Baopuzi" was written by Ge Hong, a medical scientist and Taoist sage in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Ge Hong, whose courtesy name is Zhichuan and whose nickname is Baopuzi. Baopu is a Taoist term, which is found in the Tao Te Ching, "See simplicity, embrace simplicity, be less selfish and have few desires." There are 20 "internal chapters" in "Baopuzi" today, which belong to Taoism; and 50 "outer chapters", which belong to Confucianism. The Eight Immortals Palace only compiles the inner chapters to share with you for learning.
The image of Ge Hong in the "Picture of Ge Zhichuan Migration" painted by Wang Meng, a painter of the Yuan Dynasty
Internal chapter of "Baopuzi"
On Immortals
Someone may ask: "How can you believe that immortals will not die?"
Bao Puzi replied: "Although there is great clarity, the tangible things cannot be seen at all. Even though you are extremely intelligent, you can't see them all." Those who have a voice cannot hear them all. Although there are many people who have the ability to follow them, they are not as many as others. All things are like this, why are they not there? How can there be no immortality among the immortals? There must be death, and those who survive must perish. Therefore, the saints of Sanwu Qiudan, abandon the wisdom of Liangping, Duanying and Sui Li's debate, cultivate the courage of Wuding, and die. Duan Ye. I have heard that there are those who are withered by the frost, become green in the summer, have ears but are not beautiful, and wither before they are mature. I have not heard that they can live for ten thousand years and can't be seen for a long time.
Therefore, the ancients did not seek immortality in their studies, did not speak strange words, ignored other heresies, and kept to this nature. They put turtles and cranes in other categories, and regarded life and death as a matter of day and night. The carvings and sculptures are decayed, but nothing is guaranteed to succeed. It is not as good as the great strategy of Kuang Shi, and the good fortune of the past, so that the purple and green are heavy, the black and white dragons are on the ground, the flower hub is easy to walk, and the tripod is replaced by the grass. Isn't it beautiful?
Every time I think about the poet Fu Tian’s thorn, I deeply feel that both Zhong and Ni are dead. Inaction catches the invisible wind, catches the shadow that is difficult to hold on to, seeks the unreachable, walks the path that cannot be reached, and abandons it. It is easy to escape but difficult to attack. She is like a wandering girl who has lost her fortune. She must regret both losses. Shedding faith and prejudice will lead to internal and external disasters. Needles, Ouye can't cast lead and tin into generals.
So if you can't do it, even ghosts and gods can't do it; Isn't it absurd to think that the dead should be reborn? My son wants to prolong the life of the cricket, nourish the prosperity of the dynasty, and make the accumulation of darkness and mist occur. Isn't it absurd? "Explanation"
Someone asked: "Is it really possible for immortals to live forever?"
Baopuzi replied. Said: Even those with the best eyesight cannot see all tangible things; even those with the best hearing cannot hear all the sounds one by one; even if they have the speed of Dazhang and Shuhai, they will not be able to see all the things they have walked through. There are still not many places that I have not visited; even if I have the wisdom of Dayu, Boyi, and Zhang Xie, I still have not seen as much as I have seen before. Everything in the universe is complicated, but what’s missing? Besides, people who became immortals can be seen everywhere in various records. How could there be no way to immortality?
Then the person who asked the question laughed and said: "If there is a beginning, there must be an end; if there is existence, there must be death." Therefore, there are saints like the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, Confucius and Duke of Zhou, wise men like Houji, Chuilizi, Zhang Liang, and Chen Ping, eloquent eloquents like Duanmu Ci, Yan Ying, Sui He, and Li Shiqi, Meng Ben, Xia Yu, Wu Warriors like Ding have all died. This is an inevitable law of life, and it is the final destination that will surely come. People have only heard of things that wither before the frost, fall green in the middle of summer, hold ears but do not bloom, and wither without fruit. They have never heard of anyone enjoying a life span of ten thousand years and living a long life. Turn a blind eye and not die.
Therefore, the ancients did not seek the art of becoming immortals in their studies, did not talk about weird things, put an end to those unrighteous doctrines, abided by this natural law, excluded turtles and cranes as categories other than human beings, and classified turtles and cranes as categories other than human beings. Life and death are seen as fleeting as day and night. If you painstakingly restrain yourself and do things that are not beneficial, it will be like carving out ice cubes or rotten wood, and there will be no results in the end. It is better to use the brilliant strategy of Kuang Shiji to gain a lifetime of great blessings and make the purple people happy. Wouldn't it be great to tie the green ribbon around the body again, use a black male animal to commemorate the rise of the dynasty, use a gorgeous car to replace walking, and use the delicious food in the cauldron to replace farming in the fields?
Whenever I think of the poet satirizing the monarch in his "Futian" and think deeply about Confucius's assertion that "all men are mortal", I don't do anything like grasping the formless wind, capturing the elusive shadow, and searching for Seeking what is unobtainable, walking a path that does not lead to the goal, giving up glory and wealth to get involved in hardship, leaving what is within easy reach to seek hard things. Just like what is said in the story of "Sang Zhe's Wandering Girl", they will inevitably suffer losses at both ends and regret; and like Shan Bao and Zhang Yi, stubbornness and partiality will inevitably lead to disasters inside and outside the body. Even Gongshu Ban and Mo Zhai could not cut the tiles into needle points; Ou Yezi could not make lead and tin into swords.
So, if something is impossible, not even ghosts and gods can do it; if something is impossible, not even heaven and earth can do it. Where in the world can we find a magic formula that can turn old people back into youth and make people who should have died come back to life instead? But I want to extend the life of the cricket and let it live for one year; I want to maintain the glory of the mushroom and let it live for one month. Isn't this ridiculous? I hope you can think more, find your way back, and don't go too far.