《茅山志》Vol. 2

Guarding stillness and remaining steadfast is to preserve the true nature. In the Yuanfu era (a reign title of Emperor Zhezong of Song), a building was constructed here; when construction began, it was not rushed to completion, so as to leave it for those who came later. I took up this matter and inherited its lineage; I planned the repair of these buildings. Following the regulations for government office buildings, with concentrated effort and cooperation, they were completed in a few days. Those able to assist afterward then augmented its name, calling it “Wanning”; the name was written and hung up to enshrine the Shen (spirits). The Dao (the Way) is vast and has no fixed location, yet its essence and function have constant norms. By De (Virtue/Power) one may be called emperor; by achievements one may be called king. Sitting at ease and advancing in this Dao, one becomes as inexhaustible as the Dao. The Shen (spirits) hear and observe, and harmony extends to the ten thousand states. Written at Xuanhe Hall in the bingxu year of Chongning (1106).

“Chuling” may be understood as the first numinous response.

We parted in early summer, and nearly half a year has passed. Because we are separated and cannot meet, longing constantly lingers; often I crane my neck in hope, and sigh at the distance of the roads. Since returning to the mountain, my admiration has been far more than this. I have a poem to express my feelings, now enclosed with the letter; please receive it. I greatly wish to meet and talk, but the time remains far off and uncertain. As autumn winds gradually rise, please carefully preserve your heavenly harmony. I have received the Fulu (talismans and registers); I further request several talismans to wear. The matter of extending grace has already been carried out; I hope you will know of it.

Baozhen Guanmiao Chonghe Xiansheng Returns to the Mountains: A Poem Sent to See Him Off (Baozhen Guanmiao Chonghe Xiansheng was an honorary title bestowed on a prominent Daoist of Mount Mao, Maoshan): In former years I sought the Dao from a lofty master and once wore garments of rosy clouds to the Purple Palace (the imperial palace). This body is a companion beyond the clouds of the three immortal mountains on the sea; the heart holds not a speck of worldly dust. Gazing far at the migrating geese, the place of secluded dwelling is distant; when the returning swallows fly back, the grotto dwelling is radiantly new. Many thanks for transmitting the subtle mind-method: beyond this true reality there is no other true reality. Composed and written by the emperor on the first day of the ninth month of the fifth year of Chongning (1106).

These texts are edicts from Emperor Huizong of Song to the Maoshan Daoist Liu Hunkang. The first edict says: By edict to Liu Hunkang: I have read and understood the memorials you have submitted repeatedly. Your Daoist cultivation surpasses that of the Two Xu—the Xu patriarchs of the Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) lineage—and your De (Virtue/Power) reaches through to the Three Mao Perfected Lords (Sanmao Zhenjun), Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong. You are a master of the Daoist teaching, able to promote the true tradition and benefit the world and its people. You earnestly took leave of the capital, where the imperial carriage is stationed, to dwell peacefully on a famous mountain. For a long time I have not seen your lofty and pure presence, and I often think of the profound principles you discussed upon the honored mat. Whenever I receive your submitted memorials, I greatly admire your diligent and sincere intent. The matters you have requested have all been carried out: your disciples have been granted master names and the fine title “Ninghe”; permission has been given for the matter of the inscription on the great stele to be overseen by the transport commissioner’s office. Now the realm beyond the secular world is at peace, clear and rainy weather comes in season, and we have received blessings sent down by the Lord on High—assisted also by your incense offerings and Daoist cultivation. The frosty autumn has arrived, and there is no set time for us to meet. I hope you will strive to take care of your health, to comfort my longing. Another edict is enclosed with this letter; receive it when it arrives. Are you well recently? The twelfth day of the tenth month of the fifth year of Chongning.

The second edict says: Since we parted, distance has kept us apart, and now deep autumn has come again. I crane my neck and gaze south, my heart and spirit vainly racing toward you. Each time I receive your postal letters, they greatly console my thirsting longing. In the clear stillness of the mountains and forests, I imagine your spirit roaming freely in the realm of the vast and boundless, peaceful and at ease. The “Return to the Mountain” poems and the “Ode on Celebrating Completion” that you presented have both been permitted to be carved and printed; as for the other handwritten edicts and the like, it is not appropriate to carve them in stone. I hope you will preserve your Dharma registers and take extra care of yourself. Are you well recently? The date is as above.

The third edict says: Having reviewed the merit memorial you submitted for the Tianning Festival, the emperor’s birthday, I have noted it. In the mountains and forests you nurture the vast Qi (vital energy) and dwell in truth beyond the secular world; you are loyal and mindful of the state, and your will is set on loving your ruler. As it happened to be the month of the birthday festival, you established a pure and quiet Daoist ritual ground to pray for blessings and presented the memorial; I deeply praise you. I hereby issue this edict for your information. In the cold of winter, are you well recently? The twenty-fourth day of the tenth month of the fifth year of Chongning.

Emperor Huizong of Song’s edict to Liu Hunkang (an eminent Daoist of Maoshan in the Northern Song): I have fully understood all the matters presented in the memorial you submitted. You immerse your mind in profound stillness, and your cultivation of the Dao is pure and complete; having passed through the winter season, you are able to preserve your natural authenticity. Having read the memorials you submitted many times, I fully know your earnest requests. The affair and its merits have already taken shape, but the court’s rewards have not yet been fully extended; what you have stated is appropriate, and after examination there is nothing false or excessive. All that you requested is approved and has already been implemented. As for the Xuanyi yingtian (office and garrison-farming affairs), I specially approve your office’s request for the Danyang ponds and dams, and other offices are not permitted to occupy or retain them. All matters arise from a public heart, with no private self preserved; seeing again your diligence and thoroughness, I marvel at your loyalty and excellence. In addition to joyfully guarding true constancy, you should spread the Shangqing methods, help complete my blessings, and forever shelter the world; you must further be sincere and single-hearted, and clearly understand my intention. The weather is just turning cold; are you at peace recently? I write to convey my regards, and will not go on at length.

Since we parted, the sun and moon have sped by, and my admiration is boundless. You lie high among white clouds, and surely have many fine delights. Recently I have received, one by one, your requests to have the poems and encomia bestowed on you carved in stone, and to make carving models yourself and distribute the authentic copies, and so on; if you have other petitions, you may send them by courier. There is no fixed time for meeting, and my longing grows deeper. As winter gradually grows colder, I hope you take care of yourself for the sake of the Dao.

Another edict to Liu Hunkang: I have fully understood the memorial you submitted, which says that your office’s establishment of a celebration-completion Daoist Zhaijiao ritual assembly was marked by the manifestation of immortal lamps. Your mind roams the immortal isle of Penglai and sits facing the immortal mountain of Kongtong; you uphold the profound meaning of cultivating truth and embracing the One, and you thoroughly penetrate the source of returning to the root and restoring destiny. Therefore, in the precious fast celebrating completion, immortal lamps have manifested as an auspicious sign.

These edicts were written by Emperor Huizong of Song to the Maoshan Daoist Liu Hunkang (an eminent Daoist of the Maoshan lineage in the Northern Song). The first, “Showing Auspicious Signs,” says: A heart of sincere devotion reaches the deities above; because inner sincerity is full and overflowing, auspicious signs arrive one after another, and the spirits respond manifestly. All beings receive grace; the excellent benefits are difficult to describe fully. After reading your memorial, I deeply praise and commend it. I also hear that in midwinter you chose a day to go in person to Yongsheng (a place name or the name of a palace/temple) to perform the burning of yellow memorials (fenhuang, burning yellow petitions to inform the deities and pray for blessings); the season was bitterly cold, and you must have endured no little hardship. I suppose your immortal carriage has now returned to the mountain. Recently, as you receive and await the scriptures and methods of longevity, I hope you will carefully protect them. Dated the eighteenth day of the twelfth month of the fifth year of Chongning.

The second says: Since we parted, winter has passed in the blink of an eye. Whenever I recall your pure and refined affection, I often crane my neck and gaze into the distance. I have learned that at the Daoist ritual site a sacred lamp (shengdeng, a wondrous light) appeared on Soulun Peak (a peak of Mount Mao); it is truly extraordinary. If not for the gentleman’s sincere resonance, who could have brought this about? Facing the paper, I sigh all the more, not knowing when we shall meet. My heart is filled with melancholy and longing; I only hope you take good care of yourself, so as to match my hopes. I hear that when you formerly burned yellow memorials it was in bitter cold; please take care on the road. After returning to your hut, please obtain several dozen more talismans. This agrees with my previous letter.

The third encourages Liu Hunkang: You are able to uphold the true teaching, carefully preserve Tianni (natural original truth), dwell in rocky caves and roam free, and hold the Falu (Daoist lineage talismans and registers) in peace. Thinking of your profound virtue and cultivation, you deserve commendation and honor. Having already bestowed poems, I also use fine praises to describe you; you submitted a memorial expressing the hope that these be carved in stone and transmitted to the world. I commend your sincere devotion and your diligence in the matter of the stele. I have ordered that the engraved stone be placed within the palace walls, transmitted to disciples so that it may be manifest and not fade, and to show that my gracious favor and ceremonial treatment are inexhaustible. You should understand my heart and further exalt the teachings of the Dharma. As the twelfth month ends and spring arrives, and as the climate and seasons change, you should more diligently cultivate the work of preservation and refinement, and constantly reveal the instructions on emptiness and tranquility (chongxu zhi jue). I have sent a commissioner specifically to escort the engraved stone there; you may receive it when it arrives. The weather is cold; may you be well. There is not much to say in this letter. Dated the twenty-seventh day of the first month of the first year of Daguan.

On the twenty-seventh day of the first month in the first year of the Daguan era (1107) of Emperor Huizong of Song, an edict was issued to Liu Hunkang, an eminent Daoist of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) school at Maoshan: You keep your mind free of deluded thoughts, guard the Dao without turning back, and uphold the wellspring of the teaching lineage, on which all beings rely. In this severe cold, have you been well of late? I send this letter of inquiry; words cannot fully express my thoughts.

Another edict: You keep your mind free of delusion, guard the Dao without turning back, and uphold the source of the teaching, on which all beings rely. Your merits are as manifest as the sun and moon, causing the teachings of Shangqing to flourish ever more and not decline or fall into disuse; the court has its own means to support this. Recently, because Daoism and Buddhism have become confused, they should be distinguished; I have decided personally to revise the errors. For example, the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest deities of Daoism, are jointly worshipped in places of the Water and Land [Assembly] (a Buddhist ritual in origin), while Yuanming (the deity of one’s natal destiny) is instead sacrificed to in Buddhist temples; paintings and statues are jumbled and disorderly, too numerous to list one by one. I am now intent on rectifying the order of religious propriety, clarifying the teachings, examining what comes first and last, root and branch, tracing the origins of accumulated custom, and ordering the relevant offices to venerate them separately, hoping thereby to receive blessings and universally protect all beings. I imagine that you, being deep, still, and humbly modest, must have fitting proposals. As the new year begins anew, please take care. This is hereby proclaimed; you should be informed. In severe cold, have you been well? My letter does not say much more. Ninth day of the second month, first year of Daguan.

Another edict: You conduct yourself with purity and integrity, your Daoist teaching and practice are profound, you keep your resolve without turning back, and your sincere heart is firmly devoted to goodness. Having read your memorial, I fully understand your intention. I also hear that since the new year your health has been peaceful and well. The numinous wood-decoction formula you submitted is a medicinal preparation transmitted by immortals in former days; as I see it today, even the marvel of the Golden Elixir from the divine cauldron cannot surpass its benefit for the principle of longevity. This is probably its main outline; I have repeatedly read and grasped it, and your diligent intent rejoices my heart. Since you respectfully uphold this wondrous technique, you will surely not go astray or lose it. From time to time, send good news by courier letter. In this early spring season, take good care of your Heavenly Harmony.

The letter says: Since we parted I have not been able to speak with you face to face, and in a blink the calendar has turned again. I long for your exemplary demeanor and do not forget it morning or evening. Recently an edict was issued concerning the confusion between Daoism and Buddhism; it has been handed to the outer court for implementation. Fearing that the matter was not stated in sufficient detail, I now copy the full text of the original edict for your inspection. You are a leading figure in the Daoist tradition and a model for others; the various transmissions should be upheld and guarded, and must not be treated grudgingly or carelessly. The matter of building the stone bridge and road has been specially assigned to Transport Commissioner Zeng Xiaoyun to coordinate and handle. The day when we meet is further off; take the utmost care. Please bestow several dozen spirit-stabilizing talismans (Zhenshen xinfu, a type of Fulu for calming and settling the spirit). If you foresee calamity or blessing, please inform me, sir. Master Zhi (the ritual master mentioned in the letter) may be ordered to come in early spring; have the items previously sent to that ritual site (daochang) arrived yet?

The imperial edict says: The one who rules all under Heaven reveres Shangdi (God on High). The mandate of Heaven is subtle and profound—how dare one not be devout? Yet Buddhists conducting Buddhist services recklessly place the Heavenly Emperor among ghosts and spirits; there is no blasphemy or overstepping of proper bounds more serious than this. How could it accord with Shangdi’s heart? The relevant authorities (yousi) may be ordered to examine and remove such practices, so as to accord with Our intention of revering and fearing Heaven. Dated the fifteenth day of the second month of the first year of Daguan (1107).

Another edict to Liu Hunkang (a Daoist master of Maoshan): We revere the Three Primes (Sanyuan, the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water) and venerate the Supreme Dao. We constantly bear in mind the weight of the spiritual blessings We have received and hope to attain such auspicious signs as may be attained. Palaces and temples are being built everywhere in the realm; cherishing the name and domain of the Three Mao (Maoshan), which gathers the finest scenery of all quarters, We rely on your teaching and methods to summon abundant blessings. You have long possessed profound and wondrous practice and have repeatedly obtained auspicious responses; many times We have troubled you to come to the imperial court (Fengchen, meaning the imperial palace), to speak freely of profound principles and supreme words and to inquire into the essentials of the mind method. As for arrangements for preserving the spirit and purity and tranquility, and for expounding and for prayer and apotropaic rites, if you remain long in travel abroad and store up auspicious blessings, I fear this would not be appropriate; We have already ordered people to supervise and administer it.

The court has gathered artisans to construct buildings, establishing the Wanning Separate Abbey beside Shangqing Abbey in the hope that it may serve as a place devoted to cultivation and quiet repose. Please have Yungeng reside there; you may select disciples in advance to come and preside. This edict is issued accordingly for your information.

I have received your memorial stating that certain matters concerning Daoist affairs are inconvenient, together with your various requests. You are a master of the Daoist gate and a guide of doctrinal principles; all that you have submitted accords with Our intentions. It has been long since I heard your lofty discourse, and daily I gaze southward. I imagine that beyond your incense offerings and cultivation, dwelling high beyond the clouds, you preserve Jing and Shen and refine your Qi, and must have gained much. As for the matter disputed by Master Zhu, after Huang Mian reaches the mountain, Master Zhu may accompany him to the capital. As the spring air gradually warms, I hope you will be even more cautious in your practice of the Dao. Dated the nineteenth day of the second month of the first year of Daguan (1107).

An edict addressed to Liu Hunkang, the eminent Daoist of Maoshan: Having examined your memorial declining the summons to the capital, I am informed. We reverently uphold the true primal and have always esteemed Daoist teachings. Thinking of those who dwell in truth and cultivate the Dao, they often enter Our dreams; I look up to your countenance and thirst to meet you, and suddenly another year has passed since we parted. I wished to converse with you again to aid the wondrous principles, and so sent an envoy with an edict urging you to enter court. Then suddenly I saw your sealed memorial, earnestly declining on grounds of illness. How could I not be mindful of you? But the principles of the Dao cannot be forced. I shall suspend the summons and wait until next year; still I hope you will be careful in your daily life and protect your health, so as to match Our gracious affection. The spring is mild; are you well of late? The letter cannot express all.

A year has passed since we parted, and My longing is especially deep. I have twice read your memorials earnestly declining the trip to the capital because of illness; I have already issued a separate edict granting your request, as you should understand. Be quiet and deeply concentrate your Shen to preserve longevity and health; surely you will have ample ease. The matter of the Daoist ritual site was previously made known to you. The petitions of a certain master (the original text reads “Master Chiyi”) have all been examined and put into effect; they will cease once the directive arrives. You may order Master Zhu to go to the capital for a meeting; Our meeting is still far off, so I hope you will take good care of yourself. I request several dozen Fulu for treating all illnesses and colds. Thinking of you, Sir, late at night by the lamp is because My heart is unsettled. Dated the seventh day of the fourth month of the first year of Daguan.

Emperor Huizong of Song issued an edict to Liu Hunkang, an eminent Daoist of Maoshan: I have reviewed your several memorials and fully understand your intention to reject worldly affairs and withdraw from the dust of the world. Since you have expressed your request so earnestly and repeatedly, I too have done my best to comply with your wish for ease and convenience. Thinking from afar that in recent days your mind and spirit rejoice in a bright and open realm, that you uphold the lofty Daoist Dharma, dwell in stillness and cut off all seeking, and gather in your radiance (baoguang) without displaying it—facing the wind and gazing afar, as I think on these things, I cannot but feel earnest admiration and longing. If there is a convenient opportunity, you may set out for the capital (the que, meaning the imperial court); if you have anything to memorialize, please state it in full and do not conceal it. Early summer is growing hot; I wish you peace and well-being in recent days. This letter says but little. Daguang first year (1107), fifth month, twenty-seventh day.

It has been a year since we parted; as the months and years turn, my longing has deepened, and I have never forgotten our former conversations. Your aspirations are lofty, and you detest clamor and confusion; thus you are able to clarify your spirit and calm your thoughts, roaming in empty stillness and plain simplicity (chongmo). This greatly comforts me. The farther I am from you, the more deeply I long for your lofty discourse. Early summer is clear and mild; please take care of yourself for the sake of the Dao and its teachings. At the end of the month my eyes suddenly turned blue-green (evidently an eye ailment), and I sent dispatches and letters one after another to inquire after Master Chiyi (the name of a Daoist master); he may be asked to come quickly. There are several scrolls of scriptures; when Master Chiyi arrives, have him bring them to me—they are all written in my own hand.

This concludes fascicle three of Maoshan Zhi (Record of Mount Mao). The collation note at the end of fascicle three explains that in the base text the character zhi “site” was originally mistakenly written as zhi “stop”; jian “firm” as jin “tight”; the phrase “reaching the sparse part of the tree rows” appears in the Da edition (another edition) as “reaching the sparse-and-thin part of the tree rows”; she “wade” is ji “boundary” in the Da edition; xiang “imagine” is si “ponder” in the Da edition; xian “immortal” is shan “mountain” in the Da edition; ling “numinous” was originally mistakenly written as lu “dew”; qing and sheng were originally missing, and all were corrected or supplemented according to the Da edition; you “have” is yu “nurture” in the Da edition.

Fascicle four of Maoshan Zhi was compiled by Liu Dabin, successive patriarch master of the Shangqing school. The section “Gao Fumo” (“Proclamation Duplicates”) collects duplicate copies of imperial edicts and proclamations, among which are Song-dynasty edicts. An imperial edict instructed Liu Hunkang (a Northern Song Daoist of Mount Mao and patriarch of the Shangqing school), saying: It has been long since we met; now that the hot summer has arrived, my longing has greatly accumulated. I imagine you dwelling aloof in the cloud mountains, transcending worldly things and cultivating lofty refinement, composed and self-content—this makes one deeply envious. If there are words I must tell you, how could I rely merely on oral relay? When your immortal carriage comes westward, we can then speak face to face and express everything fully. As for matters there that you have seen with your own eyes, do not disdain them as trivial; append them all and send them by post, so that the hardships of the people of that region are not blocked from being heard above—this is what I hope for. The heat is now at its height; please take good care to preserve your harmonious Qi.

After Master Huang arrived, I have understood one by one the matters he memorialized. I respectfully fasted and bathed, and wrote out one secret petition (mici, a secret text), entrusting you, sir, to transmit it upward through the baizhang (the Daoist ritual of submitting memorials to Heaven); this would be fortunate. When you obtain the heavenly words (the reply of the gods above), report them quickly and in full detail. I also informed Master Chiyi face to face, asking him to present a memorial concerning the Noble Consort at your place.

(The person named “Tong”) also returned to the mountain with Master Da Yi (i.e., Da Jingzhi, a disciple of Liu Hunkang; the original text reads “Master Chi Yi”). The imperial brush-painted portraits of Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Celestial Worthy) and Taishang Daojun (the Supreme Dao Lord), one each, may be combined with last year’s painting of Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Lord Lao) to form images of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), to be enshrined for reverent offering in quiet contemplation. There are also five volumes of scriptures such as the Beidou Jing (Northern Dipper Scripture), twenty fan heads, ten items of fruit, as well as incense and flowers, borneol incense, tea, candles, and other items, each to be handed over in the stated quantities; and to Master Da Yi are to be given fifty blank Cibu ordination certificates (documents authorizing ordination) and thirty purple-robe documents (honorary grants of the purple). In view of the disciples to be ordained, all disciples under Master Da Yi are granted purple robes and master titles; the fifteen attendants in his retinue are also granted formal ordination (pidu, full renunciation), and each is granted bolts of silk according to rank. This was the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month of the first year of the Daguan era (1107).

I have repeatedly received your gracious gifts of Fulu (talismans and registers), and I dare not keep them for my own use alone; whenever I meet people who are ill, I always give them to use, hoping to further your intention of healing the sick and saving people. For the various kinds of Fulu, please seek several dozen more and send them to the throne by postal relay.

The emperor issued an edict to Liu Hunkang: I have reviewed the memorials you submitted and the transcribed petition texts, and am fully informed. I further learn that the chapter-prayers you offered have already been delivered on an auspicious day, and that you have attained the secret purport of the Daoist gate; I deeply praise this. If it were not for your opening up the Middle Way, contemplating the mysterious and wondrous, according with the Great Dao, nurturing the true nature, keeping the common people in mind, and causing utmost sincerity to penetrate the profound and silent realm, who could attain such a state? My joy can be imagined. As you pass through summer and autumn, may your blessings, felicity, and good fruits increase all the more. In the intervals of managing the myriad affairs of state, I often read the essential principles of the Daoists; my heart inclines toward you and I long to converse with you—far more than with hunger and thirst. Next spring is not far off; I hope you will certainly come to the capital. You should understand my utmost sincerity and not persist in modest refusal and avoidance. The autumn sky is high and the air is crisp; I trust you have been peaceful and well recently. I write to convey my meaning and will not elaborate further.

It has been long since I saw your virtuous demeanor in person; I can only feel earnest longing. I have repeatedly received the memorials you sent by post, and from them I know that you dwell peacefully in quiet cultivation, deeply nurturing your spirit and mind, with ample ease. The matters requested in the memorial of Jingzhi (Da Jingzhi) have been verified item by item and implemented. Regarding your coming to the capital next spring, a separate edict has already been issued.

For a long time I have not seen your virtuous bearing, and I can only yearn for it earnestly. I have repeatedly received memorials delivered through the post stations and have learned that you dwell peacefully in the mountains, quiet your mind in cultivating the Dao, and are at ease and ample. The matters requested by Jingzhi have been examined item by item and put into effect. As for the matter of coming to the capital next spring, another edict has already explained it, so I will not elaborate here. You should take advantage of the rising spring waters and go west by small boat; do not obstinately go against my wishes. At the end of autumn, when the frosty air is clear and austere, apart from maintaining the Daoist registers and upholding the teachings, taking good care of yourself is most important. The fifth day of the ninth month, the first year of Daguan.

Edict to Liu Hunkang, a Maoshan Daoist: I have noted the memorial you submitted and the merit petition presented for the Tianning Festival, Emperor Huizong’s birthday. Early winter is precisely the season of the birthday festival; when the time comes, you should, at the jade altar, the Daoist altar, strictly order the Daoist ritual norms and pray for great blessings for the Son of Heaven. When I think how one beyond the world has not forgotten the sincere heart of serving his ruler, his loyalty and diligence are the more evident, deserving praise and commendation; I therefore issue this special notice, which you should understand. In early winter, are you peaceful and well of late? My letter does not go into much else. The fourteenth day of the tenth month, the first year of Daguan.

After a long separation, my thoughts of you are deep, and I am glad to know that your Daoist body is harmonious and pure. I do not understand your memorial declining the matter of coming to the capital at the beginning of spring. I truly wished to see your dignified bearing again, to speak freely of the feelings of long separation and to seek your instruction, yet you repeatedly withdraw and avoid it; your words are urgent, and you refuse so decisively. Moreover, an immortal boat is steady and goes with the current—what hardship is there? After New Year’s Day I will issue another edict; I mention it here first. I have not yet made detailed inquiries; I only wish you to preserve heavenly harmony. When I send someone to summon you next spring, you must not decline or disobey.

Edict to Liu Hunkang: I have noted the matter of your repeated memorials. You nurture your vast Qi, vital energy, in the mountains and wilds, settle your mind in the true Dao, stand beyond worldly things, roam at ease and content, and your daily life is very good. Having repeatedly read your tribute memorials, I deeply commend your diligence and thoughtfulness. It is only that your wondrous discourse is far away, so I can only send my thoughts in longing. I have issued edicts many times.

The gist of the edict of the ninth day of the tenth month in the first year of the Daguan reign (1107) of Emperor Huizong of Song: You were due to come to court next spring, yet you still delay and make excuses, being distressed by and weary of mundane social obligations. You should somewhat restrain your lofty aspirations, temporarily bend your high-minded heart, and not presume upon cultivating loftiness to stubbornly defy Our will. We hope you appreciate the court’s solicitude and do not neglect Our words. At the beginning of winter, We hope you take good care of yourself with a harmonious and balanced mind. The weather has suddenly turned cold; have you been well recently? This letter says no more.

You petitioned to elevate the honorific titles of the Three Mao Perfected Lords (San Mao Zhenjun: Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong, venerated at Maoshan). This has been checked against ceremonial regulations and implemented, and you should know the details. We are to meet next spring; you must not decline. What We look forward to is a close and thorough discussion with you of the lofty and wondrous Dao methods. As the winter season grows severe, by all means rest and cultivate quietude. We would still like to ask for several dozen more Fulu (talismans and registers), and We are deeply grateful. We constantly bear the affairs of the temple abbey in mind; how could We not care for them?

Another edict to Liu Hunkang (a Daoist of Maoshan): You have keenly awakened to the true mechanism and luminously understood and fused with the ultimate Dao. Each time We read your memorials, they accord with Our heart. As for your request for investiture titles for the Three Mao Perfected Lords, We bear in mind your heart directed toward the Dao and ought to add praise and exaltation; it has already been referred to the responsible office for an illustrious conferral of titles. Now that it is being issued and bestowed, you may fully receive it. The intercalary month is near; We hope you take good care of yourself. The mountains and rivers are long and obstructive, only increasing Our longing. Spring is approaching, and We earnestly hope you can come, traveling safely by boat; do not fear making the trip. As the winter solstice and the welcome of lengthening days (the return of the single yang) approach, you should be even more diligent and single-minded in pure cultivation. The winter is cold; have you been well recently? This letter says no more.

The set of texts recorded in the Maoshan Zhi consists mainly of edicts and letters that Emperor Huizong of Song, during the Daguan era, addressed to the Maoshan Daoist Liu Hunkang; their general meaning is as follows:

Since parting from you, a man of immortal bearing and Daoist constitution, I do not know whether your daily life is well. Whenever I recall your honored carriage traveling eastward, I cannot but sigh with emotion. A life of cloud-wandering in all directions, free and unfettered, truly possesses inexhaustible joy in transcending the dusty world. I greatly wish to discuss the wondrous Dao with you, and we have agreed on next spring. I have no time to ask more; I hope that abroad you will uphold the teaching and take good care of yourself—this is my prayer. The twenty-first day of the intercalary tenth month, first year of Daguan.

The Emperor issues an edict to Liu Hunkang: I have received the memorials you sent many times and understand them all. Your diligence and reverent caution are more than enough to gladden me. I greatly wish to discuss the wondrous Dao, and we have agreed on next spring. I have no time to ask more; I hope you will uphold the teaching and take good care of yourself—this is my prayer. The twenty-first day of the intercalary tenth month, first year of Daguan.

The Emperor issues an edict to Liu Hunkang: I have repeatedly received your memorials and know their contents. Your diligence and caution do not cease, and I often feel as if I am in your presence. How have you been lately in eating, resting, and daily routine according to the season? If you take a boat west next spring, I can look forward to your wondrous discourse. As for the Fulu (talismans and registers) needed by the Imperial Concubine, they will naturally be provided as required. I have no time to ask more now; I hope you will take special care of yourself.

The sacred images of the Three Mao Perfected Lords (Sanmao Zhenjun, the three Perfected Lords venerated at Maoshan) have already been completed, and I am only waiting for you, Master, to come to the capital (que, meaning the imperial court) so that they may be handed over to you in person. I request several dozen Fulu to be worn for healing illness. The sixth day of the eleventh month, first year of Daguan.

The Emperor issues an edict to Liu Hunkang: Having seen your memorial stating that you will come to the capital next spring, I understand all. You have come to court many times, and yet suddenly requested to return to the mountains. Through two years, I have constantly and earnestly longed for you. Hearing that you will go west early in spring greatly accords with my wishes. I very much wish to discourse on the subtle and expound the wondrous; beforehand I will purify my heart and observe abstinence as I wait. I am now sending an envoy to arrange boats, carriages, and horses, permitting you to travel safely by boat along the way; you should quickly prepare your baggage to relieve my eager longing. As our meeting approaches, I hope you will take good care of yourself. I have dispatched Huang Xisou—Commissioner of the Left Treasury of the Inner Western Capital, Supervisor of the Chariot Bureau of the Palace Administration, and courtier of the Longtu, Tianzhang, Baowen, and Xianmo Pavilions—with an edict to summon you to the capital. Spring is cold—have you been safe and well recently? A letter cannot set forth everything one by one.

At the New Year and the opening of spring, in accord with the changing season, may your daily life be peaceful and smooth. All the matters you have requested are being carried out one by one according to your wishes. If coming from Jingkou (present-day Zhenjiang) is very convenient for you, my wish to see you once is evident in my day-and-night longing. Once Huang Xisou arrives, do not delay in the slightest; you may set out when the spring waters rise. I hope the whole journey is unobstructed; whatever you need or find lacking, report it item by item in a memorial. I have already written a letter urging your journey, so I will not elaborate further here. When Huang Xisou arrives, you may urge him to set out. The fifth day of the first month of the second year of Daguan.

Edict to Liu Hunkang: You recently suffered a minor illness and have now recovered. I imagine that your methods of care and cultivation are effective, and that you need not rely on medicine. Recently I saw your memorial, saying that you persisted in coming to court despite illness; this sufficiently shows your diligence and sincerity, and that your loyal and excellent heart has never slackened. After reading it, I greatly praised and commended you. On the day Huang Xisou arrives, you may quickly set out; taking advantage of this time when the spring waters rise, travel west by boat in safety, and do not linger in the commanderies and counties along the way. I await the arrival of your crane carriage so that we may have a clear and wide-ranging conversation. The spring light is bright and beautiful, and it is just the right time to take good care of yourself. In this mid-spring season, are you peaceful and well? I send a messenger and will not say more. The fifteenth day of the second month of the second year of Daguan.

The spring scenery is bright, clear, and warm. As your immortal boat rests, you may as well cultivate the flood-like Qi well, and you will naturally be quite at ease. If there is anything you need, it can be discussed and arranged. After Xisou sets out, we shall meet before long; I already feel delighted in anticipation. Before we meet, taking good care of yourself and cultivating remains of the utmost importance.

Edict to Liu Hunkang: You hold to a deep and tranquil nature and cultivate a harmonious and modest virtue. Each time you come to the palace, you have often had the effect of inspiring and guiding me. Having been unable to hear your profound discourses on principle, several years have passed unnoticed, and a petty and begrudging mindset has arisen in me. I therefore specially send an envoy to urge on your carriage; you should respond to the call of the white-cloud excursion and come to the meeting at Zichen Hall. The remaining instructions were set out in the earlier edict. You should appreciate my favor and longing for you, and not delay further. I now dispatch Huang Xisou, Wensi Commissioner of the Inner Palace, Director of the Imperial Carriage Bureau of the Palace Administration, and Supervisor of the Longtu, Tianzhang, Baowen, and Xianmo Pavilions, to take charge of the boats and proceed to Mount Mao to proclaim the summons.

The imperial edict says: You are coming to the capital for an audience, and this is specially announced; I believe you already understand. The spring weather is warm—have you been well lately? I will not go into every detail in this letter. I have also dispatched Huang Xisou, imperial attendant and commissioner of the Longtu, Tianzhang, Baowen, and Xianmo Pavilions, to escort a vessel to Maoshan to announce the summons for you to enter the capital.

I greatly wish to meet you; my urgency is hard to describe. By the schedule, you will certainly reach the capital in the first ten days of the fourth month. The spring waters are calm, and I expect there will be no obstruction. On the way you should decline social engagements and courtesies. Every day I gaze east and wait. When you are about to enter Bianjing (the Bian River area), you should report quickly. Until we meet, take good care of yourself.

The Patent Posthumously Conferring the Honorary Civil Rank of Taizhong Dafu says: We believe that in an age of supreme De (Virtue/Power), when the ruler practices Wuwei (non-action), all things are naturally transformed deeply and broadly; when he is clear and quiet, the people are settled. Following this Dao brings the people into great peace and harmony. Sincere intentions resonate, and extraordinary people arrive from afar. The rites of gracious reception are complete from beginning to end. Master Baozhen Guanmiao Chonghe (Preserving Truth, Contemplating the Wondrous, and Harmonious Centrality), Liu Hunkan, upheld the true Dao of emptiness and oneness; pure and unadorned, he was self-possessed. He could foreknow auspicious and inauspicious outcomes and awaken the deluded; sometimes he used talismans and incantations to heal illness and could cure many people’s diseases. Though he lived in mountains and forests, his fame shook the capital. We therefore praised him and summoned him for leisurely audiences of question and answer; repeatedly We heard his lofty discourse, which deeply accorded with Our mind. Recently he came again to court, dwelt peacefully in a jeweled gallery, and peacefully underwent feathered transformation. Quietly reflecting on what he left behind, We should show compassion and add praise. The official rank of Taizhong Dafu is comparable to that of Grand Master of Remonstrance. This is a special grace; may he enjoy posthumous honor, and We specially posthumously confer Taizhong Dafu.

The Patent Bestowing the Posthumous Name Jingyi says: The rescript states: We reflect that the land of winding waters, north to Daizong (Mount Tai) and south joining Luofu Mountain; in the Hetu (Yellow River Chart) the ritual registers are verified, and from “Difei” (another name for Maoshan) it received a fine name. This is a hidden realm for embracing the Dao and living in seclusion, where eminent people of former days resided. The true wind has not been forgotten; former traces still remain. We posthumously confer the rank of Taizhong Dafu on Liu Hunkan.

This passage mainly records the granting of the palace name and plaque, the imperial edicts and dispatches, and the extension of imperial grace and promotions for the relevant officials at Yuanfu Wanning Palace on Mount Mao.

The first half says: a certain person transcended worldly entanglements, taking emptiness and stillness as his fundamental principle; at the Goujin Altar (the name of a Daoist altar) he contemplated the mysterious, and at the place of burying jade (the site where the jade-burial ritual was held) he nurtured radiance. He admired the true ethos of Nanyue (Mount Heng) and sought the profound meaning of Xicheng (a Daoist sacred site/school). When people were just making petitions and placing expectations on him, he suddenly departed from the world like a cicada shedding its shell; the court therefore bestowed a fine posthumous title to manifest his achievements in the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Dao, and also, hoping that in the future the Chongxu (Profound Emptiness) teaching might be further revitalized, specially granted him the posthumous title “Jingyi (Stillness and Unity).”

Next is the emperor’s bestowal of the name and plaque “Yuanfu Wanning Palace.” The dispatch from the Department of State Affairs says: concerning Yuanfu Wanning Palace and Yuanfu Abbey on Mount Mao in Jiangning Prefecture (the present-day Nanjing area), by imperial edict the palace name is to be changed and bestowed as “Yuanfu Wanning Palace”; upon arrival of the dispatch, the edict is to be carried out. Dated a certain day in the first month of Chongning 5 (1106). The signing officials listed afterward include Deng, Zhongdafu and Acting Right Vice Director; He, Zhongdafu and Acting Left Vice Director; and the Minister of Works and Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. The text again repeats a dispatch concerning the extension of grace to the superintendent and other officials of Yuanfu Wanning Palace; its content is likewise that, by imperial edict, the palace name was changed and bestowed, and upon arrival of the dispatch the edict was to be carried out, and it also lists the first month of Chongning 5 and the signatures of Deng, He, the Right Vice Director, and others.

Finally is the edict ordering the extension of grace: The court observed this blessed site and newly built a shrine/temple (palace/abbey) to usher in blessings and auspiciousness for the drought-stricken people. Hu Shiwen, Direct Scholar of the Longtu Pavilion and Left Grand Master of Court Counsel, and others were able to handle this matter jointly until the project was completed. The court commended their diligence and advanced their official ranks, so as to accord with the fine appointments and also fulfill their wishes. Therefore it specially appointed Hu Shiwen as Left Zhongsan Dafu, with duties as before; Qiao, Xuanyi Lang and Jiangdong Transport Judge, was specially appointed Xuande Lang, with assignment as before; Bao Shenci, Chengshi Lang and Magistrate of Jurong County, was specially appointed Xuanyi Lang, with assignment as before; Gao Shiqian, Right Shijin and Supervisor of Moorings in Jiangning Prefecture, was specially appointed Left Shijin; and Gao Gongding, West Head Palace Attendant, was specially appointed East Head Palace Attendant. The text repeats the wording of the appointments for Bao Shenci and others; the gist is that the officials concerned were each promoted or transferred according to precedent, while their original assignments remained unchanged.

The Right Shijin and supervisor of riverbank works at Jiangning Prefecture, Gao Shiqian, was specially conferred the post of Left Shijin; the West Head Palace Attendant Gao Gongding was specially conferred the post of Shutou Palace Attendant; the borrowed-office official Zhang He was specially conferred the post of Fengzhi; the dispatch officer Ye Cheng was specially conferred a borrowed office; the Sanban dispatch officer Meng Zhong was specially conferred the Sanban; and the borrowed-office official and county magistrate Bao Shen declined the grace of three years’ mokan. This records a group of officials who were promoted or appointed according to precedential grace: Gao Shiqian was changed from Right Shijin and supervisor of riverbank works at Jiangning Prefecture to Left Shijin; Gao Gongding from West Head Palace Attendant to Shutou Palace Attendant; Zhang He from borrowed office to Fengzhi; Ye Cheng from dispatch officer to borrowed office; Meng Zhong from Sanban dispatch officer to Sanban; and Bao Shen, borrowed-office official and county magistrate, declined the grace of three years’ mokan. (Right Shijin, Left Shijin, Palace Attendant, borrowed office, dispatch officer, and Sanban dispatch officer were mostly Song military official ranks or assignments; mokan was the procedure for evaluating officials for transfer and promotion.)

Another edict said: At the Yuanfu Wanning Palace on Mount Mao in Jiangning Prefecture, the construction of buildings such as the Qianshen Hermitage and the installation of the imperial calligraphy plaque have been completed; the matter is not insignificant. The officials below responsible for supervision, urging the works, and overseeing labor may accordingly be specially rewarded with grace. Transport Vice Commissioner Liu He is to be advanced one official rank; Jiangning Prefecture Vice Prefect Fan Xiyi is to be granted three years’ mokan; when his current term ends, he is specially ordered to serve another term; the inspector responsible for overseeing labor and the Inner Hall Chongban Sun Mingyi is to be advanced one official rank. (Transport Vice Commissioner, Vice Prefect, inspector, and Inner Hall Chongban are all official titles; Yuanfu Wanning Palace is a temple on Mount Mao.)

By imperial edict, Cangzhen Abbey was granted its name: The Secretariat’s official document stated that Cangzhen Abbey in Jiangning Prefecture was a monastic institution built at the burial place of the late Liu Hunkang; by imperial edict, the name “Cangzhen Abbey” was specially bestowed as its abbey plaque. When the document arrives, carry it out according to the edict. The date was the eleventh month of the second year of the Daguan reign period, and it bore such official titles as Zhongdaifu, Acting Left Assistant Director, Grand Preceptor Yu, and Left Vice Director. (A die was an official government document; the abbey plaque was the name tablet of a Daoist temple; Liu Hunkang was a Northern Song Daoist of Mount Mao.)

Xuanhe Edict Conferring the Title of Zhenren (Realized Person) on Lu Jianji: The emperor holds that for ancient recluses of lofty conduct whose fame has not faded but whose titles are still not commensurate, posthumous conferral and public commendation should be made. Mr. Jianji, Lu Xiujing (a Southern Dynasties Daoist, styled Mr. Jianji, who edited Daoist scriptures and lived at Mount Lu), inwardly attained true essence, left scriptures to serve as models, and stood aloof from the world; at his former retreat on Mount Lu there is a shrine, and examining the actual traces to the present, We fix his name and ritually confer the title of “Zhenren.” This not only praises the vestiges of former worthies but also lets those who later hear of it know where the Dao lies and strive in cultivation. He may be specially conferred the title of Danyuan Zhenren.

Xuanhe Edict Conferring the Title of Zhenren on the Five Zhenren Yang, Guo, Xu, and Tao: The edict says: The emperor visualizes in the Yingxiao Mansion and gazes afar at the Jinglong Terrace, reverently beholding the Three Blossoms (Sanxiu, a Daoist paradisal realm and auspicious sign). This not only praises the vestiges of former worthies but also lets those who later hear of it know where the Dao lies. The edict uses the conferral of Zhenren titles to revere former worthies and guide later generations toward the Dao.

Those who diligently cultivate their practice wherever they reside may be specially conferred the title “Danyuan Zhenren” (Perfected of the Elixir Origin).

The “Xuanhe Edicts Conferring Titles on the Five Perfected Ones Yang, Guo, Xu, and Tao” are imperial edicts issued during the Xuanhe era (a reign title of Emperor Huizong of Song) to praise and confer titles on the five Perfected Yang, Guo, Xu, and Tao.

The first edict states: I fix my contemplation in the Yingxiao Prefecture, gaze afar at the Jinglong Terrace, look up to the divine homeland of the Three Blossoms, and long for the wondrous instructions of the Nine Splendors; I revere the traces of the assembled immortals and make manifest their merit in expounding and promoting transformative teaching. Perfected Yang, the Shuhua Upper Assistant and Director of Destinies, accumulated learning and penetrated the subtle and refined, disciplined his mind and merged with the vast void; he obtained the Hidden Formula of the Central Yellow and received the secret transmission of the Southern Perfected. He governs the Wu-Yue region and oversees the vital secrets of the divine spirits. As he is now magnifying the ultimate Dao, he should be given a most exalted laudatory title. May the divine spirit descend and observe, and forever bestow blessings and auspiciousness. He is specially conferred the title “Dongling Xianhua Zhenren” (Perfected of Cavernous Spirit and Manifest Transformation).

The second states: The hidden numen of the Three Black is originally beyond the measure of words, and the coalesced transformations of the ten thousand spirits are also difficult to conjecture or seek out; all praise and exaltation of the supreme Perfected truly serves to magnify the ultimate Dao. Perfected Guo, Vice Minister of the Jade Terrace, has merit and virtue that reach the Ten Extremes and a rank among the Nine Palaces; bearing the jade earrings of contained radiance, he already soars through the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate); supporting the morning canopy of flowering splendor, he serves the Void Sovereign in all things. As he is now greatly expounding the primordial order, he should be given a lofty and illustrious title. May he deign to descend and forever protect the flourishing plans and destiny. He is specially conferred the title “Taiwei Baoguang Zhenren” (Perfected of the Great Subtlety Who Preserves Radiance).

The third states: I descend into the Jade Realm of Total Perfection, ascend the Radiant Jinglong Terrace, and examine the calendrical courses at the Primordial Shoulder in order to save and deliver the beings of the lower earth; all who have merit in the grades of the Dao are advanced into the immortal lineage. Perfected Xu Changshi of Shangqing, with pure simplicity blending outwardly and divine illumination attained inwardly; his numinous tones flow smoothly, and he secretly joins the excursions of the assembled sages. His lofty carriage is transcendent and distant, and he assists in the governance of Shangqing. As he is now spreading [the teaching] throughout the Great Brahma, he should be matched with an exalted name of virtue. May he manifest great protection and broaden the transformative teaching of Wuwei (non-action). He is specially conferred the title “Taiyuan Guangde Zhenren” (Perfected of the Great Origin and Vast Virtue).

The edict says: The Purple Pole Palace nurtures primordial Qi; though for a time he received the One Qi (precelestial primordial Qi), his name is listed in the immortal registers of the Cinnabar Terrace and he truly stands among the myriad Zhenren (Perfected). Whenever titles are praised and honored within the immortal lineage, this serves to magnify the merit of the Dao-bureaus. Zhenren Xu, Immortal Duke of Shangqing and Attendant of the Emperor at Dawn in Donghua (an immortal of the Xu clan holding an immortal office in the Shangqing tradition), studied the three Shen (the Shen of the three Dantian) and contemplated the wondrous Dao; he congealed the Nine Wefts (the Qi of the warp and weft of the nine directions) and was born upright and outstanding. When his meritorious practice in the Northern Cavern was completed, he naturally accorded with the proper lot of a recluse; treading the light in Donghua, he ascended and alone surpassed the company of high ministers. Though he loftily declined worldly name and position, how could I dare forget the shelter of his benevolence and De? I look to his harmonious Qi to aid and assist, further spreading and illuminating the primordial order. He may specially be enfeoffed as Hunhua Yuanyi Zhenren (Perfected of Blended Transformation and Primordial Oneness).

The edict further declares: I have received the mandate of heaven from Langxiao and hold the Longhan treasure; how could I dare forget the shelter of benevolence and De? I look to his harmonious Qi to aid and assist, further spreading and illuminating the primordial order. He may specially be enfeoffed as Hunhua Yuanyi Zhenren.

The edict also says: I have received the mandate of heaven from Langxiao and hold the Longhan treasure talisman. I am about to disseminate the numinous sounds, prosper the Daoist transformation, elucidate subtle words within the supreme teaching, and present blessed mandates to the assembled Zhenren. Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing, sobriquet Yinju), Director of Waterways of Penglai, rose up in the Rongluo and was purified in the Palace of Essence and Splendor; his spiritual communion is without entanglement, though his physical traces still connect with the mountains; sincere response has long been unobstructed, and he has already become an immortal on the sea. His virtuous name cannot be matched; how dare I forget his wondrous protection. It is fitting to confer the glory of an illustrious title, forever aiding the blessings of sentient beings. He may specially be enfeoffed as Zongyuan Lanjiao Zhenren (Perfected of Ancestral Origin and Radiant Teaching). On the third day of the eighth month of the sixth year of Xuanhe, the Grand Tutor, Duke of Ye, subject [name omitted]; Zhang Bangchang, Right Assistant and Vice Director of the Secretariat; and Zhang Zhixing, Secretariat Drafter, received the imperial command as above. When the document arrives, carry it out.

The memorial requesting the enfeoffment of the Five Zhenren says: I pour out my foolish sincerity and offend the imperial majesty; withdrawing to reflect on my lowly mediocrity, I am content to await the court’s judgment. I privately consider that since antiquity, those who attained the Dao and ascended as Zhenren have followed one another, revered by their times, and all took supporting the world and establishing the teaching as their duty. After the Three Mao Zhenren ascended, there followed Yang, Guo, and the two Xu. All these Zhenren intensively cultivated the supreme Dao at Mount Juqu (Mount Mao), and each took supporting the world and establishing the teaching as their duty; after the Three Mao Zhenren ascended, those who rose in succession were likewise so.

These writings record the court’s reverence for and conferral of titles on Maoshan Daoism and related eminent Daoists during the Xuanhe era of the Northern Song and the reigns of Ningzong and Lizong of the Southern Song.

In the sixth year of Xuanhe (1124) of the Northern Song, the official Ding Anxing submitted a memorial: The Perfected (Zhenren) such as Yang, Guo, and the two Xu—referring to Yang Xi, the Guo, and the two Xu cultivators—all diligently cultivated the highest Dao teachings at Juqu (present-day Maoshan). Heavenly Perfected deities descended to watch over them, and they personally received secret transmissions; thus the Shangqing scriptural teachings (Shangqing jingjiao) gradually spread through the human world. By around the Liang and (Liu-)Song periods, the ethos of cultivating Perfection gradually fell into obscurity, and the sagely Dao continued weakly like a thin cord. Only Tao the Recluse (Tao Hongjing) strove to support Daoism, elucidating the essential purport of the Dao teachings with subtle words and profound principles—a blessing for the world and later generations. Yet the three Mao brothers (Mao Ying, Mao Gu, Mao Zhong) have recently received court praise, reverent worship, and conferral of sacred rank, while the other Perfected have not been heard to receive any commendation. In my ignorance, I hope for the emperor’s compassionate grace: specially, following the precedent of the Three Mao Perfected Lords (Sanmao Zhenjun), to confer fine titles on the Perfected Yang, Guo, Xu, and Tao in accordance with their existing immortal offices. Apart from separately memorializing in detail each one’s immortal rank, if this be graciously permitted, please issue an order for the responsible offices to implement it. Having trespassed upon heavenly majesty, I await Your Majesty’s judgment. This was the memorial (zhazi) submitted by the subject Ding Anxing, Gentleman of the Azure Empyrean (Biluo lang), Collator of the Ningshen Hall, Associate Administrator of the Right Street Daoist Registry Office, and Supervisor of the Yuchen Abbey in Jiangning Prefecture.

Emperor Ningzong of Song bestowed on Wang Jingwen the title “Xujing Zhenren” (Perfected of Vacuity and Stillness), saying that he practiced the Dao and righteousness with elegant nobility, conducted himself with purity and integrity, had received favor from three reigns, and that We too treat him with propriety; therefore this title is bestowed.

In an edict patent (chidie—an official document of title conferral and appointment) concerning Master Yi Rugang from the Baoqing era (a reign title of Emperor Lizong of Song), the Secretariat’s dispatch records the memorial statement of Yi Rugang, Chief Daoist Registrar of the Left and Right Streets in charge of affairs of the teaching, Chief Supervisor of the Taiyi Palace (an imperial Daoist temple) and Gaoshi (a high Daoist rank): “I, a humble rustic, formerly was at Maoshan. At the change of the Qingyuan era (1195), I received grace and was summoned to serve as Gaoshi and Chief Supervisor and abbot of the Taiyi Palace, responsible specifically for prayer. Always relying on the sovereign and ministers’ love for the realm and the people, there was no prayer of mine that did not receive a clear response; over thirty years now, I have been promoted through the Daoist ranks on successive occasions. Earlier, in the sixth year of Jiading (1213), I received the grace of a special bestowal of the title ‘Tongmiao Xiansheng’ (Master of Penetrating Wondrousness). Subsequently, in the fourteenth year of Jiading (1221), I received an order to go to Maoshan to offer incense and perform a Zhaijiao (purification ritual); when the matter was completed.”

An official submitted a reply memorial requesting that the Gaoshi (Daoist Adept, an honorific for a Daoist of cultivated conduct) Yi Rugang be allowed to retire on account of old age and return to the mountains. The emperor’s vermilion rescript read: “The Gaoshi Yi Rugang has merit in prayer and should not retire; he should be richly rewarded to show imperial favor and to retain him.” In that year he received the decree to go to Maoshan to offer incense and establish a Zhaijiao (purification ritual; on the emperor’s behalf, offering incense and setting up sacrificial-prayer rites), and the matter was completed. Later, when a memorial was again submitted requesting retirement and return to the mountains, by vermilion rescript he was specially granted the title “Tongmiao Baozhen Xiansheng” (Master of Penetrating the Wondrous and Preserving Truth). Thereupon the two scrolls in Emperor Ningzong’s (Song Ningzong) imperial handwriting were submitted together, in the hope that the Department of State Affairs (Shangshu Sheng, a central government office) would specially issue an imperial decree honoring the famous mountain and thereby give weight to matters of prayer, while awaiting instructions. On the fourteenth day of the seventh month of the first year of Baoqing (1225), an imperial edict was received, specially ordering the Department of State Affairs to issue an edict-document (chidie, official document). By imperial edict: it was fitting to bestow [the title] “Tongmiao Baozhen Xiansheng”; the document was approved accordingly. Issued on a certain day in the seventh month of the first year of Baoqing.

Words for the Golden Register (Jinlu) Dragon-Investment Jade Slip of Emperor Lizong: On the jiaxu day, the twenty-sixth day of the ninth month, whose first day was jiyou, in the dingyou year, the first year of Jiaxi (1237), the successor Son of Heaven, your subject Zhao Yun, in order to protect and prolong the fortunes of the state and reverently pray for heirs, prepared incense offerings and respectfully established a Chongke (Daoist Keyi, liturgy). He commanded twenty-one Daoist priests at the Yuanfu Wanning Palace in Jiankang Prefecture (present-day Nanjing area) to establish a Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) ritual service for one day and two nights; when the rites were completed, a Zhaijiao was set up with three hundred and sixty ritual stations, announcing and covenanting with Heaven and Earth and broadly gathering auspiciousness. In accordance with established precedent, I proceed to the Shangqing ancestral altar at the Huayang Cave-Heaven (a sacred Daoist site at Maoshan) to deposit the golden dragon and jade slip (a Daoist rite of announcing to Heaven, in which a golden dragon and jade slip are deposited in cave-heavens and blessed places). I humbly hope that the Most Holy and Most True will examine my crimson sincerity (dankun, utter sincerity) and on my behalf transcribe and memorialize it upward, making it heard in the Nine Heavens. Your subject Zhao Yun—since the position of heir apparent is still vacant and no auspicious omen of gaining a son has yet appeared, and since the border regions have garrison troops stationed by sector and troops still need to be dispatched for defense—inwardly wishes to strengthen the foundation of the state and outwardly wishes to pacify the atmosphere of arms, looking up in remembrance of the ancestral accumulations of the imperial patrimony.

Facing the difficulty of inheriting the great enterprise, deeply aware of the anxiety of bearing the responsibility for succession day and night, I therefore sacrificed everywhere to God on High and prayed at famous mountains. May the spirits bestow the benevolent grace of covering protection and give strong support, so that I may obtain an eldest son—the term zhen suo is taken from the Zhen hexagram in the Yi Jing, meaning eldest son—to meet the need for an heir and cause the dynastic fortune to continue for a hundred generations; may weapons be stopped and great peace brought about, the governance of the four quarters stabilized, the foundation of the state made firm, and the people and all things kept tranquil. Reverently I draw near to the blessings of the spirits and forever rely on the great creation of Heaven and Earth. Your servant Zhao Yun—Song Lizong’s personal name was Yun—cannot be more earnest in prayer. Respectfully stated.

The emperor by edict confers on Marquis Fuze Guangying: Dragons originally have no fixed bodily form, and their numinous power is not confined to one place. Moreover, Maoshan is where perfected ones—those accomplished in cultivation—dwell, and the dragon deity breathes and circulates there; the numinous efficacy of its elixir furnace and of the sun and moon is still sufficient to rely upon and manifest. The authorities report its merits: clear and rain come in season, and it protects the seedlings, truly according with the meaning of sacrificial rites. Therefore extend the marquis title and expand the commendation. Jinling is my auxiliary capital; the dragon deity there holds a hidden office, fulfilling the duty of a subordinate within the marquis’s and royal domains. It may specially be enfeoffed as Fuze Guangying Liji Hou, Marquis of Broad Grace, Extensive Response, and Beneficial Relief. The edict is as above; when the document arrives, execute it. A certain month and day in the fourth year of Chunyou.

The emperor says: I have heard that Perfected Ones ride the wind and mount Qi, their spirits roaming beyond the eight directions, yet a single thought tied to living beings still keeps them frequently concerned. Taiyuan Miaodao Chongxu Zhenjun, Divine Lord Director of Destinies and Upper Minister of the Eastern Peak—head of the Three Mao Perfected Lords of Maoshan—achieved the Dao at Maoshan, had his name registered in the immortal bureau, and is first among the three lords. Through successive generations he has manifested wondrous proofs, and near and far all worship him as Director of Destinies. For the sake of the people I admire him without end, and have specially ordered the authorities promptly to add a beautiful title in order to express reverent veneration. He may specially be enfeoffed as Taiyuan Miaodao Chongxu Shengyou Zhenjun, Divine Lord Director of Destinies and Upper Minister of the Eastern Peak.

Imperial edict: I have heard that the spirits of the three peaks of Mount Juqu (i.e., Maoshan) are exceedingly manifest, hence the name “Golden Altar Grotto-Heaven.” Admired and revered through the ages, could this be only today? The Perfected Lord of Dinglu, Right Prohibition, Ultimate Dao, and Profound Stillness, who cultivated perfection and attained the Dao (the Way), is the Middle Mao Lord (one of the Three Mao Perfected Lords venerated at Maoshan). Prayers for clear or rainy weather all have responses; people near and far are grateful for his virtue. Therefore I have ordered the augmentation of his title to repay his great blessings. I hope you will understand my intention and more secretly protect the common people. He may be specially enfeoffed as “Perfected Lord of Dinglu, Right Prohibition, Ultimate Dao, Profound Stillness, De (Virtue/Power), and Blessing.”

Imperial edict: I have heard that Emperor Wu of Han sacrificed to the spirit lords within the palace precincts, with extremely secret prayers, in order to seek blessings universally; I do not adopt this practice. The Perfected Lord of the Three Officials Who Protects Life, Subtle and Wondrous, Profound and Beneficent, possesses true charisma and Dao qi (vital energy of the Dao), and is called the Small Mao Lord (one of the Three Mao Perfected Lords). People have prayed, revered, and honored him in sacrifices for more than a day. Now I order the augmentation of his title to manifest my earnest admiration and to extend blessings more widely to living beings. He may be specially enfeoffed as “Perfected Lord of the Three Officials Who Protects Life, Subtle and Wondrous, Profound and Beneficent, Humaneness and Blessing.” The above edict is to be executed accordingly; upon receipt of the document, obey it. On a certain day in the third month of the ninth year of the Chunyou reign, Grand Tutor and Left Chancellor, Duke of Wei, Qingzhi; Right Chancellor Kui; Assistant Administrator of State Affairs Xian; Assistant Administrator of State Affairs Fangshu; Minister of Personnel Que; Acting Minister of War Qingsou.

By imperial grant, the emperor bestowed one aloeswood ruyi with gold tracery, offered to the Great Mao Lord; two white jade gui tablets, offered to the Middle Mao Lord and Small Mao Lord; twelve items including banners, pennants, canopies, and ceremonial insignia held by the sacred images; fifty taels of aloeswood; five taels of borneol; one hundred taels of silver; two bolts of green brocade (each two zhang long); fifty cakes of new tea; and one hundred thousand strings of official paper money, delivered to Chongxi Abbey on Maoshan.

Petition requesting the conferral of additional titles on the Three Mao Lords (No. 6): The Grand Master of Assisting Loyalty, Military Commissioner of Baokang Army, Chief Supervisor of the Inner Palace Service, and Superintendent of the You Sheng Abbey, Zhang Zuo, Daoist Registrar of the Street, Master of Penetrating Subtlety and True Response, High Adept of the Xubai Retreat of You Sheng Abbey, and Supervisor of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Situ Shitan, submits a memorial: “For three years, Your servant has performed prayers and apotropaic rituals, and achieved spiritual communion…”

Situ Shitan, Dao Registrar (daolu, a Daoist official title) of Zhangzuo Street at Youzheng Temple, Master Dongwei Zhenying, Gaoshi of the Xubai Retreat at Youzheng Temple, and superintendent of ecclesiastical affairs, submitted a memorial saying: For three years I have prayed and have had some modest labor of efficacious response. I request that a gracious edict be issued conferring additional titles upon the Three Mao Perfected Lords (the three Mao lords venerated at Maoshan). When this was memorialized, it received approval.

The Yuan Shao proclamation records that the edict by which Emperor Shizu summoned Master Jiang said: “By the mandate of Heaven, the emperor’s sacred edict instructs Jiang Zongying, the thirty-eighth-generation Master of the Three Mao Mountains in Jiankang Circuit: We have heard that you are advanced in years and abundant in virtue, and that your Fulu (talismans and registers) of Daoist law are refined and strict. We wish to hear you discourse on Daoist teachings. We now send envoys with post-horses to summon you to court and order the relevant authorities to arrange your dispatch according to regulations, so that you may travel safely and not meet with hardship. This is specially edicted; you should be informed. A certain day in the second month of the eighteenth year of Zhiyuan.”

The Golden Register Fast prayer text says: On the third day of the fifth month of the gengxu year, the third year of the Zhida reign, your subject Wang Daomeng, Perfected Yuanjing, Supreme Three Caverns Dharma Master of the Shangqing Dadong scripture and registers, reverently received the emperor’s sacred edict. I consider that those who possess a state and a household receive Heaven and Earth’s grace of completion and nurturing. Heaven and Earth are high and profound; how dare we forget the sincere heart of prayer and thanksgiving? Therefore I sealed the written words and afar besought the famous mountain, praying for blessings to prolong the state’s destiny. I respectfully dispatched Wu Quanjie, Successor Master of the Xuanjiao, Superintendent of Daoist Affairs for Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and other regions, Perfected of Exalted Culture and Propagated Dao and Mysterious Virtue, to carry incense and offerings to the Shangqing ancestral altar of Yuanfu Wanning Palace on the Three Mao Mountains, there to establish the Golden Register Precious Fast (Jinlu zhai, a large-scale blessing Zhaijiao) for three days and nights. At its completion, a pure offering (qingjiao, a quiet ritual of sacrifice to the gods) was set out for the assembled Perfected of the Three Realms in three hundred and sixty positions. I humbly pray that Heaven and Earth shelter and nurture without partiality, observe all with clear brightness, that Heaven be long and Earth enduring, and that the Three Palaces together enjoy health, longevity, blessings, and auspiciousness; that rain and wind be timely, and the four seas together rejoice in a harmonious and prosperous governance.

On the twenty-sixth day of the fifth month of the first year of Yanyou (1314), with the ritual rank as before, your servant Wang Daomeng respectfully received the imperial edict. I respectfully consider that Heaven and the ancestral spirits send down protection; the fate of the state rests on the emperor alone, and the deeper one cultivates and examines oneself, how could one dare cease repaying and praying? Therefore at Maoshan (Mount Mao; Maofu, i.e., Maoshan) I established Daoist Keyi (liturgy), gathering auspicious blessings for the imperial house; what sincere vows wish for will surely be followed, and no matter how distant it will surely be reached. Accordingly, I have respectfully sealed and sent incense, ritual silks, and other offerings, and dispatched the Xuanjiao (Mystic Teachings) successor-master Hao Quanjie, superintendent of Daoism in Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and other regions, and Zhenren of Esteemed Culture, Promoting the Dao, and Mystic De, to proceed to the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) ancestral altar at Yuanfu Wanning Palace, and ordered the patriarch Wang Daomeng to assemble Dharma masters and Daoist priests to set up an altar and perform the Golden Register Precious Fast for Blessing the State and Enriching the People for three days and nights. When the fast assembly was completed, I respectfully presented offerings to all the perfected of the Three Realms and established a pure Zhaijiao (purification ritual) with three hundred and sixty seats. I pray that the emperor be blessed, that ten thousand blessings gather, that diligent government not be neglected, that the hundred officials each fulfill their duties and governance be clear; that the empress dowager be joyfully supported, increasing the blessings of unending joy; and that wind and rain be timely, so that the common people and all things be healthy and prosperous.

On the fifth day of the first month of the fifth year of Yanyou (1318), your servant Liu Dabin, disciple of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) Great Cavern Three Scenes scriptures and registers, Zhenren Yuanjing, forty-fifth-generation successor-patriarch of the teaching, respectfully received the imperial edict. I respectfully consider that in stabilizing the state, it has already been eight years since the emperor ascended the throne; revering the Dao of Heaven, I seal and send incense to the Three Mountains (referring to Maoshan and other famous Daoist mountains). Just at the beginning of spring's growth, we pray that the great De of Heaven and Earth may broadly bring forth all things; may our sincerity be observed below and reach the great blessings above. I therefore respectfully dispatch Xia Wenyong, Zhenren of Primal Completion, Cultured Rectitude, and Central Harmony, chief superintendent of Daoism in Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and other regions, to proceed to the Shangqing ancestral altar at Yuanfu Wanning Palace of the Three Mao Mountains, and order your servant Liu Dabin to assemble Dharma masters and Daoist priests to set up an altar and perform the Golden Register Precious Fast for Blessing the State and Enriching the People for three days and nights. When the fast assembly is completed, I respectfully present offerings to all the perfected of the Three Realms and establish a pure Zhaijiao with three hundred and sixty seats. I pray that August Heaven look upon us with favor and confer its mandate, granting the great blessings of the Hongfan (Great Plan).

These texts are the Yuan dynasty imperial edicts recorded in the Maoshan Zhi and the prayer documents of the Maoshan Grand Master Liu Dabin, who by imperial order established the Golden Register Precious Zhaijiao. A prayer that appears repeatedly at the beginning says: may the nine kinship groups be harmonious and the ten thousand states in accord; may warfare cease and punishments be set aside; may the Six Treasuries (water, fire, metal, wood, earth, and grain) be fully ordered; may the Three Affairs (rectifying virtue, promoting utility, and enriching the people) be well governed, and may this endure as long as earth and Heaven. May the Compassionate Palace (referring to the empress dowager) share in the blessings of health and longevity; may the Central Palace (referring to the empress; the original “Zhongchuang” is suspected to mean this) share in the blessings of harmony and peace; may blessings and felicity extend to the Heir Apparent, and may grace cover all under Heaven. This passage appears again in the entry for the third year of Taiding (1326).

On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the bingyin year, the third year of Taiding, Liu Dabin, in the same ritual rank as before, reverently received the emperor’s sacred edict. He humbly reflected that the emperor had received Heaven’s Mandate, reverently inherited the great succession, protected the people without end, and was mindful that the ancestral temples and state altars might forever be at peace. Responding to Heaven with a sincere heart, he made manifest the sacrifices to mountains and rivers; thus he expressed sincerity in pure shrines, hoping to obtain great blessings. Respectfully presenting incense and silk offerings, he dispatched Wu Quanjie—Specially Advanced Upper Minister (the original “shangxiang” is probably “shangqing”), Great Master of the Mysterious Teaching, Zhenren of Broad Transformation, Mysterious De, Promoting Culture and Propagating the Dao, Superintendent of Daoism in Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and other regions, and Administrator of Daoist Affairs at the Jixian Academy—to proceed to the Shangqing Zongtan at Yuanfu Wanning Palace on the Sanmao Mountains in Jiankang Circuit (around present-day Nanjing), to convene the Golden Register Precious Zhaijiao (a major Daoist blessing purification ritual), to pray to Heaven for an enduring mandate, to bless the state, and to enrich the people. Humbly we hope that the celestial dome (the heavenly realm) will descend and inspect: may the imperial throne and national fortune long endure; may the state lay the foundation of Great Peace; may the Three Palaces rejoice together; may all within the seas delight in a rule of harmony and prosperity; and may the ten thousand states be tranquil. The subsequent text again repeats phrases such as “at the Shangqing Zongtan, convening the Golden Register Precious Zhaijiao, praying to Heaven for an enduring mandate, blessing the state and enriching the people … all within the seas delighting in a rule of harmony and prosperity, and the ten thousand states all being tranquil”; this is still the same prayer.

On the ninth day of the first month of the gengwu year, the third year of Tianli (1330), the disciple of Taishang, the forty-fifth-generation Master who succeeds to the Shangqing Gaoxuan Dadong scripture register, Dharma Master of the Three Heavens, Zhenren of Upper Radiance, your minister Liu Dabin, who exercises the seal and office of the Lord of the Immortal Capital of the Nine Elders, reverently received the emperor’s sacred edict, with the words “Fuyi—” This is the introductory phrase with which Liu Dabin, after reverently receiving the sacred edict, submits his report in the ritual posture of prostration.

This passage records the imperial court’s dispatch of envoys to Maoshan to conduct a Zhaijiao (purification ritual), and the decree issued during the Yanyou period of the Yuan dynasty that conferred an additional title on Great Lord Mao.

The gist of the first paragraph is as follows: reverently receiving the sagely and enlightened decree, inheriting the great foundation, reverently complying with Heaven and enjoying the favor of August Heaven; revering the realm and hoping for peace under Heaven. Thereupon he sets forth Daoist ceremonies to manifest abundant blessings. Respectfully presenting offerings such as incense and silk, he dispatches the ritual master Shu Zhixiang to the Shangqing Ancestral Altar at the Yuanfu Wanning Palace on Sanmao Mountain to establish a “Golden Register Precious Zhaijiao” (a large-scale Daoist Zhaijiao assembly) for three days and nights; when it is completed, he respectfully arranges a pure jiao offering to all the Perfected of the Three Realms in three hundred and sixty seats (that is, setting up three hundred and sixty divine seats and performing the jiao rites). He prays that the virtues of Heaven and Earth be in harmony, that sun and moon shine together, that the seas be calm and rivers clear and the world be at peace, opening a realm of longevity and peace in the eight directions; that the four seasons be harmonious and the harvest abundant, causing all nations to harbor reverence and submission.

The second paragraph is the decree “In the Yanyou era, additional titles were conferred on the Three Lords and an abbey was established at the Three Peaks.” Its gist is: by the favoring mandate of Heaven, the emperor issues a decree: quietly admiring the exemplary style of the Mysterious Gate and clearly examining past deeds. The so-called Dao (the Way) of Wuwei (non-action) also requires intentional cultivation of one’s nature to be accomplished; to cultivate the body and become a Perfected, one cannot attain it without accumulating good deeds and merit. Great Lord Mao (the eldest of the Three Mao Perfected Lords of Maoshan) is Minister of the Eastern Peak and Master of Destinies, the Perfected Lord of the Great Origin, Wondrous Dao, Infinity, Sagely Protection; his conduct is outstanding and transcends vulgar customs, he concentrates his thought and gathers emptiness, single-mindedly observes fasts and precepts, receives the secret decree of the Western Florescence of the Tortoise Terrace (a divine palace), the myriad spirits confer duties upon him, and he opens the ancestral altar of Mount Juqu in Jinling (Maoshan); his elixir radiance remains new for a thousand years, the precious Qi (vital energy) of the Three Peaks becomes ever more stable, he brings forth auspiciousness and sends down blessings, and the people praise him to this day; he can stop rain and calm wind—this is a matter in which Heaven assists and accords with principle. Being upright and becoming a sage, he truly can accord with the way of protecting spirits; when sacrificing with grand canopy and green banners, no rite is more solemn than that of the Master of Destinies; with jade-patterned documents and elixir tablets performing the rite, it is thus carried out by the Zhizong (official in charge of rites). Borrowing his intelligence and numinous power, assist me in governing in peace. It is permitted to bestow the Shengyou Abbey on one peak of Maoshan, and specially confer on Great Lord Mao the additional title “Minister of the Eastern Peak, Perfected Lord of the Great Origin, Wondrous Dao, Infinity, Sagely Protection, True Response”; the responsible authorities shall act accordingly.

This is the imperial edict by which the emperor conferred additional titles on the Second and Third Mao Lords of Mount Mao. Its general meaning is as follows: Heaven looks down and confers the mandate; the emperor issues the decree: governance must accord with the hearts of the people and follow the myriad things, and ritual institutions should reverently serve ghosts and spirits. Establishing the royal standard (the sovereign’s principle of governance) and bestowing blessings on the people also require examining government affairs through the omens of clear weather and rain. East of the Great River, Mount Juqu (the ancient name of Mount Mao) is a numinous mountain to which all look; the local people are peaceful and secure, and harvests are abundant year after year. The Second Mao Lord (Mao Gu) was titled “True Lord (Zhenjun) of Fixed Registers, Right Prohibitions, the Utmost Dao, Serene Stillness, and Virtuous Protection,” occupying the office of Director of Destiny at the central peak and cultivating body and spirit at Xihua. He understood the wrongness of troubling the people, and through self-cultivation attained the essence of tranquility and detachment. Phoenix-like luan birds accompany him; in the clouds a solemn retinue plays music; he once transformed into a crane and returned, and people sometimes see immortal traces on the ornamental columns (huabiao) by the city walls. We are now promoting benevolence and virtue to succor all spirits, and it is fitting that with numinous and wondrous power he protect the people. In the learning of the Dao, which is received through the divine and luminous, Li Er (Laozi) was originally taken as the patriarch; to offer distant sacrifices without privately seeking blessings is truly to admire the sincerity and reverence of Emperor Wen of Han. Therefore, to graciously benefit all living beings and broadly proclaim the great mandate, the Deyou Abbey on the Second Peak of Mount Mao may be granted this honor, and the Second Mao Lord is specially conferred the additional title “True Lord of Fixed Registers, Right Prohibitions, the Utmost Dao, Serene Stillness, Virtuous Protection, and Wondrous Response.” The responsible office shall carry this out.

The second edict says: Qi (vital energy) transforms and becomes spirit, able to hold the pivot of Yin-Yang; responding to every request, it displays efficacy in floods, droughts, and disasters. The divinity of this mountain takes the Mao clan as its name. The Third Mao Lord (Mao Zhong) is “True Lord of the Three Officials, Preserving Life, Subtle and Wondrous, Profoundly Beneficent, and Benevolently Protective”; without needing guided exercises (daoyin), he naturally enjoys long life, taking pure simplicity as truth. Closely accompanied by azure dragons, with attendants on left and right never ceasing, he often rides a white magpie and roams far with his two elder brothers. He receives Heaven’s grace and pleads for the people’s lives. He roams free and untrammeled, consuming light and radiance yet ever renewed; wandering and lingering, he causes the people to receive inexhaustible blessings. Therefore he is praised and granted titles and rewards, in response to this prosperous and peaceful age. Burying a cauldron on the high peak is to admire Xuanyuan (the Yellow Emperor) for possessing the Dao; presenting gold in an empty valley also reveals his manner of emulating Emperor Guangwu of Han and pleading for the people.

The moral transformation wrought by the Three Lords Mao made even Emperor Guangwu of Han appear shallow, so that there was no need for deliberate action; in this way their spiritual responses were made illustrious, and all returned together to the governance of Great Peace. The Renyou Abbey at the Three Peaks of Mount Mao may be granted this honor, and the Three Lords Mao (the three Perfected Lords surnamed Mao venerated at Mount Mao) specially conferred the title “Perfected Lord of the Three Officials, Protector of Life, Subtle and Wondrous, Profoundly Beneficent, Humane and Protective, Spiritually Responsive.” The responsible office is to carry this out accordingly. On a certain day in the seventh month of the third year of Yanyou (the reign era of Emperor Renzong of Yuan), the edict was drafted by Hanlin Attendant Yuan Jue and countersigned by Hanlin Academician and Chief Zhao Mengfu.

By imperial edict, the name Chongxi Wanshou Palace is bestowed. Heaven above has commanded; the emperor’s sacred edict: I have surveyed the mountain charts and examined the traces of the immortals. The old lodge at Mount Mao is in fact the former residence of Tao Hongjing (a Daoist master of the Southern Dynasties). Tracing back to its original foundation, it was established to accommodate his eminent disciples; after a thousand years to this day, one can still imagine the surviving tradition. I will further revere the deities in order to make manifest this lofty tradition. The Chongxi Abbey at Mount Mao in Jiankang Circuit (a Yuan-era circuit name, roughly the present-day Nanjing area) may, in accordance with the request of Wu Quanjie, successor master of the Xuanjiao (a Yuan-era Daoist school) and Perfected Person presiding over the teaching, be granted the name “Chongxi Wanshou Palace.” The responsible office is to carry this out. On a certain day in the third month of the sixth year of Yanyou.

Here ends juan four of the Maoshan Zhi. The attribution for juan five reads: compiled by Liu Dabin, successor master of the Shangqing (Daoist Shangqing school); “Record of the Three Spirits,” which records the descendants of the true lineage of Lord Mao.

The Great Lord of Destiny (the divine title for Mao Ying), whose surname was Mao and given name Ying, courtesy name Shushen, was a native of Nanguan in Xianyang. He was descended from the Ji clan; a branch of the clan took “Mao” as its clan name, and for generations they accumulated virtue and benevolence, their blessings flowing out to many clans. His great-great-grandfather Mao Meng, whose courtesy names were Chucheng and Benchu, possessed profound insight and could discern the principles of rise and fall. Knowing that the Zhou dynasty would decline, he did not take office under the feudal lords but became a disciple of Master Guigu of Beiguo Beia (a Warring States recluse traditionally identified as Guiguzi), and resided for a long time at Mount Hua. After he succeeded in cultivating the Dao, on the gengzi day of the ninth month in the thirtieth year of Qin Shi Huang, he ascended to heaven on a dragon in broad daylight. At that time a children’s rhyme in his home district ran: “The immortal who attained the Dao, Mao Chucheng, mounted a dragon and ascended into Taiqing Heaven. He often descends to roam Xuanzhou and Chicheng; the one who will become an immortal after him is I, Mao Ying. If the emperor wishes to learn the immortal Dao, let him change the La sacrifice to Jiaping.” When Qin Shi Huang heard this, he questioned the elders, and they replied in detail: “This is an immortal’s song, urging the emperor to seek the art of long life.” Qin Shi Huang then joyfully formed the intention to seek immortals and changed the La day to Jiaping.

His great-grandfather Mao Yan, courtesy name Taineng, was the fourth son of Mao Meng. Under King Zhao of Qin he served as a retainer and later rose to Colonel of Chariots and Cavalry and Marquis Gong of Changping. His grandfather Mao Xian, courtesy name Shilun, was Marquis of Guangxin under King Zhuangxiang; after Qin Shi Huang took the throne, he appointed him Marquis of Dexin. Mao Xian had six sons, all of whom were known in their time. His sixth son, Mao Zuo, courtesy name Yanying, did not enter official service or pursue conventional learning; his aspirations lay in farming and sericulture. He had three sons: the eldest was the Great Lord of Destiny, Mao Ying; the second was Mao Gu, courtesy name Jiwei; and the third was Mao Zhong, courtesy name Sihe. The Lord of Destiny was born in the bingshen year, the fifth year of the Zhongyuan era of Emperor Jing of Han, while his two younger brothers were born in the wuxu and gengzi years, respectively. From youth, the three lords possessed conduct unlike that of ordinary people; they were naturally intelligent, and their aspirations and integrity were lofty and unworldly. They delighted only in the Dao of purity and emptiness. He once said to his two younger brothers...

The affairs of the world are numerous and tangled, and fulfilling one’s duties is like treading on thin ice; one should admire the High Ancestor’s transcendent conduct and only wish to live in seclusion, withdraw from the world, guard rectitude, and benefit himself. At eighteen, he abandoned his household and took leave of his parents, entered Mount Heng (Hengshan), read the Dao De Jing and the Zhouyi Zhuan, collected herbs and ingested them, and hid himself among sheer cliffs for six years. His sincere contemplation of the Dao brought a response: he dreamed that Taixuan Yunü (the Jade Maiden of the Great Mystery), holding a jade tablet, led him and said, “In Xicheng there is Lord Wang, who has attained the True Dao and can serve as your teacher; why do you not go seek him out and receive instruction?” When he awoke at dawn the next day, he went straight to Xicheng and practiced Xinzhai (heart-fasting, a Daoist ritual of purifying the mind and clearing thoughts) for three months. He bathed and renewed himself, and at last saw Lord Wang driving a chariot of divine tigers, reining in on a divine ridge and soaring over brocade-like mountain crags. He then threw himself across the dangerous obstacles, committed his life to the Great Dao and the True Dao, and before he knew it arrived where Lord Wang was. Lord Wang silently had a guard officer receive and guide him, bringing him into the Jade Palace’s cave terrace. Only after a long while was he led in; he kowtowed and touched his head to the ground, requested the way of long life, crawled on his elbows, and repeatedly pleaded without cease. Lord Wang turned to those beside him and said, “His bodily form and appearance are suffering to no purpose; he seems to have resolve.” Only then did he receive and guide him, drawing him out with questions and admonishing him not to be negligent, and he kept him in the cave palace. He served as a servant holding the towel and handing over his shoes for seventeen years. When Lord Wang saw that he was cautious and meticulous, he gradually put him in charge of clothing, writings, charts, and registers. Another three years passed, and Lord Wang ordered a carriage prepared and set out for White Jade Tortoise Mountain, bringing him along to Qinglin Palace to pay respects to Wangmu (Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West). Wangmu said, “Zongzhen (Lord Wang’s Daoist name) has brought a body of mortal flesh up to the Spirit Terrace—is that not quite exhausting?” Lord Wang smiled and did not answer; he signaled with his eyes for him to bow again and request the wondrous essential instructions. He then kowtowed and declared himself: “I, Ying (his own personal name), am lowly and uncouth, a remnant life left over from dry bones. How would I dare, with an unworthy frame, aspire to a longevity like that of dragons and phoenixes, or, with the brief capacity of a morning mushroom, seek a lifespan of accumulated years? Although I admire the long-enduring flow of the Dao, I have not yet been able to…”

Ji constantly feared that one day he would die from the hardships of seeking masters and inquiring into the Dao, and be mocked by worldly people. Later he met Wang Jun (Lord Wang of the Western City, a Daoist immortal who transmitted the Dao), and only then was he able to return to the arduous cultivation of alchemy and roughly learn the art of refining the body. How could he have imagined that today he would behold the sacred countenance? In a trance he saw the image of the great Dao, as if sunk in a divine dream. The way to save life and protect against death can only come down to supplication; he wished to be granted the essential formula for long life, so that this body, a walking corpse, might for a time awaken. The Mother said: “Your resolve is truly sincere. In the past I took Yuanshi Tianwang (Heavenly King of Primordial Beginning, one of the highest Daoist deities) and Bosang Dadi Jun (that is, the Great Emperor of Fusang) as my teachers; they left me essential words—namely, the Way of the Jade Pendant and Golden Adornment (a cultivation method involving wearing talismans and visualization) and the Scripture of the Mysterious Truth of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate). These are truly treasures of heaven and humanity and wondrous secrets of the Highest God. Are you willing to hear them today?” Having said this, she commanded Wang Jun to explain the essential words of the Mysterious Truth and to set forth the text of the Jade Pendant and Golden Adornment. She also relayed the words of Yuanshi Tianwang Dadi Jun: “The Taixiao Erjing Yinshu (Hidden Book of the Two Scenes of the Great Empyrean) also contains the two scenes of Yin-Yang; the inner true talisman accompanies the main text. According to the Dao method of the Supreme, it may be transmitted only to the various Siming (deities in charge of the registers of destinies). Your name is recorded in the jade tablets and mysterious tallies and in the plain registers of Shangqing (Highest Clarity); in the future you shall be a lord among high ministers and hold the office of Siming. This Dao shall later be entrusted to you separately. But unless one first hears the Dao of the Mysterious Truth of the Mingtang (the method of visualizing and ingesting the sun and moon and refining the gods of the five viscera), one cannot obtain the Taixiao Hidden Book. The Dao of Mysterious Truth is simply the art of ingesting the essences of the sun and moon and cultivating the five viscera and their five spirits. Unless one is a disciple of Zongzhen (the Zongzhen lineage), one is not taught the Siming tally, nor is the formula for receiving destiny transmitted.” After she finished speaking, Wang Jun and Ji returned to the Western City and cultivated according to the true formula. Three years later, his eyes had divine light and his face bore a jade-like luster. Wang Jun bestowed on him a dose of the Nine-Turn Reverted Elixir (a Daoist Golden Elixir) and a divine formula; they set up an altar and swore an oath not to divulge it. Only then did he let Ji return, saying to him: “Your Dao is already accomplished; come find me after a hundred years.”

(In the text, “Jun” and “Ying” both refer to Mao Ying.) The Holy Master said to Mao Ying: “Later you are to come seek me at the Southern Marchmount (Mount Heng, a famous Daoist mountain); I will confer an immortal office on you in Haoyue (that is, Wuyue, the present-day Jiangsu-Zhejiang region).” After taking leave of his master, Mao Ying bound his body with ropes and mingled among people, without displaying himself to the world; he claimed to have entered the northern valley of Mount Da (also written Mount Heng) to study Confucian worldly learning. By the time he was forty-nine, his Dao had been perfected.

At that time his parents were still alive. When his father saw him, he grew angry and said: “As a son you are unfilial: you do not support your parents in person but wander in all directions. I might as well never have had this son.” He wanted to beat him with a staff. Mao Ying knelt long and apologized, saying: “I have received a heavenly mandate and am supposed to attain the Dao, but the Daoist method requires withdrawing from the world to cultivate. Worldly affairs cannot be fully reconciled; although I am far away and cannot provide for you or serve you morning and evening, I can make the household peaceful and your lives long. I have already received Fulu (talismans and registers) from the Holy Master—Daoist credentials and registers of divine generals—and divine troops are encamped to guard me; the soldiers of the Heavenly Ding (Heavenly Ding divine troops) must not be struck, lest the Three Officials (Sanguan—Heaven, Earth, and Water, who examine merit and guilt) come to investigate. This is no small matter.” His father’s mind was not yet resolved, and he also wished to test his condition so that people would not doubt; he therefore raised the staff and struck him. The staff immediately broke, and its pieces flew about, piercing the pillar and lodging in the wall. His father then realized he was no ordinary man and stopped. Mao Ying said: “What I just declared was precisely out of fear of this; if it had accidentally struck bystanders, they would have been injured.”

His father then asked: “If you say you have attained the Dao, can you make the dead live again?” Mao Ying replied: “For people whose allotted lifespan from Heaven is exhausted, and for those with heavy accumulated evil and grave sins, they cannot be restored to life; but those who have met with violent, untimely death (early death not by natural fate) can be made to rise.” Mao Ying then summoned the Shegong (local earth god). In the central courtyard his father asked the Shegong: “Among the people of this village who have already died, who can be summoned back?” The Shegong answered: “So-and-so and Li Yi.” Mao Ying said: “Quickly order those in charge to release them and send them back.”

On one occasion he issued an order: “Quickly restrain and settle the matters involved, and have them dispatched by the messenger; you must wait until the business is finished before reporting back.” After dusk, the local earth god (Shegong) came to report that the cases of a certain A and Li B had been fully adjudicated and that they could be released. Master Mao then told the families of the deceased to dig into the ground and open the coffins. The dead still had breath but could not speak; the people carried them out, and after three days they could sit up and speak clearly and distinctly. In this way he opened several graves, and the dead all revived because of it, only dying again several decades later. People near and far called Master Mao a divine and enlightened lord.

Later, prominent nobles and feudal lords came one after another to seek him out. Master Mao therefore closed his divine gate (the aperture through which spirit Qi enters and exits), withdrew his mystery, and cut off all miraculous efficacy, telling them: “In the past I studied the Dao in deep mountains, sincerely reflecting and cultivating. A mountain spirit attached itself to me, and I merely borrowed it to command ghosts and spirits; it is not that I myself have reached a wondrous realm and can make the myriad things die or live.” When people pressed him without cease, Master Mao also feigned severe illness and used it as an excuse. He hid himself as if a deep pool were contained and a sack’s mouth tied tight, adapting as appropriate without revealing any trace. Although people of the time were amazed that he possessed Daoist arts, they could not fathom what he had actually done.

More than ten years later, Master Mao’s parents died at an advanced age. He observed mourning with full propriety and remained at home for fifty-three years in all. His second younger brother was Lord Dinglu (Mao Gu, one of the Three Mao Perfected Lords of Maoshan). During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, he was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt; in the first year of Yuanshuo he was recommended as Worthy and Good and appointed Wuguan lang; in the second year of Zhenghe he was transferred to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince; and in the first year of Yuanfeng he became Colonel Who Breaks the Hu and Governor of Wuwei. His third younger brother was Lord Baoming (Mao Zhong, also one of the Three Mao Perfected Lords). In his youth he was known for his integrity and conduct and lived in seclusion on Mount Huayin. In the third year of Jianyuan under Emperor Wu, he was recommended as Fangzheng (a Han recommendation category) but did not take office. He moved to the state of Liang and became an honored guest of King Xiao of Liang. In the second year of Dijie under Emperor Xuan, he was promoted to Prefect of Luoyang and transferred to be Colonel of Xicheng and Governor of Shangjun. After Emperor Yuan ascended the throne, he was appointed Wugeng dafu and transferred to Governor of Xihe.

At that time his second younger brother was serving as Zhijinwu (the official in charge of the capital garrison) and was also about to take up his post. Several hundred village elders, young and old, came to see him off. This gentleman was also present and said to the guests: “Although I do not hold the rank of minister or chancellor with a salary of two thousand bushels, I should still have a divine office. The Heavenly Emperor has already selected and appointed me as Shuyue Shangqing Zhenlin Siming Jun (a Daoist divine title), to be in overall charge of the registers of life and death in Haoyue (broadly denoting the Wu-Yue region), to lead and support those who study the Dao, and to examine and verify immortals and perfected beings. This too is an important position in the divine palace of the Supreme Perfected Ancestral Masters. On the third day of the fourth month next year, I shall ascend. Will all of you be able to come and visit me as you have today? If you come, there is no need to spend anything; I will naturally have provisions for you.” All the guests agreed.

When the day arrived, several qing of land before the gentleman’s gate suddenly leveled itself, and tents of fine cyan silk were set up. Beneath the tents were laid several layers of white felt, enough to seat several hundred people. People near and far told one another: “This family has attained the Dao and is about to leave.” Great and small all gathered; those who came filled the roads, and the guests were several times more numerous than when they had seen off his younger brother. They saw gold platters and jade cups, rare dishes and precious fruits come automatically before each person; the radiance and light were magnificent, hard to describe. The sounds of silk and bamboo, metal and stone shook heaven and earth, and fragrance reached several li away. Food and drink increased with the number of people, and more than six hundred people all became drunk and satiated.

The next day, the immortal officials came to welcome him for his ascension. The gentleman then took leave of his family, and afterward said to the clan’s younger members: “The way of true immortals is hidden and secret; it values being secluded and unmanifest. One should not display brilliance, bend to adorn, or disturb the eyes and ears of the world. What I...”

The reason Mao Jun (Mao Ying) did not silently withdraw, conceal his form, and secretly ascend at Kongtong was that he wished to use this Dao to guide and encourage his two younger brothers to aspire to it—how could he simply let Mao Gu and Mao Zhong go astray? All people of heart in the world should aspire to the attainability of immortality. Jiwei and Sihe (namely, Mao Gu and Mao Zhong), though slow to awaken, would surely regret it later and give up their official posts and emoluments to seek me. This time I depart and will temporarily stay by the bend of the river at Gouqu Mountain (present-day Maoshan). Within this mountain is a spirit mansion; all the caves communicate with one another, and cave chambers and mountain peaks stretch in a long chain—it is a true cavern of immortal dwellings. In former days I made an agreement with the Holy Teacher that I should first purify and discipline myself here, reverently await Heaven’s mandate, and then go to guard Dahuo and dwell at Chicheng (the name of an immortal mountain). After saying this, he bade farewell, mounted a feather chariot, drove dragons and tigers, and soared into the sky; after traveling east more than ten li, he suddenly vanished. At that time it was the fifth year of the Chuyuan era of Emperor Yuan of the Han, a dingchou year, and Mao Jun was 102 years old. He then crossed the river and temporarily governed Gouqu; inwardly he traveled through the cave palaces and selected and advanced true immortals, while outwardly he established a thatched hut north of the mountain, which is today’s Xiapo Palace. He commanded the registers of names belonging to the Earth Official and adjudicated life and death; black tigers were tamed and guarded him, white swans came and went; his numinous efficacy was manifest in Jiangzuo, his Dao’s blessings reached a hundred settlements, and the lands of Wu and Yue vied to submit to him. For this reason the local people changed the mountain’s name to Maojun Mountain. While the two younger brothers were serving as officials, they heard the common people spread the report that their elder brother had become an immortal in broad daylight; only then did they believe that immortal transformation could be learned and spiritual transcendence could be attained, and they understood that Chisongzi and Wang Ziqiao (ancient immortals) were not empty legends, and that ascending to Heaven at Dinghu (the story of the Yellow Emperor casting a cauldron and riding a dragon up) was real. So each abandoned office and returned home; in their declining years they practiced the coarse, shallow methods that had been left behind, but without benefit. Then they said to one another, “Our elder brother has attained the Dao and is no outsider. Why not go follow him and personally receive the oral instructions, instead of still acting according to the old methods?”

Were books of arcane methods really meant to plan the salvation of the world’s people? Even if we set out and cannot ultimately arrive, at least they will not let us die in an improper place. So on the sixth day of the third month of the renwu year, the fifth year of Yongyuan under Emperor Yuan of Han, they crossed the Yangtze and went to Shu Mountain (a place name) to seek an audience with their elder brother. When they met, they wept bitterly. The Lord (referring to Great Mao Lord Mao Ying) told his two younger brothers (Mao Gu and Mao Zhong): “You have awakened too late!” The two younger brothers apologized, saying: “We were foolish and base by nature, did not understand the Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power), wallowed in worldly dust, admired worldly fame and gain, held office in the Han court, and our whole family was kept safe; we rose to commandery governor and chancellor of a kingdom and enjoyed a long lifespan—all through the grace of our elder brother’s divine protection. Since we came under your sheltering protection, we have relied on it every day without realizing it; if we were suddenly to lose our elder brother, it would be as if there were no heaven and earth. People are not metal or stone; lifespan must have its end. We are already old and frail and constantly fear sudden death. Our lives are lodged between breaths—if not in the morning, then in the evening—and we may die at any moment. In the past we returned home to practice the work our elder brother had left behind, but we had not received the true instructions and had obtained no proof of efficacy. We crossed the river to come and serve you, asking to receive your instructions. May you grant us long life and save your younger brothers from death.” The Lord said: “You are already old; it will be difficult to replenish and restore you. Even if you obtain the true instructions, you can only become earthbound immortals (immortals who remain in the world and do not ascend). The great Shangqing (Higher Clarity) art of ascending into the clouds is not what this old man has studied.” He then taught the two younger brothers methods of consuming green sprouts at first growth (medicinal foods such as newly sprouted shoots) and swallowing Qi (vital energy) and fluids (saliva and breath), which are also methods for halting the lifespan and preventing death. Later he said to Jiwei (the courtesy name of Mao Gu): “You should take Huangdi Sishan San (the Yellow Emperor’s Four-Fan Powder, a Daoist formula). I received it long ago from Master Gaoqiu, and now I transmit it to you.” He also said to Sihe (the courtesy name of Mao Zhong): “You should take Wangmu Huitong San (the Queen Mother’s Return-to-Childhood Powder, a Daoist formula). Your physical depletion is less than Jiwei’s, so you should take this to replenish the Jing (essence) and nourish the brain.” Both formulas were wondrous methods. The two younger brothers accepted the teaching and encouragement; they then took the medicines, swallowed Qi, diligently cultivated with sincerity, calmed their minds and reflected on the Dao, and also carried out various cautious practices for nourishing and protecting life. Such was the case.

After eighteen years of cultivation, his complexion remained as youthful as a virgin’s. The Lord said, “The power of the medicine has already circulated.” He then conferred on him a superior Dao method and had him practice cunsi (visualization) of the Qi of Mysterious Perfection within the Mingtang (the inner bodily palace in Daoist internal cultivation), using it to gather and transform, to generate and nourish Jing and Qi, and to regulate and harmonize the hun-soul and spirit. After three years, his complexion was still as youthful as a virgin’s. The Lord said again, “The power of the medicine has already circulated.” He then again conferred the upper Dao and had him visualize the Qi of Mysterious Perfection in the Mingtang, so as to gather and transform and generate Jing, and to regulate and harmonize the hun-soul and spirit. Within three years, divine light began to manifest. The Lord also bestowed a dose of the Nine-Cycle Reverted Elixir (a repeatedly refined elixir) and a divine formula, and the immortal Dao was then accomplished.

This Lord then reported to Lord Wang, explaining that his two younger brothers, through heavenly grace and salvation, had obtained the rank of earthly immortal (dixian, immortals who remain in the human world). According to immortal law, they must wear Fulu (talismans and registers), receive a writ of investiture, carry the Talisman of True Ultimate on their persons, and then be registered and appointed to oversee their assigned offices; he therefore requested that grace be extended so that it might cover them equally. Lord Wang said, “You learned the Dao and cultivated De from youth, diligent and unremitting. I took pity on your sincerity and therefore helped you to completion; I firmly resolved and memorialized on high, acting as your guaranteeing sponsor, and Taishang has already approved and granted you the rank of celestial immortal. Your two younger brothers, relying on your protection, enjoyed wealth, honor, and long life, but they were arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, ruining their original Qi; now only a breath remains, they are over a hundred years old, and they are no longer in the condition of those who studied the Dao. If they obtain divine powder and numinous formulas, able to transform their physical bodies and attain long life and enduring existence, that is enough; how would it be fitting for them to immediately receive official appointments and take up earthly immortal posts? Moreover, since antiquity, it has been rare for brothers all to become immortals. Nevertheless, your great-great-grandfather attained the Dao, and his benevolent De extended widely to all things; where his accumulated virtue reached, it converged upon you. You have a compassionate heart and benevolent harmony, constantly cultivating hidden merits, and are truly deserving of praise and compassionate regard. You have repeatedly requested immortal official posts for your two younger brothers; now I further bestow the Mysterious Water Jade Liquid Elixir, which they may take after a prolonged fast. Do not disclose this to others; moreover, you should memorialize the Great Emperor as a credential of guaranteed efficacy, and you should bring them here in person.”

At that time, although the two younger brothers could inwardly communicate with spiritual deities and outwardly command the Six Ding (Six Ding deities), the great celestial gods of perfection, such as Lord Wang, were still unwilling to descend and meet them.

After attaining the Dao, their high and low ranks could no longer be mentioned in the same breath. The Lord of the Great Mandate (Dasiming Jun; Mao Ying) had his two younger brothers, Mao Gu and Mao Zhong, first purify themselves through fasting and ingest elixir pills and numinous mushrooms; when this was complete, the three together practiced “heart fasting” (xinzhai, a fast of clarifying the mind and calming discursive thought) for three months. They first went to the Fangzhu Palace of Lord Qingtong (Qingtong Jun, a Daoist immortal), where their names were inscribed on golden tablets (the register of immortal names). They then went to the Cave Office of Xicheng (an immortal bureau) to have an audience with the Supreme Minister of Total Perfection (Zongzhen Shangzai, a divine official); further south they went to the Vermilion Terrace on Mount Heng to pay respects to the Red Perfected of the Great Void; returning to Fangzhu Palace, they requested and received the writs of the Three Perfected Earth Immortals; at Chicheng (a sacred mountain) they received the divine talismans of true transformation; at Luohuo (a sacred site) they sought ornate banners and embroidered streamers; then they ascended to the Nine Palaces and arrived at the Golden Portal (the gate of the heavenly palace), where they received written commissions from the Holy Lord and bowed in submission beneath the Golden Portal for three months.

The Holy Lord then commanded the Nine Subtle Great Perfected Supreme Minister, Wang the Great Lord of Destiny, and Lord Qingtong, Teacher of the High Dawn, to ascend to the Xiechen Palace of the Most High Lord of the Great Dao (a supreme Daoist deity) and request that envoys of the Vermilion Office descend to the Golden Portal to confer the mandate upon Mao Gu and Mao Zhong. In a moment the two envoys arrived together with several thousand attendants and personally handed the Purple Silk Writ (a purple silk immortal document) to Gu and Zhong; the text of the Purple Silk Commission is found separately in the “Gao Fumo” chapter. After they had received the documents, the Lord of the Great Mandate ordered his two younger brothers to take their leave and return to their respective administrative seats. Thus Jiwei (Mao Gu) received the title “Divine Lord of Fixed Registers, Earth Perfected Upper Immortal,” and Sihe (Mao Zhong) received the position “Immortal Lord Who Directs the Three Offices and Protects Life”; each was enfeoffed with a jurisdiction in accordance with the mandate of the Purple Silk document, and the upper offices of the divine palace also supplied the two lords according to precedent.

The Lord of the Great Mandate resided at Mount Juqu (Mount Mao) for forty-three years, until the gengshen year, the second year of Yuanshou under Emperor Ai of Han, when he was one hundred and forty-five years old. On the jiyou day, the eighteenth day of the eighth month of that year, the Red Perfected of the Southern Marchmount and the upper offices of the divine palace likewise supplied the two Perfected Lords according to precedent.

On the eighteenth day of the third month, a jiyou day, the Red Perfected of the Southern Marchmount, Lord Wang of Xicheng, the Queen Mother of Guishan, and Lord Qingtong of Fangzhu came together into the mountains to visit this cultivator. At that time the Great Emperor of Heaven dispatched the Embroidered-Robe Envoy of Yiyu Palace to confer on him a divine seal and jade insignia. The Emperor Lord of Taiwei dispatched an attending officer of the Left Palace of the Three Heavens to grant him a brocade carriage of eight dragons and a splendid robe of purple feathers. The Lord of the Supreme Great Dao dispatched the Grand Master Xiechen to bestow on him the Golden Tiger True Talisman and the Flowing-Gold Bell. The Sage Lord of the Golden Portal ordered the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Shangxuan Jade Gentleman, envoy of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Perfected, to grant him the Four Nodes, Swallow Embryo, Flowing-Brightness Divine Mushroom, and Long-Radiance Spirit-Flight Night-Glow Cave Herb; he was to kneel, bow, and then eat them. Wearing the divine seal, clad in the splendid robe, with his crown straightened and facing north, bearing the true talisman and holding the gold bell, he completed the rites. The envoy then told him: one who eats the Taiji Four-Node Hidden Mushroom ranks as a Perfected Minister; one who eats the Golden Portal Swallow-Embryo Jade Mushroom ranks as Director of Destinies; one who eats the Shuguan Flowing-Brightness Golden Essence holds the office of Director of Registers; one who eats the Long-Radiance Spirit-Flight Night-Glow Cave Herb becomes a Perfected Earl and also oversees the duties of the left and right censors. Today you have eaten all these immortal medicines; your lifespan shall equal Heaven and Earth, your rank shall be Director of Destinies, Upper Perfected, Minister Lord of the Eastern Marchmount, and you shall command the spirits of Wu and Yue and be commander-in-chief of the mountain gods of Jiangzuo. Having spoken, the envoys each departed.

After a moment, the Five Emperor Lords descended, each riding a colored carriage corresponding to his direction and leading a retinue; bearing the Great Emperor’s command, they bestowed on him the investiture text of the Nine Bestowals (the Nine Bestowals text appears in the “Gaofu Mo” chapter) and enfeoffed him as Director of Destinies, Shuqing Upper Perfected Lord. The document was made with a tablet of purple jade and characters engraved in gold. He prostrated himself to receive the document and sign it; after bowing twice and completing the rites, the spirit officials, Upper Perfected, and Five Emperors each departed. Only his master, Lord Wang, and the Queen Mother of the West remained, and they held a great banquet for him.

At the Heavenly Kitchen (the banquet place of the celestial court), the Queen Mother of the West ordered her attendant maidens to play music, and she sang “Song of the Mysterious Clouds”: “Though the Great Dao is empty and vast, I hold the gates of the nine heavens. Parting the clouds and mist, I roam the Eight Scenes (the immortal vistas of the eight directions), and in an instant descend among humans. From the void comes a mysterious sound; the realm of utmost numinosity does not tolerate the cold torpor of the vulgar. The Great Emperor … causes one to awaken to the suffering of wind and dust. Nourishing Shen (spirit) within the Three Primes (the three Dantians and the Qi of the Three Primes), receiving Jing (essence) beneath the Jade Gate (the immortal palace). Then I mount a chariot of ten thousand dragons, drive phoenixes, and gaze down upon the Nine Fields.” She sang again: “Xuanpu (the immortal realm of Kunlun) rests at the northern terrace; the Five Cities (immortal cities) shine, lofty and steep. Opening that boundless ferry crossing, I float a boat on the Weaver Girl River (the Milky Way). Ascending to the red immortal court, roaming below by the corner of the sun’s cavern. Glancing beyond the eight directions, pointing to the distant reaches of the nine heavens. In an instant I do not feel fatigue—why reckon less and more? Touching the instruments, I command the attendant maidens; the empty, distant realm suddenly joins in response. Wondrously flowing, it is naturally the same—this is the Song of the Mysterious Clouds. Immortal music unfolds heavenly resonance; the true sound is pure and without depravity.”

After she had sung for a long while, the Queen Mother and her entire retinue came to the palace of the Two Lords (Mao Gu and Mao Zhong). The Two Lords kowtowed in welcome, faced north, called themselves petty subjects, and paid their respects. The Queen Mother told them: “Although your Dao is already accomplished, what you have seen and heard is not yet sufficient. I wish to transmit some essential instructions to you, and will bestow them here.” After a moment, the Queen Mother sent the attendant maiden Guo Mixiang to greet the Lady of the Upper Prime (a female immortal, titled Lady Wang, the Great Perfected of the Nine Numinous of the Western Turtle); the Two Lords did not know which deity the Lady of the Upper Prime was. The Queen Mother sent word: “The Lady of the Upper Prime, Lady Wang, Great Perfected of the Nine Numinous of the Western Turtle, respectfully sends greetings to you. It is only that we have not seen each other for more than a thousand years; heavenly affairs have burdened me, so that meeting has been delayed. Mao Gu and Mao Zhong have completed the Dao and have just come to visit. I have long not sent greetings to anyone; host and guest sit facing each other, and I am joyless. Could the Lady come for a brief visit?” The other replied that she was willing to come, so the Queen Mother paused and waited. After the attendant maiden left, she returned before long. The Lady of the Upper Prime also sent an attendant maiden back with a message of greetings.

Huan bowed again and respectfully inquired after your welfare: though separated far across the Crimson River (the Milky Way) and disturbed by official duties, I admire your radiance, and my longing thoughts are constantly fixed on you, never for a moment forgotten. When Mixiang (the messenger) arrived, I was favored by your descent to the place where Mao Gu and Mao Zhong (two of the Three Mao Zhenjun of Maoshan) were. On hearing your command, I should at once have prepared my carriage, but I had first received an edict from the Great Emperor Lord sending me to Xilin to handle the registers of the Three Primes; it is only a temporary journey, and when the matter is finished I shall return. I therefore hurriedly adjusted my belt and robes, hoping that you would linger a little.

The two lords took the occasion to ask the Queen Mother (Xi Wangmu): “May we ask what kind of immortal Perfected Lady Shangyuan is?” The Queen Mother said: “She is the mother of the True Sovereigns of the Three Heavens, a High Perfected of Shangyuan, and she governs the registers of the Jade Maidens of the Ten Directions.” After about four hours, when Lady Shangyuan arrived, only the sound of flutes and drums in the cloudy sky and the neighing of dragon-horses could be heard. When she arrived, her attendant officials numbered several thousand, all of them women about sixteen or seventeen years old, bright and ethereal in appearance, mostly wearing blue silk damask robes and radiant to behold. The Lady herself was about eighteen or nineteen, with an exceedingly dignified bearing. She wore a Crimson Frost robe, was draped in a blue-furred brocade cloak, her hair was arranged in a three-cornered coiffure with the rest hanging down to her waist; she wore a Nine Dawn Sun-Brilliance crown, was tied with a six-rayed fire-jade pendant, had a phoenix-patterned Linhua ribbon at her waist, and carried a sword of flowing yellow radiance and essence. She entered the chamber and saluted the Queen Mother; the Queen Mother stopped her and invited her to sit together. A banquet was then set facing north for Lady Shangyuan, no different from the feast prepared for the Queen Mother. Lord Wang (an immortal Perfected in Daoist scriptures) ordered the two lords to bow again and state: “Mao Gu and Mao Zhong are by nature foolish, stubborn, and base; we grew up in a turbid, chaotic world, like people standing face to a wall and seeing nothing, and we have not heard the true Dao. Yet we cling to life and fear death, and revere our master. That today we can receive completion and deliverance is due to the arrangement of the honored Mother.” Lord Wang again ordered the two lords to bow again and state: “Mao Gu and Mao Zhong are by nature…”

By nature I am foolish, stubborn, and uncouth, born and raised in a murky age of confusion; like someone standing facing a wall, I see nothing at all and have never heard the true meaning of the Dao and its methods. Yet I cling to life and dread death, and I revere and follow the Primal Source of the teacher lineage (the root source of my master’s tradition). Today I have been able to attain deliverance—this is Heaven’s will—and I only hope you will condescend to bestow your heartfelt instruction. Lady Shangyuan (a female immortal), taking pity on the two lords’ yearning for the true Dao and reflecting that their numinous subtlety had not yet been opened, commanded her attendant maid Song Bifei to bring out the four scriptures—Three Primes Flowing Pearl Elixir Radiance, Dao Essence, Hidden Earth, and Eight Arts Taiji Green Radiance—and transmit them to the two lords. The Queen Mother of the West then commanded her attendant maid Li Fangming to bring out the Jade Pendant and Golden Clapper, the Hidden Book of the Great Empyrean, and the Inner Talisman Transmission of the Two Radiances of Cavernous Flight. Lord Siming (Director of Destinies) and Lady Shangyuan said to the Queen Mother of the West: “Mother, the wonder of the Hidden Book is that it is the inner classic of the Highest Perfected, sealed and stored at the Golden Terrace. When worn, one enters Taiwei (the Star Palace) and is directly guided forward with guards ahead; civil and martial escorts withdraw and hidden guardians issue forth (the advancing and retreating guard of the immortal procession). Ascending to Shangqing (the Highest Clarity paradise), one rises into the jade chamber; to the left one roams in Xilin, forever summoning the Immortal Lords; to the right one perches on White Mountain, gazing down upon the Great Void. Boating on the Heavenly Ford, one rides clouds and dragons in one’s roaming. When one roams these famous mountains, the Perfected come to one’s chamber; myriad spirits attend and protect one, and mountain spirits welcome one. In movement there is the Eight-Radiance Jade Carriage (immortal vehicle); in stillness one rests safely in the Golden Hall. This text is most wondrous; it is what is called the Jade Pendant and Golden Clapper. There are also the scriptures Three Primes Flowing Pearl Elixir Radiance, Dao Essence, Hidden Earth, and Eight Arts Taiji Green Radiance, which can restore the old to youth, turn white hair black and return one to infancy, crush a thousand demons, command the hundred spirits, summon the yellow blossom of the bright moon and obtain the red essence of the white sun (the essences of the sun and moon), conceal the physical body and hide the shadow, cause the myriad things to transform and be born, pass in and out of water and fire, shout at the dark underworld, subdue tigers and leopards, call forth the Six Ding (the Six Ding deities), and hide away in the Eight Earths.

Cultivating the method of "inverting the Five Stars"—by long contemplating and preserving it within the body, one joins with the yellow flower of the bright moon (the essence of the moon) and obtains the red essence of the white sun (the essence of the sun). Concealing the body and hiding its shadow, one causes the myriad things to transform and be born. One can enter and exit water and fire, command the dark and obscure, bind tigers and leopards, summon the Six Ding (Liuding, celestial generals), and hide within the eight regions (the deepest underground). Inverting the Five Stars, one preserves the body through long contemplation and tilts with Heaven. How can this compare with the Taixiao Yinshu (Hidden Book of the Great Empyrean) and the wondrous writings of the Eight Assemblies (secret Daoist celestial texts)? Applying it, one may reach the high and subtle realm, ascend into the Jade Capital Palace (celestial immortal palace), float airily into the Hall of Flowing Rosy Clouds (immortal hall), cause the lords of the Five Peaks to submit, sit upon the bed of the Director of Destinies (the deity governing life), embrace the sweet wine of phoenix marrow (immortal wine like phoenix marrow), rinse and drink from the cup of elixir, drive eight dragons through the sky, and ride the void on purple clouds, floating high and soaring far.

Thereupon, the Lady of the Upper Primordial (Shangyuan Furen, a female immortal) rose from her seat, holding in her left hand the four categories of scriptures and in her right hand the covenant for receiving the texts (the oath for transmission). Facing heaven, she addressed the two lords: "The nine heavens are vast and profoundly deep; the supreme spirit light shines; the divine radiance illumines the mysterious and subtle; the clear void is bright and luminous. Those who admire the mysterious Dao attain the wondrous; those who preserve essence and qi attain life. With utmost sincerity, the Dao is accomplished; through stillness and responsive connection, the true is realized. Toiling the mind and spirit brings disgrace to the body; nourishing essence and qi brings flourishing years and longevity. The golden light of stone essence can conceal the scenery and record the form; to the left and right one may summon spirits; the heavenly origin can direct the numinous. One may walk in the void, may hide one's bodily form; long life and enduring vision, sharing brightness with Heaven. Those who violate the covenant and leak the scriptures and methods—disaster will surely exterminate their clan. Each should carefully guard against calamity; respectfully I inform Master Mao." After the prayer, the two lords bowed and received the numinous book, holding it between elbow and armpit.

The Queen Mother (Wangmu) also descended from her seat, holding the Taixiao Yinshu in her hand, and commanded the attendant maiden Zhang Lingzi to hold the covenant of exchanged tokens. Facing the Director of Destinies, she extended her hand to bestow the book and prayed to heaven: "Heaven is high, earth is low; the Five Peaks guard the earthly forms; the primordial essence surges through the qi mechanism; the vast seas and marshes are mysteriously clear; Heaven revolves through the nine paths, six."

The scripture opens with the phrase “He Changping” (“Harmony, Longevity, and Peace”) and praises the nobility of the Taixiao Hidden Book, a secret scripture of the Shangqing school: it is as solemn as the jade pendants and gold ornaments worn by immortal officials, and it contains secret texts such as the “Jade Effulgence Eight Assemblies” and the “Precious Cavern Superior Chapter.” Those who cultivate it may ascend and walk through the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and enter the jade chambers of Shangqing. This scripture must not be divulged; those who divulge it will surely be subject to divine examination and punishment and will bring heavenly calamity upon themselves. Those who receive and uphold it must be extremely cautious. The scripture also admonishes Mao Ying, the eldest of the Three Mao Lords of Mount Mao, and describes sacred visions that protect and sustain the body, such as the Five Peaks stabilizing the bodily form, primordial Jing (essence) stirring the Qi (vital energy), the mysterious purity of the azure marshes, and Heaven revolving through the nine paths. Mao Ying prostrated himself and received the Hidden Book. After the banquet and the rites of receiving the charge were largely completed, the Queen Mother of the West and Lady Shangyuan each departed, leaving only Lord Wang, the immortal who transmitted the scripture.

Thereupon Mao Ying took leave of his two younger brothers, Mao Gu and Mao Zhong, and went with Lord Wang to the Jade Cavern Palace of Chicheng. Along the way, the deities with official duties over mountains and rivers welcomed and guided them in countless multitudes. Before departing, Mao Ying told his two brothers: “This journey of mine has its own official duties, so I cannot come and go frequently and can only meet you occasionally. I will probably return to this mountain about once a year. Let us agree on the eighteenth day of the third month and the second day of the twelfth month, when I will invite my master and the Red Perfected One of the Great Void of the Southern Peak to come to you on a tour of inspection and visit. Remember: if there are people who love the Dao, let them wait for me on these days; I will arrange matters myself and teach those who are not yet awakened.”

After this, the two brothers stayed to govern this mountain. Within the cavern palace they established immortal offices, and outwardly they set up regulations, extending the Dao to all things, blessing the common people, and letting their De (Virtue/Power) reach birds and beasts so that each found its proper place. The spirits verified misfortune and blessing, and guilt and evil were clearly distinguished. Since the methods of inner cultivation had been fully integrated, the outward teachings for transforming others were also plain and open. Thus wind and rain came at the proper seasons, the five grains ripened, epidemics did not arise, violent harm did not occur, the region had no disasters or anomalous omens, and the villages and towns had no thieves.

At that time the elders sang: “Mount Mao joins Jinling (present-day Nanjing region), and the rivers and lakes all lie downstream from it. Three divine lords ride white swans, each governing one peak; they can summon rain to irrigate parched rice fields, so that even dry fields become moist and fertile. Wives and children are kept secure in their households, leaving us without worry in the hundred affairs. The white swans fly above the blue sky—when will they come roaming again?”

In the past, the Three Lords Mao each rode white swans and alighted at three places in the mountains. People at the time saw them one after another and therefore composed these songs. Later, based on where the white swans had alighted, people divided Mount Juqu (the ancient name of Maoshan) into three mountains—Great Lord Mao, Middle Lord Mao, and Lesser Lord Mao. Taken together, however, it is only the single mountain Juqu, with no other separate name. Although the elders outwardly received the numinous protection of the Lords Mao, the Perfected Immortals, they had in fact never closely seen their gentle countenances. The Lords Mao also dwelt leisurely in cave palaces, nurturing their spirit and preserving their true nature, regarding the clamorous odors of the world as very faint, and keeping far from the vulgar in order to cultivate themselves in stillness; thus they no longer received people outwardly. Only those who delighted in Daoist teachings and whose Daoist bones stood out could occasionally be introduced and granted an audience. As for their grace moistening the myriad things and their virtue extending to the myriad people, this was already their hidden activity. People at the time merely felt this numinous virtue overflowing, as if it were that of the great deities of Heaven and Earth; it also showed that the sage Dao acts without intentionality and responds according to the people’s wishes. Thereupon everyone led one another, supporting the old and carrying the young, bringing grain and jugs of drink, and together built altars and laid foundations, establishing temples and Daoist monasteries in the mountains. Craftsmen exhausted their skills, and the buildings stretched along the mountain bends; on painted and colored boards they depicted the images of the Three Lords, and with expressive brushes they wrote of the deities’ virtue. They also planted various fruit trees, so that bamboo and wutong formed groves; at the source in Piling (present-day Changzhou region) they opened clear streams to aid irrigation. Fierce beasts such as tigers and leopards guarded against calamity, and huge beasts kept watch at the passes; white geese and black crows spread their wings and soared high, straight into the blue sky. The brave were overawed by their martial majesty, while the benevolent remembered with gratitude their civil virtue.

Farmers feel gratitude for the profound and vast grace of the deities, and the myriad things also take refuge in their numinous efficacy and trustworthiness. Those on the verge of death can obtain a chance at life, and those who study the Dao (the Way) look up to and attach themselves to them as one relies on a wall or bank for support. In the second year of Yongping under Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han, an edict ordered the commanderies and counties to repair the temples of those in numinous mountains and great marshes who could summon clouds and rain and benefit the common people, such as the Laozi Temple of Chen, the Xia Yu Temple of Kuaiji, the Temple of Mao the Perfected at Juqu in Danyang, the Temple of the Two Consorts at Huangling on the Xiang River in Changsha, and the Qu Yuan Temple. All cases similar to these are deities whose virtue and grace have left blessings for the people and who transform and nurture the myriad things by the Dao. Some set forth the noble model of the Holy Mother; others reveal the numinous deeds of sages and worthies. Therefore, when images are engraved on objects and temples are built in expectation of the gods’ descent, all such places should be managed and maintained on this account, with custodians appointed to guard and repair them.

At that time, the local people all called this temple the “White Swan Temple,” not knowing that Lord Siming (Siming jun) had long since gone east to Chicheng (a Daoist immortal mountain, in present-day Tiantai, Zhejiang). Formerly, people who were sincere in their love of the Dao and entered the temple to pray for their allotted lifespan sometimes heard the two lords speaking with people inside the curtain, and sometimes saw a white magpie inside the curtain. The white swan was the result of the ability, after taking the nine-cycle returned elixir (jiuzhuan huandan), to divide and transform one’s bodily form; one could also transform into dozens of white swans, or ride them in flight while one’s original form remained where it was. The two lords were fond of music. Whenever anyone who held prayers and vows entered the temple, the two lords would often invite celestial courtesan-musicians from Fangzhu (an immortal mansion) and Xicheng (the dwelling place of divine perfected beings). When the celestial courtesans came, people all heard music in the empty air approaching from afar; after they arrived, the sound of pipes, strings, and singing was not something the human world could hear—pure and intense, penetrating and difficult to name. Only after a full day would the celestial courtesans be dismissed; as they left, they played together, fading farther and farther away, and it was a long time before they could no longer be heard. These numinous marvels are merely the divine perfected ones’ ability to transform and borrow appearances, accommodating the minds of the common people so as to follow their feelings; their true reality, however, is not within these visible and audible illusions.

This is merely to speak in terms of circumstance. Once the original true essence congeals into form, one naturally can rest at ease on the Cavern Terrace and, within Dinglu (the name of an immortal bureau), nurture radiance and conceal one’s light. Lord Siming (Siming Jun; Dongqing Siming, namely Mao Ying) said: Mount Juqu (present-day Mount Mao) was originally a separate palace of Siming; we too cannot be the rightful masters of the Cavern Terrace. Lord Dongqing Siming supervises the assembled Perfected of Mount Tai and governs the myriad deities of Wu and Yue; one may say his Dao-practice is deep and his virtue and renown are lofty, and he can check and control the spirits. Jia Xuandao, Li Shusheng, Yan Chengsheng, and Fu Daoliu all received Lord Siming’s essential instructions. Xuandao was from Hedong and was born at the end of the reign of King Wei of Zhou; Shusheng was from Zhuojun and was born in the time of Emperor Yuan of Han; Daoliu was from Beidi and served as General of the Palace Hall under Emperor Ling of Han; Chengsheng was a man of Wu and served as Commandant of Wudang Commandery in the time of Liu Shenggong (Emperor Gengshi, Liu Xuan) of the Later Han. They studied with extreme diligence, all attained the true Dao, and later entered Youzi Xiaobaiyang Mountain in Mount Tai—this is what is called Earth Perfected (a type of earth immortal).

Li Yi, courtesy name Zhongfu, was from Jingzhao and, together with Lord Siming, took Lord Wang of Xicheng as teacher: Zhongfu was an inner-chamber disciple, while Lord Siming was a north-window disciple. The methods Zhongfu received were different; he constantly ingested water-jade, which had spiritual efficacy, could pace the Dipper and conceal his form, practiced day and night the method of the Three Bonds and Six Regulations, and also cultivated the White Tiger Seven Transformations. After more than a hundred years he instead became younger and stronger. He and Lord Siming together received a single dose of the returned elixir (huandan), and after taking it he returned home. An acquaintance of his, five hundred li away, made his living by setting nets to catch birds. One morning he set his net and caught a large crow; looking closely, it was actually Zhongfu. Zhongfu finished speaking, took his leave, and departed, yet the same day he was back at home again; altogether he lived among people for two hundred fifty years. In the time of Emperor Ling of Han he entered Mount Hua, the Western Marchmount, and there were also welcoming officials, just as when Lord Siming had first set out; he received talismanic mandate documents and became Vice Siming of the Western Marchmount. He often sighed to himself: “In my receiving of teachings I am somewhat inferior to Mao Shushen—this too is my fate.” Zhongfu once transmitted the divine method of the Seven Transformations to Zuo Yuanfang (Zuo Ci), and after Yuanfang practiced it he too could transform in ten thousand ways.

The fifth fascicle of The Record of Mount Mao ends here. The sixth fascicle was compiled by Liu Dabin, hereditary patriarch-master of the Shangqing school; it belongs to the Kuoshen Qu pian, the chapter on expanding the divine region, and records numinous and extraordinary regions.

The Inner Biography of the True Man of Taiyuan says: East of the Yangtze River, near Jinling (present-day Nanjing), there is a small marsh, and east of that marsh is Gouqu Mountain, that is, Mount Mao. The mountain's caves are open and numinous; looking inward, one can see the spirit mansion. The cave dwellings open on all four sides, and caves and mountain peaks are linked in unbroken succession. The ancients called it the Empty Terrace of the Golden Altar, the side gate of the Queen of Heaven, the Eastern Window of Clear Emptiness, and the remote seclusion of Linwu, a cave-dwelling name. All the caves communicate with one another; wherever the hidden subterranean paths reach, seven roads and nine sources converge and connect in all four directions. It is a true grotto-heaven and immortal lodge. The mountain's shape bends like the character yi, and so it is called Gouqu.

Tao Hongjing, whose sobriquet was Yinju, "the Recluse," says: The small marsh is today's Chishan Lake; coming from the direction of the Yangtze, it faces this mountain directly. This mountain is also called Gouqu Mountain. Its water sources curve and can be contained, hence it is called the Jurong settlement. In the Zhou dynasty its source marsh was called the Cave of Curved Water; in the Qin dynasty it was called the Goujin Altar, because within the grotto-heaven there is a golden altar a hundred zhang high, and from this it got the name. Outside there is also Jijin Mountain, which likewise was named because accumulated gold formed an altar. In the Han dynasty the Three Lords Mao, Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong, came to govern this mountain; the local elders then changed its name to Maojun Mountain. When the three lords set out, they rode white swans, each stopping at one of three places on the mountain. People at the time saw them, and so made a song; and according to where the white swans stopped, the mountain was divided into three mountains: Great Mao Lord, Middle Mao Lord, and Lesser Mao Lord. Taken together, they are all the single mountain Gouqu. Tao Hongjing's Yinju speaks of Gouqu Mountain.

The mountain ridge forms the boundary: the west and north belong to Jurong, while the east and south belong to Yanling. Maoshan is about one hundred fifty or sixty li from Stone City (present-day Nanjing) by way of the river and footpaths. In the Tang dynasty, Jurong and Yanling both belonged to Runzhou (around present-day Zhenjiang); in the Song dynasty, Jurong was assigned to Jiangning Prefecture (present-day Nanjing), and during the Xining era (the reign title of Song Shenzong), Yanling was abolished. The east and south of Yanling Mountain now belong to Jintan County of Qianjiang (as the original text has it).

According to the Taiyuan Neizhuan, a Daoist scripture, within the great heaven and beneath the earth there are thirty-six grotto-heavens (immortal abodes in famous mountains that connect to the heavenly realm, as Daoism holds), and the eighth is the grotto of Juqu Mountain (the ancient name of Maoshan). It encompasses one hundred fifty li and is called the Heaven of Huayang at Jintan. Around the grotto is empty space, and above and below are stone. The flat part of the grotto’s ceiling lies beneath the soil and only emerges at the surface after about thirteen or fourteen li; east to west it is forty-five li, north to south thirty-five li, square and level. The empty interior is one hundred seventy zhang high; below there are still rolling plains and hills, while the canopy above is very level. Within the grotto, the roots of Yinhui, Yeguang, and Rijing (in Daoist imagination, the sources of the sun’s and moon’s radiance within grotto-heavens) shine, making the space bright as if sun and moon were shining together. Yinhui governs night, Rijing governs day; their forms are like round sun and moon, flying in the empty space. The Juqu grotto palace has five gates, and within the void stone stairways wind outward and connect to the gateways—places where immortals come and go, like roads in the outside world. The light of the sun and moon is no different from outside, and plants, trees, waters, and marshes are also no different from outside; birds fly to and fro, wind and clouds are dense, so one would not know what to doubt. What is called the divine palace of the grotto-heaven is spiritually wondrous beyond fixed bounds; it cannot be discussed in words, nor measured by conjecture. The Juqu grotto-heaven connects east to Linwu (Linwu Cave of Lake Tai), north to Daizong (Mount Tai), west to Emei (generally regarded as Mount Emei), and south to Luofu (Mount Luofu in Guangdong). Within it, small paths, byways, and intersecting field paths occur in more than one place.

During the Jian’an era of the Han dynasty, Zuo Yuanfang (Zuo Ci, courtesy name Yuanfang), after attaining the Dao, heard of this sacred mountain and came into the mountain to worship with sincere devotion. Only about five years later did he find the entrance and enter Dongxu and Yingong (the cave palaces of Maoshan). The Three Mao Lords (San Mao Jun) bestowed on him three kinds of divine zhi mushrooms. He wandered through the cave palace for years and saw that its chambers were laid out in regular squares and circles and were fully complete. He exclaimed: “I never imagined there could be such a wondrous realm in the world, where spirits and gods come and go and audit life and death, just like the government offices on earth.”

The Jinling Earth Lung Blessed Place: according to the Record of Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Places, among the seventy-two blessed places, the Earth Lung Blessed Place ranks first; it is Jinling (around present-day Nanjing). The Inner Biography says that in this place water floats as soon as it arrives, and for this reason it is compared to a “lung.” The Inner Chapters of the Baopuzi separately says that Earth Lung Mountain is Yuliu Islet, and Mount Shang is also called Earth Lung; today the account recorded in the Inner Biography is taken as authoritative. Lord Baoming (Baoming Jun) said: Jinling is the fertile land of Dongxu and the Earth Lung of Mount Juqu (Maoshan); those who have passed through it number in the thousands and tens of thousands, yet not one truly knows it. He also said: Jinling is not subject to military disaster or floods, and pestilence and calamity cannot invade it. The Hetu’s “Zhongyao Yuan” chapter, scroll 44, says: at the Jujin Altar there is a mound within; disease does not reach it, and floodwaters do not submerge it—this is precisely that blessed place.

The Yuan Neizhuan says: within Gouqu Mountain (present-day Maoshan) there is a land called Jingling, about thirty-seven or thirty-eight qing in area, and it is the “Earth Lung” of Jingling—a Daoist fudi (blessed-land) term metaphorically comparing the convergence of earth-vein qi to lungs. The soil here is good and the well water sweet; dwelling in this place surely enables one to transcend the world (leave the mundane world and become an immortal). The Hetu Yaoyuan Pian also says: this place has an Earth Lung, with good soil and clear water; Gouqu Mountain and the Jingling of Jintan can enable people to transcend the world and ascend. Lord Dinglu of Qucheng, a Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) deity, says: the soil of Jingling resembles that of Beiyu; reaching the Beigu Pass area, the soil is firm and solid, suitable for planting grain. If one digs a well here, the well water tastes like the water from the well outside Fengmen Gate in Chang’an—a cave spring of clear source and secluded ripples moistening the area from afar. The water is white in color; even without studying the Dao, dwelling here and drinking this water makes people long-lived.

The Neizhuan also says: to the left and right of Jingling is Juegu Stream; on the left there is a mountain, on the right a fertile watered land whose source is called Liugu, and west of Jingling is the source and succor called Yanggu. The Record of Blessed Lands in the Inner Classic of Famous Mountains says: the land of the Hidden Dragon lies west of Liugu and to the right of Jintan, and can serve as a dwelling place for lofty recluses. Confucius’s Record of Blessed Lands says: in the Gang Mountain area there is a village of the Hidden Dragon, where one may avoid floods, avoid illness, and attain long life; Gang Mountain also owes its name to its Jingling geology. Through successive ages of change, the original names no longer remain, which makes one sigh. Zhenren (Perfected) Wang, the Right Assistant, says: passing beyond Tongwu and the Golden Court, one comes to Gouqu Jingling in the Wu region; this is a blessed realm for nurturing the true (cultivating one’s true nature) and a numinous mound for becoming spirit. Even if the flood were five times greater than in Yao’s time and the Eastern Sea overturned, and all people in the world died of illness and then met the military disaster of Wu’an, what could they do to me? I only wish to stay near the cave terrace and hidden gate, and there wander freely.

Great Mao Mountain lies south of Yuanfu Palace (a Maoshan Daoist palace); its highest point is where white geese gather around Lord Siming (the Great Mao Lord, chief deity of Maoshan). Lord Dinglu says: Great Mao Mountain has a bronze cauldron from the time of Xuandi (the Dark Emperor, a northern Daoist deity), able to hold four or five hu (hu being a unit of capacity), finely cast and engraved; it is at the hidden gate in the mountain, and relying on it one may wander there.

Great Mao Mountain lies south of Yuanfu Palace (Yuanfu Gong, a Daoist temple). Its highest point is where Lord Siming (Mao Ying, the eldest of the Three Mao Lords) gathered white cranes. Lord Dinglu (the second of the Three Mao Lords) transmitted the account that on Great Mao Mountain there was a bronze cauldron from the time of Emperor Xuan (Xuandi, i.e., Zhuanxu), capable of holding four or five hu (an ancient unit of capacity) and exquisitely carved. It was placed at the mountain’s highest point, buried about eight chi in the earth, and covered with a large stone. In Emperor Xuan’s time he ordered the god of the Eastern Sea to bury it there. It is also said that Emperor Xuan was the one born when Changyi, son of Xuanyuan (the Yellow Emperor), married a woman of Shu Mountain and begot Gaoyang, whose virtue-title was Zhuanxu. His father Changyi lived in the Ruoshui region; Zhuanxu is associated with the tradition that “his body was molded at the fords of the Seven Rivers,” and for this reason he was called Emperor Xuan. Divine light often appears on the summit, called Elixir Light (Danguang) and also Heavenly Lamp. There were formerly a stone altar and stone house; now a hall has been built there, enshrining ancient stone statues of the Three Mao Lords (the brothers Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong venerated at Mao Mountain). The eighteenth day of the third month and the second day of the twelfth month each year are assemblies for Lord Siming’s excursions and inspections. People from all directions come to the mountain to worship and grandly conduct the Lingbao Zhaijiao (purification ritual); this has remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.

Middle Mao Mountain lies north of Jijin Mountain, at the highest point of the Long Ridge. Lord Dinglu says that on the Xuan Ridge of Middle Mao Mountain, Lord Siming buried cinnabar (dansha, i.e., zhusha) from Yumen in the Western Hu region, about two zhang deep, with boulders on four sides of the earthen mound pressing down and securing it. The springs flowing down to the left and right of this mountain all appear pale red, and drinking them is beneficial to people. Below the mountain to the left and right are small level plots where huts for quiet cultivation can be built. Today many of the common people in the Sanyang area are long-lived; this refers to the three villages of Zhuyang, Taiyang, and Beiyang.

Little Mao Mountain lies north of Middle Mao Mountain. The Taiyuan Neizhuan (Inner Biography of Taiyuan) says: On the wushen day of the seventh month in the third year of Dihuang under Wang Mang, he sent the envoy Zhang Yong carrying gold, white jade, and five bronze bells as gifts to the Three Immortal Lords of Juqu (i.e., the Three Mao Lords). On the dingsi day of the third month in the seventh year of Jianwu under Emperor Guangwu.

The Taiyuan Neizhuan records: On the wushen day of the seventh month in the third year of Dihuang under Wang Mang, an envoy, Zhang Yong, was sent carrying gold, white jade, and five bronze bells as gifts to the three immortal lords of Mount Juqu (the Three Mao Perfected Lords of Maoshan). On the dingsi day of the third month in the seventh year of Jianwu under Emperor Guangwu, another envoy, Hao Lun, was sent with gold, jade, and silk to be offered to the three immortal lords. Yet another envoy was dispatched to the north.

Jijin Mountain lies north of Yuanfu Palace (a Maoshan temple). Lord Dinglu (one of the divine perfected beings venerated at Maoshan) once instructed: Behind Great Mao Mountain and before Middle Mao Mountain there is a long, connected mountain ridge, with connected rocks in its midst; in ancient times it was called Jijin Mountain. This place is suitable for human habitation. One may seek out a spot with water and build houses and retreats for quiet cultivation—it is highly ideal. Here one may also refine elixirs and practice superior Dao methods. Tao the Hermit (Tao Hongjing, styled Huayang Hermit) said: This is the place where I withdrew from the world and where I now reside. To the east, a transverse ridge is entirely made of stone; the rock forms are magnificent and bizarre, many of them pierced with holes and caverns. To the southwest is a great stone cliff, towering and split open; within it is a cave, and after entering several zhang it gradually becomes narrow.