Myth stories don't talk about the existence of gods, immortals and souls.

First, talk about monsters and monsters.

This word is often called monster in the west, which generally refers to scary-looking animals or orcs, but it is often collectively called monster in the East. Monster is a general derogatory term, which refers to all non-supernatural, non-immortal and non-ghost objects that have been cultivated by animals and plants and have been transformed into human beings (some may not necessarily be transformed into human beings).

Among them, demons are mostly cultivated by animals, such as snakes and demons, which are not bound by demons; Monsters are mostly cultivated by plants, such as tree monsters. But this is not absolute.

In particular, if animals and plants are fully enlightened by goodness in the process of cultivation, they are fully qualified to become immortals. Demons and ghosts are the evil consequences of the development of the cultivation direction of animals and plants to the evil side. These animals and plants are often called essence, avoiding essence in comparison, ginseng essence, etc. in the process of cultivation (that is, before they become monsters or immortals, but before they have certain mana). A little kinder than a monster, but it can also be called a monster (note

Second, talk about magic.

In a narrow sense, demon and demon are basically the same, but there are two differences. One is that the demon is far more powerful than the demon in mana. The average fairy is not necessarily his opponent, but a senior monster with a little anti-government nature.

The second is that demons may be corrupted by immortal heresies, and demons are native to animals and plants. Demons can move during the day and at night.

Third, let's talk about ghosts.

Many people put ghosts and demons together and think that they are almost the same, which is extremely wrong! Ghost is the most yin thing, commonly known as soul. The implication is that the dead body is gone, leaving only invisible units. Most ghosts are formed by the soul after death, and can only move in the underworld. If they return to death, they can only come out at night. Because the balance of yin and yang is broken and becomes pure yin, it naturally has a little more super power, but it is extremely weak. So the power of ghosts is very weak. Ghosts generally have three ways out, one is to be reincarnated as human beings or animals and plants, and the other is to suffer in hell. These two are the most common, and one is to be dismembered into a god. Generally speaking, people do more good deeds in the underworld, or cultivate monasteries, or be instructed by experts, or be deified, but they have no chance to become immortals, so they can only dismember themselves and ascend to heaven after death. In fact, these people have never been so-called ghosts. Ghosts can only move at night, which is absolutely impossible during the day.

What's the difference between gods, immortals, demons, ghosts and monsters in China's myths and legends?

Fourth, talk about immortals.

There is an old saying: the mountain is not high, but the fairy is in the spirit. Broadly speaking, there are five kinds of immortals, immortals. Fairy, earth fairy, human fairy, ghost fairy. Ghosts and gods can't live without ghosts, immortals can't live without people, earthly immortals can't live without land, immortals can't live without God, and immortals can't live without heaven.

Ghost fairy-detached from the shadow, the idol is unknown, the ghost has no surname, and the three mountains are nameless. Although there is no reincarnation, it is difficult to return to Peng Ying. Finally, I didn't ask for anything in return, so I gave up after being reborn.

Immortal-a person who cultivates truth, does not understand Tao, gains a method in Tao, gains a skill in law, has a hard belief and never moves. The misunderstood five elements of qi are qualitative and solid, and the prevalence of eight evils can't do harm. More sense of security, less pain, known as the immortal on earth.

Fairy-half the world, immortal talent. If you don't know the way, you will stop at a small successful method. Invisible work only seeks immortality, not death on earth.

Immortals-Immortals hate living in the world, working hard, connecting joints, introducing lead and mercury, and making gold. Jade liquid belongs to Dan, refined into gas, five gases welcome Yuan, and three yang gather at the top. Get carried away, the fetus becomes immortal. Yin essence and yang essence, there is a body outside. Exquisite and immortal, extraordinary and sacred. It is immortal to refuse to return to the three mountains.

Fairy-Fairy hates living in the world, working hard and being detached from things, so she is called a fairy. Immortals hate living in Mishima and preaching to the world. He made meritorious deeds on the road, but the world did deeds and fulfilled his deeds. He was called a fairy when he was sent back to the cave by gobbledygook. As a fairy, if you are tired of living in caves, you should be a fairy official: a water official, a middle-level official, and a heaven official. Heaven and earth have great achievements, and ancient times have great achievements. Official promotion, 36 holes in a row, returned to the sunny day of 81, and returned to the nihilistic nature of Sanqing.

From the ghost fairy, the level deepens.

There is also a fairy, but it is different from fairy, fairy, fairy, fairy and ghost fairy. "Immortality Dafa" belongs to the way of cultivation and the realm of cultivation, but almost no one says it now.

In a narrow sense, immortals refer to immortals and secular immortals. Here we only talk about immortals in a narrow sense, that is, immortals different from gods. The concept of immortals is also purely religious. In a word, it is exclusive to Taoism. No matter whether it is a Taoist or immortal, it is always closely related to Taoism. Fairy is a person who is sanctified in the flesh and has perfect merits. Everything can be immortal. There are two ways to become immortal.

The first is passive immortality, which people, animals, plants and even non-living things can do. For example, being touched by immortals, being infected by immortals, taking Taoist fairy medicine, or growing up in an environment that absorbs the aura of heaven and earth can make objects immortal. There are many examples here, so I won't give them.

The second is to actively cultivate immortality. "Anyone who has nine tricks can cultivate immortality", so only people and a few animals can cultivate immortality. When you believe in Taoism, actively practice authentic magic, do more good deeds, and those who are destined can cultivate immortality. But it must be an authentic magic method. If you practice the side door, even if you succeed, you can't become a fairy road, only a demon.

What's the difference between gods, immortals, demons, ghosts and monsters in China's myths and legends?

After becoming an immortal, if it is not officially recognized, it can only be regarded as scattered immortals, and it has not entered the real stream, but it is already a happy and immortal body. If it is officially recognized, it will enter the true stream and become a true fairy. At this time, you can choose to be an official or not. After all, you are a fairy who is self-cultivation and refuses to obey the jade emperor. At this time, you can find a famous island in Xianshan, entertain yourself, play chess, drink and visit friends all day, and have nothing to do, listen to the Buddha's lectures and be in the world. It was really fun!

As early as the pre-Qin period, fairy tales had been widely circulated in central China. "Zhuangzi Xiaoyao Tour" said: "The mountain you shoot at is inhabited by gods, and your skin is like ice and snow, and you are as graceful as a virgin. Don't eat grains, suck the wind and drink dew, ride the clouds and descend the dragon, and travel around the world. " In Yanqi seaside area, it is said that there are three sacred mountains, Penglai, Abbot and Liuzhou. There are immortals and medicines on the mountain. Animals are all white, and the palaces they live in are all made of gold and silver. There are also many vivid descriptions of immortals in Biography of Immortals: or bending over into the clouds. Flying without wings; Or ride a dragon in the clouds and build a day order; Or become a bird and beast, floating in the clouds; Or sneak in rivers and seas and soar in famous mountains; Or get angry when you take it, and get rid of it; Or go in and out of the world without knowing it, or hide from it. Immortals can go into the ground, dive into rivers and be invisible. They can do anything.

The immortal system in the earliest Taoist classic "Taiping Jing" has six levels: "One is a god, the other is a real person, the third is a fairy, the fourth is a Tao, the fifth is a saint, and the sixth is a sage, all of which help heaven. God is God, real people are landlords, immortals are wind and rain masters, Taoist bishops are good or bad, saints care for the people, sages help saints, and people help Liuhe. " In Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong's "Bao Puzi" divided immortals into three classes: "A staff sergeant is called an immortal when he holds a lofty position; Middle-earth traveled to famous mountains and was called the earth fairy; The corporal dies first and dies, which is called the corpse to solve the fairy. " "Tianzang" divides immortals into five categories; People call it a fairy in the sky, a fairy on the earth, a daffodil in the water, and a fairy who can turn magical powers. Taizhenke is divided into nine categories: Shangxian, Gaoxian, Daxian, Shenxian, Xuanxian, Xian Zhen, Linghe and Magistrate.

According to the Seven Signs of the Cloud, Taoism has 36 days (four days in the Holy Land, four days in Brahma, and twenty-eight days in the Three Realms), and these 36 days have been ruled by Sambo Jun, whose desires are "lust" and "intercourse of yin and yang, life". Above the desire world, there is a color world, no color world, "people live forever", but life and death are not broken. Four Brahma, also known as the human heaven and the holy disciple heaven, "life and death are difficult." Sanqing is the home of nine saints, nine true immortals.

According to the Taoist scriptures, there are ten continents and three islands in the vast Baluhai, all of which are sparsely populated. Where immortals travel, there is fairy grass. Shizhou is Zuzhou, Yingzhou, Xuanzhou, Yanzhou, Changzhou, Yuanzhou, Liuzhou, Shengzhou, Fenglin and Juku. The three islands are Kunlun, abbot and Pengqiu. Among the famous mountains on the earth, there are ten caves, thirty-six caves and seventy-two blessed places, ruled by immortals and real people. Among them, the ten holes and the thirty-six holes are places where God sent immortals to rule. Seventy-two blessed places, between famous mountains and great rivers, are governed by real people and taught by gods, and there are many ways.

Taoism believes that immortals are real, and a large number of fairy tales, stories and stories in Taoism demonstrate the existence of immortals with vivid examples. Ge Hong's "On Immortals" and "On Vulgarity" in Bao Puzi's Inner Chapter refute all kinds of views that doubt the existence of immortals and demonstrate that immortals exist. Some people think that there must be death in existence and death in life. This is human common sense. "I've never heard of it in the spring of ten thousand years. I've been watching it for a long time." "Bao Puzi" said: "The husband often lives and dies, and the reason is average. Their similarities and differences are uneven, possibly impossible and varied. It's strange, it's unreasonable, and things are wrong. If you don't take it, you can't take it. " It is believed that heaven and earth are infinite and electric cranes last forever, so not all people and things follow the law of life and death. Some people start from the fact that all people are born with natural gas and come to the conclusion that all people are born with life and death. Bao Puzi pointed out that people are different and things are changing, so there are special people who can become immortals. Most secular people don't "know", don't "walk the streets", don't believe in immortals, and are obsessed with fame and fortune. Nature can't be immortal, and you can't see immortals.

The chapter "Duishu" continues to prove the existence of immortals. Someone said, "A turtle can sting in the soil, and a crane can fly, so that people can sting in an instant, but not fly in an instant. How do they know their longevity and safety? " Bao Puzi pointed out that although people can't "stay in the soil" or "fly in the sky", among all things, people are the most spiritual and have their own advantages over animals. "Real people only learn the Tao today to prolong their life, but they can learn when they eat and rest, and they can't learn when they fly in the sky", which does not prevent them from cultivating immortality.

Taoism says that everyone has a way, "My life is in my absence", and everyone can cultivate immortality. First of all, Tao gives birth to all things, Tao lives in all things, and Tao is eternal. "Tao is invisible, so it can be made clear because of its birth" (see Neiguan Jing of Taishang Laojun) and "Life is different from Tao" (see Old Xiangzi Jules), so the "students" who keep the Tao can be as eternal as the Tao. "Deep-rooted" means "long-term vision". Zhi Li, the Inner Chapter of Bao Puzi, said, "Madam is angry with people. As for everything in the world, nothing is born against the air. " Therefore, as long as you believe in it, keep it, and in the final analysis, you can live forever and become immortal.

Secondly, use the theory of the relationship between form and spirit to prove that you can cultivate immortality. Through the change of things and the action of drugs, it is analogized that immortals can succeed, immortals exist and immortals can learn. To this end, Taoism has formed a complete set of immortal theory and cultivation methods.

What's the difference between gods, immortals, demons, ghosts and monsters in China's myths and legends?

Laozi, Lao Dan, also known as Li Er, was a real person in history and a thinker in the late Spring and Autumn Period. With the development of Taoism, the deification of Laozi became more and more serious, thinking that it was always the origin of the universe, just like the Buddha in the Yuan Dynasty. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the title of "Taishang Laojun" appeared (see Shu Wei's Interpretation of the Old), which later became the official title of Taoism. Moral Buddha is located in the third floor of the highest third world, Taiqing fairyland. The fifteenth day of the second lunar month is a god older than Christmas, that is, the old gentleman and Lao Zi, one of the three Qing Dynasties, the ancestors of Taoism.

Fifth, let's talk about God again.

The concept of God is not religious. God is different from Buddhism and immortals. It is a concept of belief and a concept of system, so we should pay attention to it. We don't talk about the ancient gods here, only the gods of later generations. Some ancient gods, such as Nu Wa, * * Gong, Zhu Rong, Xingtian, etc., are all born gods of nature, which are strictly different from the so-called gods of later generations, commonly known as great gods or ancient great gods. The five immortals in a broad sense are gods and ghosts of heaven and earth. The immortals mentioned above refer to the two immortals of heaven and earth, and the immortals mentioned here refer to immortals and ghost immortals. God is a person who works in heaven or hell after death. Please note that after death, the implication is that God must have been formed after the death of his soul, and he didn't take his mortal body with him, but generally worked in heaven. For example, the last one on the list of gods is God.

People who become gods don't need a religious background, study and practice related religious classics, and don't need to be a Taoist or a monk. As long as you are predestined, or a very good person among the dead, or a person who has done more good deeds, or a person who is respected by the people on earth, you may be sealed as a god by heaven after death and serve as an official in heaven or hell. For example, Bao Zheng, Wen Tianxiang, Guan Yu and others in later generations did not believe in the truth or practice. Because Shi Yang had great influence and was excellent, they were absorbed as gods after their death. Therefore, the concept of God is not a pure Taoist concept, which is different from the immortal Buddha, but it is often ignored by many people.

Although today's heaven is a place where immortals and gods live together, there was no god in the world at that time. Before Dayu's flood control, there were only primitive Nuwa, Shennong and primitive Buddha between heaven and earth, all of which belonged to immortals. Heaven was originally a land of immortals, and immortals of the immortal class were in charge of heaven and earth, but we can see that everything was badly managed. The sky were to fall apart, and the water was tight. The king's wife died last month. Strange things can't be managed, so the immortals must have a team to manage heaven and earth for them, and they will have a good time themselves. This team is God. Now everyone knows that the so-called list of gods is not about a prehistoric war, but a great recruitment of talents.

However, we have to say that god is not as good as a fairy in all aspects! First of all, God doesn't take it for granted. God has been sealed. Secondly, once you become a god, your attributes are doomed, and you can only do this for a lifetime (Vulcan can only be a fire attribute, and Thor can only be Thor). Finally, the responsibility and ability after becoming a god has nothing to do with the cultivation in front of you, no matter whether you were an ordinary person or a child in the ninth century! This is quite unfair to those who want to become immortals, especially those who have practiced for hundreds of years. So in the list of gods, we can see that the leader of Tian Tong told all cave students to keep the cave well, and never go out of the cave to make trouble during that time to avoid being dragged into the list of gods.

After sealing the gods, the original great gods were all happy. Nu Wa threw the burden of marriage to Yue Lao, and the worker threw Hebo a cup full of water, took off God's coat and went on a trip happily. We can classify them now. Those who want to do practical things (it's raining, it's sunny, it's sending their sons to marry their daughters) but those who have jobs and no rights are immortals, and those who do nothing are immortals.

What's the difference between gods, immortals, demons, ghosts and monsters in China's myths and legends?

Having said so much above, especially about immortals, it is inevitable to fall into the old-fashioned question of which level is higher, immortals or immortals. In fact, that is to confuse the level of official position with the perfection of practice. The problem with the immortal level is that they have different degrees of perfection and different ways to achieve positive results. One is sanctified in the flesh, and the other is soaring after death. Immortals are indeed higher than gods and perfection. But it has nothing to do with the so-called official positions, such as the Northern Emperor, Mount Taishan Tianqi Renshengdi and other gods, all of which have high ranks, far higher than ordinary immortals, what's more, ordinary immortals have not held public office!

Sixth, finally talk about the system of heaven.

Heaven is actually a country with obvious political division of labor, with the Jade Emperor as the head of state and government, focusing on God and absorbing some Taoist immortals and Buddhists. The Jade Emperor is a Taoist concept. After the immortals and buddhas formed China, they pushed the Jade Emperor to govern China. From this point of view, both Taozu and Buddha are nominally slaves of the Jade Emperor, which is obvious in the westward journey. When Guanyin Bodhisattva mentioned the Jade Emperor, she said it was an order.

After the list of gods was drawn up, the heaven was composed of 365 gods, ruled by the Jade Emperor. However, in the long reform, many departments and many official positions appeared in the sky, such as Bi. In this way, more gods are needed, so many excellent dead people are absorbed into heaven to be officials after their death.

Heaven was originally composed of immortals, and its mana was not as good as that of immortal Buddha. However, when the ranks of God have grown, and there is a considerable organizational scale, even the army, it has become a government with real power. At this time, the two big families, Xianhe and Buddha, though dismissive of China, had to face up to it, because China was the only legitimate government.

Therefore, Xian showed his attitude and was willing to respect the Jade Emperor, and placed a large number of elites in heaven, such as Emperor Zhenwu and Emperor Donghua. Even Daozu was hired as the chief consultant by Tiandao. However, heaven only assigns people to justice heaven and earth, and his dignity must not be lost. Therefore, although the old gentleman is an ancestor and the elder brother of Sanqing, after he became a consultant to heaven, he took the initiative to fall to the end of Sanqing in order to protect the dignity of heaven. Later, Buddhism also respected the Jade Emperor, hoping to establish a coalition government, and set aside a group of elites, such as the Four Heavenly Kings, to serve in heaven, thus forming the situation that the immortal Buddha was in charge of heaven. The Jade Emperor is the leader of heaven pushed by * * * *, and the Taoist Buddha is willing to be a minister, so heaven has a great future.

The grades of demon, demon, ghost, monster, fairy, Buddha, god and spirit

The highest level-Buddha: the word "Buddha" in Sanskrit is the abbreviation of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Broadly speaking, it can also mean that the practitioner has fully understood. After the Buddha was born, he immediately took seven steps east, west, south and north. Every step, lilies appeared everywhere to take over the Buddha's feet. The Buddha pointed to the sky and then to the ground and said, "I am the only one in the world." All three worlds are suffering, so I should be safe. This is the origin of the Buddha's appearance in the world as a Buddha. Thus, "Buddha" occupies a supreme position in China mythology!

The second level-immortals, in China culture, immortals absorbed the concept of God, got rid of the bondage of everything in the world through reincarnation, and wandered between universes beyond time and space. They are immortal and omnipotent, and they are with heaven and earth. Among them, there are immortals who created the world, and there are flying immortals (immortals) who have achieved positive results-although many immortals still retain many of their own thoughts and characteristics. From these concepts, we can know that the immortals in China mythology are closer to the gods in other foreign myths, but there are also some differences, which we will talk about later. The so-called enlightenment and immortality. As the highest realm of Taoism in China mythology, immortals have always had the highest status. Even in the works of Journey to the West, which are mainly based on Buddhist concepts, we can see the scenes where these immortals and buddhas sit together. Today, many southern coastal cities and famous mountains still worship immortals-although many people have confused the concept of immortals.

The third level-in China culture, the concept of "God" is not religious, which is different from the concepts of "God" in the west and "Buddha" and "immortal" in China. God is a belief concept and an institutional concept, which should be paid more attention to. One is the legendary creator and ruler inherent in heaven. Second, people who go to work in heaven or hell after death are sealed. Please note that after death, the implication is that God must have been formed after the death of his soul, and he didn't take his dead body away, but generally worked in heaven. For example, the last seal on the list of gods is God. People who become gods don't need a religious background, study and practice related religious classics, and don't need to be a Taoist or a monk. As long as you are predestined, or a very good person among the dead, or a person who has done more good deeds, or a person who is respected by the people on earth, you may be sealed as a god by heaven after death and serve as an official in heaven or hell. For example, Bao Zheng, Wen Tianxiang, Guan Yu and others in later generations did not believe in the truth or practice. Because Shi Yang had great influence and was excellent, they were absorbed as gods after their death.

What's the difference between gods, immortals, demons, ghosts and monsters in China's myths and legends?

The fourth level-magic, is the voice of India. There are two words, the so-called Moro. China's translation means you can kill people, because it takes away the law, body and wisdom of all sentient beings, so that future generations who have entered the magic road will never succeed in the expectation of Buddhism and Taoism. It is also called a homicidal maniac, because the merits of killing all living beings are rich, and the subtle sexual virtue can never be proved. It is also called obstacle, because the obstacle to the future of monks can never be moral diligence. Also known as Li, because it is a different name from the devil in heaven, it has great power and can be difficult for people who practice the law of life. Also called the wicked, because they are passionate, want to live and die, and kill all the good roots in the world. Also known as evil pole, because of relying on Buddhism, it gained good benefits, not paying for drinking water, but ungrateful and ruined. Also called foil, because it looks like a flower, it looks like a flower, but it actually hits an arrow. Also known as the Five Arrows, due to the five dust stains, the good roots of the law are broken from five roots. You know, arrows can kill people, and demons are more powerful than arrows.

Level 5-Demons generally refer to all natural phenomena that human beings can't understand, abnormal behaviors beyond common sense, or individuals (energy bodies) that can exert incredible power, including all kinds of ghosts and changing things, and belong to a supernatural existence. People often associate demons with legendary creatures such as monsters and ghosts in the west. For example: the serial fox demon, snake essence, tree demon and so on.

Level 6-Saint: (1) King of the ancient world. It is also an extreme name for the emperor or queen mother, so there are seventy-one saints in the world, with different methods. -"Lu Chunqiu Cha Jin" 2 saints. Refers to the ideal person with high moral wisdom as mentioned by Confucianism. (3) people who are proficient in one thing and have made great achievements in a certain knowledge and skill, such as chess players; Poet saint

The seventh level-ghost, also known as the undead, is said to be the soul left after death, and is usually considered as the ghost of the deceased. Ghosts may not exist, after all, no one can prove it, but no one can explain that ghosts don't exist. Type of ghost: 1. Hungry ghost; Second, eat food; Third, blood ghosts; Fourth, ghosts; Five, falling into the water ghost; Sixth, the whistle ghost; Seven, headless ghost; Eight, zombies; Nine, oh, scorpion ghost; 10. Debtor; Eleven, still love ghosts; XII. Resurrection of ghosts; Thirteen, black impermanence; Fourteen, white impermanence, etc.

The eighth level-strange, first things, but they are different and frightening things from people. People are unfamiliar with things they don't know, things they have hardly seen in their daily lives; Or I have seen something similar, but it is very different from similar things, which makes people feel "how did it grow like this?" Because you are unfamiliar and don't understand, there will inevitably be mystery and fear. In ancient times, people often went fishing and hunting in Chuanze mountain area, and it was inevitable that they would encounter all kinds of strange "hundred things". It's like scary animals, plants and weather phenomena that many people have never seen on the Discovery Channel.