Confucianism and Healthy Longevity

Copyright (c) 2007 Stephen Lau

Confucius, the great philosopher of ancient China, attained great influence on Chinese civilization through his famous teachings. Confucianism affected virtually all aspects of Chinese philosophy, including health and longevity.

Confucius, a politician and scholar, lived from 552 to 479 B.C. His impact on healthy longevity consists of practical advice for application in everyday life.

Confucianism advice on everyday healthy longevity includes his exemplary daily living, such as the following:

He did not eat rice, meat, or fish that was spoiled (not fresh) and badly cooked (medium rare); he ate meat in proportion to the amount of rice consumed; he used ginger to spice his food; he drank wine but only moderately; he dressed for comfort and convenience; and he slept, curling up his body, using his bent arm as a pillow (keeping his spine in alignment).

Confucianism advocates mental health in the form of peace and harmony. Confucius was against strong emotions of anger, joy or sorrow, and pleasure – the stirrings of these human feelings do not keep the mind in a state of equilibrium.

Confucianism is expressed in two basic concepts of healthy longevity living: “chung” and “yung.”

“Chung” is “equilibrium” or “being without inclination to either side.” Confucius did not refrain from the pleasures of life, such as eating and sex. However, he sought to achieve balance between extremes, and to avoid excess. His way of life was based on “the golden mean” concept of equilibrium.

“Yung” is “persistence” or “continuing without change.” Confucius said, “The path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it would not be the path. Therefore, the superior person does not wait until he sees things to be cautious, nor till he hears things to be apprehensive.” In other words, your pursuit of good health should be persistent. Your health practices, whether they involve exercise, diet, or meditation, should become your regular habits of healthy longevity living. You do not wait until you are sick to begin these intense efforts for healthy longevity. Prevention is always better than cure. You cannot reap their beneficial effects on a particular occasion or after a short period of practice.

Confucianism was subsequently expanded by Meng Tzu (Mencius), second only to Confucius as a Confucian sage.

Mencius went beyond Confucius in being concerned not only with the physical aspects of healthy longevity, but also with the spiritual. To Mencius, spiritual health is as important as physical well-being. Mencius said, “To preserve one’s mind and to nourish one’s spirit is the way to serve nature (heaven). When a man realizes that there is no real difference between a short lifespan and a long one, and does not worry, but wait, cultivating his own personal character, for whatever may come to pass – this is the way he carries out his fate-ordained being.”

Mencius also said, “The human will is the leader (commander) of the ‘qi’ (internal vital energy). The ‘qi’ pervades the body and moves it. The will is of primary importance; the ‘qi’ is secondary. Therefore, maintain a firm will and do no harm to your ‘qi.’ When the will is concentrated, it moves the ‘qi’; when the ‘qi’ is concentrated, it moves the will.”

By nourishing the spirit as well as the body, Mencius lived to a ripe old age.

In Chinese medicine, ‘qi’ signifies vital energy that embraces correct breathing, good blood circulation, and mind consciousness through meditation.

In summary, Confucianism emphasized balance and harmony achieved through the concepts of “chung” and “yung” in everyday living with focus on spiritual well-being. These health practices can be applicable in contemporary living to attain healthy longevity.

Healthy Longevity and Taoism

Copyright (c) 2007 Stephen Lau

TAOISM

Taoism, cultivation of the self, provides guidelines to health and longevity. According to Taoism, you are in control of your own life, in particular, your healthy longevity.

Taoism is a way of life. It encompasses everything from the universe and nature to the human body. Essentially, it focuses on harmony of “yin” and the “yang.”

Zen (which I have mentioned in several of my previous articles) is a “practice” of Taoism, and is sometimes interspersed with Buddhist teachings. Unlike Buddhism, Taoism believes in the value of life, but does not focus on life after death. Taoism is not a religion.

Taoism was initiated by Lao Tzu, a contemporary of Confucius (both were among the greatest philosophers in ancient China).

Lao Tzu says, “The highest virtue is achieved through non-action. It does not require effort because virtue is natural to people.” In other words, the wisdom in doing things is innate in every individual.

You act without doing and work without effort. You prevent trouble before it arises. You put things in order before they exist. The giant pine tree grows from a tiny sprout (like the Biblical mustard seed). The journey of a thousand miles begins with your first step.

Taoism offers a much broader concept of health and longevity than contemporary Western medicine.

For example, most of the forms of sport and exercise practiced in both the East and West today are highly competitive. They emphasize strength and quick reflexes, with strenuous training (and sometimes reinforced with drugs) designed to increase strength and stamina for ultimate success. If you cannot complete successfully, you are out of the game. Taoism, on the other hand, offers spontaneity. You do what you can, and do the best of what you can.

Another example, many people today tend to think of health only in terms of curing sickness, and longevity only in terms of avoiding fatal diseases. Taoism, on the other hand, focuses on the art of living longer and healthier, not merely surviving into old age. The Yellow Emperor of ancient China once asked his sage how he could live long. The sage replied, “There is nothing to be seen, nothing to be heard. Just hold your spirit in stillness, and your body will be healthy. You must be still. You must be pure in mind and spirit, not subjecting your body to toil, not disturbing your vital force. Then you may live for long.” This succinctly expresses the art of living well according to Taoism.

The Chinese have an ancient tradition that does not share the limitations of the Western approach to cure. Taoism health and practices, which affect all aspects of life, should be embraced at an early age, and healthy longevity is not just a problem for elderly people.

HEALTH REJUVENATION FOR HEALTHY LONGEVITY

Lao Tzu has this to say about the attainment of longevity through the process of rejuvenation: “The way of Tao is like a newborn baby. . . .The baby’s bones may seem weak and his sinews soft, yet his grasp is strong. He knows nothing about sexual conjugation, yet his penis may sometimes be erect, showing the perfection of his vital essence.”

According to Lao Tzu, when you were born, your body and mind were in natural harmony. However, as you grow up, you become subject to pressures and worries, undermining the flexibility of your body and the openness of your mind; as a result, there is disharmony.

Healthy longevity is the attainment of harmony of the physical and spiritual aspects of human life. When you concentrate your attention on fasting the spirit to the body, as well as on correct and healthy breathing, your whole being becomes flexible just like that of a baby. This flexibility and suppleness of the body and mind are achieved in Eastern forms of exercise and meditation, such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Yoga.

Lao Tzu also comments: “There is no mistake greater than that of being ambitious; there is no calamity greater than that being discontented; there is no fault greater than the desire for riches. Therefore, true contentment is an enduring and unchanging happiness.”

Keeping up with the Joneses, attractions and distractions of contemporary society, personal ambitions and desires often create tension between your physical and spiritual aspects, making your body rigid and your mind unyielding. You begin to lose the original integration of the body and mind of a baby, and you deteriorate and die. This is the way of all flesh.

Lao Tzu says, “When a man is alive, his body is soft and flexible; when he is dead, it is hard and rigid. So it is with all things. Trees and plants are soft and pliant when they are growing; when they die they are dry and brittle. Thus, to be had and rigid is the way of death; to be soft and yield is the way of life.”

Lao Tzu has shown you the wisdom of living a life of healthy longevity. It is all within your control.

(More on Taoism and longevity living in articles to follow)