《五岳真形图序论》

Emperor Wu of Han loved the quest for longevity. He often made offerings at famous mountains and great lakes, praying to sacred peaks in the hope of receiving a response from the immortals. On the jiazi day of the first month in the first year of the Yuanfeng era, he made offerings at Mount Song and had a Daoist palace built there. He returned only after seven days of fasting and purification.

On the night of the wuchen day in the fourth month, he was sitting alone in quiet meditation in his chamber, with Dongfang Shuo and Dong Zhongshu beside him. Suddenly, a beautiful young woman dressed in blue appeared. Startled, Emperor Wu asked who she was. The woman replied, “I am the Jade Maiden of Yong Palace, a female immortal who serves the Queen Mother of the West. By her command, I have come from Mount Kunlun to meet you. I have heard that you are willing to set aside the wealth and rank of the world in pursuit of the immortal Way and longevity, and that you have repeatedly prayed to the mountains. Your sincerity seems such that Daoist teachings may be entrusted to you. From this day on, remain quiet and fast for one hundred days, taking no part in worldly affairs. On the seventh day of the seventh month next year, the Queen Mother of the West will descend for a brief visit.”

Emperor Wu rose from his seat, knelt, and agreed. As soon as the Jade Maiden had spoken, she vanished. Afterward, the emperor ascended the Terrace of Seeking the True, fasted, and cultivated the Way. He temporarily entrusted the governance of the court to the Grand Steward, the official responsible for state affairs.

When the seventh day of the seventh month arrived, the emperor ordered the palace halls cleaned and a seat prepared in the great hall. Purple gauze was spread on the floor, a hundred-blend incense was burned, brocade curtains embroidered with clouds were hung, and nine-rayed lamps were lit. Robes and furs for the Jade Maiden and grape wine were also prepared. The emperor personally inspected the dishes, which were offerings for the celestial visitors. Dressed in full ceremonial attire, he stood below the steps and ordered the inner and outer gates of the main entrance to be strictly guarded, so that no idle onlooker could peer inside. A profound silence settled throughout the palace as everyone waited for the immortal officials to descend.

After the second watch of the night, the sky to the southwest suddenly seemed to fill with gathering white clouds. The clouds thickened and moved straight toward the palace, drawing nearer by degrees.

Suddenly, the sound of flutes and drums, along with the clamor of people and horses, came from among the clouds. After about the time it takes to eat half a meal, the Queen Mother of the West, a revered female immortal deity, arrived. She descended from the sky before the hall, accompanied by attendants who gathered like a flock of birds. Some rode dragons and tigers; others rode white deer, white qilin, or white cranes; some traveled in carriages, while others rode heavenly horses. Several thousand immortals followed her, their radiance illuminating the courtyard and halls.

When they arrived, the attendants vanished from sight. The only figure visible was the Queen Mother of the West, riding in a carriage of purple clouds drawn by a speckled dragon with nine colors. Fifty celestial immortals attended the carriage. Each stood ten feet tall, held a brightly colored ceremonial banner, and wore a belt bearing a diamond-hard numinous seal and a heavenly register. They stood in rows below the hall. The Queen Mother of the West brought only two maids with her up into the hall. The maids appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old. They wore blue silk gauze robes, and had lively eyes, fresh and radiant expressions, and extraordinary beauty.

The Queen Mother of the West sat facing east, dressed in a bright, magnificent yellow brocade robe that shimmered with golden light. At her waist she wore a numinous flying sash and a sword that divides light. On her head were an elaborate floral knot and the crown of the Supreme True One and Dawn Infant; on her feet were black jade shoes patterned with phoenixes. Her radiance shone against the hall’s dark, cloudlike walls, and her divine light gleamed brightly. She appeared to be about thirty years old, of neither tall nor short stature, with an ethereal beauty and a remarkably refined face. She was truly a transcendent deity.

After she stepped down from her carriage and took her seat, the Martial Emperor knelt and paid his respects. Once they had exchanged greetings, he remained standing to one side. The Queen Mother of the West invited him to sit with her. The Martial Emperor sat facing south, and she personally arranged the banquet. The table was exquisitely set, laden with rare dishes, delicious fruit, and mountain delicacies such as purple fungi and bracken, so abundant that the plates and bowls were nearly piled high. There was also fragrant wine, sweet beyond compare and unlike anything in the human world. The Martial Emperor could not say what kind of wine it was.

The Queen Mother of the West then asked a maid to bring peaches. Before long, the maid carried in seven peaches on a jade tray. Each was about the size of a duck’s egg, round and smooth, and blue-green in color. She presented them to the Queen Mother of the West, who gave four to the Martial Emperor and ate three herself. The peaches were sweet and delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth. The Martial Emperor saved each pit as he ate. The Queen Mother of the West asked why he was keeping them. “I want to plant them,” he replied.

The Queen Mother of the West said, “This peach bears fruit only once every three thousand years. The soil of the Central Plains is poor; if you plant it there, it will not grow. What can be done?” The emperor then gave up.

Afterward, the emperor prostrated himself on the ground and said, “The endowment I received is not good enough, and I have become absorbed in worldly life. Having inherited the legacy left by my ancestors, I have been burdened by worldly affairs. My governance has often been flawed. The people are troubled and divided; rain and wind come out of season, and the harvests are poor. Benevolent virtue and instruction have not been put into practice, and bandits have risen everywhere. This is probably because a ruler’s accumulated offenses have piled up like a mountain.

“Since childhood, I have loved the ways of nourishing life and admired the numinous immortals, yet I have been unable to give up salary and splendor and withdraw to the mountains and forests. I wish to sever my worldly entanglements and undertake cultivation through ingestion, but I do not know where to go. I want to leave the world and seek the true Dao, but have no teacher to guide me. As I grow older, I often fear that life may suddenly come to an end. I never imagined that a perfected being from Heaven would suddenly descend today, granting me the good fortune to behold a sage of the highest rank. This is the moment ordained by my fate to be delivered from the world. I beg you to take pity on me and teach me what I have not yet understood, so that I may follow teachings suited to me.”

The Queen Mother said, “If you can regard splendor lightly, be content with a humble station, and devote yourself to understanding the way of the spirits, that would naturally be good. But you indulge your desires and give yourself over to excess; you also resort excessively to killing and live in luxury. Indulgence brings the calamity of destroying the body; lust diminishes one’s years; killing brings retribution; and luxury corrupts the heart. When desires accumulate, they drain the spirit; when impurities accumulate, they bring life to ruin. Within your small body dwell calamities that destroy its form; though you are only a few feet tall, it is as if a hundred blades were attacking you from every side. In such a state, to hope to escape the Three Corpses—the spirits said in Daoism to reside in the human body and obstruct cultivation—and keep the body from decay for a long time is very difficult.

“It is like a bird without wings hoping to spread them and fly over the Celestial Lake, or an insect that lives from dawn to dusk hoping to enjoy the long years of spring and autumn.”

If you can quiet the many disturbances in your heart, cleanse away defilement and reform harmful customs; keep your spirit and primordial Qi stored within the Crimson Palace, the part of the body where spirit and Qi are housed, and close the gate of sexual desire; restrain extravagance in a quiet room, cherish all living beings and do them no harm; observe these Daoist precepts and grasp their subtle, numinous meaning; strive to give generously and extend kindness, remain peaceful, cultivate Jing and Qi, cherish your primordial Qi, and cast off worldly show as early as you can, so that all thoughts of rivalry and contention quickly fade. If you can do these things, surely you can at least glimpse that state. If you cannot, it is like trying to cross a great river while clutching a stone: success is simply impossible.

The Emperor—here, the Yellow Emperor—knelt to receive the Queen Mother’s instruction and asked to follow her words. He noticed a small book in her cloth case, a container for handkerchiefs and other items, wrapped in a purple brocade pouch. The Emperor asked, “What book is this? Is it a method of the immortals? I do not know its title. May I look at it?”

The Queen Mother took out the book and showed it to him. “This is the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks. Yesterday, the immortals of Mount Qingcheng came to ask me for this book, and now I must give it to them. It is a secret text transmitted by the Three Heaven Supreme Ones, guarded by the strictest prohibitions. A mortal such as you is not fit to carry it. For now, I will give you the Scripture of Numinous Light and Life, which can help you communicate with the spirits and strengthen your resolve.”

The Emperor continued to press his request. The Queen Mother said, “Long ago, in the first year of the Shanghuang Qingxu era, the Daoist Lord of the Three Heaven Supreme Ones looked down upon the Six Directions, surveying the lengths of rivers and seas and the heights of hills and peaks. He named the pillars of Heaven and placed them according to the lay of the land; established the Five Sacred Peaks as mountains that guard and support the realm; honored Kunling as a dwelling place of immortals and Pengqiu as a residence of perfected beings; placed the water spirits at the source of utmost Yin and the Great Emperor in the land of Fusang.

Thus, Fangzhang Isle became the Chamber of Ordered Destiny, and Canglang Isle became a hall where the Nine Elders were provided for. Zuying, Xuanyan, Changyuan, Liusheng, and the Phoenix-and-Qilin Gathering Cave each became the name of an isle, situated in the mysterious waters of the vast Cangliu Sea. There, blue and dark waters converge, and hosts of essences surge and move within them. The immortals and Jade Maidens dwell together in places such as the halls of Cangying and Lao.”

Where the blue-green and black currents of water converge, many spirits stir. The Immortals and Jade Maidens dwell together in the land of Cangying. Their names are hard to discover, but the places where they truly reside are clear and distinct.

People therefore study the contours of mountain ranges and their origins, observing the winding courses of rivers and mountains: ridges that loop around, earthen mounds that turn, peaks that rise high, and ranges that stretch far. Together they meander and coil like written characters. So the mountains and rivers were named according to their forms, and their corresponding names and marks were established. Their shapes are secretly preserved in full within the Mysterious Terrace, the dwelling place of Daoist immortals, and also appear as tokens of the numinous and perfected beings. The Immortals wear these tokens as proof of their authority to transmit documents.

When a Daoist carries this map and travels through mountains and rivers, the Hundred Spirits and all numinous beings will respectfully come out to greet them. Though you have not yet fully met the requirements, you often visit mountains and marshes in search of the Way, and have never forgotten your heart’s longing to bow and seek it. I admire your sincerity, and now entrust this to you. You must receive and uphold it with reverence and care, as you would serve a ruler and a father. If you reveal it to ordinary people, calamity and punishment will surely follow.

According to such texts as the Statutes of the Nine Elders’ Immortal Capital, Illumined by a Thousand Lights—Daoist rules governing transmission and prohibitions—the Talisman of the Venerable of the Nine Qi, Who Shines Forth Life—a Daoist talisman—and the Writings of the Great Numinous One, some of these scriptures came from the Supreme Lord of the Great Dao of the Three Heavens; some were composed by the Celestial Perfected Ones of the Three Sovereigns; and others were transmitted by the Red Child, the Perfected One who is the father and mother of the Nine Heavens. Recipients must be observed for forty years. If a suitable person is found, the teachings may be transmitted to one person. If no suitable person is found after forty years, one must wait another eighty years; then they may be transmitted to two people.

To transmit them to an unsuitable person is to reveal the Way of Heaven. To withhold them when they should be transmitted is to shut away Heaven’s treasure. To transmit them carelessly, without regard for the rules, is to show disrespect to the Elders of Heaven. To receive them and then fail to honor them is to neglect the writings of the Way of Heaven. These four acts—revealing, withholding, acting rashly, and neglecting—will all bring calamity. Those who reveal the teachings will die on the road, and in a later life their bodies and bones will suffer the disaster of being broken apart. Those who withhold them will be blind and deaf in a future life, live briefly, and die without a proper end. Those who transmit them rashly will bring disaster upon their parents and be punished in the Mysterious Capital, the Daoist immortal realm in Heaven. Those who neglect the scriptures and methods will die suddenly and suffer grave illness in later lives. Even worse offenses may bring an end to the lineage and the destruction of the family.

Those who share the same aspirations are kin bestowed by Heaven; those whose hearts and minds are in accord are companions cherished by Earth. When transmitting scriptures and methods, they should cherish one another and share both honor and disgrace. They should devote themselves to upholding the True One, the fundamental body of the Dao and a key principle of cultivation, treasure their Jing and Qi, and together nurture a peaceful and balanced Qi. When their Qi is in harmony, their Shen will gather, and in the end they will unite with the numinous and perfected beings. If they do not do so, Heaven will send down calamity and illness.

These are all Daoist prohibitions and precepts. That is why we now admonish one another in particular: be sure to keep them in mind and never treat them lightly. When Daoist teachings are transmitted, both parties should be close and affectionate, sharing honor and disgrace. Wholeheartedly uphold the Way of True Unity, cherish Jing and Qi, and together cultivate harmonious Qi. Only when the breath is balanced can the spirits gather and return, allowing you to take part together in the wondrous assembly. If you fail to do this, Heaven will send calamities and illness to punish you. These are all Daoist prohibitions and precepts, so I admonish you once more: be sure to act with care.

If you wish to find someone to transmit this Way, Dong Zhongshu, the Western Han scholar, would probably be a suitable choice. The Queen Mother of the West then ordered her attendant to fetch another chart and give it to Emperor Wu of Han. The attendant took a scroll of charts and texts from her robe. Its form and writing were exceptionally fine and clear, and it was exactly like the previous scroll. The Queen Mother handed it to Emperor Wu herself, and he received it kneeling in obeisance.

The Queen Mother said, “If you can set yourself aright, abandon evil conduct, and cultivate the good Way, I will return in the seventh month three years from now and tell you the Daoist teachings.”

A moment later, someone peered at the Queen Mother from outside the Vermilion Bird Window, named for the Vermilion Bird, on the south side of the hall. Startled, Emperor Wu asked who it was. The Queen Mother said, “Do you not recognize him? He is your attendant, Dongfang Shuo, a close aide to Emperor Wu of Han. He is the child of my neighbor and has always been mischievous. He once stole my peaches three times. In the past, he served as an immortal official under the Great High One, who sent him to Fangzhang Mountain to assist the Three Heavens’ Director of Fate, the divine office that oversees the registers of life and death in Heaven and among humankind, in managing the affairs of various households.

“When Dongfang Shuo reached Fangzhang Mountain, he did nothing but wander among its landscapes. He did not devote himself to cultivating harmonious Qi, and he even took it upon himself to manipulate thunder and lightning, stirring up gales and waves and throwing the rains and winds out of their proper course and Yin-Yang out of balance. As a result, dragons and whales walked on dry land, mountain ridges collapsed, the sea suddenly dried up, and a yellow horse sank into the abyss. Farmland was damaged. He also gave himself over to jade wine, neglected his duties, and broke the precepts governing those who carry out orders.

“Thus the Elder of the Nine Sources, a revered deity in the immortal realm, reported the matter to the Great High One. The Great High One then demoted Dongfang Shuo, sending him to be born into the human world, away from the celestial court of Taiqing Heaven and into the defilement of mortal life. Later, two immortals from Mount Jinhua and the Lord of Jiuyi pleaded on his behalf, and only then did the Great High One pardon him.” It was then that Emperor Wu learned Dongfang Shuo was no ordinary mortal.

During the conversation and drinking at the banquet, Dongfang Shuo took the opportunity to tell Emperor Wu of the Han the names of the immortal officials in attendance, and what their hats and ornaments were called, so that the emperor could remember them and ask about them for verification. Only then did Emperor Wu realize that Dongfang Shuo was no ordinary mortal.

During the conversation and drinking at the banquet, Dongfang Shuo again told the emperor the names of the immortal attendants and the names of their hats and ornaments, and the emperor committed them to memory. As dawn approached, the Queen Mother of the West took her leave. As she departed, the attendants, horses, dragons and tigers, along with the drums, music, and ceremonial procession, cleared the way for her just as they had when she arrived. The clouds grew dense and gradually transformed into fragrance that filled the sky. Emperor Wu gazed toward the southwest, and only after a long while did the Queen Mother of the West disappear from view.

Only after Emperor Wu of Han met the Queen Mother of the West, a legendary female immortal, did he believe that immortals truly existed in the world. He began to consider leaving the human world and seeking immortality and long life. Yet he was by nature lustful and repeatedly waged wars. The people groaned under forced labor, and the innocent dead harbored resentment. He did not heed the Queen Mother’s advice, so she stopped coming to see him.

The Queen Mother of the West had once told Emperor Wu many things, including methods for prolonging life and arts for summoning spirits. Emperor Wu compiled these teachings himself into a single volume. He had the scriptures and images she gave him placed on a golden table, sealed in a white jade box, and stored in the Bailiang Terrace. Later, in the first year of the Taichu era, the Bailiang Terrace was destroyed by a heavenly fire. The True-Form Diagram, the Scripture of the Birth of Spiritual Light, and the important texts Emperor Wu had compiled himself were all burned. The Queen Mother of the West often said that this disaster had befallen him because he had not followed her teachings.

Earlier, however, Emperor Wu had heeded the Queen Mother’s words and entrusted the True-Form Diagram to Dong Zhongshu. Dong Zhongshu registered and copied the diagram, allowing it to survive.

One day, Dongfang Shuo ascended into the sky, riding a cloud-dragon. People saw him slowly rise toward the northwest. Looking up, they could see only his figure hidden by dense mist, and no one knew where he had gone. Emperor Wu deeply regretted what had happened, realizing that he had lost his chance to attain the Dao.

In the twelfth month of that year, after making offerings to Houtu, the Earth Deity, at Haoli, Emperor Wu gazed eastward over the Bohai Sea and made a distant sacrifice to Mount Penglai. He returned to the palace the following spring and received the calendar at Ganquan Palace. In the second month, construction began on Jianzhang Palace. In the summer, during the fifth month, a new calendar was issued, making the first month the start of the year; yellow was honored, five was established as the governing number, official titles were set, and musical pitch was corrected. General Gongsun Ao was sent beyond the frontier to build the Surrendering City. In the autumn, during the eighth month, Emperor Wu went to Anding and dispatched General Li Guangli of the Second Division to recruit warriors from across the realm and lead an expedition west against Dayuan. It is said that the calendar reform and the decision to begin the year in the first month were also the Queen Mother of the West’s ideas.

Bao Jing said, “I observe that the Queen Mother of the West is the leader among the immortals. Even she held this text in high regard, so how could ordinary, shallow people presume to look into it lightly?”

Based on the words of the Queen Mother of the West, a female immortal in mythology, Emperor Wu of the Han asked Dongfang Shuo about the matter. Dongfang Shuo answered in detail: Zuzhou, Yingzhou, Xuanzhou, Yanzhou, Changzhou, Yuanzhou, Liuzhou, Shengzhou, Fenglinzhou, and Jukuozhou are the names of the Ten Continents. They lie deep in the great ocean, in places no human can reach.

Zuzhou lies in the Eastern Sea. It is five hundred li across and lies seventy thousand li from the western shore. An herb of immortality grows on the island, shaped like young shoots of gu (water bamboo) and about three or four chi tall. If the herb is laid over a dead person, the person immediately comes back to life; if eaten, it grants longevity.

During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, many people in Dayuan, an ancient state in the Western Regions, had died unjustly and lay by the roadside. A bird resembling a crow would often bring this herb in its beak and lay it over the dead person’s face, whereupon the person would immediately sit up. Officials reported the matter to Qin Shi Huang, who sent an envoy with some of the herb to ask Master Guigu of Beiguo about it. The master said, “This is the herb of immortality from Zuzhou in the Eastern Sea. It grows among the qiong bai and is also called the Nurturing-Spirit Mushroom. Its leaves resemble those of gu, and it does not grow in clusters. One plant, when picked, is enough to revive only one person.” Qin Shi Huang then sent five hundred boys and girls across the sea to search for Zuzhou, but they never returned.

Yingzhou lies in the Eastern Sea. It is four thousand li across, opposite Kuaiji, in what is now the Zhejiang area, and lies one hundred and seventy thousand li from the coast. Immortal mushrooms grow on the island, along with jade stones a thousand zhang high. Springs well up from them, their water tasting like wine. This is called “Jade Wine,” and is also known as “Jade Paste.” Drinking several sheng of it makes a person drunk and grants longevity. Many immortals live on the island, and their customs resemble those of the people of Wu.

Xuanzhou lies in the northwest, in the xu-hai direction of the Northern Sea. There are stone mountains there a thousand zhang high, from which springs well up. Their water tastes like wine and is called “Jade Wine,” also known as “Jade Paste.” Drinking several sheng of it makes a person drunk and grants longevity. Many immortals live on the island, and their customs resemble those of the people of Wu.

Xuanzhou lies in the northwest quarter of the Northern Sea, in the direction of Xu and Hai. It is seven thousand two hundred li across and three hundred and sixty thousand li from the shore. On the island, the Immortal Lord of the Great Mystery, an immortal official who governs the realms of the immortals, lives on Mount Xuanqiu. There is also Mount Feng, where a deafening roar rises from within, like thunder and lightning crashing. The mountain faces the northwest gate of Heaven, and many palaces of the Great Mystery Immortals stand around it.

Yanzhou lies in the Southern Sea. It is two thousand li across and ninety thousand li from the shore. The island is home to the wind-born beast, which resembles a marten. Its fur is blue-green, and its body is like that of a civet. People catch it with nets, then pile up several cartloads of firewood and set them alight. When the wood has burned away, the beast remains among the ashes, unharmed by the fire, with its fur unscorched. Knives and spears cannot wound it, and blows land with a sound like striking a leather bag. It takes several thousand blows with an iron hammer to kill it. If its mouth is turned toward the wind, it will revive and rise to its feet after a short while. It dies only when its nostrils are blocked with stone-grown calamus. It is said that eating its brain with chrysanthemum, after consuming ten jin of the mixture, can grant a lifespan of five hundred years.

Yanzhou is also home to Mount Yanlin. The mountain shelters night-glowing beasts, about the size of mice, with fur three or four cun long, in red and white varieties. The mountain is about two hundred li wide. On a dark night, the forest and the night-glowing beasts can be seen from afar, shining like a blazing fire. Their fur can be spun into a cloth called fire-washed cloth. If a garment made from it gets dirty, washing it with lye will not remove the stains. But after it is placed in a fire for about the time it takes to eat two meals, it can be taken out and shaken; the dirt will fall away, leaving the cloth as white as snow. Yanzhou is also home to many immortals.

Changzhou, also called Qingqiu, lies in the southeast quarter of the Southern Sea, in the direction of Chen and Si. It is five thousand li across and two hundred thousand li from the shore. The island is rich in mountains and rivers and bears many great trees, some measuring two thousand arm spans around. Nearly the whole island is covered in forest, which is why it is sometimes called Qingqiu. It abounds in immortal herbs and potent medicines, sweet liquids, and the essence of jade. There is also a Mount Feng, where thunderous roars sound from within. On the mountain stands the Purple Palace, a dwelling of immortals, where perfected celestial maidens—immortals who have attained the Dao while preserving their purity—often come to wander.

Yuanzhou lies in the Northern Sea. It is three thousand li across and one hundred thousand li from the shore. On the island is the Five-Mushroom Mysterious Ravine, whose water is like honey. Drinking it is said to bring long life, and taking the lingzhi mushrooms found there is said to make one immortal. Many immortal beings also dwell on the island.

Liuzhou lies in the middle of the Western Sea. It is three thousand li from end to end and one hundred thousand li from the shore. The island has many mountains and rivers, and is covered with piled stones called Kunwu stone. When mined, Kunwu stone can be smelted into iron and used to cast swords. Their blades shine so brightly that they illuminate everything around them. Sharp as crystal, they can cut jade as easily as mud. Many immortals also live on the island.

The island also has the Five Zhi Dark Ravine, whose water is as sweet as honey. Drinking from the ravine can grant everlasting life, and consuming its sacred mushrooms can also make one immortal. Many immortals live on the island.

Shengzhou lies between the Yin and Chou directions of the Eastern Sea, one hundred and seventy thousand li from Penglai. It is two thousand three hundred li across and two hundred and thirty thousand li from the shore. Tens of thousands of immortals live there. The energy of Heaven and Earth is calm and peaceful, and plants grow throughout the year, nourishing all living things. There is neither bitter cold nor intense heat. The island has many mountains and rivers, and sacred herbs grow there as well. It also has a kind of water that tastes as sweet as malt syrup and cheese. It is exceptionally fine water.

Fenglinzhou lies in the middle of the Western Sea and is one thousand five hundred li across. The island is surrounded on all sides by Weak Water, on which even a swan’s down cannot float, so people cannot cross it. Phoenixes and qilin are especially numerous on the island, often gathering in flocks and herds numbering in the tens of thousands. There are also mountains, rivers, ponds, marshes, and hundreds of kinds of divine herbs, as well as many immortals.

Boiling and refining a phoenix’s beak together with a qilin’s horn can produce a glue called “Bowstring-Joining Glue,” also known as “Metal-Connecting Paste.” It can mend the broken string of a bow or crossbow and bond metal that has snapped in two. Once joined, even if the piece is struck hard enough to break again, the break will occur somewhere else; the glued seam itself will never come apart.

Juku Island lies in the Western Sea, in the Shen and Wei directions. It stretches three thousand li in length and breadth, lies 106,000 li from Mount Kunlun, and is 240,000 li from the coast. Palaces and residences have been built there for perfected immortals and numinous officials, too numerous to count. The island is also home to lions, bixie, toothed beasts, celestial deer, and strange creatures with long tusks and copper heads and iron brows.

A great mountain stands on the island, shaped like a human and a bird, and is therefore called Human-Bird Mountain. Many large trees grow on the mountain. They resemble maples, and the fragrance from their branches and leaves can travel hundreds of li. They are called Resurrection Trees. When struck, the trees produce a sound of their own, like a herd of bellowing oxen; anyone who hears it is filled with dread and alarm. If the heartwood at the root is cut out, placed in a jade cauldron, and boiled to extract its liquid, then simmered over a low flame until it thickens like black syrup, it can be rolled into pills. This substance is called Frightening-Essence Incense, and is also known as Spirit-Shaking Pills, Root-Heart of Return, Incense of Rebirth, Altar-Shaking Incense, Human-Bird Essence, or Death-Repelling Incense. One substance thus has six names. It is a numinous marvel whose fragrance travels hundreds of li. The scripture says that corpses on the ground revive when they smell it, so there is no need to fumigate corpses with it to bring people back to life.

Canghai Island lies in the middle of the Northern Sea, stretches two thousand li in length and breadth, and is 200,000 li from the coast. The sea surrounds the island on all sides, extending five thousand li in every direction. Its waters are blue-green, which is why it is called Canghai, “Blue Sea.” The island is covered with great mountains piled high with stones. More than a hundred kinds of numinous substances grow there, including the Eight Stone Mushrooms, Stone Brains, Stone Cassia Blossoms, and Flowing Cinnabar Yellow Seeds. Taking these stone medicines can bring long life. In the island’s interior stands a palace built of purple stone, the seat of government of the Nine Elders’ Immortal Metropolis, where more than ten thousand immortal officials reside.

Fangzhang lies at the center of the Eastern Sea, equidistant from its eastern and western shores, and stretches three thousand li in length and breadth. It is a gathering place for dragons, with palaces of gold and jade. It is also the residence of the Three Heavenly Ministers of Destiny, deities who administer the registers of heavenly life. Among the assembled immortals, those who do not wish to ascend to Heaven receive the Great Mystery Life Registers (Taixuan Shenglu), talismanic registers that symbolize immortal status and longevity, on this island. The scripture ends this passage with the words “the number of the immortal household”; the text that follows is incomplete.

Fangzhang Islet lies at the center of the Eastern Sea, equidistant from its eastern and western shores, and extends for three thousand li. It is a gathering place for dragons, with palaces built of gold and jade. It is also where the Three Heavenly Scribes of Destiny—deities who govern the lifespans and registers of the heavenly realm—carry out their duties. The immortals who do not wish to ascend to Heaven all receive the Great Mystery Register of Life (Taixuan Shenglu), the Daoist register of immortals, here, and cultivate the immortal path. Tens of thousands of immortals live on the islet, farming and growing zhi herbs. They measure their harvest by the acre, just as people do when growing rice. There is also a jade spring, above which stands the Palace of the Elder of the Nine Sources. The Elder of the Nine Sources governs the water deities throughout the world, as well as dragons, jiao serpents, and yin beasts that dwell in water.

Fusang Islet lies off the eastern shore of the Eastern Sea. Travel straight east for ten thousand li from the coast, and you will reach another expanse of blue sea. Its waters are vast, comparable in size to all the seas known today. They are neither salty nor bitter, but blue, sweet, and fragrant. Fusang Islet stretches for ten thousand li in every direction and is governed by the Great Emperor, the Eastern King of Great Truth. Many trees grow there, all with leaves like those of the mulberry. There is also a kind of mulberry tree that can grow several thousand zhang tall, with trunks more than two thousand wei around. The trees grow in pairs from a shared root and support one another, so they are called “Fusang zhi.” When immortals eat their fruit, their bodies turn golden. Though the trees are enormous, their leaves and fruit are no different from those found in the Central Plains, except that they are especially sweet and fragrant. Gold and white jade lie on the ground there, along with tiles and stones shaped like immortals. Some are ten zhang tall; others are five or six chi.

Penglai Hill is Penglai Mountain. It lies opposite the northeastern shore of the great sea, and its circumference is three thousand li. A circular expanse of sea surrounds it. The water around the mountain is deep black and is called the Dark Sea, a profound and shadowy ocean. Even when there is no wind, waves a hundred zhang high rise there, making travel impossible. The mountain holds the palaces of the Elder of the Nine Qi and the True King of the Nine Heavens; only flying immortals can reach them.

Kunling is Mount Kunlun. It lies in the Shen-Wei direction on the shore of the Western Sea, more than four hundred thousand li from Xianyang. The mountain rises ten thousand li above the earth. Its summit is a thousand li across and shaped like an overturned urn, narrow at the base and broad at the top. The Palace of the True King of the Nine Heavens stands on the mountain, and only flying immortals can reach it.

Kunling is Kunlun Mountain, located by the shore of the Western Sea in the Shen-Wei direction, more than four hundred thousand li from Xianyang. It rises ten thousand li above the surrounding plains, and its summit stretches a thousand li across. Shaped like an overturned urn, narrow below and broad above, it takes its name, “Kunlun,” from this form.

The Weak Water, a legendary river that encircles immortal mountains and is difficult to cross, flows around the mountain. On its slopes stand five golden cities and twelve jade towers, along with the Gate of Flowing Essence, the Hall of Radiant Green, the Chamber of Jade Blossoms, and the Secret Rooms of Purple and Emerald. This is where the Queen Mother of the West, foremost among the female immortals in mythology, resides and rules. It is also a place revered by all the immortals.

Kunlun Mountain reaches upward to connect with the nine Qi of the Celestial Pivot, the primordial energies associated with the movements of the heavenly bodies, and spreads their breath among emperors. The Jade Balance, a celestial star or symbol of measurement, regulates the myriad things. The rare treasures that living beings look up to and seek also come from here, in numbers too great to record one by one.

The Most High (Taishang, a Daoist honorific for the supreme sacred presence) placed famous mountains in the five directions to guard the land’s geographic pattern. They were also called “Heavenly Pillars” and set at Mincheng, symbolizing the unseen forces that provide support from the side. The sources of many great rivers lie deep underground, where water spirits dwell. Such places are hidden and hard to reach, so the water spirits’ abodes have no fixed locations that can be discussed and mapped as one might with hills.

Thus, Heaven and Earth each have their own directions, and sages arrange things according to their forms and proper places. The sages of antiquity observed the directions and recorded the terrain in keeping with the contours of mountains and rivers: they placed the Mysterious Wind in the northwest, where it corresponds to the northwest’s numinous energy, and the Queen Mother of the West in the Kun direction, the southwest. Kunwu guarded the flowing marshes, while the Great Mulberry grew at the Green Ford. The Li Trigram, which symbolizes Fire and the south, gathers Heaven’s vital essence, and so the Luminous Beast was born in the scorching plains. The Kan Trigram, which symbolizes Water and the north, governs all Yin, and so the Immortal Capital was built on an island in the sea. The Gen Trigram, which symbolizes mountains and the northeast, guards the mountain region, with Peng Mountain lying between the Yin and Chou directions. The Xun Trigram, which symbolizes Wind and the southeast, corresponds to the Primordial Maiden, causing giant trees to grow on Long Isle. High winds stir where the dragons dwell, and numinous beings can travel freely to distant hills. These principles are exceedingly subtle and mysterious, too profound to fathom. Abodes where true immortals live in seclusion and the sites of numinous mountains are scattered throughout the four quarters of Heaven and Earth. How could they be limited to just a few places? What is described here is only a rough outline.

Shuo, the author, has limited knowledge and experience and cannot fully explain the words of the sages. I once heard a realized practitioner say that the Ten Isles and the great numinous heights are all hidden abodes of immortals and seats of divine government; the countless other mountains and rivers cannot compare with them. In the time of Emperor Yao, Yu was sent to control the floods. As he passed the Five Sacred Peaks, he had people carve the distances and elevations of each place into stone. The inscriptions used tadpole script, an ancient script named for the tadpole-like shape of its strokes, which people of the Han dynasty could no longer read. The measurements in zhang and chi and the distances in li that can be seen today were carved in Yu’s time. Markers were carved not only on the Five Sacred Peaks but also on other famous mountains, always at their highest points. I, Shuo, have personally seen the places where the inscriptions remain. Yu never reached the wondrous mountains and forests spoken of by the Queen Mother, so he left records only on the mountain stones of the Central Plain.

Lu Nüsheng was from Changle. As a young woman, she loved cultivating the Dao. At first she took hemp seeds; later, she practiced abstaining from grain and lived without grain for more than eighty years. Her appearance and body grew younger and stronger day by day, and her complexion was like a peach blossom. She could walk three hundred li in a day and, when running, could catch up with muntjacs and deer. It is said that when people saw her, she had already been living in the mountains for more than two hundred years.

Lu Nüsheng was a native of Changle who had loved the practice of the Dao since her youth. At first, she took medicinal foods such as sesame seeds; later, she abstained from grain—eating none of the five cereals—for more than eighty years. Her appearance grew younger with time, and her complexion became rosy like a peach blossom. She could walk three hundred li in a day, and when she ran, she could keep pace even with roe deer. People had seen her, and she lived for more than two hundred years.

Later, while gathering herbs on Mount Songgao, Lu Nüsheng suddenly saw someone seated beside a mountain stream. She bowed and paid her respects, asking for the essential teachings on attaining long life. The person said, “I am an attendant of the Supreme One of the Three Heavens. You were destined to attain the Dao and become an immortal, which is why you are able to see me. I will teach you precious secret texts and essential methods, enabling you to command the Five Sacred Peaks and direct the spirits.” After a long while, the person gave her the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, a Daoist secret diagram depicting the mountains’ forms and information about the spirit realm, and explained how to use it and the proper limits of its use.

Having accomplished her Daoist practice, Lu Nüsheng departed one day riding a dragon. She said farewell to acquaintances, telling them she was going to enter Mount Hua. Fifty years after she left, people who had known her encountered her before the temple on Mount Hua. She was riding a white deer, with thirty Jade Maidens following at her side. She asked them to convey her greetings to her family, friends, and old acquaintances back home, giving them precise instructions. Her appearance then was even younger than before. Another fifty years later, those same acquaintances encountered her again before the temple on Mount Hua. She was still riding the white deer, with thirty Jade Maidens following her, and again asked them to send her greetings to her family and friends in her home region. Her face had grown younger still.

The Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks and the instructions of the Queen Mother of the West are the same as those now circulating in the world. They were first obtained by two people, Dong Zhongshu and Lu Nüsheng. Before Dong Zhongshu departed, he passed the diagram to Le Ba; Lu Nüsheng later passed it to Feng Junda. Around the time of the Jin and Wei dynasties, Feng Junda entered Mount Xuanqiu and, before setting out, passed the diagram to Zheng.

The disciple Ge Hong said: “The highest Dao has no concrete form, and its subtle workings are difficult to put into words. The affairs of immortals are indeed not something ordinary people can readily investigate. Yet because people cannot see the way into them, they all think they do not exist. Even when they witness genuine signs, they often refuse to tell others. Thus purity and turbidity each follow their own course, while fragrance and stench remain entirely distinct.”

Ge Hong says: “The Great Dao has no form. Its mysteries are profound and far-reaching, beyond what words can express. Matters concerning the immortals truly lie beyond the reach of ordinary people. People see no path into the Dao and conclude that it does not exist. Even when they witness its real effects with their own eyes, they are unwilling to tell anyone else. Thus, in this world, the pure and the turbid stand apart, like fragrance and stench. If Daoist practitioners who obtain sacred, secret books pass them on to just one person each, then the numinous and perfected scriptures will remain in the hands of a few. How could they be transmitted for a hundred generations? I believe that as long as one confirms that a recipient is suitable, there is no need to shut everyone out and refuse to pass the teachings on.”

“This book has never been found in the Jiangdong region. If Lord Zheng continues to keep it secret and refuses to pass it on, this text will be lost forever. I once said this to Lord Zheng. He replied: ‘Some teachings in Daoist books can sometimes be heard or seen by those who practice diligently and earnestly aspire to them, such as the great celestial script of the Three Sovereigns and the wondrous numinous writings. The Illustrations of the Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks are also included at the head of the Daoist books, yet the people of Wu and Yue have never received them. Has this scripture remained untransmitted because it is precious and not given lightly? I do not know whether you, sir, possess it. If you would let a pearl like a fish’s eye be illuminated by the light of the Nine Suns, and allow mud and broken tiles, for a moment, to behold the fine jade in the Nanhé jade shop, then I could glimpse the Way of Heaven’s Perfection, and my resolve would grow all the firmer.’”

Lord Zheng answered: “I believe I have this book. The prohibitions surrounding its transmission are strict; it must not be disclosed casually. Passing it to someone unsuitable will surely bring punishment. Though ordinary Daoist practitioners may aspire to purity and integrity, their conduct is often less than impeccable. Imperfect conduct leads to misgivings, and misgivings invite disaster. Why rush to give someone a book that may bring calamity, and thereby bring the punishments of the knife and saw upon yourself? This is why those who obtained it before dared not pass it on lightly, and the lineage eventually came to an end. Your sincerity is such that you will surely grasp the mysteries and understand what is hidden, so I will tell you. For now, do not spread it abroad. I received this book from Master Qingniu, and to this day I have not passed it on to anyone. According to the rules of the immortals, one must transmit it to a single person before leaving the world and withdrawing from sight. The troubles of this world never cease. I will depart, and when I do, I will give this book to you.”

About a year later, one night in the seventh month, Lord Zheng summoned Ge Hong and said: “I am about to leave. Prepare white silk so that you can make a copy of the diagram.” Ge Hong then observed purification, prepared an elaborate offering, and received the transmission. The procedures and rites for using this diagram as they are known today were all passed down by Lord Zheng.

Lord Zheng said that Master Qingniu was the immortal Feng Junda. He was originally from Longxi. At first, he took Huanglian for more than fifty years. Later, he entered Niaoshu Mountain, where he refined and ingested mercury for more than a hundred years. When he returned to his home region, he still looked about thirty years old. He often rode a blue ox, so people called him the “Blue Ox Daoist.” When he traveled and came across someone gravely ill, he would give them medicine from the bamboo tube at his waist, whether he knew them or not. Sometimes he used acupuncture, and often a single needle brought results. Many people witnessed his cures with their own eyes, yet they did not know his surname or given name. They recognized only the blue ox he rode and called him by that. He lived among people for another two hundred years, then entered Mount Xuanqiu and was never heard from again.

Master Blue Ox said: If the Five Marchmounts’ True Forms Diagram, a Daoist sacred image depicting the shapes of the Five Marchmounts, is enshrined in a home, each mountain will send five deities to protect the scriptures and books. The spirits of the mountains and rivers near the dwelling will also often send attendants to guard the person who carries the diagram, keeping the household safe. Anyone with evil intentions who tries to cause harm will ultimately bring misfortune upon themselves.

The diagram can ward off warfare and plague; with it on one’s person, one can even walk across blades. It also watches for people’s treachery and impurity, exposing their improper conduct. Improper conduct brings calamity upon oneself; treachery and impurity bring calamity upon one’s household. People should therefore be especially vigilant and cautious.

When someone carries the diagram, or holds it while entering the mountains and forests, the mountain’s spirit officials and mountain deities throughout the region will come out to greet them with bows. As a revered token, the diagram is treated with humble courtesy even by ghosts and spirits. How much more, then, should ordinary people refrain from neglecting or slighting it?

Master Zheng said: This diagram should be worshipped at home once each year. Doing so can bring prosperity and abundance to the household, smooth advancement for those in office, success and harmony in travel and undertakings, distance from misfortune, fulfillment of one’s wishes, and a long life. Those who live alone in the mountains and forests may dispense with the offering. The mountains are secluded and quiet, the practitioner’s mind is free of improper thoughts, and there are no food or drink offerings available; maintaining reverence is enough.

Household life is complicated. The activity of women, chickens, dogs, and others may bring dust and impurity into the dwelling; careless speech may also lead to irreverence. At times, defiling the spirits’ Qi or giving birth inside the house may compromise its purity. One should therefore observe purification and make offerings to the sacred image to dispel calamity and illness. On the day of the monthly calendrical division, determined by the Twelve Earthly Branches, one should observe purification for three days. At that time, one must also go out at midnight into the courtyard, or into a secluded room, face west, and make sure no one else knows.

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor traveled throughout the four quarters of Heaven and Earth, and later visited the spirits. He saw that the Eastern, Central, Western, and Northern Peaks each had attendant mountains, while the Southern Peak, Mount Heng, stood alone without any attendant. He therefore joined Changyu, Limu, Fangming, and others in setting up an altar and making offerings to the Three Heavens Most High (the supreme deities of the celestial realm). They appointed Mount Huo and Mount Qian as heirs to the Southern Peak—that is, as deputy rulers of Mount Heng. They honored Mount Qingcheng as an elder and appointed Mount Lu as an envoy, charging them to assist Mount Heng, guard the south, and recommend virtuous, numinous beings to serve as its rulers. People in the Wu-Yue region sometimes regard Mount Huo as the Southern Peak, but this is not the orthodox account.

Offering Text for Transmitting the Chart (as transmitted by Master Zheng)

I was born a mortal, of flesh and blood, into an official family. I once gave myself over to noisy, corrupt customs and was burdened by the muddied affairs of the world. Fortunately, the time was favorable and I had the good fortune to follow the Great Dao, cleanse myself of impure customs, and gain the chance to begin anew. From then on, I cultivated my nature, took care not to violate the Daoist precepts, and looked up to the immortals and perfected ones. I applied myself day and night and did not dare to slacken.

On a certain day and month in a certain year, under a particular cyclical sign, I received the Chart of True Forms—a diagram depicting the contours of famous mountains and their spirits—from my former masters, A and B. In accordance with the Nine Capitals, Thousand Brightness Precepts governing the transmission of the Chart of True Forms, I was authorized to pass it on. According to the Daoist rules, it should be entrusted to someone of reliable character who is careful to keep its contents secret. Now there is a Daoist who shares my aspirations, a native of a certain county and township, named A, of a certain age. He is prudent and diligent, and will surely spread the wondrous teachings and reveal the Qi of the true spirits. In a certain month of this year, we now seal the pledge with blood and solemnly transmit the true chart to him, using silk as a token of our covenant and strictly forbidding its disclosure to others. May Heaven bear witness and protect us as we stand united in purpose; may we always cherish one another. We must not abandon the roots in pursuit of the branches, nor use this to show off or seek profit and honor. The pledge concerning “five and eight,” and the corresponding blessings and calamities, must be weighed against one’s own circumstances and carefully considered in judging the recipient before deciding how to assume its obligations. I now respectfully make this offering through a purification ritual and deliver the true chart, humbly requesting that this matter be reported to the Three Heavens.

Offering Text for Receiving the Chart (as transmitted by Master Zheng)

I am a mortal born of the womb, with a fleshly body, and a descendant destined to return to dry bones. I was born into a troubled, impure world and stained by karmic offenses and trials. Through the faults accumulated by my past conduct, I brought upon myself grave calamities. Fortunately, Heaven awakened my inner heart, allowing me to hear the teachings of the sages. My mind became clear; I changed my ways and began anew, cherishing life and delighting in the pursuit of the Dao. I revere the responses of the divine and hope to obtain a true answer. May I receive the grace of having my impurities cleansed and my offenses washed away, so that my life may be prolonged. I often abandon evil deeds and strive to do good, hoping to become a seed of the Dao and to accumulate merit in pursuit of longevity. Yet all this still depends on Heaven’s revelation.

In crossing mountains and rivers, I also rely on the aid of the divine. I devote myself wholeheartedly to the Daoist tradition and dare not harbor divided intentions. I respectfully offer local products as an expression of my sincerity. Today, on this very day, I receive the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, keep it close at hand, and uphold it throughout my life. This diagram must be transmitted within five generations and must never be disclosed to outsiders. It is to be passed only to those close and trustworthy. Those who share the Dao should cherish one another and cast aside thoughts of fame, profit, honor, and disgrace. This matter is protected by Heaven’s ordained precepts; I dare not neglect them, grow lax, or violate the prohibitions. I faithfully follow the ritual instructions and keep them firmly in my heart.

Now, with reverent purification and abstinence, I perform this offering rite as the beginning of my observance. May this matter ascend to the Three Heavens, and may the memorial be presented to the Most High, the honored deity of Daoism. May the Three Corpses—spirits believed to reside in the human body and obstruct cultivation—be removed from [name], whose name is to be entered in the Register of the Living, engraved on a jade tablet, and sealed away in the Vermilion Palace, the celestial archive. May each of the Five Sacred Peaks dispatch five divine beings, and may the thousands of mountains and rivers send their attendant officials in due season to guard the diagram and its text, protect [name’s] body, and grant unending life and a lifespan of ten million years.

The Bao family’s method for wearing and using it.

According to the Inner Writ of the Five Caskets of the Yellow Emperor’s Bellows and Key, this book was compiled by the Great One of the Three Heavens. I once heard the elders say that this kind of image was painted throughout the chambers of the Purple Orchid Palace of the Queen Mother of the West. The jade maidens and immortals in the palace also wore garments decorated with it.

In the past, the Great One sent the Central Yellow Great One down to the human realm carrying this image, to pass it on to those who lived in seclusion in famous mountains and whose names were entered in the registers of immortals. At the transmission, the recipient had to make a covenant according to the image, and the image was passed on only once every fifty-eight years. Those without the proper destiny and opportunity could not see the book. The story of the woman Lu receiving this image in the mountains is a similar case.

The immortals say: When a Daoist wears this image and enters mountains, forests, rivers, and marshes, the numinous spirits along the way will come out to greet them. Each of the Five Sacred Peaks governs its own domain: the mountains in the east are governed by the Eastern Peak, while the Western, Southern, and Northern Peaks each govern the mountains in their respective directions. The rivers and the Huai River on the plains, along with the central mountain ranges, all fall under the governance of the Central Peak.

To gather the divine substances found in the mountains—such as the Eight Minerals, stone brain, flowing cinnabar, flowing pearls, flying joints, yellow essence, stone marrow, cassia blossoms, and medicinal mushrooms—one cannot obtain these immortal treasures without wearing the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks. The image may be made on blue or white silk, placed in a purple pouch, and worn on the head, over the chest, or behind the elbow. Mountains of every size have numinous spirits dwelling in them. When these spirits appear to offer their greeting, they identify themselves as coming from a particular place on a particular mountain, then bow to the wearer of the image. These spirits are dispatched by the Great One’s Perfected Ones, carry written warrants, and are charged with guarding this image.

People today respect the documents and credentials carried by inspecting officials. When the spirits of the mountains come to pay their respects, they likewise present their credentials to confirm their identity. The transmission of this image is governed by a rule: it is passed on once every forty years, with an oath sworn over blood and a covenant formally established.

Anyone who keeps this text in their home will be protected by five spirits sent by the Lords of the Five Sacred Peaks: Mount Tai in the east, Mount Heng in the south, Mount Hua in the west, Mount Heng in the north, and Mount Song in the center. The spirits of nearby mountains and rivers, springs, lakes, and marshes will also send attendants to protect you.

If someone hates or envies you and secretly plots against you, slanders or harms you with malicious words, or brings you before the authorities for punishment, the twenty-five spirits sent by the Five Sacred Peaks and the attendant officials of the mountains and rivers will report the matter to the Lord of the Peak who governs that place. The Lord will then order ghosts and spirits to harm the person in turn, making them suffer the consequences of their own actions.

Those who uphold this text must conduct themselves with integrity and keep their minds and spirits pure. If they behave in a disorderly or disrespectful way, fail to honor the text they have received, dismiss its efficacy, or show contempt for their clan elders, they will invite calamity—even the ruin of their household and the loss of their lives. They must therefore be scrupulous.

Without the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, the spirits of the mountains will harass anyone who enters them; those gathering medicinal herbs will be obscured and obstructed by the spirits; and those cultivating the Dao will be unable to calm their hun and qi, while the Three Corpses—the spirits said to dwell in the human body, stir desires, and hinder cultivation—will disturb them. Without this text, practitioners of occult arts will find it difficult to accomplish their techniques.

Simply carrying this text on your person is enough to command and move among the many spirits, traveling freely between Heaven and Earth. At home, divine beings and spirits will protect you; when you enter the mountains, the assembled spirits will welcome you. When gathering herbs or consuming medicinal fungi, perfected immortals will protect you. When plague or disaster strikes, calamity will disperse. In this way, what comes from the unseen will yield tangible results, and genuine signs will reveal fortune and misfortune. Those who possess the Dao should keep this text hidden and honor it.

According to tradition, in the first year of the Yuanfeng era of Emperor Wu of Han, the Queen Mother of the West gave this text to the Filial and Martial Emperor.

It is said that the Supreme Great Perfected Immortal gave this text to the immortal Chang Le Lu Nüsheng.

The Preface to the Diagram of the Five Sacred Peaks is said to have been transmitted by Dongfang Shuo.

The Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks depicts the shapes of mountains and rivers. It should be kept hidden and honored.

In the first year of the Yuanfeng era of Emperor Wu of Han, the Queen Mother of the West gave this text to the Filial and Martial Emperor.

The Supreme Great Perfected Immortal gave this text to the immortal Chang Le Lu Nüsheng.

The Preface to the Diagram of the Five Sacred Peaks is said to have been transmitted by Dongfang Shuo.

The True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks depicts the shapes of the mountains and rivers of the Five Sacred Peaks. The mountain ranges rise and fall, winding around one another; their slopes and ridges vary in height, and their forms stretch out or curl back, like flowing water or strokes made by a brush. The sharp edges of the peaks resemble the brush tip extending outward. Mists and forests among the mountains take on mysterious hues, as though forming the shapes of written characters.

Thus the Heavenly Perfect Dao Lord, a divine perfected being revered in Daoism, surveyed the patterns of mountains and rivers from above. Following the direction and shape of the terrain, he likened them to written forms and named the mountains accordingly. Possessing the True Form of the Eastern Peak is said to calm the spirit, prolong life, and preserve one’s person for a long time; when entering mountains or crossing rivers, various lingzhi fungi will gather of their own accord. Possessing the True Form of the Southern Peak is said to ward off the Five Plagues and avoid fires. If someone plots against you, the harm will turn back upon that person. Possessing the True Form of the Central Peak is said to make all requests auspicious: one may gain great wealth and have every wish fulfilled without laboring or traveling about. Possessing the True Form of the Western Peak is said to ward off weapons; even if one enters among blades, one will remain unharmed, and one can honor and welcome the spirits of mountains and rivers. Possessing the True Form of the Northern Peak is said to let one enter water and escape disaster, disperse all poisons, command dragons, and enjoy good fortune and emoluments for a long time. Those who possess the True Forms of all Five Sacred Peaks are said to be able to roam freely through Heaven and Earth and range across all four directions. Everyone who sees them will rejoice, and both humans and spirits will be in accord with them.

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor summoned the armies of the feudal lords and fought Chiyou in the wilds of Zhuolu, where he captured him. The lords together honored the Yellow Emperor as Son of Heaven. He succeeded the Shennong clan and became emperor. When people throughout the realm refused to submit, the Yellow Emperor led armies against them, cutting paths through mountains and campaigning in every direction, with no settled home. He traveled east to the seacoast and climbed Mount Tai, also called Dai Zong; west to Kongtong, where he climbed Mount Jitou; and south to the region of the Yangtze, where he climbed Mount Xiong and Mount Xiang. Pursuing the Chanyou northward, he reached Mount Jinfu and Fushan, and eventually established a settlement at the foot of Mount Zhuolu. The Yellow Emperor moved from place to place, with no fixed residence.

He surveyed the mountains of the four directions and found that each had a supporting mountain that assisted its destiny, while the Southern Peak alone stood without one. He therefore performed a zhang offering to the Three-Heavens Most High Dao Lord, a celestial divinity revered in Daoism, praying that Mount Huo and Mount Qian be appointed as the Southern Peak’s reserve rulers. His petition was approved. The Yellow Emperor then went to these mountains himself, drew their forms by hand, and added them after the images of the Five Sacred Peaks. He also appointed Mount Qingcheng as an elder and invested Mount Lu as an envoy. From then on, the images of the mountains were joined together in sequence. This practice, it is said, began in the time of the Yellow Emperor.

The Lord of the Eastern Peak, Mount Tai, commands 5,900 spirits and governs life and death. He is the leader of the ghosts and the mountain deity to whom people offer sacrifices. The ghosts and spirits worshipped among the people, the spirits of wicked essences, and all the dead must go to Mount Tai, where they are examined and punished.

Anyone who wears a Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks—a talismanic chart depicting the peaks and used for protection and safe passage—and enters the forests or travels to Mount Tai will be greeted at the borders by the Lord of Mount Tai and the many spirits of mountains and rivers throughout the region, who will bow to them. The Lord of Mount Tai wears a blue-green robe and a seven-tiered crown of dark blue-green, bears the Seal of Penetrating Yang and Great Beginning, and arrives riding a blue-green dragon, with his assembled officials following behind to welcome them.

The Lord of the Southern Peak, Mount Heng, commands 70,700 Immortal Officials. When someone enters the mountains under the Southern Peak’s jurisdiction, the spirits of its mountains and rivers all come out to greet them. The Lord of the Southern Peak wears a brilliant vermilion robe, a crown of the Nine Elixirs and Solar Essence, bears the Seal of Nocturnal Radiance and Heavenly Truth, and arrives riding a red dragon, with his assembled officials following behind to welcome them.

The Lord of the Central Peak, Mount Song, commands 30,000 Immortal Officials and Jade Maidens. When someone enters the mountains, the numinous spirits under Mount Song’s jurisdiction all come to greet them. The Lord of the Central Peak wears a yellow silk robe and a crown of Yellow Jade and the Great One, bears the Seal of the Divine Ancestor and Harmonious Yang, and arrives riding a yellow dragon, with his assembled officials following behind to welcome them. The Central Peak holds the chief position overseeing the deities of the lands in the five directions and must be treated with reverence. The Most High often appoints virtuous and eminent Perfected Ones of the Three Heavens to serve as lords of the Central Peak.

The Lord of the Western Peak, Mount Hua, commands 4,100 Immortals and Jade Maidens. When Daoists enter the mountains and rivers under Mount Hua’s jurisdiction, the spirits there all come to greet them. The Lord of Mount Hua wears a white silk robe and a crown of the Nine Streams of the Great Beginning, bears the Seal of Opening Heaven and Communicating with Truth, and arrives riding a white dragon, with his assembled officials following behind to welcome them.

The Lord of Northern Mount Heng commands seven thousand immortals and Jade Maidens. When cultivators enter the mountains and rivers under his jurisdiction, the local mountain and river deities all come to welcome them. The Lord of Northern Mount Heng wears a dark robe, a Crown of Supreme Mystery and Netherworld Spirit, and the Seal of Long Ford and Realized Truth. He rides a black dragon to greet the cultivators.

The Elder of Qingcheng was appointed by the Yellow Emperor. He oversees the earthly immortals, ranks above the deities of the Five Marchmounts, and commands immortal officials in every direction. He has ten thousand immortal officials under his command. When Daoist practitioners enter Mount Qingcheng, the Elder comes to welcome them, wearing a bright vermilion robe, a Canopy-Heaven Crown, and the Seal of the Three Courts. He rides a ritual carriage, surrounded by a host of deities.

The Envoy of Mount Lu was appointed by the Yellow Emperor. His rank is equivalent to that of an imperial censor, and he oversees and commands the immortal officials, serving as inspector of the Five Marchmounts. When Daoist practitioners enter Mount Lu, the Envoy comes to welcome them, wearing a vermilion robe, a Crown of Level Splendor, and the Seal of the Three Heavens’ True Form. He rides a ritual carriage and brings a host of deities with him.

The Heir Lord of Mount Huo, the Southern Marchmount, was appointed by the Yellow Emperor as deputy ruler of Mount Heng. He commands thirty thousand deities. Above, he harmonizes the Qi of Heaven and Earth; below, he aids the people. He inspects and verifies the immortals, and restrains and dispatches the water deities. He oversees strict examinations and is therefore obeyed by deities in every direction. When Daoist practitioners enter his domain, the Heir Lord comes to welcome them, wearing a blue brocade robe, a Crown of Awakening Brightness, and bearing the Jade Register of the Dao Lord. At times he rides a ritual carriage; at others, he rides dragons and tigers.

The Heir Lord of Mount Qian was appointed by the Yellow Emperor as deputy to the Heir Lord of Mount Heng. He regularly takes part in official affairs, serving in a role like that of an assistant. When Daoist practitioners enter Mount Qian, the Lord of Qian comes to welcome them, wearing a robe embroidered in radiant purple, a Crown of Participating with the Spirits, and the Seal of the Vermilion Office. He rides in a carriage drawn by a red chi dragon.

The Lords of the Mountains Who Assist the Mandate together support the Lords of the Five Marchmounts and take part in the affairs of the sacred mountain realm. When Daoist practitioners enter the mountains under their jurisdiction, these lords come to welcome them, wearing vermilion robes, Immortal Splendor Crowns, and bearing the Insignia of the Most High’s True Form. The carriages they ride vary.

Dongfang Shuo said: The contents listed at the beginning of the ancient Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, a Daoist diagram depicting the shapes of the Five Sacred Peaks, are said to be writings passed down from Shennong’s previous life. They are known as “the calligraphic script of the Great High One’s Eight Assemblies, in which the myriad directions fly through the heavens,” an ancient celestial script in Daoist legend. They were probably an early form of bird-track writing. Without an immortal to explain and reveal their meaning, they can never truly be understood.

If a Daoist wishes to wear this diagram when entering the mountains, or use it as a representation of their forms, they may copy out the ancient text, inscribe these words on the outside of the scroll, and then store the scripture together with the talismans and registers. The copying should be done in the first month of the year, the month of Jianyin, after seven days of purification. Once the text has been copied during the purification period, the practitioner should perform a Zhaijiao rite according to the ceremony of transmission: establish an altar, make offerings, and petition the deities. The petitions and prayers used in the rite, however, may vary from person to person according to the meaning explained by the transmitter. Whenever copying a scripture, incense must be burned beside it.