A long time ago in India, the Buddha and a disciple named Ananda walked in the wilderness of the countryside. By the side of a field, they suddenly saw a pile of shiny objects. The Buddha said to Ananda: “Look, there is a big poisonous snake.” Ananda replied: “Master, it is a vicious snake.”… At ...
Zhang Sanfeng, born circa A.D. 1247, the founder of Tai Chi, was a cultivator in the Ming Dynasty. He led a very simple life, owning no material items except what he wore, a tunic made of dry plant strips and a hat made of dry grass stems. He wandered everywhere and his whereabouts were uncertain. ...
Leonardo da Vinci would grasp his small notebook that always hung from his belt and sketch profusely whenever he came across something eye-catching, says historian Toby Lester. Leonardo da Vinci’s collection of notebooks is filled to the brim with sketches, measurements, and observations centered around four themes — painting, architecture, mechanics, and human anatomy. “It ...
This story comes from Mount Lushan, Qingdao City, Shandong Province where there were two caves called Taoshidong and Shashidong. A village was located outside each cave, known as Taoshidong Village and Shashidong Village. The two villages were less than one mile apart. Later, however, only Shashidong Village remained. The area was home to a group ...
General Qi Jiguang of the Ming Dynasty was well-known for his military leadership, his love for the people, and for being a devout Buddhist. Reciting Buddhist scriptures while maintaining pure thoughts was a daily requirement he made for himself, and he did so even when he was on a military expedition. One night, Qi Jiguang ...
Laozi had a servant named Xu Jia. The two of them had been together for more than 200 years. But during this time, Xu Jia had been unhappy because his master failed to pay him. He was promised a certain amount of money from the beginning, however, that promise had not been honored. He silently counted ...
One of the most influential schools of thought in Chinese culture has been Huang-Lao, which literally translates as “Yellow Emperor Old Master.” The ideology was very popular during the early Han period of the 2nd century B.C. Huang-Lao Huang-Lao is derived from multiple philosophies that blend together to create a practical framework on how to live ...
We know that palm reading, fortune telling, divination using words or oracle bones, and so on can predict the fate of a person. However, it is rare to hear that the fate of a person can be predicted through the rhythm of their music. This story took place during Emperor Dezong’s time in the Tang ...
There is a well-known folk story told by Chinese people. The protagonists of the story are a rich man, a fool, and an old monk. The rich man was cheap and stingy and the fool did not care much about little things. The rich man hired a field hand named Zhang, who was honest and ...
From the moment the Chinese Communist Party was established, it advocated atheism. This was especially true during the Cultural Revolution, when numerous Buddhist temples, Taoist shrines, churches, and other places of worship were destroyed, while countless Buddha statues and religious relics were smashed and burned. However, those who were influenced by the Party culture to ...
© 2024 nspirement. All rights reserved
