Follow the brilliant and hilarious adventures of the Zen Buddhist monk who became one of China's greatest folk heroes! During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ji Gong studied at the renowned Ling Yin monastery, nestled in the steep hills above Hangzhou. The Chan (Zen) Buddhist masters of the temple tried to instruct Ji Gong in the spartan practices of their sect, but the young monk, following in the footsteps of other great ne'er-do-wells, distinguished himself mainly by getting expelled. He left the monastery, became a wanderer with hardly a proper piece of clothing to wear, and achieved significant renown--in seedy wine shops and drinking establishments! That could have been where Ji Gong's story ended. But his unorthodox style of Buddhism soon made him a hero for storytellers of his era. Audiences delighted in tales where the mad old monk ignored--or even mocked--authority, defied common sense, and never neglected the wine, yet still managed to save the day. Ji Gong remains popular in China even today, where he regularly appears as the wise drunkard in movies and TV shows. In these 89 stories, you'll read about Ji Gong's rogue's knack for exposing the corrupt and criminal while still pursuing the twin delights of enlightenment and intoxication. This literary classic of a traveling martial arts master will entertain readers of all ages!

Legends of Ji Gong first appeared as a literary work during the Song Dynasty. Funny and entertaining, the stories of Ji Gong had gone a long way in inculcating moral values in the common people. Numerous accounts had been written and published. Eventually, the original writer became obscure. Ji Gong was a peculiar and remarkable character. He was an immortal who made his appearance in the human world and mingled with ordinary folks. Depicted as a crazy and scruffy monk, he always carried a worn-out fan and a gourd of wine. Though a monk, he was fond of meat and wine. In this volume, you will find out how Ji Gong was born and how he became a monk. He did many good deeds--helping a goldsmith to find his long lost daughter, punishing an unscrupulous man, overpowering a boa spirit, exposing a fox spirit, reuniting a couple and rebuilding a tablet hall. You will be amused by the antics of this adorable monk.

Legends of Ji Gong first appeared as a literary work during the Song Dynasty. While the original author has become obscure, the stories of Ji Gong - an immortal who mingled with ordinary people, humorously depicted as a scruffy monk - have long retained their place as part of popular culture.

Crazy Ji: Chinese Religion and Popular Literatureis the first study in any language of one of the most colorful deities in the pantheon of late imperial and modern China: Sire Ji-or, as he is better known, Crazy Ji. The author uses the evolution of the cult of this eccentric deity to address central questions regarding the nature of the Chinese religion tradition, its relation to the Chinese social structure, and the role of vernacular fiction and popular media in shaping religious beliefs in China. Meir Shara demonstrates that vernacular novels and oral literature played a major role in the dissemination of knowledge about deities and the growth of cults and argues that the body of religious beliefs and practices we call "Chinese religion" is inseparable from the works of fiction and drama that have served as vehicles for its transmission. His analysis of the cult of Crazy Ji shows that far from being, as is often argued, a mirror of the Chinese bereaucratic order, Chinese religion offers a means of liberation from it. Finally, this study of the cult of Crzy Ji illustrates how lay believers influenced the practices of organized religion (in this case, monastic Buddhism). This study employs the analytical concepts of anthropology and literary criticism and is based on literary, historical, and ethnographic sources ranging from oral literature, vernacular novels, puppet plays, television serials, movies, local gazetteers, to monastic histories.

Half down-and-dirty adventure and half inspirational memoir, this title documents an unusual pilgrimage taken by earthy scientist Nick Scott and fastidious Buddhist monk Ajahn Sucitto, who together retraced the Buddha's footsteps through India.

The Zen temple Daitoku-ji is known as "The Temple of Great Virtue." It was founded in the early fourteenth century and its presitige allowed it to accumulate a treasury of Zen art. The daily practice of Zen goes on as it has since its beginning, with few concessions to modern living. This book looks at both aspects of the temple.

Stephen Eskildsen's book offers an in-depth study of the beliefs and practices of the Quanzhen (Complete Realization) School of Taoism, the predominant school of monastic Taoism in China. The Quanzhen School was founded in the latter half of the twelfth century by the eccentric holy man Wan Zhe (1113–1170), whose work was continued by his famous disciples commonly known as the Seven Realized Ones. This study draws upon surviving texts to examine the Quanzhen masters' approaches to mental discipline, intense asceticism, cultivation of health and longevity, mystical experience, supernormal powers, death and dying, charity and evangelism, and ritual. From these primary sources, Eskildsen provides a clear understanding of the nature of Quanzhen Taoism and reveals its core emphasis to be the cultivation of clarity and purity of mind that occurs not only through seated meditation, but also throughout the daily activities of life.