Pengzu

Pengzu’s surname was Jian’s name Keng, and he was born on the 6th day of Liudan. His father was Lu Zhong and his mother was a daughter. Pengzu was the grandson of the ancient emperor Zhuanxu (the eighth generation of the Yellow Emperor). Sun). During the reign of Emperor Yao, because he offered pheasant soup, Yao granted Pengcheng to him, so later generations called him Peng Zu. During the reign of Emperor Shun, he learned the true way from Yin Shouzi and lived in seclusion in Wuyi Mountain. By the end of the Shang Dynasty, he was 767 years old (or more than 800 years old). Despite his age, he still doesn't look old. He liked tranquility since childhood, did not pursue fame, was not obsessed with worldly affairs, and did not deliberately dress himself up. He devoted his life to maintaining his health and cultivating himself. The King of Shang asked him to be a doctor, but he could not shirk the offer and had no choice but to accept the offer. However, he often used illness as an excuse to avoid going to court to listen to government affairs. He is proficient in the art of supplementing Dao; he often takes water osmanthus, mica powder and elk horn powder. He is usually taciturn and never boasts about his righteousness, nor does he do any deceitful and strange things to gain reputation. He also often travels around, never taking a carriage or horse. Even if he has to travel for hundreds or dozens of days, he does not bring dry food. When he comes back, his food and clothing are no different from usual. He is also good at guiding Qi and often holds his breath from morning to night. Afterwards, he rubs his eyes, massages his body, licks his lips and swallows saliva, and then stands up. Sometimes when the body feels tired and uncomfortable, he will hold his breath and treat the affected area, so that the airflow in the nine orifices, five internal organs, limbs and even hair will be smooth, and the body will feel as comfortable as before. After King Shang heard about it, he came to ask him personally, but he remained silent. He gave him tens of thousands of gold, but he accepted it and distributed it all to the poor people.

At that time, there was a woman named Cainu, who was also a Taoist person and knew how to maintain health. Although she was 260 or 70 years old, she still looked like she was 40 or 50 years old. The King of Shang invited her to the palace and built a purple pavilion and a luxurious house decorated with gold and jade for Cainu to live in. When the King of Shang saw that Peng Zu was unwilling to preach, he asked Cai Nu to go there, hoping to learn something about it. Cainü came to ask Peng Zu how to prolong his life. Peng Zu told her: "If you want to ascend to heaven and become an immortal, you need to take golden elixirs. This is the method used by Taiyi Bai Risheng, but this method cannot be used by kings. Secondly, you should cultivate your spirit and take herbal medicines. You can live forever, but you can't. If you don't know how to follow the rules, you won't be able to live forever even if you take medicine. I lost my mother when I was 3 years old, and suffered the Quanrong Rebellion. I wandered in the Western Regions for more than 100 years, and I am now dead. Yun has 49 wives and 54 sons. He has suffered many hardships and his harmony has been damaged. He may not have heard much about it in his short life. It is said that there is a Mr. Qingjing in the Dayuan Mountains who has lived for more than 1,000 years. He still looks like a boy and travels 500 miles a day." Cai Nu asked hurriedly, "What kind of immortal is Mr. Qingjing?" Peng Zu said. "He is not an immortal, just a person who has achieved enlightenment. The so-called immortal may be able to enter the clouds and fly without wings; or he may be able to ride a dragon on the clouds and reach the heavenly level; or he may be transformed into a bird or beast and swim in the blue clouds; or Sneaking through rivers and seas, flying over famous mountains, they eat vitality, eat sesame seeds, and enter and leave the world, but no one knows that they never interact with the world. Although they can live forever, they are far away from human love and happiness, and they are no different from sparrows that turn into toads. I have lost my true nature. I feel that taking glycerin and fat can connect yin and yang, make the joints hard, and have a lustrous color. I will age without fading, prolong my vision for a long time, live forever in the world, and will not be hurt by cold, temperature, rheumatism. If she is offended by ghosts and spirits, the insects from the five mountains will not harm her body, and she will not be affected by joy or anger. This is the best thing." After that, he taught her the techniques in the room. Cai Nu accepted them one by one and came back to teach King Shang. King Shang tried it and it was very effective. The King of Shang wanted to make this technique his own. Then he ordered. He killed all the people who taught Peng Zu's art and tried to harm Peng Zu. Peng Zu then ran away without knowing his whereabouts. King Shang practiced Peng Yi's technique and lived to be more than 300 years old, with the appearance and strength of a 50-year-old man. Later, the King of Shang got a beautiful daughter Zheng. This woman was very promiscuous. The King of Shang was too promiscuous and died.

Because Peng Zu was good at preparing delicious pheasant soup (pheasant soup) and presented it to Emperor Yao, he was granted the title of Dapeng (now Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province) by Emperor Yao. Our country's patriotic poet Qu Yuan wrote in (Chu Ci·Tian Wen): "Peng Keng pours pheasants, how can the emperor enjoy it? If his life is long, how can his husband be long?" This artistically reflects Peng Zu's role in promoting the progress of our country's food culture. outstanding contributions. Wang Yi, an expert on Chuci in the Han Dynasty, noted: "Peng Keng is Peng Zu. He is good at harmonious taste, good at pouring pheasant soup, and can serve Emperor Yao. Emperor Yao was beautiful and enjoyed his food." An additional note by Hong Xingzu of the Song Dynasty said: "Pengzu's surname was Qian and his name was Keng. He was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu. He was good at nourishing Qi, could adjust the tripod, made pheasant soup to Yao, and was granted the title of Pengcheng."

Peng Keng was the ancestor of the Peng tribe. Later, his descendants multiplied mainly because of his "Pheasant Soup Way", so he was respectfully called Peng Zu, and his descendants were called Peng Zu. Peng Zu's "Way of Pheasant Soup" gradually developed into "The Way of Cooking". Pheasant Soup is the earliest famous dish recorded in Chinese classics and is known as "the best soup in the world". A Brief History of Chinese Cooking 9 states that Peng Zu "was the first famous professional chef in our country" and "the longest-lived chef". He is still revered as the founder of the cooking industry.

Emperor Zhenwu, also known as Xuantian God, is the northern Xuanwu God revered by the people and Taoism. Zhenwu is Xuanwu, one of the four holy beasts. At first, his status in Taoism was not high. He was established mainly due to the political needs of later dynasties and became the Zhenwu Emperor. Especially after Ming Dynasty Emperor Chengzu launched the Jingnan Campaign and took the throne, in order to prove his legitimacy, he said that he dreamed of Emperor Zhenwu helping him. This was also the reason why he later built a large Taoist temple in Wudang Mountain.

The general name of the seven northern constellations among the twenty-eight constellations of Xuanwu. It has been recorded in the Warring States classics.

There is a sentence in "Chu Ci·Yuanyou" that "calls Xuanwu and rushes to his subordinates". Hong Xingzu's "Supplementary Notes to Chu Ci" Volume 5 says: "Xuanwu is called a tortoise and a snake, and it is located in the north, so it is called Xuan. The body has scales and armor, so it is called Wu. "① "Book of Rites: Qu Li" says: "Xing, the red bird in the front and the black dragon in the back, the green dragon on the left and the white tiger on the right." Note: "Xing, the red bird. Xuanwu, Qinglong, and White Tiger are the names of the four directions. ...The military marches on them and puts them on the top to correct the four directions and make the army orderly." ② "Huainanzi Tianwen" refers to the gods of the four directions and the four heavenly emperors. To match, he called Xuanwu Zhuanxu's assistant, saying: "The water in the north has Zhuanxu as its emperor, and Xuanming as its assistant...its god is Chen Xing, and its beast Xuanwu." ③Weishu "He Tu" regards Xuanwu as the Black Emperor's Jing, said: "The Black Emperor of the North, the god's name is Ye Guangji, the essence is Xuanwu."

Also said: "The Black Emperor of the North, the body is Xuanwu, he has a face and a head, deep eyes and thick ears " ④ Although Xuanwu's status as a god improved during the Han Dynasty, for a long period of time thereafter, people still regarded Xuanwu's image as a turtle and snake, and still regarded Xuanwu as one of the guardian gods of the four directions. For example, Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty's "Baopuzi Neipian·Miscellaneous Ying" said that Laojun Li Dan "has twelve green dragons on the left, twenty-six white tigers on the right, twenty-four red birds in front, and seventy-two Xuanwu in the back."⑤ As a guard. The image of Xuanwu in Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Zazu" of the Tang Dynasty is still a turtle and snake. The third volume of the book's "Sequel" says: "In the eighth year of Taihe, Taoist Zhu often traveled to Mount Lu and rested on a rock in a stream. Suddenly he saw a snake. Like a pile of silk brocade, it turned into a giant turtle. When I visited the old man on the mountain, he said it was Xuanwu." ⑥ Yu Ti's "Ling Ying Lu" of the Five Dynasties also recorded the story of people killing turtles and snakes and getting into trouble. It is said that this turtle and snake is "Xuanwu". God." ⑦It can be seen that until the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the status of Xuanwu God was still not high.

The prosperity of Xuanwu belief and the improvement of the status of Xuanwu God began in the Song Dynasty. Because at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, they were threatened by the Khitan and Liao kingdoms from the north. In order to increase their confidence in defending against invasion, they prayed for the protection of the great northern god Xuanwu. According to Yang Yi's "Tan Yuan", "In the opened treasure, a god descended on Zhongnan Mountain and... said: 'My revered god in heaven is named General Heisha, and together with Zhenwu, Tianpeng and others, he is listed as a general in heaven.' Taizong ascended the throne and built a palace in Zhongnan Shanyin. In the sixth year of Taiping's reign, he was granted the title "Yisheng General". From then on, Xuanwu, Yisheng, Tianpeng and Tianyou were collectively known as the "Four Sages". ⑨Dazhong Xiangfu (1008~1016), in order to avoid the taboo of the holy ancestor (that is, Zhao Xuanlang), Xuanwu was changed to Zhenwu. In the 136th volume of the "Collection of Great Imperial Edicts" of the Song Dynasty, in the second year of Tianxi reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty (1018), the imperial edict was issued to Jia Zhenwu as Zhenwu Lingying Zhenjun. "The Book of Documents on Zhenwuling Yingzhenjun's Title of Yousheng Zunzun" records that in the second year of Emperor Huizong's reign in the Song Dynasty (1108), "the title of Zhenwulingyingzhenjun was added: Yousheng Zhenwulingyingzhenjun". "Jiaoshe Kao" in Volume 90 of "Tongkao of Documents" records, "In the first year of Jingkang of Emperor Qinzong, the edict was: Yousheng Zhenwuling Yingzhenjun was given the title Youshengzhushunzhenwulingyingzhenjun." AE Taoism has always worshiped the stars, especially the Big Dipper, advocating that "the South Dipper is for life, the Big Dipper is for death." The so-called Nandou refers to the first of the seven constellations of Xuanwu. When the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty promoted the worship of Xuanwu for political and military purposes, Taoism also took the opportunity to add fuel to the flames and create various miracles for Xuanwu. The most prominent one is the fabrication of Xuanwu's life experience. "The Great Sage Xuantian Zhenwu Ben Chuan Shen Mantra" says: "In the past, in the Desireless Palace in the Great Luo Realm, King Jingle was good at winning the queen. She swallowed the sun in her dream and realized she was pregnant. Her mother's energy did not accept evil. After walking for fourteen months and more than four hundred days, he was born in the palace at noon on the third day of the third month of the first year of Kaihuang's reign. After he grew up, he left his home and passed away from his parents. , entered Wudang Mountain to practice Taoism, and after forty-two years of success, he ascended to heaven.

The Jade Emperor issued an edict and granted him the title of Taixuan, and established it in the north. The reason for the manifestation started from this point on. "The article in the "Biography of the Great Sage Xuantian" cited in the article "Jian Zhen Sheng" in Volume 19 of "Sui Shi Guang Ji" by Chen Yuanliang of the Southern Song Dynasty is the same as this, with only some differences in some words, which proves that the above text was written in the Song Dynasty. "The Biography of the Great Sage Xuantian", "The Great Sage Xuantian Zhenwu's Benchuan Divine Mantra", before describing Zhenwu's life experience, also called Zhenwu the incarnation of Taishang Laojun, saying: "The eighty-year-old ancestor of Xuantian. He appeared as Laojun once and transformed into Xuanwu eighty-two times. Therefore, those who know Xuanwu are the transformed body of Laojun and the experience of martial arts manifesting. "After this description, Xuanwu was promoted from one of the four guardian gods in ancient times to a Taoist god. He changed the turtle and snake that symbolized Zhenwu into the two demons that Zhenwu accepted. Therefore, since the Song Dynasty, Zhenwu's portraits and statues have been " "He wore black clothes, danced with turtles and snakes with swords, and his followers held black flags." In the Yuan Dynasty, the Jurchens from the north came to dominate the Central Plains, and they worshiped the Zhenwu from the north as the patron saint of the dynasty. At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhenwu was established in Beijing and other places. Wu Temple and Zhaoying Palace. In the seventh year of the Yuan Dynasty (1270), Xu Shilong wrote "The Miracle of the Creation of Zhenwu Temple in the Yuan Dynasty" and said: "Our country was founded in Shuofang, and its virtues are in the water. Today, we are looking at the four directions to build a state and a capital. It belongs to the water movement, and the moon is in full bloom, and the gods are suitable to descend, so the floods will be delayed, the prosperity will be prosperous, and the fortune will be prosperous, and the industry will have peace for all ages. This is a sign! In the same year, Wang Pan wrote "The Monument of the Zhaoying Palace of the Founding of the Yuan Dynasty" and said: "The country was founded in Shuofang, and there were four seas before it. Now the capital city is completed, but it is Ruilai grid. The divine principles are not mentioned. It should be based on the elephant, and Zhao Zhao is built!" "For this reason, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty upgraded Zhenwu's title of "Zhenjun" to "Emperor". Volume 79 of "Xuwen Tongkao" "Group Sacrifice Three" says: "In December of the seventh year of Dade in the Yuan Dynasty, Zhenwu was granted the title of "Emperor". For the Yuan Shengren and the mighty Yuantian God. "The worship of Zhenwu was particularly strong during the Ming Dynasty. Because Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was originally a vassal king in the north (King Yan) and wanted to raise his troops to seize the throne, he had to use the great northern god Zhenwu to "justify his name". The counselor Yao Guangxiao created the myth that Xuanwu assisted in the battle. Fu Yinglin's "Book of Ming" Volume 160 "The Biography of Yao Guangxiao" records that when Zhu Di decided to raise troops to "Jingnan", he asked Yao Guangxiao about his appointment, and Guangxiao said:

"Weiye, as soon as possible" My help is coming. Said:

‘Who can help? ’ He said: ‘My master. ’ After a few days, he said, ‘That’s it. ’ Then...

Sacrifice. Seeing his hair disheveled and his flag covering the sky, Emperor Taizong (Zhu Di) looked at him and said, "Who is this god?" ’ He said, ‘My master is the Xuanwu God. ’ So Taizong imitated his image, with his hair loose and sword in hand. "Therefore, after Zhu Di succeeded to the throne, he believed in Zhenwu very much. In addition to building a Zhenwu temple in the capital, in the tenth year of Yongle (1412), he ordered Longping Hou Zhang Xin to lead an army of more than 200,000 to build a palace and temple on Wudang Mountain, so that the incense of Zhenwu worship reached its peak. At its peak.

At this time, there were more and more Taoist scriptures that espoused Zhenwu. "Xuantian God's Enlightenment Record", "Xuantian God's Enlightenment of the Holy Spirit", "Xuantian God's Ruiying Illustrated Record", "Xuantian God's Hundred-Character Holy Name", "Tai Shang Xuantian Tianwu Supreme General Lu", etc. < /p>

In addition to promoting various supernatural deeds of Zhenwu, the above-mentioned books also further highlighted Zhenwu's status among the Taoist gods. During the Song Dynasty, Zhenwu was called the incarnation of Laojun, and during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was further called "Zhenwu." "The incarnation of Jinque", Volume 1 of "Xuantian God Enlightenment Record" says: "According to the "Hundong Chiwen", Xuandi is the innate Qi and Tai Chi. During the period of the Three Emperors, he descended to the True Person Taishi; during the period of the Three Emperors, he descended to the Immortal Taichu; during the period of the Three Emperors, he descended to the Immortal Taisu; during the period of the Yellow Emperor, he descended from the essence of Fu Taiyang and was conceived by Queen Shansheng, King of Pure Joy. , the pregnancy shows for one and fourteen months, then Taishang will transform into eighty-two. "His status is almost equal to that of the Sanqing, the highest god in Taoism. The "Hundred-Character Holy Title of Xuantian God" collected in Wanli's "Xu Dao Zang" arranges the titles given to Zhenwu by emperors and Taoist priests of the past dynasties into one hundred characters. The length of the title is, No matter among the emperors or other gods, there is no other one that can compare with it. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties advocated it, Zhenwu Temple was worshiped several times throughout the world.