Laoshan Taoist

Laoshan Taoist

(Chinese Classic Revised by BoSt) 

Once upon a time there was a young scholar named Wang Ch'i who was fervent about Taoism and so read every available book and practiced daily to be an ardent Taoist. Somewhere along the way he’d learned that there were many immortals living on Mount Laoshan, so he undertook the long arduous journey there. When he reached the summit of the mountain, true enough he spotted a secluded monastery nestled in the woods. 

 He raced towards it as fast as his feet could carry him and pounded on the large door. As no one responded, he tried the latch and found the door was not locked. He hesitantly let himself in and when his eyes adjusted to the dim light he saw some ways in a distinguished Taoist priest with white hair hanging down to his shoulders who appeared to be in a deep contemplation sitting on a rush mat. Approaching tentatively, Wang kowtowed to show his respect and knelt before the priest in silence in order to compose his thoughts and allow the priest to respond to his presence. As the latter seemed impervious to Wang’s presence and no response was forthcoming, Wang cleared his throat then again kowtowing begged forgiveness for his intrusion then voiced his innermost desire to learn more of Taoism and asked the priest to be his teacher.

The priest’s eyelids slowly lifted and his pupils gazed straight at Wang for a seemingly endless time. His astute observation revealed that Wang, however sincere, was still too pampered to endure all the required hardships to be a proper Taoist. This simply put, failed to deter Wang. He was adamant and emphatically argued that he could adapt and learn new ways, being most willing to endure any hardship to do so. Therefore he was provided with meager living accommodations and was allowed to remain in the monastery for a time, depending on his progress. 

Early the next morning, the priest sent for Wang. He was given an ax and told to go with the other disciples to cut firewood in the forest. Wang happily obeyed. After more than a month of cutting wood however, Wang's hands and feet were covered with thick calluses. The sparse living conditions and the rigid schedule, the enforced quiet, to say nothing of the simple rations eventually took its toll on Wang. Unable to stand the suffering any longer, he began entertaining the idea of returning home. 

One evening, when he returned from his assigned task, he discovered two guests drinking wine with his master. It was already dark, so the priest cut a piece of white paper in the shape of a round mirror and stuck it on the wall. Instantly, it turned into a brilliant white moon which lit up the room. 

The few other disciples streamed in order to wait upon their master and the guests; however one of the guests, not standing on ceremony went forth, took a jug of wine and offered it to the disciples to drink. The jug was passed around accordingly, but the disciples were astonished to see that the wine in the jar did not diminish even after several rounds of consumption.

The other guest said:"It is rather dull drinking by ourselves. Why not ask the moon goddess to join us?" The priest nodded, then he threw a chopstick at the moon on the wall and a beautiful girl appeared. Less than a foot tall at first, she stepped down from the wall and grew to human size. She then proceeded to sing and dance gracefully. 

When she finished singing, she jumped onto the table and turned back into a chopstick. The three quests laughed heartily. They talked, joked around and drunk some more, enjoying a truly pleasurable time. Afterwards one of the guests said:"It has been a very pleasant evening. Will you all drink another glass with me in the Moon Palace?"The three guests ascended and in a flash they disappeared, seeming having moved their table up into the moon. 

 

Wang rubbed his eyes in disbelief at these phantasmal events. He looked up and strangely enough actually spotted the three figures drinking on the moon, their images completely vivid as though reflected in a mirror. 

After a while, the moon slowly dimmed. One of the disciples brought a lit candle and they saw the priest, once more manifest in the room sitting alone and the two guests gone. The remains of the meal were still on the table and the mirror like paper was still on the wall.

"Have you all had enough to drink?"The priest asked his disciples."Yes." they answered. The priest told them to go to bed early, so they wouldn't be late for their wood-cutting the next day. Full of wonder, Wang thought no more of leaving. 

Another month passed. Once again Wang found it hard to endure the daily grind and all that hardship, but he stubbornly refused to relent, for the priest still hadn't taught him any magic. One day Wang again approached the priest with his request:"I have been here for several months already. All I do is get up at daybreak to cut firewood and return at sunset. I never bore such hardship when I was at home."

"I predicted you wouldn't be able to stand it,” interjected the priest smiling, "You may as well go home tomorrow morning." 

Wang had a stubborn streak and would not give up so easily however, so he pleaded with the priest to teach him some small trick, any trick, to make it all worthwhile.

"Which one then?" asked the priest; nodding.

Wang had noticed that the priest could walk through walls and said that he would be content to know how to do that. The priest smiled and agreed. He taught Wang the spell and bade him to repeat it so he could walk through the wall. At first, Wang was hesitant; he dared not to make the bold move. “What if he got stuck inside the wall?” He envisioned horrifying images, with his head stuck outside or a foot while the torso was trapped within. The priest anticipating his fear smiled reassuringly and voiced his encouragement anew for him to try anyhow. Refusing to be a coward, Wang did as he was told and lo and, behold, passed through the wall unhindered. “Ye!!!!” Elated he turned around but he found himself outside the wall. 

Overjoyed, Wang raced around and went back in to thank the priest. The priest told him to be serious and not misuse the spell when he got home; otherwise, it wouldn't work. Wang promised to remain vigilant and thanked the priest for his instructions. Shortly after he took his leave and descended the mountain. 

When he got home, Wang boasted that he had met an immortal and learnt the art of passing through walls. His wife refused to believe him, so Wang repeated the spell the priest had taught him, backed away a few feet from the wall and ran straight at it.

Thugg!!! He hit his head hard at the wall! 

To Wang's surprise, the spell had lost its magic. He banged his head against the wall again and again, failing each time, and collapsed disoriented and almost unconscious, flat on the ground. When he got up a big bump, the size of an egg, started to swell up on his forehead.

His wife could not help herself and was doubled over with laughter. Wang’s face fell then grew dark, as he was consumed by shame and rage. Gnashing his teeth he inwardly cursed the old priest for his ingratitude and for the perceived betrayal.

Days and month’s passed with Wang incensed at the priest. Eventually reason took hold and he understood what had happened. With humility and longing he anew undertook the journey to visit the monastery. He followed the same paths and searched every corner of the mountain summit, all however without avail; for there was no trace of either the monastery, or the priest or the many novices.

Eventually he gave up and went back home but he was never the same. Often he would be seen as sitting outside in the garden, silent and staring at the moon. On occasion he would raise a cup to the moon and utter a silent prayer or a wish. 

The End

The Blue Moon

The Blue Moon

Mankind has always been fascinated by the moon and its effects on Earth. Aside from the tides the ancient calendars, chiefly the old almanac, depended on the many cycles of the moon to determine specific times for sowing and harvesting crops.

How is Blue Moon determined? When there are two full moons in one calendar month, the second full moon is called a Blue Moon.

Now, the Blue colored moons really do exist. They occur when there is an abundance of certain particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. The light from the moon, although it appears white, is made up from all the colors of the spectrum. These particles filter out and scatter the colors at one end of the spectrum (the reds and yellows) whilst intensifying the colors at the other end of the spectrum (the blues and greens). This gives the moon a blue or blur-green look, especially if it is viewed when low on the horizon.

Dust from forest fires can turn the moon blue and when volcanoes erupt the dust produced can have the similar effect.

The Blue Moon usually occurs in months with 31 days in them (occurrences in 30 day months are rare). They average once every two and half years. There are some people with ample imagination and lack of understanding that have attributed the Blue Moon to bad luck. There is no good or bad luck in its creation however, only power. It is how individuals use this power that turns things either good or bad. The second full moon (the Blue Moon) doubles the power of that month’s moon influence.

The mystical side of the moon, particularly the blue moon has always ignited the imagination of every indigenous people of every continent. In North America Native Indians had their own interesting interpretation of the Blue Moon; here are some of these facts:

North American Indians sometimes referred to the Blue Moon as the Snake Moon. As the animal totem for the Blue Moon is a snake it is therefore respected and not feared. The snake in every culture is, without fail, considered a fearsome creature. The Blue Moon being attributed the same power; it doubles the intensity of that time of year in which it falls. The snake is also a creature of change, and the Blue Moon heralds a time of great change.

The snake sheds its skin but the process heralds certain danger and difficulty. If the shedding does not occur in a timely manner and the snake fails to get what it needs to help pull the skin away from it the change can suffocate and kill it. If successful, however, the transformation can be most magnificent; for after the sloughing off the dead, lackluster skin the new one emerges gleaming so brightly that it can be seen even at night. Similarly in life, there are two sides to everything; the blue moon could portend beneficial or detrimental strength.

The Blue Moon is also considered a two- edged sword. It means that the person born under the Blue Moon will have much stronger power to utilize in their lives; but that power will also have the potential to weaken them twice as much as it would others. They will be doubly enlightened, but they will also have twice the trouble bringing their ideas to fruition. Be wary of the Blue Moon person, for although they are beautiful in nature, this characteristic boon comes with certain volatility. Give them wide berth until you can determine what kind mood he or she is in or, indeed, what kind of snake he or she is.

Water reeds are the plant totems for this moon, although sweet grass can also represent the Blue moon. Sweet grass can enlighten and cleanse the atmosphere, but too much can sour the air; it, too, has a double edge to it.

Iron pyrites or fool’s gold is the mineral totem for the Blue Moon. Real gold is malleable and soft, fools’ gold looks as attractive, but when one tries to mine it, they will find it is sharp and hard. Like the snake it doesn’t give it true meaning in its initial contact. Working it could hurt one rather than help one. Iron is the solid flesh of Mother Earth, and in this stone it is encased in the golden colors of Grandfather Sun, showing us yet again that this fool’s gold is not what it seems. Looking at fool’s gold, there is rush of greed and avarice when one should be more temperate and recognize that it is not what it seems.

An animal hide bearing the legend of the snake clan from the Hopi people of the southwestern United States. Before the famous Hopi snake dance, the men gather snakes from each of the four directions.

As might be expected, the snake associations figure predominantly among the Native Americans of the southwestern United States. This is a snake painting of whirling snakes.

Below is an old legend about the Moon and Snake:

THE MOON AND THE GREAT SNAKE

(From The Project Gutenberg EBook of Indian Why Stories, by Frank Bird Linderman)

The rain had passed; the moon looked down from a clear sky and the bushes and dead grass smelled wet after the heavy storm. A cottontail ran into a clump of wild-rose bushes near War Eagle's lodge, and some dogs were close behind the frightened animal, as he gained cover.

Little Buffalo Calf threw a stone into the bushes, scaring the rabbit from his hiding-place, and away went bunny, followed by the yelping pack. We stood and listened until the noise of the chase died away, and then went into the lodge, where we were greeted, as usual, by War Eagle. 

To-night he smoked, but with greater ceremony, and I suspected that it had something to do with the forthcoming story.

Finally he said:

"You have seen many Snakes, I suppose?"

"Yes," replied the children, "we have seen a great many. In the summer we see them every day."

"Well," continued the story-teller, "once there was only one Snake on the whole wide world, and he was a big one, I tell you. He was pretty to look at, and was painted with all the colors we know. This snake was proud of his clothes and had a wicked heart. Most Snakes are wicked, because they are his relations.

"Now, I have not told you all about it yet, nor will I tell you to-night, but the Moon is the Sun's wife, and some day I shall tell you that story, but to-night I am telling you about the Snakes.

"You know that the Sun goes early to bed, and that the Moon most always leaves before he gets to the lodge. Sometimes this is not so, but that is part of another story.

"This big Snake used to crawl up a high hill and watch the Moon in the sky. He was in love with her, and she knew it; but she paid no attention to him. She liked his looks, for his clothes were fine, and he was always slick and smooth. This went on for a long time, but she never talked to him at all.

“The Snake thought, ‘Maybe the hill isn't high enough?’ so he found a higher one, and watched the Moon pass, from the top. Every night he climbed this high hill and motioned to her.

“She began to pay more attention to the big Snake, and one morning early, she loafed at her work a little, and spoke to him. He was flattered, and so was she, because he said many nice things to her, but she went on to the Sun's lodge, and left the Snake.

"The next morning very early she saw the Snake again, and this time she stopped a long time--so long that the Sun had started out from the lodge before she reached home. He wondered what kept her so long, and became suspicious of the Snake. He made up his mind to watch, and try to catch them together. So every morning the Sun left the lodge a little earlier than before; and one morning, just as he climbed a mountain, he saw the big Snake talking to the Moon. That made him angry, and you can't blame him, because his wife was spending her time loafing with a Snake.

"She ran away; ran to the Sun's lodge and left the Snake on the hill. In no time the Sun had grabbed him. My, the Sun was angry! The big Snake begged, and promised never to speak to the Moon again, but the Sun had him; and he smashed him into thousands of little pieces, of different colors from the different parts of his painted body. The little pieces each turned into a little snake, just as you see them now, but they were all too small for the Moon to notice after that.

“That is how so many Snakes came into the world; and that is why they are all small, nowadays.

"Our people do not like the Snake-people very well, but we know that they were made to do something on this world, and that they do it or they wouldn't live here.

"I am tired to-night, and I will ask that you go to your lodges, that I may sleep, for I am getting old. Ho!"

The End.

Note: Blue Moon (in Toronto, Canada) occur on Friday, July 31, 2015 at 6:42 AM (second Full Moon in single calendar month)

A Heavenly Law

A Heavenly Law

To bless means to help.

 Heaven helps the man who is devoted

Men help the man who is true.

He who walks in truth and is devoted in his thinking, and furthermore reveres the worthy, is blessed by heaven. He has good fortune, and there is nothing that he would not further.

It is the law of heaven to make fullness empty and to make full what is modest. When the sun is at its zenith, it must, according to the law of heaven, turn toward its setting and at its nadir it rises toward a new dawn. In obedience to the same law the moon when it is full begins to wane and when empty of light it waxes again.

 This heavenly law works itself out in the fates of men also. It is the law of earth to alter the full and to contribute to the modest. High mountains are worn down by the waters, and the valleys are filled up. It is the law of fate to undermine what is full and to prosper the modes; and men also hate fullness and love the modest.

The destinies of men are subject to immutable laws that must fulfill themselves. But man has it in his power to shape his fate, according as his behavior exposes him to the influence of benevolent or of destructive forces. A thing to remember is this: When a man holds a high position and is nevertheless modest, he shines. He who requires much from himself and little from others could be secure from hatred.

I Ching

The End.