《上清后圣道君列纪》

The Shangqing Housqing Daojun Lieji (Annals of the Latter Sage Dao Lord of Highest Clarity) records the deeds of the Latter Sage Dao Lord. The scripture states that Jinque Housheng Dijun (the Latter Sage Emperor Lord of the Golden Towers) Li Hongyuan once cultivated the Dao (the Way) in the secluded depths of Mount Peng and used marvelous numinous methods to convert and deliver the people of the world. The compiler of this scripture is unknown; it was probably composed in the late Eastern Jin period. The original number of juan can no longer be determined; one juan is extant.

This content was transmitted by Fangzhu Donggong Qingtongjun (the Azure Lad of the Eastern Palace of Fangzhu) to his disciple Wang Yuanyou. Fangzhu, Donggong, and Qingtongjun are all specialized names within the Shangqing Daoist tradition; they indicate here the source of the transmission described in the scripture.

The Latter Sage Emperor-Lord of the Golden Tower of Highest Clarity (Shangqing Jinque Housheng Dijun), Li Zhuhongyuan, also had another name, Xuanshui, with courtesy names Ziguang and Shanyuan. He was a descendant of the Earth Sovereign (Dihuang) and lived in the age of the Mysterious Emperor (Xuandi). In the third month of the bingzi year, the seventh year of Shanghe, he was born into the Li family at the foot of Tiangang Mountain in the northern kingdom. His mother first dreamed of mysterious clouds intertwining with the sun and moon about her body, and thereafter conceived; when he was bathed, a host of dragons sprayed water into the basin.

From the age of five he loved the arts of the Dao (the Way) and yearned toward the Perfected (zhenren); when he spoke, his words often had the cadence of recited verse. He would gaze up at the sun and laugh with joy, face the moon to chant and sigh, observe the brightness and flourishing of yang qi (vital energy), and also watch the receding of yin qi. Thereupon he gathered in his hun and po souls, guarded his primordial Shen (spirit), nourished jing (essence) and qi, solidified sinews and bones, and learned to swallow sunlight, drink the qi of clouds and rosy mists, and chew the immortal medicine called Flying Root.

At twenty, outstanding in appearance, he left his family, withdrew far from the dusty world, observed prolonged purification fasting (zhai) in a quiet chamber, and wandered among famous mountains. Alone he held to the secret methods of the Spirit Terrace, realizing the profound principle of according with transformation; he comprehended the transformations of the Three Qi, bringing heart-mind and Shen into accord with the mysterious pivot. His aspirations were lofty, his intentions subtle, his expression clear and bright, and the principles he awakened to were deep, far-reaching, and still. He placed his heart beyond the clouds of the empyrean, returned his hun soul to the Crimson Court, restrained his po-spirit so that it abided together with the qi of Azure Mystery, and cultivated primordial qi in the Chamber of Cinnabar and Plain. Thus his spirit and will suffered no depletion, his numinous qi was not scattered, inner cultivation became full and complete, and outer entanglements gradually receded. He avoided the company of worldly immortals and instead sought out the Higher Perfected of the Purple Lodges.

His utmost sincerity moved the Great Void, and his heart-spirit communicated with the divine luminaries. The Celestial Emperor then sent down instruction, emitted radiance to summon him, and bestowed upon him the Great Chapter of Yu Yi and the Perfect Scripture of the Great Cavern, together with the Flying Canopy of Qu Chen, the Jade Essence of Winding Waters, Plain Feathers, Mysterious Pinions, and other objects, to assist his ascent into the immortal realms of the eight directions. After receiving the celestial mandate he withdrew to fast and cultivate. He recited and studied the scriptures (jing) again and again, striving after the Dao without wearying; at times he immersed himself in profound and mysterious meanings, concentrating Shen to comprehend them, forgetting outer things, and tracing matters back to their root. Later he could independently realize the scriptures and chant mysterious principles; his heart-spirit transcended the mundane, abiding in a distant and quiet realm, attaining a contemplative state in which stray thoughts ceased and outer things were forgotten.

As his cultivation deepened, petty entanglements were progressively eliminated. He could dwell among the multitude, cutting off obstruction and resolving doubt; the mysterious principles he penetrated were deep, vast, and boundless. People continually drew from him teachings of purity and stillness, yet still found it hard to fathom the source of his Way. Inwardly he was open to emptiness and stillness, his numinous nature clear and bright, able to illuminate himself.

The Jade Clarity Lord, Celestial Emperor of the Higher Perfected of Purple Tenuity, then dispatched the Eight-Scenery Jasper Carriage to receive him, causing him to ascend the Palace of Highest Clarity. He bestowed the Pistil-Steel Elixir, the Jade Phoenix Seal, and the Jade Radiance of Golden Perfection, and further gave him the Divine Tiger Talisman (a form of fulu) and feathers for flight, a vermilion brocade dragon skirt, an azure cape with tiger sash, a solar emblem of luminous mist at the waist, and a Divine Crown of Perfect Countenance, conferring upon him the title of Latter Sage Emperor-Lord of the Golden Tower of Highest Clarity.

The Latter Sage Emperor-Lord ascended to dwell in Highest Clarity, journeyed in the middle through the Palace of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), and looked down upon the Ten Heavens, governing the people and overseeing the root-source of the various heavens, rivers and seas, immortals and spirits, and the great earth. In secret he inspected the inner foundations of the deep Grotto-Heavens; he regulated mysterious qi, dispersed cloud-qi, and unblocked the fluids. He toured the realm of Lesser Existence, drove to Turtle Mountain, penetrated the nether gloom and discerned hidden matters; even the finest details were within his grasp.

If one were to depict the scene of the Sage-Lord’s going forth, one would see wheels of jasper and jade, splendid carriages drawn by azure teams and mysterious dragons. Streamers of Three-Plain flowing rosy clouds encircled him; lunar essence gave forth fragrance; the music of flying heavens echoed around the sun; lightning-like radiance flashed. Racing serpents struck swords, long tusks sounded bells; splendor intermingled, the brilliance of sun, moon, and stars merging into one. At the front of the carriage a cry arose and nine phoenixes sang together; at the rear there was music, and eight simurghs joined in chorus. Divine tigers roared toward heaven, flying dragons bowed and called; the Heavenly Equalizer sounded the music of the cortege, and a hundred kinds of music filled the empty courtyard. Numinous consorts recited hymns of praise, immortal guests opened the way; divine maidens waved purple smoke, causing the breath to circulate; jade lads conveyed sunlight, dispersing darkness. In the cloud arrays long songs never ceased, day and night without distinction. At this time celestial light was deep and far-reaching, radiance illuminating the eight directions: this was the magnificent spectacle of Taiji, and also the majestic deportment of the Emperor-Lord of Highest Clarity.

The Sage-Lord is honored with the title “Highest Clarity” because his spirit is lofty, far-reaching, empty, and still. He journeys in the middle through Taiji because he governs the host of Perfected and receives flying immortals. He rules the Ten Heavens because he received the mandate to govern the people. He inspects the Grotto-Heavens in secret because there is no place that does not fall under his charge.

The two qi of Yin-Yang have their separation and union; the governance of the ten thousand things each has its seasonal order. The Three Ways have their waxing and waning; manifestation or withdrawal changes according to the turning of destiny. When the moment arrives, one responds in accordance with the tendency; when the cycle of fortune comes, one goes forth to enact and to govern.

The scripture then describes future calamities using a set of reign titles and sexagenary dates that are difficult to verify with certainty. It says that after the year of Tangcheng, through forty-six dinghai years, the world’s rise and decline would alternate; it also mentions the jiashen year and the periods around it, when the good will be protected and the violent will be purged. Pestilence and flood come from above, warfare and fire arise from below, and the wicked perish one after another. Those who turn toward the Dao and the good withdraw to dwell in mountain forests. The turbid and disordered age rushes on like a flood; in the end people are distinguished and settled. On the sixth day of the third month of the renchen year, the Sage-Lord will descend to the human world and shine upon the people.

At that time the Sage-Lord will set out from the western mountains of Qingcheng, pass through Longnan and Yunbei, inspect the regions beyond the Dragon Candles, tour westward to the Pass of the Nine Streams, eastward to Fulin at morning’s fall, and look south toward Vermilion Mountain among the clouds. He will ride the Three-Plain Flying Carriage, attended by a tiger palanquin and ten thousand dragons; celestial light will shine universally, and the divine luminaries will illuminate sun, moon, and stars. He will annihilate the wicked and protect the charitable amid disasters of water and fire; he will instruct the newly entered seed-people of the Dao, making them immortal envoys; those who have already attained the Dao will become immortal officials.

If someone is able, in the Upper Prime, to cultivate with care the method of the Cavern Chamber, diligently practice the Nine Perfected, cultivate according to the Hidden Writings of the Seven Numina, and sincerely study the method of the Eight Plains, then they may pass through the Three Disasters unharmed, and may also hope to witness in person the new age of Great Peace and be granted writings of immortal office, becoming a long-lived divine Perfected. These mysterious scriptures and efficacious methods, however, are stored within the Golden Tower of the Palace of Highest Clarity; few people ever even see the titles of the chapters. The divine Perfected transmit the teachings downward; within seven hundred years they are transmitted only three times. Those who receive the transmission are not necessarily all worthy and enlightened persons, but so long as they cultivate with single-minded concentration, all may hope to fly and ascend as immortals. Nevertheless, one usually must also possess the immortal bones recorded in the Mysterious Registers, and have one’s immortal name registered at Fangzhu, in order to be qualified to receive these scriptural methods. Without such endowment, one will in the end find it hard to encounter this text. Even if one happens to see it, it is only because it is transmitted in accordance with the time, and the entrustment has its karmic cause, that it comes into that person’s hands.

To possess only the scripture without practicing in accordance with it—the teachings in the unseen will not thereby take effect. Those who study immortality should travel widely among famous mountains, kneel and pray to the celestial numina, and seek out these secret methods, hoping to obtain the precious transmission and gradually enter the ranks of immortal officials.

Thereafter the Sage-Lord will further examine each person’s talents and cultivation, selecting those who are suitable to hold offices in the immortal realm: some will be ranked as Immortal Earls, some enfeoffed as feudal lords, assisting the Sage-Lord in instructing the people, regulating primordial qi, and carrying out government of De (Virtue/Power); some will govern a region, some be entrusted with ruling a kingdom. Those who can employ the Yu Yi method to summon the sun, employ the Jie Lin method to gather lunar essence, recite and study the upper scripture of the Great Cavern and the Writings of Seven Transformations, cultivate according to the True Writings of the Golden Tower, and wear the Great Divine Tiger Talisman; who can further practice the method of the Eight Ways to constrain and gather spirits, open the Purple Writings to startle the floating qi, recite the Golden Root to seek long preservation, set up the method of the Nine Reds to seal and suppress hills, use Qu Su to summon ghosts, employ the Purple Measure method to illuminate the Primordial Beginning, drink the qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to call the hun and po souls, and continually draw upon the essence of langgan; who pass through harsh trials still without doubt or fear, and dwelling amid weapons and fire feel no anxiety—all such persons may serve as Immortal Dukes of the Left and Right, Grand Masters of the Left and Right, or become ministers and chancellors to the Immortal Marquises of the Upper Kingdoms.

The Sage-Lord rides forth in a tiger palanquin leading ten thousand dragons in order to inspect the host of immortals and confer corresponding offices according to their talents. Although he governs the people and looks down upon all living beings, in ordinary times he still dwells at ease in the Golden Tower and the palaces and lodges of Highest Clarity, rests peacefully in the Great Void, wanders the Five Cities, illuminates and inspects the ten directions, and brings Great Peace to all under heaven.

Those able to witness the age of Great Peace may be people who harbor compassion and firmly keep to good conduct; they may be practitioners who believe in the immortals and spirits and are suited to receive instruction; they may also be those who have received writings from numinous persons, who guard jing and nourish the embryo, or those who have already attained the Dao and become immortals, cultivating with utmost sincerity. Some have their names recorded in the Mysterious Tablets and Immortal Registers; their ancestors for seven generations possessed virtue, and the blessings extend to descendants, enabling them in the future to become immortals. Some are born with azure bones, able to communicate with spirits and receive the Perfected. Some have a natural endowment of profound stillness and outstanding distinction, with exceptional character. The ranks and grades of becoming an immortal number in the hundreds. The Sage-Lord will confer corresponding offices according to each person’s talents, enfeoffing them as greater and lesser feudal lords, each with ranks, to govern the people who cultivate the Dao. The feudal lords once a year have audience with the Sage-Lord of Highest Clarity and receive their duties; the Sage-Lord once every five years descends to tour the people governed by the feudal lords and to hear and inspect the administration of the immortal realm.

When the Sage-Lord cultivated the Dao, he once underwent every hardship, following his master through trials, enduring hunger and cold, and also passing through the perils of water and fire. He set aside private affection for parents and kin, repeatedly accepted the severe tests of the Celestial Emperor, and throughout remained firm in resolve, unchanging in the face of life and death. Ten thousand evils could not invade his Shen; a thousand demons could not delude his true nature. Precisely because of this, his utmost sincerity reached through to the mysterious, the numinous spirits responded to him, and in the end the Higher Sovereign transmitted the essential instructions, and the Celestial Worthy conferred the Great Dao.

His cultivation was deep, far-reaching, and luminous, opening the gate of the mysterious. The model he established is lofty, subtle, and unmatched; his insight unique, penetrating the deep mysterious passes and the ten thousand paths, awakening to the manifold manifestations of heavenly principle. These principles cannot be recorded one by one with paper and brush. Here only the merest fraction is written down, a brief statement of the general meaning, to be transmitted to those whose bone physiognomy is suited to becoming immortals. Those who read this book, if their names are entered in the Mysterious Registers and reported upward to Highest Clarity, may be ranked among the Immortal Ministers; if they can cultivate the true methods of the Golden Tower, they may further be appointed Grand Masters. Ten jade lads attend upon the scripture; ten jade maidens attend upon the Purple Writings of the Golden Tower. Whenever one recites and cultivates these scriptures, one should bow in reverence and burn incense on both sides of the text.

Those who treat the sacred laws and ordinances with contempt will fall among the ghostly kinds of the lower realms, and even their ancestors for three generations will receive punishment. The jade lads and jade maidens will report people’s conduct upward; however minute the good or evil in the heart, there is nothing that is not recorded.

The Azure Lad Lord of the Eastern Palace of Fangzhu compiled the Sequential Record of the Latter Sage Dao-Lord, presented it to the Sage-Lord, and then entrusted it to the Azure Lad’s disciple Wang Yuanyou, that he might transmit and display it to those whose bone physiognomy accords with immortal affinity. This book is transmitted once every hundred years; within seven hundred years it is permitted to be transmitted three times, in order to confer it upon those who in the future will study the Dao and become immortals.

The Sage Lord said: Anyone who obtains this Lieji of mine is listed in the registers of the Mysterious Gate (Xuanmen), possessing immortal talent and confirmed by written records; some are those inscribed in the golden registers and jade books who are about to become immortals.

After obtaining this Lieji, simply by revering and treasuring it, without undertaking any other cultivation, one can still be granted daytime shijie (the Daoist method by which immortals shed their physical form and ascend). But if after receiving the book one does not honor the Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power), but instead sinks into the secular world, with one’s nature turning away from the orthodox path and one’s aspirations declining, such a person is of the indolent and inferior sort, not one endowed with immortal bones. Even so, because they have obtained my Lieji after all, they will still be granted the rank of subterranean lord, so that they may cleanse their filthy bodies and wash their polluted souls. Thereafter they will be gradually assigned to advance by ranks, awakening them from the great dream of confusion.

You must be diligent and cautious, and not leak the book to those who do not believe in the Dao. Wearing my Lieji, one may enter plagues, floods and fires, wars and other calamities, or enter mountain forests to face various spirits and monsters, as well as a thousand kinds of evil influences and ten thousand kinds of misfortunes, without suffering harm; others who see the wearer of the book will also feel joy in their hearts. This is because the book records that jade youths attend and protect, shielding the body of the wearer.

If an evil person harbors malice and attempts to inflict disaster upon you, I myself will cause the spirits of the mountains and rivers to punish him, shortening his lifespan. Do not think that the Dao is distant and unable to oversee: the insight of the spirits is right beside you. I watch you from above the Great Void (Taixu), from within the Mysterious Emptiness, as clearly as the eyes can see the nose and the ears. If you do not believe, you may try it, to see whether after violating my prohibitions and oaths I can detect the unspoken thoughts in your minds, and the fortune or misfortune that follows.

All who receive this book must swear an oath guaranteeing not to leak its contents. This teaching is transmitted to those whose fate includes an immortal affinity, and to those who sincerely cultivate and study to become immortals while holding firmly to their faith. Ma Ming, Zhang Ling, Yin Sheng, Wang Bao, Mo Di, Sima Jizhu, as well as the seven Perfected Ones (Zhenren) and eight elderly masters of Dongtai Qingxu Heaven, totaling twenty-four in all, will be sent to come and provide guidance. Some conceal their names, some reveal their identities, and they may also change their surnames and given names, making them difficult to recognize. So long as you concentrate with sincere intent, unremitting day and night, you will eventually meet these people in person; after meeting them they will also tell you their true names.

The Later Sage Lord commanded Lord Wang (Wang Jun, the immortal Zhenren appointed to oversee the teaching) to take overall charge of the twenty-four Zhenren and to decide matters of transmitting the teaching methods downward. These twenty-four Zhenren have all received their missions. As long as you concentrate inwardly, cultivate with sincere devotion, and persist morning and evening without slackening, you will surely be able to meet these Zhenren in person; after meeting them, they will also tell you their true surnames and given names.

The Later Sage Lord commanded Lord Wang to supervise the twenty-four Zhenren and to adjudicate the transmission of the teaching methods. These twenty-four Zhenren all received their commissions from the Azure Lad of Fangzhu (the immortal Zhenren of Fangzhu Palace), and then received from Lord Wang the disciples they were to instruct. Lord Wang would first inform the twenty-four Zhenren of those he considered capable of achievement, after which the Zhenren would receive and teach the disciples. The Shengjun Lieji was entrusted only to Lord Wang alone, for him to select those suitable for transmission; it was not for all the Zhenren to transmit at the same time.

If one wishes to know the names of the twenty-four Zhenren, one may consult the end of the Qingyao Zhongwen Jing. There it lists the Jing (scriptures), Fulu (talismans and registers), divine formulas, and section titles for which each Zhenren is responsible, and incorporates the relevant contents into the Jing. Disciples to whom scriptures such as the Yuyi Jielin, Dadong Xuanjing, Shangqing Jinque Lingshu Ziwen, Basu Zhenjing, Taishang Yinshu Jiuzhen Zhongjing, Huanglao Badao Miyan, Taidan Shijue, and Yuzi Dongfang are transmitted hold ranks belonging to the Left and Right Immortal Dukes, Grand Masters, and Left and Right Ministers and Chancellors, all high positions.

Other Jing, such as the Jiudan Bianhua Jing, Taiqing Shangjing, Huangsu Daojing, and Qinglu Tianguan, transmit disciples who become Zhenren, or serve as Upper Supervisors of the True Palaces, or may be enfeoffed as Marquises or Earls of the Immortal Kingdoms. These ranks have sequential differences of precedence, all of which are recorded in detail in the White Slips and Azure Registers of Fangzhu Palace.

Latter Sage Lord Peng, named Guangyuan, also known as Xuanxu, with the courtesy name Dazhuang and another courtesy name Zhengyang. The surname Peng is sometimes given as Li, and he is therefore occasionally called Lord Pengxian Li. He was born in the era of the Human Sovereign (Renhuang) and holds the rank of Left True Protector Imperial Lord of Taiwei (Grand Tenuity). After receiving his mandate he will be responsible for conferring titles and examining the people, and will serve as Grand Preceptor to Lord Li. His seat of governance is the Terrace of Numinous Upper Radiance in the Northern Pond Palace of Taiwei.

Lord Peng changes his name once every two thousand five hundred years. He wanders through the Taixu (Grand Void, the vast and boundless heavenly realm), circulating through the remote and secluded regions of the eight directions; he reaches the unsurpassed heights above and the unfathomed depths below. Few among the True Officials (Zhenguan) have ever beheld his countenance and radiance. Yet the surname and personal name he used when he first began to study the Dao (the Way) are fixed, and they are recorded in detail in the white slips and azure registers (Baijian Qinglu, the immortal documents that record the name-lists of the perfected) of Fangzhu Palace.

Latter Sage Lord Li is the Upper Minister of Fangzhu Palace, titled Lord Qingtong (Azure Lad).

Latter Sage Li Xu travels through the remote and secluded regions of the eight directions, reaches the unsurpassed heights above and the unfathomed depths below. Few among the True Officials have ever beheld his countenance and radiance. Yet the surname and personal name he used when he first began to study the Dao are fixed, and they are recorded in detail in the white slips and azure registers of Fangzhu Palace.

Latter Sage Lord Li is the Upper Minister of Fangzhu Palace, titled Lord Qingtong.

Latter Sage Lord Li is the Upper Protector of Taidan Palace, titled Nanji Yuanjun (Primordial Sovereign of the South Pole).

Latter Sage Lord Li is the Upper Tutor of Baishan Palace, titled Taisu Zhenjun (True Lord of Grand Simplicity).

Latter Sage Lord Li is the Upper Steward of Xicheng Palace, titled Zongzhen Wangjun (King Lord of Total Perfection).

The above four are the venerable deities who assist the Great Minister. The remaining officials—qing, si, immortal dukes, grandees and the like—numbering three hundred and sixty in all, are likewise entered in the white slips and azure registers, and therefore their names are not recorded one by one.

Lord Qingtong said: if a person possesses an immortal register, they will take delight in studying the path of immortality; those who love this study all carry in their hearts the aspiration to seek immortality. Yet some later abandon it, while others hold to it with firm resolve. Those who give up may have accumulated insufficient meritorious deeds in former lives; those who persist may be destined to receive the mysterious register, which is the immortal register itself. Some, though they love the study of immortality, cannot concentrate upon it, perhaps because the De (Virtue/Power) accumulated over generations is still not enough.

In general, when the heavenly register appears in the Mysterious Palace (Xuangong), the place where the immortals administer the registers of immortality, signs will show forth in a person’s bodily complexion; when the name on the immortal register is made manifest in Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the person’s heart and Shen (spirit) will also stand upright in the elixir chamber (danfang), the psychophysical realm of cultivating Neidan (internal alchemy). If one is born with signs of an immortal register such as a golden pavilion and a jade name, the eyes will hold a radiance like sunlight, the teeth will be green and moist, and the blood will be pure white. Such people are ordinarily benevolent, take joy in studying immortality, are intelligent and quick of understanding, and possess an outstanding temperament.

If one has an immortal register of golden scriptures and jade records in Shangqing, the high celestial realm of Daoism, there will be a marking on the back pointing toward Hekui, the name of a star, and a recumbent bone on the chest. Such people are respectful and kind, modest in their dealings with others, and their De extends even to insects.

If one has an immortal register of cinnabar slips and azure writing in the Palace of Taiji, the lines of the palm will present overlapping, inverted, and broad character-like forms. Such people are cautious and meticulous, love the true Dao (the Way), are clear, still, empty, and harmonious, and can tolerate the faults of others.

If one has an immortal register of mysterious plain purple names in Fangzhu, a Daoist immortal realm, purple light will surround the eyes, as if able to illuminate the body. Such people cultivate what is profound and subtle, conduct themselves with purity and uprightness, and keep away from defilement.

If one has a jade register with a crimson name in Taiqing, a Daoist heaven, the voice will ring as clear and bright as jade striking metal, the mouth will be square, and the eyes round. Such people delight in broadly practicing universal love and regard the sufferings of others as if they themselves had been wounded.

If one has agate slips with a golden name in Taisu, white markings will appear on the abdomen and purple Qi (vital energy) will be in the mouth. Such people are loving and possessed of De, can communicate with gods and spirits, practice benevolence in secret, and treat the multitude with humility and harmony.

If one has cinnabar writing and a purple register at the Southern Pole, five-colored Qi will arise upon the head, connecting upward to the cloud-Qi of the Chonglou, the throat. Such people are kind and generously benevolent, care for those in hardship, relieve disasters and calamities, and help those in distress.

If one has a mysterious jade green register within the Dipper, the celestial realm where the Northern Dipper resides, the heart will have nine orifices, there will be brocade patterns outside the lungs, jade pellets on the chin, and green meridians in the eyes; between the corners of the eyebrows there will be many orderly lines forming a shape like city walls. The hair is sparse, the temples prominent, and the Mingtang, the space between the two eyebrows, is flat and pure white. The text says that unobstructed patterns are the fords and bridges for communicating with the true Dao; wide temples are the dwelling place that receives numinous Qi. Such people love the poor and the weak, and their benevolent De extends even to birds and beasts.

If one has azure-gold and crimson writing in the Upper Prime of the Mysterious Palace, there will be a crimson-red heart, purple orifices, yellow radiance around the stomach, fragrance in the mouth, and often jade fluid between the teeth. Such people from youth like to watch the flowing rosy clouds of sun and moon, delight in observing the luminous phenomena of the stars, possess pure qualifications and solid bones, and sincerely seek the mysterious secrets.

If one has white jade and golden characters at the Cinnabar Terrace of Xuandu, there will be an azure liver, purple meridians, kidneys with damask-like patterns, Jing (essence) and Qi filling the throat, a robust physique and pure Shen-Qi, a body that is soft, moist, and fragrant, blood that is clear, and a complexion that is lustrous. Such people concentrate on visualizing the distant and mysterious Dao, experience numinous and wondrous scenes, delight in bestowing benefits while yielding themselves, and relieve those in hardship and want.

If one has gem tablets and azure writing in the Palace of the Three Primes, there will be a purple brain, a tongue like brocade patterns, mysterious markings appearing at the temples, green intestines and red marrow; a square forehead, hidden recumbent bones, hair that is soft and emanates purple light, three openings in the ear orifices, movements that seem slow, yet flowing radiance in the eyes, coalesced azure essence-fluid, palm lines reaching the four directions, and teeth with three layers of edges. Such people have a keen and intelligent mind, are benevolent and modest; their compassionate heart moves the gods and spirits; they value what is subtle, and revere and trust the true Dao. They love forests and springtime, draw near to clear flowing water, hold mountains and rivers in their hearts, are willing to cast their names into the immortal registers, nourish the hun and po souls, have aspirations that transcend Qingtai, a lofty celestial realm, and yearn for the way of the celestial immortals.

Those who possess the physiognomic features described above all have the hope of becoming superior immortals. These characteristics, however, may be obtained through cultivation and study, or they may be innate. The essential point is that the person must love the Dao; loving the Dao and diligently studying its subtle principles, one can more quickly obtain elevation and transformation.

Next, some people have a “Mysterious Mountain” on the bridge of the nose, that is, a black mole; the abdomen should also have a “Mysterious Mound,” likewise a black mole, corresponding to the Mysterious Mountain on the nose. If either of the two is lacking, it does not accord with the immortal physiognomy spoken of in the texts. If the breath is foul and the temperament takes pleasure in filthy things, the signs represented by the Mysterious Mountain and Mysterious Mound will be damaged.

Next after that is “azure bone.” Those who have azure bone usually like to smell the five kinds of fragrance and also love to study the affairs of gods and spirits. Next again, walking as lightly as a swan and as vigorous as a dragon, with a jade pillow bone growing at the back of the neck, a Fuchen bone behind the ears, azure moles under the ribs, and network-like patterns on the body; and moreover a pure heart, settled courage, solid ear bones, and a broad and harmonious breath. These are all signs of immortals of the next rank.

Xuanzhou, an immortal realm, also has immortal registers with names engraved in gold. Those who obtain this kind of register without having gone through cultivation and study can become masters among the immortals of corpse-liberation; if they go through cultivation and study, they can become immortals who release the corpse in broad daylight, that is, people who shed the physical form and ascend to immortality during the day.

Next, those who have “the village of life” and “the land of escape from death” in the Three Officials’ Offices of Mount Tai, the divine offices that administer the registers of life and death, will not have their hun-life end in death, and can float and wander for a long time. Therefore those who study the immortal Dao, if they possess this kind of life-register, may become immortals able to walk upon the land. Every thirty years they must change their dwelling, alter their name, and then settle again, yet they have no term of death. The reason is that in the mysterious registers and white books of the Three Officials of Mount Tai they have not been entered in the land of death; it is not that the Three Officials mistakenly recorded them in the death registers.

Taiyin, the divine bureau that presides over life and death, registers life and death, establishing black registers, white books, and cinnabar-compiled slips. People receive life in sequence, and receive death likewise arranged in order. Whenever the registrations fill six thousand slips, one person is recorded in the land of no-death. Such people are mostly long-lived and not easy to die, with lifespans often exceeding a hundred years; even if they pass away, they depart suddenly, without torment of illness. If they further apply themselves to studying immortality, they can almost accomplish the cultivation, and can also teach others. Such people often have a harmonious and gentle temperament, like subtle and wondrous matters, and also possess the signs of immortals.

Next again, as long as one firmly pursues the Great Dao, concentrates with sincerity and correctness, or broadly practices secret good deeds that seek no return—helping the poor, relieving hardship, bestowing benefits on relatives and the destitute, burying unclaimed dry bones—with De exceeding that of the ancients, a character upright, peaceful, warm, generous, and modest, not indulging desire and not harming others; or if ancestors once bestowed kindness and practiced good, accumulating merit through generations, with De recorded in the name-registers of the Three Officials, already having filled three hundred good deeds, then cultivating the Dao by these conditions, all can become immortals.

When the mind’s thoughts are upright, even Heaven and Earth cannot go against them; when the Shen-will is firm, ghosts and spirits cannot obstruct; when the hun and po are bright and clear, the many evils cannot invade; when the quality of the po is pure white, the ten thousand demons cannot harm; when Jing and Qi are pure, the corpse of deviant lust cannot seize an opening to enter; when the fluids are abundant, the three worms within the body, the three worm-spirits spoken of in Daoism, cannot disturb; when blood-Qi is coagulated and solid, turbid Qi cannot cause it to dissipate.

Therefore those who study the Dao should have a sincere and firm heart, concentrate the Shen in single-minded focus, restrain the po and guard the hun, confine the thousand kinds of evil influences in the prisons of the eight distant wildernesses, and seal the ten thousand kinds of demons in the farthest places; with a sincere heart preserve and guard the Qi of the True One of Taichu, the primordial beginning of the cosmos, diligently without slackening, always harboring the wish to soar into the void and become an immortal. The Vermilion Numen, the numinous Qi within the body spoken of in Daoism, dwells peacefully in the Crimson Residence, the place where the heart-Shen abides, and the Five Treasures guard the realm of clear mystery. Passing through tests without wavering, remaining unmoved in honor and disgrace; even occupying a high position without lingering attachment, even abandoning ten thousand gold without regret; willingly enduring cold, hardship, and adversity, delighting in quiet cultivation and purification fasting in the mountains. Guarding the sincere heart, never wearying from beginning to end, only then is it possible to last as long as Heaven and Earth. Only when these are accomplished can one speak of studying the Dao.

If one has neither these physiognomic features nor such De, even if talent and wisdom are outstanding, aspirations grand, momentum fierce, style lofty and far-reaching, mind deeply enlightened, literary expressions eloquent, talent extraordinary, able to analyze the obscure and subtle and to clear up difficult principles, speaking of the empty and non-existent Great Dao with the mouth, yet the mind still rushes after fame and profit in the four directions, in the end one is still not a person suited to become an immortal. Such people merely waste a lifetime in vain, and still cannot truly grasp the essential meaning of studying the Dao.

The account in the Shangqing Housheng Daojun Lieji concludes here.

Regarding “Zhu Hongyuan,” this may originally have read “Hui Hongyuan.” The character “hui” is customarily employed to indicate a name that is tabooed out of respect.