The Legend of the Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Meditations
It was the second Moon of the 17th year of the Barbarian Manchurian's invasion, forcing the Chinese Ming Emperor Zhu Youjian (崇禎帝) to commit suicide in 1644. It was a cloudy morning. Feng Dao De (馮道德) walked the dirt pathway in front of his Temple that led to Emei Mountain (峨眉山). Bamboo growth adorned the sides of this path, among the trees and bushes. As he walked, Sacred Monkeys leaped in the trees, birds sang, and a warm mountain breeze enveloped him. Butterflies danced among brightly colored flowers. Upon reaching his favorite spot among the trees, the Monk sat on his large boulder, observing clouds reaching for the mountain peaks, and began his preparations for meditation.
During meditation, a calmness spread throughout his body, and he suddenly opened his eyes. Staring into the clouds covering the mountain peaks, he saw Heaven opening her door. The clouds parted, revealing the Gods' Chairs of Gold and Silver. A Goddess on a golden throne floated towards him.
Feng Dao De dropped to his knees and prayed, demonstrating his faith to the goddess. The Goddess floated closer until her golden throne vanished, and she stood before him. The Goddess reassured the Monk, telling him she was sent by the Emperor of Heaven to choose him as her Mandate. He was to learn a set of meditations called the Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Meditations (Fei Feng Shen Gong - 飛鳳神功) meditations, beneficial for mankind's health.
These sacred meditations were not for everyone; evil, sinful, or dishonest individuals would be rejected. Good individuals, however, would receive powerful Mystical Heavenly self-healing energies. The meditations could even teach the body to heal itself if the person had a serious illness. The positive energy within them could enable them to heal others as well.
The Goddess explained to Feng Dao De that the human body is linked with the universe and all living things on Earth, including plants, animals, and non-living elements like boulders, mountains, rocks, sand, and dirt. The clouds, skies, and the universe connect to everything on Earth. The solution to perfect health and longevity is provided by Heaven within our universe, shared with the plants, animals, and minerals on Earth.
The Chinese understanding of the natural world involves the concepts of "Yin" (陰) and "Yang" (陽). These terms analyze the universe into fluidly interacting opposites, such as shadows and light, decay and growth, cold and hot, and male and female. The relationship between Yin and Yang is dynamic, with each tending to become dominant in turn. This concept may have originated from the cyclical nature of day and night and the annual cycle of growth and decay.
The Goddess continued, explaining that the more complex cycles of the meditations could be analyzed in terms of the Five Phases (Wu Xing - 五行) — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. These phases control the body's internal organs and their functions, as well as the cycles of the seasons and the body's Qi energy (氣).
Taoist Monk Feng Dao De's Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Meditations are believed to unlock the body's energy, activating the inner mind to generate and balance positive energy. Practitioners achieve an illness-free body with healthy, balanced energy, allowing them to heal others. The Goddess emphasized the sacred nature of the meditations and the need for selectivity in teaching them, rejecting those who are evil, selfish, or dishonest.
The Golden Chair reappeared, and the Goddess floated towards the Door in Heaven. As she entered, the door closed. According to Feng Dao De, he spent a day on the mountain with the Goddess, but when he returned to his Temple, he discovered that 10 years had passed.
This article is based on the translation of the medical journal of Taoist Monk Feng Dao De by Grandmaster Doo Wai (杜偉).