- recommended reading courtesy of Living Life Series
Extract from research by Michael P. Garofalo Red Bluff, California at http://www.egreenway.com/taoism/queen.htm
"The Peaches of Immortality
Queen Mother of the West
Xi Wang Mu, Hsi Wang Mu, 西王母 Saint Shou (Longevity)
Research by
Michael P. Garofalo Red Bluff, California
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"The Peaches of Immortality are Ripening
The Queen Mother of the West Sits on High.
'Nobody knows Her beginning, nobody knows Her end.' "
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The Peaches of Immortality must be carried to the Banquet"
"This happy saint of longevity, Shou, holds the Sacred Peach, a dragon staff, and a gourd filled with a Longevity Elixir. Flying around him are bats, and a crane at his feet, both symbols of longevity and/or immortality. The long white beard and long ears of this old man are also frequent symbols of wisdom and longevity."
Discussion by Inner Truth Netizen:-
HOW THE PEACH SYMBOLIZES TAO?
That the eight immortals needed to fetch the peaches of immortality to the Banquet for immortals belies the fact that immortality even for the immortals leaves more to be desired. They need to extend their immortality by consuming the prized peaches.
This may be more a figure of speech in that they needed to cultivate the Way and to have more peace by balancing the yin and yang even as immortals to reach higher levels of immortality. They needed to come together to cultivate the Way or Tao.
The concept of eternal life in Heaven is a myth and life span in Heaven though long and near limitless is still limited till the immortals can attain more of the peace of Tao and be like the Pure Ones and the Buddhas.
As life fluctuations, the ups and downs (the yin and yang) in Heaven are less in magnitude, almost minimal, it may be more difficult to improve further in Tao than for beings on Earth. They have to have intensive reflection and meditation on the problems of life, not so much of their own but mainly those of lesser beings - the mortals like men on Earth.
They have to be involved and to be immersed in the lives of mortals somehow - in helping mortals to be better in Tao and to lead better lives even before they make progress in Tao - the divine peace in life.
The story of peaches at the Peach Garden is attractive one for those who do not understand Tao. The qualities of peach calls to mind the same attributes required for Tao - the balance of opposites the yin and the yang such as the sweetness and sourness of life.
The taste of peach is a good balance of sweetness and sourness as well as its texture is neither hard nor soft but somewhat crunchy. Tao is like that.
That the eight immortals needed to fetch the peaches of immortality to the Banquet for immortals belies the fact that immortality even for the immortals leaves more to be desired. They need to extend their immortality by consuming the prized peaches.
This may be more a figure of speech in that they needed to cultivate the Way and to have more peace by balancing the yin and yang even as immortals to reach higher levels of immortality. They needed to come together to cultivate the Way or Tao.
The concept of eternal life in Heaven is a myth and life span in Heaven though long and near limitless is still limited till the immortals can attain more of the peace of Tao and be like the Pure Ones and the Buddhas.
As life fluctuations, the ups and downs (the yin and yang) in Heaven are less in magnitude, almost minimal, it may be more difficult to improve further in Tao than for beings on Earth. They have to have intensive reflection and meditation on the problems of life, not so much of their own but mainly those of lesser beings - the mortals like men on Earth.
They have to be involved and to be immersed in the lives of mortals somehow - in helping mortals to be better in Tao and to lead better lives even before they make progress in Tao - the divine peace in life.
The story of peaches at the Peach Garden is attractive one for those who do not understand Tao. The qualities of peach calls to mind the same attributes required for Tao - the balance of opposites the yin and the yang such as the sweetness and sourness of life.
The taste of peach is a good balance of sweetness and sourness as well as its texture is neither hard nor soft but somewhat crunchy. Tao is like that.
Whilst the masses could not understand the concept then in old China due to lack of mass education, it is still possible to let them have concept of Tao by using the peach to pass the message of Tao. That is indeed ingenious but time takes its toll and why the peach is able to convey Tao is forgotten over time.
The story of the peaches of immortality is also the way to attract the masses to be devotional and to seek guidance of God and saints for better lives to come and to eventually tread on the Way of Tao by having the balance approach to life.
Ultimately, to be good is to depend on the saints of religions to guide and protect us till one day we can tread on the sublime path and have Tao. It is the ultimate way to live better for the time to come as stated in prayer taught by Lord Bo Tien.
Lord Bo Tien taught this prayer for all men regardless of religions or even if none.
"To all heavenly saints, we greatly adore.
We believe in your existence
and they glory is in the thought of men.
We seek for thy protection and guidance
so as to live better for the time to come."
The peach is the fruit that embodies the attributes we must have to attain sainthood but while Tao is still to ripen in us, the saints above will need to tend to us - the fruits till we ripen. The saints must tend to us while we are not yet ripe in Tao. Then we will be truly immortals.
We must grow the peaches of immortality in us and we must seek all the heavenly saints of religions to tend to us so that the peaches of immortality will ripen in us.
ATTENDING BANQUETS OF IMMORTALITY
We can then have the right to attend at least in spirit the Banquet of the Saints where we share peaches of immortality with the saints and get tips from them on how to better grow and nurture our peaches.
Those who are more motivated can hold their own banquets of immortality on Earth with fellow wayfarers of Tao and invite heavenly saints to grace the occasions.
We certainly can be saints or immortals in the making, Who knows that we might have the rare privilege to rub shoulders with the likes of the Saint of Immortality Shou and be given further the enhancing elixir of longevity which is an aspect of immortality.
