《宋东太乙宫碑铭》

The emperor establishes the foundations of the state, receives the mandate of Heaven, examines the institutions of antiquity, and solemnly conducts the sacrificial rites. This is exactly what a sage and enlightened ruler ought to do, and our sovereign possesses such virtue (De). Heaven and Earth turn and transform the myriad things, bestow blessings on the people, and protect rulers of virtue. Such blessings have now descended upon the Great Song.

The fortunes of the Great Song flourish. It holds the mandate of the virtue of Fire and meets a time of prosperity, and the great task of governing all things between Heaven and Earth truly depends on a ruler who bears the true mandate. The present emperor follows Heaven's will in ruling the realm. Relying on that mandate, he governs the state, lays the foundations of the altars of soil and grain, restores the order of the world, and makes manifest the moral teachings of human relations. He pacifies the realm with dignity and wins the allegiance of the four quarters with humility. Peoples from every region come to court, and the music and dances of foreign lands gather in the palace. The emperor's great enterprise surpasses all the ages, and his gentle, generous teaching has all but transformed the world in a single stroke, bringing it close to the ideal of the Great Dao (the Way). Why must one roam in spirit on Mount Guye, or grasp the subtle, formless Dao, or wait for the time when Heaven and Earth were first parted, before one can be called a sage?

The emperor also reveres Heaven and Earth, harmonizes humans and spirits, continues to hold the great suburban sacrifices, and repairs the shrines and temples dedicated to the spirits in every region. Heaven and Earth are thus brought into accord, and wind and rain no longer fall out of order. The way of kings is widely practiced, and songs of praise rise in its wake.

In the intervals of his heavy duties of state, the emperor also turns his attention to the rites of antiquity. In the Xuan Hall he once inquired about matters of the spirits and devoted himself to studying the secret texts in the imperial collection, and at the Spirit Terrace he observed the signs of the heavens and pondered the subtle, obscure principles of the classics (Jing). He considered that Shun of old was tested in the great mountains, and that the emperors of Han also sacrificed to the spirits at fixed seasons. The rites for honoring the spirits have existed since antiquity, and a ruler should seek blessings on behalf of the people so that all under Heaven may share in peace.

Accordingly, in the third month of spring in the eighth year of Taiping Xingguo (983), the emperor issued an edict to build the Palace of Taiyi (the Supreme One), a Daoist temple for the worship of the god Taiyi, southeast of the capital. It was to house the spirit and make manifest the emperor's virtue.

Your servant respectfully notes the account in the Records of the Grand Historian: the most honored of the heavenly spirits is called Taiyi, and Taiyi is assisted by the Five Emperors. In ancient times the Son of Heaven often sacrificed to Taiyi in the southeastern suburbs in spring and autumn, using the tailao, the great offering of ox, sheep, and pig. Emperor Wu of Han performed this sacrifice, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did so as well. Its ritual ranked just below the suburban sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, and the god's seat was placed after the Altar of the Two Modes. From this we may know how greatly Taiyi was honored.

The Yin-Yang specialists add that Taiyi comes in different kinds. There are those named Junji and Chenji, and those called the Greater Wanderer and the Lesser Wanderer. Some govern flood and drought, and others preside over war and famine. Among them, Five Fortunes Taiyi travels through the five palaces and looks down upon the Nine Provinces of the land. Wherever it passes, the people become prosperous and long-lived, and wherever it presides, the harvests are bountiful and the years peaceful. The Book of Songs says that a hundred misfortunes are thereby kept from arising, and the Book of Documents says that the Five Blessings thereby descend. Taiyi is like Jupiter among the Seven Luminaries, and like the season of spring among the four seasons. That enlightened rulers through the ages have honored and sacrificed to it according to the old codes has good reason.

Earlier, the officials in charge of astronomy and the calendar submitted a memorial, and the masters of occult arts offered their opinion. They said that Five Fortunes Taiyi would soon travel through the palaces of the four directions, and proposed building a temple in the remote eastern region to clear away its long-standing ills and pacify the old territories. Yet the sage's virtue matches Heaven and Earth, and the Son of Heaven takes the four seas as his home. Wherever the emperor's capital stands is the gathering place of the hundred spirits. The lunar mansions Fang and Xin are like the Bright Hall of Heaven, and the region of Liang and Song is a blessed land at the center of the Central Plains. A celestial dwelling built in the capital would therefore surely accord with the will of the spirits. The emperor, following the timing of Heaven and revering the spirits as though they were present, took as his model the Han precedent of sacrificing at Ganquan and elsewhere. He ordered the officials in charge of construction to estimate the work, sent trusted ministers to supervise it with reverence, selected an auspicious site, and had a new palace built.

When the palace was completed, it matched the original plan. Its walls rise high and join tier upon tier, its halls are deep and wide, and a thousand chambers stand open. The broad halls seem to hold Heaven and Earth within them, and the soaring eaves reach straight toward the sky. The octagonal golden hall glows red and green in the morning sun, and on the three-tiered jade altar the dew gathers like pearls. It seems a celestial palace of the immortals, or the island of Penglai in the sea.

The divine images enshrined in the palace are gentle and solemn, and their thrones shine with brilliance. The furnishings are as white as the autumn moon, and their colors as radiant as the dawn clouds. Colored mists are made into banners, and red clouds become canopies. Throngs of immortals stand in attendance, as if registering their names in the rolls of the immortals, and the assembled sages gather as if at the court of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. If an immortal were to come riding the wind, bearing a colored banner, and a cloud chariot were to descend, guided by the music of strings and pipes, then the palace would seem to be filled with fragrance carried far and wide, and immortal music would be heard in every direction. With such marvelous scenes, why must one, like the ancients, journey far to the Bamboo Palace to worship from a distance, or climb Mount Song to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices, in order to draw near the spirits and make manifest the fortunes of the state?

In the eighth month of autumn in the jiashen year (984), the emperor, filled with reverence, assembled his full retinue, rode in his phoenix carriage, and went in person to the Palace of Taiyi, where he performed the sacrificial rites in full. On that day chariots and horsemen were many, and their clamor was like thunder. Warriors guarded the outer precincts closely, while court officials accompanied the emperor inside in performing the rites. The spirits of the ten directions thus each took their proper place, and manifold blessings descended. This was because the sincerity of the sacrifice was complete and moved the spirits to give their unseen protection.

Soon afterward, the emperor issued a further edict, selecting Daoist adepts and senior court ministers to observe the ritual procedures together and supervise the sacrifices. Each year on the Three Primes (the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes) and on auspicious days of the four seasons, a Qingjiao (a Daoist ritual of purification and offering of the Zhaijiao type) is held at the altar of the immortals to pray for great blessings. In this way the imperial house may enjoy long happiness and longevity, and favorable winds and timely rains may arrive in their season. It is because the mandate of Heaven is fulfilled and a flourishing age is at hand that the foundations of the state can be preserved and the imperial descendants made numerous. Were it not so, how could Heaven send down auspicious signs and the spirits bestow their blessings? A stele should therefore be carved and erected to record this divine protection and the emperor's meritorious deeds.

The inscription says:

The emperor follows the mandate of Heaven and reverently obeys the Way of Heaven. He imitates Heaven's brightness and carries out Heaven's laws. To take antiquity as a model for governing the present is just this.

The Way of Heaven is vast, and all phenomena honor it. It moves without ceasing and is clear without speaking. It brings forth the myriad things and rules over the human world, and between such a Heaven and Earth there must be spirits in charge.

Who is this spirit? Taiyi dwells in the highest place, looking up to the celestial pole and down upon the human world. What it stores up is blessing, and what it cares for is the people. It is an aide within the emperor's golden gate and a chief minister beside the Jade Emperor.

The divine power of Taiyi cannot be fathomed, and its Dao is subtle and hard to grasp. Quietly it carries out its mysterious work of creation, dwelling high in the Ziwei palace of Heaven. Its great grace falls like sweet dew, and auspicious blessings descend in profusion. It harmonizes the seasons so that the four times of the year are fitting, and it answers to the heavenly signs so that their movements are in order.

Taiyi holds the first place among the Nine Palaces and travels through the eight directions. Its grace is deep, and it sends down blessings with gentleness, lovingly aiding the ruler of virtue. The crude customs of remote lands are not where the spirit dwells, for the palace at the very center of the Central Plains is where the many spirits come.

The new palace rises like layered clouds, and its main hall is bright and spacious. The courtyards are broad and the towers lofty. It seems one might welcome the immortals as their robes come fluttering in, and wait for the cloud chariot to descend. May these sacrifices be held for ages to come, and may their blessings reach all the people under Heaven.

Stele Inscription of the Eastern Taiyi Palace of the Song (《宋东太乙宫碑》): This is the title of an inscription from the Eastern Taiyi Palace (东太乙宫) of the Song dynasty. "Stele" (碑) refers to a stone tablet engraved with writing, used to record events or commemorate them; "Eastern Taiyi Palace" is the name of a Daoist temple complex (gongguan).