道教神仙与道德之关系

在道教中,道德信仰是其根本信仰,而神仙信仰则是其核心内容,两者相辅相成,共同构成道教的情仰体系。 一、邀教神仙是道的体现 道教信仰体系中,道是最高信仰,神仙是最尊信仰。有时二者合而为一,融为一体。因而道教认为神仙是道的体现,是道的化身。在道教教义中,道是“先天地而生”的,它无所不含,无所不包,是宇宙万物的开始,是世界的本原,有了道才产生了万物。也就是说“道生万物”。《道德经》日：“道生一,一生二,二生三,三生万物。万物负阴而抱阳,冲气以为和。”也就是说：道生混沌一气,一气分剖阴阳,为一生二;阴阳运…     

道教神仙信仰与人们的社会追求

神仙信仰是道教信仰中重要的组成部分,由于神仙信仰而期望得道成仙、长生不死,不仅是古代修道者终生不渝的追求目标,也为当时社会中许多不同身份的人所企盼和津津乐道。这种久远漫长的历史现象,既说明道教作为我国本土出现并承传至今的宗教,与世世代代生息繁衍于华夏大地上的中华民族仰慕和崇奉神仙的传统有密切的关系,同时,在很大程度上反映了自古以来人们对人生多方面的美好向往与追求。因此,对道教的神仙信仰应作为中华民族传统文化的组成部分加以研究,本文拟就这方面的内容进行一些简要探讨。神仙信仰是指人们对神仙的相信、崇敬和追求…     

从神仙信仰看道教对工匠建房巫术的影响

道教作为一种具有明显咒术倾向的宗教,对我国工匠建房巫术产生了极其深远的影响。第一种情形是道教神仙直接或间接地对工匠建房巫术系统的形成产生增益作用;第二种情形是在道教的影响下,建房工匠祖师鲁班最终演变成道教散仙,并成为建房巫术仪式中祭祀的主神。从神仙信仰来看道教对工匠建房巫术的影响,可以清楚地看到道教的民间化和世俗化倾向,也可以验证巫术与道教之间"你中有我,我中有你"的关系。     

论道教神仙信仰的社会分层

本文认为 ,道教神仙信仰在其历史发展的过程中 ,呈现出了明显的信众分层现象 :在学者型道士和一般民众阶层 ,神仙信仰内涵并不一致 ,二者既有区别又有联系。     

山东大道教考

山东地区自古以来素有神仙信仰,齐文化更是道教思想的主要来源;在道教发展史上,山东也是道教传播的重要地区.金代,中国北方兴起了三个新的道教派别:太一教、大道教和全真教.其中全真教与山东关系密切,这已为学界所熟知;而大道教和太一教与山东的关系,由于材料稀少而不为学者所重视.本文仅以目前所知的有限的材料为依据,对大道教在山东传播和发展的情况,做一简要的考察.     

传统气论与道教神仙思想之互通关系略析

气论是中国传统哲学的重要组成部分,神仙思想是道教文化的核心内容。在历史长河中,二者相互影响、相互吸收,构成了一种互通关系。本文以此立论,首先分析了传统气论对于道教神仙思想之神学创世论的影响,接着指出,道教神仙思想对于气(炁)之内涵和地位的全新论述以及在方术实践中对于气法的运用又反过来推动了传统气论的发展。     

道教养生术

宗教最主要的功能是给人以精神慰藉 ,提供一种精神寄托。但道教不仅关注人的精神 ,还珍重人的肉体 ,重视医学 ,精通养生。这一特点在诸多宗教中显得很突出。文献记载 ,中国历史上无论是百岁道士还是著名的道士医生 ,均代不乏人。有人统计 ,六朝道医占当时全部医生总人数的 2 8.7%。在民间 ,过去百姓说“十道九医” ,道医董奉、鲍姑、孙思邈、韦慈藏等被奉为医神或药王 ,享受祭祀。因此 ,在近代道教学中 ,少不了道教医学一科。道教养生学是道教医学的一部分。神仙信仰是促使道教医学产生的最主要原因。按照神仙信仰的说法 ,仙首先是个体生命…     

河南王屋山区民间香会组织巫术治疗调查

在河南王屋山区,民众基于对道教神仙的信仰建立了香会组织,每遇生活难题,他们便降神迎神,通过神灵附体的方式与"神仙"沟通交流.在这种活动中,个体感受到集体的力量和支持,这缓解了人们的生活压力.香会组织在当地形成一个不容忽视的权力体系.     

道教神仙信仰与人们的社会追求

神仙信仰是道教信仰中重要的组成部分,由于神仙信仰而期望得道成仙、长生不死,不仅是古代修道者终生不渝的追求目标,也为当时社会中许多不同身份的人所企盼和津津乐道。这种久远漫长的历史现象,既说明道教作为我国本土出现并承传至今的宗教,与世世代代生息繁衍于华夏大地上的中     

武当山玄岳门与道教神仙信仰

玄岳门是武当山"治世玄岳"石牌坊的俗称,它位于冲虚庵与遇真宫之间,上依层峦叠嶂的道教圣地武当山,下临烟波浩淼的南水北调中线水源地丹江口水库,湖光山色,互相辉映.玄岳门既是全国重点文物保护单位,又是世界文化遗产--武当山古建筑群的重要组成部分,它的鼎建与道教的神仙信仰思想有着密切的关系.     

Immortality

In December, the President's Council on Bioethics released Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness. Here, Lustig discusses the six-part report that provides a balanced but critical assessment of actual and prospective developments in biotechnology and seeks to anchor its discussion in shared moral and metaphysical concerns--the nature of human nature, and the social and political implications of unfettered choices in altering the human prospect through biotechnology.     

Platonic Personal Immortality

I argue that Plato distinguishes between personal immortality and immortality of the soul. I begin by criticizing the consensus view that Plato identifies the person and the soul. I then turn to the issue of immortality. By considering passages from Symposium and Timaeus, I make the case that Plato thinks that while the soul is immortal by nature, if a person is going to be immortal, they must become so. Finally, I argue that Plato has a psychological continuity approach to personal identity. Thus, for Plato, a person becomes immortal by avoiding reincarnation and securing for themselves psychological continuity forever.     

Death and Immortality

The thought that consciousness fades into oblivion with death is, to many, inconceivable. The hope and desire for immortality is based not only on a fear of death and an inner desire for fulfilment, but on the revelation of God and the human response to it. Much of religion testifies to experiences of God as loving and personal. It is upon the truth of these claims that the hope of immortality becomes reasonable. Consciousness is empirically dependent on the body, dying with it. Nevertheless, it is logically feasible that consciousness can be ‘recreated’ and ‘rehoused’ by God in a ‘spiritual body’. As long as there are mental links between the different modes of being, even though there is a definite break, it is still possible to speak of the ‘same person’. Immortality becomes dependent upon an act of God, rather than being an innate property of humankind. Paradoxically, while death robs life of ultimate meaning, it also imparts meaning.     

Immortality and religious discourse

The future of humanity on this planet is not assured: we have reached a critical juncture in our history. Persistence in classical modes of thinking and acting will lead to growing problems and mounting crises; a new way of thinking is needed, joined with a new ethics and a new ethos. This presupposes a fundamental change in the way we perceive ourselves and our environment—a shift in the dominant consciousness of our time. The evolution of a “planetary consciousness” has become an objective precondition of approaching the future with confidence as well as responsibility. The Club of Budapest has been founded to promote this evolution through the insight and creativity of the artists, writers, spiritual leaders and young people who are its members and affiliates.     

修仙诗赏析

大概从春秋战国时开始,就有一些方士吹嘘说他们能炼制不死之药,鼓吹吃丹药可成为不死的神仙。自此以后,追求神仙长生术就成为许多皇帝的重要课题。其实,所谓神仙和长生药都是没有的,只不过是方士们骗取名利的一种手段而已。唐代诗人李贺就写过一首讽刺当时皇帝追求神仙长生术的诗:武帝爱神仙,烧金得紫烟。厩中皆肉马,不解上青天。针对炼丹成仙,明代人王廷相指出,清心寡欲,保证饮食卫生的营养,是养生的大道理。炼铝丹,变金石,吃了不死,与道理不相符合。服食金丹,非但无益于人寿,“反以戕生矣”。他曾写了一首从生死的辩证角度证明成仙虚妄性…     

Against the Tedium of Immortality

Abstract

In a well-known paper, Bernard Williams argues that an immortal life would not be worth living, for it would necessarily become boring. I examine the implications for the boredom thesis of three human traits that have received insufficient attention in the literature on Williams’ paper. First, human memory decays, so humans would be entertained and driven by things that they experienced long before but had forgotten. Second, even if memory does not decay to the extent necessary to ward off boredom, once-satisfied desires often return after a sufficient period of time. Eternity would always contain sufficient time for our desires to rejuvenate. Third, even if too many of our desires were satisfied but not yet rejuvenated, we can expect that human ingenuity would continue to invent new pursuits, pastimes, careers, and ways of life that would prevent us from becoming bored as we moved from one to another. Finally, I consider and respond to several objections, including the claims that as much variety as I propose to be put into an eternal life is inconsistent with having one character throughout one’s life and that the sort of character change and memory decay I postulate is inconsistent with personal identity.     

Existence Is Evidence of Immortality

The universe plausibly has an infinite future and an infinite past. Given unlimited time, every qualitative state that has ever occurred will occur again, infinitely many times. There will thus exist in the future persons arbitrarily similar to you, in any desired respects. A person sufficiently similar to you in the right respects will qualify as literally another incarnation of you. Some theories about the nature of persons rule this out; however, these theories also imply, given an infinite past, that your present existence is a probability‐zero event. Hence, your present existence is evidence against such theories of persons.     

Epicureanism About Death and Immortality

In this paper I discuss some of Martha Nussbaum’s defenses of Epicurean views about death and immortality. Here I seek to defend the commonsense view that death can be a bad thing for an individual against the Epicurean; I also defend the claim that immortality might conceivably be a good thing. In the development of my analysis, I make certain connections between the literatures on free will and death. The intersection of these two literatures can be illuminated by reference to my notion of a Dialectical Stalemate.