"The evidence for the existence of Zhang San Feng is impressive, although some scholars say that he was a myth. Erected on Wudang Mountain are two huge stone tablets honoring him as a Taoist saint, one decreed by the Ming Emperor Seng Zu, and the other by the Ming Emperor Ying Zong. The Imperial History of the Ming Dynasty records that Zhang San Feng was born in 1247, learned Taoism from a Taoist master called Fire Dragon at Nanshan Mountain in Shenxi, cultivated his spiritual development for nine years at Wudang Mountain, was known by the honorific title of "the Saint of Infinite Spiritual Attainment', and was the first patriarch of internal martial arts. The Records of the Great Summit of Eternal Peace Mountain mentions that he studied the yin-yang of the cosmos, observed the source of the longevity of tortoises and cranes, and attained remarkable results. Collections of Clouds and Water describes him as carrying his lute and sword on this back, singing Taoist songs, work in the mountains, and studying the marvelous secrets of the cosmos."
- Wong Kiew Kit, The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan, 1996, p. 21
No comments:
Post a Comment