Tales of the Taoist Immortals

by WONG, EVA

• ISBN13: 9781570628092
• ISBN10: 1570628092
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-24
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Eva Wong heard and memorized many tales told to her by Hong Kong's finest professional storytellers, by actors on the radio, and by her grandmother. These popular tales of the Taoist immortals were also often dramatized in Chinese operas. The stories are of famous characters in Chinese history and myth: a hero's battle with the lords of evil, the founder of the Ming dynasty's treacherous betrayal of his friends, a young girl who saves her town by imitating rooster calls. Entertaining and often provocative, these tales usually include a moral. The immortals are role models in Chinese culture, as well as examples of enlightenment. Some of the immortals were healers, some were social activists, some were aristocrats, and some were entrepreneurs. The tales chosen by Eva Wong here are of the best-known immortals among the Chinese. Their names are household words and their stories are told and retold by one generation to the next.

Author Biography

Eva Wong is an independent scholar and a practitioner of the Taoist arts of the Pre-Celestial Way and Complete Reality lineages. She has written and translated many books on Taoism and related topics, including A Master Course in Feng-Shui; Tales of the Taoist Immortals; The Tao of Health, Longevity, and Immortality; and The Shambhala Guide to Taoism.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Eight Immortals
The Guest of the Cavern: Lu Tung-pin	p. 11
Hermit of the Cloud Chamber: Chungli Ch'uan	p. 16
The Patron of Female Taoists: Ho Hsien-ku	p. 19
The Bat Spirit: Chang Kuo Lao	p. 22
The Immortal with the Iron Crutch: T'ieh-kuai Li	p. 26
A Faithful Nephew: Han Hsiang	p. 28
The Wandering Minstrel: Lan Ts'ai-ho	p. 31
The Hermit Aristocrat: Ts'ao Kuo-chiu	p. 33
Sages
The Father of Ch'i-Kung: Chen Hsi-yi	p. 37
Satirist of the High and Mighty: Chuang Tzu	p. 42
The Minister and the Courtesan: Fan Li and Hsi Shih	p. 45
The Yellow Emperor: Huang Ti	p. 50
The Old One: Lao Tzu	p. 55
A Prince among Taoists: Liu An	p. 57
The Hermit of Mount T'ien-tai: Ssu-ma Ch'eng-chen	p. 61
Minister from the Mountains: T'ao Hung-ching	p. 65
The First Disciple of Taoism: Wen Shih	p. 70
Magicians
The Celestial Teacher: Change Tao-ling	p. 77
The Wandering Healer: Fei Chang-fang	p. 82
The Sorcerer Strategist: Kiang Tzu-ya	p. 89
The Immortal in Sheep's Clothing: Tso Chi	p. 95
The Spirit Catcher: Ko Hsuan	p. 98
The People's Protector: Mah Ku	p. 102
Lady of the Great Mysteries: T'ai-hsuan Nu	p. 105
The Woman Who Flew on a Toad: T'ang Kuang-chen	p. 108
Immortal from the Sky: Tung-fang Shuo	p. 111
Diviners
The Reader of Human Destiny: Chang Chung	p. 117
The Crane Immortal: Ch'ing Wu	p. 121
The Mad Beggar: Chou Tien	p. 125
The Old Man and the Kingmaker: Huang-shih Kung and Chang Liang	p. 129
Master of Ghost Valley: Kuei-ku Tzu	p. 133
Master of K'an-yu: Kuo P'u	p. 136
The Reader of Dynastic Destiny: Lin Ling-su	p. 140
Alchemists
The Master of Spirit Travel: Chang Po-tuan	p. 147
The Father of T'ai-Chi Ch'uan: Chang San-feng	p. 150
The Woman Who Could Turn Minerals into Gold: Cheng Wei's Wife	p. 153
The Sage Who Embraced Simplicity: Ko Hung	p. 156
The Poet Immortal: Pai Yu-ch'an	p. 160
Lady of the Great Yin: T'ai-yin Nu	p. 163
The Father of Immortal Alchemy: Wei Po-yang	p. 166
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.