Taoist religious activities are very complicated, which are mainly divided into two categories, the five techniques of personal practice and Taoist rituals.
In addition, there are many Daoism in Taoism. For example, introspection, keeping quiet, keeping thinking, crossing the valley and other health-preserving functions are also classified as qigong.
The Five Arts is an extremely important part of the ancient culture of China, and it is the most important classification in the huge and complicated Taoist system (alchemy before Qin and Han Dynasties, witchcraft in western parlance). Generally speaking, it includes five categories: mountain (fairy), medicine, fate, divination and facial expression, and the latter three arts are classified as art. The basic components of the five techniques (mountain, medicine, life, physiognomy and divination) all come from the Book of Changes, covering time and space. Everything in the universe is antagonistic and can be transformed into each other, such as winter to spring, summer to Qiu Lai, sunset on the moon, old age and death, and so on.
Including Taoist self-cultivation (called Taoism) and Taoist rituals, including Taoist scriptures, confessions, fasting, rituals, spells, forbidden spells, seclusion, walking on stilts, exorcism, demon reduction, disaster relief, blessing, bedroom practice, immortal cultivation, divination and so on.
Taoism has become a Taoism, including inner alchemy, outer alchemy, feeding and housing. External alchemy refers to burning minerals such as lead and mercury in alchemy sand and medicine to make pills that can make people live forever. Modern so-called science thinks that most of these pills are poisonous, and there are many cases of death due to improper consumption in ancient times. Wei Dan is also regarded as the pioneer of modern chemistry.
Inner alchemy refers to refining alchemy in the body through qi-flowing, qi-guiding, breathing and breathing, so as to achieve the goal of immortality. The terms of Waidan and Neidan are the same, but their meanings are completely different. For example, the human body is compared to a furnace that burns an alchemy pill, but it is still connected in theory. The teaching of ancient alchemy is mostly passed down from master to apprentice, which is difficult for outsiders to understand. Calling the three dantian fields of the human body "three elements" is the view of Taoist Neidan studies. "After chaotic division, there is a ternary atmosphere of heaven, earth and water, which generates human relations and maintains the vitality of all things. People also follow the law, and the number is Sanjiao and Sandantian, in order to raise their bodies and give birth to their spirits. " Some people think that "Sanyuan" refers to jing yuan, Yuan Qi and Shenyuan.
Taoist rituals are collectively called "fasting rituals", in which fasting means purity and fasting means prayer, also known as Dojo. Taoism sacrifices immortals, because they think immortals are noble, clean and quiet, so they need to bathe and change clothes before sacrifice, and they can't go to the house, drink or eat meat or fast. Sacrificial activities are called "rites", and Taoist ceremonies have absorbed many Buddhist contents in the process of development (Buddhist ceremonies have also absorbed many Taoist contents in the process of development). Taoism believes that through these rituals, we can get rid of disasters and seek happiness. Divination is also a part of the ceremony, including divination, drawing lots, measuring characters and so on.