SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

suffering

  • Mencius – Chapter 12.15

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    Ana

    Citing six heroes elevated from hardship, Mencius states adversity tempers character and builds capability. People grow through mistakes and struggles; states without critics or external threats collapse. Thus hardship sustains life, ease brings ruin.

  • On the Snake Catcher

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    Juan

    – by Liu Zongyuan (Tang Dynasty) In the wilds of Yongzhou, there lives a strange snake: black-bodied with white markings. Any grass or tree it touches withers and dies; if it bites a person, nothing can save them. Yet, once captured and dried, it becomes a potent medicine – capable of curing leprosy, paralysis,…

  • Caigentan 90. Defying heaven’s design

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    Juan

    If Heaven has not granted me enough happiness I keep increasing my store of virtue to supplement this small portion.

  • The dilapidated official boats

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    Ana

    When Hu Li Zi was returning to his native home from the capital, the prime minister ordered his superintendent to see him off. “If you want to go by boat, choose whichever official boat you like,” he told Hu Li Zi.

  • The turtle’s final crossing

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    Ana

    A compassionate man once caught a turtle. He wanted to make it into soup, but unwilling to be accused of taking life.

  • Which is the hardest tribulation in Journey to the West?

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    Juan

    Which was the hardest of the eighty-one tribulations faced by the Tang Monk and his disciples on their journey to fetch the scriptures? In Journey to the West, the four pilgrims battled demons and overcame obstacles all the way to the Western Heaven. Each trial seemed arduous. But comparing them, which one posed the…

  • The tea leaves that taught a soul to dance

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    Ana

    A young man, crushed by repeated failures, came to Puji Temple seeking the advice of Venerable Shi Yuan. He lamented: “What’s the point of living when life is nothing but disappointment?”

  • How to avoid cold and heat?

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    Ana

    Dongshan Liangjie was a seminal Chinese Zen master of the Tang Dynasty. He established the Caodong lineage/school with his disciple Caoshan Benji, emphasizing silent illumination (默照禅) — a meditation practice integrating stillness and innate wisdom without forced effort.

  • ‌[Journey to the West] Studied Buddhism for 13 years in India‌

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    Juan

    In the late summer of 630 CE, Xuanzang(Tripitaka) entered India from the north. On foot, he mapped the uncharted lands between China and India—a feat akin to a miracle.