LZ asked why other theories should be linked to Taoism. That's because any religion must have faith. . . . The basic belief of Taoism is "Tao", and believers take learning, practicing and practicing Taoism as their religion, so it is called Taoism. Respect the Tao Te Ching (Laozi) as the main scripture. According to the Taoist scriptures, Tao is "the system of nothingness, the root of nature, the foundation of God and the yuan of heaven and earth", and "everything is born from it, and the five elements are formed from it". In other words, the universe, yin and yang, and everything are born from this. In the world of Taoism, besides the world where people live, there are fairyland where immortals live, such as "ten caves, thirty-six caves and seventy-two blessed lands".
It is divided into three kinds of gods, and then divided into three supreme gods: Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun and Moral Tianzun.
Taoism has a huge god system, and it believes in many gods, such as Jade Emperor, Four Imperial Gods, Five Ancient Gods, Doulao Yuan Jun, Three Official Emperors, Four Valued Gongcao, Six Ding Liu Jia, Thirty-six plough, Seventy-two Underground Palace, Zhenwu Emperor, Dongyue Emperor, Bi Xia Yuan Jun, Guan Sheng Emperor, Huang Cheng, Land, Chef and so on.
Another important content of "Tao" belief is that Tao has eternal life. If you get it and keep it, you can live forever, which is also called "virtue". Virtue is gain, and virtue is gain. So people can practice Buddhism and live forever, and become immortal through enlightenment.
Taoism is reborn, cherishes life and pursues immortality. People can achieve the "unity of life and Taoism" through learning Taoism, monasticism and practice, so as to gain Taoism and last for a long time. They can not only enjoy the happiness of the world, but also return to the original, integrate with Taoism, return to the "baby", live in the fairy world, and reach the realm of eternal life.
In fact, the ultimate goal is for an immortal or immortal. Such as "alchemy", "yin and yang", "health preservation" and "martial arts" are just a means to achieve immortality!
LZ asked why religion and Taoism should be so unreasonably linked.
Taoism regards "Tao" as the highest belief and the ultimate goal of practice. Around this core, in the process of its development and evolution, the doctrine has gradually formed. Any religion has faith, and the interpretation of faith is teaching. In order to make it easier for religious believers to master the teachings, on the basis of the teachings, a few concise words or sentences are summed up to make it easier for religious believers to remember, which is called teachings and serves as a guide for religious believers in their daily practice. These teachings are compatible with all the teachings and do not conflict with them (Chen Yingning).
Taoism takes the thought of Tao Te Ching as its main doctrine, and advocates respecting Tao and morality, reviving harmony, simplicity, unity, quietness, kindness and frugality. Taoism believes that "Tao" is the noumenon of the universe, the origin of all things, the law of the operation of all things and the moral code of the world. "Virtue" is the externalization and function of Tao. Immortals are spiritual entities that follow morality and transcend the secular in spirit, body and ethics. Immortals are not only the embodiment of Tao, but also the model of human morality. Therefore, Taoists respect Taoism and morality, and expect Taoism to be true, wonderful in form and spirit, and immortal.
"My life depends on whether I am in heaven" is another important doctrine of Taoism. The original intention is that a person's long life depends on himself, not fate. Generally speaking, fate is not in the hands of others, not in the hands of some invisible mysterious force, but in our own hands, that is, life is in my hands, and wealth is not in the sky. As far as healthy living is concerned, people can achieve the purpose of prolonging life by taking medicine and guiding qi, and recuperate before getting sick to make their bodies healthy. The ancients said: nip in the bud, nip in the bud, and help the affected people solve their difficulties. This positive thought of "My life depends on my not going to heaven" is the fundamental guiding ideology of Taoist practice and changing fate. □
You can read more Taoist classics.