命门水火新思考

New thoughts on water and fire of life gate

历代医家关于命门水火属性有“命门属火”“命门主水火”“命门非水非火”的不同认识。文章通过梳理辨析各时期医家关于命门水火属性的不同见解,以道教丹经为旁证,从而提出新思考:“命门相火”之说乃古代医家取道教内丹学中“肾中生气为真火”的观点而形成,“命门水火”说亦受道教“心肾水火”观影响,然而皆非道教本意。就道教内丹学而言,人身命门之“一点元阳”原非水非火,元阳先天真气作用于心肾而化生为后天之水火。医家对于心肾不交之水火失调证候可用药物来调治,然而命门之先天元阳非药物可补。道教内丹修行强调“抱元守一”以生先天真水、真火,水火既济,从而达到祛病延年之目的。

Doctors of past dynasties have different understandings about the water and fire attributes of life gate.This paper analyzes these different opinions,taking the Taoist scriptures as circumstantial evidence.Thus,a new thought is put forward:The theory of the fire of the life gate was formed by ancient doctors from the Taoist view that true fire comes from kidney.The theory of the life gate containing the fire and water was also influenced by the Taoist view that heart and kidney contain the fire and water.But it was not the original intention of Taoism.As far as Taoism is concerned,the Yuanyang of the life gate is neither water nor fire,it acts on the heart and kidney and turns into the acquired water and fire.Doctors can treat the syndrome of water fire imbalance with drugs.However,the innate Yuanyang of life gate can not be supplemented by drugs.The Taoist practice emphasizes the combination of the innate water and fire,so as to eliminate diseases and prolong life.