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Zui Quan /
Drunken Boxing - The Eight Immortals
LIU DONG BIN
Perhaps the
most popular of the Eight Immortals is Liu Dong Bin. Revered as a hero
of marvelous and infinite wisdom, Liu Dong Bin is said to reside in
the Stork Peak, where his spirit can still be invoked be learned
Taoists today.
Liu Dong Bin
statues, paintings, embroidery and image can still be found in many
traditional Chinese homes today. Many temples and shrines in China are
dedicated to Liu Dong Bin, who is sometimes called Ancestor Liu. Liu
is revered for two reasons, firstly his association with the potion of
life (bestowing him the powers to cure all illness) and secondly his
power to ward off any evil spirits. As the Heavenly doctor, Liu Dong
Bin is worshiped by those who need his divine intervention in curing
terminal illness. Often times is his temple, sacred prescriptions were
given to the devotee from the fortune telling method of throwing
bamboo sticks.
Liu Dong Bin
was born during the 8th Century, converted to Taoism by fellow Eight
Immortal Han Chung Li. Liu was initiated in to the secrets of Taoist
Internal Alchemy, where he attained supreme magical powers. He is
often depicted as mounted on a tiger, the symbol of divine energy and
power that is descended from the Goddess Xi Wong Wu. Liu carries with
him a white horse-hair whisk that bestows him the power to fly through
the skies and walk the clouds.
Strapped behind
his back is the Chan-Yaw-Kuai, his double edged sword called the Demon
Slayer. This sword possesses mythical supernatural powers that enable
Liu to capture and tame all evil spirits. Liu Dong Bin is also famous
for his magic charms (yellow paper of sacred writings) that could ward
off ghosts and demons, but his main source of power would be his
magnificent sword. His sword endows him the ability to hide in the
heavens and render his physique invisible to evil spirits.
Liu's travels
thousands of miles around China with his swift-wind abilities in
search of kind hearted people to help on their path to cultivate the
Tao of being. He is known to help those who where oppressed by others
and is loved and respected as the great 'Ancestor Liu'.
Liu Dong Bin is
associated with the Trigram Tui of the Bagua. Tui, a yin
metal trigram relates to the direction West, and is represented by the
colors white, gold and silver. Tui is often associated with the
intuitive and vitality forces of nature, and thus we may say that Liu
Dong Bin is often seen as mysterious, magical and divine. His positive
emotions embodies courage, bravery, impartiality, and righteousness
while he suppresses the negative feelings of sorrow despondency and
misery.
LAM CHOY WAH
Lam Choy Wah is
thought to be the strangest of the Eight immortals. His sexuality
seems almost unclear as he is sometimes represented as a woman. This
is sometimes attributed to the fact that as a entertainer, he was
forced to wear women's clothing and make up in his role as a witch
doctor.
Believed to be
touched by gods, Lam Choy Wah is pictured as being a street wanderer,
dancing and singing for money that he eventually gave to the poor.
He had a small
following who were interested in his antics as he walked about wearing
only one shoe. Of the Eight Immortals, Lam Choy Wah is said to
represent the strange, the lunatic in all societies, unbalanced and
usually handled better in ancient societies. He gave much notoriety to
his own lunacy when he wrote songs and poems that questioned existence,
its fleeting cycle of life and death which seemed meaningless to this
immortal.
Having later
mastered the secrets of internal alchemy, Lam Choy Wah gave no thought
to sleeping outside in he snow in the middle of winter as crowds
gawked in amazement at the steam that rose from his body. Many failed
to realize his true self until one evening when he was carried away
from the local tavern by a celestial crane. This crane had reputedly
descended from the heavens to the sounds of a celestial chorus that
rained down upon the starry-eyed crowd that watched in amazement as
the crane carried away their "Holy Fool" to his immortal resting place.
Carrying a
basket of flowers and plants, Lam Choy Wah is associated with
light-heartiness, care-free mind and longevity. As such the plants in
the basket are of this nature, comprising of peach blossoms, springs
of prine, bamboo shoots and chrysanthemum flowers.
His mount is an
elephant, which gives him stability, wisdom and wise discretion. Lam
Choy Wah is associated with the Trigram Chien of the Bagua.
Chien, a yang metal trigram relates to the direction North West,
and is represented by the color Gold. Chien is often associated
with the creativity and strength, and thus we may say that Lam Choy
Wah is often seen as creative, lively and imaginative. His positive
emotions embodies uprightness, nobility, cultivation and embodiment
whilst he suppresses the negative feelings of misery, deprivation,
gloom and rejection.
HO SEN-KU
Ho Sen Ku was
born in the 7th century A.D., and now she is still alive, over 1,400
years old. She became an immortal at age 14 after meeting fellow
Immortal Liu Dong Bin, who taught her internal alchemy giving her a
precious rare "Peach of Immortality". Soon after eating the peach, she
was able to journey in her spirit body to pay homage to the Great
Taoist Goddess of Immortality, Hsi Wang Mu. The Goddess delightedly
carried her off to the gardens of Boundless space, Ho Sen Ku's new
home. She was able to cease her menstruation and conserve her life
force energy. She also gained the ability to nourish herself by
feeding only upon sweet, heavenly dew and the omnipresent Chi.
She spent her
youth telling fortunes, flying and floating from mountain peak to
mountain peak collecting herb's and food for her mother and the poor.
She also frequently flew to the mountains to meet other female
immortals. She achieved great fame and was summoned to present herself
to the Empress of China. She ignored the royal command and instead
ascended to heaven in full daylight disappearing from the earth. Some
years later she was seen floating on a rainbow cloud above the temple
of Ma Ku, a famous woman Taoist adept.
Ho Sen Ku still
appears to the virtuous, the innocent, and those oppressed people who
are in great need of divine intervention. She is shown holding a magic
lotus blossom, the flower of open-heartiness and divine brilliance,
which symbolizes her power and purity. She is mounted upon a deer, a
symbol of longevity and ceaseless energy.
Ho Sen Ku is
associated with the Trigram Kun of the Bagua. Kun, a yin
trigram relates to the direction South West, and is represented by the
color pink. Her positive emotions are open-heartiness, purity and
infinite wisdom while the negative emotions that she can suppress are
worry, distress, agony and restlessness.
CHO QUAT KAU
Cho Quat Kau is
one of two royal brothers. Their sister was a Sung Empress during the
11th century AD. He was so ashamed of his brother, who was a murderer
and a hedonist, that he gave away all his wealth to the poor and went
into the mountains to seek the Tao. In the mountains he clothed his
body with wild plants and lived as a hermit.
After some time
he harmonized his mind, body and spirit until he could easily
transform himself into the Tao. One day while roaming about his
mountain realm he met two of the eight immortals, Chung-Li and Liu
Dong Bin. Liu Dong Bin asked him, "What are you doing?" He replied, "I
am nurturing the Tao and studying the Way." Asked where the Tao was,
Cho Quat Kau pointed to heaven. Asked where heaven was, he pointed to
his heart. Chung-Li Chuan beamed and said, "The heart is heaven and
heaven is the Tao. You indeed found the truth and the way. You
understand the origin of things." They invited him to travel about
with other Immortals.
Cho achieved
immortality by practicing the secrets of the Taoist Alchemy and
inherited supernatural powers. His symbol is the castanets, which he
played in a soothing and relaxing rhythm to facilitate meditation and
journeying throughout the universe. He is mounted upon a horse whose
spirit may have helped him unveil the secrets of the Tao and
immorality. He is said to be still living on earth.
Cho Quat Kau is
associated with the Trigram Ken of the Bagua. Ken, a yin
earth trigram that relates to the direction North East, and is
represented by the color Brown. Ken is often associated with
the sense of clarity, serenity and stability of nature, and thus we
may say that Cho Quat Kau is often seen as steady, calm and centering.
His positive emotions embodies fairness, sincerity, compatibility and
agreement while he suppresses the negative feelings of anxiety, false
hope and distraction.
CHEUNG GUO
LO
Cheung Guo Lo
was born during the 8th Century, AD. He said in a previous life he had
been a Grand Minister to the legendary Emperor Yao (2357-2255 BC). He
was an old man and mountain hermit when he mastered the secrets of
Immortality and became "the Original Vapor". He has a fabulous horse
that carries him thousands of miles in a few moments. Often he would
ride facing backwards . Upon reaching his destination, he collapsed
the horse folding it like a piece of paper and stored it in his pocket.
When ready to travel again he would take it out, and moisten it with
water changing it back into a horse.
Many of the
Tang emperors invited him to court, but usually he declined to go. He
entertained one emperor by making himself invisible and drinking
poisons. The emperor bestowed upon him the title, "Master of
Understanding the Mystery", offered him a high position and his
daughter in marriage. Cheung Guo Lo declined both offers, then he
received the imperial summons to do it, so he laid down and died. He
was buried in a coffin, but later when his disciples opened it, it was
found to be empty. After this he was frequently seen alive.
His symbol is a
tube containing wands or "phoenix feather" with which he can foretell
fortunes and misfortunes. He is known to help souls to reincarnate,
and even today in China, his image is found is the bedrooms of those
who are trying to have children.
Cheung Guo Lo
is associated with the Trigram Kan of the Bagua. Kan
relates to the direction North, and is represented by the colors black
and blue. His positive emotions are gentleness, stillness alertness
and gratitude while the negative emotions that he can suppress are
fear, uncertainty, panic and anxiety.
HAN
SING TU
Han Sing Tu was
born in the 8th century AD, and was a nephew of the great Tang poet
and scholar, Han Yu. He studied and prepared for the state civil exams,
but to the dismay of his uncle, he avoided taking them. He was an
intelligent but wild child who disdained the pomp and vanity of the
world. Despite his expulsion from a Buddhist temple for rudeness and
mischief, he delighted in stillness and obscurity.
He was
initiated into the secrets of Taoism by fellow Immortal Liu Dong Bin
while still a teenager, and quickly became absorbed in the practice of
internal alchemy. He probed the mysteries of Heaven and mastered the
Five Phases (Elements) of Energy. The sacred knot on his robe is a
symbol of his success in combining the two energies of Yin and Yang
into the One Original Energy.
It is said that
one time Liu Dong Bin carried him up to a vantage point on the
mythical World Tree in order to show him the universe. Han Sing Tu
fell from the tree and was killed but quickly resurrected himself. He
was very poor, but totally unconcerned about it for he was intoxicated
with the love of the Tao. He performed wonderful feats and is able to
foretell the future. He was able to make wine without grapes and
flowers bloom in mid-winter. One winter he magically grew a bunch of
rose-peonies and on each petal were verses written in gold that
foretold the fate of his uncle.
He is often
depicted with a bouquet of flowers. He carries a flute which he plays
the Six Healing Sounds. He is shown mounted on a buffalo, a mythical
beast symbolizing of the Taoist Goddess Hsi Wang Mu, Ruler of the
West.
Han Sing Tu is
associated with the Trigram Sun of the Bagua. Sun, a yin
wood trigram relates to the direction South East, and is represented
by the color Light Green. Sun is often associated with the
generating and sensitive forces of nature, and thus we may say that
Han Sing Tu is often seen as determined and astute. His positive
emotions embodies kindness, forgiveness and graciousness while he
suppresses the negative feelings of jealousy, covetousness, envy and
anger.
HAN CHUNG LI
Han Chung Li
was a historical persona, serving as a Marshall or General of the
Imperial Han dynasty (207BCE - 220CE). It was said that Lao Tzu
himself, shared the wisdom of the Tao with Han Chung Li. Upon
embracing the teachings of the Tao , Han successfully ended the
bloodshed and violence in his government life and journeyed to the
wilderness, the mountains, to nature as a wanderer cultivating the
Tao.
One day, whilst
meditating, the adjacent stone in his mountain chamber cracked and
revealed a sacred jade box. Inside this mysterious box contained an
age old scroll that showed him the secrets of attaining Immortality.
Studying the secret meditations, Han Chung Li finally achieved his
immortality. His chamber was filled with celestial clouds, music and a
magic crane appeared bringing him to the realms of the immortals.
Han Chung Li
was revered for devising the pill of immortality by sacred Taoist
Alchemy. This is why he is a popular deity for those in search for
longevity. Once during a famine that swept China, Han Chung Li turned
stones to gold and silver for the poor, saving millions of lives.
His symbol of
power is his feather fan, which he uses to revive and reincarnate the
souls of the departed. His magical fan can also control the forces of
the 7 seas and the changes in the weather. He is often depicted as
mounted on a chimera (Kei Lun), a mythical creature of the Taoist
Goddess Hsi Wong Mu.
Han Chung Li is
associated with the Trigram Chen of the Bagua. Chen, a
yang wood trigram relates to the direction East, and is represented by
the colors Green. Chen is often associated with the thundering
forces of nature, and thus we may say that Han is often seen as jovial
and forceful. His positive emotions embodies generosity, benevolence
and graciousness while he suppresses the negative feelings of
condemnation, guiltiness, frustration and violence.
TIT GWAI LI
Tit Gwai Li or
"Iron Crutch Li" was born the Han Dynasty (2nd Century, AD). He lived
in the mountains for 40 years where he devoted himself to practicing
meditation that he often forgot to eat or sleep. Some legends say that
the great Taoist sage Lao Tzu, personally introduced him to the Taoist
practices. Other stories say it was the Taoist Goddess Hsi Wong Mu,
ruler of the West, who taught him the art of Immortality.
Depicted as a
lame and ugly beggar, he was once a handsome and well built man of
commanding stature. His transformation occurred after his spirit body
went to see Lao Tzu. He asked his student to watch over his physical
body for seven days and prevent its destruction by animals, insects,
and other spirits from entering it. He told his student to burn his
body after seven days if he had not returned by then. After only six
days the student learned that his own mother was dying, so he burned
Li's body and went to his mother's bedside. Li returned on the seventh
day and wanted to enter his body. Seeing that his body had been
destroyed, he entered the corpse of a lame beggar who had just died.
He blew water on the beggar's bamboo staff and changed it into an iron
crutch and a magic staff.
His symbols are
the staff and gourd (a symbol of the universe). Having mastered the
Five Phases of Energy, he is able to transmute matter with the staff
and concoct medicines and potions from his gourd. He is credited with
raising his student's mother back to life using a magical potion mixed
in the gourd. At night he makes himself very tiny and enters his
sleeping quarters which are also inside the gourd. He is well known to
the poor, sick and needy by his reputation for benevolence.
He eventually
ascended to heaven in the form of a dragon, but frequently returns to
earth to help others.
Tit Gwai Li is
associated with the Trigram Li of the Bagua. Li, a yin
fire trigram relates to the direction South, and is represented by the
color red. Li is often associated with the vitalizing and
energizing forces of nature, and thus we may say that Tit Gwai Li is
often seen as active, compassionate and a little quick tempered. His
positive emotions embodies delight, fondness, love, esteem and fame
while he suppresses the negative feelings of hatred, craving,
arrogance and unkindness. |
