2022-05-26Folk legend Zhang Guolao

Zhang Guolao is one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese myths and legends. According to historical records, Zhang Guolao did exist. During the Tang Dynasty, he lived in Zhongtiao Mountain, Hengzhou, and claimed to be hundreds of years old. People at that time said that he had the power of immortality and left many miracles.

Polygonum multiflorum

Legend has it that a long time ago, a monk from Nushan Temple accidentally dug up a large, fat and tender Polygonum multiflorum root, human-shaped, while digging the vegetable field. If you eat it, you will become an immortal and will live forever. The old abbot immediately ordered the kitchen to be cleaned and cooked.

The old abbot summoned all the monks in the temple for a meeting in the main hall to study how to divide the Polygonum multiflorum, who should eat the head, who should eat the body, who should eat the arms, who should eat the hands, legs and feet, and who should drink the soup. All the monks were delighted and beaming with joy. In order to prevent the food from being stolen in the kitchen, the kitchen monks were also eager to know how to distribute the food. Therefore, the kitchen monks also participated in the meeting. At this time, Zhang Guolao happened to be driving his donkey back from visiting friends in the east. He was tired from the journey, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted from hard work. From afar, you can smell the strange fragrance in Nvshan Temple, which is refreshing and intoxicating. He then quickened his pace and entered the temple. Seeing no one around, he immediately got into the kitchen, opened the pot and took a look: ah, a tender and tender Polygonum multiflorum has been cooked, and it is like a newborn baby sleeping peacefully there, so cute. pole. Zhang Guolao was so greedy that he couldn't care less, so he fished it up, cut it, tore it apart and ate it. In a matter of seconds, he had consumed the entire Polygonum multiflorum root divided by three and five. Suddenly I feel relaxed and relaxed.

After Zhang Guolao had eaten and drank enough, he scraped the remaining Polygonum multiflorum soup to his mount donkey to drink. Then he lay down in front of the kitchen to rest and bask in the sun, and soon fell into a sweet dreamland.

After the meeting, the monks came in large numbers and prepared to share the Polygonum multiflorum. When they entered the kitchen, they found that the pot was empty and there was nothing left. So he concluded that Zhang Guolao did it and immediately reported it to the abbot. How could the abbot let it go? After pondering for a moment, he thought that the immortal object had been eaten by this person. The top priority now was to kill this person and eat his flesh, so that he could get the immortal energy.

The monks were busy wielding their sticks and weapons, intending to commit murder. But Zhang Guolao was awakened by the noise. Seeing that the situation was not good, he got on the donkey and ran away. He didn't want to ride upside down on the donkey. He originally ran away to the east in the open space, but he panicked and turned the donkey's head to the west. He grabbed the donkey's tail with one hand and beat the donkey's butt hard with the other. But the more he beat the donkey, the more he ran to the west. As a result, he ran over the mountain ridge to Shanxi Tou Lake, where he saw that the lake was vast and there was no way out. Seeing that he was about to die, at this critical moment, the donkey brayed strangely, his four hooves were filled with wind, soared into the sky, rode on the clouds and mist, crossed Nvshan Lake, and landed safely on a hill on the other side. It turned out that the donkey had become immortal. Because of his strength, Zhang Guolao survived the desperate situation. So Zhang Guolao felt relieved, sat down to take a breath, and let the donkey dry to dry. Then he rode the donkey backwards and left leisurely. From then on, he became an immortal.

What impressed people the most about Zhang Guolao was his mount and his riding method. He was riding a paper donkey, facing backward and riding upside down on the donkey's back. . It is said that Zhang Guolao's donkey is extraordinary. It can travel "tens of thousands of miles a day". When resting, the donkey can be folded up and put into a pocket (a bit like Sun Wukong's wishful golden hoop). If necessary, spit on the paper donkey and it will turn into a donkey. This donkey can even travel across the ocean. It is truly omnipotent.

Little Taoist Priest

Zhang Guolao said that he was once a servant in the Yao Dynasty. He could go without food for several days. When he ate, he only drank some fine wine and took three yellow pills. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty asked him to drink in the inner hall, but Zhang Guolao refused, saying that he had a small capacity for alcohol and could only drink two liters. However, I have a disciple who is very good at drinking and can drink a fight. Tang Xuanzong was very happy and asked Zhang Guolao to recruit his disciples.

In the blink of an eye, a young Taoist priest flew down from the eaves of the palace. He looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. He was handsome and elegant. When he visited Xuanzong, he spoke clearly and was polite. Tang Xuanzong asked the young Taoist priest to sit down, but Zhang Guolao said: "The disciple should stand aside and serve him, and he should not be allowed to sit." The more Tang Xuanzong saw, the more he liked it, so he gave him wine, and he drank a bucket of wine in one breath. Zhang Guolao refused and said: "You can't drink any more. Drinking too much will definitely cause problems and make the emperor laugh." Tang Xuanzong forced him to drink, and the wine suddenly poured out of his head. The Taoist crown fell to the ground and turned into a golden statue. 榼[kē]. Tang Xuanzong and his concubines all laughed in surprise. Looking again, the little Taoist priest had disappeared. That golden canopy can fit into a bucket, and it turns out to be the golden cane from Jixian Yuan. Everyone laughed.

Catching Demons

One day, Zhang Guolao discovered that there were frequent noises not far away, which affected his practice. So, he followed the sound and came to Yinshan Mountain.

There was a strange village at the foot of Yinshan Mountain. It looked lifeless from a distance. Zhang Guolao was very strange, so he walked into the village and found an old man and a blind mother-in-law who was bedridden.

Zhang Guolao asked the old man: "Old man, I think the products here are quite rich and the land is very fertile, but why is the village so desolate?" The old man said: "Sir, I don't know. It turns out that this place is so desolate." The village is prosperous, but not long ago, ghosts began to appear on the Yinshan Mountain. Chickens, cows and sheep were often lost. Later, the eldest girl and daughter-in-law in the village also began to disappear. Therefore, the villagers invited some Taoist priests to catch ghosts and drive away monsters. , but there was no way back. In the end, there was nothing we could do. The people in the village were so scared that they left their homes one by one, leaving only those of us waiting to die..."

Zhang Guolao heard this. He understood and said, "Wait for me to go and clean up these evils." When the old man heard this, he hurriedly said, "Sir, this is absolutely impossible! You don't know how many capable people have gone to subdue these ghosts and monsters, but they have never returned. "Sir, please don't waste your life in vain." Zhang Guolao said with a smile: "The end of these monsters is coming." After saying that, Zhang Guolao took the tips from his pocket. He took out a pill, walked to the bed and gave it to the blind old woman, then lightly slapped her on the back three times, bowed to the old man, and suddenly disappeared. Before the old man could react, the old woman on the bed suddenly sat up, opened her eyes and asked the old man: "Honey, who is here? My eyes suddenly healed!" The old man was shocked, knowing that he had met an immortal, and hurriedly helped him I asked my wife to kneel and bow to the door again.

But after Zhang Guolao returned to the mountain, he calmed down and thought carefully: "If there are immortals, there must be monsters. The ghosts and monsters in the Shen Yue Yin Mountain must also have some tricks, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people." We can't subdue them, so we need to make some preparations first." After thinking about it, Zhang Guolao began to practice meditation.

Three days later it was the fifteenth day. The round moon hung in the sky at night and was as bright as day. The immortal Zhang Guolao walked in wearing a Taoist robe, holding a peach wood sword in his left hand and Buddha dust in his right hand. Yinshan. From time to time, there are creepy sounds coming from the Yinshan Mountain. When you walk in, you will see ghosts swaying around and ghosts crying and howling. At this time, the Yinshan Mountain is a world of monsters and monsters.

I just heard Boss Zhang Guo shout: "You harmful things, why don't you show your face quickly, lest your souls will be beaten to pieces and you will never be reincarnated." Those demons and monsters were not afraid at all, one by one. He rushed out of the cave with a scream and rushed towards Zhang Guolao. Zhang Guolao's sword in his left hand and Buddha's dust in his right hand danced with both hands, creating a golden light, and these little devils suddenly disappeared. At this time, a large monster with red hair and green teeth and a five-pronged steel fork emerged from a cave not far away.

In an instant, the black mist filled up and blocked the moonlight. Seeing this, Zhang Guolao chanted a spell, and the peach wood sword in his hand flew into the air and went straight to stab the monster. With a loud noise, the monster was stabbed by the peach wood sword. Standing on the boulder, Zhang Guolao recited the mantra again, and at the same time pointed the Buddha's dust towards the sky, and moved a big mountain to stand in front of Yinshan Mountain.

This big mountain that suppresses ghosts in Yinshan Mountain was moved by Zhang Guolao from Putuo Mountain in the East China Sea. Hundreds of Buddha statues appear on the mountain from time to time, so people call this mountain "Thousand Buddha Shadow Mountain" , later called "Thousand Buddha Mountain". And the peach wood sword stuck on the boulder remained there. As time went by, the peach wood sword turned into peach trees and gradually formed a peach forest, so Yinshan was renamed "Peach Blossom Mountain". Gods benefit people, this is another example.

Riding a donkey backwards

Once, Xuanzong saw that the donkey Zhang Guolao was riding was very elegant, and he also saw that every time he went out, he always rode the donkey backwards, which he found very strange. , it was also very fun, so I specially asked him to ride a donkey into the palace, take a few circles in the imperial garden, and have some fun, which also made me happy. Zhang Guolao followed the order and entered the garden, riding his donkey backwards in a big circle. He was also a strange donkey. He didn't need to turn around to direct him. He could naturally run fast and slow according to his wishes. Never wrong.

The emperor found it interesting, so he gave the donkey some wine. As soon as the donkey drank the wine, he rolled his eyes and lay down, dying. After a while, he turned into a paper donkey.

The emperor was shocked, and Zhang Guolao quickly said: "I was riding a paper donkey, but I used some tricks to pass it off as a real donkey. Once your majesty got drunk with wine, the truth was revealed! Therefore, truth is the most precious thing in the world." "Hypocrisy is nothing." After hearing this, the emperor smiled and said, "You are really good at humor!" Human beings are so stupid, how do they know what the right path is! How can people recognize the wrath of God when they are in a state of sinking and complacency? Even if they are punished by God, they still don't realize it.

Zhang Guolao tests Luban

Legend has it that in ancient times, one day, the immortal Zhang Guolao heard that Luban had built a big stone bridge overnight, so he rode a donkey and met Chai Chai who happened to be on the road. The prince and Zhao Kuangyin went to see the big stone bridge together to test whether the stone bridge was strong. Luban didn't care and let them experiment. The three of them walked onto the bridge. Zhang Guolao used magic to put the stars, sun and moon into his robes. Prince Chai and Zhao Kuangyin also used magic to move the famous Five Sacred Mountains on a wheelbarrow. Due to the sudden increase in load, the bridge could no longer withstand it and began to sway before the three of them reached the top of the bridge. Lu Ban saw that the situation was not good! He hurriedly jumped into the river, raised his hands, and used all his strength to support the bridge body, so that the bridge could be saved from danger. The three of them crossed the stone bridge safely, and Zhang Guolao turned his donkey upside down and looked back.

Young man Luo Gongyuan

In the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty sent his minister Sheren to Hengzhou to invite Zhang Guolao. Zhang Guolao died in front of him. He was so frightened that he quickly burned incense and prayed to express the emperor's intention to seek enlightenment. Only then did Zhang Guolao come back to life. Tongshi and others did not dare to force him, so he rushed back to the capital to inform Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty sent someone from Zhongshushe with a seal to invite him, and Zhang Guolao followed him to the eastern capital. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty placed him in Jixianyuan, drove him into the palace, and paid him double respect. Tang Xuanzong was also destined, otherwise he would not have been able to see him.

There is a man who can see ghosts. Tang Xuanzong invited him to see Zhang Guolao. This man ran to the emperor and said, "Where is Zhang Guolao? Let me take a look." In fact, Zhang Guolao had been standing in front of him for a long time, but he could not see it. There is also a man who is good at fortune telling. Every time he sees someone, he can quickly calculate their name, wealth, good and evil, and life expectancy. He has done this calculation thousands of times and it is always very accurate. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty knew his abilities and recruited him to take advantage of Zhang Guolao. This man calculated over and over again for several hours. He was exhausted and still couldn't figure it out. The affairs of gods cannot be discerned through human paths. How can the things of gods and men be allowed to be spied upon by ordinary people!

Luo Gongyuan looks like a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old. He usually wanders around and his whereabouts are unpredictable. When he traveled to Ezhou, the local governor was amazed by his magical powers and deliberately reported to the court to recommend him to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, who respected Taoism.

When Luo Gongyuan learned about this, he said to the prefect: "I don't like to deal with emperors and dignitaries, but I heard that Zhang Guolao and Ye Fashan, two Taoist priests, are in the palace, and I am happy to interact with them. Make friends." Soon, Luo Gongyuan received the imperial edict that he should enter the palace.

When Luo Gongyuan entered the palace, Xuanzong was sitting in the Qingyun Pavilion watching Zhang Guolao and Ye Fashan playing chess. Seeing Luo Gongyuan coming from a distance, he said to the two immortal masters: "That one is from Ezhou. Master." Zhang and Ye looked up and saw Luo Gongyuan's frail figure and immature appearance. They couldn't help but smile: "What ability does such a child have?"

Luo Gongyuan was calm and unhurried. He stepped forward to salute, and Xuanzong asked him: "Do you know these two immortal masters? They are Master Zhang Guolao and Master Ye Fashan." Luo Gongyuan said, "I have admired these two great names for a long time, and I am lucky enough to meet them today." Zhang Guolao smiled and said : "It's normal for juniors not to know me." Ye Fashan said: "Is there anyone who doesn't know Master Zhang Xian among us?" Luo Gongyuan said calmly: "Everyone knows the names of the two immortal masters. It's just that I saw the two of them like this today. Arrogance, even if you don't know him, there is nothing to regret." Zhang Guolao couldn't help but laugh and said: "I won't talk to you in depth for now, since everyone thinks you are an expert, I will try you with the most basic magic."< /p>

After Zhang Guolao finished speaking, he and Ye Fashan each took a few chess pieces and held them in their hands, and said, "Guess how many chess pieces each of us has." Luo Gongyuan said, "Not even one." The two laughed loudly and spread their hands, only to find that none of the chess pieces was gone. At this time, Luo Gongyuan stretched out his hand and said with a smile: "All the chess pieces are in my hands. When the two old immortals met the younger generation, their hands were empty." ." Immortal masters Zhang and Ye were very surprised and quickly stood up to pay tribute.

When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty witnessed this scene, he was very happy. He immediately held a banquet in the pavilion, gave Luo Gongyuan a crown, a mansion, and kept him in the palace, honoring him as "Master Luo".

After that, Luo Gongyuan often exchanged Taoist experiences with Zhang and Ye, and they respected each other very much. It’s true that people can’t be judged by their appearance!

Fairy Deer

Once, Zhang Guolao went hunting with the emperor and captured a big deer. The emperor ordered cooking to go with the wine. Zhang Xian said: "This is an immortal deer! It has a life span of a thousand years. I once captured it during the fifth year of Yuan Shou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. I didn't expect that it is still in the world now." The emperor smiled and said: "What's the point? "Certificate?" Zhang Xiandao said: "When Emperor Wu released it, he hung a small bronze medal on the deer's left horn." The emperor asked someone to check it, and found a two-inch long bronze medal, but the writing was blurred and could not be read. . The emperor ordered him to put a sign on the deer's right horn, and then let it go.

Zhang Guolao looks as he pleases

Once, when Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty saw Zhang Guolao looking very old, he asked him: "Sir, you are a man of enlightenment, why do you still have sparse teeth? What about the old age?" Zhang Guolao said: "I have lived to a great age and have no Taoist skills to rely on, so I have become like this. It is really shameful. Wouldn't it be better to get rid of them all? Some?" Then he pulled out his hair in front of Tang Xuanzong, knocked out his teeth, and his mouth was filled with blood. Tang Xuanzong was startled and said quickly: "Sir, please rest for a while. We will talk again later." After a while, Zhang Guolao saw Tang Xuanzong again with a new look, white teeth, and black hair. into a mature age. The appearance of the immortal can really be whatever one wants!

Tang Xuanzong became more and more curious and decided to test him with poisonous wine. Unexpectedly, Zhang Guolao drank three large glasses in a row and looked as if he was drunk. He said to the people around him: "This is not the case." What a good wine." Then he fell asleep. After a meal, he suddenly got up and picked up the mirror to look at his teeth, which were all burnt black. He asked the waiter to get Tie Ruyi, knocked out all the teeth, and kept them in his belt. Slowly take out a piece of smooth and slightly red medicine from the belt and apply it to the tooth cavity. Then he lay down and fell asleep again. After a long time, he suddenly woke up and looked in the mirror again. His teeth had grown in again, white and strong, better than before.

Can the world be like this? Royalty is so much!

Zhang Guolao's prophecy of "troubled times"

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Guolao had a conversation with Zhang Tianshi and Wang and Huang Lingguan, which predicted the current situation of today's society.

Zhang Guolao said that after a thousand years, there will be a situation in the world: "In the official position, people will ignore the public and only know about bribery. Bribery can be done openly, and it does not have to be late at night, which is a situation where ghosts rob the rice. Also. Among ordinary people, filial piety can be abolished, and adultery can be promoted. Only seeking benefits for oneself, without caring about integrity and morality. "All these things have appeared in the media every day. Lost image.

Zhang Guolao’s discussion of chaotic characters is really insightful. He said: "In essence, first there is a knife and a gun, life and death, and the melee in all directions is often called chaos, but it is not really chaos. Because in such chaos, the chaos is just one thing. Things. Despite the chaos, people are still human, and the era when people turn into ghosts is the real chaos. As the saying goes, when people are deceived, the way of heaven is reversed. These eight words are just a footnote to the word chaos. Real chaos can be compared to the rule of the Hun people in the era of chaos, that is, the Hun people are in the era of all yang, and the ghost world is the era of all yin. "It turns out that the wars and chaos in the past were not real chaos. , it was just a war. Only now that all people's hearts are dead, people have turned into ghosts, people's hearts have been bullied, and the way of heaven has changed, are the real troubled times.

Life and Death

No one has ever figured out where Zhang Guolao came from. According to historical records, Zhang Guolao was indeed a real person. During the Tang Dynasty, he lived in Zhongtiao Mountain, Hengzhou, and claimed to be hundreds of years old. People at that time said that he had the power to live forever. Gods are different from ordinary people. Generals, ministers, kings and ministers are just ordinary people. It is not easy to meet gods. Wu Zetian also recruited him, and Zhang Guolao pretended to be dead in front of the Jealous Girl Temple. It was a scorching summer, and his body began to rot and become infested with insects in an instant. Wu Zetian heard about it and thought he was really dead, so she had to give up. But later someone saw him again in the mountains of Hengzhou.

That's how it should be, just don't associate with the royal family!

Unknown Zhang Guolao

The "Song Gu Cui Gong Epitaph" unearthed locally in 1990 was from the first year of Shaoxing (1161), the first year of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. The details are as follows It is recorded that during the Northern Song Dynasty, Cui Mingyuan, a scribe in Liangdang City, led a group of people to the capital to ask for orders to commemorate Zhang Guolao. He decreed that the cave where he practiced at that time was named "Dengzhen Cave", and Zhang Guolao was named "Chongmiao". The whole process of "real people". "Dengzhen" means "become an immortal", and "zhenren" means "immortal". There are still portraits of Zhang Guolao on the wall of Dengzhen Cave, as well as inscriptions describing his cultivation and enlightenment here since the Tang and Song Dynasties, etc., which confirm the vicissitudes of the human world over the past thousands of years.

When Xuanzong first came to the throne, he was diligent and caring for the people. Later generations compared his Kaiyuan rule to Taizong's Zhenguan rule. But later on, because he was obsessed with wine and sex, he gradually became alienated from state affairs. Just because Zhang Guolao had many miraculous miracles, whenever he was happy, he would be invited to play some tricks. However, Zhang Guo had already seen the changes in the world situation and knew that there would be great chaos in the future. He repeatedly complained to Xuanzong that he was ill and asked him to return to Hengzhou. " and escorted him back to Puwu County, Hengzhou.

Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty granted Zhang Guolao the title of Doctor Yinqing Guanglu. Zhang Guolao later insisted on returning to the mountains of Hengzhou. In the early days of Tianbao, Tang Xuanzong summoned Zhang Guolao again. Zhang Guolao died suddenly after hearing about it. His disciples buried him, but when they opened the coffin, it turned out to be an empty coffin. In this way, Zhang Guolao didn't know where he ended up.

The stranger said: There are many strange things about Zhang Guolao, many of which cannot be understood by ordinary people. It is also common for people who have achieved enlightenment not to know about it. Only after practicing hard can you understand the wonder!