Archive for April 2019
銀杏 Ginkgo Biloba
銀杏 Ginkgo Biloba _____________________________________________________________________________ This article was triggered by the easy access of Ginkgo in New Zealand, and the author’s curiosity about how to prepare Ginkgo nuts after seeing elderly people squatting under the fruit-laden tree with piles of harvested Ginkgo fruits. Ginkgo is unique and easy-to-recognize by its leaves. Furthermore, it is hard to…
Read MorePurple Cloud Podcast #14 – Mattias Daly: The Poetry of Quanzhen Daoism and the Mysterious Female
Much like Western religious traditions, there is a long history of commentary on seminal texts of Chinese philosophy and religion, most of which has yet to be translated. In today’s podcast interview with Mattias Daly, Chinese medicine practitioner and Daoist scholar, we explore the long tradition of commentary on the Dao De Jing, and go…
Read MoreHerbal Legends VIII: Ginseng 人參
A long time ago two monks, master and disciple, lived on Mount Cloud Dream in Could Dream Temple in the province Shandong. Every day the old master lit incense apathetically and prayed Buddhist hymns half-heartedly. He often went down to the valley to binge drink with his friends. But to his young disciple he behaved…
Read MorePodcast Ep.13 – Cheng Feng: Feather Beings
There are many arts found under the umbrella of Daoism, including alchemy, medicine, ritual and martial arts to name a few. Many of these are taught to visiting students of all backgrounds at the Five Immortals Temple in Wudang China by Abbott Du Song Feng. Loan Guylaine Cheng Feng has been a longterm student of…
Read MoreSmartness Soup 聰明湯
聰明湯 Smartness Soup 出自 Origin: 《古今医鉴》卷八 Eighth scroll of《Newly Amended Mirror of Ancient and Modern Medicine》 组成 Ingredients: 白茯神、远志肉(甘草水泡)、石菖蒲(去毛，一寸九节者)各三两。 Bai Fu Ling, Yuan Zhi Rou (soaked in Gan Cao water) [1] , Shi Chuang Pu (remove hairs, One-Cun- Nine-Sections type), each three Liang. 功用 Functions: 安神定志，宁心止忘 Calms Shen, settles the Will, pacifies the Heart and…
Read MoreGe Hong on the Earth’s Truth (Bao Pu Zi Extract)
抱朴子 卷三•地真 Master Of Embracing Simplicity Chapter 3• Earth’s Truth The following excerpt from Ge Hong’s《The Master of Embracing Simplicity》 [bao pu zi 抱朴子] chapter three has been translated as part of a preliminary research about the term Plain and Unadorned [pu su 朴素] [1], a concept at the core of the Daoists Lao Zi…
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