Ancient Cultivation Stories
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Ancient Cultivation Stories: Approaching Taoism Wholeheartedly
2004-04-20
He told the servant, “Just tell Liu Zhan I am Yi Ge.” The servant reported to Liu Zhan. Liu asked him what the visitor looked like. After he heard his description, Liu Zhan was very surprised and sighed with emotion. He welcomed Liu Qian to his cabin. Liu Qian still looked like he was twenty years old, while Liu Zhan, the exiled Prime Minister, was all white-haired in his feeble and declining years. Liu Zhan had mixed feelings of grief and joy. -
Golden Cicada’s Story Shows the Severe Consequences of Disrespecting the Buddha Law
2004-04-03Every being is equal before the Buddha Law. All those who show disrespect to the Buddha Law will have to face serious consequences, so Buddha Sakyamuni banished him from Paradise to the human realm where he would have to suffer from calamities and hardships. He arranged for Golden Cicada to be born as a human and to cultivate for ten incarnations in a row. On the tenth incarnation, Golden Cicada nearly drowned at the age of one month when he was put into a basket, which was placed in the river. -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: The Classical Story of Zhou Dian, the Insane Monk
2004-03-06Zhou Dian lived in the Jianchang region of China during the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Nobody knew what Zhou Dian’s real name was. People just knew that his surname was Zhou. When he reached the age of fourteen, he suddenly appeared to go insane. He started to beg for food in the downtown area of Nanchang City, and he said many strange things, which people couldn't understand. People then just gave him a first name of “Dian,” which means “insane” in Chinese. -
Ancient Stories from China: The Forewarning of Zhang Cheng’s Talking Bull
2004-03-03Unusual and strange phenomena are often taken as the gods’ forewarning of calamities. A newspaper in China published a news report how a local family had recently bought a gardenia that could make sound like a cricket. I looked up Chinese historic records and found a similar story. But the ancient story isn’t about a talking flower but rather about a talking bull. I hope that this story will inspire everyone to reflect upon the current situation in China. -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: The Taoist Huangpu Tan
2004-02-29Emperor Gao Zong summoned Huangpu Tan to the imperial court and asked what methods he uses to cure diseases. Huangpu Tan then answered, “A heart with no pursuit makes the body peaceful and healthy. An emperor with no pursuit makes all under the sky well maintained and ordered.” Satisfied with the doctor’s answer, Huangpu Tan was led to the Palace of Benevolent Tranquillity, where the Emperor’s mother resided, to treat her eye disease. The disease was immediately cured. The emperor was very pleased and offered him many gifts. But the doctor accepted none. -
Stories from Ancient China: Wei Xiaqing’s Supernormal Capability
2004-02-19Once when he returned home from an imperial court meeting, Wei Xiaqing met his cousins Mr. Wei Zhiyi, Mr. Wei Qumou and Mr. Wei Zhou. Mr.’s Wei Zhiyi, Qumou and Zhou had each come 24th on the national government official qualification examination, and were appointed as Lang Guan (a government service position of the 6th official in an ancient Chinese imperial court.) They chatted for a while on horseback, then Mr. Wei Xiaqing said, “What a coincidence it is for me to meet three Lang Guan’s today. Why don’t I try to foretell your future careers?” -
Ancient Cultivation Story: Missing The Opportunity
2004-02-17One day an old man showed up uninvited at the party. He wore rags and was painfully thin. The ten friends were in a good mood and they felt sorry for the old man. So they allowed him to remain and shared their feast with him. After the old man finished his dinner, he left. -
Ancient Cultivation Story: Being Selfless Even In the Midst of Danger
2004-01-13In the Jin Dynasty, a man named Zhang Chong lived in the city of Chang’an. He believed in Buddhas and prayed every day. One day a civil war broke out, and thousands of people fled from Chang’an. The refugees were captured by the army of a warlord, who slaughtered the men and carried off the women... -
Ancient Cultivation Story: A Meeting in the Mountains
2003-09-17Yuan Zi asked the scholar, “There should be some immortals in a secluded area like this! Have you ever met one?” The scholar replied, “There are about five to six Taoists. They come here every two to three days.” Yuan Zi said, “I would like to meet them. Do you think it would be alright?” The scholar said, “They don’t like strangers, but they do like drinking. If you can prepare one jug of good liquor and stay here and wait patiently, then perhaps you might have a chance to meet them.” -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: Immortal Li Zhenduo
2003-08-19This is a fable about Li Zhenduo, a woman who cultivated and obtained the Tao. She is said to have had supernormal abilities and to have lived for hundreds of years whilst never showing signs of ageing. Li Zhenduo was the younger sister of Li Tuo, an immortal who cultivated the Tao at the Long Qiao Peak, Jin Tang Mountain in Western Shu (today’s Sichuan Province). The people of Sichuan saw Li Tuo for many dynasties, over a span of some eight hundred years so Li Tuo was, hence, known as Li Babai. -
Emperor Tai Zong of the Tang Dynasty, a Monarch of Great Virtue (Part III)
2003-08-02Tang Taizong, the second Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, is widely considered to be the greatest emperor in Chinese history. The period of his reign (624-649) is called the "Zhen Guan Years,” which was one of the most prosperous periods of time in Chinese history. He is known as an emperor with great virtues. Here are some personal stories about Taizong that illustrate his character. -
Ancient Cultivation Story: Eight Hundred Coins
2003-07-24One night when the old monk had fallen asleep he dreamt that an old woman in black approached him, bowed down and then left. Before she left, she said to Shang Gong, “I just owed your temple eight hundred coins.” Shang Gong then woke up and felt very strange about what she had said in the dream. He then took a pen and wrote down the story on a wall in his bedroom. The disciples living with him had no idea what the story meant. -
Ancient Cultivation Story: Denying One’s True Nature in the Human World
2003-07-20The boy said, “I am Tai Qing Zhengren. The Gods think that you are a gifted person and they sent me down to make friends with you, so I could teach you the secrets of the Tao. But because you were so proud and arrogant, you could never attain the Tao. What a pity!” After he finished, the boy then disappeared. -
Tang Shao Remembers His Previous Life
2003-07-19Tang Shao’s wife once complained: “You have a great reputation and hold an extremely high-level position at the government. You should be cautious in your choice of friends. Li Miao is from a completely different class of society. I think it is very inappropriate for you to be close to someone like Li Miao.” After a moment of silence, Tang Shao replied, “There is a reason behind this that you wouldn’t know about. My predestined relationship with Li Miao is deeper than that of an average friendship.” -
Ancient Cultivation Story: The Chance Was Lost In One Thought
2003-07-18Li Yuan was a high-ranking counselor to the emperor. He once lived reclusively in a hut on Song Mountain, a famous mountain in China in order to practise solitary cultivation. During one cold winter night, he started a fire in his hut to warm himself when an elderly man with a huge hat came right into his hut for the warmth. After a long while, the old man asked Li Yuan, “Do you want to go with me? I know you are someone who has the will.”
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