Ancient Cultivation Stories
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Ancient Cultivation Stories: Confucius and Zi Gong
2006-05-06
Later Zi Gong served as an official in the state of Wei. Some people slandered Confucius. Zi Gong said, "Confucius is unable to be slandered. Other men of virtue are like the knoll and can be exceeded. But Confucious is like the sun and the moon and cannot be exceeded. Those people who slander Confucious can only put themselves in a hopeless situation. But they cannot harm anything of the sun or the moon. Moreover, it will also show that they do not know their own position." -
Stories from Ancient China: A Story about Taoist Zhai Ganyou
2006-01-20He 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. -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: To Be a Prime Minister or a Deity?
2005-12-20On that occasion, the priest was delighted and spoke amicably with Li Linfu: “I have been in this human world for five hundred years and saw your name listed in the register of deities. If you cultivate, you will rise up to heaven in broad daylight to be a deity. If you do not wish to be a deity, you will be a prime minister with great powers for twenty years. You go home today and give it some thought. Three days later, at the fifth watch we shall meet again.” -
The Iron Arhat that Fell Behind
2005-10-21The locals only had donkeys. The load was a little too light for a donkey if it only carried one Arhat statue at a time. However, a donkey isn’t strong enough to carry two. Even if the donkey carried two each time, how long would it take to haul five hundred of them? This worried the old monk a lot. He stared at those immobile Arhats, and spoke out to himself, “If you all could walk by yourselves, how great that would be!” Just as he finished his words, a miracle appeared, and those five hundred Arhats really started to walk by themselves. -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: The “Benevolent” Mr. Wang, a Buddhist Cultivator
2005-10-11The elderly man stopped him again and called out to him, “Hey! The Benevolent Mr. Wang! What is the matter with you? I thought you were a kindhearted man. We are predestined to travel together. How can you abandon your travelling partner and take off without even saying goodbye? Fortunately I got up early and caught up with you in time. Come. Come. Let me have a ride on your donkey!” The Benevolent Mr. Wang could not bring himself to refuse the elderly man, so he had no choice but to move half of the ash from the donkey again and carry it on his back so that the elderly man may have his ride. -
Transferring Illness: Cultivation Story of Buddha Milarepa
2005-09-01Master Milarepa appeared to be seriously ill. At that time, the doctor Caopu brought many fine wines and meats to pretend to provide him with support. When he went before Master Milarepa, he laughed at Master Milarepa, "Ha! Such an accomplished person like you should not get seriously ill! How did you get sick? If the illness can be divided and given to others, you can distribute it to your disciples. If the illness can be transferred, please transfer your illness to me! You are in such a quandary--what are you going to do?" -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: Zhuge Liang’s Cultivation Practise
2005-07-28He paused for a moment before telling his disciple with a stern look. “Let me tell you the truth about the beautiful woman. She is not a human being. She is a divine crane in heaven. She was kicked out of the heavenly palace as a punishment after she stole and ate the Queen of Heaven’s peaches. She came to the human realm and assumed the appearance of a beautiful woman. She is a depraved divine crane that knows only to seek pleasure. You have been beguiled by her appearance, but you have wasted more than your time. If you allow yourself to lose your will, you will become a loser! Moreover, if you refuse to comply with her wishes, she will eventually hurt you.” -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: Retribution in the form of a Living Ulcer
2005-07-05As years went by, Monk Wu Da remained in the capital of Chang’an and became more and more well-known. Emperor Yi named him the Head Lecturer of the entire country, and bestowed a heavy and expensive incense holder upon him. Wu Da became quite pleased with himself, thinking that he was now above everyone else but the Emperor. Soon after that, he developed an ulcer on his knee. The ulcer looked like the face of a human, and could eat like a human. It brought Wu Da a great deal of pain and anguish. Wu Da went to visit many famous doctors seeking treatment but nobody could help him. -
Chinese Folklore: An Eagle Catches Little Chicks
2005-07-01Since we live on earth, we witness the occurrence of natural phenomena everywhere. Ancient Chinese people observed the same phenomena but had different interpretations of the situations than modern people. Their understandings reflect their simple and unpolluted views of the universe. The principles hidden within are far more practical and beneficial than our modern science. The following is a classical tale, “An Eagle Catches Little Chickens.” -
The Story of the Great Buddhist Monk, Daxing
2005-06-29Monk Daxing’s reputation was immediately ruined. He was once a highly respected monk, but now he was known as a scandalous rapist in the disguise of a monk. Everywhere he went, people laughed at him, condemned him and cursed him. However, Monk Daxing seemed indifferent to all the insults. Everday he would stroll down Mount Jiuhua to solicit alms to buy milk for the baby. Under his attentive care, the small baby grew increasingly strong, plump and smart. -
Ancient Chinese Tales about Valuing Virtue above Material Gain
2005-06-09Ni Shan attended the qualification examination for government officials repeatedly but he was never able to pass it. Some people laughed at him. “You give charity to the poor people almost every day. Why does a virtuous man like you repeatedly fail the examination? Perhaps God is blind after all?” Ni Shan was not discouraged by the scornful remarks. He kept on giving money to poor people as usual. -
Guan Ning Neglects A Nugget of Gold He Finds in a Rice Paddy
2005-06-04One day while Guan Ning was hoeing the rice paddy, he hit upon a rock that turned out to be a gold nugget. He threw the gold out of the rice paddy and continued hoeing. Hua Xin saw Guan Ning throwing away the gold nugget and picked it up. He held the gold nugget in his hands and examined it from all angles and then looked at his classmate for a long time before he too decided to throw the nugget back to the field. -
Exploring Tang Dynasty Poetry: “My Villa at Mount Zhongnan” by Wang Wei
2005-06-02Wang Wei loved mountains and forests. He often took lengthy strolls in the woods alone to experience the feeling of being an integral part of the nature. It must have been a very beautiful and profound feeling, but Wang Wei found it hard to share it with others who were not in the same realm. This must be why Wang Wei wrote, “I savor the pleasant feelings with no one.” What he was truly saying is: “If only I could share this wonderful feeling with someone!” -
Ancient Cultivation Story: Guang Chengzi, an Ancient Cultivator
2005-02-12
Guang Chengzi answered: "The supreme Dao was originally a state of nothingness and profound. Its highest attainment was tranquil and indistinct. One can only experience it with rapt attention in a tranquil state. Once you achieve this, your body and spirit will naturally be upright and you will enter into a realm of peace and enlightenment... -
Stories from Ancient China: A Stubborn Water Bottle
2004-12-22Once upon a time, there was a water vase like ornament in paradise that was used by Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (or Guan Yin) to contain the elixir and a willow twig. The vase had accompanied Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in paradise for thousands of years and always thought that it was very important to Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. However, one day Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara suddenly picked up the water vase and said, “Vase, you have become filthy and may no longer stay in this realm. You must now leave for a different realm appropriate to your level.”
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