eternal life

  • Commentary on Body, Shadow, and Spirit

    The Body, Shadow, and Spirit is a series of five-character-per-line poems. The first poem features the Body addressing the Shadow: while the physical forms of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers endure forever, and grass and trees can regenerate even after withering, the human body is destined to die and vanish. Therefore, one should seize…

  • The Golden Cicada [Journey to the West]

    The Golden Cicada (Jin Chanzi) was the second disciple of the Buddha Sakyamuni and the previous incarnation of Tang Sanzang (Xuanzang) in Journey to the West. In a past life, the Golden Cicada formed a karmic connection with Zhenyuanzi during the Ullambana Assembly (Lanpen Hui), where he personally served tea to Zhenyuanzi as a…

  • Did eating Tang Monk’s meat truly grant eternal life?

    In Journey to the West, many demons believed consuming Tang Monk’s flesh granted immortality. But was this true?