Ancient Stories of Cultivation: Qushe Deng

Taoist Cultivation story (vii) Qushe Deng

(Clearharmony.net) Since a very young age Deng had been cultivating with Taoists. Often he forgot to eat or sleep, and was totally immersed in the cultivation. At the age of 30, Deng settled down in the Anhe Temple in a small town called Songyang.

About 5 kilometres away from the Temple was a huge mountain called Mount Mao. The mountain was over 5 furlongs in height, and was said to be where Supreme Master Zhang used to cultivate the Tao. Deng admired the mountain so much that he built a small shed himself and settled inside to cultivate. Later on, fellow Taoists in the Temple also joined him in Mount Mao. Local people then started building dwellings in the area and worshiped the Supreme Master, the Arch-supreme Master as well as other deities.

In the southeast of the mountain there was a big rock, measuring twenty feet long and wide. The surface of the rock was very smooth. Deng often sat on top of it to cultivate. One day when he was in tranquillity on the rock, he saw a deity approaching him. The deity claimed himself to be Supreme Master Zhang, and told him that there were two righteous swords and a bottle of heavenly pills, which he could take away. Deng said to the deity, “This rock was made by the heavenly deities. Although I was given the heavenly gifts, how am I supposed to actually get hold of them?” The deity said, “As long as you keep up the diligent cultivation, one day you will naturally obtain the gifts.”

In three years time Deng obtained the Tao and became a deity. He then obtained the swords and the heavenly pills. Soon, there was a guy called Hua who gathered savage people to rebel among a disastrous starvation period. Hua heard that Deng possessed the swords and the pills, so he chained Deng in a shed. In was then hot summer and Hua did not offer Deng any food for over a month. A month later Hua approached the shed, assuming that Deng would have been long dead, actually discovered that Deng looked healthier than before. Hua had no choice but to let him go. However, Hua also kept the swords and the pills to himself. In one night there were great thunder and lightening, and the swords and the pills disappeared. It was later realised that Deng used his power to reclaim them upon the orders of other deities.

Later on, Deng lived in the mountain for a further 15 years. Local people could often see scarce animals, such as magnificent tigers, dragons and huge birds visiting him. Deng had been then in the state of Bigu (not eating or drinking) for over years. For those who wished to watch Deng cultivating, they were either confronted by angry tigers or poisonous snakes. Sometimes people could hear conversations from Deng’s shed, and they could smell some rare scent. They also witnessed 4 deities in the shed, 2 males and 2 females, who were served by golden servants.

Another 15 years had gone by and one day, Deng said to the fellow Taoists that, he was about to leave and that the chances of seeing him later would be rare. A few days later a colourful cloud floated in from the distance, within which were heavenly birds singing. Then there appeared flags and carriages by heavenly dragons and deer. Deng then boarded the carriages and left with the colourful cloud.

In both Taoist and Buddhist cultivation tales in China, there are many other consummation stories. “Rising into the sky in broad day light” is just one form of consummation. Regardless if the deities were riding heavenly birds, dragons or clouds, the consummations were equally magnificent and glorious.

[This is one of many ancient stories of cultivation passed down through history in China, taken by contemporary people as myths. These stories are not a part of Falun Dafa itself, but Falun Dafa is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and it’s ancient history of cultivation. These stories are included on Clearharmony because they can help place Falun Dafa within a rich historical and cultural tradition of cultivation.]