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1. How to Attain Longevity through the Practice of the Dao (Dao Sheng 道生)
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
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How to Attain Longevity through the Practice of the Dao (Dao Sheng 道生) Exegesis The term Dao sheng 道生refers to two key words excerpted from the passage cited in Section 2 of this chapter, i.e. “[to attain] longevity that lasts as long as heaven and earth with no end; it is possible because the Dao has been mastered”. (ci qi Dao sheng 此其道生, “the practice of macrobiotics brings one close to the Dao”.) There are similar terms like yangsheng 養生 (literally “to nourish life”, commonly translated as “macrobiotics ”) [1], shesheng 攝生 (to glean the essence of life), zunsheng 遵生 (to respect the rules of life) [2], and weisheng 衛生 (literally “to defend life”, i.e. to practise hygiene) [3]. Of these, yangsheng is the most commonly used, implying an active pursuit of the Dao [4] in order to prolong the lifespan. This chapter follows the central theme of macrobiotics. There are four chapters in Suwen, i.e. Chapters 1, 2, 5 and 72, from which relevant passages on macrobiotics have been excerpted and incorporated into this chapter. There are five main topics of discussion: 1. Observation of the guiding principle of disease avoidance and conservation of the genuine nature by following the teaching of the sages. 2. The different levels of attainment in the pursuit of longevity achieved by different practices and their outcomes. 3. Adaptation to the seasonal changes in yin and yang in order to achieve the best results in macrobiotics, and the reasons why different methods produce varying results. 1 Neijing.indb 3 2010/2/26 6:57:41 PM 4 Neijing Zhiyao Yigu 內經知要譯詁 4. Application of the rules of “the seven detriments and the eight benefits” from the start, so as to detect and correct irregularities, balance yin and yang, delay the onset of senility and prolong the lifespan. 5. Practical methods of respiration control and the conservation of genuine qi to reinforce the kidney essence. Footnotes [1] yangsheng: In Zhuangzi: Yangshengzhu 莊子.養生主, Zhuangzi (ca. 369– 286 BC) cited a number of stories to illustrate how to attain the Dao. He explained that one’s lifespan was limited, but the scope of knowledge was boundless, therefore it was necessary to adopt some practices that would permit one to attain the true way of life, the Dao. Routine practices like breathing exercises etc. are called macrobiotics. The ultimate purpose is to keep healthy (baoshen 保身), to keep alive (quansheng 全生), to serve the parents (yangqin 養親) and to live out one’s natural lifespan (jin-nian 盡年). [2] zunsheng: To respect and thus follow the rules of life; see Gao Lian 高濂, Zunsheng ba jian 遵生八牋 (A Guide to Practising a Healthy Life Style in Eight Chapters) (published in the Ming dynasty). [3] weisheng: In Zhuangzi: Gengsang Chu 莊子.庚桑楚, Gengsang worked as a kind of indentured servant (yi 役) for Laozi in order to learn from him, and had achieved success in this. Gengsang, in turn, had a mature student called Nanrong Chu 南榮趎. Nanrong was not satisfied with learning from Gengsang, so the latter recommended that he should have an audience with the great master himself. Nanrong finally met Laozi after travelling for seven days. He said: “When I learned about the Dao, [I am more confused than ever], I am just like a sick man getting worse with medication. I would like to know the way to defend my life style [so that it conforms with the Dao].” Laozi advised Nanrong to act naturally, and just follow the natural rhythm of life. That is the way to defend a healthy life style (weisheng zhi jing 衛生之經). In its modern context, weisheng means “hygiene”, or “public health”; if one observes hygiene, one stays healthy. For more on hygiene, see p. 314, ref. 53. [4] Dao: It is extremely hard to define Dao in a footnote. Even a monograph would not be sufficient. For the moment let us just say that Dao is the way, the path, the rule, leading to the ultimate truth, which is the universal law of the universe. To the Chinese mind, the Creator was not God but Dao. In Neijing.indb 4 2010/2/26 6:57:41 PM [44.210.107.64] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 01:51 GMT) How to Attain Longevity through the Practice of the Dao 5 Laozi’s Daode jing 道德經, a concise treatise of five thousand words, Laozi declared that it was not always possible to describe the Dao (dao ke dao, fei chang dao 道可道,非常道). However, he maintained that the Dao begets one, one begets two, two beget three, three beget myriad...