Tales of the Taoist Immortals (14 page)

Flying over the K’un-lun Mountains, one of the immortals said to T’ang Kuang-chen, “Would you like to transcend the mundane and enter the sacred, shed your shell and become an immortal? Or would you rather keep your body and remain in the mortal realm?”

Kuang-chen replied, “It is my duty to look after my mother while she is still alive.”

The immortals then said, “We understand that at this time you would like to keep your body and remain in the mortal realm.” They gave her a pill and left.

Kuang-chen swallowed the pill. From that time on, she was immune to heat, cold, hunger, and thirst. She returned to her village to care for her aging mother and lived what appeared to be a normal life. After her mother passed away, T’ang Kuang-chen received an invitation from the celestial lords. She summoned the giant toad, got onto its back, and rode off to the immortal realm.

T’
ANG
K
UANG-CHEN
lived during the Sung dynasty (960–1279
CE
). It is said that she learned the arts of female internal alchemy from Immortal Ho Hsien-ku, the patron of female Taoist cultivation. Kuang-chen wrote poems to document her spiritual experiences, and these writings are considered some of the finest expositions on female Taoist learning.

26

Immortal from the Sky

Tung-fang Shuo

When Tung-fang Shuo was a boy, he once left home and did not return until a year later. His family was worried, and when he came home eventually, his brother asked, “Where have you been? You were away for almost a year.”

Tung-fang Shuo replied, “I was playing on the beach and got sprayed by the salt water. So I went to the Deep Spring to wash the salt off my clothes. I left home early in the morning and it’s only lunchtime now. Why do you say I’ve been away for a year?”

His brother exclaimed, “The Deep Spring is ten thousand miles from here! It would take a normal person more than year to get there and back. You must be joking!”

When Tung-fang Shuo was twenty-two years old, he wrote a letter to Wu-ti, the Han emperor. In the letter, he explained, “I was orphaned at an early age and was brought up by my brother. I mastered the classics when I was twelve. At fifteen, I became an expert in the martial arts. At sixteen, I became a master poet and memorized twenty thousand lines of song. At nineteen, I mastered the science of warfare and the art of diplomacy. Now, at twenty-two, I stand head and shoulders above everyone. My body is strong and graceful. My mind is agile and cunning. I am honest and trustworthy, brave and honorable. I am someone whom your majesty should have in your service!”

Many people would have been offended by Tung-fang Shuo’s manner of presenting himself, but the emperor realized that this was no ordinary person. He not only employed the young man in his service, but made Tung-fang Shuo his personal adviser.

The emperor valued Shuo’s friendship and lavished him with gifts. He even sent a beautiful woman to be the young man’s wife. However, every time the emperor sent gifts of silks and gold to his friend, Tung-fang Shuo turned all the gifts over to his wife. People made fun of his strange behavior and joked, “Either he really loves his wife or he is afraid of her!” But Shuo was not offended. He only laughed and said, “I am a hermit who escapes worldly matters by hiding in the palace!”

Often he would get drunk and sing in a loud voice:

The world is too muddy,

Therefore I hide behind the gates of the palace.

The palace is a place where I can cultivate my life,

Why I do I need to be a hermit in the deep mountains?

Before Tung-fang Shuo was to leave the mortal realm, he remarked to the emperor, “No one knows where I came from and where I will go. Only the astronomer who keeps a record of the stars knows my true identity.”

A few days later, when Tung-fang Shuo was nowhere to be seen, the emperor was worried about his friend. Suddenly, remembering what the magician had said, he summoned the court astronomer and asked about Tung-fang Shuo.

The court astronomer was bewildered. He said, “Your majesty, I honestly do not know the man’s true identity.”

The emperor was a very clever man. He sensed that Tung-fang Shuo’s identity must be related to the patterns of stars in the sky. Otherwise, he would not have mentioned that only the keeper of the record of the stars would know it.

Turning to the astronomer, the emperor asked, “In your observation of the stars during the last forty years, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”

The astronomer replied, “My lord, I did notice that forty years ago, a star mysteriously disappeared and then a few days ago reappeared again.”

The emperor finally understood. He sighed and said, “In the eighteen years that Tung-fang Shuo was with me, I did not even know that he was a sky immortal. What a pity!”

T
UNG-FANG
S
HUO
lived during the early part of the Han dynasty (206
BCE
–219
CE
) and served in the court of the emperor Wu Ti.

PART FOUR

Diviners

27

The Reader of Human Destiny

Chang Chung

Chang Chung learned the arts of divination from an immortal, and was especially adept at predicting events and reading personal destiny.

When Chu Yüan-chang, the leader of the rebellion against the Mongol rule, learned about Chang Chung’s skills, he invited Chung to his military camp and requested, “Tell me about my future.”

Chang Chung replied, “Everyone wants to drive out the Mongols and become emperor, but only one person will succeed. I believe that you are that person.”

Chu Yüan-chang said, “What makes you say that?”

The other man replied, “You have the forehead of a dragon and the eyes of a phoenix. The destiny of kingship is written upon your face.”

Delighted, the rebel leader begged, “Please stay and be my adviser. I need people like you if I am to defeat the Mongols.”

Chang Chung agreed.

Not long after that, Chu Yüan-chang was fighting a rival rebel leader named Chen Yu-liang. Yu-liang was a formidable opponent who commanded a large and disciplined army. After a fierce battle in which both sides suffered severe losses, Chu Yüan-chang wanted to retreat. He sought out Chang Chung and said, “We’ve lost a large part of our army today. The soldiers are weak and morale is low. I think we should retreat and regroup before we fight again.”

Chung replied calmly, “Chen Yu-liang was killed by an arrow not long ago. If we can get this news to his commanders, the victory will be ours.”

“What should we do?” Chu Yüan-chang asked.

His adviser answered, “Prepare a eulogy and have a condemned prisoner read it at the front lines. When Yu-liang’s troops hear it, they will lose their will to fight.”

As Chang Chung had predicted, Chen Yu-liang’s soldiers were demoralized once they learned their leader was dead. Without further resistance, Yu-liang’s lieutenants either surrendered or fled.

Some months later, a general of Chu Yüan-chang’s army named Hsü Ta asked Chang Chung about his destiny. Hsü Ta was a brilliant commander and a gifted strategist, and was extremely loyal to Yüan-chang.

Chung studied the general’s face and said, “Your eyes are large and bright and you always look beyond the horizon. You will not only be rich and famous, but you will become
the supreme commander of the imperial army.” Hsü Ta was very happy, but before he could thank Chang Chung, the diviner added, “I’m afraid that you will not live beyond forty.”

Hsü Ta said, “I will be content if I am given forty years. I only ask the lords of heaven that I live long enough to bring peace to the country.” Chang Chung sighed and said to himself, “This man may die a violent death, but his honor and integrity will never be forgotten.”

Chu Yüan-chang eventually defeated the Mongols and became the emperor of the Ming dynasty. Those who had helped him win the throne were rewarded with lands and titles. As Chang Chung had predicted, Hsü Ta became the supreme commander of the imperial army and was given the title the Martial Duke.

The new emperor asked Chang Chung to stay at his side and be his adviser. Chung declined but agreed to remain in the capital.

The years passed, and the country began to recover from the Mongols’ harsh rule and civil unrest. One morning after a night of heavy rain, a guard hurried to the palace with news for the emperor. “Chang Chung has jumped off a bridge into the river and was swept away,” he announced.

The emperor immediately ordered swimmers and divers into the river to search for Chang Chung. When his men failed to find the diviner or his body, Chu Yüan-chang told the imperial messengers, “Put a poster in every town announcing that I will give a large reward to anyone who has news of Chang Chung’s whereabouts.”

Six months later, a commander from one of the border garrisons asked for an audience with the emperor. The man bowed to Chu Yüan-chang and said, “Last spring I saw a
man leaving our border. His features are identical to the man named Chang Chung.”

“On exactly what date did you see this man?” the emperor questioned.

“The fifteenth day of the fourth month,” the commander replied.

The emperor nodded thoughtfully. Chang Chung had jumped into the river on that day.

Toward the end of his reign, Chu Yüan-chang was afraid that his advisers and military commanders would overthrow him. So one by one, he had them eliminated. Hsü Ta, who was popular with both the nobility and the people, was one of the first victims. Knowing that Hsü Ta was deathly allergic to goose meat, Yüan-chang sent a gift of it to his general.

When Hsü Ta saw the meat, he sighed and said, “All my life I have been loyal. It is my duty to obey the emperor even if he wants me dead.” As Chang Chung had predicted, Hsü Ta died before he was forty years old.