Posts Tagged eight immortals
Eight Immortals – Han Xiangzi
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on November 16, 2009
Han Xiangzi, whose courtesy name is Qingfu, is one of the Eight Immortals. He lived in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was said to be the nephew of Han Yu, a famous literary figure and statesman of the Tang Dynasty.
Legend goes that when he was young, he had no intention of entering government service. Instead, he enjoyed exploring the surrounding mountains, play his flute, and commune with nature. Later, Han encountered Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, and Lu became his mentor. He attained Lu’s level of spiritual attainment for himself.
Han gained immortality when he fell from a peach tree. He is usually described holding a flute, a bouquet of flowers or flower basket, or a peach.
Eight Immortals – Cao Guojiu
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on October 27, 2009
Cao Guojiu, also called Royal Uncle Cao, is the most aristocratic member of the Eight Immortals. He was said to be the brother-in-law of an emperor in the Song Dynasty (960–1279).
The story of how Cao became an Immortal goes that he had a younger brother who always did evil deeds and eventually became a murderer. In shame, he retreated to the mountains and lived as a hermit for a very long time. During that time, he also studied Taoism. One day, Immortals Lu Dongbin and Zhongli Quan visited him and taught him the techniques for attaining perfection. He followed the instructions and after a few days, he became an Immortal.
Eight Immortals – Lan Caihe
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on October 18, 2009
Lan Caihe is always regarded as the most mysterious of the Eight Immortals as Lan’s age and sex are unknown. He/She is sometimes portrayed as a young girl boy carrying a bamboo flower of basket.
Lan was known to wear one shoe and the other foot being bare. In the summer, he wore thick clothes despite the heat, while in the winter he wore thin skirts and even slept naked in the snow.
He was said to be often in a drunken stupor. Legend goes that one day when he was drinking wine in a tavern, suddenly, the room was filled with the sounds of a reed-organ and flute. Then he soared up into the sky on the back of a heavenly swan or crane. Before his leaving, he dropped down his clothes on the way up.
Eight Immortals – He Xiangu
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on October 12, 2009
He Xiangu, also called Immortal Woman He, is the only female immortal of the Eight Immortals. She is often described as a morally pure woman, an ideal daughter, and a selfless seeker after spiritual freedom.
She was born in Zeng Cheng of Guangdong province during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). When she was 14 or 15 years old, an immortal appeared in her dream and taught her to eat powdered mica so that her body might become immune from death. She followed the instruction and vowed never to marry.
Gradually, she walked faster and faster as if flying and finally she gave up taking ordinary food. It was said that about 707CE, she ascended to Heaven and became a Taoist Immortal.
Eight Immortals – Li Tieguai
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on September 26, 2009
Li Tieguai, also known as Li with the iron crutch, is one of the eight immortals of Taoist mythology. Legends goes that Li was born in the Yuan Dynasty (1271－1368) and his original name was Li Yuan.
It was said that when he was young, he was a very handsome man. But why he was later described as an ugly old man walking with the aid of an iron crutch?
There are different versions of how Li came to have a crippled leg. One story goes that after he attained immortality, his soul left his body to travel to Mount Hua. Before he left, he asked one of his pupils to take care of his body and told the pupil to burn his body if he did not return within seven days. However, on the sixth day, the pupil burned the body as he was eager to go home to see his dying mother. On the seventh day, Li’s soul returned but only found his body burned to ashes. Having no body to inhabit, his soul was forced to enter the lame, crippled body of a beggar who had just died. Later, Lao Zi gave him a crutch to help him walk.
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