Chinese Traditional Story: Yinxi-The First Taoist Disciple

Hello everyone, the story I'm going to share today is Yin-Shi, the First Doy's disciple. No one knows when Yin-Shi was born, and little is known about his life. When he was very young, he read all the classical books, searching for the meaning of life. He studied the Book of Changes and the Astronomical Calendar. He was later appointed to the position of Royal Scholar to the Zhou Imperial Court. At that time, he had high status within the Imperial Court, and he enjoyed a comfortable and luxurious life. But he never gave up his desire to practice cultivation. As time passed, he observed that Zhou Dynasty was in decline, and people's morality was rapidly deteriorating. He knew that it was nearly time for him to go to the mountains and cultivate. One day, he noticed a bank of purple clouds which filled the sky, floating from east to west. He became very excited, because he felt that this was a sign that someone holy was coming from the east. He immediately resigned his post at Royal Court and asked to be assigned to the Hangu Checkpoint. When he arrived, he asked people who worked there to clean the street and quietly wait for the holy person to arrive. Yin-Shi and his employees prepared everything and waited for a One day, as he was calculating time, he realized that the holy person would arrive soon. He told people to immediately report to him if they noticed anyone who looked different. Very soon, a white-haired old man riding a cow approached Hangu Checkpoint. He was Laozi. It's just recorded in the Book of Historical Records that Yin-Shi asked Laozi, Before you leave this world, please write something down, a guide, a path to lead the world's people to heaven. It was said that Yin-Shi's sincere request moved Laozi's heart. Laozi left two volumes of 5,000 Chinese characters, which contained all the true teachings of Taoism, known as Tao Te Ching. He gave them to Yin-Shi and told him that on a certain day they would meet at a place called Qingyang. Then Laozi disappeared. It was said that after Yin-Shi received Tao Te Ching, he read it day and night and enlightened to many things. He wished to devote himself to Tao Te Ching. So he resigned from his post at Hangu Checkpoint and went to a place far from the city to practice. While he read the scriptures, he felt that his souls were connected with heaven and earth. Eventually, Yin-Shi traveled to Wudang Mountain and became the first of his disciples to cultivate there. Later, many people traveled to Wudang Mountain to practice Taoism, and the area became very prosperous. On the day that Yin-Shi became enlightened, he understood that he would see Laozi very soon. The two Taoists met at a pointed place. They were never seen again in the human world. Thank you very much for listening to the story. More Tao Te Ching stories will be ready for you if you subscribe. Thank you again.