Tao chia and the eight taoist immortals

Tao Chia and The Eight Taoist Immortals

Acknowledgments

This is Edition 1.00 There will know doubt be updates and corrections made to this work book.

First a note about the cover, I chose it because I always meditate best when I'm riding my bike. In fact my Shagha jokingly refer's to me as the Biking Buddha.

That being said most of this book was conceived while I was cycling.

布雷特 – 阿倫感知郎 Bùléi tè - ā lún gǎnzhī láng ブレットアレン知覚ラング Burettoaren chikaku Rangu ‫ تصور لنج‬.‫بريت ألين‬ Lama B.A. NinChi Mu Shiki Lang Was ordained on 05/02/2014 and is now charged as Lama of the New Age Zen Taoist Kalachakra Sect. Also known as 'Unifhist' he is currently head master at the Murasaki Temple in Naples Florida.

The Eight Taoist Immortals and the Eight Trigrams of the Pa Qua

Taoism has come down to us from ancient times with a focus on being in harmony with nature. Its roots are in shamanism. Although there are many schools of Taoism, there are two main branches. Tao Chia (also spelled Dao jia) “the school of the Way” is the philosophical form of Taoism. This is the form best known in the West from Lao Tzu's classic Tao Te Ching. However there is another branch Tao Chiao (Dao jiao), which is older and means "the religion of the Way," and it is present wherever Chinese live. Tao, of course, means “Way, path, or way to truth”.

When westerners talk about Taoism as a religion, they refer to Tao chiao - often unknowingly. Tao chia has little to do with gods, the afterlife, and such matters. It is a philosophy for the here and now.

The two major sources to Tao chia, the Taoist philosophy, are Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, who both lived several centuries BC. Lao Tzu was the legendary writer of Tao Te Ching, the foremost classic of Taoism. Chuang Tzu has left behind a book named after him, with 33 chapters (whereof at least the first nine are regarded as of his making).

Taoist religion, Tao chiao, consisted of a number of rituals and traditions by which to prolong one's life, reach spiritual insight, and come to peace with existence. It is a very rich and complex tradition of mysticism and magical rites that emerged during the later part of the Han dynasty, around the beginning of the Christian Era. They referred to Tao Te Ching and other Taoist sources, but did so quite liberally, with interpretations that sometimes got very far from the texts they leaned on.

For example, their ideas about longevity were based on Tao Te Ching's chapter 33, which ends with a line that they interpreted: "The one who dies without perishing gets a long life." Findings of the 1970's in Mawangdui show that the accurate reading of that line should be: "The one who dies without being forgotten gets a long life." This form of longevity - in the memory of others - is an old wisdom also found in many other cultures.

Being in harmony with the universal laws and the fundamental natural forces or energies of creation is following the natural way. Tao or Dao (taʊ,daʊ; Chinese: 道; pinyin:Dào) is a Chinese concept signifying 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'. Within the context of traditional Chinese philosophy and religion, Tao is a metaphysical concept originating with Laozi that gave rise to the religion, Tao Chiao; Pinyin, Daojiao) and philosophy (Tao chia; Pinyin, Daojia) referred to in English with the single term Taoism. The concept of Tao was shared with Confucianism, Chán and Zen Buddhism and more broadly throughout East Asian philosophy and religion in general.

Most Westerners have never heard of Tao Chiao or the Eight Taoist Immortals. For those who have, they are simply the subjects of some good stories, but they do not play a serious role in Western lives.

But in modern China, the Eight Immortals are still a popular theme in artwork. Paintings, pottery, and statues are still common in households and public areas across China.

Statue of the Eight Immortals Penglai City Shandong

There is even a Temple of the Eight Immortals (Ba Xian An in Chinese, also, Eight Immortals Palace, formerly Eight Immortals Nunnery), as its name indicates, is mainly dedicated to the legendary Eight Immortals: Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, Tieguai Li, Cao Guojiu, Lv Dongbin, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu. Located on Changle Fang Street in the eastern suburb, it is the biggest Taoist temple in Xian and is a famous Taoist architecture in northwest China.

Temple of the Eight Immortals is also called Ba Xian An Palace because when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing in 1900, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi escaped to Xian and lived in the Temple of the Eight Immortals. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi donated taels of silver later to fund the renovation of the monastery and gave it the name of Ba Xian An Palace.

The temple is said to be built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and was repaired and expanded many times in succeeding dynasties. The structures that can be seen today were mainly built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Not counting Mountain Gate, Paifang, Screen Wall, the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, it can be divided into three sections. The first section includes five halls, dedicating to the protective god of Taoism-Wang Lingguan. The second section has two halls, and the color-painted statues of the Eight Immortals are worshiped in the back hall. The third section is the Main Hall with a tablet hanging on its lintel. The four characters 'Dong Tian Yun Ji' was inscribed on the tablet by Empress Dowager Cixi. Inside the hall, sacrifices were made to Dou Mu Yuan Jun (a high ranked god in Taoism) and other gods. Its annexes contain Lvzu (Lv Dongbin) Hall and Yaowang (King of Chinese medicine) Hall on the east and accommodations for Taoists on the west.

Besides visiting the monastery and burning incenses to pray for felicity, you should also look around the street outside the monastery. It's really a short street at a length of only 100 meters (110 yards) lined with two-storey buildings on both sides. Many curios like bronze mirrors, folding screen, four treasures of study, gallipots, porcelain and folding fans are sold here, most of which were commodities of the common people in olden times.

Temple of the Eight Immortals is a popular and important spot for Taoist celebrations in Shaanxi Province. On the 14th, 15th and 16th day of the fourth lunar month, the annual temple fair will be held. Ceremonious religious activities on the Double Nine Festival (9th day of the 9th lunar month) also attract a lot of adherents and tourists from near and far.

Tao Chia Has 27 precepts of Taoism  Have compassion for all sentient beings causing them no unnecessary hurt nor needless harm.  Refrain from needless competitiveness, from contriving for selfadvantage and from subjugating others.  When accepting authority over others know also that you accept responsibility for their wellbeing.  Value true friendship and fulfill your obligations rather than striving with egotistical motive.  Seek liberation from the negative passions of hatred, envy, greed and rage, and especially from delusion, deceit and sensory desire.  Learn to let go of that which cannot be owned or which is destroyed by grasping.  Seek the courage to be; defend yourself and your convictions.  Accept transience, the inevitable and the irrevocable.  Know that change exists in everything.  Negate the barriers to your awakening. Discover the positive in the negative and seek a meaningful purpose in what you do.  Be just and honorable. Take pride in what you do rather than being proud of what you have accomplished.  Having humility and respect, give thanks to those from whom you learn or who have otherwise helped you.  Act in harmony with your fellow beings, with nature and with inanimate objects  Know that a thing or an action which may seem of little value to oneself may be a priceless treasure to another.  Help those who are suffering or disadvantaged and as you yourself become awakened help those who seek to make real their own potential.

 Know that there is no shame in questioning.  Be diligent in your practice and on hearing the music of the absolute do not be so foolish as to try to sing its song.  Remember to renew the source in order to retain good health.  Seek neither brilliance nor the void; just think deeply and work hard.  When still, be as the mountain. When in movement be as the dragon riding the wind. Be aware at all times like the tiger, which only seems to sleep and at all times let the mind be like running water.  When you are required to act remember that right motive is essential to right action, just as right thought is essential to right words.  Beware of creating burdens for yourself or others to carry.  Act with necessary distinction being both creative and receptive and transcending subject/object dichotomy.  Know that you are not the center of the universe but learn to put the universe at your center by accepting the instant of your being.  Seek security within yourself rather than in others.  Know that even great worldly wealth and the accumulation of material things are of little worth compared with the priceless treasures: love, peace and the freedom to grow.  Allow yourself to be so that your life may become a time of blossoming.

The stories told of the Eight Immortals are used to teach these Precepts furthermore, the Eight Immortals have been linked to the initial development of qigong exercises such as the Eight Piece Brocade. There are some Chinese martial arts styles named after them, which use fighting techniques that are attributed to the characteristics of each immortal.

This presentation of the Eight Taoist Immortals is intended to show their roles in Tao Chiao and there relationship to the eight trigrams of the Pa Qua.

The Eight Energies Sixty-four Changes of Yin/Yang

The Eight Taoist Immortals relate to the eight subtle or transcendental energies of the universe. These eight subtle or transcendental energies are also represented by the eight trigrams of the Pa Qua. Coming into positive relationship with the Eight Taoist Immortals is a wonderful way to bring positive change and transformation into your life'. The Eight Taoist Immortals are eight Chinese saints, a manifestation of the eight subtle energies of the eight trigrams. The eight trigrams are the basis of the I Ching, China's most ancient book of divination.

They also form the foundation offing shui—Chinese geomancy. Each of the Eight Taoist Immortals is associated with one of the eight trigram directions.

The importance of the saints or Immortals, the deities or masters, is that they help us focus on or tune in to spiritual energy. It is the energy that takes us to the quiet place inside ourselves. Some chant sacred names, some focus on the sacred image of the saints or deities, some sing sacred songs, dance, and play the sacred drum.

In this presentation of the Way of the Eight Taoist Immortals, we use the Pa Qua as a focus on the eight subtle energies associated with the saints or Immortals that represent the eight subtle energies in nature, in the world, and inside ourselves. We bring these energies into balance as we focus on that still place within our own hearts that's linked to the quiet place of "I Am" within our minds. When we go there, time seemingly stands still and we feel at peace. This is the place we come to for help, for guidance, for shelter and nurturing.

When we incorporate the guidance and realizations we get from the teaching's of the saints, or Immortals, deities, or masters from this quiet place into every aspect of our daily lives, we spark the internal processes of self-integration and self-transformation to take place within ourselves.

Although there is a span of several centuries between the times when the Eight Taoist Immortals lived, there are stories of the Eight Immortals walking down a country road as they engaged in their pastimes together. These stories indicate the persistence of the legend of their longevity.

The important thing for us, however, is not so much how long the Immortals lived, but the quality of life they lived through their pas-times. By their lives, they show us how to transcend yin/yang. This is achieved not so by eating a peach of immortality, or taking a pill of immortality, but by following in their footsteps in our daily lives.

Each of the Eight Immortals has his or her own particular personality, and his or her own energy. It is up to those who choose to follow the way of the Eight Immortals to find out how they relate to each of the Immortals' energies. These energies represent the eight basic energies of the Pa Qua see figure above. When combined, bring us into the One. When all parts of our-selves, or all seven chakras, are working and balanced harmoniously with the eighth, all eight begin to function as one. The eighth chakra, above the head, becomes the first chakra in a new octave or dimension we call Tai Chi. In the same way, even though all of the Eight Immortals have their own temperaments and personalities, because they are balanced and living harmoniously within themselves and within the group, they each function from the One, in his or her own way. Or the One functions through each of them—simultaneously one, but different.

Or as stated in “The Identity Of Relative And Absolute” Sutra “EACH INDEPENTANT OF THE OTHER LIKE LEAVES THAT COME FROM THE SAME ROOT, AND THOUGH LEAVES AND ROOT MUST GO BACK TO THE SOURCE, BOTH ROOT AND LEAVES HAVE THEIR OWN USES.” So who are these Saints and what are their stories?

Lets take a quick look:

Ho Hsien Ku - North Hé Xiān Gū was the daughter of Ho T‘ai, of the town of Tsêng-ch‘êng, in the prefecture of Guangdong.At birth she had six long hairs on the crown of her head. When she was about 14 or 15, a divine personage appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to eat powdered mica, in order that her body might become etherealized and immune from death.

So she swallowed it, and also vowed to remain a virgin. Later on by slow degrees she gave up taking ordinary food.

The Empress Wu dispatched a messenger to summon her to attend at the palace, but on the way there, she disappeared.

One day during the Jīng Lóng (景龍) period (about 707 CE), she ascended to Heaven in broad daylight, and became a Hsien (Taoist Immortal).

Ho Hsien Ku is the only woman in the group (although occasionally Lan Ts'ai Ho is depicted as a woman). That there is a woman in this group at all is most surprising, for there is no tradition of female ascetics in Tao Chia and few senior female practitioners of Tao Chiao. She brings the energy of the Great Mother into the Pa Qua, and provides the nurturing energy of yin to balance the creative energy of yang. Ho Hsien Ku provides a way for seekers to connect with the Great Mother and receive her nurturing and protection. She was granted immortality because of her ascetic practices. She is recognized by her lotus flower symbol, meaning openness and wisdom. She is not venerated for her own sake. She represents the mystic female, the wise woman, Earth Mother who is the nurturer.

Lu Tung Pin – North East

His name is Lü Yán, with Yán (巖 or 岩 or 喦) being the given name. Dòngbīn is his courtesy name. He is called Master Pure-Yang (純陽子 Chunyang Zi), and is also called Lü the Progenitor (呂祖 lü zŭ) by some Daoist, especially those of the Quanzhen School. He was born in Jingzhao Prefecture (京兆府 Jīngzhào Fŭ) around 796 C.E. during the Tang Dynasty.

When he was born, a fragrance allegedly filled the room. His birthday is said to be on the fourteenth day of the fourth month of the Chinese calendar. He had been very intelligent since childhood and had many academic achievements.

However, according to one story, still unmarried by the age of 20, Lü twice took the top-level civil service exam to become a government official, but did not succeed.

Since the Northern Song Dynasty, there have been many stories and legends that are connected to Lü Dongbin. The stories were usually about Lü helping others to learn the Tao. According to the official History of the Song Dynasty (《宋 史》), Lü was seen several times visiting the house of Chen Tuan (陳摶), who was believed to be the first person to present to the public the Taijitu.

The kindness of Lü Dongbin is demonstrated in the Chinese proverb "dog bites Lü Dongbin" (狗咬呂 洞賓 gŏu yăo Lǚ Dòngbīn), which means an inability to recognize goodness and repay kindness with vice. Some say that the original proverb should actually be "狗咬呂洞賓，不識好人心," stemming from a story about the friendship between Gou Miao (狗咬) and Lü Dongbin, who both did for the other great favors, each of which seemed like a disservice initially, signifying the importance of having faith in one's friends.

According to Richard Wilhelm, Lü was the founder of the School of the Golden Elixir of Life (Jin Dan Jiao), and originator of the material presented in the book "Tai Yi Jin Hua Zong Zhi" (《太一金華宗 旨》), or The Secret of the Golden Flower. Also, according to Daoist legend, he is the founder of the internal martial arts style called "Eight Immortals Sword" (八仙剑), considered to be one of the martial treasures of Wudangshan.

According to one story, Lü's teacher Zhongli Quan became an immortal and was about to fly to heaven, while saying to Lü that if he kept practicing the Tao he would also be able to fly to heaven himself very soon. Lü Dongbin replied to his teacher that he'll fly to heaven only after he enlightens all the sentient beings on earth (another story says all his relatives). According to the book "The Eight Immortals Achieving the Tao (《八仙得道摶》)," in his previous incarnation, Lü Dongbin was a Taoist master and the teacher of Zhongli Quan.

According to the Taoist book "History of the Immortals" (《歷代神仙通鑒》), Lü is the reincarnation of the ancient Sage-King "Huang-Tan-Shi" (皇覃氏).

Of the Eight Immortals, Lu Tung Pin is the most popular. It is said that Lu Tung Pin is the easiest of the Immortals to contact because of his concern for the welfare of his worshipers. Statues dedicated to him can be found in most temples in towns and villages and many grottoes on the sacred mountains of China. Lu Tung Pin is considered the doctor of the poor. If you are ill and not sure exactly what to do, you can visit one of Lu Tung Pin's shrines. After sincere prayers, describe your symptoms and then shake the container holding the numbered bamboo sticks, each representing an energy associated with a different medical condition. When one falls, note the number and bring it to the prescription shop or the priest to get a prescription to take to the herbalist. Lu Tung Pin's symbol is a large sword that he is usually shown carrying. The sword is known as the Devil Slayer. It is believed that if he is invoked correctly, through charms, he will use his sword to tame or capture evil spirits. He is represented as the sorcerer, the magician, the shaman.

Statue in the Temple at Handen

Tsao Kuo Chiu - East He was said to be the uncle of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, being the younger brother of Empress Dowager Cao (曹太后 cáo tàihòu).

In historic records, there were several Emperor-consorts Caos in the Song Empire, but only one became empress: Cishengguangxian Empress (慈聖光獻皇后 cí shèng guāng xiàn huáng hoù) (1015–1079), the wife of the fourth Song emperor, Rénzōng (仁宗), none of whose children became an emperor.

However, this does not render the historical existence of the "Royal Uncle Cao" impossible as in pre-modern China, the address "uncle" also meant "brother-in-law". Sometimes specified as "Wife-uncle" (妻舅 qī jiù) or as a respect, "Little Uncle" (舅子 jiù zǐ). Císhèngguāngxiàn Empress did have a younger brother named Cao Yi in historical record. But the given name of Royal Uncle Cao being Yi as well could be a post hoc.

Cao Guojiu's younger brother Cao Jingzhi (曹景植 cáo jǐng zhí) was a bully, but no one dared to prosecute him because of his powerful connections, not even after he killed a person.

Royal Uncle Cao was so overwhelmed by sadness and shame on his brother that he resigned his office and left home.

Tsao Kuo Chiu was the brother of the Queen, a member of the imperial court, and a dangerous man to cross. His promotion to the rank of Immortal appears more like an act of caprice by the other seven, who wished to fill the eighth cave on their mountain. He was a most unlikely choice for immortality.

He was a re-formed murderer who, it seems, looked useful, so he was made an immortal. He has the ability to clearly discern if one is functioning from one's lower self or higher self (see "A Teaching from Tsao Kuo Chiu" on page 234). Ts'ao Kuo Chiu being chosen for immortality is an indication that we all have a chance for transformation. His symbols are an imperial tablet of recommendation, or a pair of castanets. He seems to have attracted little devotion down the centuries. He represents the world server, the affluent official, the achiever.

Lan Ts'ai Ho – South East

Lan Caihe (Chinese: 藍采和; pinyin: Lán Cǎihé; Wade–Giles: Lan Ts'ai-ho) is the least defined of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology. Lan Caihe's age and sex are unknown. Lan is usually depicted in sexually ambiguous clothing, but is often shown as a young boy or girl carrying a bamboo flower basket.

Stories of Lan's behaviour are often bizarrely eccentric. Some sources dress Lan Caihe in a ragged blue gown, and refer to them as the immortal patron of minstrels. In another tradition, Lan is a female singer whose song lyrics accurately predict future events.

Lan is often described as carrying a pair of bamboo castanets which they would clap and make a beat with by hitting the ground, they would then sing to this beat and a group of onlookers would follow and watch in amazement and entertain themselves. After these performances they would give them lots of money as they asked for it, Lan Cai. They would then string this cash and coins on a long string of money that they carried. As they walked the coins would fall off. They would not care, other beggars would then take the money.

They are often described as wearing only one shoe and other foot being bare, in the Winter it was said they slept naked in the snow and it melted and in the summer it was said they stuffed their clothes full and wore thick clothes despite the heat.

Like all the other immortals they were often said to be in a drunken stupor and left this world by flying on a heavenly swan or crane into heaven. One day while in a tavern, they had supposedly gotten up to go to the bathroom. But before leaving they flew off on the crane or swan and stripped off their clothes on the way up.

Lan Ts'ai Ho is portrayed at times as female, at times as male. He is the strangest of all the Immortals.

He represents the jester, the unbalanced one, a figure recognized and usually handled better in older societies, where it was believed that such people were touched by God or the gods. He is not worshipped for himself and it is not known why he holds a basket of flowers, other than for collecting and en-joying all possible varieties. He represents the conjurer, the eternal child, the god-touched.

Chang Kuo Lau - South Chang Kuo Lau is usually pictured riding his donkey, often riding the poor creature backwards. He carries a strange musical instrument in his hand—a long bamboo tube with smaller tubes emerging from the top. Chang Kuo Lau's picture is often found hanging above bridal beds or in the homes of young couples, or couples desiring to have children. For some reason buried in the past, Chang Kuo Lau is seen as the bringer of offspring, especially boys. Because of this, he is figured on many calendars produced in the Chinese world and is invoked by worried families. He is represented as the keeper of the archives, the knower of antiquity, the sage.

Zhang Guo Lao was known for wandering between the Fen River and Chin territories during his lifetime and was known to travel at least a thousand li per day upon a white donkey or mule. When his journey was finished, he folded his mule up and placed it in his pocket or a small box. When he wished to use the mule again, he poured water on it from his mouth and the mule regained its form.

Emperors of the T'ang dynasty (T'ai Tsung and Kao Tsung) often invited Zhang Guo Lao to court, but he always declined these invitations. Once, when asked by Empress Wu, he finally agreed to leave his hermitage. As he reached the gate of the Temple of the Jealous Woman, he died suddenly. His body was seen decomposing and being consumed by worms, but he was later seen, alive and well, on the mountains of Heng Chou in P'ing-yang Fu. In the twenty-third year (AD 735) of the reign-period K'ai Yüan of the Emperor Hsüan Tsung of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Guo Lao was called to Lo-yang in Honan, and elected Chief of the Imperial Academy, with the honorable title of "Very Perspicacious Teacher". At this time, the famous Taoist Yeh Fa-shan was in great favor at Court, thanks to his skill in necromancy. When asked who this Zhang Guo Lao was, the magician replied, "I know, but if I were to tell your Majesty, I should fall dead at your feet, so I dare not speak unless your Majesty will promise that you will go with bare feet and bare head to ask Zhang Guo Lao to forgive you, in which case I should immediately revive."

Hsüan Tsung having promised, Fa-shan then said: "Zhang Guo Lao is a white spiritual bat which came out of primeval chaos." Zhang Guo Lao was believed by some to be able to transform himself into a bat, another symbol of permanence. After giving this information, Fa-shan immediately dropped dead at the Emperor's feet. Hsüan Tsung, with bald head and feet, went to Zhang Guo Lao as he had promised. After begging him for forgiveness for his indiscretion, Zhang Guo Lao then sprinkled water on Fa-shan's face and he revived. Soon after during the period AD 742-746, Zhang Guo Lao fell ill and returned to die in the Heng Chou Mountains. When his disciples opened his tomb, they found it empty.]

Han Hsiang Tzu – South West Han Hsiang Tzu is traditionally seen as the patron of musicians.

He is much loved and his symbol is a beautiful jade flute. He is a great poet and musician, a lover of the solitude and beauty of the mountains. He represents the ideal of a truly contented person, dwelling in the harmony of the universe in bliss, with true appreciation of the beauty of its solitary places. He is depicted as a true Taoist mountain man. He represents the artist, the poet, the musician.

Philosopher Han Xiang (韓湘子 in pinyin: hán xiāng zi) or Han Xiang Zi, in Wade-Giles as Han Hsiang Tzu, was born Han Xiang during the Tang Dynasty, and his courtesy name is Qingfu (清夫 qīng fū).

He is said to be the nephew or grandnephew of Han Yu, a prominent statesman of Tang Court. Han Xiang studied Daoism under Lü Dongbin. Once at a banquet by Han Yu, Han Xiang tried to persuade Han Yu to give up a life of officialdom and to study magic with him. But Han Yu was adamant that Han Xiang should dedicate his life to Confucianism instead of Daoism, so Han Xiang demonstrated the power of the Dao by pouring out cup after cup of wine from the gourd without end.

Because his flute gives life, Han became a protector of flautists.

Ti Kuai Li - West A beggar with a crutch. He is said to have been a disciple of Lao-Tzu, who summoned him to Heaven, instructing him to leave his body in the care of a pupil. During his absence the pupil was summoned to the bedside of his dying mother, and the body in his charge, being considered dead, was consigned to the flames.

Li T'ieh-Kuai, on returning, found only a heap of ashes, so he entered the body of a beggar who had just died and in this continued his life. His symbols are a pilgrim's gourd, containing magical medicines with which he healed many of the sick, and a crab. He is sometimes represented as accompanied by a deer. He is the patron saint of Apothecaries.

Because of his association with medicine, the sign of his iron crutch often hangs outside apothecary shops. He's not as popular as Lu Tung Pin because of his eccentricities and well-known bad temper. Although he is a doctor and can provide prescriptions, these are not usually sought by the devout unless there is a Taoist priest in the area who has some connection with him. Professional exorcists favor him for his magical medical gourd, his other sign. Ti Kuai Li's popularity derives from his unpredictable and vexatious character. Through no choice of his own, he has the form of a beggar, which he uses to fight for the rights of the poor and downtrodden. He is very much the clown figure, whose popularity is based upon being seen as a beggar who is a testy clown. He is more powerful, however, than his strongest adversary. He's represented as the teacher, the healer, the medicine man.

Li Tieh-Kuai, in the beginning of his Taoist training was said to live in a cave. He was said to be a handsome man. Lao Tzu tempted him with a beautiful woman he had made of wood. After refusing to acknowledge the presence of this woman and therefore defeating his temptation, Lao Tzu told him of his trick and rewarded him with a small white tablet. After consuming this tablet, Li Tieh-Kuai was never hungry nor ill.

Lao Tzu again tempts Li Tieh-Kuai with money. Some robbers had buried money in Li Tieh-Kuai's field without knowing he was watching. Lao Tzu approached him in disguise and told him he should take any money that came to him. After Li Tieh-Kuai refused, saying that he did not care if he remained poor his whole life, Lao Tzu rewarded him with another pill. This pill bestowed upon Li Tieh-Kuai the ability to fly at amazing speeds.

Han Chung Li – North West Han Chung Li lived during the Han dynasty. He is a fascinating historical figure who rose high in the imperial service. There are stories in which .he is portrayed as a general or a field marshal. There are other stories that portray him as a provincial governor. He is famous for inventing the alchemical pill of immortality and is a popular figure for those seeking longevity. His symbol is a feathery fan held in his left hand, or sometimes he carries the peach of immortality. He represents the hero, the general, the leader.

He was born in Yantai (燕台 Yàntái). According to legends, bright beams of light filled the labour room during his birth.

After birth he did not stop crying until seven full days had passed. He was destined for greatness from the day he was born by showing features such as a broad forehead, thick ears, long eyebrows, deep eyes, red nose, square mouth, high cheeks, and scarlet lips. Stories depict that either 7 days or 7 years later he began to speak, the first sentence he uttered was, “my feet have wandered in the purple palace of the [immortals], my name is recorded in the capital of the jade emperor." Later Taoists celebrate his birthday on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the Chinese Calendar. Following his fathers example, he became a member of the court, advancing to general of one of the armies of the Han Dynasty. During his time as general, his army fought against Tibet. In his last battle he was beaten by the Tibetans, forcing him to flee into the mountainous areas surrounding him. There he came across an old man who led him to a spiritual sanctuary where he was welcomed in and told that he could stay as long as was needed.

There he learned the ways of the immortal rituals and extensive amounts of alchemy. After 3 hard days of teaching, he was dismissed and told to use his newfound powers to serve his people. When he turned back to talk to the man, he and his home had vanished. Using his power of alchemy and his magical fan, he created silver and gold coins from stones and saved people from poverty and famine.

There are 2 stories that depict how he became one of the Immortals. In the first, it was in his continuous use of the immortal powers and his magical fan that eventually caused his descent into the shimmering cloud of the immortals. In the second, he was meditating near a wall of his hermitage when all of a sudden it collapsed. Behind the wall was a jade vessel that took him as an immortal to the shimmering cloud.

In Taoism, he is known as "正陽祖師" (Zhèngyáng Zǔshī), literally the True-Yang Ancestor-Master. He is also called "Master of the Cloud-Chamber" (雲房先生 Yún Fáng Xiān Shēng) in accounts describing his encounter with Lü Dongbin before achieving immortality.

He has a rare Chinese compound surname, Zhongli (鐘離).

A Teaching from Tao Chiao using a story from Tsao Kuo Chiu To give you a better insight into Tsao Kuo Chiu, I will relate a story given to me at a Taoist temple, in response to a hexagram I received from the I Ching. It was in answer to a question I had asked about how to make positive change in my life. The story was about the twin sons of the ruler of a small kingdom. While they were still quite young, the ruler passed away, leaving the kingdom to his sons.

One son had the qualities of sincere regard and com-passion for the people of the kingdom and he was chosen to rule. The other son was envious of his brother's good fortune and decided to make it his own.

He locked his brother away in a secret room inside the castle so no one could find him. He said his brother left on a journey and he didn't know when he would return, and so he was coronated king in his place.

Then the kingdom fell on hard times, with extravagant living, and sending of warring expeditions into the neigh-boring kingdoms. With severe droughts, the crops failed and the treasury became depleted, leaving the burden of carrying the kingdom on the people with heavy taxation. With this, the people longed for the brother who was the rightful ruler to return, for he would surely know what to do to change their fate. Things got so bad that the twin brother who was the present ruler turned to his imprisoned Ix:other for help. The imprisoned brother told him he would gladly take over the responsibility for the situation if his twin brother would take his place in the secret room. The twin brother agreed, so the rightful twin took over the reign of the country. In a very short time, he brought the warring campaigns to an end, and the young men returned to their homes to help harvest the bountiful crops. With the rul-ing class returning to sensible living, he began to restore the treasury and lift the heavy burden of taxation from the backs of the people. Prosperity began to shine on the small kingdom once again. The people gave thanks to the Creator that the wrong had been made right. This was a teaching from Tsao Kuo Chiu. In this hexagram, he is saying, stop being the victim. Allow your true self to come alive, come out of the enclosure within.

As New Age Zen Taoist Kalachakra or “Unifhist” what can all this teach us?

You can spend many hours in workshops or reading books on spirituality. Ultimately, they say the same thing: the answer is love. Even though love is the answer, it is often the problem, as well, because many of us have a preconception of what love is. This has led many of us to restrict what love really is.

Here, we'll talk about the many levels of love, the qualities of love, and of loving ourselves. I won't give you definitions. Rather, I'll make clearer the multiple dimensions of love. We must first rid ourselves of all preconceptions about what love is and our feelings of what love ought to be, and try to experience what love really is. Love has many facets. Like spiritual understanding, it involves many levels of consciousness and being. As shown by the Pa Qua and the Eight Taoist Immortals, you can love every aspect of yourself: love of self as soul, love of self as "I Am," or spirit, love of internalized master or deity as higher self, etc.

We see what love is, in some of its aspects, in relationship to others. It is true that it is due to a lack of love that we don't grow spiritually. There is always room to love ourselves more. There-fore, we will form a perspective here on what love is, just as we now have a perspective on what spirituality is.

Just as spirituality is simply a relationship you have with yourself, love, too, is a relationship you have with yourself, a relationship that your consciousness has with your being. This is not narcissism, but rather self-love—the ability to truly open up to love within your being so that you can get to the root of yourself, so you can ask yourself, "What does it mean to love myself?"

This must occur before you can even try to love anything or anyone beyond yourself. First of all, what is love? With the Eight Immortals we see how love was depicted as working together. One of the most important issues of our society today is how love is expressed through the mass media. Many of us learn about love in its more negative aspects, by observing love as it is expressed through guilt, pain, and suffering. What many of us know as love is being used, taken advantage of, taken for granted, and denying our own existence.

When we deny our own existence, we become servants to love. We try to do anything we can possibly do to get it. Why? Because if we deny our own existence for love, we try as much as possible to derive our existence from love somewhere else. We will try to look for love, we'll try to find it, and, if it is not acknowledged by others, we say, "What do you mean, I don't love you? Look how much I've sacrificed for you, look how much I've given up for you." Many of us feel that sacrifice is a quality of love, that is suffering, pain, and agony are all qualities of love. So we say, "Considering how bad I feel, how can you say I don't love you?"

When you listen to love songs on records and look at daytime soap operas, you see that love is agony, love is pain, love is suffering. Love is not something wonderful. It always involves hurt. You have to throw all these preconceptions of love right out the window. How else can you be open to the experience of what love is? Some of us may feel there is an emptiness inside our-selves, and we look outside for something to fill that emptiness, to get the love we lack within ourselves. By doing that, we, program what love is, and also what love is not. We burn ourselves out looking for love. Those of us who seek love like this tend to ask the question, "Why can't I find someone to love me? Why can't I find love?"

It is because you have clearly defined the parameters of your program of what love is, and how you will accept love. You then look for that particular program, and, when you can't find it, you feel you are not being loved. You feel you haven't found love.

Some of us, of course, will only surrender to loving ourselves in defeat. "If no one loves me, then I will love myself. But first, let me try to find someone who will love me." Why do we do this? All of us want to belong; we want to overcome separation. All of us want some way to communicate and interact with the world, to show the world our relevance. By seeking love, we seek relevance. We seek to know that someone else cares about us, and that we have an impact on that person.

This gives us a sense of relevance, that what we do is meaningful to some-one else. By seeking our relevance outside, however, we lose touch with how relevant we are to ourselves, what impact we have on ourselves. We may say, "How I relate to my reality is not the important issue in my life. I want someone else who cares about me and my reality. I want someone else to talk to, to communicate with, to interact with. I want someone else to be intimate with."

How can we achieve this if we are not intimately involved with ourselves first? That is the crucial thing. When we define love outside of ourselves, we define our relevance to the world before us. It's definitely easier to love someone else than it is to love yourself. Society tells us to do that all the time.

Society tells us to look at the homeless, look at the starving, look at the people who are sick. These are the people that we should give love to.

It is very easy to say, "Go out into the world and love someone else." There are so many causes. Each one of us has a cause in which we truly believe outside of ourselves, one that allows us to express our love.

Your first cause, however, should be yourself, because the causes you see outside yourself are reflections of the causes you see within yourself. To love yourself is to develop that relevance to who you are and what you believe in, regardless of what is happening outside. You will be relevant because of your own significance, your own impact that you have in your life.

Those of us who choose the path of service may go out to save the world. We only begin to question this commitment when we begin to seek our relevance and begin to seek more and more out of our service. Love, however, is not something we give so that we can receive. Love is not associated with an action; love is a state of being. Love is a process within yourself, just like spirituality. You have to ask yourself, "What love is happening inside of me? Do I truly love myself? When can I truly love someone else?" You have to ask yourself that.

Maybe some of us need others to love us first, before we can love ourselves. Loving ourselves is perhaps one of the greatest contributions that we can make to the world. The greatest contribution you can make is to take responsibility for yourself, and to love yourself. That is the greatest contribution you can ever make to the world, because, by doing that, you know who you are, you know your significance, you know your impact. You know your relevance to the world, because you begin to love yourself. Then you belong in the world. You have significance. If you do love yourself, however, you have to do it in a way that counts, in a way that's total, in a way that brings results. You have to make an effort, at least in the beginning, to understand what that love is, and know how you will express it.

You have to feel it in your heart, in your mind, in your totality.

Remember, it is not about doing; it's a state of being. The Chinese say you "be" so that you can know, so that you can do. Many of us study something so that we can know about it, so that we can become it.

In Chinese philosophy it's always the opposite.

You always "be" it first. If you can be it, and you know it, then you can do it. If you try to learn it, so that you can know it and then you can be it, you are already placing the goal beyond yourself. You have to acknowledge what you are at this particular moment. Spirituality is in the present; love is in the present. It's not something you learn to do.

Many of us think that we can learn to love. Love is an expression. It's a conveyance of what you feel; it's a positive expression of your beingness.

There are many things that can stop you from loving. Many times, we feel we do not deserve love. We may feel a lack of self-worth. That feeling then defines our reality. You have to first feel that you deserve what love is. Some of us feel we haven't earned it. We often feel we have to earn love. We feel we have to gain self-worth, so that we feel worthy of it. There is a lack of self-respect. So we begin to pity ourselves. Then we are not able to love. All of these things lead us to deny the livingness, because to be able to feel self-worth, self-respect, and self-esteem, we have to acknowledge the livingness that's inside of our being, the beauty that's inside of us, the love of self, the life force, the Tao.

We hear people say, "Well, God made everything, so God is in everything." But how do we know it? In our meditations, we can feel this, but to know it is another matter.

No matter how many times you get lost, remember that you can always return to your breath, to your serenity, to your Heart-Center.

I'd love to hear your feed back, feel free to write me at: NinChi.Lang@gmail.com

Drink a cup of tea.

Don't think about drinking a cup of tea Just drink it, Taste it, Feel it, Enjoy it.