In the era of Zhuangzi, the immortal thought has been bred and formed. When constructing his own philosophical theory system, Zhuangzi inherited the Taoist theory initiated by Laozi, absorbed the immortal thought circulating in the society at that time, and combined the two. The connection between "immortal" and "Tao" has made a breakthrough in Taoist theory and immortal thought. Because of this, Zhuangzi became an important figure respected by Taoism in later generations.

In the era of Zhuangzi, the immortal thought has been bred and formed. When constructing his own philosophical theory system, Zhuangzi inherited the Taoist theory initiated by Laozi, and also absorbed the immortal thought circulating in the society at that time. It is precisely because of the earliest combination of "immortal" and "Tao" that Zhuangzi made a breakthrough in the development of Taoist theory and immortal thought, and became an important figure admired by later Taoists and Taoists.

Whether Zhuangzi's Waipian and Zapian were written by Zhuangzi himself has always been controversial. In view of this, this paper takes the inner chapter of Zhuangzi as the main object of investigation, and discusses the combination of "Xian" and "Tao" in the philosophy of Zhuangzi. The related contents of "Outer Chapter" and "Miscellaneous Chapter" are for reference and supplement only.

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At present, the academic circles tend to identify those chapters in the book Zhuangzi that involve immortal thoughts, or the works of Zhuangzi's later research, or the parts that were infiltrated by later generations in the process of circulation. The main reason is that researchers think that Zhuangzi himself can't have immortal thoughts. In fact, Zhuangzi's immortal thought has already been formed, and Zhuangzi himself has the objective conditions to get in touch with immortal legends.

The so-called "immortals" here do not refer to "gods" or "immortals", but specifically to "immortals". In the concept of China ancients, "God" and "Fairy" did not belong to the same category. When the ancients created characters, the word "God" was "from the sign" and the word "Fairy" was "from the person", and the difference between them was quite obvious. "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" says: "Immortality, immortality." Liu Xi's "Interpretation of the Name and Life" also said: "Those who are old and immortal are immortals." It seems that in the eyes of Han people, "immortals" are immortals. Another book, History of Han Art and Literature, said: "The immortal protects the truth of his life, and those who travel abroad seek it. Talk with peace of mind, with the domain of life and death, and don't worry about it. " It can be seen that "immortality" refers to people who are equally immortal, and "immortality" is actually "immortality". So, why is "immortal" also called "immortal"? Mr. Wen Yiduo explained: "If people can ascend to heaven, they will become immortals, omnipotent and enjoy all happiness, just like God, so immortals are also called' immortals'." Indeed, the "immortal" can not only live forever, but also have the divinity of not being afraid of fire and water, traveling in all directions, so the "immortal" is also called "immortal".

So, when did the immortal thought first come into being? According to the existing literature, as early as the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, there were some legends about immortals in the society, and the concept of immortals began to appear. "Twenty Years of Zuo Gong" says: "Qi Hou (Qi Jinggong) went, Yan Zi waited on Taiwan, and Zi still achieved something. ..... drinking. Qi Huangong said,' What's the fun of being ancient and not dying?' Yan Zi said to him,' If there was no death in ancient times, there would be happiness in ancient times. "How can you get it?" Hanshu Yiwenzhi says, "Swim over Niu Shan and look at Qi in the north, saying,' What a beautiful country! Gloomy. If there were no dead people in the past, then I will go here! Bow down and cry. "The above two materials recorded Qi Jinggong's admiration and yearning for" the ancient never dies ". Therefore, as early as the end of the Spring and Autumn Period when Qi Jinggong lived, fairy tales and immortals had already appeared. Pursuing immortality is the core content of immortal thought, and the appearance of immortal legend indicates that immortal thought has sprouted. By the middle of the Warring States Period, where Zhuangzi was located, there had been an upsurge of seeking immortals in the coastal areas of Qiyan. It was clearly recorded in Historical Records: "Self-prestige, publicity and Zhao Yan made people seek Penglai, the abbot and Yingzhou. People who live in Sansheng Mountain are in the Bohai Sea, not far from people; If you suffer, the wind will take you away. The best taste, fairy, fairy medicine. Its animals and animals are white, and gold and silver are palaces. If you don't reach it, it will be like a cloud; Also, Sanshen Mountain lives underwater. When you approach, the wind will take you away, but you will never reach the clouds. The Lord of the world is not reconciled. "

In Zhuangzi, Chu's immortal thought was quite popular. There are some legends of "immortality" circulating in Chu State, such as Shan Hai Jing and Chu Ci. According to Yuan Ke's textual research, The Classic of Mountains and Seas is "an overseas southern classic written by Chu or Chu people from the early Warring States to the early Han Dynasty", among which there are "immortal people": "They are black, long-lived and immortal." There is also Xuanyuan Kingdom in overseas western classics: "Those who don't live long are 800 years old." Qu Yuan's Tian Wen said, "Why not die? What do long people keep? " Another cloud said, "If you live forever, why stop living?" Qu Yuan asked about the legend of "immortality" spread in Chu State. There is also an "elixir of life" in Shan Hai Jing. For example, it is written in Haixi Jing: "In the enlightened East, there are Wu Peng, Wudi, Wuyang, Wuliu, Wu Fan and Wuxiang, all of whom are covered in corpses and all of whom are holding elixir for life." There is also a cloud in the West Wild Classic: "There are Lingshan, Five Immortals, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, Witches, and Witches, and all kinds of medicines are here from now on." Tian Wen also asked about the "fairy medicine": "Can't Andrew's good medicine be solid?" "Tian Wen" also asked about the legend of "Giant Aofushan Mountain" in Penglai fairy tales: "Aodai Mountain stands, how can it be safe? Let the boat go to the mausoleum, why move it? " There have also been cases in which the State of Chu presented "elixir of life" to the King of Chu. "The Warring States Policy Chu Ce" says: "There is an elixir of life, which is offered to King Jing, and admirers can enter it. The man who shot at the target asked, "Can it be eaten?" Said, "Yes." Eat whatever you take. The king's anger made people kill the man who shot him. The man who shot in the middle made people say, the king said,' I asked the worshippers, and the worshippers said they could eat, so I ate. I am innocent, but the sin lies in slapping. If a guest offers a fairy medicine, if the king eats it, he will kill the minister, which is also a dead medicine. You kill innocent ministers, and wise men bully you. "Wang Nai doesn't kill." It can be seen that during the Warring States period, the immortal thought had a quite extensive influence in Chu State.

During the Warring States period, a hundred schools of thought contended and freedom contended; People who argue with their tongues constantly change their minds and lobby from all directions; The vassal States also sent envoys to frequent exchanges. As a Mongolian in the Song Dynasty, Zhuangzi naturally came into contact with Qi and Chu's widely circulated immortal thoughts. In Zhuangzi (mainly the Inner Chapter), a series of images of "enlightened people" such as "saints", "supreme people" and "real people" who can completely transcend the limitation of time and space and gain eternal free life are all influenced by fairy tales.

Zhuangzi is another important representative of Taoist school after Laozi. "Historical Records: Biography of Lao Fei" says that Zhuangzi: "His omniscience is attributed to Lao Zi's words. So he wrote hundreds of words, which is probably a fantasy. Be a fisherman, steal feet, skin, insult Confucius' disciples and show Lao Tzu's skill. "Zhuangzi not only inherited Laozi's Taoist theory, but also absorbed the immortal thoughts circulating in the society at that time, and creatively linked them closely. In Zhuangzi's philosophy, Tao, the core category of Taoism, first realized its connection with Xian.

Laozi believes that "Tao" is the master of all things in the universe, and all things in the universe are born if they are combined with "Tao", or die if they are not. Laozi said, "Things live by mixing, and they are born naturally. Lonely, independent and unchanging, walking around without danger, but the mother of heaven and earth doesn't know its name. Speaking is better than saying big. " He also said: "one of the gains of the past: the sky is clear; Land is better than land; God got a soul; The valley is beneficial, and everything has spirit; Hou Wang thinks the world is right. The reason for this is that it will crack if it is not sunny; If there is no peace in the land, it will be abolished; Marquis is not righteous and must be afraid. " In this respect, Zhuangzi has both obvious inheritance and considerable development. "Master Zhuangzi" said: "The husband's way, love and believe, do nothing but see; Transmissible but unacceptable, accessible but invisible; Since its roots, there is no heaven and earth, and it has existed since ancient times; Ghosts were born; Before Taiji, it was not high, below six poles, not deep, born, not long, longer than ancient times and not old. Webster got it to beat heaven and earth; Fu's family got it to attack his mother; If you fight for it, you will not die; The sun and the moon will last forever; As bad as attacking Kunlun; Feng Yi got it to travel to Dachuan; I carry it on my shoulders, I am in the mountains; The Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven; If you get it, you will be in Gong Xuan; If you are strong, you will stand at the North Pole. The queen mother of the west got it, sitting in a small place, not knowing the beginning and the end; Peng Zu got it, was in danger, and fell by five; Fu is right. Compared with Wu Ding, he chose the world, riding the Eastern Wei and riding the end of the basket, compared with the stars. " Zhuangzi believes that Tao is "acquirable" although it is "intangible by inaction", "invisible" and "impossible". Zhuangzi attributed the supernatural divinity of Huangdi, Zhuan Xu, Yuqiang and the Queen Mother of the West to the role of Tao. It is worth noting that the Yellow Emperor, the Queen Mother of the West, Peng Zu and Fu Shuo are all famous immortals in fairy tales, while Peng Zu and Fu Shuo are typical "immortals" in early fairy tales. The existence of any living thing has an insurmountable time limit, and human beings are no exception. However, the immortals are unwilling to admit this. They believe that the world can become immortal by taking medicine and practicing. Once a person becomes a fairy, it breaks the limit of human life, prolongs life indefinitely, and even lives forever. The characters in fairy tales often appear repeatedly in different historical periods, hundreds or even thousands of years apart. Peng Zu is a famous immortal in early fairy tales.

Zhuangzi thinks that Peng Zu, Fu Shuo and others can become immortals because of their enlightenment. Zhuangzi creatively combined Taoism advocated by Taoism with fairy tales circulated in the society at that time, and further enriched, beautified, advocated and publicized the ideal kingdom of Taoism with the help of surreal immortal thought, making Taoism more attractive and attractive.

For the purpose of advocating and propagating Taoism, Zhuangzi absorbed all kinds of myths and stories circulating in the society at that time, and on this basis, after some processing, transformation, refining and sublimation, he created a series of images such as "awakened", "supreme" and "real". These "gods", "homo sapiens" and "real people" written by Zhuangzi have the same names, and they are all incarnations of Tao: the mountains photographed in the past are all inhabited by immortals, and their skin is as ice and snow as a virgin; Don't eat grains, suck the wind and drink dew; Ride the clouds, descend the dragons and travel around the world. ("Xiaoyao Tour")

To the gods! Ozawa burns but can't be hot, and rivers can't be cold ... If there is, travel around the world by cloud. (Homogeneous Matter Theory)

(Ancient real people) Climbing high is not chestnut, entering the water is not moist, and people are not hot. ..... The real person's breath is behind the heel, and everyone's breath is behind the throat. (Grand Master)

These "gods", "wise men" and "real people" all have a strong immortal atmosphere. There is no essential difference between them and the immortal images circulating in the society at that time. The supernatural divinity possessed by these "gods", "people" and "real people" can be summarized as the following aspects: First, foreign objects can't hurt their bodies. The "Supreme Person" in The Theory of Everything is "Ozawa can't be hot or cold"; The "real person" in The Great Sage is also "climbing high is not chestnut, entering the water is not wet, and entering the fire is not hot". Second, you can travel freely in the air of Lapras. The "God Man" in "Happy Travel" can "ride the clouds to stop the flying dragon and travel outside the four seas"; "Zhi Ren" in On Wuqi can also "travel around the world by the clouds". The third is a unique diet lifestyle. The "God Man" in Happy Travel, "Don't eat grains, suck the wind and drink dew"; The "real person" in "The Master" is also different: "The breath of the real person follows the heel, and everyone's breath is in the throat." This series of "God Man", "Supreme Man" and "Real Man" in Zhuangzi's works all appear in the image of "Tao", which is the symbol of "Tao" in Zhuangzi's philosophy. These three aspects of supernatural divinity they possess are also the places where immortals surpass mortals in fairy tales. In addition to the above three characteristics, Zhuangzi's "enlightenment" also has the characteristics of "immortality", such as Peng Zu and the Queen Mother of the West. In addition, there are "old" and "color like a child" in The Master, and "2200-year-old cultivation" and "not declining constantly" in Again. , are immortal man. Immortality is the most prominent feature of immortals, and it is also the place that immortals yearn for most. From this perspective, Zhuangzi's original materials for creating a series of images, such as "God Man", "Supreme Man" and "Real Man", should come from the fairy tales circulating in the society at that time.

Zhuangzi introduced the immortal thought circulating in the society into Taoism at that time, and created a series of images of "awakened", "supreme" and "real". This series of "Taoist" images, which originated from fairy tales, have great magical powers and strong immortal colors, and pushed the "Daoism" advocated by Taoism to a broader and more attractive new religious realm.

In the mid-Warring States period, although Zhuangzi's immortal thought had been conceived and formed, it was still in the early stage of development. At that time, all kinds of fairy stories circulating in the society were still scattered, and a relatively complete fairy theory had not yet been formed, let alone a systematic fairy cultivation method. At that time, the so-called "Fang" that rose in the coastal areas of Qiyan advocated the immortal cultivation method, but it was only "form and solution, depending on ghosts and gods". It was impossible for the early immortal alchemists to provide a systematic and "practical" immortal cultivation method for the world who dreamed of becoming immortal. Zhuangzi combined the immortal thoughts circulating in the society at that time with the Taoism, advocated and publicized the Taoism, and objectively pointed out a way for immortal alchemists to cultivate immortals.

In this regard, Zhuangzi not only pointed out the bright future for the immortal alchemists in theory, but also provided them with a set of specific methods of "cultivation" such as "heart fasting", "forgetting" and "hanging":

If you are determined, listen to your heart but not your ears, and listen to your heart and not your heart! ..... gas also, empty and treat things also. Only the Tao is empty. Insufficient, the heart is also lent. ("Human World")

(Zhong Ni) said, "What is forgetting?" Yan Hui said, "If you have a broken limb, you will know it. It's the same as Datong. This is called sitting and forgetting. " (Grand Master)

And husband, when also; Those who lose, shun also. Peace sometimes goes smoothly, but sorrow and joy can't be human. The so-called county solution in modern times is also. (Grand Master)

"Xin Zhai" means wholeheartedly, eliminating all kinds of distractions and always maintaining an empty state of mind. From listening with ears, to experiencing with heart, to sensing with qi, it is gradually improved until it reaches the realm of Tao. "Sit and forget" refers to sitting still, meditating, forgetting one's own body and shielding one's hearing and hearing. Completely forget the difference between yourself and everything in the world around you, and the whole body and mind can be completely integrated with Tao. "Suspending the solution" means not caring about personal gains and losses, and everything goes with the flow, thus relieving all kinds of troubles in the real world and truly entering a quiet and ethereal realm of monasticism. Zhuangzi not only provided the immortal alchemist with specific methods of "repairing", "forgetting" and "hanging", but also described the process of "repairing" in detail: "I will keep it after three days; I have been out of the world, and I will keep it. After seven days, I can put my things outside. It's foreign, so I'll keep it and give birth outside in nine days. It has been born outside, and then you can see it; Look forward to it, and then you can see independence; See independence, there can be no ancient and modern; Without ancient and modern times, Hou Li can be immortal. " Zhuangzi believes that "repair" needs a gradual process from easy to difficult. First of all, we should give up chasing all the fame and fortune in the world, then lose all the material comforts needed by the individual body, and then completely forget our physical life. After completing this stage, the mind will naturally become pure and clear, and then you can observe the Tao with your heart, gradually merge with the Tao, gradually surpass the ancient and modern times, and finally completely enter the realm of "neither death nor birth". These methods and processes of "cultivation" described by Zhuangzi should be said to have certain practicability, which provided an important mode of "cultivation into immortality" for later alchemists.

Generally speaking, the combination of "immortal" and "Tao" in Zhuangzi's philosophy further beautifies the ideal kingdom of Taoism and promotes the "Tao" advocated by Taoism to a more magical and wonderful new religious realm; At the same time, objectively, it also provided a set of theories and methods of "cultivating immortals" for immortals, which made immortals' thoughts completely surpass the original witchcraft and magic, took a key step towards religious theology, and laid an important theoretical foundation for the rise of immortals' Taoism in later generations. Because of this, Zhuangzi became an important figure respected by Taoism in later generations.