Tales of the Fat Monk

Send us a Text Message.Xiaoyao enters a hidden chamber and witnesses a strange dance, before learning more about "medicine," the gathering of scattered medicine and use of it, and its exoteric and esoteric processes.The "Earth of Attention" (意土 yì tǔ) centering the ascending elements of hún (魂) and shén (神) against the descending elements of pò (魄) and jing (精), th

Send us a Text Message.Zhuangzi tells the story of Tian Gen who meets the Man without a Name, one who wanders amongst and between the worlds, in a subtle realm with no borders.But how do we know when we have slipped into a subtle realm? There are a few indications: TIME feels different, flexible and shifting; PLACE is no longer so fixed and determinate; PERSONS manifest a light--or

Send us a Text Message."Ru zi, ke jiao ye!"The Hermit tests Xiaoyao, who thinks that the Hermit will teach him about locating herbs in the mountains.The Reality, however ....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 wit

Send us a Text Message.What ARE the "Perilous Realms," the "Unseen Lands' that Tolkien, Goethe, Coleridge, Wordsworth, C.S. Lewis and Henri Corbin have introduced to Western civilisation over the last century?What is the difference between wooly-headed daydreaming and actively employed imagination? And why do scientists and authors such as Iain McGilchrist say things such as "fanta

Send us a Text Message.The Fat Monk and Xiaoyao visit the Hermit for a quiet talk, but find the Boatman and his friend--who Xiaoyao has never met--already there.Tea is the main topic of the day, but in the course of the discussion, the Fat Monk's peculiar aversion to Zhuangzi is exposed.It turns out the Boatman's friend is well-versed in all things Zhuangzi ...SHOW NOTES:Xiaoyao Xi

Send us a Text Message."Music, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting" are the four arts whcih every refined person should become accomplished in.But "Chess" does not mean Western chess, rather it is the sophisticated--but extremely simple--game of surrounding, known as 圍棋."Simple" because all you do is place a piece on any of 361 intersections on the board, aiming to surround your oppon

Send us a Text Message.Xiaoyao discovers a recently established study group now being conduceted by none other than Xiao Jing, assisted by Ling Ling and other past students from Shi Jie's restaurant.Xiaoyao becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the mysterious "Opener" for the group, and Ling Ling shows him her new "Wu Wei" tattoo.SHOW NOTES:Xiaoyao Xingzhe, the self-sty

Send us a Text Message.While setting up a Calligraphy and Arts exhibition at the Monastery, the Fat Monk and friends discuss the amazing Fu Qingzhu, heroic anti-Manchu rebel, iconoclastic calligrapher who single-handedly transformed the art of writing as an art form, and Chinese doctor famous for his work on Chinese herbal gynaecology.The Abbot shows off a piece by Fu Qingzhu in wh

Send us a Text Message.If there is one name every single Chinese person knows, it is Zhuge Liang. Famous for his military strategies employed during the Warring States period, his exploits were immortalised in the Ming dynasty novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義 Sān Guó Yǎn Yì), describing his almost prescient ability to anticipate the enemy’s moves and plan in

Send us a Text Message.This is a true story.Not "based on a true story." Even the names have not been changed to protect the innocent. Everything happened exactly as described.** Well, except maybe the tall farmer.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 m