Wisdom and Wonders: The Taoist Trials on Mount Lao
Dec 03, 2024
The Tao-Seeking Journey
In ancient China, there was a scholar whose last name was Wang in one county. He ranked seventh in his official family. This man had been fascinated by Tao practice from a young age. Hearing that there were a lot of immortals in Mountain Lao, he packed his belongings and set out to seek the immortals and learn the Tao.
He climbed to the top of a mountain and saw a Taoist temple in a secluded area. When he closed to this temple, he saw a Taoist priest sitting on a futon, his long white hair falling down his shoulder and his eyes sparkling.
Wang approached, paid his respects, and began to converse with the priest. He found the priest’s teachings profound and mysterious, so he asked to be taken as a disciple. The priest said: "I'm afraid that you are unable to endure hardship as you are delicate and lazy." But Wang replied: "I can do it!"
Then, in the early evening, many disciples of this priest gathered at the temple. Wang paid his respects to each of them and stayed at the temple for the night.
A Temple of Wonders
The next morning, the priest called Wang and handed him an axe, asking him to join the other disciples in cutting firewood. Wang respectfully agreed. A month later, Wang's hands and feet had developed thick calluses, and he could no longer bear the hard work. He secretly began to consider returning home.
One evening, Wang returned to the temple and saw two guests sitting with the priest, drinking wine. It was already late, and there was no candlelight. So the priest cut a piece of paper in the shape of a mirror and pasted it on the wall. After a moment, the paper transformed into a bright moon that illuminated the room with its radiant light. At the same time, the disciples busied themselves, running around to serve the guests.
One guest said, "We couldn't enjoy the beautiful landscape and tasty wine alone." Therefore, he picked up a wine jug and shared the wine with these disciples, encouraging them to drink freely. Wang thought to himself, "Seven or eight people, how can one jug of wine be enough?"
As expected, the disciples each grabbed a cup and eagerly began to drink, afraid the jug would run out. But to his surprise, although these disciples poured wine continuously, the wine in the jug never decreased. Wang was confused.
After a while, one guest said, "We are grateful for the moonlight, but drinking like this still feels a bit lonely. Why don't we invite Chang'e?" So he tossed chopsticks toward the paper moon. Suddenly, a beautiful woman floated out from the moonlight.
At first, she was less than a foot tall, but as she stood on the ground, she appeared as a normal person. She began to perform the "Rainbow Dress Dance", moving her slender waist and elegant neck gracefully. Then she sang, "Immortal, you have returned to the human world, why have you imprisoned me in the Cold Palace?"
Her voice was sweet and clear, like the sound of a flute. Finishing the song, she floated up again, landing on the table. What surprised the disciples was that "she" had transformed back into a chopstick. The priest and his two guests laughed heartily.
The other guest said, "This is the happiest night, but I've almost drunk. Would you mind accompanying me to the Moon Palace for a farewell drink?"
Then these three people moved out of their seats and gradually flew into the Moon Palace. The disciples looked up and saw the three of them drinking in the Moon Palace, their beards and eyebrows visible, just like reflections in a mirror.
After a while, the moonlight began to fade. One disciple lit a candle, finding the priest sitting there alone and the guests had gone away. The dishes and fruit pits were still left on the table. But the "moon" on the wall was just a round paper that looked like a mirror.
The priest asked his disciples, "Have you had enough to drink?" The disciples answered, "Yes." Then the priest replied, "If you've had enough, go to sleep early. Don't waste time for tomorrow's firewood gathering." The disciples agreed and left the room. Wang felt both surprised and envious this night. So his desire to return home quickly vanished.
While, a month later, Wang could no longer endure the hardship again. Yet, the priest had not taught him any Taoist spells. Wang could not suppress his feelings any longer and decided to ask the priest for permission to leave. He said, "I have traveled hundreds of miles to seek your teachings. Even if I cannot learn the elixir of immortality, I would be content to learn a small spell to ease my longing. But after two or three months of chopping firewood in the morning and sleeping at night, I have not learned anything. And at home, I have never endured such hardships."
The priest smiled and replied, "I already told you that you could not endure hardship, and now it is clear. I will send you home tomorrow morning."
Wang requested, "I have worked here for many days. Please teach me at least a small spell so that my journey is not in vain." The priest then asked, "What small spell do you want to learn?" He replied, "I found there was no wall that can block your path. I will be satisfied if I can learn how to pass through the wall." The priest smiled and agreed.
Then he taught Wang his secret spell and let him recite it by himself. After that, he said loudly, "Walk through the wall!"
At first, Wang was afraid to walk into the wall, but the priest encouraged him to try. So next Wang walked confidently toward the wall, but when he reached it, he was stopped by it.
The priest said, "Bend down and rush through. Don't hesitate!"
As expected, Wang ran forward, and to his amazement, he passed through the wall as if it were empty. When he looked back, he found himself outside the wall. He was very excited and returned to thank the priest.
The priest warned him, "You should maintain your integrity when you return home, or the spell will not work." Then he gave Wang some travel money and sent him home.
A Dream that Fades upon Waking
When Wang arrived home, he proudly boasted that he had encountered the Taoist immortals and that even solid walls could not block his way. His wife didn't believe his words.
Wang tried to demonstrate by imitating his previous actions, running toward the wall. But when his head struck the hard wall, he fell to the ground with a large bump on his forehead, like a swollen egg. he fell to the ground with a large bump on his forehead, like a swollen egg. His wife mocked him, and Wang, embarrassed and angry, cursed the old priest for playing tricks on him.
