Sun Bu'er facts for kids
Sun Bu'er (pronounced Soon Boo-err) was a very important woman in Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy and religion. She lived from about 1119 to 1182 CE in Shandong province, China. Sun Bu'er was one of the "Seven Masters of Quanzhen," a special group of leaders in the Quanzhen School of Taoism.
She was a smart and wealthy woman who was married and had three children. Her husband, Ma Yu, was a close student of Wang Chongyang, who started the Quanzhen School. When Sun Bu'er was 51, she decided to study the Tao (the way or path of the universe) and became a student of Wang Chongyang herself. She became a Taoist priestess. Later, she left her home and traveled to Luoyang city. After practicing Taoist ways for twelve years, it is said she became an immortal, meaning she achieved a very high spiritual state. Sun Bu'er also taught many students and started her own branch of Taoism called the Purity and Tranquility School. She also wrote many poems.
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Sun Bu'er's Early Life
Sun Bu'er was born in 1119 in a small town in the Ninghai district of Shandong. Her birth was believed to be special because her mother had a dream about a crane, a bird that symbolizes long life and spiritual power in China. This dream made her mother feel that her child would be a special person.
Even when she was young, Sun Bu'er showed signs of being extraordinary. She was very intelligent and loved practicing calligraphy and writing poems. She also followed all the proper rules and traditions. Her father, Sun Zhongjing, was a scholar and taught her a lot. As a teenager, she married Ma Yu, and they had three sons. Their lives were quite ordinary until 1167, when Wang Chongyang arrived and changed everything for them.
The School of Complete Perfection
Wang Chongyang (1112–1170) became a religious leader after spending 100 days alone in deep thought. He started a new spiritual movement called "Complete Perfection." Sun Bu'er's husband, Ma Yu, quickly became a devoted follower of Wang. This caused some problems in Sun Bu'er's family life because she felt Wang was interfering.
At first, Sun Bu'er was upset with Wang Chongyang. However, after he completed his 100-day retreat and seemed to have reached a higher spiritual level, Sun Bu'er realized her own spiritual path. To allow her husband to follow his divine journey, she decided to leave her family. This was a big decision because it went against what was expected of a wife at that time. By doing this, she became one of the few women to join the "Seven Perfected" leaders of the Quanzhen School. Her choice showed the challenges women faced between their family duties and their spiritual goals.
Life as a "Seven Perfected" Leader
Sun Bu'er finally joined the "Seven Perfected" group after Wang Chongyang encouraged her many times. Once she officially joined, she received her special Taoist name, Bu'er. She became a Taoist nun in the Complete Perfection Order and lived in the Golden Lotus Hall. There, she was given the title, "Serene one of Clarity and Tranquility."
As a "Perfected" leader, Sun Bu'er could perform advanced spiritual practices. These included rituals like helping people get rid of bad spirits and gaining special spiritual abilities. She then traveled west, facing difficult weather and rough land. She followed ancient texts that taught her special breathing exercises. She worked to clear energy pathways in her body and improve her Qi (pronounced "chee"), which is like life energy, in different energy centers. Eventually, she achieved a deep understanding of the Tao.
Sun Bu'er later moved to Luoyang and attracted many students. She lived in a place called Feng xiangu dong (Grotto of the Immortal Lady Feng). She became known for her unique personality and her ability to perform spiritual clearings. Sixty years after her death, Sun Bu'er was formally recognized with the title "Perfected of Clarity and Tranquility and Deep Perfection Who Follows Virtue."
A Journey of Dedication
Sun Bu'er is especially remembered for her journey from Shang Dong to Luoyang. During this trip, she did something very unusual: she intentionally made herself look less attractive by splashing boiling oil on her face. She did this to protect herself during her travels, as she knew her beauty could make her a target for unwanted attention.
One of Sun Bu'er's goals on this journey was to overcome her focus on physical appearance, which she felt was holding back her spiritual growth in Taoism. By taking such a drastic step, she showed her deep dedication to the Tao. This action made her recognized for her strong commitment to her spiritual path.
Sun Bu'er's Role for Taoist Women
Sun Bu'er is an important role model for women who follow the Complete Perfection tradition of Taoism. She was the only woman to become one of the main "Complete Perfected" leaders. Women who join the Complete Perfection Order often look to her spiritual journey as an example. Her strong will to live a life dedicated to the Tao has inspired many other women.
Sun Bu'er's Accomplishments
Sun Bu'er wrote fourteen poems and is also known for her writings on alchemical practices. She used her poems to give women guidance on how to achieve spiritual growth through Taoist alchemy. Her poems talk about how a person's qi (energy flow) is connected to the natural world and how people can get caught up in their senses.
The poems explain a path to inner peace and how to achieve the "Tao" through meditation, breathing exercises, and guiding one's energy. Sun Bu'er's poems also show how the changes in the human body are connected to the seasons of nature. She wrote about letting nature take its own course.
Here is an example of one of Sun Bu'er's poems:
Projecting the Spirit
- There is a body outside the body,
- Which has nothing to do with anything produced by magical arts
- Making this aware energy completely pervasive Is the living, active, unified, original spirit
- The bright moon congeals the gold liquid
- Blue lotus refines jade reality
- When you've cooked the marrow of the sun and moon
- The pearl is so bright you don't worry about poverty
Sun Bu'er's Later Life
Sun Bu'er passed away in 1182. It is said that she knew exactly when she would leave this world. Before she died, she prepared herself, put on clean clothes, met with her students, and recited a poem. This showed that she had great control over her body and life. By returning to the realm of immortals, Sun Bu'er fulfilled her destiny and confirmed her place as part of the eternal Tao.
Some of Sun Bu'er's writings that still exist today include:
- "Secret Book on the Inner Elixir as Transmitted by the Immortal Sun Bu'er" (Sun Bu'er yuanjun chuanshu dandoao mishu)
- "Model Sayings of the Primordial Immortal Sun Bu'er" (Sun Bu'er yuanjun fayu)
Images for kids
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Sun Bu'er (in the middle of the top row) with the other Seven Masters of Quanzhen and their teacher, Wang Chongyang
See also
In Spanish: Sun Bu'er para niños
