The Three-Character Classic of Daily Living in Taoism

Laozi, the founder of Taoism, proposed in his book "Tao Te Ching" that in terms of health preservation, one must "discard excess, extravagance and moderation". This means that a person must get rid of extreme, excessive and extravagant desires as well as the lazy state of eating all day long and being inattentive, and instead achieve a state of having few desires and no selfish thoughts. This is both a moral cultivation for being a person and a principle for health preservation and care. Confucius, the great educator and thinker who consulted Laozi about propriety during the Spring and Autumn Period, advocated that "a gentleman should have three cautions: when he is young and his blood and qi are not yet stable, he should be cautious about lust." It is extremely vigorous and full of vigor and vitality. One should avoid fighting. When one is extremely old and their blood wanes, they must be cautious." That is to say, indulgence in lust, fighting and greed can all harm health, lead to the breeding of diseases and a short life expectancy. The classic work of traditional Chinese medicine, "Huangdi Neijing", points out that if one wants to fall ill less or not at all and achieve good health and a long life, one must "have a regular diet, a regular daily routine, and an orderly work schedule" in life. Overeating, excessive consumption of greasy food, lack of sleep, failure to balance work and rest, and an irregular lifestyle can easily lead to various diseases. The "Three Widows" Taoist school summarizes its experience in health preservation as: "Few desires nourish essence, few words nourish qi, and few thoughts nourish spirit." Abundant essence, sufficient qi and vigorous spirit are the signs of human health. Deficiency of essence, qi and weakness of spirit are the root causes of premature aging in the human body. Therefore, paying attention to maintaining essence, energy and spirit, and achieving the "three oligos", is the key to good health and longevity. Taoist health preservation experts propose that the key to health preservation lies in "being cautious about food, medicine and exercise." Cases of death caused by acute pancreatitis and myocardial infarction due to a sumptuous meal are not uncommon. Acute attacks of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases caused by emotional excitement also occur from time to time. If one takes tonics such as ginseng and deer antler without considering their specific physical condition, it will not only be detrimental to health but also cause harm to the body.