Someone asked : “Among the people there are such as Lao Tzu and Peng Tzu, who are like pines and cypresses among the trees. But they are such by nature; so is it possible to become like them through training?”
Baopu Tzu said : “Among the beings created through transformations by the Great Potter [1], there is no one as spiritualized as a person. The least he can do is make all things serve him; the most he can do is prolong his life and gain eternal vision. He who knows the highest potion of prolonging life can, by taking this potion, reach the state of immortality. The one who knows the secret of the longevity of the stork and the tortoise can, using their tao yin gymnastics, extend the years of his life. For the branches and leaves of the pine and the cypress are different from the branches and leaves of other trees, and the body and form of the stork and the tortoise are not the same as the bodies and forms of other beings. But Lao Tzu and Peng Tzu are the same people as everyone else, they are not of a different kind and differ from all other people only in the length of their lives. And this is because they have acquired the Tao-Path, and not at all because they are such by nature. Trees cannot imitate pines and cypresses, and animals cannot learn from cranes and tortoises, and therefore their lives are fleeting. People, on the other hand, are endowed with intelligence and wisdom and therefore can follow the path of Peng-zu and Lao-tzu. And if so, then they can have equal achievements with them.
If we say that there are no immortals in the world, then will it not turn out that we will reject what was written down by wise people, of whom there are at least a thousand, their names and surnames are known, and they have studied all beginnings and ends? Were they just empty speeches?! But if we say that they were endowed with a special pneuma and had a special nature, then I remind you: they are said to have reached their state through training and taking drugs, and not as a result of the possession of some innate knowledge.
If, however, one asserts that the art of the Tao cannot be learned, then I will recall deeds that have been unconditionally attested and have taken place, such as changing the body and appearance, swallowing knives, breathing out fire, the ability not to cast shadows, summoning clouds and clouds, conjuring snakes, bewitching fish and tortoises, liquefying thirty-six kinds of minerals, liquefying jade into a paste, liquefying gold, walking on water as if on dry land, walking on knife-edges without wounding the legs, creating illusions and mirages—more than nine hundred such things. All of them can be learned, why can't only one art of gaining the state of immortality be learned?
The path to immortality is difficult and should be walked slowly; it also involves many prohibitions and restrictions. Those people who do not have the will to overcome the worldly and do not have the gift of powerful strength will not be able to keep it. Those in whose heart doubts soon arise turn halfway and begin to assert with fervor that there is no path of immortals and the fruit of prolonging life cannot be found.
I’ve seen some analysis which suggests this really was a school of war, with Chang’s focus on healing being anomalous, like his original decision to admit westerners. I’m interested though, have you ever found anything on video that was more believable or well documented? I gotta get back to Bao PuZi, that’s the probably with digital reading, if the bookmark gets forgotten or the link deleted, it’s too easy go on being lost.
Someone asked : “Among the people there are such as Lao Tzu and Peng Tzu, who are like pines and cypresses among the trees. But they are such by nature; so is it possible to become like them through training?”
Baopu Tzu said : “Among the beings created through transformations by the Great Potter [1], there is no one as spiritualized as a person. The least he can do is make all things serve him; the most he can do is prolong his life and gain eternal vision. He who knows the highest potion of prolonging life can, by taking this potion, reach the state of immortality. The one who knows the secret of the longevity of the stork and the tortoise can, using their tao yin gymnastics, extend the years of his life. For the branches and leaves of the pine and the cypress are different from the branches and leaves of other trees, and the body and form of the stork and the tortoise are not the same as the bodies and forms of other beings. But Lao Tzu and Peng Tzu are the same people as everyone else, they are not of a different kind and differ from all other people only in the length of their lives. And this is because they have acquired the Tao-Path, and not at all because they are such by nature. Trees cannot imitate pines and cypresses, and animals cannot learn from cranes and tortoises, and therefore their lives are fleeting. People, on the other hand, are endowed with intelligence and wisdom and therefore can follow the path of Peng-zu and Lao-tzu. And if so, then they can have equal achievements with them.
If we say that there are no immortals in the world, then will it not turn out that we will reject what was written down by wise people, of whom there are at least a thousand, their names and surnames are known, and they have studied all beginnings and ends? Were they just empty speeches?! But if we say that they were endowed with a special pneuma and had a special nature, then I remind you: they are said to have reached their state through training and taking drugs, and not as a result of the possession of some innate knowledge.
If, however, one asserts that the art of the Tao cannot be learned, then I will recall deeds that have been unconditionally attested and have taken place, such as changing the body and appearance, swallowing knives, breathing out fire, the ability not to cast shadows, summoning clouds and clouds, conjuring snakes, bewitching fish and tortoises, liquefying thirty-six kinds of minerals, liquefying jade into a paste, liquefying gold, walking on water as if on dry land, walking on knife-edges without wounding the legs, creating illusions and mirages—more than nine hundred such things. All of them can be learned, why can't only one art of gaining the state of immortality be learned?
The path to immortality is difficult and should be walked slowly; it also involves many prohibitions and restrictions. Those people who do not have the will to overcome the worldly and do not have the gift of powerful strength will not be able to keep it. Those in whose heart doubts soon arise turn halfway and begin to assert with fervor that there is no path of immortals and the fruit of prolonging life cannot be found.
Regarding the clip, I am suspicious, because the more relaxed the body is, the easier qi moves, but he tenses the hand so much.
I’ve seen some analysis which suggests this really was a school of war, with Chang’s focus on healing being anomalous, like his original decision to admit westerners. I’m interested though, have you ever found anything on video that was more believable or well documented? I gotta get back to Bao PuZi, that’s the probably with digital reading, if the bookmark gets forgotten or the link deleted, it’s too easy go on being lost.