Why did the Eight Immortals have to cross the sea in folklore?

The Eight Immortals crossing the sea is actually showing up to promote the Dharma.

When the Eight Immortals crossed the sea, they were invited by Baiyun Xianchang of Penglai Immortal Mountain to participate in the Peony Flower Festival in Penglai Immortal Mountain. After attending the festival, they had to come back, so at the suggestion of Tie Qiao Li, they crossed the sea back to their own country instead of taking a boat.

Of course, it is unknown how wide the sea is between the mythical Mount Penglai and the land. But despite this, Iron Li's proposal was echoed by the other seven, so each of them showed their skills and "stepped on the sea" to the west.

How the eight immortals crossed the sea, we will not repeat here, we mainly discuss why they want to make such a big fuss about it?

According to our traditional customs, the gods and goddesses are very subtle, and will not take the initiative to show the magic, so as not to shock the world.

And this time, the eight immortals crossed the sea, each showing their powers. Eight people in the sea wind play waves, is indeed a shocking move, ordinary mortals, see this scene, will certainly be dumbfounded, not shouting "see ghosts in the daytime"?

But we look at it from a deeper perspective, in fact, this is one of the Eight Immortals' techniques.

Which era the Eight Immortals crossed the sea in the end, this is not known. But what is more plausible is that the lineup of eight people, including Tie Qiao Li and Lu Dongbin, is determined to have occurred roughly in the Yuan Dynasty. And as the Eight Immortals all studied Taoism to become immortals, what they worshipped was naturally Taoism.

And since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty after the introduction of Buddhism into China, with the influence of Buddhism since the growing, native Taoism is greatly dwarfed by the trend. This determines the Buddhism and Taoism "fight" in the dark and in the open.

Of course, as the gods, Buddhism and Taoism fight, may be more in the form of the number of people to support the pump to distinguish. Thus, the propagation of the law is an essential form.

And the immortals are bound by the constraints of "not to shock the world", and in fact, lack the necessary stage to show their charms to the secular believers. And "crossing the sea", just for the eight immortals to provide a platform for the most legitimate.

In fact, after the Eight Immortals showed their powers this time, the magic of the Taoist gods and goddesses has been widely spread in the folklore, and the Eight Immortals have become a household name. I have to say, the eight immortals across the sea, in fact, is a kind of cover-up, cleverly named to promote the move.