SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

self-cultivation

  • Caigentan 6. Cultivating harmony amid environmental turbulence

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    In violent winds and raging storms, birds grow anxious and distressed;under clear skies and gentle breezes, plants and trees flourish with joy.Thus, we see that Heaven and Earth cannot go a single day without harmony,nor can the human heart go a single day without joy.

  • The Fox Sisters and the Scholar

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    Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Fox Sisters (Fourth Sister Hu) weaves a fantastical tale of scholar Shang and his encounters with fox spirits Hu Sanjie(Third Sister Hu) and Hu Sijie(Fourth Sister Hu), exploring themes of desire, morality, and karmic justice.

  • Grinding an Iron Rod into a Needle

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

  • Vajra breaks, vows endures

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    Chan Master Wuxiang was originally a prince of the Silla Kingdom (modern-day Korean Peninsula). He later took monastic vows at Gyeongnam Temple in Silla. In 728 CE, he journeyed across the sea to Tang China to seek Buddhist teachings. At Dechun Temple in Zizhou (present-day Ningguo Temple in Zizhong County, Sichuan Province), he became…

  • The Mind-Control Spell in Journey to the West

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    In Journey to the West, Guanyin Bodhisattva grants Tang Sanzang the ‌Tightening Curse‌ (Tight-Fillet Spell) and its accompanying ‌golden fillet‌ to subdue Sun Wukong.

  • How did Wukong measure time without clocks?

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    In Journey to the West, how did the Monkey King measure time on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain without clocks or calendars?

  • Dao De Jing – Chapter 57

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    Chapter 57 critiques overly interventionist governance and advocates wu wei (non-action) as the ideal political philosophy. Laozi argues that excessive laws, regulations, and control paradoxically create societal chaos, while simplicity, humility, and restraint from rulers foster natural harmony and prosperity.

  • Why is the Dao De Jing Difficult to Understand?‌

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    The Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching) is a pivotal philosophical classic of ancient China. Its concepts, such as the “‌Unity of Heaven and Humanity‌” and the “‌harmony of Yin and Yang‌,” have deeply influenced fields like traditional Chinese medicine and art, shaping the unique ethos of Chinese civilization. Many readers drawn to…