“Appearance stems from the heart”
3 min readThere lived a famous and beloved Daoist during the end of the Tang Dynasty called Chen Tuan.
He was born in Henan province, China, toward the end of the ninth century. Chen Tuan studied Taoism from an early age and devoted his life to mastering the arts of longevity.
Chen Tuan led a hermit life in the Nine Room Cave and later in the Five Dragon Temple, on Mount Wudang in Hunan.
With the courtesy name Tu Nan, he was also nicknamed “Fu Yao Zi” by some. It was said that he could “sleep for three years.”Later generations called him “Grand Master Chen Tuan” or the “Sleeping Deity” out of respect, and they regarded him as a Daoist grandmaster.
Mount Hua
Many of the Qigong and Martial arts exercises from Mount Hua are attributed to Chen Xiyi. These methods have been passed down through the ages but remain extremely rare. Chen Yuan was granted various titles such as “Mr. Xiyi” by Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty.
“Xiyi” comes from the Laozi: “Xi means to look without seeing, and Yi means to listen without hearing.” He was given this title because of his skills in divination.
Chen was also a prolific writer. One famous piece of his was titled Xin Xiang Pian, conveyed the meaning that “appearance stems from the mind (heart).”
This piece broke away from the conventional framework of fortunetelling. It explained that one’s facial appearance contains both kindness and evil, but the decisive factor of which manifests more lies in the heart of the individual.
In fact, all divination methods follow an inevitable law that good and evil will always be duly rewarded.
Five Dragon temple
“People whose spirit and energy is profound and pure are at peace in their bodies and tranquil within themselves. . . Most people these days are very fond of wealth and high position, but they are never content at heart.
There are so many who are not happy at all. Yet those whose spirit and energy are at peace and tranquil are usually unconcerned and relaxed in their minds. That is what we call “ freedom at heart.” – Chen Tuan
So Is it because of bad luck that people die from diseases? Not necessarily.
One’s fate is decided by his heart, and one’s behavior also mirrors one’s heart. Therefore, we can tell one’s fate through his behavior.
Heaven and Earth, in Eastern and Western cultures, were created by Pan Gu (the legendary giant in Chinese culture who sacrificed his life to create the world and consumed his body to enrich and beautify it)
In the West, Jehovah is the Creator, and both are regarded as divine beings at high levels.
We are now in the era of what Buddhism refers to as the “Dharma-ending period.” or the end of the Epoch.
Fulfilling the Vow
It is the last stage of this period, a crucial moment when the old universe is replaced with the new.
Nothing can be hidden from Heaven and Earth.
How we position ourselves in the face of unprecedented atrocities is therefore very important.
As the saying goes: “A household that does good things will inevitably prosper, whereas one that does bad things will definitely suffer the consequences.”
“Different attitudes will bring about different outcomes.” Hence the saying, “Appearance stems from the mind /heart.”
