SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

humility

  • The Fox of Wei County

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    Ana

    The Li Family in Wei County, Shandong Province, owned a villa. One day, an old man suddenly came along and said he was willing to pay fifty taels of silver a year to rent the house. The owner agreed.

  • Grinding an Iron Rod into a Needle

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    Ana

    A schoolboy was playing truant in the street when he saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle on a stone.

  • Bend the chimney flue, remove the firewood

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    Ana

    A man went to visit his friend. He noticed that the kitchen chimney was straight, and a pile of fuel was stacked beside the stove.

  • The man who sold spears and shields

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    Ana

    In the state of Chu lived a man who sold shields and spears.

  • The duke’s fatal hospitality

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    Ana

    A sea-gull alighted in a suburb of the capital of Lu. The Marquis of Lu welcomed it and feasted it in the temple hall, ordering the royal music and grandest sacrifices for it.

  • Is it full?

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    Ana

    Master Wude (947–1024 CE), also known as Master Shan Zhao, was a prominent Chan (Zen) master of the Song Dynasty and a key figure in the Lingji (Rinzai) lineage. Born in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, he became a disciple of Master Shoushan Xingnian and played a crucial role in shaping Chinese Chan Buddhism during the…

  • One puff of wind vs. Eight

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    Ana

    Chan Master Foyin (1032–1098 CE) was a renowned Chinese Chan (Zen) master of the Song Dynasty, known for his wisdom, humor, and deep spiritual insight.

  • The Chan Master who pocketed his fame

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    Ana

    Chan Master Chongxian (980–1052), also known as Xuedou Chongxian, was a prominent Chinese Chan (Zen) master of the Song Dynasty. He is best known for his “Collection of Gathas on the Blue Cliff Record” (Biyan Lu), a classic Chan text that became one of the most influential works in Zen literature.

  • An unconventional ordination story

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    Ana

    Danxia Tianran was a renowned Tang Dynasty Chan master. Ordained as “Tianran,” he earned the name Danxia Tianran after founding Danxia Temple (also known as Red Clouds Temple or Immortal Clouds Temple) on Mount Danxia in Nanzhao County, Henan. Celebrated for his unconventional methods and iconoclastic wisdom, his ordination story epitomizes these traits.