He Xiangu, formerly known as He Qiong, was born in an ordinary peasant family in Lingling in the first year of Yao Kai, Tang Gaozong. The local people said that on the day He Qiong was born, a bright and auspicious purple airflow enveloped He's cabin, and a group of cranes danced up and down in the purple airflow. Soon, a strong sika deer rushed into He's house with a girl with a braid and a red Chinese-style chest covering. At this time, he gave birth to a white and fat baby girl.
Lingling, He Qiong's hometown, is a beautiful land of geomantic omen. Located at the intersection of Xiaoxiang, there are Hengshan Mountain in Nanyue in the north and Wuling Mountain in the south. It is the gateway of Chu and Yue. There is a mica mountain in the west of Lingling county, which is rich in five-color mica, which is a good medicine for seeking immortality in ancient times; A clear and winding stream flows down from the mountain, called mica stream, and He Qiong's home is next to the beautiful mica stream.
He Qiong, who grew up drinking mica water, grew up beautiful and witty. Since she was a child, she likes to play and wander by mica creek alone. At the age of fourteen, she met a white-haired old man with a long beard by the mica stream. The old man asked her about some local scenery, and He Qiong gave a clever answer. The old man was very happy and took out a fresh flat peach from his backpack and gave it to He Qiong. He Qiong took it, thanked the old man, and then ate the flat peach three times five divided by two. The old man watched her finish eating, smiled and nodded, turned around and disappeared. After returning home, He Qiong hasn't felt hungry for several days, so he doesn't want to eat, but his spirit is stronger than before. A month later, He Qiong met the old man by the mica stream again. This time, the old man took her to mica mountain and taught her how to collect mica and how to take it. He Qiong, according to his words, eats mica on mica mountain every day, and gradually feels as light as a swan, traveling to and from the top of the mountain and walking like a fly. Besides, she can identify and pick all kinds of herbs in the mountains, treat all kinds of diseases for people nearby and predict personnel, so people around her call her "He Xiangu".
The news of He Qiong's immortality spread like wildfire, and finally reached the ears of Empress Wu Zetian in Beijing Palace.
At that time, Wu Zetian was the queen of Tang Gaozong, but she held the real power of the imperial court. Wu Zetian believed in Buddhism under the influence of her mother since she was a child. After becoming a queen, she tried her best to promote Buddhism in the palace and the whole country, hoping to overwhelm the momentum of advocating Taoism during Li Tang's period, and took some Buddhist scriptures as the theoretical basis for her usurpation. Buddhism's Fa Xiang Zong preaches "two emptiness", that is to say, we should regard ourselves and everything as nothing, so as to achieve the lofty realm of the unity of all things in the universe and me. In layman's terms, it is to feel with your heart, forget things, let yourself soar during the day, walk in the clouds, and live forever. Wu Zetian is very convinced of this. She heard that there is a He Xiangu in Lingling, so she can go to and from the top of the mountain freely. She was very interested, so she sent someone to visit and gave He Xiangu a morning glow suit. He Xiangu accepted the morning glow suit and put it on happily. People around came from all directions to watch, only to see He Xiangu dazzling, as if a fairy; The villagers were so frightened that they could not help kneeling on the ground and kneeling in front of He Xiangu. He Xiangu was quite complacent, but her mother was greatly frightened and thought, "Who dares to marry such a daughter!"
As expected, when He Xiangu was eighteen, her mother earnestly asked the matchmaker to choose a husband for her. Although He Xiangu is as beautiful as flowers and pure as jade, no one dares to marry because of her great skill. He Mu was very worried, but He Xiangu himself was as if nothing had happened. He was busy collecting herbs and treating diseases in the countryside of Shan Ye all day, and lived a very full life.
One day, He Xiangu went deep into the dense forest of Mica Mountain to collect herbs and met two magical people. One of them was a lame old man with an iron cane and a huge wine gourd on his back. He is in rags and looks like a beggar. The other was dressed in a neat blue shirt, with a medicine hoe in his hand and a medicine basket on his shoulder, and his expression was very elegant. Not far in front of He Xiangu, the two Sang Men whispered again. Soon, they flew away and suddenly disappeared. These two men are Tie Guai Li and Lan Caihe of the Eight Immortals. He Xiangu paid great attention to their appearance, chanting the formula of stealing learning, and was able to fly over the valley of Feng Ling like them. Since then, she has often come to the mountains to practice quietly, becoming more and more skilled in posture and flying farther and farther. Using this kind of kung fu, she often flies to distant mountains and rushes back and forth, bringing back some strange mountain fruits for her family to taste. The family felt sweet and delicious after eating it, but they didn't know what fruit it was.
Seeing her leaving early and returning late every day, her mother became suspicious and asked her where she had gone and what she had done. He Xiangu couldn't resist her mother, so she said that she went to the famous mountain fairyland to talk about Buddhism and Taoism with the immortal Buddha every day. Gradually, the news that He Xiangu was familiar with Buddhism and Taoism spread again. Hearing this, Wu Zetian sent messengers to Lingling to prepare chariots and horses, and called He Xiangu to Luoyang, the eastern capital, to discuss Buddhism and Taoism. The officials followed He Xiangu to Luoyang City. When the boat passed waterinfo, everyone suddenly disappeared from He Xiangu's sight. The envoys were frightened and hurriedly ordered people to look around, but found no clues. They were so scared that they sat in a daze by the Luohe River. At dusk, He Xiangu swooped down in the air and told the emissary unhurriedly, "I have gone to the Forbidden Palace to see the Tianhou Palace. You can report back to the DPRK."
The envoys returned to Luoyang Palace with a grain of salt. As soon as they inquired, it was He Xiangu who visited the marquis of Wu that day and had a long talk with her in the palace, which surprised the envoys.
In order to repay He Xiangu's kindness, Wu Zetian specially ordered the local officials of Lingling to build a magnificent Huixian Pavilion at Phoenix Terrace in the south of Lingling, as the place where He Xiangu preached the Dharma. After giving lectures, He Xiangu often sat on the stone steps in front of the museum, peeled a round fairy fruit and threw it around. Later, lychee trees were planted around Huixian Pavilion. The lychees on these trees are all green lychees. People call it "Phoenix Terrace with Litchi Hanging Green".
He Xiangu also wrote a poem "Phoenix Terrace":
Phoenix mica is like smallpox, refined into lotus and white clouds;
Laughing fanatics have no opinions, and where to find cinnabar.
On the surface, this poem is written on the Phoenix Terrace, but in fact, it hides the true meaning of taking mica. People say that He Xiangu is a Taoist believer from the characteristics of feeding and practicing; Others classified her as a Buddhist disciple according to the ideological content of her sermon. In fact, He Xiangu can be said to be a figure who is both a Taoist and a Buddhist. Has reached the realm of harmony between man and nature, how can earthly Buddhism and Taoism frame her!
One day, He Xiangu was suddenly inspired and wrote a poem entitled "Ma Gu Feng":
Ma Gu laughed that I fell in love with the hubbub, and I stayed away from Xian Fan Lu.
Fly to Cangzhou to get the bright moon, ride the yellow crane and listen to the flute.
This poem full of fairy rhyme seems to imply some kind of omen. Sure enough, one day in the first year of Jinglong in Tang Zhongzong, 26-year-old He Xiangu sat on the Phoenix Platform, looking up at the distant sky, and suddenly saw Tie Guai Li standing in the distant clouds, waving his iron cane, as if to say hello to her. Unconsciously, He Xiangu's body rises like Cai Fengran Ran, and rises in the air, followed by Tie Guai Li. At this time, a beaded shoe on her foot fell to the ground. The next day, a well suddenly appeared where the beaded shoes fell. Well water is clear and sweet, with a strange smell, surrounded by mine fields and shaped like bow shoes. The local people built a He Xiangu Temple near the well, and the incense was growing day by day. Because the water in the well is not only cool to quench thirst, but also can treat various diseases, it is talked about by people far and near.
He Xiangu soared in the daytime and lived forever, thus becoming the pink of the Eight Immortals and forming a little red in the evergreen trees. After He Xiangu became an immortal, he never forgot the sufferings of the world, and often visited the south to eliminate the epidemic and save the suffering. All good people need her help. As long as they pray silently to the sky, she will come like "timely rain" and give people magical power.
It has been nine years since Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty became an immortal in He Xiangu for more than 30 years. One day, after the heavy rain, the blue sky was clear, and people in Lingling saw a colorful auspicious cloud drifting leisurely. He Xiangu stood in the clouds in a morning glow suit. Just as people knelt down to worship, a bunch of yellow silk fell from the air to the phoenix stage, which read a poem like this:
Mica creek wins the rooftop, and thousands of trees bloom;
Yu Di blew through the Huanglong Cave, but did not lead the crane.
Send a message to the Li family in JiaHe Zhang, don't worry about the dust;
Penglai's weak water is now clear and shallow, and flowers are everywhere to protect the moon.
The fairy has entered Wei Zi, and the water town is still slow to look back;
For thousands of years, I left my shoes by the well, saying that I knew the fairy in the thatched cottage.
This poem contains nostalgia for hometown scenery, exhortation to villagers, and narration of the lonely feeling of immortal life, persuading mortals to cherish their own lives. It is said that immortals are good, but immortals have troubles. When you are advised to cherish mortals, don't wait for time to disappear! "
This article tells the story of He Xiangu's legendary life and her serving the people and educating Wu Zetian.
The beauty of He Xiangu lies not only in its beautiful appearance, but also in its pure and beautiful heart. He Xiangu is not only thinking of himself, but worrying about the people. She used her ability to serve the people, treat the people and predict the personnel, which reflected her good heart of helping others. This is also an important factor in her immortality. After He Xiangu became an immortal, he never forgot the sufferings of the world, and often visited the south to eliminate the epidemic and save the suffering. Any kind person needs her help, as long as she silently prays to heaven, she can come like "timely rain" and give people magical power.
He Xiangu can eat mica from mica mountain on time according to the old man's words, which shows her perseverance. Gradually, every little makes a mickle. Practice makes perfect. She has a good figure and walks back and forth on the top of the mountain like a fly. She is also very studious and learned to identify and pick all kinds of fairy grass and Dan medicine in the mountains.
It is also something we should remember to advise mortals to cherish their lives. "Everyone says that immortals are good, but immortals also have troubles. When you are advised to cherish mortals, don't wait for time to disappear! " Let's cherish the good times, enrich ourselves and make every minute of life valuable and meaningful.