老子长寿神话的文化学分析

A Cultural Analysis of the Myth about Longevity of Laozi

秦汉以来,"长寿"的老子形象给众多学者和民众留下了深刻印象。在东汉之后的道教神谱当中,老子更由一个"善摄生者"一跃而成为养生术的鼻祖、仙丹的炼制者——太上老君。老子长寿神话的产生和嬗变与中国古代现实主义文化的运行机制之间有着直接而紧密的联系:一方面,"重现实、黜玄想"的文化特质使得早期道家哲学具有直观性、实用性的色彩和追求实用主义的倾向;另一方面,战国秦汉之际的历史神话化运动为早期道家代表人物及其哲学的神秘化、庸俗化提供了契机。

Longevity of Laozi has impressed most people since Qin and Han Dynasties. In the theogony of Daoism after Eastern Han Dynasty, Laozi became Taishang Laojun （太上老君）, the earliest ancestor of health preservation and the maker of elixir. The myth about longevity of Laozi related to the realistic characteristic of Chinese ancient culture. On the one hand, philosophy of Taoism has characteristics of intuitiveness and practicability. On the other hand, the movement of mythologizing history that took place in the Warring States Period made the early Daoist philosopher and their ideas vulgar and mystified.