Chen Tuan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Chen.
Chen Tuan (陳摶) (birthname: Chen Tuan, name as a sage: Chen Hsi I, Chen Xi Yi) (871-989) was a legendary Taoist sage. According to certain Taoist schools who claim him as a founder, he lived a secluded life in the Nine Room Cave on Mount Wudang.
Later at Mount Hua, one of the five sacred mountains of China, he is said to have created the kung fu system Liu He Ba Fa (Six Harmonies and Eight Methods). Along with this internal art, he is also said to be associated with a method of chi (energy) cultivation known today as Taiji ruler, sleeping meditation, a 24 section method (erh shigh ssu shih tao yin fa) seated and standing exercises designed to prevent diseases that occur during seasonal change.
The story goes that Chen Tuan had planned a career at the Imperial court, but flunked the state examination and became a hermit sage instead. He was also said to be conversant with the Confucian classics, history, and the theories of various schools of thought. In his legends he was said to be fond of Buddhist philosophy, medical principles, astronomy and geography, and famous for his poems as well. Chen Tuan liked to study the I Ching, which he was unable to put down.
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[edit] Legends
According to the "semi-historical" biography of Gen. Yue Fei, it was the immortal Chen Tuan who, disguised as a wandering Taoist, warned the Yue Family of the imminent Yellow River flood.
[edit] Source
- General Yue Fei ISBN 962-04-1279-6
