Tales of the Fat Monk

Send us a textThis poem from 張伯端 Zhang Bo-Duan (author of the 悟真篇 Wu Zhen Pian: Understanding Reality, one of the most famous classics of Daoist alchemy) was explained by Master Nan during a seven day Zen retreat held in China.心内观心觅本心xīn neì guān xīn mì běn xīn心心俱绝见真心xīn xīn jù jué jiàn zhēn xīn真心明徹通三界Zhēn xīn míng chè tōng sān jiè外道邪魔不敢侵waì daò xié mó bù gǎn qīnSHOW NOTES:Xiaoyao Xingzhe, the self-styled carefree pilgrim, has lived and worked all over the world, having crossed the Gobi in a decrepit jeep, lived with a solitary monk in the mountains of Korea, dined with the family of the last emperor of China, and helped police with their enquiries in Amarillo, Texas.FAN MAIL is. a new feature now available to leave feedback on episodes, love or hate them. Look for the button in the top ribbon when you click on “Episodes.”Visit the Fat Monk Website: https://thefatmonk.net/for pdfs of all recorded chapters and a few more, as well as other bits of interest on Daoism, Buddhism and Neidan, with an emphasis (but not a limitation) on pre-twentieth century authors such as Huang Yuanji and Li Daochun.If you would like to support the production costs of this podcast, you may do so at Ko-fi. Check out the wonderful Flora Carbo and her music:https://floracarbo.com/

Send us a textLi Dao-Chun (李道純) was a 13th century Daoist Master in the line of the famous 4th generation Master of the southern Nei Dan lineage, Bai Yuchan.  Li is author of the Zhōng Hé Jí (中和集) translated as The Book of Balance and Harmony by Thomas Cleary.This selection, which to my knowledge has not been previously translated, is the valuable preface and introduction to Li Dao-Chun’s Dào Dé Huì Yuán, his commentary on Lao Zi’s Dào Dé Jīng, and the rationale for his edits.SHOW NOTES:Xiaoyao Xingzhe, the self-styled carefree pilgrim, has lived and worked all over the world, having crossed the Gobi in a decrepit jeep, lived with a solitary monk in the mountains of Korea, dined with the family of the last emperor of China, and helped police with their enquiries in Amarillo, Texas.FAN MAIL is. a new feature now available to leave feedback on episodes, love or hate them. Look for the button in the top ribbon when you click on “Episodes.”Visit the Fat Monk Website: https://thefatmonk.net/for pdfs of all recorded chapters and a few more, as well as other bits of interest on Daoism, Buddhism and Neidan, with an emphasis (but not a limitation) on pre-twentieth century authors such as Huang Yuanji and Li Daochun.If you would like to support the production costs of this podcast, you may do so at Ko-fi. Check out the wonderful Flora Carbo and her music:https://floracarbo.com/

Send us a textBai Yu-Chan (1194-1229?) was a key figure in Southern Song dynasty Daoism and internal alchemy. The following is written as a discussion with his teacher Chen Nan (d. 1213), the fourth patriarch of the Nanzong lineage.Resolving Confusions in Cultivating Transcendence(Xiū Xiān Biàn Huò Lùn)《修仙辨惑論》This excerpt is from section four of the Zazhu Zhixuan Pian (miscellaneous essays guiding toward the mystery) found in Bai’s Xiuzhen Shishu (Ten Books on Cultivating Trueness); other essays in this section include discussions of the valley spirit, ascent and descent of yin and yang, and a discussion on the chamber of the elixir.This particular passage is notable for how clearly it states that context will determine the meanings of alchemical terms, and for its precise directions regarding getting to grips with the practice.Visit the Fat Monk Website: https://thefatmonk.net/for pdfs of all recorded chapters and a few more, as well as other bits of interest on Daoism, Buddhism and Neidan, with an emphasis (but not a limitation) on pre-twentieth century authors such as Huang Yuanji and Li Daochun.If you would like to support the production costs of this podcast, you may do so at Ko-fi. Check out the wonderful Flora Carbo and her music:https://floracarbo.com/SHOW NOTES:Xiaoyao Xingzhe, the self-styled carefree pilgrim, has lived and worked all over the world, having crossed the Gobi in a decrepit jeep, lived with a solitary monk in the mountains of Korea, dined with the family of the last emperor of China, and helped police with their enquiries in Amarillo, Texas.FAN MAIL is. a new feature now available to leave feedback on episodes, love or hate them. Look for the button in the top ribbon when you click on “Episodes.”Visit the Fat Monk Website: https://thefatmonk.net/for pdfs of all recorded chapters and a few more, as well as other bits of interest on Daoism, Buddhism and Neidan, with an emphasis (but not a limitation) on pre-twentieth century authors such as Huang Yuanji and Li Daochun.If you would like to support the production costs of this podcast, you may do so at Ko-fi. Check out the wonderful Flora Carbo and her music:https://floracarbo.com/

Send us a textXiaoyao meets his old friend Ante Babic, who reveals his discovery of a secret system of life training that the Chinese have instituted without anyone taking notice: the institution of Yum Cha (or "Dim Sum").SHOW NOTES:Xiaoyao Xingzhe, the self-styled carefree pilgrim, has lived and worked all over the world, having crossed the Gobi in a decrepit jeep, lived with a solitary monk in the mountains of Korea, dined with the family of the last emperor of China, and helped police with their enquiries in Amarillo, Texas.FAN MAIL is. a new feature now available to leave feedback on episodes, love or hate them. Look for the button in the top ribbon when you click on “Episodes.”Visit the Fat Monk Website: https://thefatmonk.net/for pdfs of all recorded chapters and a few more, as well as other bits of interest on Daoism, Buddhism and Neidan, with an emphasis (but not a limitation) on pre-twentieth century authors such as Huang Yuanji and Li Daochun.If you would like to support the production costs of this podcast, you may do so at Ko-fi. Check out the wonderful Flora Carbo and her music:https://floracarbo.com/