SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

perception

  • 朝三暮四 (Zhāo sān mù sì)

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    This classic idiom from Zhuangzi tells a story about a monkey keeper swapping the order of chestnuts. The total amount remained the same, yet the monkeys’ reaction changed dramatically. Today it describes fickle people who keep changing their decisions, warning us to watch out for empty tricks and inconsistent promises.

  • Caigentan 97. Inner perception and projections

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    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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    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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    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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    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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    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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    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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    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.