SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

greed

  • Planting Pears

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    Ana

    A villager was once vending pears in a marketplace. The pears were sweet and luscious, but the price was high out of all proportion.

  • The Alchemist’s Finger

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    Ana

    A poor scholar one day met an old friend who had become an immortal.

  • Rotten Sleeve

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    Ana

    A corrupt official wanted to show that he was pure and honest. So, before assuming office, he took an oath in public, saying, “If my right hand accepts bribes, let it fester; if my left hand accepts bribes, let it fester, too.”

  • The Drowning Miser

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    Ana

    In Yongzhou there were many good swimmers. One day, the river swelled suddenly. Braving the danger, about half a dozen people started across in a small boat.

  • The greed that cost him everything

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    Ana

    It is said that in the state of Qi, there lived a man named Dongguo Chang, whose greed knew no bounds. He constantly dreamed of amassing a great fortune—ten thousand taels of gold.

  • Blind Greed: The Gold Snatcher

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    Ana

    There was a man in the state of Qi who wanted some gold. One morning he dressed himself smartly and went to the market. Arriving at the gold-dealer’s stall, he seized a piece of gold and made off.

  • [Journey to the West]Why does the White Bone Demon have Three Lives?

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    Juan

    In Journey to the West (Chapter 27: “The White Bone Demon’s Triple Transformation”), the White Bone Demon (also known as the Cadaver Demon, Lady White Bone or White Bone Lady) attempts to capture Tang Sanzang by transforming into three human forms: a young maiden, an elderly woman, and an old man. Each time, Sun…

  • Why Wukong burned down the Guanyin Temple?

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    Juan

    In Journey to the West, the Guanyin Zen Monastery (also known as Guanyin Hall, Guanyin Zen Temple or Guanyin Chan Hall) is the domain of the Goddess Guanyin Bodhisattva. Sun Wukong’s fiery destruction of the monastery was both accidental and inevitable.

  • [Journey to the West]Monkey of the Mind

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    Juan

    The journey of the Tang Monk and his disciples is, in essence, an inward pilgrimage. Buddhist and Taoist perspectives play a vital role in shaping this spiritual allegory.