Xuan Chu said: "Master, our Taoism is not just about cultivating immortals, isn't it also about entering the world to practice?" ”

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "From the day Taoism was born, it was faced with the conflict between "becoming an immortal" and "becoming a vulgar". This conflict comes not only from the external pressure of Confucianism and Buddhism, but also directly related to the Taoist concept of cultivating immortals. ”

Xuan Chu said: "And the result of this conflict gradually made the three religions integrate with each other, and finally affected the Taoist idea of becoming an immortal and cultivating an immortal? ”

"Does the master know the story about the master? Hey hey ......"

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "In the Ming Dynasty, all kinds of stories about Lu Dongbin essentially reflect the transformation of this Taoist concept of becoming an immortal. ”

Chu said: "What is the image of Lu Dongbin in the Ming Dynasty? Master, analyze it?

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "In the popular literature of the Ming Dynasty, Lu Dongbin is undoubtedly the most active Taoist immortal image.

Lu Dongbin in this work is very different from the traditional immortals who close themselves in the mountains and forests and cultivate the Tao and ignore mundane affairs. He has a strong spirit of "joining the WTO" and a taste for mortals.

On the other hand, there is a Song and Yuan Dynasty Taoism strongly emphasized, birth proposition and ascetic color. This duality is a concrete reflection of Song and Yuan Taoism, adapted to the changing needs of society.

This is precisely the most important factor for Lu Dongbin, an immortal with a low rank in the immortal lineage, who became the most influential representative of Taoism among the people after the Song and Yuan dynasties. ”

Xuan Chu said: "My master is still the most down-to-earth, master, what is the situation of joining the WTO?" ”

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "Entering the WTO" spirit, in the Ming Dynasty's "Flying Sword Story", "Eight Immortals Origin Journey to the East", "Han Xiangzi Complete Biography" and drama works with Lu Dongbin as the main character, such as "Lu Dongbin Three Degrees of City South Willow", "Lu Dongbin Peach Willow Ascension Immortal Dream", "Three Drunken Yueyang Tower", Lu Dongbin is a fairy image who saves the dead and helps the wounded with Taoism, helps the country to help the life, and helps the suffering.

He cultivated Neidan, but he never closed his doors, but wandered in the mundane world, haunting the streets and alleys. Obviously, this is an image of a fairy with a strong spirit of "joining the WTO". ”

Xuan Chu said: "Master, what are the aspects of Lu Dongbin's "WTO accession" spirit embodied in literary works? ”

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "The following aspects: Rescue natural disasters: In "Journey to the East", the Dragon King did not hesitate to flood the world in order to vent his anger. Lu Dongbin cast a spell in time to transport sand and soil to fill the East Ocean, avoiding a catastrophe in the world.

Cure the sick and save people: Taoism regards "life" as goodness and "longevity" as the goal, and naturally regards disease as a natural enemy. Therefore, most of Lu Dongbin's Taoist techniques have the effect of curing diseases and dispelling misfortune. In "The Story of the Flying Sword", Lu Dongbin carries a gourd with a hidden pill inside, and takes the initiative to give it to the seriously ill people in the city. In "Three Drunken Yueyang Towers" and "Three Degrees of City South Willow", he also took healing as his profession in the city and saved countless people with pills.

Treating people as immortals: Lu Dongbin is most widely known in popular and drama for his story of persuading people to be kind. In the view of Taoism, saving people as immortals is a kind act that fundamentally frees mortals from disasters, and is the most fundamental way to "save the world". In "The Complete Biography of Han Xiangzi", Lu Dongbin went through hardships to make Han Xiangzi an immortal, so that he finally got out of reincarnation and enjoyed the joy of being an immortal. The same story also appeared in "The Legend of the Flying Sword" and a series of "Du De Dramas" with Lu Dongbin as the protagonist. And the plot of this kind of story revolves around Lu Dongbin's oath to "spend the world as much as possible".

Advocating human ethics: Taoism introduces secular ethics into its concept of cultivating immortals, and also regards the practice of human ethics as a necessity to become immortals. Therefore, Lu Dongbin in the middle set an example, vigorously exhorted good and abstained from evil, and combined human morality with the way to become an immortal. In the story of "Huangliang Dream" with Lu Dongbin as the protagonist, Zhong Liquan's dream test and edification of Lu Dongbin is centered on secular morality.

In addition, Lu Dongbin also experienced the "seven tests", that is, "light wealth and generosity", "not afraid of danger", "abstain from sex", "no profit", "not stingy with money", "not rash", "not afraid of ghosts" and so on. Most of this is secular ethics. And Lu Dongbin traveled all over the world after becoming an immortal, and in the process of curing diseases and saving people, he was also advocating human ethics and educating people with actions. In "The Story of the Flying Sword", he repeatedly declared that he would use the sword in his hand to get rid of "all the injustices in the world". ”

Xuan Chu said: "Master has slashed demons and eliminated demons, why don't you see cultivating immortals?" ”

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "Hehe, the ethics of cultivating immortals by "going to the desire to purify the heart", in addition to the spirit of "joining the WTO" that we talked about earlier, the image of Lu Dongbin in these literary works also has another side: the emphasis on the Taoist ethics of "removing desires and purifying the heart" of cultivating immortals. This forms the duality of the image of Lu Dongbin in popular literature. ”

Xuan Chu said, "Oh, what is duality? ”

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "Hehe, the Taoist ethics in the story of "Huangliang Dream": When most popular literature introduces the story of Lu Dongbin, it will mention the plot of his final abandonment of Confucianism and cultivation of immortals through "Huangliang Dream". The story of "Huangliang Dream" emphasizes a religious concept that is different from the "active entry into the WTO" we mentioned earlier - life is illusory, and only cultivating immortals is the right way.

In "The Story of the Flying Sword", the protagonist Lu Dongbin experienced hardships in reality and experienced the glory and disgrace of life in his dreams. When I woke up from a dream, the sorghum was not ripe. At this point, the immortal Zhong Liquan pointed out: "The dream of the son is suitable, rising and falling, glorious and enduring, fifty years, an ear, not enough joy, why worry about mourning!" And Lu Dongbin also "sighed with emotion, knowing that the eunuch road is not enough to love". So he turned to monasticism. Another well-known content in the story of Lu Dongbin's "test" of immortals is the plot of Zhong Liquan testing Lu Dongbin and educating him to "cultivate immortals" and "purify his heart". ”

Jade hairpin said with a smile: "In the second episode of "The Story of the Flying Sword", which reflects Lu Dongbin's Taoist experience, "Lu Chunyang meets Zhong Liquan, Zhong Ion tests Dongbin seven times", the plot of "trying" with the immortal Zhong Liquan is used to introduce the Taoist ethical concept of cultivating immortals.

Judging from these "seven tests", most of their contents are secular ethical and moral concepts. But these contents are combined with the protagonist's goal of "cultivating the Tao and becoming an immortal", and naturally become the ethical content of Taoist immortals. From here, we can also find the characteristics of Taoist ethics and its close connection with secular morality. However, it is from the perspective of "cultivating the mind and desipating desires" to look at these ethics and morals, and regard them as the result of abiding by the rules of the Tao and having no desire in the heart, which is the external manifestation of the protagonist's "inner purity" realm. This is more directly related to the Taoist concept of religious ethics. ”

Chu Chu smiled: "Isn't this the master you are talking about?" Hehe......"

Zhong Liquan said with a smile: "Another "The Complete Biography of Han Xiangzi" also makes a lot of expressions on the Taoist ethical concept of "pure heart and desire" when telling the story of the protagonist's cultivation and becoming true. ”