Conquering Lust & Desire
The Tale of Liu Changsheng 劉長生
Hello,
Liu Changsheng is one of the seven perfected masters of Complete Reality Daoism, otherwise known as the northern school of Daoist alchemy. Here, I’ll share the most famous myth told about him, of how he failed the test of lust, and eventually came to overcome it. The stories of the immortals are rich and colourful!
Part 1: Liu Changsheng’s Fall From Grace
It is said that after Master Chongyang ascended to immortality, his disciples interred his remains in the Zhongnan Mountains. Liu Changsheng then parted from his Daoist companions, journeyed once through the south, and returned to Eastern Lu.
There, he undertook three years of intensive cultivation on Mount Tai. One day, he attained the true fruit of the Dao, ascended to the celestial realm, and attended a banquet at the Jade Pond to pay homage to the Queen Mother of the West.
Behind the Queen Mother stood several dozen immortal maidens, clustered around her. Their beauty was extraordinary — indescribable, inimitable, enchanting.
Unable to restrain himself, a lustful thought arose in Liu Changsheng’s heart, and he stole a glance at the immortal maidens.
The Queen Mother of the West noticed immediately, and asked him, “You looked upon them—what did you intend?”
Hearing her words, Liu Changsheng realised his breach of conduct. He bowed low and pleaded, “Your subject happened to glimpse silken sleeves fluttering like rainbow willows. In that moment I unconsciously glanced at the immortal maidens. I humbly beg your pardon for my offence.”
The Queen Mother reproached him, saying, “As long as the distinction between self and others remains, and the appearance of form and desire is not emptied, then even if the golden elixir is accomplished, you cannot transcend the mundane and enter the sacred. You must return once more to the human world and undergo bitter cultivation and refinement.” She immediately ordered an immortal official to escort him down.
The immortal official led Liu Changsheng to the Southern Heavenly Gate. Just as Liu was about to descend riding on a cloud, the immortal official gave him a sudden palm strike, knocking him out of the gate.
Startled, Liu awoke — realising it had been a dream.
Part 2: Xu Jingyang Tests His Students With Charcoal
Reflecting on what had happened in the Jade Pond, Liu Changsheng thought, “Truly, a single stray thought makes all the difference.”
Moreover, Master Chongyang had once said to him, “In alchemical practice you are accomplished, but you have not yet emptied the appearances of form and desire.”
The words of rebuke spoken by the Queen Mother echoed those of his teacher. Yet, he still did not know how to approach this stage of the practice.
He thought, “I must descend the mountain and seek a high person to point the way.”
So he came down from the mountain, and after a few days travel, encountered another of Master Chongyang’s close disciples, Tan Changzhen. The two exchanged stories of their recent experiences, and Liu Changsheng shared his failure in the Jade Pond. In response to this, Tan Changzhen shared the following story:
Long ago, when Xu Jingyang (3rd–4th century CE) was a young man, he was fond of hunting. One day while hunting in the mountains, he shot a young deer. The fawn, pierced by the arrow, fled wounded into the hills. Xu Jingyang and his household searched the mountains and eventually found two deer in a ravine. The fawn lay on the ground, while the larger deer was licking its wounds.
Seeing people approach, the larger deer did not flee, and both were captured. Upon returning home and unbinding them, both deer were already dead. When their bellies were opened, they found the mother deer’s intestines had ruptured completely, while the fawn’s intestines were still intact. From this, one could see that the mother’s pain over her child far exceeded the pain of the arrow wound itself.
Witnessing this scene, Xu Jingyang was overcome with compassion. He broke apart his bow and arrows, retreated into the mountains to cultivate, and eventually attained the true fruit of the Dao. Then, he ascended a platform to expound the Dharma and gathered over several hundred disciples.
One day, Jingyang addressed his assembled disciples, “You several hundred are not few in number. You have left your families to pursue the Dao — your sincerity cannot be denied. But for one who cultivates, the crucial thing is to see through the illusion of form and desire. Can you all see sensuous scenes and not be moved by lust?”
The disciples responded in unison, “As for wealth, influence, and wine — we may not have fully discarded them. But when it comes to sexual desire, we truly see it as empty and are not attached to it.”
Xu Jingyang replied, “You speak with such purity and confidence — I fear it may not be so certain.”
The disciples answered, “How could we dare to speak falsely or deceive our master?”
Xu Jingyang said, “I have a method to test whether your words are true or false. Each of you prepare a piece of charcoal, about two feet long. Place it on your bed and sleep with it beside you for one night. Tomorrow morning, bring it to me, and I will be able to see for myself. If you pass, I will transmit to you the genuine teachings.”
The disciples, hearing this, did not understand the reason behind it, but each went off and prepared their charcoal and placed it beside them on the bed that night.
That night, as each disciple slept, they suddenly awoke to find someone lying beside them. Reaching out to touch, they felt something warm and soft as cotton, smooth as jade. Exploring further, they realised it was the body of a woman.
Aroused by desire, they could not restrain themselves and engaged in intimacy with her. After their true yang was spent, they still clung to her fondly and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
At dawn, a voice called out from outside, “Bring your charcoal — Master has been waiting for some time.” Startled from their dreams, the disciples awoke to find themselves embracing their pieces of charcoal. Confused and alarmed, they heard again from outside, “Put on your clothes and bring the charcoal.”
Xu Jingyang instructed the disciples to line up in two rows and come forward one by one to present their charcoal.
The disciples, not daring to disobey, formed two lines. One man came forward. Xu Jingyang asked, “How old are you?” He replied, “I am seventy-six years old.”
Xu said, “If you’re of such an age, why have you still not seen through lust?” The man protested, “How can you say I haven’t?”
Xu replied, “If you had seen through it, what is that filth smeared across the middle of your charcoal?” Looking at it, the man saw pale white spots halfway up the stick—foul traces. He then understood — the woman from last night was none other than the transformed charcoal. Ashamed, he hung his head, speechless.
The other disciples then realised that the woman each had slept with had been their own charcoal transformed. When they examined their pieces, many bore similar stains. Embarrassed, they froze in place, unwilling to step forward, even after being urged repeatedly.
Only one man stepped forward with a smile, presenting a charcoal completely clean. Xu Jingyang asked, “Desire is something all humans love—why is it that you do not?” The man replied, “My practice is precisely to refine myself from within lust.” Xu asked how he had cultivated this. He answered:
“Whatever one desires, one must also fear. At first one worries about not obtaining it. Once obtained, one rejoices and indulges, unwilling to stop. But such indulgence depletes the spirit and weakens the qi. Then comes fear for one’s very life, and deep fear leads to avoidance. Therefore, when facing a lustful situation, I am able to totally forget the feeling; I cut off desire to protect my life.
In my youth, I was dissolute and unrestrained. I spent my days among flowers and willows, roaming brothels as if they were my own home. I saw countless beauties, indulged in endless sensual pleasures, and in doing so, harmed my spirit. That brought fear, and I sought to escape it. Unable to escape, I fled to the Dao to preserve my life. I no longer crave beauty. This is no special trick—just broad exposure and deep experience.”
Xu Jingyang nodded in approval. He dismissed the other disciples and kept only that one, transmitting to him the subtle Dao. In time, he too attained the true fruit.
Tan Changzhen finished telling the story of this ancient adept. Liu Changsheng replied, “I never had intentions toward sexual intimacy — it was merely a fondness for external appearance. However, one day, I shall visit the brothels, see many powdered faces, and become broadly experienced and well-versed, so that my eyes may become empty — truly empty.”
Part 3: Refinement In The Brothel
Liu Changsheng was fully intent on refining the demon of desire. Hearing people say that the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou were famed for their beautiful women, he made his way there.
He gathered a few useless stones and transformed them into gold and silver, took off his Daoist robes, and purchased some fine silk garments. Dressed in this manner, he swaggered into a brothel.
The madam greeted him and naturally inquired about his background. Liu Changsheng said to her, “I go by the name Master Changsheng, I am a native of Mount Yan. I travel to procure jewels and treasures. Having been away for a long time, I seek the finest courtesan to ease my heart.”
Hearing he was a jewel merchant, the madam knew that the God of Wealth had arrived. With a broad smile, she redoubled her flattery and led him to the chamber of the top courtesan — an exquisite beauty named Siyu.
She was a famed courtesan in the brothel world, skilled in music, song, and dance, proficient in calligraphy and painting, and capable of composing a few poetic lines. Graceful and charming, she was truly lovable.
When Siyu met Liu Changsheng, she saw his composed and elegant manner, his gentle speech and confident bearing — none of the leering or crudeness common in brothel guests. With such a fine guest, how could she not offer her best? She displayed her utmost sweetness and seduction, with every move crafted to entice him.
But Liu Changsheng followed his Master Chongyang’s teachings:
“To remain unmoved before the collapse of Mount Tai is not because one tries not to be afraid, but because it feels as if it were never collapsing. To remain unmoved before a beautiful woman is not because one forces oneself to resist, but because it feels as if she were never present.”
Following these two lines, Liu Changsheng emptied his heart completely — holding nothing at all. The demon of desire found no entrance. The courtesan’s thousand charms and myriad seductions were wasted on him; she could not stir his heart in the slightest.
The heart is the master of the whole being. If the heart does not move, the body is naturally still, and all other thoughts follow its lead. Since the heart did not move, the rest dared not move. Only the eyes and ears are meddlesome things — loving beauty and fine sounds, always eager to report to the heart.
But Liu Changsheng treated his heart with great courtesy, saying, “do not trust the words of the eyes and ears, lest we ruin everything.” The heart heeded his advice and acted as if unaware — like a child playing, ignorant of adult matters.
They shared a bed and a pillow, yet it appeared to him as nothing more than a skin-bag lying beside a powdered skeleton. There was little of true interest — just reds and greens for the eyes, and jingling sounds for the ears. He then addressed his eyes and ears kindly, teaching them a method, “See as if not seeing; hear as if not hearing.” The two truly followed his method—one seems as if blind, the other as if deaf.
And so, although he spent the night in the courtesan’s bed, she still had no idea who he truly was, nor what value he carried within.
Part 4: Meeting Bodhidharma
It is said that Liu Changsheng, having treated the heart, eyes, and ears — those three venerable elders — with such respectful care, was protected by them within the brothel and thereby completed his cultivation, becoming a true immortal. By then, he no longer gave any concern to outward appearances.
He often played among the courtesans’ chambers, and since he willingly spent money, they welcomed him joyfully. One day, as he walked arm-in-arm with Lady Siyu, one of them plucked a fresh flower and placed it behind his ear. They began trying to remove his men’s clothes to dress him in women’s attire, and even unfastened the buttons on his chest. Suddenly, a cough sounded outside, and into the room strode a foreign monk.
His face was dark, beard short, eyes large, eyebrows thick, forehead broad, and nose high — his appearance was most peculiar. The courtesans, startled, fled behind Liu Changsheng, not daring to make a sound.
And who was this monk? He was none other than Patriarch Bodhidharma, journeying from the Western lands, having turned south from the South Sea and passing through Hangzhou. There he saw purple vapour rising into the sky from within the brothel courtyard — a sign that a true immortal had descended. But why would such a being be dwelling in a brothel? Wishing to offer guidance and deliverance, he entered to awaken him.
He arrived just as the courtesans were dressing Liu Changsheng in flowers and undressing him in laughter and play. The madam was busy with her accounts and drawers, the other courtesans dozing in their rooms, when they heard the noise and came bustling toward the rear.
Liu Changsheng, upon seeing Bodhidharma, immediately recognised him as an extraordinary being. He stood at once and respectfully invited him to sit. There was a brass kettle on the table, but the water inside had gone cold, and there was no time to boil it. So, Liu quickly placed the kettle on his belly and activated his internal fire.
In a moment, the kettle began to roar with sound; steam spouted from its spout — the water had come to a boil. He selected the finest tea leaves, placed them in a teacup, poured in the boiling water, and with both hands respectfully offered the tea to Bodhidharma.
The courtesans, stunned by what they saw, could only stare in amazement and whisper, “How strange!”
Liu Changsheng laughed, “This is just true fire — what’s so strange about it? I can also cook flatbread on my belly.”
The women didn’t believe him. One fetched some flour, another water. Soon they had prepared a small dough cake the size of a bowl. They brought it to him and asked him to bake it.
Liu Changsheng took the dough in his hand, placed it on his belly, turned it three times to the left, then three times to the right — already, the bread had browned. He flipped it over, turned it a few more times, and the bread was done. He handed it to the courtesans, who pulled and tore pieces from it, eating the belly-cooked bread with great amusement.
Part 5: Parting Words
Bodhidharma was one who had thoroughly seen through the world — he held nothing in his heart and never concerned himself with worldly matters. In his life, he never quarrelled with others, his cultivation was profound, his compassion vast. He feigned some naïveté and said, “This technique of yours is quite amusing. Someday I’ll have to learn it from you.”
With that, he clasped his hands in farewell. As he left, he spoke four lines:
“Now that you know the road from the East,
Do not lose your way returning West.
Let not your true nature fall to obscurity,
Linger not long and forget your home.”
Liu Changsheng heard and replied with four lines of his own:
“Empty, empty—nothing at all,
How then could a single thought go astray?
Who is it that governs this body?
And where, indeed, is my true home?”
Hearing these four lines, Bodhidharma knew at once that this man had attained real cultivation, and without another word, vanished like wind.
It is further said that Liu Changsheng, having refined away attachment to form and desire within brothels, departed from Suzhou and Hangzhou and returned to Eastern Lu. There he re-entered the mountains for cultivation. In the third year of the Jiatai era (1203 CE), on the eighth day of the second lunar month of the Guǐhài year, he ascended in broad daylight.
There are many versions of this story. The one in this article is a translation and slight adjustment of a version found here. I hope you enjoyed it!
道炁長存,
Oscar
Amazing stuff. Thank you very much for sharing. Now only if I could grasp this teaching
Where does the picture from? it's beautiful