Posts by Purple Cloud Admin
化性谈 Discourse on Transforming Inner Nature
化性谈 Discourse on Transforming Inner Nature ________________________________ Preface by Daoist Renunciate Xing De (Li Shifu) 是⼀篇很好的自我完善提升的⽂章。在学习和完善自我的过程中， 我们的执着， 我们的贪， 嗔， 痴， 等各种欲望， 对我们的身，⼼， 灵的提升有巨⼤的影响和阻挡。升华和进化是宇宙万物的主题， 在这个星球上我们有了⾁体， 就会受到阴阳五⾏， ⽣老病死，诸多规律， 纬度， 频率等等各种限制。天地万物⽣⽣灭灭， 时间， 空间， ⽣命， 如梦如幻。什么才是宇宙的真理？ ⽣命的真谛？ 它的源头在哪里？ 过去我们受到⽗母的， 朋友的， 社会的等等教化。在我们的⼤脑中已经形成了固有的， 短见的， 局限的思考认知。让我们先放下来， 让我们的⼤脑放电进⼊零点， 不受外在事物的影响和刺激。让我们把目光收回来， 向内听， 向内看， 向内寻找，我们就会发现⼀扇崭新的⼤门。 湖北⼗堰张湾武当⼭天马峰白马⼭五仙庙兴德 Discourse on Transforming Inner Nature Discourse on Transforming Inner Nature…
Read More五品仙人 The Five Ranks of Immortals [part II]
五品仙人 The Five Ranks of Immortals [part II] ______________________________________________ The following appendix entry is a write-up from a collection of notes taken over several years at Five Immortals Temple [2] during lectures by the residing abbot Li Shifu. It is by no means comprehensive or all-encompassing, but more intended to provide an overview to deepen…
Read More中元節[鬼節] Hungry Ghost Festival
中元節[鬼節] Hungry Ghost Festival _____________________________________ Traditionally the Hungry Ghost [1] Festival is held on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month [2]. It is a day of festivities for both Daoists and Buddhists. It marks the day when the portal to the underworlds open and the living are visited by the Spirits and…
Read MoreYuan and Heng’s Compendium of Equine Cures 元亨療馬集
A series of images from the late Ming-Dynasty veterinary manuscript 元亨療馬集 (Yuan Heng Liao Ma Ji) or Yuan and Heng’s Compendium of Equine Cures, depicting the various stages of the dental development in a horse’s life. The Yuan Heng Liao Ma Ji was written in 1608 by two brothers, 喻仁 Yu Ren and 喻杰 Yu…
Read More金剛力士 The Vajra-Warrior
金剛力士 The Vajra-Warrior ______________________________________________ 大慧！變化如來，金剛力士常隨衛護，非真實佛。真實如來，離諸限量，二乘 外道，所不能知，住現法樂，成就智忍，不假金剛力士所護。 -大乘入楞伽經 Great Wisdom! Transformative Tathagata [1], the Vajra-Warrior constantly abides by [his] protection [against what] is the non-real Buddha. The real Tathagata separates from all limitations , and [any] Dao [2] outside from the Second Vehicle [3]. That which one is unable to be aware of resides and manifests…
Read More五品仙人 The Five Ranks of Immortals [part I]
五品仙人 The Five Ranks of Immortals [part I] ______________________________________________ The following appendix entry is a write-up from a collection of notes taken over several years at Five Immortals Temple during lectures by the residing abbot Li Shifu. It is by no means comprehensive or all-encompassing, but more intended to provide an overview to deepen the…
Read More七夕 The Evening of the Sevens [Chinese Valentine’s Day]
七夕 The Evening of the Sevens [Chinese Valentine’s Day] —————————————————— The Evening of the Sevens in a China-wide celebrated festival. It is also called the Double Seventh Festival [shuang qi jie 双七节] or the Praying for Skills [1] [qi qiao乞巧] festival, and it could arguable be considered the equivalent of the Western Valentine’s Day, however,…
Read More緣分 Destiny
緣分 Destiny _______________________ Destiny [1] [yuan fen 缘分] is a vast concept in China, which is reflected in the astonishing number of words in the Chinese language[2]. Li Shifu once elucidated that: 三分天注定七分靠打拼。 Three parts are destined by the Heavens, Seven parts rest on one’s [own] struggle. This above sentence is about fortune [yun shi运势].…
Read More天人合一 The Unification of Heaven and Humanity into One (part I)
天人合一 The Unification of Heaven and Humanity into One (part I) ______________________________________________ 其动，止也；其死，生也；其废，起也。此又非其所以也。有治在人，忘乎物，忘乎天，其名为忘己。忘己之人，是之谓入于天。 -庄子·天地- Such movement ceases, [from] such death [comes] born, such discarding is raised [again]. These are also not such results [from humans]. There is governance with humans, [yet] forgetting matters, [and] forgetting Heaven, its name is Forgetting Oneself. People who forgetting themselves…
Read More關羽 Guan Yu, Deity of Martialdom
關羽 Guan Yu, Deity of Martialdom ________________________________________ The 24th day of the sixth lunar month [1] is celebrated in the honour of the birthday of Guan Yu [關羽], who was a Chinese general during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was serving under the command of Liu Bei and played a major part in the…
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