《真诰》Vol. 2

This is a poem describing an immortal paying homage and wandering through the Taiwei celestial palace. The Zhengao is an important scripture of the Eastern Jin Shangqing (Highest Clarity) school; what it records consists largely of poems and teachings revealed by immortals and perfected beings, transcribed and compiled by Yang Xi and others.

The opening describes an immortal maiden whose face is radiant like a young girl’s and whose body is full and flourishing. At dawn she pays homage to Taizu (Great Simplicity, the most primordial true realm at the first opening of chaos). Flying on the wind, she passes the jade steps and the Medicine Abyss, a deep pool filled with immortal elixirs; at midday the Jade Pool comes into view. With her left hand she brushes the revolving numinous luminaries, the divine light of sun, moon, and stars; with her right she draws along the radiance of cinnabar clouds. Golden light streams and illuminates the scarlet courtyards, while the light and vapors of the eight directions swirl together. A green canopy floats in the clear sky, and holding a tally of command, she comes by order to Taiwei (Supreme Subtlety), the star enclosure where the Heavenly Emperor dwells.

The essence of the phoenix transforms into a maiden with a childlike face. She inhales and exhales the Qi of the Six Spirits, while jade consorts attend her holding towels and kerchiefs. She plays the yun’ao, an immortal musical instrument, and waves the South Cloud Fan; a fragrant wind stirs her brocade garments. When the shang note is sounded, the hundred beasts dance, and the numinous authority of the Six Heavens is marshaled in solemn order. Her immortal lifespan is reckoned in hundreds of millions of years, towering and long-enduring.

The latter section employs allusions. “The small fish has not yet been cooked in the cauldron” adapts Laozi’s “governing a great state is like cooking a small fish,” figuratively expressing that the time is not yet ripe. “Speaking of my sorrow beneath the cliff” depicts a recluse grieving alone beneath the rocks. According to the record of Lord Yang (Yang Xi), these words came forth from the red Qi of the east and ought to be reported to Siming, the divine lord who governs human lifespan and merits and faults; for this reason the poem is praised and continues into the following section.

What follows is the song sung by the Left Lady of Xuanqing in Taiwei—that is, Wei Huacun, honored by the Shangqing school as foremost among female immortals—in the Beiting Palace. Amid lush abundance, this is not true emptiness; Taiwu (Great Nonbeing, the ultimate void that is the source of the Dao) makes this its dwelling place. The cultivator has no private thoughts, only the lingering feelings in the heart, solitary and difficult to dispel. An immortal phoenix descends; driving the purple clouds, one lifts the reins and mounts the shore lit by morning light. On all sides is boundless stillness; the radiance is bright as one gazes afar through the sky. Dwelling in seclusion on Phoenix Mound, beautiful with numinous mushrooms, one lingers beside the Jade Forest. Nourishing the body with dragon fetus, jade light from the eight directions shines upon the morning. Langhua blossoms flourish like a jade palace, and exquisite flowers rise high along the cliffs. Peng wings obscure millions upon millions of realms; stirring its feathers, it spirals straight up to the heavens. In the western courtyard a long song is sung, and the yun’ao sounds by itself in the void. The eight winds encircle the green cosmos, and the medicinal smoke suddenly scatters. Numinous youths scatter flowing gold, and the walled chambers of Taiwei open in response. The deities of the Three Primes rise and bow from the waist, and the Purple Emperor waves his sleeve in praise. The bright auspicious light circulates, and Changgeng (Venus) shines with fresh brilliance. Divine generals stand erect with shining blades; to look down from there fills one with regret. Looking back at those terrestrial immortals, why trouble to dwell among forests and streams?

First Paragraph

On the night of the seventeenth day of the twelfth month, Taiyuan Zhenren, the Lord of Destinies (the deity who governs human lifespans), wrote this poem. He said it was a song from the inner chambers of the Qingtong Palace (the palace inhabited by the immortal youth deities), often chanted in order to harmonize with the spirits. That night a host of immortals and Perfected beings descended and gathered; only this manuscript was preserved, while the rest did not manifest. Later, in a dingmao year, when the matter of “tingfen” (the fixed allotment of lifespan and office; the precise meaning here is difficult to determine) was discussed, it likewise happened to fall on the seventeenth day of the twelfth month. This may simply have been a coincidence. That earlier affair should not have occurred in a mao year.

The above three entries are in Yang Xi’s handwriting.

Commentary Section

“Xuanxuan” (the referent is uncertain; it seems to be some wondrous scripture) is arranged immediately here. The commentary says: Thus it takes the eight winds as bolts and keys, heaven and earth as dikes and defenses, the four seas as vats and basins, and the nine provinces as chaff and husks; it accumulates through all myriad differences and uses Yin-Yang to steam and transform them. In its smelting and casting, filling and rising, boiling and accumulating, the hard and the soft, the clear and the turbid are each distinct, and their forms and kinds also vary, like breathing out and drawing in, opening and closing, coming and going.

Gong Borong’s Annotation

Jiujue (suspected to be the name of a divine beast) is a divine bird. Moving among the myriad beasts, in fierce moments it is cunning and swift. A thousand years are not enough to exhaust its transformations, and all the myriad differences cannot contain what is within it. The sun and moon are not enough to illumine its brows and eyes; the Eight Marshlands are not enough for its footsteps to roam. Clear clouds are low to it, the ninefold heaven is shallow, the vastness of the eight directions is small, and the remoteness of the four extremities is near. Its transformations are without constancy; it can always enter a mustard seed, and can also enter the jade treasure of Yuchen (the upper immortal palace). It is the awe-inspiring spirit of Taiwei (the star enclosure where the Heavenly Emperor dwells).

Concluding Note

These two entries explain phrases from the Shenhu Yinwen (Hidden Writ of the Divine Tiger), a secret, allusive text transmitted in the Shangqing tradition. It is not known which Perfected One revealed them, and no date is marked. The two passages appear to come from two different hands.

The writer replies in trepidation: Your benevolence spreads like radiance, and your lofty influence reaches heaven and earth. You have repeatedly sent letters, extending your favor even to one as insignificant as me. Your instructions contain the principle of enduring accord, and the gathering you appointed is the assembly of Xuanyao, the celestial paradise. Though I admire you and would be honored to follow, joyfully hoping to see the sacred writ, I am privately fearful and uneasy: I am like the light of a firefly, unfit to stand beside the vast brilliance of sun and moon; I am like a tiny star, unable to take a place among the holy realm of the Seven Primes, the high divinities of heaven. Our ranks differ, high and low are not alike; looking up and down I am at a loss, not knowing what to rely on.

All who are skilled at guiding others are diligent in mutual exhortation; those who are loyal and caring fear the other’s laziness. Thus the Zhouyi says, “The gentleman is vigilant all day,” and Confucius too often sighed in admiration of tireless learning. Since receiving your teaching, I have cleansed my mind and urged myself on, as if newly bathed. Your encouragement has clarified the subtle purport of attaining the Dao; your admonitions have set forth the root and origin of destiny. Indulgence and perversity lose the foundation; meanness and obstruction harm De. Even if the physician of Lu offered needles and moxa, and Bian Que offered medicines and stones, it would not match the depth of your teaching.

Zizhang wrote the sage’s teachings on his sash; Ximen Bao and Dong Anyu wore leather and bowstring respectively to correct themselves. Likewise I restrain myself by external precepts and rectify my heart with Dao and righteousness. Receiving your clear instruction, I record it in my heart, store it within my six viscera, practice it constantly, and dare not lose the slightest part. I hope thereby at the furnace gate to dissolve the cold of the Five Difficulties and in the abyss valley to calm the winds of the Seven Trials. In the future I will wander at ease on Eastern Mountain and build a chamber in Dragon Forest to cultivate the Dao; there the numinous realm is sparse and still, the hills and garden deep and secluded; in the courtyard are wondrous companions arriving as if driving through clouds, and in the hall are arrayed high immortals in feathered robes. I wish to hold immortal treasures such as the golden staff and five mushrooms, and to practice the precious art of longevity in Canglang. This is what I hope for day and night; my vow is sincere, and I dare not deceive the spirits.

Please consider this a little. I respectfully report in fear.

This note explains: This is a letter from the Chief Secretary in reply to Youying. On the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month, Youying had sent a poem written in the form of an allegorical poem; the Chief Secretary answered it together in this reply and also responded to the matter of Xue Lü discussed in the previous letter. It was probably written in the twelfth month. The above was copied at the Chief Secretary’s order.

The above is the final passage of juan 3 of the Zhen’gao. Juan 4 begins here.

The immortal Dao is hidden and silent, without sound; even seeking it makes people draw back, so how much more difficult is it to pursue it painstakingly in a place without bounds or limits? Suppose that on East Mountain stone marrow (shisui, a numinous medicine congealed like jade) suddenly appears in coiled clumps, purple zhi (zizhi, lingzhi mushroom) gleams through the forest, at night its radiance is like candles, yantai (the wondrous radiance of the immortal realm) illuminates the peaks, numinous springs surge and flow, and the assembled Zhenren (Perfected) chant there. Those who go can pluck mysterious immortal flowers, pay homage to Jade Liquid (yuye, the essence of immortals), converse face to face with celestial immortals and let distracting thoughts dissolve; they can even take others by the hand and walk together in the Taixu (Great Void), then ride qingyun (auspicious clouds) away. I do not know whether you are willing to spend these two days in a brief excursion among mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes, or whether you will be bound by official and private affairs and let such an opportunity pass in vain.

The reason you feel reluctant and find it difficult is probably that what you have heard still hovers between existence and nonexistence. Although the immortal realm cannot be seen, it is not wholly without traces to follow; the key lies in whether you are willing to lift your robes and step forward. If this two-day appointment cannot be fulfilled, then when will you condescend to come to Jinling so that we may meet?

On the night of the twenty-ninth day of the eleventh month, Dinglu Jun (Lord Dinglu) informed Xu Hou.

Must one really set aside present entanglements and go in pursuit of a grand undertaking that is difficult to accomplish? If you are still content with mountains, forests, hills, and valleys, and cling to life near the capital, then you can only gaze toward Jinling from afar in imagination. You may consider this as you wish, but do not think that because I have no method, there is no way to discern you. If your mind can change, then when you try you will no longer hesitate; if your spirit feels distressed, then instruction cannot take effect. Are the actions of a worthy person not worth examining closely?

Baoming Jun (Lord Baoming) announces.

The above two entries were written by Yang Xi; these pronouncements are indeed words of the utmost truth.

Having received the notice of the twenty-ninth day of the eleventh month. Those who have attained the Dao can cast off all manner of entanglements and advance straight ahead; thus all kinds of thoughts naturally become pure and still, and worldly affairs scatter and dissolve. Those who are already outstanding need not exert effort for this, while those in difficult circumstances can thereby make clear their resolve. In mid-first month the Guishan guest (a figure in the scripture whose identity is unknown) will certainly come to Dongshan (a mountain name in the Kuaiji area). By that time this place should be changed to the character “ju”—how could one not do one’s utmost? Having read your exalted command, I am delighted beyond measure. Just as this month began, public and private affairs have been numerous and difficult, and I have not been able to act as I wished. This character was originally “lingzan,” and later people changed it to “mingshi.” Calculating the schedule for the round trip to the capital, after returning I will bathe and go in person to pay my respects, without missing this month; if the auspicious day has not yet passed, I hope you will give me further instructions.

It was also told to me: the conduct of the worthy should still be considered more carefully. In the past, before I had received the higher Dao (the cultivation of the supreme great Dao), some people wished to probe the intentions of others, and some praised me, saying that I was worthy of being fostered and encouraged. After I received the hidden book (a secretly transmitted Daoist text), this plan had already become dark and useless. Below this passage two characters have been smeared, and an entire line has been cut away; there appears to be more text afterward. This passage discusses the worthy person’s actions; it seems still to be on the sheet of the previous letter, and again responds to the notice of the twenty-ninth day of the eleventh month. This notice no longer survives, and its content differs from the earlier notice of the twenty-ninth day of the eleventh month. It also mentions the matter of the Guishan guest’s coming in the first month; since the reply was like this, another notice should later have been recorded separately. It is also possible that the Ying text on the right likewise contains this phrase; because the record is incomplete, it is difficult to take as certain proof.

The two pieces on the right are the originals written in the hand of the Chief Secretary (referring to Xu Mi).

Interpretation:

This passage from a scroll of Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected) is Lady Ziwei’s reply—the female immortal Wei Huacun—to a letter from the Changshi, Yang Xi. It discusses the mindset and conduct of those who cultivate the Dao.

Lady Ziwei says: The diligent person should concentrate on doing their own work well and penetrate the mysterious and subtle. The cautious person should act similarly, according to the specific circumstances of each matter. The difficulty of cultivating the Dao cannot be fully expressed in writing. Those who have a sense of shame and consider themselves lowly are as if they have not yet truly encountered the Great Dao; only after effort does it become precious. The worthy and capable, in all they do, must begin from the beginning; for now, first set aside inner attachments.

The following passage comments on the letter. The Changshi’s writing is very clear and lucid, and his metaphors—such as Bian Que treating illness and the leather strap and bowstring as self-warning—carry weight. He is able to use them to apply effort, like ice melting and a furnace door opening; the main point is excellent, and he should concentrate on bringing it to fulfillment.

Next are several declarations recording replies from several Perfected immortals. One says that the intention has already arrived, so there is no need to make a special trip up the mountain. Another says that because for a long time the heart has hung empty and lacked sincerity, results have been delayed. Several others concern concrete arrangements in cultivation, such as when someone planned to go build a dwelling and on what day the Perfected of Guishan should visit. Yang Xi had doubts about one declaration, considering its meaning convoluted and difficult to understand. These declarations all cluster in the first month and afterward of the bingyin year—the fourth year of Xingning under Emperor Ai of the Eastern Jin, 366 CE.

Notes:

Lady Ziwei: Wei Huacun, honored in Daoism as the Primordial Lady of Purple Emptiness (Zixu Yuanjun), is a core female immortal of Zhengao.

Changshi Yang: Yang Xi, one of the principal recorders of Zhengao.

Physician of Lu: Bian Que, so called because he lived in the state of Lu. The allusion to his healing is used here to suggest that cultivating the Dao requires applying the right remedy to the condition.

Leather strap and bowstring: an allusion from Han Feizi; wearing soft leather or a taut bowstring as a self-warning, figuratively the self-restraint required in cultivating the self.

Seven Primes: a type of Daoist cultivation method; its specific content is not detailed here.

First (Composed by Yunlin on the night of the ninth day of the second month)

Driving the cloud chariot, I ascend into the clouds at dawn and feast in the Canglang Palace. Colored clouds encircle the cinnabar rosy mists, and numinous Qi (vital energy) spreads through the eight directions of the sky. The High Perfected chant in the Jade Chamber; lofty immortals sing in the jeweled chambers. Nine phoenixes produce wondrous music, while feathered ornaments and bells and chimes in the void answer one another. In the Golden Court (a Daoist grotto-heaven), we lean close, neck to neck, and in the dark unseen we form bonds of immortal friendship. Together we ladle and drink jade nectar (immortal wine), and immortal youths are all around. Why linger and wander on the road? Yet faults and illnesses grow heavier day by day.

Second (Composed by Youying on the sixteenth day of the second month)

At dawn I roam the Palace of Great Simplicity and drive out to view the Jade River. At night the dark mystery fills the universe; at dawn I gather again the essence of the full sun’s radiance. I play the jade ao (an immortal instrument) on the Northern Cold Terrace, and the radiance of the seven spirits (the assembled immortal spirits) reflects the purple clouds. Many lofty immortals soar upward one after another, while people in the dusty world seem caught in a net. Wandering amid clamor and pollution, one’s faults and entanglements should not be too many.

Third

In the Mystic Purity Observatory, all is deep, remote, and vast; the setting sun slowly rises from the east. I wish to sever ties with the dusty world and befriend immortals, far from worldly disturbance and striving. I recite this poem again and again.

The original notes: “The three pieces above are in Yang’s hand”—that is, the three preceding pieces were written in the hand of Yang Xi. Yang Xi was the principal transmitter of the descending Perfected recorded in the Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected).

Fourth

Numinous persons dwell in hidden retreat on mystic peaks; true spirits withdraw into the clouds and rosy mists. Mystic song is not without its time; wondrous response has its own season of waiting. Who can say the void is silent? The highest rhythm is always present. Hand in hand we ascend to the Feather Palace and feast together in the Palace of Broad Cold. Ask, who are the friends who wander with me? Those I think of are only immortals such as Yuzi. Like a fine steed that outruns the clouds, spreading wings and flying above Kongtong (a legendary immortal mountain)—such a person! Would he not bow with hands clasped toward the emperor’s south-facing throne and forever resign the honor of a thousand chariots?

The original notes: “Purple Subtlety’s poem and chanting this”—meaning Lady Ziwei also chanted this poem.

Fifth (Composed by Youying)

Riding the wind and galloping in the cloud chariot, at dawn I climb the Mound of Great Purity. The crimson ford joins the mountain peaks; clear waves stir the deep currents. Walking through the air, I observe the warp and weft of the stars of the nine heavens; I have roamed all the celestial pillars of the eight directions. For a time I feast with the three Jinxiu (immortals), then come again to look upon companions of like aspiration. Diligent cultivation and slackness cannot conceal each other; and so many anxieties accumulate.

Sixth (Lady Ziwei chants this)

Lifting my robes, I cross the Green River and there meet Lord Fusang (an eastern immortal; Fusang is the sacred tree in the mythic land of sunrise). We hold a grand gathering amid the ruins of the Great Forest and feast and rest in the Xuanhua Palace. If one truly and sincerely honors the Great Dao and is simple and sincere, why not dwell on the eastern peak?

Seventh

Crossing the waves and passing through the Canglang, I suddenly arrive at the Golden Mountain. Looking around in all directions, I roam all day long, yet rarely meet a cloud-dweller like myself.

First Poem (Lady Youying Chants This)

This is a poem chanted by Lady Youying. The immortal rides the rushing wind and drives a ford bright as sunlight, ascending straight to the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) paradise. Cloud terraces tower high, the immortal city is grand, the morning wind stirs red clouds, and crimson mist scatters through the golden court. Green immortal herbs gather on mysterious peaks, and purple zhi fungus grows beneath the cliffs. The author calls herself “one among the clouds,” that is, one who dwells in the immortal realm.

Second Poem (Continuing the Preceding Passage, Describing the Immortal Realm)

Auspicious clouds coil around the cinnabar furnace, and silk-like immortal Qi flies forth as eight kinds of fine jade. Immortals gaze afar at Guanghan Palace, and the chun tree of the immortal grove rejuvenates the youths. Dragon banners flash with spiritual lightning, while tiger banners summon vermilion immortal soldiers. High Perfected immortals patrol among the stars of the nine luminaries; with penetrating clarity they observe, bathing together in hidden radiance. Whoever can set foot on this deep immortal path may find boundless longevity.

Composed by Lady Ziwei

Composed by Lady Ziwei (Wei Huacun, a female immortal of the Shangqing tradition and an important figure in the Zhen'gao). Purple palaces rise high above the void, and mysterious immortal halls pierce the fierce winds at the utmost peak. Exquisite jades spread throughout the spirit garden, and immortal flowers form jade-like fruits. Immortal carriages race across the Canglang ford, while winds from the eight directions stir the celestial music of the Yunshao. Holding feather fans, they screen the north; grasping batons, they blow golden flutes. Phoenix voices harmonize with the assembled music, and Western youths sing at dawn. The heart suddenly opens beyond the void; how bright and expansive is the spirit’s bosom. Whirling in dance on the ridges of the great void, the six Qi circulate in the deep and dark. How could my path of Dao be found with ease? I only hope you will not wither away for a lifetime.

Composed by Lady Youying

The Ziwei immortal lodge is veiled by cloud Qi; dense immortal terraces scatter flame and whirlwind. Luan birds sing beneath the flowered canopy, and phoenixes guide dragon carriages toward the immortal realm. Eight wolves guard the crimson banners, and the White Tiger blows horns and flutes. Cloud Qi surges from the spirit palace and comes to face the clamor of the dusty world. Reins are loosened; the lovely one sleeps peacefully; the same primordial Qi resonates of itself. Seeking the immortal lineage takes only an instant; ten thousand years are like a single morning. Even in old age, the chun tree’s lifespan is long enough; as kalpas flow by, how could that be considered distant? The truly true ones gaze at one another; do not let your will stray… The final line has many textual errors; the general sense seems to be: if the will can transcend the void, one may escape the sorrow of the five spirits’ stagnation.

The Preceding Was Composed by Ziwei

The above is one poem composed by Lady Ziwei.

First Poem (composed by Lady Ziwei on the fourteenth day of the fourth month)

At dawn I set out from the place of sunrise in the east, riding an immortal carriage across the vast sea. Among the mountains the waves beat against the green cliffs; winds from the eight directions stir the mysterious clouds and smoke. Looking back at my dwelling, it has grown ever more distant; in my heart I hold sincere feeling. The three golden mountains can be roamed; the eastern peak is fit for long dwelling. In the world’s tangled turmoil, who can follow the ford that leads to the immortal realm? I sing aloft, lingering on Eight Rosy Cloud Ridge (the ridge of clouds in the immortal world), riding the flying morning canopy. The purple carriage soars into the great void, gazing far toward the Nine Voids (the emptiness beyond the nine heavens). The sound of jade flutes agitates the colored clouds; numinous smoke cuts off the dark cloud-breath. High immortals hold a banquet at Taizhen (the honored station of the immortal world); clear singing stretches on without bound. Coming and going in the courts of the mountains, what need is there to wait for anything?

Second Poem (on the same evening, Lady Youying intoned and sang this song)

Mysterious waves surge through the vast sea; the great ford drives ten thousand streams. Riding light and shadow, I gaze afar into the Six Voids; in my heart I wish to roam with the beautiful one. My wondrous song has no one to answer; to whom should this clear sound be sent? Urging the jade wheels through the clouds, why should one hurry about in the dusty world?

Third Poem (composed by Youying)

Pines and cypresses grow on the mysterious ridges, lush and verdant, heroes of the cold forest. Their abundant flowers bloom amid severe winter ice and snow, yet they do not fear the white snow. The ways of the world are chaotic; dwelling deep among mountain caves, those who cultivate the Dao still keep themselves pure. Riding a carriage of swift fine horses, I follow the wheel ruts of distant lofty ones. Even lords and nobles may still follow and depart—why can one not cut off worldly ties?

Fourth Poem (composed by Lady Ziwei on the night of the twenty-third day of the fourth month)

The light of divine jade shines on the ford of the spirit realm; the Seven Primes (the qi of the seven luminaries) radiate from the wondrous gate. The soul moves into the square inch of the heart, and with a single leap ascends to Taiwei (the celestial palace). Wondrous music accompanies harmonious singing; in the high assembly there is naturally its own destiny. Together with heavenly beings I look around; with the morning scene I soar. Grasping the reins beyond the six directions, where could there still be overthrow or danger?

Fifth Poem (composed by the Lady of the Southern Peak on the night of the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month)

Mysterious response lies beyond the ten thousand phenomena; harmonious sounds naturally call to one another. Numinous clouds veil the purple morning sky; orchid winds stir the green carriage. The high perfected ones hold a banquet on the jasper terrace, far ranging alongside the terrestrial immortals. What they hope for is the distant journey and high ascent, and thus they can be elegant and upright, ever rising upward. Enjoying the writings of the Eight Pristine Texts (immortal books honored by the Shangqing tradition), the fruition of the Dao is not far away. Why worry beforehand about human affairs? Just let form and breath dissolve beyond the dusty world.

Appendix Note

Among the above twelve pieces, there are autographs by Yang Xi, as well as transcriptions by miscellaneous clerks (copyists).

First Poem (composed by the Lady of the Southern Marchmount, on the night of the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month)

With a pure and still mind I wish to ascend the Eastern Mountain, so that spiritual Qi (vital energy) may flourish and the will may stand tall. By delighting in and exploring the principles within the Eightfold Plain True Text (the lofty celestial scriptures), the great Dao (the Way) can then be accomplished without delay. Why should one beforehand become stained by worldly affairs? They will exhaust your bodily form and your Jing (essence) and Qi.

Second Poem

With a pure and still mind I wish to dwell on the Eastern Mountain, hidden amid the scenery and resting in a numinous cave. The secluded courtyard is broad and still, and the green woods densely shade it. The full moon shines on the southern window, and vermilion phoenixes beat their wings in the hidden chamber. With hands folded I sit quietly in the idle room, making a pact to open the mysterious and wondrous art. In a lucid realm of stillness I think afar on profound principles; amid sparse silence, spirit and mind soar free.

(On the night of the third day of the intercalary month, composed by Youying and shown to Chief Clerk Xu. On checking the Jin calendar, the bingyin year was indeed an intercalary fourth month.)

Third Poem

Letting my mind roam at the Ford of Kongtong (a legendary passage to the immortal realm), I take the reins and drive a vermilion carriage. Why does the beautiful one come so late? When will Dao and De (Virtue/Power) be accomplished? Thus I chant this Dao.

In my heart I promised the woodcutter (the axe), saying I would gather the five zhi (a legendary immortal herb; eaten, it can confer long life). The zhi herb may not necessarily be obtained, and you may not necessarily come. If you come, then it can be obtained, and the zhi herb will be eaten together with you. The words “obtained” and “come” in these two lines, and indeed the whole piece, are an impromptu playful composition, carrying a flavor of the Wu dialect.

(Youying chanted this poem.)

Fourth Poem

The eight directions converge upon the formless source; riding the times, I survey the troubled dusty world. Dwelling amid floating dust, once I untie my robe I am a follower of the Dao. I gallop through mist and clouds, suddenly no longer leaning awry; I take the Zhenren (Perfected) with me to Ling’e (the mountain slope of the immortal realm). Voidlike scenes surround the jade carriage, and mysterious instruments play the song of the phoenix. The road ahead has no ruts to obstruct it; divine sounds dance like cloud waves. My De (Virtue/Power) is equal to and outstanding beyond the Jade Capital (where the Heavenly Emperor resides)—why still cling to all the various worldly affairs?

(After the transmission of the writing was completed, the deity chanted for a long while and then transmitted again. The present transcription of this poem seems not to connect with the preceding written text.)

Fifth Poem (fragmentary lines)

Calmly and peacefully contemplate heavenly truth, remove vexations and burdens, and give free rein to the various feelings. Comprehend stillness, abandon the calculating mind and the worldly affairs of carriages and horses, and honor the possession of the Dao; then one may conserve and nourish life. The final line is fragmentary; the meaning is incomplete and difficult to determine with certainty.

Notes: “Right” refers to the preceding text (since the ancients wrote vertically, “right” means “above”). The Lady of the Southern Marchmount is Wei Huacun, revered in Daoism as a female immortal; in this book, scriptures are often revealed under her name. “Yang’s writing” refers to Yang Xi’s handwriting; “clerk transcription” refers to a copy transcribed by a subordinate official in a government office.

Those who are calm and equanimous can clearly see the Dao of heavenly truth, cast aside the entanglements of the world, and let the desires of the multitude take their course without interference. When the mind is still, one discards cunning; only by revering the principle of naturalness can one nourish life. Why need to be like those who observe fasts and cultivate practices and are bound by external things? One need only accord with the patterns of natural movement and let things proceed as they pass.

(The above was composed by Lady Zhonghou.)

Amid the fierce winds of the dusty world, as the seasons turn, one will in the end return to the source. Who can know the term of the kalpa cycles in the spiritual realm? Looking back, one is saddened.

(The above was composed by Lady Ziwei. There are clerk-copied versions of the above three pieces.)

Like birds in the forest responding to their own kind, clouds and qi gather, waiting for the dragon’s song. Mysterious numerical patterns naturally resonate with one another; every touch has an echo. Riding a feiping (a curtained carriage ridden by immortals), coming from Xihua, one suddenly drives forth to visit. In the distant eight directions there is no lack of joy; singing in unison, the principle naturally makes the heart yearn toward it. What is pitiable is to be trapped in the dust net of the four directions, with a hundred worries constantly coiled in the heart. Together roam at Beihantai; the divine wind opens your breast.

(On the night of the twenty-third day of the sixth month, composed by Lady Nanji.)

Boarding the feiping and setting out from Donghua, fanning the wings of wind, one suddenly dances within Taixuan. The speeding carriage reins rise straight to ninety thousand li on high; wherever it descends in the eight directions, all is even and balanced. For a while gaze among mountains and waters, within deep and numinous mountain peaks. The same wind and qi are naturally equalized; Dao and principle too are close to one another. Consuming longzhi can give long life; inner observation and visualization can nourish innate truth. Why then still be entangled by external things?

(On the night of the twenty-third day of the sixth month, composed by Lady Zhonghou.)

(The above two pieces are in Yang Xi’s hand and were also copied by a clerk. Yang Xi was the principal transmitter and recorder of Zhengao, The Declarations of the Perfected.)

On the twelfth day of the fifth month, the Lord of the Center issued an instructive text. These nine characters are inscribed outside the scroll. The content that follows seems to be entirely scriptures conferred during the dingmao year; what it discusses is all the distinction among the Three Xus (the three scripture-transmitting members of the Xu clan). The meaning of the term “tingfen” is unclear and is left in doubt.

A Ying was thus able to cut off worldly thoughts, withdraw into the mountains and forests, and devote himself single-mindedly to savoring the Dao. He washed clean his mind and spirit, concentrated on Jing and Qi, and polished the mirror of his heart until it was clear and empty like space. Dwelling alone in a profound and mysterious realm, lodging in solitude yet accompanied by the Perfected, his cultivation was comparable to that of his grandfather Daoyuan and could be placed alongside the disciples of Jiang Bozhen. He ingested the Qi of heaven and earth and drew in the essence of the night; in the end he achieved results, which was indeed a meaningful matter.

(Note: Daoyuan refers to A Ying’s grandfather; Jiang Bozhen was a legendary cultivator. Mount Chi, also called Mount Shao, was in the Linhai region. The first year of Jianxing of the Jin is 313 CE. The Director of Destiny was a Daoist deity in charge of human lifespan and merits and demerits; the Upper Palace denotes the celestial immortal bureaucracy; an Earth Immortal is a lower-ranking immortal in Daoism, dwelling in famous mountains within the human world. The Three Officials are the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, Daoist deities who oversee reward and punishment; the Left Gentleman was a subordinate officer under the Three Officials; the Marquis in Charge of the Handle and the Envoy Presiding over Faults were names of subordinate ghost-and-spirit officials. The Fire Bell was a ritual instrument used to summon and restrain ghosts and spirits.)

In early years, A Ying once entered Mount Chi in Linhai. Mount Chi was also called Mount Shao. In the mountains he met his friends Wang Shilong, Zhao Daoxuan, Fu Taichu, and others. These gentlemen had crossed the river in the first year of Jianxing of the Jin and entered the Eastern Mountains to study the Dao, and A Ying met them there. Their cultivation was all higher than A Ying’s. A Ying therefore took Wang Shilong as his teacher and studied the way of releasing bonds (the method for removing constraints and transcending limits) and the method of reversing the course (the cultivation method for reversing aging and returning to one’s original nature). He ingested jade fluid and at dawn ingested the Jing and Qi within the brain. Within two or three years his face had a radiance, his aged countenance returned to youth, and at last he completed the work of the Dao. He only regretted that his innate endowment was not abundant enough, so that he could not reach a higher rank or penetrate to the realm of the highest Perfected immortals.

Thereupon the Director of Destiny commanded me (Tao Hongjing, compiler of the Zhengao) to report on his behalf and petition the Upper Palace, to transfer his name into the various eastern registers and confer upon him the rank of Earth Immortal.

At that time, the Left Gentleman of the Capital Prohibition under the Three Officials dispatched the Marquis in Charge of the Handle, Zhou Fang, and the Envoy Presiding over Faults, Yan Baihu, to go to Mount Chi, intending to arrest A Ying and carry him away and to set forth his crimes. I was then within the forbidden precincts and thought that the matter should be handled under the character ya—that is, with doubt and uncertainty, so that it should first be investigated and verified—and so I hurriedly reported it to the Director of Destiny. The Director of Destiny immediately sent the Middle Marquis Li Zun, holding the Fire Bell, to come and rebuke and restrain them; only then did Zhou Fang and Yan Baihu flee.

Before Li Zun arrived, A Ying was frightened in his heart, his soul flew and scattered in terror, and he lost his courage. Fortunately, Gong Youjie and Li Kailin helped A Ying deal with the situation; otherwise it would have come very close to failure. Had it not been for these two, then together with his teacher Wang Shilong, he would long ago have met with disaster.

The three officials brought out the cinnabar slips and registers of sins, each holding a copy, and questioned Ying: “Since you wish to study the Dao and aspire to long life, to be numbered among the Zhenren (perfected beings who have attained the Dao), with lofty aspirations and reverent sincerity, you should have worldly merit to offset your offenses, so that misfortune and evil do not reach you, hidden virtue continues like roots and veins, and a benevolent heart reaches up to Heaven. Only then can you enter the immortal path and have your name registered in Qingfu (the celestial office that records names). Why, then, did you personally kill Xie Gong and offend against the sun, moon, and stars—the Three Lights? You promised someone the head of Li Qi, beheaded by the court, to replace the head of Cai Fu; you pursued and shot dead Pan Qi and others, and dismembered the attendant Cao Biao and others; you sank Tang Yunzhi’s corpse in water and burned Xu Ang’s remains; you strangled Huan Zheng and cut open Zhen Kuai. Cruel and violent, you abused punishment forty-three times. The grievances have already been reported to the Heavenly Emperor; calamity and guilt pile up like a mountain, while of good deeds you have not one. Moreover, you originally belonged to the Bo Family Dao (a sect that offers blood sacrifices to ghosts and spirits), and your faults and old debts are all recorded under the Three Officials. Yet you slipped through the net by luck and threw yourself into the true Qi. Father and son each serve different masters, are at odds with one another, and do not share the same Libationer. Your guilt is already heavy, and the audits of the underworld will add further punishment. With sins accumulated so deeply, do you still wish to deceive the bureaus of Tai Shang and have your name inscribed in the Purple Register of immortality? If you have no answer, the authorities will certainly seize you.”

Ying gave a long, loud whistle, shook out his robes, stroked his hair, regulated his breath, and shouted in reply: “The Great Dao is not partial; it is with good people alone. Heaven and Earth have no mind; they decide departure or stay according to virtue. Therefore the bloodshed at Banquan did not conflict with the dragon-beard ascension (the allusion to the Yellow Emperor ascending to Heaven on a dragon); how could the cinnabar fields of Sanmiao and the crimson grass of Zhuolu hinder the great sage’s spiritual transformation and ascent to Heaven?”

My seventh-generation ancestor Xu Zi'a accumulated benevolent De (Virtue/Power) and made his virtuous conduct manifest, secretly living in harmony with birds and beasts. When a year of famine came and the common people starved, and then a plague spread so that only one in ten remained, Xu Zi'a exhausted his family wealth to relieve the people. He personally compounded medicinal formulas and toiled hard in the outer quarters; whenever he encountered a funeral in another household, he grieved as though he had lost his own kin; he rescued people from distress as though he himself were ill. The lives of those near death seemed to hang on him alone, and he nurtured the poor and critically ill as his own children, enabling the people to pass safely through the calamitous year. In all, four hundred and eight people survived because of Xu Zi'a.

Xu Zi'a once said, “Benevolent De should not be cut off; its reward will fall upon us descendants.” Therefore his merit was recorded with Shangdi (the Lord on High), and his De was engraved in the Numinous Pavilion, making our ancestors’ foundation firm, our descendants prosperous, and sheltering later generations. Thus the descendants flourished like luxuriant branches, blossomed and bore fruit, and from birth delighted in the immortal Dao. Among them, five were destined to transcend the world and become immortals, and three ascended to the immortal realms. Their names were entered in the register of Tai Shang (Tai Shang Dadao Jun, the Highest Deity) and recorded in the bamboo slips of Qinggong (the Azure Palace, a celestial immortal bureau)—how could people like you have any part in this?

When the words were finished, Fang and the others suddenly understood and departed smiling. Though these words carried a tone of partiality toward his descendants, I too admired his spirit.

Thereupon Xu Zi'a’s name was registered in Donggong (the Eastern Palace, the registry office of immortal officials), and he was to become a middle-ranking immortal in the immortal ranks. However, he still had within him lingering hidden offenses (yin sins, faults accumulated in secret) that had not yet been eliminated; he was daily seeking ways to make amends and to confess his faults to Tai Shang. Before long, he will receive appointment through an immortal writ. He is no longer subject to the assessment of the Three Officials (Sanguan) of Heaven, Earth, and Water, and his name has already been definitively entered in the register of the undying. Now he has moved to live in Zhuye Mountain; some also call this mountain Gaizhu Mountain.

On the eastern side of the mountain two ridges stretch westward, and among them is a Stone Well Bridge. Crossing the bridge and going north, a small path leads straight into the mountains; beside the path are six clumps of fir trees. Within three hundred paces to the left and right of the trees there is a small stone chamber, in front of which spring water flows. Ying (referring to the Daoist cultivator Xu Ying) lived here together with three other people.

In the Chen year he was to leave the mountain temporarily and return to the human world, and his diet would also have to be adjusted somewhat. He also planned to return temporarily to the vicinity of the mountain in his home district so that his brothers could see him. At that time he would let his younger brother know where he was. He further asked someone to convey his thanks and instructed his disciples to look after matters diligently. If anyone wished to go to Zhuye Mountain to seek Ying, they would be able to meet him.

To the east of Zhuye Mountain there is a stone bridge; the path north of the bridge is flat and easy to travel. Do not go up the mountain from the south, for the southern road is extremely steep and dangerous.

The immortals in Zhuye Mountain—Chen Zhonglin, Xu Daoju, Yin Linzi, and Zhao Shudao—all four entered this mountain in the late Eastern Han. Zhao Shudao has already attained the rank of Xiazhenren (Lower Zhenren; Zhenren is a rank of Daoist immortal, and Lower Zhenren is one of its lower grades). Chen Zhonglin has just passed a great trial and will soon leave this place; he is an old immortal of Zhuye Mountain. Wang Shilong, Zhao Daoxuan, Fu Taichu, Xu Ying (also named Yuanyou), and others came to this mountain only in the last four years.

Everything recorded above from the twelfth day of the fifth month to this point is the original text written by Yang Xi (an Eastern Jin Daoist and the principal recorder of the Zhengao) and received by him as instruction.

The venerable Nana had a mild and composed manner and a radiant inner light; he had cast off the dusty burdens of the past and was no longer of his former appearance. Through transformation and cultivation he had attained the true state of mind of the Daoist path. With a harmonious heart he drew in the Qi of the divine spirits, looked up to the numinous and luminous light among the clouds, and devotedly observed the scenes in the morning light. His virtuous words were fragrant as orchids. Now that nearly ten years have passed, Ji (a personal name) believed that he should be given the courtesy name Wei and that a naming ceremony should be held. In all matters, encourage one another; there must be no further slackness or failure to advance diligently.

In the second year of Taihe (a reign title of the deposed emperor of the Eastern Jin; 367 CE, the dingmao year), on the night of the seventeenth day of the twelfth month, Taiyuan Zhenren (a Daoist immortal title), the Lord of Destinies (a deity who governs human lifespans), instructed Mu (a personal name): in the bingzi year, when the full ten years are reached, give him the courtesy name Wei and hold the naming ceremony. In all matters encourage one another; do not again fail to advance diligently.

On the night of the seventeenth day of the twelfth month, the Perfected of the Great Origin (Taiyuan Zhenren), the Lord of Destinies (Siming Jun), told Mu (the recipient): when the bingzi year arrives and ten years are complete, you will then be exactly seventy-two. During the period of the hai and zi years, your spirit (Shen) will undergo transformation and your cultivation will be accomplished; counting from the zi year, there are another ten years.

This passage praises the recipient. Your temperament is free and unconstrained, plain and calm; inwardly you are harmonious, gentle, and tranquil. Although the Dao Qi (vital energy of the Dao) is subtle and wondrous, you can receive and uphold it while maintaining upright self-possession. Your bodily form is clear and luminous, as if ascending into the high heavens; the radiance of your spirit is about to become manifest, and your reputation will gradually rise above the multitude. A person such as this may be counted among the immortals; you should continue to strive, cultivate De (Virtue/Power), and regard gain and loss with detachment.

The following passages are prophecies concerning the recipient’s future. Their general meaning is this: you are profound and penetrating, able to realize the great Dao and perceive the hidden and subtle; your inner mind is empty and still, able to encompass the myriad things; your nature is gentle, harmonious, compliant, and upright. You act with benevolence, kindness, and generosity, delight in hearing the Dao, and invariably put it into practice. You will roam freely and ascend, receive investiture in heaven, become a leader among the true immortals, and befriend the masters of the immortal realms. In the future you will be granted a regional noble title, guard the Immortal Capital, assist a person of the highest De, and have your name entered in the crimson immortal register.

The word “right” in “On the right is stated the allotted portion that Changshi Xu obtained in the Dao” refers to the text that precedes it; “Changshi Xu” refers to the person who obtained a rank in the immortal Dao; “Hujun Changshi” was the official post at that time. These phrases are commentary, that is, explanatory notes added by later people, and they are not the original words of the deity.

The last few sentences describe the immortal realm and immortal offices: the immortals’ radiance is bright, while their beams are concealed; the Two Luminaries (the light of sun and moon) seem to fall upon the points of blades, and rosy radiance flows. Through this the cultivator opens the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) immortal Dao and is able to enter the wondrous gate. His name is registered in the Five Palaces; his immortal document hangs within the Seven Origins; he is interconnected with the various immortal realms and becomes an important member of the Shangqing immortal realm. This passage is also commentary, explaining that “Dieyu” is Gu Xizi, the same as the earlier matter in which the Lord of Destinies answered Guzi concerning “Luoding.”

What is said on the right is the portion obtained by Xu Yufu. The two occurrences of the character “right,” before and after, together with the character “said” below, come from the Changshi’s (Chief Secretary’s) book, where it is written, “The Right: Qingling Zhenren (Perfected One of Pure Spirit) says, etc.” In Yang Xi’s book—Yang Xi being the principal recorder of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) scriptures—the four characters of the name “Qingling Zhenren” are absent. At the time it was probably Yang Xi who orally relayed this to the Changshi, and the person referred to was Lord Pei.

This is the title first established when Daocheng earnestly received the scriptures, and it is also the range that those who attain the Dao can reach. As for the lazy and negligent, even if they obtain the scriptures, they will certainly be unable to cultivate them to success; we should set all this aside together.

For the five items above, Yang Xi and the Changshi each have a manuscript copy.

Baoming (Protector of Life) said: Master Xu was ultimately able to abandon his physical form, hide in the dark, and transform away, by following the method of “night liberation” (yejie) transmitted by Zhang Zhennan (the General Who Guards the South). In this way, one can use the moon’s essence (Taiyin) to nourish the hun and po souls, hide the po beneath the earth, have the Four Spirits (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Dark Warrior) guard Jing and Qi, and the Five Elders (deities of the five directions) preserve the Shen. After sixteen years, he was nearly about to see me in Donghua (the paradise where the Donghua Emperor resides). Since he had already become thoroughly unobstructed, he would not perceive anything as unreal. Master Xu is that yuan (subordinate official).

According to records, Zhang Xishi (the Lineage Master) once served as General Who Guards the South; he died in the twenty-first year of Jian’an and was buried east of Ye. Forty-four years later, in the fourth year of Ganlu of Wei, the water coffin in his tomb was opened, and his corpse was seen to be like that of a living person. He actually sat up, raised a deer-tail whisk to cover his face, laughed aloud once, and then died again; he was therefore buried anew. These are records from outer texts, and they are roughly like this. However, it is still unclear exactly what method “night liberation” should employ. According to Xu Yuan’s account, it seems not to be a method involving swords and staffs or the like.

Youying said: From antiquity to the present, life and death each have their gateways; manifestation and concealment each have their points of accord. Those who can conceal their past, erase knowledge and understanding, and flow along with the world are all following the traces of those who attained the Dao. As for methods such as a single dose of jade elixir and the three flights of the Nine Blossoms, they belong to cultivation of the cloud-liquid kind. The specific terminology mentioned here is rather brief in the original text, and interpretations differ among the various schools.

A Vernacular Interpretation of the Zhengao

Youying tells us: From ancient times to the present, life and death have their gates, and manifestation and concealment each have their conditions. Those who hide the past and obliterate knowledge, who can walk with the world without revealing anything extraordinary, are all following the traces of those who attained the Dao (the Way). As for those who ingest qiongdan and the Nine Brilliances and ascend in flight three times, who drink cloud liquid in the morning and wander back and forth with the Qi (vital energy) of flowing yellow, who look up and swallow golden syrup and chew jade rui (immortal herbs), they can at once control their bodily form and rise into the high heavens, mysteriously flying up to Taiwei (the star palace where the Heavenly Emperor resides).

Yet worldly affairs turn away from the mysterious. Those whose cultivation is not yet complete should for the time being enter Taiyin (the yin realm within the moon, which Daoist texts call the abode of the dark underworld), hide in the land of the underworld, abandon the physical body, and nurture embryonic breathing in the house of emptiness. They smelt and refine primordial Qi, sever the gates of the dusty world, and receive the Jing (essence) and Qi within mysterious silence. Thus they change their appearance in the Hall of the Three Yins (the Daoist quiet chamber of the yin realm) and restore a child’s complexion at the Gate of Nine Refinements (the path of nine refinements). Only then do they understand that the immortals’ seemingly strange “death without perishing,” and the principles of departing and coming, are very profound.

Nanren (that is, the Southern Perfected One) says: When those who attained the Dao leave the world, some reveal traces and some hide and disappear. Entrusting their left-behind bodily remains to the world—this is the hidden aspect of the Dao. Some, after again consuming qiongjing, have their coffins knocked upon (a sign that the corpse has already dissolved after the immortal’s departure); some take a single dose of daogui (a tiny amount of medicinal powder) and their corpses rot; Lu Pigong swallowed jade flower, yet maggots bred from his corpse and flowed out the door; Qiu Jizi swallowed golden liquid, and the stench spread beyond a hundred li; the Yellow Emperor cast and refined the nine tripods at Mount Jing, yet what remained in the tomb was only the grave at Qiaoshan (the site of the Yellow Emperor’s mausoleum); Ji Zhu took a cloud-dispersing medicine and secretly ascended, yet his head and body were separated in different places; Mo Qiu swallowed a rainbow elixir and then threw himself into the water and died; Yusheng consumed stone brain and then threw himself into fire; Wuguang cut and ate leeks and threw himself into the Qingling abyss; □ Cheng cultivated by the method of absorbing Qi, yet caused his stomach and intestines to rot in three layers. Cases such as these are too numerous to count. It is clear that the traces of those who attained the Dao originally have no fixed pattern. Nanren is the Southern Perfected One (the Perfected One of the Southern Marchmount). The deeds of these immortals come from various biographies, and the accounts in them also differ in places.

Baoming also says: Since one has already moved in hiding and passed through unobstructed, even if it is not perceived, it still does not count as true shijie (corpse liberation); statements of this kind are not true shijie.

The above four items are recorded in writing by Changshi.

The following is the gist of a passage in the Daoist classic Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected) concerning “corpse liberation” (shijie) and “refining the form in Taiyin.”

What Is Shijie?

After a person dies, if the corpse still looks like that of a living person, this is shijie; if the feet have not turned blue and the skin has not wrinkled, this is also shijie; if the facial appearance above the waist has not deteriorated and is no different from that of a living person, this too is shijie; and if the hair has all fallen out and the physical frame has been lost, this also counts as shijie. As for ascending in broad daylight with both form and spirit departing, that is the “self-being immortal,” which belongs to another category and is not included among shijie.

(Note: Shijie refers to cultivators using a simulated death to leave the physical body and become immortal; outwardly they appear to have died, but in reality the spirit-soul has already transcended.)

Temporary Death and Wandering in Taiyin

Another case is when a cultivator temporarily “dies” and goes to Taiyin (the Moon Palace; in Daoism the moon is called Taiyin, the place where yin Qi gathers), where he undergoes examination by the Three Officials (Sanguan, the deities of Heaven, Earth, and Water who oversee human sin and blessing, life and death). At this time the physical body has already decayed, the blood has stagnated, and the vessels and meridians have dispersed, yet the five viscera still grow on their own, and the white bones are as pure as jade.

At this time, the seven po (corporeal souls) guard the body, the three hun (ethereal souls) keep to their dwelling, the Qi of the Three Primes (Sanyuan) temporarily rests, and the Great Spirit (Taishen, the original spirit within the human body) is deeply hidden and sealed. This state may last thirty or twenty years, or ten or three years, after which the cultivator emerges at will. After emerging, he gathers the blood again and nurtures the flesh, causing the fluids to be generated and the juices to become full, so that the physical form takes shape anew, more beautiful than his appearance before death. This is the meaning of the saying “the Zhenren (Perfected) refines his form in Taiyin and changes his appearance before the Three Officials.”

The Heavenly Emperor has a verse that says: “Refining the body and form in Taiyin surpasses taking the nine-times refined elixir; the countenance is upright and solemn, the face like numinous clouds; ascending to the gates of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), one receives the writ and becomes a Zhenren.”

The Case of Zhao Chengzi

Five or six years after Zhao Chengzi died, people of a later generation, walking in the mountains at night, saw his corpse resting in a stone chamber: the flesh had rotted away, but the bones remained; they also saw that the five viscera in his abdomen were still growing on their own, just as in life, with blood wrapping them within and purple Qi surrounding them outside, winding around and not dispersing.

Conclusion

When an adept who has attained the Dao temporarily wanders in Taiyin, the deity Taiyi guards the corpse, the three hun protect the bones, the seven po guard the flesh, and the fetal spirit and original Qi are linked to one another and held together without dispersing.

Note: In the original text of this passage, the sentence “At the time of life, the seven po attend and guard... the Great Spirit is sealed within; perhaps for thirty or twenty years, or ten or three years, and then one emerges at will” is repeated in the original; this vernacular interpretation has merged the repetitions. The closing line of the original, “The above three items concern the Chief Clerk’s copying of the Scripture of the Nine Perfected (Jiuzhen Jing) and his subsequent taking of Wushi Yu,” is a copyist’s explanatory record in the nature of a colophon and has not been expanded in the preceding discussion.

The first paragraph discusses “corpse liberation” (shijie), a method in Daoist cultivation of shedding the physical body through simulated death in order to attain immortality. Anyone who attains shijie through other drugs and has not taken the numinous elixir that enables a person to ascend and transform cannot return to their homeland (referring to the immortal realm to which they belong), because the Three Officials (Sanguan, the deities of Heaven, Earth, and Water who keep the registers of human life and death) will seize and detain them. The circumstances of shijie differ: there are those who die and then revive; those whose heads are severed and who are already dead, yet who slip out from beside the body; those whose corpse is lost before encoffining; those whose human form remains but whose bones have completely dissolved; those whose clothing is left behind while the bodily form departs; and those whose hair falls out and whose form disappears. Departing in daylight is called upper shijie; departing at midnight is called lower shijie; departing when Heaven is about to brighten or grow dark, they return to the underground masters (deities in charge of the underworld).

The note beginning “the one item on the right” explains that the preceding item records the matter of shijie on the basis of the discussion made after copying the Jian Jing (Scripture of the Sword).

“The fourth fascicle of Zhenyu ends here” indicates that the fourth fascicle of Zhengao concludes at this point.

“Zhengao, Fascicle Five” is the fascicle title of the fifth fascicle. The author is attributed to Tao Hongjing, who held posts including Right Minister of the Golden Portal, Master of Destinies, and Director of Waterways at Penglai; his sobriquet was Huayang the Recluse, his posthumous title was Zhenbai Zhenren (Perfected Man of Chaste White), and he was called the National Preceptor of Liang.

“Zhenming shou, First” is the title of the first chapter of this fascicle; “Dao Transmission” is the category of this chapter, referring to immortals transmitting Daoist teachings to humans.

The gist of the commentary is as follows: here there is a copy transcribed by each of the Chief Secretary and the Staff Officer (a subordinate official), with this title; it is not known whether it is an old Daoist book. It is said to have been narrated when the immortals descended to Yang Xi (an Eastern Jin Daoist who recorded the words of the descending immortals), and its content and purport all agree with the true scriptures. It is surmised that it was bestowed by Lord Pei (the immortal Pei Jiqing). The reasons are as follows: according to the Baoshen Jing, it says “The Dao says”; after this it also says, “The one I take as my teacher is Red Pine Master of the Southern Marchmount.” In addition, the bedchamber practices were cultivated only by Lord Pei in his youth. In the Zhengao there is the statement, “I formerly always regretted this; fortunately I was released from it early.” This sentence also seems to have been spoken by the Qingling Zhenren (Perfected Man of Clear Spirit), and that is why it is thought so.

The Dao (the Way) is an undifferentiated, indivisible origin; it gives rise to Yuanqi (the primordial Qi before heaven and earth divided). Only after Yuanqi condenses does Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate, the total root of Yin-Yang before their division and of heaven, earth, and the myriad things) come into being. Taiji is the father and mother of heaven and earth and the most profound locus of Dao.

Therefore Dao has its final destination, called “Suzhen” (the plain and pure essence). Without Dao, Zhen cannot be realized; without Zhen, Dao cannot be realized. If Dao cannot be realized, how can the essence of “Su” manifest? Therefore it is said to be the great destination of all things.

Seeing it is called “Miao” (the wondrous, ineffable realm); realizing it is called “Dao”; applying it is called “Xing” (human nature). Nature communicates with the essence of Dao; the reason the essence loves the highest Dao is that Dao causes it to be so. This means that the human body is originally and naturally in union with the Qi of Dao. Thus the Zhongyong says: “What Heaven decrees is called nature; to follow nature is called Dao; to cultivate Dao is called teaching.” Now, through Daoist cultivation, one brings one’s nature to fulfillment as Zhen and thereby becomes the same as Dao.

Taishang (Taishang Laojun, a supreme deity of Daoism) is a descendant of Dao; he clearly perceives the root of Dao and comprehends the source of Dao, and is therefore called the Shangqing Perfected Man and is the teacher of Laojun. This is Taishang Gaosheng Yuchen Dadao Jun (the honorific title of Taishang). He is also the Left Perfected Man of Taiji and the teacher of the Central Huanglao Jun (a Daoist deity title).

Laojun is Taishang’s disciple. At age seven he already understood the essentials of long life, and so he is called the Taiji Perfected Man.

Taiji has four Perfected Men, and Laojun occupies the left position. He wears the talisman of the divine tiger, binds a flowing-gold bell at his waist, holds a purple-haired tally (ceremonial credential) in his hand, and wears a gold-essence headscarf. When he goes forth, he is protected by the Huachen canopy (a splendid carriage canopy) and rides upon the clouds of the Three Su. These two passages come from the Central Scripture of the Nine Perfected, and what they describe is precisely the Central Huanglao Jun. Huanglao was the teacher of the Taixu Perfected Man, the Red Lord of the Southern Peak, and he himself once took the Red Lord as his teacher. Here the text traces his origin and sets out his virtue and rank.

The Dao has the Scripture of the Eight Su Perfected, a hidden book secretly treasured by Taishang; today it has circulated in the world.

The Dao has the Central Scripture of the Nine Perfected, the secret words of Laojun; today it has circulated in the world.

This passage is a list of Daoist book titles given by the Lord (referring to an immortal) in the Zhengao, compiled by Tao Hongjing. Most are titles of scriptures (jing) or methods, without detailed exposition.

The Dao possesses the Central Scripture of the Nine Perfected, the secret teaching of Lord Lao (Laozi), which has circulated in the world. It also possesses the Upper Scripture of Great Clarity, which records the methods of transformation of seventy-four formulas; Taiqing (Great Clarity) is one of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) realms, and here it refers to a higher-level Daoist text. There are also the Text for Eliminating the Six Heavens and the Correct Method of the Three Heavens, the latter having circulated in the world; the Six Heavens are the six layers of heaven that older Celestial Master (Tianshi) tradition regarded as inhabited by evil deities, while the Three Heavens are the highest heaven venerated in Celestial Master tradition.

Among the Yellow, Red, and Purple scriptures are the Yellow Qi, Yang Essence, Concealing Heaven and Hiding the Moon; the Chart of the True Dao in the Scripture of the Three Primes; and the Forty-Four Precepts of the Yellow Plain Divine Prescriptions. There is the Essentials of Long Life from the Yellow Book and Red Boundary; a manuscript note says that the “Du family” deleted this line. There are the Red Elixir, Golden Essence, Stone Radiance, and Mother of Water; the Azure Essentials, Purple Book, Golden Root, and Various Texts; and the Jade Clarity True Precepts and Three-Nine Plain Words; Jade Clarity (Yuqing) is one of the Three Pure Ones. There are also the Stone Essence and Golden Light: Concealing Radiance and Recording Forms, which has circulated in the world; the Elixir Radiance and Dao Essence: Eight Techniques of Hiding in the Earth; the White Slips and Plain Registers: Names of Those Who Attain the Dao; and the Purple Passage and Flame Light: The Night-Illuminating Divine Candle.

After the sentence “These are all scriptures of the Dao,” a commentator explains that the “Du family” changed one character to “jingfang” (scriptural formula), which circulated more widely, but it still belonged to secret transmission. The Celestial Master (referring to the lineage of Zhang Daoling, founder of the Celestial Master tradition) took up their titles and promoted their teachings; their basic purport was largely the same, only gradually expanded. The “Yellow Book and Red Boundary Three-One Scripture” mentioned in the text is the “Inner Truth of Yellow and Red” spoken of by Juanzi (a legendary ancient immortal), not the content later expounded by the Celestial Masters.

Among the scriptures of the Immortal Way are the Scripture of the Flying Step through the Seven Primes and the Heavenly Net, which has circulated in the world, and the Scripture of the Seven Transformations Divine Method and Seven Revolutions; “Flying Step” is the Daoist practice of pacing the guideline and treading the Dipper, a cultivation belonging to visualization and daoyin. There is the Great Cavern Scripture of the Perfected in thirty-nine sections, which has circulated in the world and is an important classic of the Shangqing school. There are also the Hidden Book of the Great Elixir: Eight Endowments and Ten Formulas; the Three Diagrams of the Heavenly Pass and the Movement of the Seven Stars; and the Central Record of the Nine Elixirs’ Transformations and Embryonic Essence; the nine elixirs are nine kinds of Waidan (external alchemy) refined from mineral and metal substances, belonging to the field of alchemy.

Overall, this passage is a catalogue of Daoist books, reflecting the nature of the Zhengao as a work of “scripture catalogues”: it lists various scripture titles, marks which are still circulating and which are secret transmissions, and explains their origins and differences.

Summary of the Original Text:

The Perfected One (here addressed as “Lord”) says: In the Dao of immortality there are the Nine Red-Patterned Talismans (a kind of talisman written with red markings, used to seal and subdue the ghosts and spirits of mountains and those sunk beneath the sea); the Divine Elixir of Golden Liquid (a divine elixir refined by turning gold into liquid); and the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Hidden Ganoderma (a ganoderma growing in the Taiji realm that can make a person invisible). There is also the Seven Stars Shifting Degrees (adjusting the regimen of cultivation according to changes in the movement of the seven stars of the Big Dipper), and the method of the Nine Elixirs Transforming and Generating Embryonic Essence (after nine refinings of the elixir, Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) are transmuted to form an embryo). There are also the Secret Talismans of the Five Phases, which can summon wandering hun-souls and gather po-souls; and the Qusu Jueci, which can summon the ghosts of the Six Heavens to serve oneself.

There are also many things obtained through cultivation: by ingesting Moon Efflorescence of Yellow Water, one can transform into the moon; by ingesting Jade Essence of Huai Water, one can transform into the sun; by ingesting seeds of the Huangang Tree, one can transform into clouds; by ingesting Green Radiance of Water Yang, one can transform into stone; by ingesting the white seeds of the Red Tree, one can transform into jade; by ingesting the green fruit of the Crimson Tree, one can transform into gold; by ingesting the Flowering Elixir of Langgan, one can transform into a flying dragon. These seventeen entries are all recorded in the Lingshu Ziwen (Purple Writ of the Numinous Book), and all are transformations produced by the Langgan elixir.

In addition, by ingesting the Ninefold Refined Divine Elixir, one can transform into a white swan (immortal crane); this entry appears in the Biography of Mao Siming. There is also the Talisman of the Heavenly Emperor’s Image, which can unite with original Qi; this too is recorded in the Purple Writ. The White-Feather Purple Canopy can be used to roam the Five Peaks; the Inner Writings of the Three August Ones can be used to summon the gods and spirits of heaven and earth. Although versions of this Inner Writings of the Three August Ones circulate in the world, they are not the true text. Finally, it says that there are jade pendants and golden bells, by means of which one may ascend to Taiji.

Notes:

The above content belongs to the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) school’s techniques of visualization, Fulu (talismans and registers), and ingestion. The “transformation” spoken of here mostly refers to the wondrous transformations attained by cultivators in the immortal realms, not to physical transmutation in reality. The Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected) was compiled by Tao Hongjing and records matters of descent and transmission by immortals and Perfected Ones during the Southern Dynasties.

This passage has an immortal (called “the Lord” in the original text) enumerate item by item the many wondrous uses of the “immortal Dao,” naming in each case a ritual implement, Fulu (talismans and registers), or garment and its efficacy. The Fulu of the Divine Tiger can overawe the Six Heavens (the six levels of heaven in Daoism); the Bell of Flowing Gold can command and control ghosts and spirits; the Plain Memorial Cinnabar Fulu can summon the Six Jia deities (the spirits presiding over the sixty Jiazi); the Golden Perfected Jade Light can illuminate all under heaven; and the Chariot of the Eight Effulgences allows one who rides it to roam Shangqing (Highest Clarity), one of the highest heavens in Daoism.

The Feathers of Flight, purple embroidered feather cloak, cinnabar-and-blue flying skirt, white feathers and black pinions, kingfisher-feather ornate garment, and golden bells and green belts are all wings, garments, and implements that immortals use for flight; they enable one to transcend the void and fly through the eight directions. Several of these lines appear repeatedly in the original text. The Flying Canopy of Winding Dawn, when driven, causes the body to ascend of itself; the text notes that its method is found in the Sword Scripture (Jian Jing). The Thirty-Seven Colored Tallies are a set of tokens distinguished by color, used as offerings to immortals.

The final section concludes that each wondrous use of the immortal Dao has its own method. If one can fully cultivate even one of them, one may become a Perfected of the Nine Palaces; if one possesses them all, one may become a Perfected of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), and not merely ascend to immortality.

The Lord said: Since you sincerely wish to learn the Dao (the Way), I will transmit the Dao to you. But those who learn the Dao all have their own masters. The one I took as my master was Songzi of the Southern Marchmount (Nanyue, meaning Mount Heng, a famous mountain for Daoist cultivation in legend; Songzi was a legendary immortal of the Chisongzi type). Songzi was the Left Immortal Lord (a title for an immortal official who assists the Perfected) of Taixu Zhenren (a perfected immortal dwelling in the realm of the Great Void in Daoism), while Guxizi was the Right Immortal Lord. In former times, Taishang (i.e., Taishang Laojun, Laozi) transformed the world through virtue and conduct, and Laozi thereby attained the Dao. Songzi transmitted the Dao to me, and I thereby became an immortal. My attainment of the Dao came from Songzi.

Now you wish to learn the Dao, and immortals will certainly test you. If you fail the tests, it is my shame. Since I have now told you the method for attaining the Dao and also the method for responding to the tests, if you cannot pass these tests, that is your own foolishness. Those who test people usually employ matters that people cannot anticipate and that their feelings cannot reach; you must be careful.

The Lord said: Only after passing all twelvefold tests of the immortal Dao can one obtain this Jing (scripture). These twelve matters are the greatest tests, and Taiji Zhenren (one of the honored deities of Daoism, who presides over the examination of immortal ranks) personally observes them on the spot; how could one fail to be cautious?

The Lord said: Formerly Liu Weidao of Zhongshan cultivated immortality at Bozhong Mountain (a mountain in the region of the present Shaanxi-Gansu border) for twelve years in all. An immortal tested him with a huge boulder weighing one hundred thousand jin, and then suspended the boulder by a single white hair, making Liu Weidao lie beneath it. Liu Weidao’s countenance did not change; his mind was at peace and his body at ease. Thus he lay beneath the rock and persevered for twelve years. The immortal tested him many times, resorting to every extreme, and he comprehended and passed each one. Thereupon the immortal bestowed divine elixir on him, and he ascended to heaven in broad daylight and became an immortal. He must have been a man of the Han dynasty.

The Lord said: In former times, Lord Qingwu (the legendary founder of fengshui; here referring to a cultivator of the Dao) personally received instruction from an enlightened master (a teacher of high virtue who transmitted the immortal Dao) and thoroughly understood the subtle principles of the immortal way. He studied the Dao in the Huayin Mountains (present-day Mount Hua area in Shaanxi), accumulating four hundred and seventy-one years in all. He underwent twelve trials, three of which he failed. Later he took Jinxun (a Golden Elixir-type medicine of the immortals) and ascended to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), a high celestial immortal realm. The Lord of Taiji (a high celestial deity in charge of the register of immortals) held that, because he had failed three trials, he could only be counted as an immortal and not as a Zhenren (Perfected), let alone an ordinary worldly person. Lord Qingwu was probably a disciple of Pengzu (the legendary long-lived figure).

The Lord said: The Way of the Great Cavern (Dadong, the highest method of cultivating the Dao) is supremely refined and wondrous. This scripture, transmitted by the Zhenren Wuying Shousu (an immortal who attained the Dao), ensures that anyone who reads it can ride clouds and dragons and ascend to become an immortal. Formerly the Central Yellow Lord Lao (a high Daoist deity) secretly stored this scripture, and the world did not know of it. If you come to know it, you should keep it secret and not transmit it.

Also, in former times there were three brothers, Mr. Zhou and his two younger brothers. When young, all three loved Daoist arts and cultivated together in the Chang Mountains (a famous mountain in legend) for ninety-seven years, concentrating their minds so intently that there was nothing they did not resonate with. Suddenly a white-haired old man appeared. The three knew he was a great spirit, so they kowtowed until they bled, their tears flowing, both sorrowful and joyful, and came forward to request transmission of the Dao. The old man then took out seven scrolls written on white silk and gave them to the brothers, who read them carefully together. Suddenly a white deer appeared near the mountain; the two younger brothers put down the books to look, but Mr. Zhou remained focused on reciting without pausing for a moment. When the two younger brothers returned, Mr. Zhou had recited seven more times than they had. The two younger brothers suspected in their hearts that perhaps an immortal had transformed into the white deer, so they called Mr. Zhou to go look; Mr. Zhou did not respond. When Mr. Zhou had recited the full ten thousand times, the two younger brothers had recited nine thousand seven hundred and thirty-three times. Mr. Zhou then immediately ascended and became an immortal. The two younger brothers picked up the books and recited, but suddenly in the stone chamber stones burst apart into fire and burned the books, so the two could not attain the Dao and become immortals. This book is still in the Chang Mountains. “Traveling on land through the Five Peaks” means being able to roam the famous mountains of the Five Sacred Peaks on land. You must treat this with caution.

The Lord said: In former times there was a man named Bi Bowei, who was a Han dynasty person. When young, he loved the way of long life. He often faced northwest at sunset, closed his eyes, pressed his fingers against his palms—this is Wogu, a hand gesture used in visualization—and visualized Mount Kunlun, the dwelling place of immortals. He persisted in this for twenty-one years. Later he consumed elixir pills and entered Mount Zhong to cultivate the Dao, still maintaining this method. After another ten years or so, when he closed his eyes he suddenly saw Mount Kunlun, and so he continued visualizing without letting up. Thereupon he met an immortal, who transmitted to him the Jinzhuo method, a secret cultivation formula, and from then on he attained the Dao. After attaining the Dao, he still practiced Wogu and visualized Mount Kunlun. This was brought about by his sincerity and resonance with the Dao, not because this visualization method itself had any wondrous power.

The Lord said: Zhenren (Perfected) often conceal the profound mystery of their Dao and reveal an ugly outward form; sometimes with worn clothes and haggard bodies, they look like foolish people. When someone wishes to learn the Dao, Zhenren use this appearance to test them. If one does not recognize them, the test is considered failed, so you need only treat them with caution.

In the early Han, four or five children were playing by drawing on the ground. One of them sang: “Wearing a blue skirt, enter the Heavenly Gate; make a clasped-hand bow to the Golden Mother, bow in homage to the Wood Lord.” This was a cryptic saying, and people at the time did not understand it. Only Zhang Zifang (Zhang Liang) understood its meaning, so he went to pay his respects; that was the Jade Youth of the Lord of the East. The so-called Golden Mother is the Queen Mother of the West, and the Wood Lord is the Lord of the East. Immortals should bow in homage to the Lord of the East and make a clasped-hand bow to the Queen Mother of the West.

The Lord said: In former times there was Fu Xian. This sentence merely records that in ancient times there was a man named Fu Xian; his deeds cannot be elaborated from this passage.

In former times there was a gentleman surnamed Fu who, while young, loved the Daoist arts. He entered a stone chamber on Mount Jiao (a famous mountain of cultivation in Daoist legend) and lived there for seven years. Taiji Laojun (a deity revered in Daoism) went to visit him and gave him a wooden drill, telling him to drill through a stone slab about five chi thick, and said, “When you have drilled through this stone slab, you will attain the Dao.” Day and night he drilled without cease; after forty-seven years he finally drilled through the stone slab, obtained a divine elixir, and immediately ascended to Taiqing (the heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism), becoming Nanyue Zhenren (one of the immortals). This was a person of resolve; you must remember this. If you encounter such a test, never say, “I cannot do it.”

There was also a Huang Guanzi, who likewise loved the Daoist arts from his youth. His family believed in Buddhism and Daoism, and every day he worshiped, bowed his head, and prayed for longevity, persisting in this for forty-nine years. Later he ingested elixirs and entered Mount Jiao to cultivate.

Afterward he underwent tests administered by Taiji Zhenren (a high-ranking deity in Daoism) in one hundred and forty matters, and passed them all. He then took the Golden Elixir and recited the Dadong Zhenjing (an important Daoist scripture); he has now been appointed Left Immortal Minister of Taiji (an office among Daoist deities). He was a person of the utmost sincerity of resolve. This is not something Buddhism can enable people to attain, and from this it can be seen that the principle involved is settled. This account is also similar to the case of Fu Hanzhen (a personal name) believing in Buddhism.

In former times, Mao Bodao, Liu Daogong, Xie Zhijian, and Zhang Zhaoqi—all men of the Eastern Han—cultivated the Dao in the Wangwu Mountains (a famous Daoist mountain, in present-day Jiyuan, Henan) for more than forty years and together refined a divine elixir (a Waidan, or external alchemy elixir made from minerals and metals). Mao Bodao was the first to take the elixir and died; after Liu Daogong took it, he too died. When Xie Zhijian and Zhang Zhaoqi saw this, they did not dare take the elixir and left the mountains together to return home. Later, they met Mao Bodao and Liu Daogong again in the mountains. Both were grieved and startled, so they went forward to ask for instruction. Mao and Liu then transmitted to them Xialing and Chixing fang (possibly two methods of ingesting substances or two medicinal prescriptions). After taking them, they all lived for several hundred years; to this day they remain in the mountains, roaming the Five Peaks (Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Heng, Mount Heng, and Mount Song).

Here it says that such people understood that the divine elixir could lead to attainment of the Dao, but they did not realize that the process of cultivating the Dao is itself a trial. Thus they could only become earth immortals (immortals who dwell in mountains and forests within the human realm, as opposed to celestial immortals who ascend to the heavens), and could no longer hope to ascend to heaven and become immortals. Xie Zhijian appears in three places in the texts: one account says he once accompanied Ge Xuan (a Daoist of the Three Kingdoms period, honored by Daoists as Immortal Elder Ge), and another says he cultivated the Dao in the Luxi Cave. This passage should refer to the same person. As to whether they are in fact the same person, it is still difficult to determine; perhaps they merely shared the same name and surname.

In the early years of the Jin dynasty, there was a Zhenren (Perfected) named Guo Shengzi who practiced divination in the marketplace of Luoyang. At that time, people of the four clans Liu, Shi, Zhang, and Zang all wished to study the Dao and often lamented that they had not encountered a clear teacher. But when the clear teacher actually appeared, they did not perceive him, and all gained nothing because they failed the test. Therefore one should be especially cautious. If one encounters something strange and cannot recognize it, then one has failed the test. When people have the intention to study the Dao, Heaven’s net is vast and sparse, yet it does not miss; all people must undergo trials. You should ponder this principle deeply and be sure to be cautious.

When Chengzi was young, he was fond of the Dao of longevity and single-mindedly studied the Dao for more than forty years. Later he entered Xingshan to cultivate, and after more than seventy years he was tested by the mountain god of Jingshan. Chengzi thought the other was a Perfected (one who had attained the Dao), so he prostrated himself and begged for the Dao, but was bitten by a great snake and nearly died. Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses, visualized Taishang (Taishang Laojun, the Most High Lord Lao) in his mind, and then visualized the Seven Stars (the Big Dipper) to drive the great snake away; only then did he escape danger. Later he was again deluded by an evil ghost and lost his left eye. From then on he could not attain the Dao and finally met his end in the mountains. Therefore, those who study the Dao should be wary of such tests and should constantly visualize and revere their masters. The reason Chengzi failed was precisely that his mind was not focused and evil thoughts still lurked in his heart.

Huang Ziyang was a man of Wei. Even in his youth he understood the mysteries of longevity. He studied the Dao at Boluo Mountain for more than ninety years, eating only peach bark and drinking the yellow fluid found in stone. Later he encountered Sima Jizhu (a famous diviner of the Han dynasty), who transmitted to him the Eight Directions for Guiding to Immortality (a set of daoyin methods for becoming immortal), and he thereby transcended the mortal world. Here “Wei” refers to the state of Wei during the Warring States period, not the Northern Wei that arose after the Han dynasty.

Liu Fenglin was a man of the Zhou dynasty. He studied the Dao at Songgao Mountain (Mount Song), accumulating four hundred years. He refined the Threefold Divine Elixir (an immortal elixir compounded from three medicinal ingredients), but it was spoiled by malevolent beings, so he moved to Weiyu Mountain (a mountain in the legendary far northern region of extreme cold). He could hold his breath for three days without breathing. More than a thousand years have passed, and he still has not ascended to immortality; the reason is that he faced too many tests, and his Dao attainment is not yet complete. This man merely took huanglian (an herb regarded in Daoist texts as a medicine of longevity) and thereby attained long life without death, but he could not command ghosts and spirits.

Gao Qiuzi was a man of the Yin-Shang period and likewise loved the Dao. He entered Liujing Mountain (a mountain in Daoist legend) and cultivated there for more than five hundred and twenty years, reading only the Huangsu Daojing and consuming wood-category medicinal substances.

The immortal said: In former times there was Gao Qiuzi, a man of the Yin-Shang era who also loved to cultivate the Dao. He entered Mount Liujing and cultivated for more than five hundred and twenty years, reading only the Yellow Silk Daoist Scripture (Huangsu Daojing, a Daoist scripture written on yellow silk) and consuming herbal medicines and medicinal preparations. Later he refined the Hongdan (a divine elixir) and became a terrestrial immortal. He wandered through the Five Sacred Mountains for more than two hundred years and finally obtained the Golden Liquid (Jinye, an immortal elixir), whereupon he ascended to Taiqing (one of the Three Pure Ones’ heavens, the celestial capital of the upper realm). Today he is the Perfected of the Central Peak. This account is broadly the same as what is said in the Preface to the Sword Scripture (Jianjing Xu).

The immortal also said: In cultivating the Dao, one should keep the “Three Passes” (sanguan) harmonized at all times; this is the fundamental method for firmly guarding Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and strengthening the bones. The so-called Three Passes are: the mouth is the Pass of the Heart, the feet are the Pass of Earth, and the hands are the Pass of Humanity—together called the Three Passes. When the Three Passes are harmonized, the five viscera become stable; when the five viscera are stable, the whole body will not fall ill.

In former times Zhao Shuqi studied the Dao on Mount Wangwu and often left the mountain to go among the people. He heard that there was a diviner in the marketplace, so he went to visit him. The diviner said to him: “If you wish to enter the Heavenly Gate, you must harmonize the Three Passes and visualize yourself wearing crimson robes, facing directly toward Kunlun (the sacred site in Daoism symbolizing the upper part of the body and the head).” Zhao Shuqi knew that the other was a divine being, so he prostrated himself and bowed his head, asking to be taught the essential instructions. The other then gave him a scroll entitled Taijing Zhongji (Record of Embryonic Essence). Zhao Shuqi received the book with reverence, returned to the mountain, recited and practiced it, and later refined a divine elixir and ascended to heaven as an immortal. These are all corroborations from former events; you should remember these words. The method of the Three Passes is the same as what is said in the Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture), except that there it has theory but no specific method.

The Lord says: One should visualize the Five Shen (Spirits) within the body. The Five Shen refer to the two hands, the two feet, and the head. Visualize the head as constantly blue-green, the two hands as constantly red, and the two feet as constantly white; then one is not far from becoming an immortal. Formerly, Xu Jidao studied the Dao (the Way) on Mount Huming, and he also often left the mountain forest to go among the people. One day he suddenly met a person wearing leather trousers with a short jacket of bleached silk over them, leaning on a staff made from a peachwood branch. At first Jidao did not notice anything; only after meeting him several times did he realize, and so he bowed and thanked the man. That man said to Jidao: One who wishes to study the Dao should cover the head with the blue-green Qi (vital energy) of heaven, chant “Dali,” hold white with both hands, and with both feet moving about visualize red—this is the method of the Five Shen. His words were very obscure. What was called “Dali” is the Three Sovereigns Writ. This is in fact the cultivation method of the Taizu (Great Simplicity) Five Shen, and there is a separate scripture and method for it.

The Lord says: If you wish to make the mind and intent upright, then every day when the sun has risen to about three zhang high, cross your hands and place them on both shoulders, let the sunlight shine on the heart, and when you feel warmth in the heart, the heart becomes upright. It is good to do this often. Formerly there was a man named Jiang Bozhen, who studied the Dao and gathered herbs on Mount Meng. He suddenly encountered an immortal. The immortal had him stand in the sunlight, and his shadow was crooked. The immortal said: “You know the preciousness of the immortal Dao and have focused your resolve to study it, but you do not know that an unrighteous mind is a fault.” Thereupon he taught him to do this, and afterward he finally attained the Dao. The Dinglu Catalogue records that Master Xu considered this Jiang Bozhen to be a disciple of another Jiang Bozhen, but was not certain whether he was this person.

The Lord says: Often at midnight, leave the pillow and lie flat; use the firm grip (clenching the fist with the thumb tucked against the other four fingers), relax the body, and make the breathing even and fine; then the body’s Shen (spirits) are complete. If there is any deficiency, you should quickly rise, burn incense, sit upright with eyes closed, place both hands in the firm grip on your knees, and in your mind visualize the various spirits within the body, causing white Qi to be born from both eyes, the size of an egg, and remain before your eyes; in this way you can restore the original state. Practice this once every five days. This is the method among the Twenty-Four Shen.

The Lord said: Merely taking plant and herbal medicines, without understanding the methods of the bedchamber arts (fangzhong) or the practices of circulating Qi and daoyin (guided bodily exercises), brings no benefit even if one takes medicine; in the end one will not attain the Dao. If one’s mind and resolve are utterly focused and one can communicate with spiritual beings, so that whatever one visualizes is fulfilled, then herbal medicines are not needed. If one understands only the arts of the bedchamber, daoyin, and circulating Qi, but does not know the method for refining the divine elixir, one likewise cannot become an immortal. If one obtains golden broth (jinzhuo)—a kind of immortal medicine, roughly a golden-liquid elixir—and the method of divine Qi and daoyin, taking medicine is still of no benefit, and in the end one will not attain the Dao. If one’s mind is focused and one can communicate with spiritual beings, whatever one visualizes will surely be fulfilled; likewise, herbal medicines are not needed. If one understands only the bedchamber, daoyin, and circulating Qi, but does not know the method of the divine elixir, one cannot become an immortal.

If one obtains the golden broth divine elixir, no other methods are needed; one can become an immortal immediately. If one obtains the Dadong Zhenjing (Great Cavern Scripture), then even the way of the Golden Elixir is unnecessary; recite it repeatedly ten thousand times, and upon completing the recitation one can become an immortal. The protective methods of the bedchamber and the arts of daoyin and circulating Qi have their own scriptures circulating in the world; they will not be explained one by one here. This means that if one merely takes medicine and practices contemplative visualization (cunsi) while not cutting off sexual activity, one cannot attain long life; it does not mean that all bedchamber practices are impermissible. If one abstains from all of them and simply takes medicine, one can become an immortal.

The scripture says: Those who attain the Dao must master the method of “concealing the grain worm” (yin guchong) and the various techniques for seeing the Three Corpses (sanshi). When the grain worms (guchong) die, the Three Corpses wither; when the Three Corpses wither, they naturally fall away. There is a separate specialized method for killing the grain worms; those who receive it should keep it secret and not disclose it. This is the Chushen Pill (Chushen wan) formula in the Su transmission; all other miscellaneous methods are inferior to it.

The Lord said: Human life is endowed with a bone register (gulu)—that is, a record of one’s bone physiognomy in one’s destiny—and one must have a firm resolve that corresponds to it. The following passage, “There is another method; those who obtain it should keep it secret,” is the same as the secret transmission mentioned above; it too refers to the Chushen Pill formula in the Su transmission, to which all other miscellaneous methods are inferior.

The Lord says: When a person is born with a “bone register” (gulu: innate immortal bone and immortal register, meaning the foundation for cultivating the Dao and attaining immortality), that person must also have firm resolve; it is the Dao (the Way) that makes them so. People such as Mr. Qingguang, Guxizi, Nanyue Songzi, Mr. Changli, and Moyu were all befriended by Taiji Zhenren (the Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate, a high Perfected dwelling in the Taiji paradise), or were remembered by Taishang Tiandi (the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, one of the highest deities of Daoism); thus clouds rose and they came riding dragons to welcome them. Therefore they became immortals without studying the Dao—immortals naturally came to their side. From this point onward, all must firm their resolve.

The commentary says: These people, in studying the Dao, all had some practice they undertook and all passed through arduous effort. To say that they “attained it without learning” does not fully explain the principle. Moyu should be Mo Di (Mozi), or possibly Muyu.

The Lord says: Those who study the Dao have nine afflictions, all of them great defects in a person. If one can examine and remove these defects, becoming an immortal will not be far off. These nine afflictions are: the resolve is sometimes present and sometimes absent; sometimes one has companions and sometimes not; sometimes one has aspiration and sometimes not; one does not meet an enlightened teacher; having met an enlightened teacher, one fails to understand; having understood, one is not diligent; being diligent, one does not guard the Dao; or one’s resolve is not firm; and having become firm, one cannot sustain it. These are the nine afflictions of a person.

If from youth one delights in cultivating the Dao, is single-minded and steadfast, and has firm resolve, then water and fire cannot frighten one’s heart, and glory and splendor cannot confuse one’s aspiration. Cultivating the true nature and embracing plain simplicity, in time one will naturally meet an enlightened teacher; there is no need to worry that none will appear. In this way one need not rely on companions to succeed, nor on responses and signs to act. These are the essential points in learning to become an immortal; you should consider them carefully.

The Lord says: Joy and anger injure the resolve; sorrow and grief injure one’s nature; glory and splendor confuse virtuous conduct; excessive sexual activity exhausts Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). These are great taboos in studying the Dao and what immortal methods most avoid. Even if one uses methods such as huanjing (returning the Jing to replenish the body) and taixi (embryonic breathing, a practice of breathing naturally like a fetus) to force compensation, the inner deficiency has already become evident, and it is still not one’s original true nature. It is better to know and refrain from doing these things; even if one acts, not to dissipate—this is the essential way to become an immortal and the fundamental discipline of nourishing life.

The Lord says: If you wish to prolong life and extend your years, you should wash your face and nurture the spirit. When the sun has risen to a height of two zhang, face the sun directly, exhale from the mouth the turbid qi within the body (dead qi), and inhale through the nose the essence of sunlight (solar essence). If one merely sneezes through the nose to clear the breath, this is still not the original true method. Rather than knowing it and not doing it, it is better to do it without slackening; this is the key to becoming an immortal and the foundation of nourishing life.

The Lord says: If you wish to prolong life and extend your years, you should wash your face and nurture the spirit. When the sun has risen to a height of two zhang, face the sun directly, exhale turbid qi from the mouth, and inhale solar essence through the nose. If a sneeze occurs in the nose, one may stop; this shows that the qi has already become unobstructed. Doing so can also supplement Jing and Qi and restore embryonic breathing (inner breathing like a fetus); it is a method of longevity.

The Lord says: Food and drink should be moderated and must not be excessive; excess will cause illness. After eating one’s fill, take care not to lie down immediately; lying down causes the spirit to drift, and when the spirit drifts one easily loses one’s original nature. Overeating causes illness, and when ill the effects of medicine cannot unfold. Those who wish to study the Dao must be careful about these matters before beginning to take [elixirs] (cultivate alchemical pills).

The Lord says: The “Shigui method” can make the eyes bright; with prolonged practice vision becomes clear. During the jiazi ten-day period, one should take clear water flowing east and mix it with true elixir (cinnabar) to wash the eyes. Wash fourteen times at first light each morning; doing this regularly is best. This method comes from among the Twenty-Four Spirits and is called “Futong” (“Brushing the Youth”); it should be performed at noon on a gengwu day.

The Lord says: Those who wish to cultivate the Dao should visualize the light of the sun and moon in their eyes, keep the master’s teachings in their ears, and constantly exhale turbid qi from the mouth while inhaling living qi. In the body visualize the forms of the Five Planets (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth), and when walking be light as if treading on air. Visualize longevity in the heart, be cautious and restrained in speech and laughter, and constantly reflect on one’s own body and spirit deities; this is the key to cultivating the Dao.

The Lord says: The “method of seven and five” should be visualized at all times. The five are stored in the body; the seven are stored in the scriptures.

The Lord says: In the world there are fierce and violent ghosts and spirits of the lower realms; practitioners must recognize their forms—this is a key point that must be mastered.

The Lord says: The “method of seven and five” should be visualized at all times. The five are stored in the body; the seven are stored in the scriptures.

The Lord said: In this world there is a kind of fierce and violent ghost that dwells in the lower realm and often transforms into a woman to confuse and test those who cultivate the Dao. When this happens, one should hold the breath, visualize the Hengfu star within the Heavenly Gate, settle the body and spirit, make one’s countenance proper and one’s will firm, and then gaze at the bright pearl within the compass in the body. If the pearl is murky and unclear, it is the ghost testing you; knowing that it is a ghost’s test, visualize the Seven Stars before you or above your head, and use them to repel it. If the pearl within the compass is bright and clear, then this is truly a person of the immortal Dao. If you can recognize him, bow to him; if you cannot recognize him, you have not passed the test. If you mistake an evil demon for a true person, that also counts as failing the test, so one must be especially careful. Evil and right mixed together are the hardest test to distinguish.

The Lord said: Food and drink should not be cut off all at once; one should reduce them gradually, for example by one sheng every ten days, and after half a year one may stop eating. Abstaining from grain has its own methods, which most people in the world already know, so they will not be repeated here. People eat peach flesh to nourish the body, but they do not know that peach skin is more effective; the use of peach skin has its own special method.

The Lord said: When abstaining from grain and entering the mountains, the things one boils for food have special requirements; this was already explained earlier and will not be repeated.

The Lord said: When abstaining from grain and entering the mountains, one should boil white stone for food. In former times there was a man named Baishizi who used stone as grain, so people in the world called him “Baishi Sheng.” He was a Perfected Person and now serves as Left Immortal Minister of the Eastern Bureau, a celestial immortal office. There is a special method for boiling white stone, and it was precisely created by Baishi Sheng. He also mastered the Taishu zhuan; the saying “white stone has essence” refers to Baishi Sheng. This method has circulated in the world.

The Lord said: The Taishu zhuan is a Daoist text. Those who study this book should serve the Supreme Lord Lao and the Shangqing August Person. The so-called “way of luminous emptiness reflecting within the light” is not the exalted rank of an immortal; it is precisely what Laozi calls the “Valley Spirit.”

The Lord said: Wangwu Mountain is a separate heaven, a grotto-heaven, inhabited by immortals, namely the so-called Yangtai. All who first attain the Dao go to Yangtai. Yangtai is a realm of pure emptiness; the way of luminous emptiness reflecting within the light there is not the exalted rank of an immortal; it is precisely what Laozi calls the “Valley Spirit.”

The Lord says: Mount Wangwu is another heaven and earth within the immortal realm, namely the so-called Yangtai. All who first attain the Dao go to Yangtai; Yangtai is the Palace of Qingxu (Pure Emptiness: a pure, still, and empty immortal realm). Those who wish to enter this mountain should know that it is difficult to climb. At its foot flow the Baoji Waters, and in the water is Stone Essence (Shijing: an immortal medicine congealed from the Jing of heaven and earth); obtaining and consuming it brings long life. This mountain is in Bishui County, Henei Commandery, and is also the source of the Ji River.

The Lord says: What is called the Dadong refers to Shenzhou (here a continent or region of the immortal realm, not another name for China). Shenzhou also has three mountains; the three mountains have seven palaces, and each palace again has seven transformations: in the morning it becomes gold, at noon silver, in the evening copper, and at night light; sometimes it becomes a mountain, sometimes water, sometimes stone. This is called the “Seven Transformations” (Qibian). Within the Seven Transformations there are seven scriptures, each with twenty-one jade youths in attendance; therefore this book is named the Dadong Zhenjing. Reciting it ten thousand times enables one to become immortal; this is the highest classic of the immortal way.

The Lord says: What is called Langye is the seat of Langfeng (Langfeng: an immortal realm on Mount Kunlun). On Mount Kunlun there are nine prefectures, namely the “Seven Transformations” mentioned above. The Seven Transformations have seven scriptures, and the seven scriptures have twenty-one jade youths following this book; hence it is called the Dadong Zhenjing. Reading it ten thousand times enables one to become immortal; this is the supreme classic of the immortal way.

The Lord says: The nine prefectures on Kunlun are the Nine Palaces; Taiji is the Great Palace. All immortals are officials of the Nine Palaces (the original guan, “official,” may be an error for liao, meaning colleagues and subordinate officials). As for the Zhenren (Perfected), they are the dukes, ministers, and grand masters in the Nine Palaces. Immortal officials are divided into higher and lower ranks, each with its own order; they are also divided into Left and Right Bureaus, with Left and Right Dukes, Left and Right Ministers, Left and Right Grand Masters, and Left and Right Censors. Those who read the Dadong become immortal ministers; those who take the Golden Elixir become grand masters; those who take various zhi become censors. If one can consume Taiji Hidden Zhi, one may become a Left or Right Immortal Duke and a Zhenren.

The Lord says: There are several paths to becoming an immortal through shijie (liberation by corpse), and all are counted as one category of immortals. Immortals by shijie cannot ride a Huagai (Huagai: the canopy carriage used by immortals), nor can they drive flying dragons. If one can consume Taiji Hidden Zhi, one may become a Left or Right Immortal Duke and a Zhenren.

The Lord said: There is a kind of becoming immortal through “shijie” (liberation by corpse), which is further divided into several categories, all falling within the category of immortals. Shijie immortals—those who become immortal by shedding their bodily shell—cannot ride in the Huagai canopy (the canopy used by immortals), cannot drive flying dragons, cannot ascend to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate, here the sacred realm of the heavens), and cannot roam the Nine Palaces (the heavenly palaces). This means that those who naturally attain shijie and become immortals can only fill posts such as underworld administrators; it does not mean that they can ascend to the heavens by means of transformative rebirth and metamorphic change.

The Lord said: As for the nine-times-transmuted Yang Elixir (an immortal elixir made through Waidan, external alchemy, and transformed nine times), most people in the world understand this art, so I will not elaborate on it. Here it actually refers to bedchamber affairs; “Yang Elixir” perhaps ought to be written “Yin Elixir.”

The Lord said: When someone asked me about the way of cultivation and learning, I said that one should simply ingest immortal medicines. If you do not cut off grain food, it is impossible to reach Dadong (the profound and advanced realm of Daoist cultivation). As for the method of grain abstention, it has its own transmission in the world.

The Lord said: I wish to expound the mystery of the immortal way and discuss the transformations of the great Dao; you must keep it secret and not transmit it, and treat my words with care. This refers to the two items that follow.

The Lord said: Formerly there was a certain Guo Chongzi, a man of the Yin-Shang period and a disciple of Perfected Peng (Peng Zhenren; perhaps the legendary long-lived Peng Zu). He once traveled with three brothers, and on the way a villain injured his left arm. The third brother was furious and wanted to take revenge, but Guo Chongzi said, “There is no need for that.” Then they smiled and went their separate ways. The villain later became an official, and Guo Chongzi repeatedly praised and recommended him. The man then went to thank him, but Guo Chongzi continued praising him without stopping. The man said, “I was originally a villain; I cannot accept a gentleman’s kindness.” Thereupon he killed himself. Later, when Guo Chongzi attained the Dao, the Taiji Perfected One (Taiji Zhenren) held that he had committed the fault of indirectly harming someone, and so he could not be conferred the title of Zhenren (Perfected). This is roughly to say that if doing good can still involve fault and bring about harm, how much more so doing evil? Among present-day matters, many are similar to this, so it is taken as a cautionary lesson.

When Fan Lingzi was young, he was fond of the immortal Dao (xiandao). After practicing in this way for many years, he encountered Sima Jizhu. Jizhu was about to enter Mount Chang (Changshan) to cultivate, so he took Lingzi with him and stayed in a stone chamber for seven years. In the northeast corner of the stone chamber there was a stone—the pronunciation of this character is given by a fanqie gloss—shaped like a great jar, perhaps a stone window. Whenever Jizhu went out, he always warned him: under no circumstances open this. He repeated this warning more than once. Lingzi suddenly opened it to look, and looking down he saw his parents at home. Their figures were right before his eyes, yet seemed as distant as the edge of heaven, and sorrow arose in his heart. When Jizhu returned, he sent him home. Later he summoned him back and had him guard a bronze cabinet, again warning him not to open it. Lingzi opened it once more, and what he saw was still the same as before: the scene of his home. Jizhu then sent him away, and in the end Lingzi did not attain the Dao. This affair has entered the realm of the inconceivable, but whenever one encounters a similar situation, one should be cautious.

For one whose merit (gongde) has accumulated to a full thousand, even if he has faults, he may still attain immortality. If merit reaches three hundred and his faults are not enough to offset it, the sons’ generation will attain immortality. If merit reaches two hundred, the grandchildren’s generation will attain immortality. If one has neither faults nor merit of his own, yet relies on the merit of ancestors, he may also attain immortality; this is what is called “the surplus blessing of ancestors” (xianren yuqing). Those who lack aspiration and have many faults may obtain wealth and honor, but the immortal Dao is not something they can seek. This is the basic standard of merit and fault; how could one not strive?

The above is the complete content of the one scroll Daoshou (Dao-Bestowed).

The above scroll was written by the Chief Secretary and also copied by a subordinate clerk; this is the copyist’s colophon.

Here ends Scroll Five of Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected). (The original has “yu” where it should be “gao.”) Editorial note: here, according to context, one “wo” is supplied.

Scroll Six of Zhengao.

This is the attribution at the head of the scroll: the author refers to himself by an immortal-office title and signs it as composed by Huayang Hermit, Zhenbai Zhenren Tao Hongjing.

The title of the second chapter is Zhenming Shou (Examining Destiny and Conferring).

The Fuzhu Xu (Preface on Ingesting Zhu) is a preface discussing the method of consuming zhu (cangzhu, Atractylodes lancea).

Lady Ziwei is the name of the female immortal described in this chapter; she is Wei Huacun, venerated by the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) school.

Although these two scrolls are said to have been recorded by “Shushu” (the recorder or transmitter), they are in fact largely the original outline and vigorously argued exposition, and they do not seem to have come from the writer’s own intention. Ziwei (here referring to the immortal who descended and bestowed the scripture) has abundant talent and exquisite feeling; his diction is rich and unrestrained, and when narrating the beginning and end of affairs he often goes beyond ordinary principles. The metaphors he makes afterward, however, explain very profoundly the subtle principle of yellow and red (the mysterious pattern of celestial phenomena and the movement of Yin-Yang).

At dawn, after fasting and purification, one seeks the vast primordial Qi and penetrates the original beginning of the obscure and hidden. When the eight Qi (the Qi of the eight directions, the primordial Qi between heaven and earth) have not yet mingled and the spiritual pass has not yet been ordered, the cultivator alone calmly contemplates the empty vastness and lets natural Qi stand peacefully in emptiness. Thereupon mellow and profound tones softly begin to chant; a harmonious wind rises in response; the radiance of the two luminaries, sun and moon, shines mutually; and the obscuring clouds in the sky become clear of themselves without waiting to be dispersed. This is to hold the sprout that begins at the time before division, to block the myriad sources at the pivot, to make beings that contain life return to their true nature, and, touching any category, to reflect back to the original state. Thus one may regard ten thousand years as the constancy of the Dao of Heaven and wish, with infant-like purity, to preserve harmony for long; why then probe the obscure realm of the creative spiritual deities, or apply the mind to study the external and false matters of strange regions?

If one has in oneself no basis for attaining the truth, and one’s vessels have no capacity to carry the true Dao, then one should enter the mysterious nurturing of Tianyuan (Heavenly Origin), seek out the myriad essences to reach the ultimate wondrous realm, and examine the nine wefts (the stars of heaven) to establish vitality. Looking up at the smoke and vapors, spiritual clouds coil around the void; looking down at the six pitch pipes (the tones), the eight winds fan their power. From within the Great Nonbeing comes a whistling sound that penetrates the obscure; the full sun and moon emit radiance that illumines the sky. Thereupon purple clouds luxuriantly emerge; waves surge; mountains collapse; floating smoke shrouds forms; the clear and luminous scenery hides and scatters; the Five Phases maim and harm one another; the four seasons alternate in disorder; Metal and Earth draw close; Water and Fire open fissures; trees and grasses, flowers and plants cease to grow; the hundred rivers are blocked and cannot flow; mighty lightning flashes crosswise and roars; and thunder shakes east and west, splitting the myriad things.

The celestial image of Zhun (Difficulty at the Beginning) has already appeared and transforms into the calamity of Yang Nine (the number of misfortune in ancient calendrics); the earthly image of Pi (Stagnation) is already obstructed and thus becomes the conjunction of Hundred Six (the cycle of disaster in ancient calendrics). The regret of overreaching at its extreme reaches exhaustion at the summit of Qian; one sees the host of dragons contending and appearing, and blood flowing over the fields of Kun. Thus good and bad fortune clash, and the myriad images display calamity and blame. For one who walks on the level great road, the hidden and subtle person who holds fast to uprightness will obtain good fortune; for one who withdraws and hides from the world, there is likewise no undertaking that is not beneficial. If one braves danger and encounters hardship, then in walking one must prepare a cart laden with corpses; if one steps toward the northeast, one will lose companions and regret will come; if one crosses the great river, it is unfavorable, like falling into a pit and sinking away to ruin.

People of the world have lost their original, true nature, and the harmony between humans and the myriad things has also been lost. They rush about in all directions amid endless confusion, until even gods and ghosts are drawn into it, each harboring its own calculations. If this is allowed to run its course, heaven and earth will lose their constant order, and the hearts of the common people will waver along with it. Thus some set out far to the northeast, only to lose their companions and be filled with regret, like crossing a great river without gaining any benefit, or like knowing the danger of a pit well and yet still falling into it.

Therefore the Supreme Perfected One (Taishang Zhenren, a supreme Daoist deity of the same order as Lord Lao), moved with compassion for the myriad things of the world as they drift with the current and for their unsettled minds, opened the ford of the hidden and obscure (the path leading to awakening to the Dao), guiding people to realize the worthy Dao and to accord with all transformations. The principles of nourishing life were thereby made complete: those who accumulate blessings and virtue are often preserved, while those who contravene constant principles are easily thwarted; those skilled in regulating the six qi (the six energies of heaven and earth—yin, yang, wind, rain, darkness, and brightness) can stabilize their lifespan, and those who consume numinous mushrooms find their spirit at peace.

The wondrous formulas and secret arts in Daoist texts are expounded in the profound depths of the realm of pure emptiness; golden tablets and jade slips (secret writings inscribed on gold and jade) were composed on the Weiyu Terrace (a lofty terrace said to be inhabited by immortals). Within them are deep and subtle divine incantations and the gathered radiance of the Perfected Ones: by reciting their chapters and phrases one can control the morning light and grasp Taiwei (the name of a celestial star official, standing for the heavenly realm); by applying their methods of the Dao one can make wheel-like cloud qi soar through the Nine Heavens, ride beneath the canopy of flowing rosy clouds and immortal arrays, and receive the gracious regard of the Wenchang star terrace. In the methods of cultivation, some use furnace fire to refine and transmute the hidden essence of cinnabar (vermilion sand), and refine powders into a purple spiritual elixir like gold and jade; langgan jade and precious stones luxuriantly emit light, clouds of the eight jades brilliantly soar, crimson fluids circulate and flow, and the dragon fetus within the body faintly sounds. Medicines such as tiger froth and phoenix brain, cloud langgan and jade frost, Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) moon nectar, and the Three Rings’ spiritual adamant are taken according to method, as if with a daogui (medicine spoon, denoting a small measure). Thereupon divine feathers spread, and so the upper text of the Kongtong realm is opened, causing the light of Yuanshi (the Primordial Beginning) to blaze brilliantly.

The divine feathers spread their wings, passing through the celestial realm in the sky and illuminating the chamber of Yuanshi. Recitation clear as fine jade issues from the Palace of the Three Mysteries. The ribbons of the precious seal encircle what the Three Primes bestow, while flower-bud pendants drift out from the chambers of the Cinnabar Forest. The High God presents the repeated soarings of the purple light carriage; Taizhen bestows fire bells of flowing gold. Divine youths take up the carriage shafts, the nine phoenixes cry in unison, heavenly music shakes the void, and the sound of morning bells and chimes lingers without end.

The cultivator lifts his body and lowers the pennanted banner; the light of the Eight Scenes floats in the air. With dragon carriage and tiger banners he roams through the eight directions. Above, he may reach heights as lofty as Changyang; below, he dwells in the orchid hall above the inverted reflection. The consort in the moon and the radiance in the sun mirror each other’s faces; spirit maidens cradle the curling strains of immortal music, and incense smoke fills the window lattices. Looking back, those perfect scenes have already receded—why bother reckoning the journey of ninety thousand li?

From this it is clear that the way of the high immortals is exceedingly lofty, and the path to seeking efficacy is subtle and wondrous. The methods of ingestion and control accord with the divine, and the principle of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness thus becomes evident. Were it not for scriptures such as the Huanglao Yushu (Jade Book of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi), transmitted by the immortal Wuying Gongzi as recorded in the Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected); the Dadong Zhenjing (True Scripture of the Great Cavern) in thirty-nine chapters, an important scripture of the Shangqing school; and the Huoluo Qiyuan and Taishang Yixuan, there would be nothing comparable to this art.

There is also another cultivation method: realize the spirit and Jing (essence), concentrate the mind in contemplative visualization, refine and nourish the Mingtang (the inner hall of the gods within the body), pay homage to the Six Spirits morning and evening, cause the Five Viscera to emit radiance, guard and seal the primordial gate, inwardly preserve the Nine Zhen (the nine true deities within the body), and let the Three Qi circulate and flow as liquid, irrigating the Dantian (energy center). This too is a secondary method of cultivation. As for those who make offerings with sincere devotion and sacrifice only vegetables and fruits, why should they imitate the eastern neighbor and use the grand ceremony of the tailao (the three victims: ox, sheep, and pig)? One may further add Five-Cloud Water, cinnamon, Atractylodes root, Polygonatum, Nanzhu, Yang grass, eastern stone azurite, pine and cypress resin, Jusheng (sesame), and Poria—all life-nourishing substances that may perhaps prolong years and extend life.

I have also examined the relative strengths and weaknesses of various herbs and techniques. Some quickly benefit oneself, while others have never shown any proven efficacy. Recently the killing Qi has covered the sky, noxious smoke has obscured the sunlight, demons have arisen everywhere, and various diseases have come in succession. Some are wind-cold congestions, some are migratory swellings and the like. Calamities arrive unexpectedly, illnesses arise unforeseen, and they come one after another.

Generally, when one takes the medicinal Qi of zhu (Atractylodes species such as cangzhu and baizhu, herbs commonly used in Daoism to ward off evil and nourish life), it can suppress the fluids of ghosts and evil spirits and block evil demons from running rampant. If it is not taken, various illnesses will follow one after another: in some cases wind-cold becomes congested within the body; in others there is edema or various infectious diseases. Calamities arrive unexpectedly, illnesses occur by chance, coming in unbroken succession.

Taking zhu Qi can check the fluids of ghosts and evil spirits, and the vapor it emits can suppress and snap the root nodes of evil Qi. It strengthens the internal organs, gathers and stabilizes the hun and po souls, supplements the blood, nourishes the brain and marrow, drives out evil Qi, draws in true Qi, and guards Jing (essence), Qi, and the nature and life. Taking it as a medicinal tonic can make the numinous Qi gentle and spread throughout the body, so that the blood and Qi circulate lightly and briskly. Taking it in pills and powders eliminates the hundred diseases, and the five viscera all contain fluids; thus one can attain long life, and the longer one lives, the clearer one’s vision becomes.

The ancients called it “the red of the mountain essence” and “the essence of mountain ginger.” The Taishang Daoxian Ming says: “If you wish for long life, you should take the mountain essence; if you wish to lighten the body and fly up, you should take mountain ginger.” This speaks of precisely this principle. I believe that for all kinds of medicines one should reduce their other uses and take only their benefits. Moreover, the function of zhu Qi exactly suits what is needed today. In this degenerate age there is much illness, and one should take it as a defense.

Even if one cultivates the Dao and is inwardly full, one still fears the harm brought by external things; if the body is filled only from the outside, there is also the defect of inner collapse. To be biased toward one side and overly focused on one thing is probably something worth taking as a warning. Zhu can both prolong life and enduring longevity, and also resist the diseases caused by all kinds of evil demons’ unjust harm. I have seen mountain recluses who took this way and lived to a thousand or eight hundred years, their lifespan rivaling the Five Peaks.

People in the world mostly dislike complexity and cannot remember all the methods, so I can only briefly indicate one or two. I now write several formulas for taking zhu, hoping that those who are interested will carefully understand and earnestly practice them. If one truly believes in and uses them, one can avoid violent calamities. When the world is at peace, the Qi of heaven and earth is harmonious, the celestial weave brings forth the myriad things, disasters disperse, the five poisons hide away, the arts of the two luminaries, the sun and moon, are clearly discerned, and the myriad things naturally complete themselves. At that time, one may follow the Dao of their movement and accord with it, and there will no longer be the calamities of premature death and overthrow. The zhu spoken of now is only meant to let those who are interested in taking it use it to check disaster and illness.

Moreover, recently some shallowly learned people have disturbed and contended with one another, ...

The methods and techniques (fangshu) that people today speak of were originally intended to lead people to deliberately seek out substances for ingestion, thereby dispelling calamity and illness. Recently, however, some who have not studied the Dao (the Way) deeply have imitated one another, and many of them make use of “Huncheng” and “Huangshu Chijie” (the Yellow Book and Red Boundary; referring to bedchamber methods of cultivation through male-female intercourse). These methods do indeed stress the essential art of pairing and harmonizing the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang. If one relies on the way of intercourse, unties the bonds, calculates the movements of the Six Directions (liuhe: heaven, earth, and the four quarters), and conforms to the Qi of the four seasons, using this to dispel calamity, congeal Jing (essence) and Qi, and conceive the “Precious Embryo” (baotai; referring to the Neidan, internal alchemy, that is cultivated), so that above the brain spirit is not depleted and below the three Dantians (santian: upper, middle, and lower energy centers) are filled, then with proper advance and retreat one may avoid misfortune, and as the meridians circulate in mutual response, one may long preserve health and safety. It is like an enemy grasping the reins without losing control, or like the six armies driving straight forward and yet all returning intact. Such practices do indeed bring some benefit, but they are not the great matter valued by the immortals.

Alas, how dangerous this is! Although these methods belong to the arts of “mutual generation” and the techniques of “joint deliverance,” they are like driving an ice cart through a hot province, or like riding a fire boat as it drifts into a drowning ford—extremely perilous. If one is not a person who has truly attained the Dao, those who fail will be innumerable.

Some violate the celestial patterns and are jealous of others; their spiritual roots (linggen) are obstructed, and Pi (adversity) and Tai (prosperity) are cut off from each other; they break vows and offend the gods, and thus incur guilt before the Three Officials (Sanguan: the rulers of Heaven, Earth, and Water). Some contract enmities and bring about disaster, causing the royal army to be thwarted and defeated. Some bury surrendered soldiers alive and slaughter captives, so that blood flows across the fields. Some, like a horse whose strength is exhausted, still pursue without cease. Again, it is like penetrating deep into the northern frontier without any defense: in the end they will surely die beneath Xiongnu blades, dying abroad while their whole families are executed at home. How can one not be cautious? How can one not be cautious! I have seen such people; few gain any benefit, but merely engage in reckless efforts to seek life, and I often sigh over this. How can this compare with guarding the true elixir within the Crimson Palace (Jianggong, the heart palace) and paying reverence to the primordial spirit (yuanshen)…? Yet these people do not understand this principle—truly lamentable.

Is it not better to guard the True Elixir in the Crimson Palace (the refined Jing and Qi gathered in cultivation; here it refers to the heart palace), to worship the primordial Shen in the Niwan (the Mud Pill Palace, the divine palace in the brain at the crown), to preserve the body fluids so that they are not depleted, to store the subtle and profound techniques in the Mingmen (the Gate of Life, between the kidneys in the lumbar region, the root of original Qi), to ingest numinous medicines in order to nurture one’s natural lifespan, to rinse in clear streams and gather the Huaquan (Flower Spring, the saliva in the mouth, also called Yujuan, Jade Spring in Daoist tradition), to study the mysterious secret formulas, and to recite the hidden chapters left by Taishang Laojun (Supreme Lord Lao)? Thereupon one hides high among the mountain peaks, shares longevity with metal and stone, and speaks of long years. Feudal lords cannot befriend such a person, and emperors cannot make him their subject. Keeping far from the five turbidities of the dusty world, always preserving purity and stillness in the hope of accomplishing the true Dao, carefree and content, one takes this as one’s pleasure for the time being.

After this there should originally have been a continuation of techniques, but neither of the two editions contains it. There are another two appended manuscript copies (yuanshu) that seem to be precisely this method, and they are excerpted in the third scroll.

For the entry above there are two copies of the yuanshu, one called Huangzhan and one called Bizhan.

Lord Qingtong of Fangzhu (Fangzhu is a legendary immortal mountain in the east, and Qingtong is an immortal) warned, saying: People suffer whether they cultivate the Dao or not. From birth to old age, from old age to illness, until they guard the body and come to death, their suffering is endless. With afflictions in the heart and accumulated karmic offenses, the cycle of birth and death continues without cease, and such suffering is difficult to describe fully; how much more so when most people cannot live out their natural lifespan before they have already grown old.

The so-called suffering of cultivating the Dao means maintaining purity and stillness in order to preserve the true nature, holding fast to the mysterious in order to recollect the spiritual nature, and seeking an enlightened teacher along a rugged and difficult path. Having passed through hundreds of trials, one still remains diligent in mind and without slackening, firm in resolve and unwaveringly cautious—this is suffering at its utmost. Only one who can regard the position of a feudal lord as that of a passing traveler, gold and jade treasures as bricks and stones, and fine silk and brocade as worn cloth can be said to be truly capable of inquiring into the Dao.

Fangzhu Qingtong Jun said: If those who cultivate the Dao can uproot the source of love and desire, it is like plucking hanging beads one by one—there will eventually come a day when all are plucked away; gradually removing the various external bad habits, there will also eventually come a time when all are removed. When evil thoughts are completely eliminated, one may attain the Dao.

He offered another analogy: an ox carrying a heavy load walks through a muddy mire, exhausted to the utmost, not daring to look left or right, only wanting to leave the mire quickly and catch its breath. Those who cultivate the Dao should regard emotional desires as more repugnant than this mire, direct their minds straight toward the great Dao, and keep it in mind without forgetting; then they can escape all kinds of suffering and also attain the Dao.

The editor’s note says: In the transmission of Shangxiang (a celestial office), no deeds or events were handed down; there are only these two admonitions and one song-poem. It is to be feared that they may not necessarily have been personally gazed upon, received, and recorded by Lord Yang (Yang Xi, the Eastern Jin Daoist who received the Shangqing scriptures through revelation).

Lord Wang of Xicheng said: For a person to escape the three evil paths and be reborn as a human is already extremely difficult; having become human, to change from a female body to a male body is another difficulty; having become male, to have the six emotions and four limbs complete is another difficulty; having the six emotions complete, to be born in the Central Plains is another difficulty; being in the Central Plains, to meet wise parents and a ruler who possesses the Dao is another difficulty; having met a wise ruler, to be born into a family that cultivates the Dao and studies immortality is another difficulty; having given rise to a good heart, to be able also to believe in Dao and De and seek long life is another difficulty; having believed in Dao and De and long life, to happen to encounter the dispensation of Great Peace and the renchen cycle (the Daoist notion of an age when the world is at Great Peace and Daoist transformation prevails) is an even rarer opportunity. How could one fail to strive in cultivation before such opportunities? The so-called three evil paths refer to the three evil destinies in which one can no longer be reborn as a human but instead is reborn as a bird, beast, insect, or other animal.

Taishang (here referring to the highest deity or immortal perfected one) asked a cultivator: How many days remain in a person's nature and life? Someone answered: Only a few days. Taishang said: You do not yet understand cultivating the Dao. Another answered: One's nature and life last only as long as a single meal. Taishang said: Be on your way; you cannot yet be said to cultivate the Dao. Another answered: One's nature and life last only between a single breath out and a single breath in. Taishang praised him: Good — only a person such as this may be called a cultivator of the Dao. I once heard these words, and now I tell them to you: if you study the Dao well, perhaps you may escape the peril of that one breath being cut off. Yet the disciple, though he has already departed, still cannot be counted a cultivator of the Dao.

The Perfected One of the Great Void (Taixu Zhenren), the Red Lord (Chijun) of the Southern Marchmount (Nanyue) — a transcendence official of the Southern Marchmount and one of the deities in the Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected) — said: If a person commits many evil deeds and does not repent, and then suddenly stills the mind, the offenses will return upon the self, like river water flowing into the sea, growing deeper and broader as days and months accumulate. But if one can recognize one's own faults, repent and turn toward goodness, then offenses are dissolved and good deeds accumulate, and one may likewise attain the Dao.

He also said: Toward those who do harm, one should repay with blessing and virtue. Thus the qi of blessing and virtue constantly arises from this, while the qi of injury, together with calamity, returns to the other person. This is the standard of conduct for those who study the Dao.

He also said: When the wicked harm the worthy, it is like spitting upward at the sky — the spit does not defile the sky but falls back upon one's own face. It is like raising dust into a headwind — the dust does not injure the other but pours back over oneself. The Dao cannot be destroyed; the harm one inflicts upon the Dao inevitably turns back and devours the one who inflicted it.

The Perfected Man of the Great Void said: To support a hundred ordinary people is not as good as supporting one good person; to support a thousand good people is not as good as supporting one person who studies the Dao. Those who dwell in seclusion in the mountains and forests, practicing pure cultivation and ascetic discipline, should be supported with even greater care. Lord Chi (a legendary immortal) also transmitted nothing else.

Lady Ziyuan warned: There are five difficult things in the world. First, it is difficult for a poor person to practice generosity. Second, it is difficult for a wealthy person to study the Dao. Third, it is difficult to master one’s own nature and life and make them deathless. Fourth, it is difficult to encounter the Dongjing (a Daoist scripture). Fifth, it is difficult to be born in a renchen year (a year in the sexagenary cycle) and also to meet the later age of a sage. I once asked Taishang (Lord Lao, a revered Daoist deity) by what means one can know the destiny of former lives (the causes, conditions, and fate of former lives). Taishang replied: The Dao and De originally have no bodily form. Merely to know them without practicing them brings no benefit; what matters is to hold fast to the will and earnestly practice the Dao. It is like polishing a mirror: when the dirt is removed, the brightness naturally remains, and the mirror can then reflect one’s own form. Cut off the six emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, delight, love, aversion, and other desires), maintain emptiness and purity, and one will be able to see the truth of the Dao and thereby know former lives. He also said: If the mind recollects the Dao, practices the Dao, and believes in the Dao, one will obtain the root of faith, and its blessings are immeasurable.

Lady Ziwei warned: One who cultivates the Dao is like a person carrying a torch into a dark secret room; the darkness immediately disperses, and only light remains. One who studies the Dao and upholds the right way immediately eliminates foolishness, and the right way then endures. Wealth and sensual beauty are to people like honey on a blade that a child greedily licks: though the honey is sweet, it is not enough to make the taste truly good, and instead it brings the disaster of a cut tongue.

Lady Xuanqing said: When people are entangled by wives, children, and family property, the harm they suffer is more serious than prison and instruments of punishment. Prison and instruments of punishment still offer a chance of pardon, but when someone drowns in desires for wife and children, even if the danger is like leaping into a tiger’s mouth, he willingly plunges in—such an offense admits no pardon. (A variant manuscript omits these nineteen characters; it is suspected to be a lacuna.) Desires entangle people like holding a torch and walking against the wind: if the foolish person does not put down the torch, he will surely burn his hand. Greed, anger, and ignorance—(a variant manuscript omits these fifteen characters, which is somewhat incoherent in wording.) greed, anger, and ignorance, that is, what Buddhism and Daoism call the “Three Poisons”—exist within the human body. If one does not early use the methods of cultivating the Dao to remove these harms, danger is certain. What is called “ignorance” means the fire burning one’s hand. A person cultivating the Dao is like a tree floating on the water, moving with the current, not striking the left bank or the right bank, not taken away by people, not obstructed by ghosts and spirits, and not rotting; I guarantee that he can enter the sea (that is, attain the Dao). If a person cultivating the Dao is not deluded by defiled desires, not deceived by various evils, advances diligently without slackening, and has a mind free of doubt, I guarantee that he can attain the Dao.

Lady Nanji said: Sorrow arises from love, and once sorrow arises, fear follows; without love there is no sorrow, and without sorrow there is no fear. Once there was a person reciting scripture at night, reciting it most sorrowfully, sorrowful to the utmost, his heart deeply moved—suddenly

The Lady of the Southern Pole (Nanjing Furen) said: Because people have love, they give rise to sorrow; once sorrow arises, fear follows. If there is no love, there is no sorrow; with no sorrow, there is also no fear.

(The Lady of the Southern Pole: a female immortal in Daoist legend and one of the descending Perfected recorded in the Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected).)

Once, a man was reciting scriptures at night. When he came to a sorrowful passage, his heart was moved, and he suddenly felt the grief of homesickness. The Supreme Perfected (Taishang Zhenren; a high Perfected who had attained the Dao, here transformed into an ordinary man) went over and asked him, “Have you ever played the qin?” He replied, “I played it when I was at home.” The Perfected asked, “What is it like when the strings are slack?” He answered, “The sound is not resonant, and it is not sorrowful.” He asked again, “What is it like when the strings are drawn too tight?” He answered, “The sound breaks off and causes pain.” He asked once more, “What is it like when they are neither too slack nor too tight?” He answered, “All the tones harmonize and join together, and the eight timbres produce a wondrous melody.”

The Perfected said, “Learning the Dao is like this as well. When the mind and spirit are held properly and harmonized to the right measure, then, just like playing the qin, the Dao can be attained.”

Among cravings and desires, the greatest is sexual passion between men and women; its offense is heavier than any other, and its consequences cannot be escaped. If one can guard against this single desire (not be deluded by sexual passion), one may still cultivate the Dao; but if a second desire becomes entangled as well, then throughout the world there will be no one who can cultivate the Dao and become an immortal.

For those who cultivate the Dao, in accumulating hidden virtue (merit from doing good secretly, without seeking recognition), the most important thing is to confer kindness and relieve those in hardship; in establishing one’s resolve, the most important thing is to guard body and mind and uphold the Dao and its methods. In this way blessings are very great, and one’s life becomes extremely secure.

If someone hates me and I do not accept his ill will, that ill will returns to him of itself. If one brings misfortune upon oneself, it is like a shadow following its form or an echo following a sound: the correspondence is inevitable.

The above are the admonitory words of the assembled spirits. Note: here the descents and gatherings of three male Perfected, two female Perfected, and the most honored among the high Perfected are extremely rare. It is likely that those who descended were recounting this matter, as in the case of the chanting by the Four Lords of the Jade Terrace (Yaotai) on the day of the autumn equinox; it was not that Mr. Yang (Yang Xi) personally received it from the assembled spirits.

The phrase “Having three times seen change and mutation, again saying it can wait; what matters is to build a dwelling on East Mountain, and for the moment one may leave off guarding it” means roughly: having three times seen circumstances change, and again saying it can wait, the essential thing is to build the dwelling on East Mountain, and for the time being one may withdraw from its protection. When asked the reason, there was no answer; he then asked the assembled spirits, “Is this my affair or yours?” The meaning was unclear, and he wanted to clarify it. This entry is a record of Mr. Yang’s chanting; it is not something that Ling (a personal name) personally received from Mr. Yang.

This passage first records a revelation from the spirit realm: it repeatedly indicated that there would be a change, and then said that one might wait; it was only necessary to move to the dwellings on East Mountain (the mountainous region around Kuaiji, where Daoists of the Southern Dynasties often practiced cultivation), and one could distance oneself from guardianship and support. When asked the reason, no one answered, so the assembled spirits were asked: Was it on account of “me” or on account of “you”? This entry was recorded personally by Yang Xi (an Eastern Jin Daoist; many of the records of descending perfection contained in the Zhen’gao came from his hand). Its content concerns the Changshi (referring to Xu Mi, who served as Chief Secretary in the Office of the Minister over the Masses), but its meaning cannot be fully understood and is left for textual verification.

Next it says that if one often roams in spirit among mountains, forests, waters, and marshes, and entrusts oneself to the realm of immortals and perfected (xianzhen, realized beings who have attained immortality and the Dao), then the numinous qi will cherish you and cause you to be far from worldly disturbances, and the mountain gods will also rejoice that you turn toward the Great Dao. Therefore the various diseases cannot intrude, and the various pathogenic qi cannot invade. Frequently burning incense at one’s side (a common Daoist means of revering deities and practicing visualization) can rectify the hun and po souls, so that one smells only the fragrant qi of pure wind. Only after a long time will one become aware of this; once aware, one can enter the Dao; entering the Dao, one can become an immortal; becoming an immortal, one can become perfected.

The provenance of this passage is also explained: the ten songs and the admonitory writings in the preceding scroll connect up to this point, eight sheets in all; the latter half, in running script, is in Yang Xi’s own hand. Before “Jing guan tiandi” (“pure contemplation of Heaven and Earth”) there should have been a further continuation by Yang Xi, which later people separately transcribed and appended, so thirty-four characters are missing at the front; what Yang Xi wrote is now unknown.

What follows are repeated words on cultivation: quiet the mind and comprehend Heaven and Earth, and recite [the invocation of] the flying immortals; quiet the mind and comprehend mountains and rivers, and recite [the invocation of] the flying immortals; quiet the mind and comprehend the myriad things, and bring to mind the compassionate heart with which Heaven and Earth cover and bear the myriad things. To hold to this mind at all times is to attain the Dao.

Human life is like an illusory transformation, lodging between Heaven and Earth for no more than a brief span. If one can gather qi and nourish spirit, and single-mindedly cultivate the true nature, one can attain the Dao enduringly; after the Dao is perfected, one lodges together with Heaven and Earth and dwells in Taiwu (the Daoist ultimate realm of formlessness and imagelessness). If one can penetrate the substance of emptiness and nonbeing, one lodges together with Taiwu in the realm of utter stillness. One who can thoroughly comprehend the principle of quiet extinction looks without seeing it and listens without hearing it; thus the root of life and death is easily understood, and long years are easily sought. Seek it and it can be obtained; understand it and it can endure.

What can long walk in its Dao is nourishing life (regulating body and mind to extend one’s years); what can constantly accompany it for long is absorbing qi (the art of exhalation and inhalation and breath regulation). If qi is complete, life can continue; then one can nourish it to the utmost, and when nourishment reaches its limit one can unite with the true, and thereafter ascend to immortality enduringly. Seek it and it can be obtained; understand it and it can endure.

Those who understand how to walk long in the Dao rely on nourishing life; those who can long keep company with the Dao rely on gathering Qi (regulating and accumulating Qi within the body). Only when Qi is sufficient can a person live; only by living can one bring the work of nourishing life to mastery; once that work is mastered, one can unite with “Zhen” (the true reality attained by those who obtain the Dao); united with Zhen, one can for long ascend the two realms where life-giving Qi dwells, gaze afar at that realm of purity, stillness, silence, and complete nourishment, and see that the dark-yellow hues of the myriad things are merely temporary lodgings and illusory appearances—how could one not cultivate diligently? When Qi is sufficient, one can avoid ghosts and evil influences; when it is nourished to sufficiency, one can avoid all kinds of disasters. Entering the army, one will not encounter blades and weapons; walking in mountains and forests, one will not meet tigers and rhinoceroses (fierce beasts). This is what these words mean.

The mind of a student of the Dao should be as urgent as that of a hungry person eager to eat breakfast; then there is none who cannot attain the Dao. Cherish Qi as one cherishes one’s own appearance and face; then there is none who cannot preserve it. Yet appearance also deteriorates, and Qi also is lost. What people cherish is usually their appearance and face, worrying that these may be stained by dirt, and only secondarily do they attend to their four limbs. If they could make cherishing Qi the most urgent matter for the whole body, I would seldom see withered and haggard people. Note: the “Qi” spoken of here refers to the Jingqi (Jing, essence, and Qi) in Fangzhong shu (one of the ancient health practices, involving moderation and regulation of Jing and Qi), not the Qi of respiration.

This passage uses burning incense as an analogy: people of the world pursue splendid empty reputations, like burning incense—everyone can smell its fragrance, but they do not know that the fragrance is given off by its own burning, and after it burns out it becomes ashes. This metaphorizes that pursuing external fame instead depletes oneself.

People follow worldly custom and pursue empty, floating reputation, like burning incense: its fragrance lets everyone smell its sweetness, but they do not realize that the incense is consuming itself. When it is burned out, the fragrance disperses; when reputation is established, the person has likewise perished. Therefore the elevated person disdains this, keeps far away from it, and so attains purity and quiet.

Life is like the sun, moon, heaven, and earth. These “Four Images” (referring to heaven, earth, sun, and moon, in the sense of their enduring existence) stand in contrast to “sheng sheng” (the unceasing continuation of life). When life is lost, the Four Images are diminished accordingly; it is not that the Four Images diminish by themselves, but that the diminishment of life causes them to diminish. If one can make life endure, the Four Images will also endure; it is not that the Four Images can endure by themselves, but that because I can attain long life, they do. One who attains long life can also exist in the formless realm—why then bother about whether the Four Images are many or few?

Disaster arrives, the body is destroyed, and the breath is scattered—what is the reason? It is probably because one speaks too much and cannot single-mindedly guard one thought; because affairs are numerous and complicated, one merely seeks to get by and avoid misfortune. Thus, like the Mysterious Nest, when its branches and leaves wither it falls; even after a hundred battles and a hundred victories, a single defeat will lose everything. It is a pity that a person with the talent to penetrate to immortality—how could he bring harm upon Jianzi (referring to a certain cultivator)? Jianzi’s incurring of harm is probably because the “affliction beyond the vital region” (a metaphor for a root illness deep within, difficult to cure) had not been removed. Here the dream of Duke Jing of Jin is borrowed to explain it; otherwise, it would be another matter of the “two boys.” (Duke Jing of Jin dreamed that two boys hid in the region beyond the vital point, where the physician could not treat them; later this became a metaphor for a deeply rooted illness.)

The next passage is largely repetitive with the preceding text, with the same meaning.

The following is what the Lady of Mount Nan (Nanyue furen, namely Wei Huacun, the female immortal in the Zhen’gao who transmitted scriptures and formulas) said:

The swan and heron migrate south, beating their wings and flying over fields of ten or a hundred li, yet the crow considers itself already sufficient. However, the jiaojiao (the original text has “wujiu,” which should be the name of a small bird; see Zhuangzi, “Xiaoyao You”) sighs at its remoteness, and the Peng laughs at the swan’s high flight. The phrase here, “it should be the character zhi, a chi, that is all,” seems to be an editorial note meaning that the distance seen is no more than a foot or so. If one complacently rests content in one’s own little world and regards oneself as right, then even among the three crows they do not discuss one another—what need is there for mockery?

The following is what Ziwei (Lady Ziwei) said.

All eight entries above were written by Yang Xi (an Eastern Jin Daoist and the principal recorder and compiler of the Zhen’gao).

The Perfected of antiquity singly upheld the talisman of Lingyi (the Numinous One)—the essential Daoist practice of guarding the primordial Shen (spirit) and concentrating on the One without dualistic distraction—and with a mysterious mind contemplated the ten thousand things, complying with the transformations of nature. They understood the broad highway of the Great Dao and could respond to circumstances as they arose; they grasped the profound and hidden pivot (the central mechanism of the Dao’s operation) and thereby became equal with the ten thousand things. Therefore, with respect to the natural realm beyond words and images, they merely preserved and nurtured it in the mind and did not discuss it; only within the scope reachable by speech did they speak, and even then they did not recklessly pass judgment.

Later, the mysterious ethos died out and was cut off; dust and turbid Qi spread everywhere; the Great Dao sank; and a shallow, hypocritical custom arose. Those who rushed about and chased after things cast the true Dao beyond the cliffs; the impatient and competitive crowd greedily sought within the field of fame and profit. With cleverness they generated the calamity of drifting and dissipation; what they gained through greed brought the burden of boasting and self-praise. They violated the naturalness of according with the constant Dao and strayed from the correct principle that is commensurate with the Dao. As for the line “Fame and the self—which is closer?”, the commentator holds that the character in question should be “zhen” (admonition), meaning a warning: namely, which is closer, fame or the self? This is the highest precept for those sunk in worldly dust to guard the “One”; truly it makes one sigh.

On the night of the eighth day of the sixth month, Baoming (the name of a descending perfected spirit) instructed Xu Changshi (Xu Mi, then serving as Changshi).

The spirit said: To harm one’s nature with endless thoughts and to dissipate one’s true nature with desires and likes and dislikes—how does this compare with guarding the root, being pure, tranquil, empty, and yielding, peacefully resting and visualizing the Three Shen (Spirits), and with this pervading all things, making the mysterious accord with the realm of mirror-like stillness, merging indistinguishably into one with Niwan (Mud Pill, the name of a Shen in the brain), so that both inner and outer receive blessing? These words may be shown to Huya (a personal name).

The Lady of the Southern Peak (Wei Huacun) said: As for hastening the taking of powder, do not let Heshang (the water official) meet with mishap. The commentator believes that “powder” is probably the medicine “wood powder” (musan), and that “Heshang” means the water official.

Baoming said: If one does not cultivate the Dao and De, and studies the Dao without accomplishment, then even those who initiate great enterprises cannot attain it. Recently I have not seen cultivators advancing day by day; the resolve to seek learning is already rare. The blessed virtue of seven generations of ancestors originally depended on the cultivation of the Dao-seeker; if one does not study, it can no longer be relied upon—therefore this is taken as a warning. Those who merely wish to seize the higher Dao but are not diligent will fall to become “lower ghosts.” The commentary says that “lower ghosts” refers to officials governing the lower realm, that is, beings such as ghost masters; they need not be ghosts in Fenggong (the netherworld palace). This is also stated in the Jing (scripture/classic).

When serving in office and free of duties, if Yizhen (Yizhen learning, referring to a certain method of cultivation) no longer has anything on which to rely, take this as a warning. Those who merely uphold the higher Dao without diligence will be relegated to the ranks of lower ghosts. “Lower ghosts” refers to those belonging to lower-level supervisors, the ghost masters (minor officials in charge of ghosts and spirits); they are not necessarily ghosts in Fenggong (Fengdu, the netherworld). The scriptures also say this.

When in office without duties, cultivating the inner cultivation of Yizhen: confused and jumbled thoughts do not pollute the ears, eyes, and mind, and a competitive heart does not arise in the breast—this is how a Daoist priest should be when holding office.

Those of Xiuxuan qibiao (lofty aspirations, dwelling in the mysterious realm), even if mountains and rivers collapse, do not look back; those whose will is set on the Dao and who preserve the true, even in cold and heat, hunger and thirst, do not cherish their bodies. This is the utmost that single-minded devotion can attain. If Jing and Qi scatter into the eight voids (the eight gaps in the human body), and the Hun and Po wander along ten thousand paths, or wind pathogens invade through the gaps, or they are entangled by Wangliang (specters) and become ill, one should sweep them all away and pay them no attention. The Dao of the past and the Dao of today are different; if spiritual awareness differs, all kinds of gaps will become apparent. Where did I hear these things? They are also enough to restrain and extinguish evil thoughts.

The above nine entries were written by Yang Xi (an Eastern Jin Daoist and the copyist of the handwritten manuscripts recorded in the Zhengao, Declarations of the Perfected).

The true ones are utterly without the feelings of desire and without thoughts of male and female. If Danbai (the Jing and Qi produced by cultivation, or possibly Neidan) is stored in the breast, the response of true Qi will not come, nor will the numinous maidens and supreme venerables descend. Even if there is some attainment, it depends only on the master who presides over the cultivation. When the Qi of Yin-Yang come into contact, one can never cultivate the ultimate Dao. I formerly often regretted that this kind of dependence changes too quickly; therefore the true Dao cannot be forcibly sought face to face, nor can essential words be heard casually. To have a spouse is to be untrue; when external things are joined, true and false become mixed; when true and false are close, their distinction can certainly be discerned.

This entry is probably what Lord Pei (Perfected Pei) said; it comes from a certain book.

The sound of weeping is also a sound tending toward death; once one is tainted by it, it is a great danger to decaying bones. I fear you have not yet awakened; I am simply worried about this for you all. In those who grieve excessively, excessive and evil Qi will resonate with one another. Although Laizi is good at listening, what are you people to do?

This is the admonition of Lord Dinglu (the Perfected Lord Dinglu).

The above entry was written by Yang Xi; afterward it was cut apart and could not be preserved intact.

Xu Mu said with apprehension: I have encountered this mysterious turn of fortune (referring to the excellent opportunity of meeting with the affinity of the Dao), and have also been able to hear the Master’s instructions. In all matters I comply and follow them, and my mind has thereby been enlightened. Your grace and sheltering protection are enduring; I look up with gratitude, with no way to repay. As for the distinction between beginning and end in human life—that is, birth and death—it is a fixed principle of nature. That people delight in life and detest death is common human feeling. The sorrow of weeping and the ritual of hastening to offer condolences are, inwardly, for settling family affection and, outwardly, for complying with ritual law. The worthy and the ordinary alike should observe them; no one may fall short in them. Although I, Xu Mu, cultivate the Dao within, outwardly I remain the same as worldly people. I have not been able to put on coarse cloth and tie a rope belt (wearing coarse cloth and a rope belt is the simple attire of Daoists who live in seclusion in mountains and forests) and go off to dwell alone in seclusion. Therefore I cannot but follow worldly feelings and ritual law, so that both inner and outer are properly settled. If I were to violate them even once, first, I could not bear to betray affection; second, I fear harming my relatives—I am also quite clear about such consequences.

Your words are tactful and accord with human feelings; they promote the Great Dao and nurture moral instruction, and their influence may be called profound and far-reaching. I shall carry out your admonitions, so that grief does not injure the body and weeping does not become excessive mourning. I will follow the Great Dao and rest content in naturalness, not daring to transgress. I respectfully submit this.

This is a letter in reply to Youying; the matter that was imparted is now missing. It does not refer to the earlier words of Zhongjun urging people to hasten death, but the two should also be related in some way.

The above entry is recorded from a letter.

Zhengao, Volume Six (collation note): In the Shangqing Scripture of the Precepts and Virtuous Conduct Taught by the Many Perfected, both occurrences of “yang zhi” are written as “yang sheng.” Judging from the context, it is suspected that they should be “yang quan.”

Zhengao, Volume Seven: Compiled by Tao Hongjing, Hermit of Huayang, Zhenbai Zhenren, National Preceptor of Liang, Right Minister and Director of Destiny of the Golden Palace, and Director of Waterworks of Penglai. The title of this volume is “Zhenming Shou, Part Three.”

Later generations, eager for quick benefit, set their hearts on claiming lofty levels of cultivation, yet they do not know that the root of practice lies in realizing the word “One.” They only chew over the taste of “mystery” and “truth” in their mouths, breathe the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars (Jingyao), wish to stabilize the six spirits (the six spirits of the human body), make bright the light of the eight directions, follow and nurture their own spiritual root (the innate spiritual foundation), refine and nourish the three Dantian (the precious refining of the three stages), and nourish the fluids while harmonizing the qi of the hun-soul.

Suppose a fierce wind suddenly rises and strikes violently: it still cannot harm my innate upright nature. Even if whirlwinds come in violent gusts and wild surges, how could they cause any loss to my pure and clear original mind?

Therefore one should empty the heart and quiet the qi, intone to oneself, embrace empty clarity, and quietly await the descent of the spirits. Gathering in all distracting thoughts and settling the mind in the realm of clear purity and utmost truth, one can keep anxieties and vexations from invading the “Mysterious Dwelling” (the brain, that is, the Niwan Palace), and keep sorrowful thoughts from disturbing the “Crimson Ford” (the place in the heart where the fluids are located).

With a detached heart one gazes afar, looks back at one’s shadow, and rejoices together with it; thereby one can attain supreme joy: clear and resonant sounds naturally enter both ears, while cloud qi drifts and echoes through empty chambers. The mouth holds a fragrant wind, the eyes receive the qi of the Three Lights—sun, moon, and stars—and in looking up and bowing down one responds to the turning of the four seasons, gradually becoming a Zhenren (Perfected Person) day by day. Wherever one sees, all is already united with the spirits.

The reason Zhenren attain the true is often that they obtain it through this. If one is not yet a Zhenren but forcibly pursues the true realm, one will also stumble and suffer frustration here.

If faults and illness fill the body, grief and sorrow block the chest, daily pursuits are constantly burdened by vexation, one clings to external things, caters to all kinds of worldly opinions, and the mind sinks into mundane affairs and ages day by day, then suddenly one will emit wailing sounds. Such sounds are like those of small children today crying without cease—merely wailing. Long mourning the dead,