5 types of immortals – 五种神仙

Taoism 5 types of immortals

When one proceeds with practice, different practices lead one to become different kinds of immortal.  Master Ludongbin (吕洞宾), Daoist master from the Tang Dynasty (8th century A.D.), described 5 types of immortals: Ghost Immortal (鬼仙), Human Immortal (人仙), Earth Immortal (地仙), Spirit Immortal (神仙), and Heaven Immortal (天仙).

1) Ghost Immortals are the lowest of the five,liberated via yin, unclear in spirit, no name in ghost and heavenly realms, although out of reincarnation, cannot return to heaven.  They belong to nowhere, only cease to reborn.

2) Human Immortals have not realize the great Dao, they obtained one method, and in one method obtained one skill.  They practice whole heartedly, obtain pure spirit and chi, solidify form, immune from human world disease.

3) Earth Immortals follow law of sky and earth’s rising and falling, obtain the number for the manifestation of son and moon. Within the body, observe the changes in annual, monthly, and daily cycles. Understand the dragon and tiger, regulate Kan and Li, differentiate the purity of the water source, use different fire in different times, observe the two opposites, three cores, four phenomenon, five elements, set the six energies, collect the seven treasures, sequence the bagua, circulate the energy, refine the form and stay in the world, achieve long life.

4) Spirit Immortals are Earth Immortal who no longer interest to live in the world. They continue the practice, refine gold and jade, transform form into energy, five energies go back to the source, three Yan gather at the top, when practise complete form is forgotten. Yin ends and Yang is pure, they discover body beyond body, depart from form and rise into immortal, transcend ordinary and become extraordinary, decline the secular world and go back to heaven.

5) Heaven Immortals are Spirit Immortals transcend attachment to stay in heaven. They spread the Dao in human world, continue the deed until the divine work is done, then receive the heavenly summon to go back to the thirty-six heavens, back to eighty-one Yang heavens, to the three purest heavens.

当一个人进行修炼,不同的做法会导人成为不同的神仙。唐代的道人(公元八世纪),吕洞宾,就描述了五种类型的神仙:鬼仙,人仙,地仙,神仙,和天仙。

1)鬼神仙是最低的一种,通过解放阴,不清楚的神,天上和下界都没有名称,虽然离开了轮回,但不能回到天上。他们那里都不属於,只能停止投胎。

2)人仙还没有体会大道,他们获得了一个方法,在一个方法中获得一个技能。他们全情投入的修炼,获得纯净的精气,强化了形体,能免疫於人类世界中的疾病。

3)地仙按照天地升降的法则,获得日月生成之数。在体内,能观察其与年,月,日的变化循环。了解龙和虎,坎离,水源的纯度,在不同的时间使用不同的火候,观察两个对立的,三芯,四现象,五行,六能量,收集七件珍宝,序列的八卦图案,循环能量,完善形体,留在世界上,实现长寿。

4)神仙是地仙对留在这个世界不再感兴趣。他们继续实践,提炼金,玉,练精化气,五气朝元,燕三花聚顶,超越形体。阴尽阳纯,发现身外身,离性飞升,超越平凡而变得不平凡,离开世俗而回天界。

5)天仙超越了对天界的留恋。留世传道,直到神圣的工作完成,然后才接受天上的召唤回去三十六天,八十一阳天,到三清天。