Myths, legends, stories

[Sleeper]

Greetings, one and all.

 

I love reading stories about the Taoist immortals who catch arrows between their teeth, Christian saints who pacify and befriend animals, and other such things. I especially love the stories about Zheng San Feng. Does anybody have a yarn or two to weave about people, past and present, with awesome powers?

[zerostao]

sleeper, i enjoy listening to a good story teller as well.

is there some story or tale that you would like to share?

[BaguaKicksAss]

 

and

 

 

From: Liu Bin's Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang: South District Beijing's Strongly Rooted ... By Jie Zhang

[zerostao]

i hadnt heard that version bka but its a keeper.

[Sleeper]

“Nurture energy, forget words and guard it.
Conquer the mind, do non-doing.
In activity and quietude, know the source progenitor.
There is no thing; whom else do you seek?
Real constancy should respond to people;
In responding to people, it is essential not to get confused.
When you don't get confused, your nature is naturally stable;
When your nature is stable, energy naturally returns.
When energy returns, Elixir spontaneously crystallizes,
In the pot pairing water and fire.
Yin and yang arise, alternating over and over again,
Everywhere producing the sound of thunder.
White clouds assemble on the summit,
Sweet dew bathes the polar mountain.
Having drunk the wine of longevity,
You wander free; who can know you?
You sit and listen to the stringless tune,
You clearly understand the mechanism of creation.
The whole of these twenty verses
is a ladder straight to heaven.”
(Attributed to the Taoist Master Chang San-Feng, Translated and edited by Thomas Cleary)

 

 

 

...Another legend tells of one of the Emperor's sons who went hunting and encountered Zhang San-feng in the forest. The prince's curtiers ordered the disheveled Zhang to leave the area immediately, as his presence was disturbing the game and therefore the hunt. Zhang, quite literally up a tree at the time, politely refused.

There was a order given do dispatch the recalcitrant monk to heaven with a flurry of arrows. Several ace archers fired there bows at the target, but, to the prince's alarm, Zhang San-feng jumped off his branch and proceeded to catch and break all the arrows as he descended. When safely on terra firma, he returned the snapped shafts to their surprised owners.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

I gots a bunch of books to recommend at least:

 

Liaozhai Zhiyi or "Stories from a Chinese Studio" is a pretty awesome collection of "weird tales" from around 1700 or thereabouts, there are a few about old monks, exorcists and fox spirits.

 

Theres one legend about a Shaolin monk who was weak and his kung fu was so bad that other monks poked fun at him when he practiced. No matter how hard he worked his development was terribly slow.

One day, in frustration and anger, he threw himself at one of the Vajrapani (manifestation of Buddhas strong power, weilder of the lightning bolt, patron spirit and defender of Shaolin) statues guarding the halls and prayed for divine aid.

That same night Vajrapani came to him in his dreams and offered him a bowl of raw meat and tendons and when the monk refused Vajrapani manhandled him and force-fed him the forbidden food, laughing.

The next day he felt strong and powerful and when he other monks came to make fun of his kung fu he started running around the room and proceeded to run on the walls next. All the monks were of course awed and terrified at this and the monk later on became known for his martial skill and his strong body.

 

Im not telling it right but its reported in a book by a prof. Shahar about the history of Shaolin. Interesting book and quite a few references of old Shaolin stories about the monks, Vajrapani defending the temple against bandits.

 

Also, check out Bandits of the Marsh or The Water Margin, epic tale of hero-bandits based on some historical records from around the 12th century in China also, authorship is unclear but most theories puts its creation during the Ming Dynasty.

 

Also: Journey To The West, its kinda longa nd repetitive but its about the Monkey King, most of it is pretty cool!

Edited April 27, 2014 by Rocky Lionmouth

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

When your nature is stable, energy naturally returns.
When energy returns, Elixir spontaneously crystallizes,
In the pot pairing water and fire.
Yin and yang arise, alternating over and over again,
Everywhere producing the sound of thunder.
White clouds assemble on the summit,
Sweet dew bathes the polar mountain.

 

There was a order given do dispatch the recalcitrant monk to heaven with a flurry of arrows. Several ace archers fired there bows at the target, but, to the prince's alarm, Zhang San-feng jumped off his branch and proceeded to catch and break all the arrows as he descended. When safely on terra firma, he returned the snapped shafts to their surprised owners.

 

Also, check out Bandits of the Marsh or The Water Margin, epic tale of hero-bandits based on some historical records from around the 12th century in China also, authorship is unclear but most theories puts its creation during the Ming Dynasty.

Also: Journey To The West, its kinda longa nd repetitive but its about the Monkey King, most of it is pretty cool!

 

Yeah man!

 

Dat'z it!!!

 

xxx.

...

Edited April 27, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell