Stories from Ancient China: A Story about Taoist Zhai Ganyou

[Editors note: A Taoist is one who cultivates the Tao or "Way of the Universe"

During the mid-Tang Dynasty, there was a Taoist named Zhai Ganyou from Sichuan Province. Zhai started his cultivation practice on Yellow Dragon Mountain when he was little. At the age of 41, Zhai began to cultivate under the tutelage of a divine being and, thus, made amazing advances in his cultivation. When he became elderly, he was capable of divination.

He once shouted out loud in a busy market in Kuizhou, “Tonight eight men will come here. Watch out!” No one understood what he meant. That night a large fire burned down several hundred households. It was not until then that people realized “eight men” referred to the Chinese character “fire.” The Chinese character for fire, when taken apart, resembles two characters, eight and man.

One night Zhai Ganyou admired the moon with several dozen of his disciples. A disciple asked, “I wonder what is on the moon?” Zhai Ganyou answered with a smile, “You may take a glance at it by following the direction my finger points to.” Zhai pointed at the moon and then several disciples saw that there were golden palaces inside the moon. After a moment, the vision disappeared.

During the Tianbao Era (742 – 756 A.D.) during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor summoned him to the capital city and treated him with great hospitality. All the Taoists in the royal palace became jealous. They told Emperor Xuanzong, “Zhai Ganyou is an obscure Taoist from the remote Sichuan Province. Please do not treat him too well.” Zhai Ganyou smiled and placed his headscarf on the Emperor’s desk. He told all the royal Taoists, “If any of you can lift up the headscarf, I will bow to him and become his disciple. If no one can lift it up, you must call me teacher.” The Emperor ordered all the royal Taoists to give it a shot, but no one was able to lift the headscarf up. Only Zhai Ganyou could lift it up with incredible ease. Emperor Xuanzong was very pleased and gave him the honorable title of “The Taoist who reaches the universe.” Soon Zhai Ganyou returned to Sichuan and continued his cultivation practice.

Before I started my cultivation practice, I was awed by the ancient Chinese Taoists’ supernormal abilities. After I started practicing Falun Gong, I now have a different perspective. Zhai Ganyou knew about the fire in advance, but he was unable to warn people about it directly because no one must reveal secrets from Heaven. But today’s Falun Gong practitioners may tell the top heavenly secret that Heaven is about to eliminate the Chinese Communist Party clearly and directly to each and every Chinese person in order to save them from the deadly catastrophe. Who would have the temerity to do so except Falun Gong practitioners, who cultivate according the great law of the universe? Lao Zi said, “You can call the Dao [I teach] a Dao, but it is not an ordinary Dao.” Lao Zi was so right.