SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

perception

  • Caigentan 97. Inner perception and projections

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    Juan

    If every person made a habit of looking upon everything as flawless, then everything in the world would naturally become perfect.

  • What does the sun look like?

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    Ana

    A man who was born blind wanted to know what the sun looked like, so he asked others to describe it.

  • The lost axe and the suspicious eye

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    Ana

    A man who lost his axe suspected his neighbour’s son of stealing it.

  • The attendant who couldn’t see the Buddha

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    Ana

    National Teacher Huizhong (675-775CE), widely known as Nanyang Huizhong Guoshi or National Teacher Huizhong of Nanyang, was a revered Tang Dynasty Chan master. He served as imperial preceptor to three emperors (Xuanzong, Suzong, Daizong), earning the title “National Teacher” (imperial preceptor). Born in Zhuji, Yuezhou (modern-day Zhuji, Zhejiang Province), he mastered the sutras and…

  • The Six-Windowed Room

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    Ana

    Chan Master Xuelang Hong’en （1548 – 1608CE）was a notable Chinese Chan (Zen) master whose teachings contributed significantly to the development and spread of Chan Buddhism in China. He used the vivid metaphors “a monkey in a six-windowed room” to illustrate the interplay between perception and intrinsic Buddha-nature and inspired chan master Yangshan Huiji.

  • 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.

  • The Silent Dialogue

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    Ana

    There was a monastery overseen by two brothers. The elder brother was highly learned, while the younger brother was simple-minded and had only one eye.