RAF
09-18-2003, 07:05 AM
Daoism in Historical Context
http://www.cctv.com/lm/176/71/88862.html
In 143, that is, 400 years after the completion of the Dujiangyan Weirs, a centenarian traveled a long distance to the foot of the Mount Qingcheng southwest of the weirs. In the quiet environment there, the elderly man began his reflections. There he created Taoism, the only religion by the Chinese.
This elderly man, who is believed to have ascended to heaven and become immortal, was named Zhang Ling, the founder of Taoism.
Later on, Taoism spread from here to all other parts of China. Many Taoist structures can be found on the Mount Qingcheng where Zhang Ling had cultivated himself in Taoism. The structures were adapted to the natural environment and overlapped each other in an orderly way.
The structures are full of paintings and relief decorations to reflect the Taoist idea in favor of quietude and inaction, good health and longevity.
In the Tianshi Cave where Zhang Ling cultivated himself hangs a taiji symbol that shows Taoism advocates the integration of man and nature. Zhang Ling disseminated quickly in Sichuan Lao Zi's thinking on the love for nature. As the birthplace of Taoism, the Mount Qingcheng is visited by endless streams of scholars and other Taoist followers. It has become the holy mountain for these followers. Taoism stresses the importance of self-cultivation for prolonged life. In search of elixir of life, Taoist priests often burnt medicinal herbs in order to make pills of immortality. In the middle of the 8th century, a Taoist priest named Qing Xuzi used sulfur, charcoal and niter as fuel when he tried to make those pills. He had an accidental explosion. This explosion made the Chinese invent gunpowder over 1,000 years earlier than Westerners.
http://www.cctv.com/lm/176/71/88862.html
In 143, that is, 400 years after the completion of the Dujiangyan Weirs, a centenarian traveled a long distance to the foot of the Mount Qingcheng southwest of the weirs. In the quiet environment there, the elderly man began his reflections. There he created Taoism, the only religion by the Chinese.
This elderly man, who is believed to have ascended to heaven and become immortal, was named Zhang Ling, the founder of Taoism.
Later on, Taoism spread from here to all other parts of China. Many Taoist structures can be found on the Mount Qingcheng where Zhang Ling had cultivated himself in Taoism. The structures were adapted to the natural environment and overlapped each other in an orderly way.
The structures are full of paintings and relief decorations to reflect the Taoist idea in favor of quietude and inaction, good health and longevity.
In the Tianshi Cave where Zhang Ling cultivated himself hangs a taiji symbol that shows Taoism advocates the integration of man and nature. Zhang Ling disseminated quickly in Sichuan Lao Zi's thinking on the love for nature. As the birthplace of Taoism, the Mount Qingcheng is visited by endless streams of scholars and other Taoist followers. It has become the holy mountain for these followers. Taoism stresses the importance of self-cultivation for prolonged life. In search of elixir of life, Taoist priests often burnt medicinal herbs in order to make pills of immortality. In the middle of the 8th century, a Taoist priest named Qing Xuzi used sulfur, charcoal and niter as fuel when he tried to make those pills. He had an accidental explosion. This explosion made the Chinese invent gunpowder over 1,000 years earlier than Westerners.