These books by the popular Manga writer and artist Santo Kyoden were originally published in 1789. This volume contains two humorous stories that were popular with both common Edo citizens (the city that would become Tokyo) and Samurai. The Girl Who Became a Taoist Immortal is a story about romance and betrayal at a gathering of Taoist Immortals. The Diary of Lord Fudo of Three River Island imagines the Buddhist Deity Fudo Lord of Light lives a rather downtrodden life in Edo. These early Manga were popular during the 18th and 19th centuries in Japan.
Immortal Sisters presents life stories and teachings of distinguished female Taoist adepts who lived from the third to twelfth centuries. Among them is the poet and mystic Sun Bu-er, who passed into folklore as one of the famous Seven Immortals and appears as a character in countless popular novels of China. These accomplished women, renowned in their own day and in history, represent a uniquely female heritage of spiritual mastery. Through poems, stories, teachings, and commentaries, Immortal Sisters sheds light on the spiritual methods taught and practiced by these women and illustrates the importance of the feminine in Taoism.
Xu Feng, who was originally the son of a hunter, got a mysterious gathering spirit disk that can produce spirit liquid when hunting black apes, and then entered the cultivation world.Kill ghost cultivation and get the favor of the largest sect.A kind teacher, let him learn unique skills from three schools, but he got to know each beautiful woman and left a relationship.Go to the place of dragon and meteor to test and get the heart method of swallowing the heaven and earth, which has become more powerful since then.After the trial, he founded the God cult, fought with the devil cult, killed the leader of the devil cult, and took three beauties to the fairyland.
The first English translation of Master Li Ching-yun's teachings on the Eight Brocades, the central practice of qigong. • Explains the physical and spiritual benefits of the Eight Brocades and offers step-by-step instructions for this powerful sequence of postures. • 85 illustrations highlight the postures and philosophies. • Author's commentary provides insight and depth to the original translation. Throughout history Taoists have promoted the development and restoration of the Three Treasures-- body, breath, and spirit--through the gentle practice of qigong. At the center of the qigong practice are the Eight Brocades, a series of postures that developed during the 3,000-year Taoist quest for longevity and vitality. Now qigong expert Stuart Olson translates into English Master Li Ching-yun's treasured teachings on the Eight Brocades. One of the most famous qigong masters of this century, Master Li Ching-yun is reliably chronicled to have lived more than 250 years, during which he practiced the Eight Brocades on a daily basis. His longevity and personal endorsements attest to and validate the Eight Brocades as the quintessence of Taoist health and qigong practices. With Master Li Ching-yun's original teachings as a guide, Stuart Olson presents an authentic yet accessible approach to this unique practice. Each exercise is accompanied by original text from Master Li, step-by-step instructions for each posture, illustrations of the positions, and insights on theory and practice. Because the Eight Brocades are the foundation of all qigong, this book provides valuable advice for all practitioners, regardless of the style they practice or the depth of their experience.
Part of a formidable publishing industry, cheap yet eye-catching graphic narratives consistently charmed early modern Japanese readers for around two hundred years. These booklets were called kusazōshi (“grass books”). Graphic Narratives from Early Modern Japan is the first English-language publication of its kind. It enables anyone new to kusazōshi to gain comprehensive knowledge of the field. For the specialist, our edited volume marks a turning point in scholarship, uncovering fresh research avenues. While exploring the powerful effects of the visual-verbal imagination, this collection opens up bold new vistas on the act of reading and advances provocations around comics and manga. Contributors are: Jaqueline Berndt, Joseph Bills, Michael Emmerich, Adam L. Kern, Fumiko Kobayashi, Frederick Feilden, Laura Moretti, Matsubara Noriko, Satō Satoru, Satō Yukiko, Satoko Shimazaki, Takagi Gen, Tanahashi Masahiro, Ellis Tinios, Tsuda Mayumi and, Glynne Walley.
Stephen Eskildsen's book offers an in-depth study of the beliefs and practices of the Quanzhen (Complete Realization) School of Taoism, the predominant school of monastic Taoism in China. The Quanzhen School was founded in the latter half of the twelfth century by the eccentric holy man Wan Zhe (1113–1170), whose work was continued by his famous disciples commonly known as the Seven Realized Ones. This study draws upon surviving texts to examine the Quanzhen masters' approaches to mental discipline, intense asceticism, cultivation of health and longevity, mystical experience, supernormal powers, death and dying, charity and evangelism, and ritual. From these primary sources, Eskildsen provides a clear understanding of the nature of Quanzhen Taoism and reveals its core emphasis to be the cultivation of clarity and purity of mind that occurs not only through seated meditation, but also throughout the daily activities of life.
The story of John Chang, the first man to be documented performing pyrokinesis, telekinesis, levitation, telepathy, and other paranormal abilities. • The author, a mechanical engineer, provides scientific explanations of how these powers work. • For the first time, the discipline of Mo-Pai is introduced to the West. In 1988 the documentary Ring of Fire was released to great acclaim. The most startling sequence in the film is that of a Chinese-Javanese acupuncturist who demonstrates his full mastery of the phenomenon of chi, or bio-energy, by generating an electrical current within his body, which he uses first to heal the filmmaker of an eye infection and then to set a newspaper on fire with his hand. Ring of Fire caused thousands to seek out this individual, John Chang, in pursuit of instruction. Of the many Westerners who have approached him, John Chang has accepted five as apprentices. Kosta Danaos is the second of those five. In his years of study with John Chang, Danaos has witnessed and experienced pyrokinesis, telekinesis, levitation, telepathy, and much more exotic phenomena. He has spoken with spirits and learned the secrets of reincarnation. Most important, he has learned John Chang's story. John Chang is the direct heir to the lineage of the sixth-century b.c. sage Mo-Tzu, who was Confucius's greatest rival. His discipline, called the Mo-Pai, is little-known in the West and has never before been the subject of a book. Now, John Chang has decided to bridge the gap between East and West by allowing a book to be published revealing the story of his life, his teachings, and his powers. It will surely expedite what may well become the greatest revolution of the twenty-first century--the verification and study of bio-energy.
The mountain was full of foxes and the world was full of strange talk. The trashy Daoist Priest had taken the Demon Emperor's daughter in order to earn her reputation of being rich. The girl with the twin sabers had vowed to be the number one person in the martial arts world. The old man, who was wearing a noose around his neck on a snowy night, said he had killed too many people in his life.Furthermore, that seemingly philistine old Daoist can ascend on his seat and fight the Demon Emperor alone for three hundred miles. The king of the Rakasha Kingdom looked very pretty, but he liked to wear a yaksha mask. This was an era where demons and humans coexisted together, the so-called evil deeds were done! However, the shackles on his body made him unable to breathe.This world was not that good, but it was not that bad either.
The first English translation with commentary of three classic Taoist texts on immortality • Translates The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic, The Immortals, and The Three Treasures of Immortality • Defines the Taoist concept of immortality and examines the lives and practices of Taoists who achieved this state • Reveals the steps needed to achieve immortality in our modern society Taoist mystics claim that it is possible to achieve immortality: “Within each of us dwells the medicine to cure the affliction of mortality.” Now Western readers can access the wisdom of Taoist masters on the subject of immortality through the first English translations of three classic Taoist treatises: The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic; The Immortals, from the Pao P’u Tzu by Ko Hung of the Sung Dynasty; and The Three Treasures of Immortality, from the Dragon Gate Sect. The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic teaches that one can attain immortality through the cultivation of the three treasures of Taoism: ching (sexual and physical energy), qi (breath and vital energy), and shen (spirit and mental energy). Chinese history is sprinkled with accounts of individuals who applied the lessons of the Jade Emperor and lived up to 200 years. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Taoism, martial arts, and Chinese history and culture, Stuart Alve Olson accompanies his translations with informative commentary that explains the historical context of the texts as well as demonstrates the practical applications of their teachings in contemporary life.
