(Minghui.org) It is difficult for wealthy people to cultivate the Dao, they simply cannot let go of their fortune and status. It is even more so for a prince. Here is an exception. Buddha Shakyamuni was a prince, and he succeeded in cultivation of Buddhahood. About 2,500 years ago, the first son of King Ling of Zhou Dynasty (571-545 BC) gave up his crown and royal life to pursue Dao cultivation. After thirty years, he succeeded.
Crown Prince Ji Qiao was very good at playing the Sheng, “Chinese mouth organ” or reed pipe wind instrument. His music mimics the call of a phoenix. One day while traveling to a place between the Yi River and Luo River, the prince met a Daoist master named Fu Qiugong. Fu Qiugong convinced the prince to follow him back to Mountain Song, and began to cultivate as a Daoist practitioner.
Thirty years later, the monarchy dispatched an official named Huan Liang to look for the prince. Huan Liang managed to find the prince in the mountain. Prince Ji Qiao told Huan Liang, “Please tell my family to wait for me on top of Mountain Goushi on July 7.” After family members came to Mountain Goushi on July 7, they indeed saw Prince Ji Qiao sitting on the back of a white crane.
Waving at his family from a distance, the prince nevertheless did not come forward. The prince and his crane appeared on the mountain top for several days. Finally, he flew away with the bird. (From Lie Xian Zhuan, Biographies of Immortals)
Category: Traditional Culture
