Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China (Shambhala Classics)

Original nature is cultivated externally through virtuous acts and internally through nonattachment to forms.

“Even if material things are impermanent, at least others have sons to carry on the family line. As for us, we are truly empty of everything.” Sun Yüan-chen said, “We are not truly empty, for to be truly empty one must find the source of true emptiness.”

The herb gatherer sat down, motioned Ch’iu Ch’ang-ch’un to sit beside him, and said, “The lines of destiny written on your face are not true indicators of your destiny. For the true face is not your physical face but the face of your mind. And it is on the face of your mind that true destiny is written. Therefore, when the fortune-tellers say that

Wang Yü-yang then said, “The true yin and yang energies reside in internal organs in our body. The true yang is stored in the liver and the true yin in the lungs. The liver belongs to the element wood. It is the dwelling place of the spirit. The lungs belong to the element metal. It is the dwelling place of the soul. Metal is said to be the daughte