the spread of kung fu, the mastery of its secrets by a relatively large number of ordinary people. Gongfu was part of the training system in the Taiping army, and Yihequan did not bypass it with their attention.

The breathing exercises recommended by kungfu followers are borrowed from Taoist manuals and prescribe "dan tian breathing", i.e. abdominal, when the diaphragm is mobile. Here is an example of a description: take the pose of a "horseman". Focus on tribute tian. Breathe through the nose, deeply, with the diaphragm, the chest should remain motionless. First, three exhalations should be made through the mouth, then breathe only through the nose. The tongue should be held to the sky. Relax clothes, belt, etc.78.

As you can see, proper breathing plays the most important role in these exercises. On the whole, meditation, breathing and motor exercises meant to achieve unity of spirit and body, rid the body of diseases, strengthen it, which was thought possible as a result of following the laws of nature, achieving harmony with nature.

Summarizing the above, it is impossible not to notice that the stability of traditions brought from the depths of centuries a whole range of positive knowledge from the field of Chinese traditional medicine, pharmacology, hygiene, the beginnings of modern chemistry, which were "preserved" in Taoist recommendations, instructions, procedures, covered with a layer of mysticism and superstition. .

He speaks in a singsong voice, drawling in an amusing old Henan dialect. He has an amazing smile and radiant eyes. He is nobody. Not the abbot of the monastery, not the "great initiate." No articles have been written about him, no films have been made, and there is no stream of pilgrims to visit him. He is very far from any fuss and social activities. And he really wants to learn.

This is the Taoist monk Yin Zhongshan, who is often called Lao Yin - “old Yin”, who came to Moscow to visit the Shaolin Martial Arts Federation. He had never been abroad before and spent most of his life in Taoist hermitages and monasteries. For the past twenty years, he has been living in the Zhongyuemiao Monastery, one of the most famous, but at the same time sparsely populated Taoist monasteries in Henan Province, Dengfeng County, not far from the Shaolinsi Monastery.

He is absolutely bright in his appearance, consciousness, outlook on the world. That is why he is a great Taoist. To many questions, where any other "master" would emphasize his skill, he answers "no, and in this I have not achieved skill." This is not an interview, it is hardly possible to conduct an interview with him at all. This is his free talk and answers to students' questions.

Taoists and Buddhists

Before the Taoists, the Buddhists, they were all one. No one argued with each other, no one shouted. Nobody said he was a great monk. What's the difference?! After all, in Dengfeng, where there used to be many monks, everyone was friends, both Taoists and Buddhists got together, learned from each other. This is now some kind of controversy has begun, many “monks” have appeared that no one has heard of before.

Yes, of course, the old monk Susi (former abbot and now honorary abbot of Shaolinsi Monastery - ed.) is a well-known mentor. Good man, wise. It's a pity he can hardly walk now. People say his kung fu is very high. We were always friends, visited each other when we were younger. These were people with a very high gongfu: Xingzheng, Dechan, Susi (abbots of the Shaolinsi monastery - ed.). I was very close to all of them, we spent long hours talking. Xingzheng was completely blind, he could not see anything, not even light. But his consciousness, his inner kung fu, was amazingly high.

Monk Deqian? Yes, of course I knew him and saw him many times, he is a well-known healer with high gongfu in martial arts. After all, he was Susi's personal student. He teaches his personal students according to tradition. He still belongs to the old generation, there are not many of them now, they are already leaving. I rarely leave the monastery now, but before that I met with all the famous Shaolin monks.

Do I know Yongxin (the current abbot of Shaolinsa - ed.)? Hmm... You know, we somehow don't talk about him. But you are from the Shaolin Brotherhood, you yourself know and see everything. He is the outer man. He is from the Shaolin Monastery, but not from the Shaolin tradition. He is interested in other things. In general, is it worth talking about it?

All those Shaolin schools around the monastery... Probably some of them teach good wushu. But is this the essence of Shaolin teachings? Is it only in receptions? And is it worth it to go so far, probably, in every big city there is a wushu group, you can learn to jump and beat with your fists there too.

Real Shaolin monks are very, very few. Almost everyone who shaves their heads and wears yellow robes next to Shaolin are not monks, they just came here to make money. The youth that walks in yellow clothes around Shaolin - so they generally have very little to do with Buddhism and Shaolin teachings in general. Mostly athletes, and many just make money. It is a pity for the old monks, bearers of the true teaching. After all, they don’t sell anything, and they can’t sell anything, their knowledge cannot be learned in a couple of months or even a couple of years. They are not doing very well now.

I almost don't know the young students from Shaolin anymore. This is a new generation, I feel from their talk and behavior that they are not interested in kung fu. They just make money, sometimes they compete, the old generation would never allow themselves this. If the path is sold, then there will be nothing more to go.

Yes, there are a lot of people who look like Taoists roaming around Zhongyuemiao (Taoist monastery - ed.). Yes, and in the monastery itself today there are shops where women work most often, they sell souvenirs. Most of these Taoists are fake. Imagine, he put on a Taoist dress, put his hair in a bun, as is customary among the Taoists, and went to wander around the monastery - after all, no one will distinguish him in appearance from a real Taoist. No, of course, they don’t have any inner mastery, but few people know what it should be - probably only the one who possesses it himself. There are very few real Taoists, they are elderly, they communicate little with newcomers.

Previously, Taoism was a secret teaching, it was not passed on to non-monks. It was called that - "not transmitted outside." And even now, Taoist techniques and Taoist teachings are not known outside of monastic schools. Yes, I know and I was told that in many countries there are societies for the study of Taoism, and many study various types of Taoist neigong. This is very good and it satisfies people's curiosity. But I don't think you can "teach Taoism" or "learn Taoism". I do not think that those people who really know this will tell many people about the teaching at once, in some societies or organizations. This is the outer path. How to know Taoism? Probably only for many, many years of conversations with his teacher.

I belong to the Taoist school of Quanzhendao - "Whole Truth". We do not marry, we do not eat meat, in general we eat only lean food. We strive for a simple, natural way of life. Usually we do a lot of meditation, the inner art of sitting. There are other Taoist schools, for example, Zhengyidao (“True One”), in some schools you can get married, have children, live outside the monasteries. In general, there is no big difference in teaching, because it is not the school that is important, but the teacher.

Taijiquan is probably good for health. But Taoists practice other exercises. And taijiquan is the outer line. I was told here that taijiquan is very popular and everyone is told that it is related to Taoism. This is strange, because the words about yin-yang, about changes in qi are not yet a Taoist teaching.

What art can be learned in twenty days

You know, a man came to me to study, he is very good, kind, eager. It burns too much and wants to get everything too quickly. You see, Tao is a path that you have to take small steps. And he wanted to take and jump over everything at once. He came specially from afar, every day he came to me. I even spent three nights in the monastery - I left it in the big hall. He really wanted to learn some technique, meditation or some inner art. He believed that our teaching is contained in technology, in some methods. Twenty days later, he was probably already tired of his desires and asked me: “I have been here for a long time. But you showed me nothing: no meditation, no Taoist inner art. You and I here only eat regularly simple and healthy food.” And twenty days - is that a long time? Oh, it's very important to eat right. So I taught him this - eat little and right. This is gongfu - gongfu nutrition ( chifan gongfu). Is it possible, when you see a sweet cake, to bite it off at one time? You need to eat for a long time and in small pieces. This is what it is - chifan gongfu.

Too bad I can't explain it to him. The path is very long. Step by step. And these steps are very small. Coming to the teacher, for several years they are only going to embark on the Path.

When I was about twelve years old, my father learned that a great Taoist lived in the mountains and sent me to him. I came and settled with him, he did not drive me away, but he did not teach me anything either. He lived in a small hut with a thatched roof, not in a monastery. And sometimes he came to the monastery to instruct the monks. So I lived with him for several months - and I also did all the "kung fu of nutrition", he rarely even spoke to me. One day I come to the hut - he is not there, everything is empty. I decided that he had left completely, ran along the path, thought to catch up with him. And he, it turns out, went a parallel path, and we missed each other. I ran to the monastery, I think maybe he is there, but he was not there either. I was terribly upset and decided to leave the mountains down, I could not imagine any other teacher. But the mentor from the monastery told me: “First you try to go out through this gate” and showed me to the gates of the monastery, which were wide open. I thought, well, what's so difficult about it, I take a step outside and suddenly I feel that something is holding me, as if they grabbed my arms and legs (Lao Yin spreads his arms wide to the sides - ed.). I'm rushing forward and I can't cross the goal line! And then the abbot of the monastery says: “You see, the monastery does not let you out. So it's too early for you to leave your teacher. And he will find you." And indeed, a couple of days later my teacher came, did not say anything, but took me back.

Was it a sign? How should I know!

My teacher began explaining the inner art to me in the fifth or sixth year. Before that, I was just next to him, helping him, doing all the "kungfu of nutrition". ABOUT! In this I am now a great master. In the inner art, I did not reach the height, but in "chifan gongfu" - it's a different matter. If you want to master it, I'm ready to show you. Come to Zhongyuemiao, find Lao Yin and let's study. But the study will be long (laughs contagiously - ed.).

I heard that you have people here who come to China once a year for a week and say that they are students of Chinese mentors. It's true? I wonder if their teachers know about this? I don't even know what you can learn in a week...

What can a great Taoist do?

My teacher knew astrology well and remembered all the maps of the starry sky by heart. He looked at the stars, could predict the fate of many people. They usually came to him when it was necessary to name the child. He first looked at the location of the stars, on the line, on the hands of the child and gave a name that protected him from misfortunes and evil spirits. By facial features, he could tell everything about a person’s illnesses and even tell him how to be treated, which organ should be protected. Never wrong.

No, he didn't teach me this on purpose, I don't have kung fu here. I have not heard about other people who have preserved this art.

Learn feng shui from a book? (laughs - ed.). Is that really how you do it? (laughs even more infectiously - ed.). No, sometimes you can't learn this even from a good teacher, let alone a book. Here one must have a special feeling, a special purity of heart, the ability to see what is invisible. You have to study for many years, probably ten years. Yes, I know a little, but, alas, even here my skill is not great.

Not all Taoists are engaged in inner art. Some are engaged in "outer art" ( vaygun), that is, they perform different movements and focus their consciousness on the qi current. And many just do calligraphy - oh, you need a very strong gong fu here, otherwise everyone will see what an impure heart you have, because you demonstrate it in hieroglyphs. Many Taoists are engaged in healing, skillful in pulse diagnostics. I myself practice neigong, or rather jingong - "the art of peace." I sit in peace every day, forcing qi to flow through the body. I have been practicing it for forty years. No, no, my skill in this matter is still not enough!

Striving for immortality

No, there is no immortality. And why does it need a physical body? We Taoists don't believe in that. Even Peng-zu, the great old man, is said to have lived to be five hundred years old. And Lao Tzu lived a long time, but he eventually died. And the words "to live long without dying" ( changshou boo si) are not about the body, but about something completely different.

And what about the health of the body? The Path of man, like the Path of Heaven, passes naturally, and the body is ill and dies naturally. We can prolong its existence, but this is only if we really need it for inner education, for purity of heart. The Taoist path is not measured by the number of years lived.

Student and teacher

Yes, and in China, sometimes students leave teachers. This does not mean that they are bad people. They simply cannot get on the Path, follow it. Because at the beginning it seems difficult, although the Tao is a very easy way, because it is natural. Yes, in general, in the beginning, you don’t need strength of mind, but just patience, it seems to someone that two or three years for conversations with a teacher is a lot, but I regret that in three decades with my mentor I was able to understand so little. Of course, in China, neither a Taoist nor a Buddhist will ever take on students until the teacher allows him to do so, does not make him a "teaching teacher." And he will never immediately change the teaching that the teacher gave him. After all, he gave him not just knowledge, not technology, but his heart. Technique, of course, can change, like, for example, in wushu, but how can the purity of the heart change? It is either pure or it is not.

Teachers, of course, cannot be left. You can leave, move to another city or even a country. But your teacher will remain a teacher. Without spiritual contact with him, you will simply lose your roots. When you come to your future teacher, you must clearly understand that you will stay with him for a long time. If you just want to learn something quickly and leave, then don't call him a teacher, but yourself a student. And there are also foreigners who study for a lot of money in some Shaolin schools in our county. Here, too, there is no teacher and student, there is a buyer and a seller.

Usually neither Taoists nor Buddhists participate in any demonstrations or competitions.

Yes, of course, but they are not monks, they are just athletes who advertise the monastery and earn some money. This is probably not bad, but it has nothing to do with teaching, self-education, or traditional wushu. They don't have spiritual teachers, they didn't receive the Way either, they are just people from the world of desires and passions. If they had teachers, they would hardly participate in competitions, or demonstrations, or even sell kung fu for money.

Traditional wushu competition? But is it possible? After all, if there are competitions, this is no longer traditional wushu, this is already a sport. After all, tradition is, first of all, education, education of the heart, not the body.

October 2002, Moscow

Taoism is one of the most ancient religions on earth. Its origins are rooted in archaic shamanic practices. According to legend, the foundations of Taoism were laid by the Yellow Emperor, Huang Shi.

The Chinese scientist was able to systematize and describe the dogmas and rituals of this teaching in his book Treatise on the Path and Its Manifestations in the Universe.

Analyzing the scientific heritage of Confucius, one can notice the connection between the philosopher's life path and his ideas. But it is impossible to draw similar parallels between the work and life of Lao Tzu, because his biography is absolutely unknown to historians. An ancient legend says that he was born from the rays of the sun and moon that touched his mother. At the same time, he was born already an elderly man, since his mother carried him in her womb for several decades. Therefore, his name is translated as "Old Child". According to legend, as soon as he was born, the philosopher began to preach the teachings of Tao.

What is Dao?

Tao is an eternal path, an endless road without end and edge, which passes everywhere and nowhere, no one knows where it leads and where it ends. Tao is the eternal Absolute, everything is subject only to it, even Heaven acts according to the laws of Tao. The eternal path is also perpetual motion, since in nature nothing is at rest, everything is constantly flowing and changing. Man lives according to the same laws.

The greatest happiness, according to Lao Tzu and his followers, lies in the knowledge of Tao and eternal merging with it. A person who comprehends the Tao and obeys its laws acquires immortality. In order to understand the Tao, one must follow a series of rules regarding the nourishment of the body and the nourishment of the spirit, as well as the concept of non-action. .

Man is a collection of divine spirits and demons who are constantly fighting for possession of his soul. If he feeds the spirits with his good deeds, the soul strengthens and approaches the Absolute, and if a person increases the number of demons with evil deeds, the soul weakens and moves away from Tao.

Nutrition of the body is the observance of a special diet, which consists in the almost complete rejection of physical food. By constant physical training, a person must bring his body to complete submission to the mind and learn to feed on his own saliva and the dew of herbs and flowers.

The third postulate of Tao - the concept of doing nothing - consists in the rejection of purposeful activity, since nature itself arranges everything, as Heaven and Tao need it, and human intervention only destroys everything created by nature. Based on this idea, Lao Tzu derives the following formula applicable to the political life of society: the best ruler is the one who tries not to do anything and not change in the state, his subjects live by the will of Heaven and solve their own problems.

Forms of manifestation of Taoism

Taoism existed in several forms, each of which satisfied the interests of a particular segment of society:

Philosophical and ethical - helped the educated aristocracy to express themselves, allowed to understand and explain the feelings and the essence of the worldview, the price of human existence and the purpose of every person on earth.

Mystical - she brought up the poorly educated segments of the population, who went to the monks for advice and help in solving everyday everyday problems. This form instilled moral values ​​and certain norms of behavior.

Scientific - In search of the mythical elixir of immortality, Taoist monks invented many useful items and substances. Gunpowder, glass, a compass, battering rams and much more appeared thanks to the research of these people who had retired from the world. Also within the framework of Taoism, the first theories of the origin of the earth and sky, people and all living beings appeared.

Nowadays, the doctrine that originated in ancient times is extremely popular - Feng Shui, which binds together the elements and the fate of people, as well as military doctrine - wu-shu and breathing exercises qigong. All these practices grew out of Taoism.

Briefly about the main ideas of Taoism

Taoism was born much earlier than Confucianism at a time of even more violent internecine strife and struggle for power. The main idea of ​​Taoism is the universal equality of people, equal rights to life and freedom. These ideas immediately attracted many supporters from the lower strata of the population to the new religion.

The poor who professed Taoism hoped that a new society based on the principles of justice and harmony would soon emerge. Under the slogans of Taoism, even peasant unrest took place. One of the most famous uprisings in ancient China was the so-called "Yellow Turban Rebellion" led by a Taoist monk. The purpose of this uprising was the overthrow of the existing political system and the formation of a new state - universal equality and social justice.

The main task of Taoism is to open people's eyes to the purpose of their birth, to teach them to distinguish between good and evil, to discover the secrets of the universe, to teach them to live in harmony with nature and the universe.

Back in the Middle Ages, a whole network of Taoist monasteries was created in China, where people lived who completely departed from the world and devoted their lives to serving Heaven and the eternal Tao.

The monks lived in isolation and did not allow the uninitiated to contemplate their rituals. Their rites have always interested ordinary mortals, but the monks sacredly kept their secrets and passed on their secrets only to dedicated students.

The monasteries consisted of many isolated small semi-dark cells in which the monks indulged in meditation in an attempt to know the eternal Tao. They looked at social transformations differently. Since Taoism preaches the principle of non-doing, any attempts to change the world were considered as an encroachment on the foundations of the faith, and contemplation and solitude, on the contrary, help to merge with the Absolute and live a thousand years in harmony with Heaven.

Therefore, especially zealous followers of the teaching went to the mountains and cut down stone cells for themselves in order to achieve immortality in complete solitude. Moreover, Taoism is probably the only religion that does not use the concept of Heaven and Hell. Paradise is the immortal life bestowed by the great Absolute, spent in reflection and contemplation of the wonders of the universe.

Masculine and feminine in Taoism

Nowadays, almost everyone knows about the feminine and masculine principles in Chinese philosophy - Yin and Yang. Back in the fourth century BC, Taoist monks managed to depict a circle consisting of two principles: dark - feminine and light - masculine.

The monks believed that these two concepts are inseparable and cannot exist without each other, so the life of each person cannot be either only light or only dark. The feminine is characterized by calmness and balance, while the masculine is characterized by activity, power and an active lifestyle.

The monks believed that these two beginnings completely complement each other, and if any one prevails in a person, then his life cannot be considered correct and he will not be able to achieve Tao.

Rites in Taoism

Unlike all other religions, Taoism did not have magnificent and solemn rituals; Taoists preached an appeal to wildlife and the principle of contemplation. The uninitiated could not attend the rites. For this reason, there are no Taoist temples. The only religious buildings of the Taoists were only monasteries.

At present, there are quite a lot of followers of this teaching in China, new monasteries are constantly being opened, and sometimes monks demonstrate their achievements in mastering martial arts in front of the audience.