SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

duality

  • Caigentan 99. The duality of circumstance

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    Juan

    When you face trying circumstances, everything that you encounter has the effect of bitter medicinal herbs and the stone needles used in acupuncture. These needles and medicines serve to refine your character and conduct, although you do not realize it.

  • The dual nature of Six-Eared Macaque

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    Juan

    In the “True and False Monkey King” chapter of Journey to the West, readers face puzzling questions: Why did the imposter possess an identical Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod? Why did he wear a Tight-Fillet that responded to the spell? How dared he confront celestial, underworld, and Buddhist authorities — risking exposure before deities like the…

  • Nanquan Slays the Cat

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    Ana

    Chan Master Nanquan Puyuan (748–834 CE) was a respected disciple of Mazu Daoyi, one of the great figures in Tang Dynasty Chan Buddhism. Master Zhaozhou Congshen was a highly influential Chinese Chan Buddhist master of the Tang Dynasty. A key disciple of Master Nanquan Puyuan, he is celebrated for his profound yet unconventional wisdom…

  • How to avoid cold and heat?

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    Ana

    Dongshan Liangjie was a seminal Chinese Zen master of the Tang Dynasty. He established the Caodong lineage/school with his disciple Caoshan Benji, emphasizing silent illumination (默照禅) — a meditation practice integrating stillness and innate wisdom without forced effort.

  • What the heart holds, the eye beholds

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    Ana

    Su Dongpo, the famed poet, shared a close yet playful rivalry with the Buddhist monk Foyin, often trading barbs—though Su usually lost.

  • Journey to the West – Episode 103 – Picture story

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    Juan

    The two Wukongs flew toward the Western Paradise, battling as if they were bitter enemies. Soon, they came into view of the Thunder Monastery, majestically rising atop the Spirit Mountain of the Western Paradise.

  • [Journey to the West]Awakening to Emptiness vs Wukong

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    Juan

    After bestowing the name “Wukong” (悟空, “Awakened to Emptiness”) upon the Monkey King, Master Subhuti declared the following words, which carry profound Taoist and Buddhist connotations: