The Valley Spirit (excerpt)
By Lindsey Wei
The following is from a chapter entitled ‘Li Shifu’ from Lindsey Wei’s first autobiographic book about her female cultivation story as Daoist in the Wudang mountains; “The Valley Spirit”. Her work can be purchased through her website:https://www.wudangwhitehorseonline.com/bookstore…
Li Shi Fu says he has died twice; both times in attempt to retreat to the cave for meditation towards immortality. He says the gods above pushed him back down for he had not yet completed his earthly duties. He sees his meritorious deed undone as being the safekeeping of the Five Immortal Temple. He says once it is rebuilt, he can finally return to his own dreams. After years of contemplation and bitter poverty on the mountain, with his beloved Master Tao having already ascended, Li Shi Fu devised a plan. He felt he would soon meet foreigners and he was to teach them what he knew. He believed that the modern generation of Chinese was in pursuit of progress, wealth, technology and the popular culture of the West. He once asked me, “How many young adults in China have read the Dao De Jing?”
I said I don’t know.
“Maybe one out of 1000, if that,” he tells me, “And how many Westerners do you think have read
it?”
At this I could guess, perhaps three out of ten. It is true, in the West we are now seeking this ancient knowledge, attempting to return to tradition which we have strayed from or perhaps never even had. Li Shi Fu’s point was that he believes the psyche of this generation in the West is much more fertile to understand the ways of the Dao, than that of the Chinese themselves, having gone through the Cultural Revolution.
They say that to become the disciple of a master, the student at hand must be rejected and examined for two to three years, and only then will the master make a decision to accept him or her. I wondered why is it not then the same for foreigners?
Throughout the years I’ve grown a subtle discernment. The Chinese have their own very complex behaviors. They almost never mean what they say. Perhaps this is true in the West as well, but to look beyond the face value of the Chinese requires a whole new set of eyes. I am beginning to agree with Li Shi Fu when he says, to really know someone, you have to watch them for ten years.
Although in the beginning it appeared to me as if foreigners did not have to go through the same harsh examinations before being told anything of value, I am slowly beginning to see that this is perhaps not the case. We often think that to be “told” more is to “know” more. But knowledge is truly only gained through self experience. The traditional way is for a student to practice the movements, very simple movements for at least one year before being told anything about the theory behind them. In this way, they have to first put forth the sweat and diligence and develop a latent understanding inside. At this point to then hear the greater theories revealed to them will be like opening an unlimited door. However if the student had insisted on first knowing the theory before putting forth the effort, that would be like opening only a small window; it would be like having eaten an unripe fruit, only to stop eating it halfway through.
In the West we have the bad habit of feeding the logical mind. We want to first understand something before doing it. But I suggest we work on abating this thirst for “gathering knowledge” and begin to put forth the sweat and effort that produces real skill or gong. I suggest we trust in the traditional manner although it will take longer. And in this way, perhaps, we will pass the examination of the masters, and open a greater doorway to their infinite knowledge.
One day I asked Li Shi Fu when it was that he first had the notion to become a Daoist Renunciant. He said such a thing does not occur in a single moment. “It has been occurring as far back as I can remember.
When I was two or three I used to be very timid, afraid of everything. My older sisters would tell me ghost stories to work on my courage. This is what I grew up with,” he says, “mythology and the belief in the power of spirit.”
Post-Scriptum: This is a great chance to support the author, who also published her second work recently, “Path of the Spiritual Warrior” – Life and Teachings of Muay Thai Fighter Pedro Solana. Available under:
https://purplecloudinstitute.com/discourse-on-inner-nature/
Excerpts from this work can be viewed under the following links:
and
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