Reproduced from an undated publication in french ( according to bibliography must be mid 70's) and signed by a foremost scholar and specialist of China History and Chinese thought, in respect of the art of interrupting cereals in one's diet according to the Taoist tradition /religion.
" From the earliest date , the abstinence of cereals denounces the Lao Zi disciple"
"The Shi Ji pretends that Zhang Liang, after having largely contributed to install the Han dinasty on the throne , has abandoned the society of humain beings in order to initiate himself to the art of interrupting cereals and practice daoyin gym."
" The abstinence from cereal products persisted throughout the history of taoïsm. It was never excluded from any current, even the ones most influenced by Buddhism"
" The refusal to ingest cereals, even when it does not translate anymore in any effective practice, will nonetheless remain in the hagiography of the patron saints of the various currents, as the hall mark of entry into Taoism"
But wait, there is even better ( so much for our cooked paleodiet friends !!)
" By refusing cereals, Lao Zi followers were actually condemning a certain use of cooking"
"The cooking of meat and cereal culture both put an end to raw eating , in the same way as culture is only made possible thru fire"
" The Liji mentions indifferently the tribes who eat food without cooking and those who eat food without cereals"
" Bu huo (litteraly "un fired" ) has the same adverbial value as Bu Li (litteraly "without grain") . The two expressions are equivalent . They both indicate modes of eating raw ".
"Wang Chong compares the greenness of his youth to raw meat and raw fish, while old age evokes cooked or grilled meat, which cannot be brought to its original state. Senescence, like cooking, corrupts the flesh."
" Dried meat is a choice food of the Taoist anchorite, and the health of the disciple is displayed in his carnivorous appetite "
If you add to this, the fact that buffalo / cow's milk was (and remains for the largest part) entirely foreign to Chinese culture........
Having researched the history of raw dieting for a number of years (exclusively in the western part of the world though.....) , I must say I'm quite astonished to realize that the links between taoïsm and the main tenets of raw paleo diets remain untold or unheard of.
Or is your reading experience any different on this particular topic ?
