On Traditional Taoist Idea About Body And Spirit

An issue about Body and Spirit and their relation is contested long in history of Chinese philosophy. Taoism pays attention to the issue very much. Taoism follows a value system about respecting and concerning longevity and life. In the same way, Daoism also believe that to prolong longevity relay on human themselves. Human can stimulate the life essences inside human's body and rebuild it, then make life longer and even to keep eternal life. There was a best-known saying in Taoism, "My life doesn't depend on Heaven but myself, or "My life relay on myself, not belong to heaven and earth." Daoism believe that people have the ability to control their own longevity via building body and spirit.The core belief in Taoism is believing in the supernatural beings. The real pursuance is to find a Way approaching the supernatural beings, which is similar to the pursuance for the eternal fastness of spirit and body. In Taoist opinions, human's being means the mutual dependence of spirit and body. "Spirit and body in one; they gave birth to each other and formed each other". According to movement about people's life, they regarded the mutual dependence of spirit and body as the existent foundation of life. Furthermore, Taoism believed that body and spirit (Xing Shen) were consolidated, by any possibility, which was the basis that people could become an immortal. To change the possibility into the reality is the main content of practice. The ideas of body and spirit between Taoism and Buddhism are different, which bring difference in ways of extrication.Taoist idea of Body and Spirit is basic core of its religion theory, and the idea is also its directory religion practice. The practice of Regimen and magic arts keep to the idea of the mutual dependence of spirit and body and perfection of spirit and body.