Taoism and Health Preservation

Prolonging life, and even achieving immortality, is an ideal and pursuit passed down from generation to generation since the awakening of human self-awareness. This kind of beautiful ideal and aspiration is reflected and embodied in the religious concepts and literary arts of all ethnic groups in the world. China, the homeland of Taoism, is an ancient civilization with a splendid culture. The Chinese nation, renowned for its high regard for longevity, has always yearned for immortality. Since the Pre-Qin period, many people have been tirelessly exploring the way to immortality. For thousands of years, the ancestors of the Chinese nation have created and invented a wide variety of health-preserving and longevity-prolonging techniques with different effects in their practice of health preservation. This rich and diverse health preservation culture reflects the scientific knowledge level and extraordinary wisdom of the Chinese nation. This precious historical and cultural heritage awaits our exploration and utilization today. Taoism is a traditional religion that originated in China. The pursuit of immortality and the cultivation to become an immortal are its fundamental characteristics. It is well known that Taoism is a religion that delights in life and detests death. The protection and extension of life as well as the yearning for immortality have always been the topics that Taoism is most concerned about and explores the most. In the early days of Taoism, classics such as the Taiping Jing already contained the pursuit of immortality. The first sutra of the Daozang, the "Sutra of the Primordial Beings without Measure", states, "The immortal path values life; there are no measured beings." Taoism holds that: "Among all things, human beings are the most precious, and human beings regard life as a treasure." It is precisely because Taoism regards human life as precious that it advocates that people should strive to cherish life, with the aim of prolonging life and achieving immortality. This meaning is precisely the fine tradition of the motherland's culture. Taoism has inherited a tradition and integrated it into its own doctrines and practices. Taoism, which integrates the Han people's belief in immortality and health preservation techniques, firmly believes that "my life is in my own hands, not in the hands of fate", and has been persistently pursuing the path of immortality. It is precisely under the support of this positive attitude that for two thousand years, countless Taoists have been striving and persevering on the path of seeking immortality and becoming immortals. There are many health preservation techniques practiced in Taoism, including external elixirs, internal elixirs, breathing exercises, fetal breathing, breathing control, food intake, fasting, meditation, guiding exercises, massage, and sexual practice, etc. Most health preservation methods, if carried out properly, can indeed yield remarkable results. These have been widely recognized by medical and health preservation experts both at home and abroad. Therefore, without the firm belief of Taoism in "My life is in my own hands, not in the hands of fate", and without the long-term and unremitting health preservation practices of Taoists, there would be no such large number of unique health preservation ideas and methods as treasures left in China's cultural heritage. Taoist health preservation science not only holds an important position in Chinese health preservation science, but also is a treasure trove waiting to be explored.