《西川青羊宫碑铭》

Inscription on the Qingyang Palace of Xichuan (Xichuan Qingyang Gong Beiming)

Composed by Yue Pengui, Scholar of the Hanlin Academy, Grand Master of Remonstrance, Vice Minister of the Board of War, Drafter of Edicts, Pillar of the State, and recipient of the purple gold fish pouch.

Before heaven and earth had taken shape, the Dao (the Way) already existed. It is said that there were eighty-one heavens, and that the span of a single one equaled half the lifespan of Taishang Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao); six million years was the beginning of creation under Yuanshi Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning). The great Dao is profound and subtle, and difficult to fathom. It has no form and no image, and it existed before the Great Beginning (taichu) and the Great Change (taiyi).

When the Longhan kalpa (the ancient cosmic cycle of Daoist tradition) first opened again, the Fengji (the legendary calendar of the Phoenix Era) had not yet been established. The Dao concealed the sprouts of all things within vast stillness and hid the roots of the myriad beings in primordial chaos. The two divine figures Nie Fu appeared together and began to shape creation. The Three Qi (the three primal vital energies that constitute heaven, earth, and all beings) intermingled and surged, and the simple, undifferentiated state of chaos began to dissipate. The dark and yellow qi of heaven and earth was still moving and had not yet congealed, and the clear qi and the turbid qi had only just separated and begun to solidify.

Among the sun, moon, and stars, spirit palaces came into being. Among the rivers, plains, mountains, and peaks, cavern abodes took form. From this we know that the Dao is the ancestor of all vital energies, and De (Virtue or Power) is the root of all things. Heaven, earth, sun, and moon are its descendants, while the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) and the Four Images are like its branches and leaves. When heaven and earth first opened, the Dao appeared first, and only afterward did the Zi Ji (the supreme celestial realm) come into being. Gazing upward, one feels it grow ever more distant; tracing its source, one finds nothing higher beyond it. Only when the Eight Elders had white hair was there as yet no heaven and earth; only after the Nine Elders had white eyebrows did heaven and earth begin to be born.

To seek the highest truth is to reach the source of the Dao. The realms where the immortals dwell stretch far and wide, and the lifespans of adepts who attain the Dao are exceptionally long. Treating six thousand years as two months, one still sighs at the brevity of life; treating seventy thousand years as two years, one still feels that time passes too quickly. The Dao appears differently to different people: the wise see in it wisdom, and the benevolent see in it benevolence.

It gathers in its light so that all the stars seem dim, and it conceals its sharpness so that even a drill-bit would break. The xuanzhu (the mysterious pearl, a symbol of the Dao) need not be sought by bending down, and a true piece of jade has no flaw. Those who know the Dao through study are of the middle rank, and those who understand it by nature are of the highest rank. The Sanjun Wulao (the Three Lords and Five Elders, revered Daoist deities) regard ordinary people as the dregs left after brewing wine, while the Qisheng Jiuhuang (the Seven Sages and Nine Sovereigns of legend) regard the common people as straw dogs used in sacrifice, expressing the idea that they transcend worldly distinctions.

The Dao warms the ages past and melts the hardest ice. It accomplishes countless good deeds, flowing like a spring. It is extremely bright, yet appears dark; yet whenever one asks, it reveals the answer to every matter. It is extremely skillful, yet appears clumsy; and within that apparent clumsiness, it brings all things to completion.

To act through "wuwei" (non-action) is to attend to what has no practical use. Do not let the five flavors dull the tongue, nor let the sounds of music disturb the ears. Forget outward appearance, and forget speech and expression. Keep to a state of unknowing and stillness, so that even when someone asks a question, one can reflect all things clearly. The most refined skill appears clumsy, yet it is precisely within this unadorned simplicity that all things are accomplished.

To act through non-action and attend to what is useless, and not to be drawn along by flavors and music, is to forget images and forget words. In this way one can shed bondage as easily as slipping off a shoe and enter the "gate of all subtleties" (the profound realm of the Dao), a gate without a bolt yet hard to open.

The nine myriad spirit immortals can gather within the aperture of a single hair, while the three thousand guardians of the Confucian gate seem to be left idle on the tip of a single horn. From this we can see that although the Daoist and Confucian schools have separate gates, the fundamental principle of governing the world is the same: take purity and stillness as the core purpose, and take emptiness and nothingness as the model. Take Heaven as the carriage body and the lunar mansions (constellations arranged in groups) as the wheel spokes. Drive with the horse of Qian (Heaven, yang) and draw with the ox of Kun (Earth, yin). Operate the efficacy of wuwei and bear the natural Dao.

The light of the Dao does not flaunt itself; it nurtures the proper way within obscurity and dimness. Conducting affairs with simplicity yet keeping integrity, one cultivates true nature in narrow and humble places. Such a person cannot be kept at a distance, for the Dao is not far from people. Yet one cannot treat the Dao as something to be gained through closeness, for the more one uses it, the deeper it seems. Neither yielding to seek completeness nor advancing to demand, one is like a person dressed in coarse cloth who carries jade within, whose inner De far surpasses their outward appearance. And like one who seeks a pearl without form or trace, such a person can serve as a model.

Shifting the world, one can contain it in a jar. Swallowing the ten-foot chamber of Vimalakirti (the small room where Vimalakirti lived in Buddhist scriptures), contracting the terrain, one can hide it within arts and methods, even concealing the Rajagriha of Prince Siddhartha (Shakyamuni). The Dao is the root from which all things grow, and cultivating the Dao and establishing De is like laying the foundation of the Heavenly Way. The plainness of the nameless is the source from which all things are transformed and nourished.

The three thousand dignified deportments (the Buddhist norms of daily conduct) are reverently and carefully embodied in Confucian ritual teaching, while the five hundred precepts are solemnly observed within the Buddhist gate. Take Heaven as the bow and tune it with Yin-Yang, cold and heat. The proper Way is like an arrow, launched by spring, summer, autumn, and winter. One person who uses it cannot exhaust it, and even the multitudes who use it will never run dry.

Within the caves of the sun and moon, hidden persons have dwelt in grottoes. Between the Southern Darkness and the Northern Darkness, recluses have for a time wandered in the waters of the realm below. Peach Blossom Spring and the isle of Penglai have been spoken of since antiquity and still seem to exist. The Huai Market and the Yao Altar are seen flourishing at dawn and vanish by evening.

The secret methods of the immortals were transmitted only three times in five thousand years, and the sacred and profound Great Dao (Dao) was handed down to each new generation only once every million years. To regard it as easy and take it up carelessly is as absurd as twisting stone into rope. To approach it with contempt while seeking the true Way is as futile as chipping at ice to produce fire. Cultivators must cast off cleverness and private gain and make clear the subtle and hidden principles. In the palaces corresponding to the trigrams Kan, Li, Zhen, and Dui (hexagrams that symbolize directions and the transformations of yin and yang), feathered guests (cultivators who have attained immortality) dwell, and among the constellations of the four directions, true immortals abide.

They take De (Virtue) as their chariot and travel beyond the chaos of heaven and earth. They hold the handle of long life and exercise their sovereign power before heaven and earth were opened. They are still and practice non-action (Wuwei), content in their own sufficiency. By following the constant root within change, all transformations are accomplished, and by revealing the Dao that does not arise, all living things are able to grow in harmony. They hold open their hearts to all things and move with the seasons in broad composure. They can conceal Mount Tai within a single autumn hair, and the hair still seems vast. They can enfold Mount Kunlun within a grain of millet, and the grain remains spacious. The form of the Great Dao has no fixed shape, and the Five Peaks move freely within it. True sincerity needs no pledge, and the four seasons still turn silently. The teaching of the True Lineage (Zhenzong), the fundamental tenet of Daoism, accomplishes all things, and the efficacy of non-action, which governs without governing, is thereby made all the more evident.

The Great Emperor Taishang Jinque Xuanyuan Tianhuang (an honorific of Laozi) is the ancestor of our Great Tang dynasty. According to the Guoyu (Discourses of the States), from the seventh year of King Ping of Zhou to the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, who bore the title "Kaiyuan Sacred Literary Divine Martial Emperor," there have been thirty-six generations of wise descendants. The glorious lineage, branching like the sun's rays, will shelter all under heaven, and the flourishing, luminous fortune of the dynasty will carry its fame throughout the world.

When the profound origin was opened, the nine qi (the primordial vital energies that constitute all things in heaven and earth) continued to refine and transform everything. The mysterious power of creation became greatly manifest, and the flow of qi between the six directions (heaven, earth, and the four cardinal directions) never ceased. Thereupon, a non-dual teaching was established, and the fundamental principle of the True One (Zhenyi) was examined and followed.

The vast wind swept across the sea, and after three great transformations the waters turned to flying dust. The kalpa fire, the blaze that burns heaven and earth at the end of a great cycle, consumed the mountains, and after five transformations the highlands became plains. This immortal first roamed freely in the Qingyun (Azure Cycle) age, and after that age ended he moved among the people of the Chiming (Vermilion Brightness) age, which also came to an end. Ninety-nine myriad-myriad years were folded into a space as small as a pellet, and the five thousand five hundred heavens were contained within an eggshell.

In the reign of King Gaozong of the Yin dynasty, when King Wen of Zhou was first deducing the Yijing (Book of Changes), a divine light flowed into a body like fine jade, and an auspicious vapor condensed into golden immortal bones. At his birth his body suffered no rupture or injury, and he was not born until he was past eighty years old. Bringing down auspicious signs, he lived for more than twenty thousand days and nights. He stepped upon the imperishable principle and held the writings of long life; he embraced heaven and earth and governed the sun and moon. His forehead bore the star patterns of Shen and Wu, his head bore up the round vault of heaven, and three openings pierced his ears, while the bridge of his nose rose like two pillars. It was said that he possessed white blood, a purple brain, a green liver, and a blue spleen, that thirty-five rays of light shone at his neck, and that his teeth held forty-eight precious jewels. As he walked, a seven-colored blue lotus followed him, and a white deer a thousand years old came forward to offer its auspicious omen.

Though the mulberry fields had changed, two ancient cypress trees stood undying; though the rivers had run dry, nine wells still held water. In the Luxiang district of Ku County, his traces of immortality have long remained, and on the banks of the Guoquan spring in the state of Chen, the spirits' footprints have not vanished. His seven hundred disciples called Fusang, the divine mulberry land of the east, their homeland, and the Lord of the Nine-Fives regarded the palace of the sun, the dwelling of the sun deity, as his old residence.

If we trace his origin and examine his beginnings, we can reach back before heaven and earth had become distinct and look down into the chaos before the cosmos took form. He acted in accordance with the times in transmitting his teaching, and so became the model for all since the nine antiquities. Whatever changes the world underwent, he responded to each as it came, and so became the exemplar that rulers across the ages followed. From the year when the Sheti (the star-year name used in ancient chronology) began, and from the era when the qi of heaven and earth first opened, thirteen sages succeeded to the throne in turn over eighteen thousand years, in full accord with the decree of heaven.

Our Supreme Mysterious Origin Sage Ancestor (Taishang Xuanyuan Shengzu), whom Daoism venerates as Laozi, responded to the Mandate of Heaven and appeared in the world, serving as teacher to the Heavenly Sovereign. Heaven and earth had only just been opened, the pure qi (Qi) and the turbid qi had only just separated, and above and below had only just parted. The six directions and eight quarters had only just unfolded, and they still lay close to one another. The Sage Ancestor fixed the round and square forms and the upper and lower shape of heaven and earth, and he stabilized the primordial order of the age of chaos, when things had not yet taken on their refined form. The rivers had only just melted into being, and their waters were still dark. The mountains had begun to congeal, but their rocks were not yet firm. The white elms in heaven had only just sprouted, and the green cassia in the moon was faintly beginning to emerge. The Sage Ancestor assigned the four seas to four deities and entrusted the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to five sovereigns.

At that time the heavenly phenomena were still low and the earth was still thin. The Sage Ancestor established the center and the directions of heaven and earth, carried out transformative teaching, and founded his achievements. Our Supreme Sage Ancestor then gathered his traces and descended among humankind, serving as teacher to the Earthly Sovereign. He arranged the firm and the yielding, regulated the changes of cold and heat, and made the earth broader and thicker and the sky higher and brighter. The Sage Ancestor's power could not be exhausted, and his marvelous merit could not be measured. Trees began to bud, and the hundred grasses first sprouted. Birds and beasts were assigned to the positions of Dui and Li in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), while shelled and scaled creatures were distributed in the palaces of Kan and Zhen. In the waters of the four quarters there were still no fish or turtles, the forms of the Five Sacred Peaks were still motionless, and no clouds or mists had yet risen.

After further years of the Clear Sea had passed, the two sage sovereigns governed heaven and earth, and light began to appear in the four directions. Our Supreme Sage Ancestor widely bestowed grace and aided all beings, serving as teacher to the Human Sovereign. The three hundred and sixty rivers began to branch into tributaries, and the eleven thousand five hundred ce (counting rods) began to be arranged into odd and even numbers. The spirits of the Three Ren and Three Yi, the Heavenly Stems, were born from water and wood, and the generals of the Six Bing and Six Xin were gestated from fire and wind.

After one hundred and fifty-six generations and more than forty-five thousand years, the Sage Ancestor came to be called the Celestial Master of Penetrating Mystery (Tongxuan Tianshi), was further honored as the Lord of the Golden Gate (Jinque Dijun), and his third title was Mr. Pangu (Pangu Xiansheng).

The Supreme Ancestor (Taishang Shengzu), the Daoist title for the Dao's own patriarch, descended to become the teacher of Fuxi (Fuxi Shi, a legendary ancient sovereign) during his reign to save the world through the Dao (Dao). Looking up at the patterns of the heavens and down at the regularities of the earth, Fuxi taught people to draw the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), which were used to explain the distinctions among the three powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. He also helped people create writing to replace the method of recording events with knotted cords. Ancient records and scriptures (jing) all arose from this. When people hunted and fished, they took their model from the symbol of the Li trigram of the Eight Trigrams, and after repeated investigation they made use of the generative force represented by the Zhen trigram. Phoenixes appeared as auspicious signs at the royal court, and the Dragon-Horse carried the River Chart (Hetu, a legendary auspicious diagram) that emerged along the Yellow and Luo rivers. Fuxi reigned for eighteen thousand years.

When the Lianshan clan (Lianshan Shi, a legendary ancient sovereign) ruled the realm, the Supreme Ancestor, out of compassion for the world of his time, humbly became the teacher of the sovereign. He transmitted to the ruler the principle of the cyclical movement of the Five Phases (Wuxing), divided the seasons by the four quarters of the year, and assisted in administering government and in distinguishing the hundred grains. He led people to give up eating raw meat and drinking blood, and he improved the music of sacrifice, in which earthen drums were struck. He taught people to leave caves and nests and to build houses with roofs. He taught them to smelt metals and fire pottery, and to plant millet and cook livestock. He devised the lei and si (implements for turning soil and sowing seed) to aid the multitude, and he made pottery to serve the convenience of all things. Heaven rained down millet as an auspicious sign, the land produced crops, and abundant harvests appeared; people were able to eat grain, and the mountains also yielded carts and vessels.

When the Youxiong clan (Youxiong Shi, the legendary sovereign who is the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi) ruled the realm, the Supreme Ancestor retreated to Mount Kongtong, and his spirit rested in a deep and mysterious realm. The Yellow Emperor personally traveled there by carriage, received him with the courtesy due a master, straightened his robes, respectfully stepped aside, and then knelt to inquire about the principles of the Dao.

At that time, Yugang ran wild and cruel, and Chiyou raised troops and rebelled. The Supreme Ancestor (Taishang Shengzu) transformed fish and turtles into soldiers to aid the royal army in battle, and he caused clouds and mist to take the form of spirits that secretly guarded the battle lines. He brought the fighting at Zhuolu to an end and stilled the warfare at Banquan. He traveled to the land of Qingqiu, went north to the region of the Hongdi, received the elixir scriptures (danjing) at Mount Wangwu, and ascended to the blue heavens above the Dinghu. As a result, the Qiyi grass grew and the Mojia grass appeared again. Had it not been for the power of the Great Dao (Dao), who could have brought about these things?

When the Jintian clan governed the realm, he took up the sources of the Jishui region and inherited the canons left by Xiongshan. He carried out the rites of reporting to Heaven and sacrificing to the Thearch, and he studied and preserved the ancient statutes and codes. Our Supreme Ancestor descended riding a nine-dragon chariot and served as his teacher, known as "Master Taiji (Taiji Xiansheng)." The Ancestor taught him the classics of solemn reverence, instructing him to follow the seasons and greet the solar terms, so that sacrifices accorded with the spirits. He also had the spirits entered into the registers of the Six Ancestors and of the sacrifices in each locality. The Jintian clan was diligent and reverent, and so his conduct conformed to ritual norms.

After the feathered creatures presented their auspicious signs, the Jintian clan appointed crow officials to oversee government affairs and arranged for the nine birds to each fulfill their duties, thereby commanding the hundred officials. The sun and moon joined like a pair of jade discs, displaying numinous omens, and a phoenix brought in a diagram and writings as revelation. All of this arose from the supreme Dao and also manifested the stratagems of the sovereign.

When the Gaoyang clan governed the realm, our Supreme Ancestor taught him to resolve disputes and to close the gates of evil, so as to govern the state and pacify the people. He also purged the chaos of the Jiuli and employed worthy men such as the Eight Kai. Among the Jiuli were the fierce chieftain of the dragon-field and purple beard, and the leader with a serpent body and red hair. Their strength was immense: they uprooted Mount Buzhou and struck its summit, causing the sky to tilt toward the northwest, so that the courses of the sun and moon shifted westward, and the earth sank toward the southeast, so that the rivers and seas flowed eastward.

The Ancestor summoned and dispatched the Six Jia spirits and commanded the myriad numinous beings. He instructed Gaoyang with the subtle meanings of the scriptures and taught him through principles that accord with the Dao. The Ancestor rode a swift xuanhong chariot, at times journeying to Youling, and drove a white-jade carriage on distant travels, at times reaching Panmu.

Look at the tangdi flowers of my immortal realm: they bloom only once in ten thousand years. Look at my spirit melons: they bear fruit only once in four kalpas (jie).

When the Gaoxin clan ruled the world, my Taishang Shengzu (Supreme Ancestor, an honorific for venerable deities such as Laozi) proclaimed the Dao and taught the people, aiding the age and serving as teacher to all. He expounded the profound principles of the Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture), concealing the light of the sun and moon. He received auspicious names and talismanic registers, causing cities to shift and change. He set the names of the Nine Provinces and composed the Music of the Six Heroes. He enfeoffed Gou Mang as a spirit to assist the Azure Emperor of the East, and with martial force he recruited warriors to aid the White Emperor of the West. He performed the feng and shan sacrifices on Mount Dai, sealing his memorial text with golden clay, and brought light to all under heaven, opening an age as clear as a jade mirror. He drank from the Great Living Well and traveled to the Land of No Night. He regaled immortals with the fat of the azure luan bird as the lesser offering for lower immortals, and carved the flesh of the yellow qilin as the precious dish for the highest guests.

When the Taotang clan ruled the world, my Taishang Shengzu briefly revealed the supreme principle and descended among humans as a teacher. He taught the way of profound De (Virtue), assisted the mysterious transformation of the people, and answered to the auspicious name of Danling, hoping to ascend to the immortal realm of Danqiu. A clear, gentle breeze swept the land, and the branches no longer rustled. The realm was peaceful and prosperous, and the elders often sang happily as they struck the jiyang (ground-striking) song. Dried meat appeared naturally in the kitchen, and the dishes needed no seasoning. Sweet spring water welled up quietly in the valleys, and the yeast and malt for brewing were not needed. Emperor Yao opened the gates of the four directions and listened to all opinions, establishing five governing duties and promoting five kinds of teaching. He wore deerskin and sat upright on an earthen step. He also donned a crane-feather cloak, drank the liuxia (flowing-mist) immortal wine, and contemplated quietly in the jade garden of the immortals.

When the Youyu clan ruled the world, my Taishang Shengzu expounded the Dao of non-action (wuwei) and the principle of union and separation. The Sanmiao people submitted, criminals from the four directions were all punished, the officials each kept to their duties, and the five canons and teachings were all properly carried out. He held the bright spirit pearl and was also granted the Zhaohua jade. His eyebrows grew long enough to match his hair, a sign of the auspicious portents of his accession, and his lifespan matched that of heaven, showing the blessings of longevity. He appointed sixteen worthy ministers so that every official fulfilled his duty, and the five canons and teachings were therefore carefully put into practice.

He screened and appointed sixteen worthy ministers and assigned twenty-five great officials, so that the feudal lords of every region were in harmony and cooperation, as close as fish to water. He also drew the common people to submit to him, gathering as ants do when drawn by the smell of meat. He turned numinous breath into heavenly writings without spending brush and ink, and gathered auspicious clouds into a jeweled palace without relying on human labor.

When the Xia royal house (the ruling lineage of the Xia dynasty) governed the realm, our Taishang Shengzu (Supreme Ancestor, the honorific for a revered Daoist patriarch) assisted the royal Way and served as teacher to the sovereign. He taught virtue and precepts and personally practiced the methods of governing the state. He braved wind and rain, opened mountains and cleared forests, and accomplished nine years of flood control, as well as the long labor of assisting the ruler. While controlling the floods, he lived in a plain dwelling and worked hard to dredge the channels. When performing rites, he wore worn clothing yet kept his bearing dignified and proper. He guided the Majia River so that its waters rushed like bamboo arrows, and he cut through Longmen so that the torrent surged and foamed like peach blossoms in flight. He saved the people from being buried by the flood and preserved the land so that it did not turn into sea. Within his breast it seemed that jade dippers and stars were arrayed, and his whole body displayed the signs of heaven. Unfolding marvelous charts in his hands, he seemed to hold the fate of the state in his grasp. From this we may know that the Great Dao (Dao) is the venerable head of the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism), and that lofty virtue (De) is the root of all the sages.

When the Shang dynasty's Chengtang (Shang Tang, the founder of the Shang) governed the realm, our Taishang Shengzu temporarily left the heavenly realm and came among humans as a teacher of kings. He taught the Way of long life and personally embodied the law of following nature. He removed three sides of the hunting net and left only one, showing that he extended leniency to living beings. The wild beasts therefore fled far away, and the birds flew high and departed. He took upon himself the faults of all under heaven, and he enumerated six matters with which to examine himself. He revealed the teachings through the Eight Essences and the Seven Perfected, which are classic texts and secret formulas of Daoist cultivation, and he explained them through the Six Voids and the Ten Keys, which are methods of Daoist practice. Honey brewed from peach blossoms over a thousand years surpasses the taste of vermilion wine, and leafy green vegetables gathered beyond the Nine Heavens, dew-tinged with red, are clear and refreshing in flavor. He rode the swift course of the sun, moon, and stars, and drove the Six Qi (the breaths that circulate between heaven and earth) so that he rose into the air like smoke. Looking at the great sea, it seemed no more than a drop of water, and looking at Mount Song and Mount Heng, they seemed as small as silkworm cocoons. He fed on wind and drank dew, rode the empty void, took the Ten Isles (legendary immortal lands beyond the sea) as temporary palaces, and regarded the heavens and the four directions as a brief lodging. He commanded the mortal masters of techniques and the immortals of the lower realm who had passed their trials. With one white hair he could lift a ten-thousand-jin boulder, and a few feet of green bamboo could turn into a dragon a hundred zhang long.

Attaining the Way and receiving Dao, a person may cause their seven generations of ancestors to ascend together and transcend the mortal realm; one who misses the Great Way will lose their way for a lifetime. The key lies in steadfast cultivation, careful study, the ability to endure hardship, and freedom from fear of toil. Only in this way can one harmonize the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth and bring stability to the Nine Regions.

According to the Benji (Basic Annals), the Qingyang Market (Qingyang Si) was the site of the second incarnation of Taishang Xuanyuan Dadi (Grand Emperor of the Supreme Mysterious Origin), that is, Laozi. At the end of the Shang dynasty, political order collapsed into confusion, the virtuous rule (De) of the Zhou dynasty was also gradually declining, and the realm was in turmoil: rivers churned, valleys roared, and wind and rain howled. Laozi therefore left the court, concealed his traces, and no longer served as Keeper of the Archives (Zangshi), a post that managed the classics, nor as Historiographer (Zhushi). He took leave of the Weique (palace gates, also used to refer to the court), traveled west past the Hangu Pass, and rode forward in a carriage drawn by a blue ox, with a white phoenix in attendance and the immortal Xu Jia driving the carriage, until they arrived at this place.

Yin Xi (the Pass Warden of Hangu, traditionally said to have requested that Laozi write down his teachings) observed the winds and read the vital qi, and knew that the Lord of the Dao would surely arrive. After the two had been apart for some time, Yin Xi transformed into a red youth; when they met again, eight hundred years had passed, and he still followed the Huang-Lao tradition (the Daoist lineage tracing back to the Yellow Emperor and Laozi). Laozi secretly transmitted profound secret instructions and subtle words, and arranged to meet again after a thousand days. Afterward, Laozi briefly paid court to Yuanshi Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Original Beginning), ascended to the highest point of the heavens, and for a long time upheld the Way of the Grand Master, before returning to a realm beyond worldly form.

He opened the Hanling Cinnabar Hall, ascended the Qiong Terrace adorned with many treasures, and sat within a grove of purple-gold trees, leaning on a table of blue-green jade. The Immortal Elder of Taiqing held a banner painted with patterns of starlight, and the Immortal Lord of Taiji held the tallies that signify the moonlight and command the spirits. The immortals all bowed their heads and prostrated, contemplating their original mind with their own minds. At that time, the Azure Youth of the Azure Emperor transformed into a blue goat in Shu, rode a purple cloud to the Purple Mansion, descended to the royal officials, and manifested auspicious omens.

The crying was just about to stop, and the milk had only just arrived. Then word of the joyous news reached him, and the infant at once ceased weeping. In an instant he changed from a newborn into a white-haired elder. Within moments he stood more than ten chi tall, and his face radiated light of five colors. He wore a delicate jeweled crown adorned with the Seven Luminaries (the sun, the moon, and the five planets), and over his shoulders hung a splendid robe of nine colors. His guardian warriors numbered more than a hundred million, and immortals gathered in throngs. The perfected spirits (zhenling) of the ten directions responded and came, filling the vast expanse of heaven and earth, and auspicious vapors from the eight quarters filled the void. Fragrant smoke from the Nine Subtleties drifted outward, and six-petaled blossoms, like snowflakes, danced through the air.

He was about to leave Shu and travel to foreign lands to spread his teaching. He journeyed far into the Shifting Sands, and for a long time he transformed the rough customs of those regions. When he reached Shendu, Chubin, and other kingdoms, he taught King Fantuo Azhu. That ruler was obstinate and violent, and he resolved to boil, burn, saw, and pierce him. He had an enormous cauldron heated until it boiled, so that the very ground seemed to melt in the steam. The sage walked into it as though entering cold spring water. Then the king piled up firewood until the flames shot toward the sky, but the sage sat calmly in the blaze as though he were resting in mist. Those who carried white staves looked to him like wormwood, and those who held red blades seemed to him like dull lead knives. Soldiers from the four quarters rushed in together, their clamor like crashing thunder. Spirits within ten thousand li united to protect him, with a power capable of shaking mountains and rivers. Eighty wild tribes turned to submit to his upright teaching, and the fierce peoples of two thousand kingdoms forever abandoned their old ways of ignorance.

Once the customs had been transformed, the work of the Dao was also accomplished. He manifested emanations as the Buddha, fulfilling the merit of the Tathagata that had been cultivated over a thousand kalpas. He also descended into the world as a human teacher, helping the sovereign manage the myriad affairs of state.

As for the ancients, who used bronze armillary spheres to observe the movements of the heavens and jade calendars to calculate auspicious and inauspicious years and months, the numerical patterns of heaven and earth also contain fullness and change. Heaven's numbers unfold through seven, five, one, three, and nine, and reach their fullness at nine. Earth's numbers unfold through eight, six, two, four, and ten, and reach their completion at ten. The cycles of Yin and Yang bring the calamity of the Yang Nine, and the Hundred-and-Six reckoning must also be investigated thoroughly. Even when the ancient sovereigns Xuanxi and Xuanhao reigned, they could not avoid these calamitous numbers, and the rulers of the Gaoxin and Tang-Yu eras were likewise unable to escape them. In the first year of the Guangming era, in the year designated Shangzhang, in the month of the Great Clam, the time had come to examine the Hundred-and-Six calamities.

In the first year of the Guangming era (880 CE), the year cycle was Shangzhang, and the month was the month of the Great Clam (dage yue). Treacherous men stirred up trouble in the capital, and rebel leaders threw the realm into turmoil as the fires of war spread across the land. The court ministers deliberated on touring the provinces to inspect local affairs, but war rose on every side, and people in all four directions turned out to welcome the emperor's progress.

The rebel forces were like a great whale with its jaws open, as if they meant to swallow the Li River whole and spit out Haojing. They were like a wild boar with crossed tusks, charging into the ranks of the army. Before they had even been destroyed, they were already plundering the people's goods and seizing the lands of the towers and pavilions. Dust blotted out the emperor's carriage, and bandits blocked the roads of the capital.

The emperor rode a cloud chariot, with nine dragons drawing it together, while his jade carriage advanced westward. The myriad chariots turned along the axis of the earth, and the gates of the southern palace swung open. When he crossed the waters, the water deities lifted up boats to aid him, and when he came ashore, the earth deities (dizhi) guarded his ceremonial procession. A temporary palace was set up within Taixuan City, and a makeshift main hall was established on the banks of the Zhuojin River. Envoys from over ten thousand states came bearing jade and silk, and the civil and military officials filled the court ranks. The tribes of the Goose Forest region came to pay homage, as if the Ao Mountains had cast off their moorings and were sailing in. The city of Hetuo sent tribute, and envoys riding elephant carts came to audience.

At this time the Rong and Yi peoples had submitted, and the institutions and rites of all under heaven were moving toward unity. The Miao had not yet submitted, so strategies of assistance still had to be planned. The rebellion of the Hu clan was yet to be pacified, and it would depend on the might of the Yin commander. The generals deployed the martial methods of the Xiong Tao and Bao Tao treatises and won military merit. The mountains of Longjiao and Yangjiao could also serve as witnesses to sagely auspices. The immortals of the Twenty-Eight Transformations still came riding white deer, and the hundred and six calamities would surely be relieved by spirits who rode azure creatures.

They upheld the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain, and secretly protected the descendants of the house. Red light flashed among the courtyards and towers, displaying the sign that peace was about to arrive. Purple qi shone brightly among the plum trees and bamboo hedges, further displaying auspiciousness. Examining these changes, one could understand the principle of resonance (ganying). Pursuing the traces of these marvels, they indeed found a stone tablet, on which was carved in ancient seal script: "Taishang (the Most High) ping, zhonghe zai" (The Most High brings peace; harmony averts calamity).

Thus people verified the auspicious signs that the "six characters" had foretold, and by them a hundred omens were made manifest. Striking it, one hears a sound clear and long-lasting; looking upon it, one sees a shape like a great jade disc. Through the dynasties of Zhou, Qin, Han, and Wei, the characters on the jade remained as bright as new, and after the Jin, Song, Liang, and Sui, the strokes, like silver hooks, showed no wear. It was kept in a chest and sealed tightly, thereby displaying the achievements of the imperial house and recording the grand event in the historical annals.

As the years grew distant, the boundaries of the fields and the villages changed many times over. The old site was overgrown with moss, and the ancient altar lay desolate. A portion of the immortal's homeland had passed into ordinary households, and the scenes left by the realm of the immortals were reduced to broken tiles and scattered stones. Withered pines reflected the night moon, as though one could still hear the cries of the mysterious cranes; in the dusk, the autumn grasses lay wrapped in mist, and only the chirring of the shaying (a small insect) could be heard in vain. The grottoes and cavern dwellings where clouds once swirled had mostly become hiding places for foxes, and the fields where lingzhi (the divine fungus of immortality) once grew were now covered in crops.

In tracing the traces left by the immortals, the auspicious signs appeared anew. The emperor specially issued an edict to build a Spirit Palace (a temple housing the deities), and bestowed two million coins from the inner and outer treasuries, summoned skilled artisans, and the work was soon completed. Thus, as though the spirit of wood had sent timber, a nine-story pavilion rose from the ground; as though the earth deity (diqi) had offered soil, many walls were raised all at once; the Water Lord (shuibo, the spirit in charge of waters) sent spring water to fill the pools, and the mountain spirits carried stones to serve as foundations.

The lofty cloud pavilion stood majestic and splendid, appearing suddenly as if descending from the heavens; the towering Suxia Hall (a hall like white clouds) seemed to surge up from the earth. Its eaves stretched out like birds' wings, and its beams rose high like rainbows; the white-plastered walls seemed to be frosted with snow and frost, and the vermilion pillars appeared to burn with fire. The windows reflected inverted scenery, and the doors opened onto the vast sky.

The statues had just been completed, and the countenances of the deities seemed to descend before the eyes, their expressions as if about to speak, as though they were expounding the Five Thousand Characters (the Daodejing). Their bearing also seemed about to set out, traveling far to the ten directions to teach the multitudes. Fragrance rose from the golden censers, and jeweled canopies turned in the air. At a glance, the goat beside the railing seemed about to kneel down to nurse; at first sight of the white horse, pure as silk, one feared it might at any moment toss its head and neigh into the wind.

The courtyard was cleared of artemisia and thatch, and jade-like immortal grasses grew anew; in the garden, the daylilies and mugworts were removed, and flowers like fine jade bloomed once more.

Towering mountains rise above broad, bright pavilions. Here a palace has been built to stand in harmony with the halls of Qiyun, Shuqi, and Yuanjiao, rising so high that it seems to reach the distant western limits where the immortals dwell. The numinous power of the Jian Pass gathers at the imperial traveling palace (xingzai), the residence where the emperor stays while on tour, and half the luminous spirit of Mount Emei flows into the capital as well.

On the green altar, incense curls upward, and a clear breeze carries the sound of chimes. The Five Venerable Lords descend, and the four Perfected arrive together. Drawing on the ground can conjure rivers and lakes, and gathering up earth can raise mountains. Seated in stillness, one can summon wind and rain, overturn the Luo River, and empty out the Yellow River. A raised hand brings up clouds and smoke, turning daylight into night, and grasses and trees become armies while soldiers become forests. With such arts, a military campaign would not merely win a hundred battles. Used to suppress rebellion, they would bring victories surpassing even Zhuge Liang's seven captures of Meng Huo.

Thus, when calamities spread across the land, they ultimately follow the principle of waxing and waning, and the rise and fall of fate and circumstance each have their turns of fortune and misfortune, ease and hardship. Zuo Ci summoned divine troops to whip the roving bandits, and Xu Xun commanded mighty spirit-warriors to sweep away demons. Through these means the common people were settled and the myriad spirits were brought into harmony. In the suburbs and along the Dan River, people repeatedly testified to the efficacy of sincere prayer, and at Muye and Kunchang, captives were presented again and again, with reports of victory. Between the eight rivers, swords, spears, and armor gleamed, and camps were densely arrayed across the four suburbs. The battle formations hung across the sky like clouds, and the sound of the armies shook the earth like thunder. Blood spilled down like a sudden rainstorm that stained the sky red, and yellow dust rose up like yellow clouds that filled the plains.

The surrounded enemy, like trapped beasts, broke their teeth, and like long serpents, could not protect head and tail at once. The men of Zheng scattered in the suburbs in a single night, and the Chu encampments stood empty. When the generals' virtue matched their duty, loyal men gave their lives in service, and when the army's resolve was upright, the royal forces could endure without end. Day after day they beat drums and struck gongs without ever speaking of weariness, and though they wore iron armor the whole year through, they never complained.

Later, the capital regained its light, and the sovereign's achievements shone forth anew. Since the crooked arrow was already aimed at its target, why would there be any need for the merit of shooting the moon from behind? Since the long pole was already in hand, why would one need to strike with the momentum of bumping against the sky? And so the rebel leaders were captured, and the rampaging rhinoceros was shut away in its box. In the last years of the Shi Dao era, loyal men of true heart severed the enemy's heads. And when An Lushan's fortune had run out, he was disemboweled and killed by his own household servants.

Afterward, the rebels were destroyed one after another: An Lushan was beheaded by his own trusted subordinates, and Shi Siming was likewise disemboweled by his own officers. The rebel forces violated law and order, and their violent qi (qì) rose to the heavens. They clamored like crickets and katydids for seven or eight years, gathering several hundred thousand wolf-like soldiers who ravaged the lands of the realm and invaded both capitals, Chang'an and Luoyang. Fortunately, the net of Heaven was loosened in its punishments, and the court practiced benevolent governance and reduced killing, so that the five years of prolonged rebellion came to an end and its evils were pacified in a single stroke. The tomb of Chiyou had already been built, and his iron-plated head was buried deep; the throat of the Changdi giant had been severed, and the fierce weapons were put away forever.

The achievement of such divine merit truly depended on the power of the Dao (Dào). Our Grand Lord of the Golden Gate, Mysterious Origin, Heavenly Emperor (Tàishàng Jīnquē Xuányuán Tiānhuáng Tàidì), the Daoist honorific for Laozi, is the parent of Heaven and Earth and the master of emperors. He instructed the Three Sovereigns, and each of them enjoyed a reign of eighteen thousand years. He accorded with the qi of the four seasons and with the Five Cycles, the cyclical operation of the Five Phases by which the ancients explained the rise and fall of dynasties. In this way, the governance of the state accorded with the Mandate of Heaven and was passed down to descendants forever. The sacred dynasty's fortune will last as long as the sun and moon, and it will be able to continue a blessing of eighteen thousand years.

Our Gaozu Shenyao Emperor (Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan) received the Mandate of Heaven, and the sovereign's calendar of rule returned to him. He viewed the realm with the feelings of a native villager, and the realm of the immortals was not far away. He possessed lofty De (Dé) yet did not regard himself as virtuous, and in this way made the virtue of the sovereign ever more exalted. He ceased the Nine Crimson Talismanic Tokens, the mandates bestowed by the immortal realm, and sealed the mountains and the seas. Following the chariots of the Eight Luminous Immortals, he rode the mist and drove the clouds. He shouldered the great charge of pacifying the realm, displayed his majestic bearing, and presided over instruction at court.

Our Taizong Wenwu Emperor (Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin) held the great authority of Heaven and Earth, esteemed civil governance, and quelled warfare. His great ritual is formless yet gathers the root of all ritual norms. His moral teaching, like the great sound that is silent, is unadvertised yet shakes both past and present. Heaven granted him courage and wisdom, so that he could subdue tigers and leopards as easily as binding a bundle of firewood, and the spirits aided his imperial majesty so that even dragons were subdued like earthworms. He returned to simplicity and acted through benevolence. Without ropes, he restrained the heroes and the Five Hegemons, and without clinging to the forms of vessels, he governed the four quarters and the Nine Provinces. Afterward, he settled disputes through non-contention, and the spirits again aided his imperial majesty, so that dragons were subdued like earthworms.

Returning to simplicity and genuineness, and taking benevolence and virtue as the standard, one treats "having no rope" as a rope with which to govern, restraining the six powerful states and the five hegemons. One treats "not being an implement" as an implement with which to act, unifying the four quarters and the nine provinces. Thus, even when people contend, they contend within the realm of non-contention, and warfare is long stilled. Even when they have desires, they desire within the realm of non-desire, and their cravings gradually dissipate.

The masters of the arts came flocking, and the Perfected Lord also descended into the human world. Anqisheng's dates were strangely shaped, as large as gourds. The silkworm cocoons raised by the Garden Guest were peculiar in form, piled up like basins and tiles. The sage king let his robes hang loose and governed with ease through one hundred and fifty generations, enjoying a dynastic span of eighteen thousand years.

We respectfully look up to the Emperor, whose wisdom is luminous, whose benevolence and virtue are exemplary, and whose discernment and filial devotion are complete. He inherits a vast foundation and presides over this great undertaking. His thoughts dwell on the mirror of longevity, and his body enjoys the state of blessed fortune. The Way of kingship has revived, and the foundations of the state are deep and firm. May the Emperor forever preserve the sacred vessel of the realm and long keep the court's principles upright.

General Huya leads eight thousand brave warriors, and Marshal Longtou commands a million elite troops. They keep the realm steadily at peace and pacify all under heaven. The giant turtle has been slain, and its corpse blocks the sea. The great whale has been put to death, and its raised fins pierce the clouds. People roast and boil them, exhausting the trees of a thousand mountains and drawing dry the waters of five lakes to cook them. Purple flames shine upon the stench of blood, and the Qingping sword is stained with gore. The ominous sun has fallen and the comet has vanished, the sky has cleared, and the dark vapors have dispersed. Three heads of the great rebels are presented and reported to the court and ancestral temple. Martial power is displayed in a flourishing age, and a jing guan (a mound of enemy corpses piled up to display military achievement) is raised in the divine land.

After many years, the Son of Heaven gazes northward and prepares to drive back to the court of Yao. His imperial grace flows eastward, and he rides a celestial carriage with his heart turned toward the court. He summons officials from every region to present auspicious omens and receives the feudal lords in the Hall of Light. He seeks out talented persons who have been hidden and searches for lost classics. He supports the declining and continues the undertakings that had been cut off. The Eight Dragons' cloud-seal script (a cloud-shaped seal script of Daoism) descends with the celestial writings once received by Yu and Ji. The two martial emperors, with their enlightened literary virtue, manifest the virtue of the sovereigns of the Shang and Zhou. The court is at peace, the realm is tranquil, the highest virtue is upright, and the age is in harmony. The Emperor's sacred achievement in establishing his rule relies on the holy power of Taishang (the supreme deity revered in Daoism). Hereafter he sits calmly in the court, lets his robes hang loose, and governs the realm facing south, needing only to cultivate his person with reverence.

Chen Jingyi, Military Governor of Jiannan Xichuan, Grand Commandant and Chancellor of the Secretariat, Duke of Yingchuan, arrived when the summer sun hung high and gave off a dazzling heat that inspired awe. Auspicious stars gathered for a long time and clearly displayed signs of good fortune. He came from afar to station himself at Guicheng (another name for Chengdu), welcomed the emperor's carriage, and presented the xuanji (an ancient instrument for observing the heavens), by which he could gauge the changes in the movements of heaven and earth. It seemed as though he turned the azure sky, or moved the Penglai immortal mountains to serve as a traveling palace, as though he had left the great sea behind.

Guo Qi waved his fan to direct the troops, while Qian Neng stirred up turmoil in the mountains and forests. Han Xiusheng gathered a crowd whose momentum was like the roar of a swarm of mosquitoes, and Yang Shigu gathered fireflies and presumptuously sought to rival the sun in brilliance. Those captured alive were like rats bound with cords, and those put to death were like sheep led into a slaughterhouse. Chen Jingyi commanded an army of a hundred beasts in the courtyard before him, enough to be recorded in the jade tablets (the register of imperial clansmen and major deeds). Deploying the Five Strongmen under his command (legendary warriors of unmatched strength from Shu), he was able to shatter an iron mountain. Even one with the martial talent of Nie Zheng or Marquis Wu, or the strategic wisdom of Xiao He or Wang Jun, would find it hard to compare with him.

In the past, Wei Nankang guarded Chengdu for more than twenty years, and Guo Fenyang, entering the court to serve as a chief minister of assistance, held that post for twenty-four years. If we measure their merits and the benefits of their governance, Chen Jingyi's accomplishments are in no way inferior. Some have requested that he be granted nine years' reserve of grain, and even if one reckons a few more years, it would not be too many. Chen's governance of Jiannan surpassed Pei Du's achievement in pacifying Huaixi. These deeds are recorded in the classics, ensuring that his merit will shine forever.

Tian Lingzi, Commander of Operations at the Imperial Camp, Commander of the Left Shence Army, and Inspector of Military Affairs of the Ten Armies, stood alone supporting heaven and earth like the jade pillar of Mount Kun, and spread his arms like the golden lotus peak of Mount Hua to hold up the sun. He served a wise sovereign and was born for the sake of the state. His talent surpassed that of thousands, and his wisdom could grasp ten things from hearing one. His temperament was gentle, nurturing the benevolence of the Azure Lord of the East (who governs spring and embodies the qi of growth). He also had outstanding integrity, admiring the principles transmitted by the Uncrowned King (referring to Confucius). He observed the auspicious signs of the ruler, and the five calamities all became visible. Holding the human mirror (a metaphor for a bright mirror that perceives the human heart), he left the myriad things of the world with nothing concealed. Though silent, he could hear and discern, and before things appeared, he could tell them apart. In assisting governance, establishing virtue, founding enterprises, and accomplishing the state, his rewards and punishments were all impartial and selfless.

Among the feudal lords, nine princes were moved by gratitude, and their kindness reached far and wide. The ten armies' generals also turned their hearts toward him and rallied to his cause. They restrained their private desires, dealt with one another in sincerity, and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the Dao (the Way). The ancient Daoist temples were built layer upon layer and revered, seemingly no different from the Cinnabar Terrace (Dantai), the lofty platform of the Daoist immortal realm. The time-honored institutions and regulations were worthy of reverence, as if one had ascended into the realm of broad daylight. They paid homage to the supreme sovereign and upheld the solemn, dignified ceremonial forms of the Dharma King.

The divine beasts numbered eight thousand, charging at rhinoceroses and elephants as if they were ants. The heavenly soldiers numbered three hundred million, stirring the seas and mountains as one might toy with duckweed and artemisia. Shangfu (the Grand Duke), Jiang Ziya of the Zhou dynasty, achieved great success and ranked first. Marquis Zheng (Zheng Dangshi) of the Han dynasty earned distinguished merit, and none could match his talent. People engraved their achievements on tripods and bells, to commemorate their merit and praise their virtue.

The Left Assistant Director of the Secretariat and Tongping Zhangshi (Equal Chancellor) Xiao Gou (a Tang dynasty official) was extraordinary in both talent and achievement, with a spirited and refined bearing that surpassed the ancients. His literary skill was as vast as the sea, surpassing the waves of the Huai River and its lakes. His learning was as lofty as a mountain, higher than the peaks of Mount Heng and Mount Huo. He was a auspicious gift from Heaven to the nation, and his writings enriched the work of the chief ministers. He rectified the emperor's teachings and many times held the reins of state governance. When he spoke before the throne, he could deploy a myriad of extraordinary troops, and within a single inch of space he could bring peace to the people of the realm. The yellow cranes called again and again, perhaps they could be driven by the Duke of Shao. The black ox never gasped, perhaps even Laozi would find it hard to foresee.

Wei Zhaodu (a Tang dynasty official), Minister of Personnel and Tongping Zhangshi, was a worthy minister on whom the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain depended. He ought to have held a prominent post, high as the stars in the sky, and to guard the great task of assisting the ruler, he stood firm as a mountain. He possessed the gentle, outstanding virtue of fine jade and the unyielding resolve of pine and cypress. He studied the classics to cultivate himself and establish his place in the world, giving his literary style a upright and elegant character. He harmonized salt and plum (an ancient metaphor for assisting the ruler and balancing state affairs), so that the state grew prosperous and families lived in peace. He held a high rank as a "Grand Duke," like the Zhongfu (the chief minister who assisted the ruler), yet he did not manage to secure the ninth-and-third position in peace. His moral reputation towered like a great forest, and although his fame was great, he did not receive the honor of the "twenty-eight" in humility.

Pei Che (a Tang dynasty official), Minister of War and Tongping Zhangshi, displayed auspicious signs like the marsh horse of legend and revealed his talents like the heavenly horse. His vigorous integrity ran through his age, and his upright spirit washed away the vulgar customs of the world. He was as lofty and bright as the Milky Way stretching across the sky, and possessed the brilliance of the Jade Cord star (a constellation) hanging across the heavens.

His scholarship flowed like a river from a distant source, and his literary talent flourished like a forest wreathed in pine smoke and mist. His integrity earned respect both at court and among the common people, and his uprightness marked his entire official career. Since he took office at Yingzhou (an immortal mountain of ancient legend, here used figuratively for the court or the imperial academy), he was promoted in a time of clarity and entrusted with weighty duties in turn. He was like Fu Yue, who assisted the Shang king in governing, and like Gao Yao, who held charge of justice and weighed matters with fairness. He sharpened his wisdom to handle tangled affairs and refined his prose to dissect difficult questions.

The Inner Flying Dragon Commissioner Yang Fugong came from a distinguished family whose reputation was remarkable. He was well versed in the Three Teachings (Sanjiao: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism) and understood each of them thoroughly. In description, his talent would have outshone Zuo Si and Zhang Heng; in expressing feeling, Bao Zhao and Xie Lingyun would have deferred to him. When speaking of his brothers, one notes that all eight men of his household were gifted; when discussing the classics and histories, learned scholars found it hard to reply. Across generations he held key posts, and his name was known across the hundred schools. Endowed with the refined bearing of Ji Zha and possessing the keen intelligence and humility of Kong Wenzi, he was like a green mountain hiding jade, whose surrounding peaks shine because of it, or like a clear pool holding pearls, whose whole river reflects their luster.

The Inner Privy Commissioner and Kaifu Yitong Sansi (Grand Commandant with honors equal to the Three Excellencies) Tian Yinli held a lofty office, like four stars in conjunction and five planets blazing with numinous light. His purity surpassed a jade vessel, and he kept his word and valued loyalty, holding gold and pledges alike in light regard. His wisdom was as round and full as the moon, shedding for a long time the light of assistance to his sovereign; his eloquence flowed like a river, clear and abundant. He was upright by nature, gentle and reverent at heart, possessed the great talent to aid a ruler, and was a minister the emperor relied upon. Holding high office, he could order the principles of the state; commanding the Privy Council, he seemed to align the heavens with his own hands. He long attended to Daoist circles (Daomen) and had always revered the True Teaching (Zhenjiao). He spoke without ornament, and often offered remonstrance in plain and sincere words; his teachings deserved to be honored and often accorded with the principles of calm and rectitude.

The Inner Privy Commissioner and Piaoqi Dajiangjun (General of the Swift Cavalry) Li Shunrong was outstanding in talent and virtue, standing tall like a fine tree among the mountains. His family was illustrious and his reputation towering, and his blessings extended to his descendants. Like the immortal Wangzi Qiao, who ascended to heaven on a crane, his good fortune continued into later generations. He managed the state's vital affairs and helped the common people live in security. He was honest and impartial, clear and selfless as a bright mirror; his conduct was so straight that even the upright ink line of the carpenter seemed to fall short. He was learned and well versed in the ancient books, and his quick thought allowed him to produce brilliant writing the moment he took up his brush.

He held a broad and open heart, grave and dignified in bearing, and he set aside every worry outside his mind. He received all things with humility and gathered the distant expanses of heaven and earth within a space no larger than an inch square.

Liu Jingxuan, Supervising Military Commissioner, Grand General of the Cavalry Guards, and Concurrent Commander-in-Chief for the Administration of the Three Rivers, possessed a virtue that resembled auspicious omens descending and a reputation that shone like brilliant clouds. His bearing was elegant and unconstrained, and his talent and discernment were profound. He was as precious as the fine jade branches of the Prince of Zhounan and the glue of the phoenix, and he resembled the lofty companion of Heshang Gong, as though he might soon ascend on a crane to become an immortal. He assisted and upheld the realm with great diligence, and his merit endured and shone for a long time.

Yin Sixuan, Master of Ritual Decorum and Clarified Dao of the Right Avenue, was filled with the spirit of the immortals and came from a distinguished family. He was the favored disciple of Taishang Xuanyuan (the Daoist honorific for Laozi) and the outstanding descendant of Perfected Lord Wenshi (the legendary Yin Xi, Guardian of the Pass). He awakened to the Dao at seven and met his master at thirteen. The bones of purple jade (the immortal's bones in Daoist belief) were near to completion, and he was destined to tour the realms of the immortals in the end. He had already mastered the Yellow Book (Daoist scriptures), and soon he would ascend to Zhuling (the immortal realm of Daoist legend).

The Daoist Li Wuwei came from a family that was the foundation of the state and whose Dao lineage had been passed down through generations, and he inherited the blessings of his ancestors. He studied deeply the many layers of true formulas and understood them completely, and he had read and recited the thousands of volumes of immortal scriptures. He and Yin Sixuan shared the same master and became fellow Daoists. Like silk spun from the heavenly phoenix's cocoon, their learning gathered spiritual energy and took written form. They also refined the dragon elixir, by which they preserved their youthful appearance and passed through calamities. Wearing star crowns and moon robes, the two bowed to the Primordial Sovereign (the celestial deity revered in Daoism), and they rode cloud chariots drawn by rainbow reins to pay homage to the Great Emperor. Five hu of golden silkworms secretly spun immortal silk, and a pair of jade staffs welcomed the perfected from afar.

Since ancient times, loyal ministers and virtuous rulers have all been able to govern the state and ultimately ascend to heaven. They followed the rhythm of their age and the mandate of fate, rescued the times, saved the people, and brought their achievements to completion. Shaohao and Zhuanxu both ascended to the Purple Forbidden Palace (the heavenly residence of the Celestial Emperor), and Junshi and Taigong also departed in chariots of blue-green mist. The halls, doors, windows, terraces, pavilions, and ponds seemed to be formed of gathered clouds and mist, as though they had been carefully painted in vermilion and azure.

The seventy-two Blessed Lands (Fudi) and thirty-six Cavern-Heavens (Dongtian), the paradises where Daoist immortals were said to dwell, are linked to one another, and Mount Qingcheng seems to serve as their gateway to the human world, while Panzhong resembles an altar within a true-scene immortal realm. Here one can deliver the deluded and propagate the scriptures of the Daoist school. The immortals' garments form of their own accord, needing no needle and thread; their immortal carriages move without being driven and leave no tracks.

In the Ninth Heaven stands a capital built of white jade, its palaces adorned with gold within walls a thousand zhi high (an ancient unit of length for city walls). When one dons ceremonial robes, it is as though the sun and moon hang upon the body; when one wears the crown with its jade strings hanging front and back, it is as though one sits upright between Heaven and Earth. When the Way of Heaven keeps its order upright, the qi of the four seasons flows in harmony; when the state is at peace, the Three Primes (Sanyuan, the Daoist celestial, terrestrial, and aquatic officials together with their cycles of festivals) each keep their proper order. Holding the authority of long life, one can govern the white colt; with the root of the Great Dao hidden in the heart, one may ride the red carp.

Generations change and the years turn, and this land has been established as a realm for over forty thousand years, while its shrines and temples have endured for more than three thousand years. Streets are newly built and the people flourish; the palace gates, once shut, seemed to preserve the traces of immortals, but now the court has been renewed and is especially prosperous. Phoenix carriages of seven colors have repeatedly carried distinguished persons here, and the nine-spotted dragon carriages show even greater reverence on their tours of worship. The Hall of Great Void (Taixu Tianguan), a celestial immortal hall, keeps its doors open through the long night, and the Hall of Infinite Blessing (Wuji Futang) forever reflects the scenery of eternal spring; its vapors join with the azure heavens, and its radiance surpasses that of Red City, the mountain of immortals in Daoist legend.

Your servant dwells in the Forbidden Grove, a post of court literary service, and has been granted the name of a man of letters, yet my foundation in Confucian learning is shallow and my literary accomplishment is not profound. The literary grace of Dong Zhongshu rarely finds its way onto my brush, and Yang Ziyun's marvelous discourses on the Sanqing (the Three Pure Ones, the highest heavens of Daoism) are likewise difficult to commit to writing. I am ashamed that I lack the talent of the yellow silk, and cannot record these auspicious omens curling with purple mist. The lyric reads:

At the beginning of the cosmos, the vast cycles of fate (jieyun) unfolded. The Dao is subtle and hard to fathom. It cannot be seen or heard, yet it existed before all things. After the Great Beginning (Taichu) had receded, the Great Commencement (Taishi) followed. The mysterious Huang was still enfolded in an undifferentiated state, and the pure qi and the turbid qi had not yet separated. At that time Heaven and Earth had not yet taken form, and already ten million years had passed.

The mountains seem to last longer than I do, yet they pass as swiftly as lightning. The seas seem vaster than I am, yet they are as fine as a single thread. Set beside Buddhism, the Dao shows that the Buddhist teaching ultimately cannot exhaust the Way. Set alongside Confucianism, the Confucian ritual codes lack sufficient force. The Dao manifests De and blocks evil, resolves disputes and defeats sophistry. It teaches according to person and circumstance, responding to change without obstruction.

Thus the virtuous governance of the Three Sovereigns became more manifest, and the wisdom of the Five Emperors grew more lofty. The realm was at peace, and all living beings were relieved. The Louguan (Daoist monastery) thereby arose, and Hangu Pass became a gateway for the transmission of Daoism. When Laozi journeyed west and passed through the pass, guests came to hear the Dao. The teaching flourished, and its grace spread to distant lands.

The Dao has no fixed form, yet it reveals the shapes of all things. It has no sound, yet it produces the sounds of all things. When it departs, there is no way to bid it farewell, and when it arrives, there is no way to greet it. We force the name "Dao" upon it and force names to speak of it. Above the Great Void, a city is built of gold, and beyond the deep and unseen realm, a capital is built of white jade. The radiance of the Dao illumines the four quarters of Heaven and Earth and covers the eight directions. The myriad states together draw upon its grace, and the hundred grains are nourished by it. It is inexhaustible, and it neither increases nor decreases though all things benefit from it.

Those who taste the Dao lightly and act in accordance with it can long abide in the right Way. Those who probe the Dao deeply and practice it will ultimately bring about great peace. Stern, fierce qi transforms into heavenly soldiers, and luxuriant, resilient plants and trees become divine troops. Blades of fire flash like lightning, and swords of frost gleam like rainbows. They slay the fierce boar and cleave open the great whale.

Since antiquity, customs have constantly changed, the people's livelihood has gradually grown prosperous, and the times have become ever more peaceful and clear. As the years stretched on, dynasties succeeded one another. The new palace has been completed, so that later generations may long behold its achievements. The founding ancestor's merit was illustrious, and his wise grandson was brilliant. They undertook a work equal to the transformations of creation, cutting open chaos as with a sword to reveal the unformed heavens and earth. They grasped the courses of the sun and moon and embraced all things between Heaven and Earth. They left traces and writings like those of phoenixes, and their bearing was like a tiger's stride and a dragon's crouch. Even within the tiny egg of a crow, there is room enough to hold the vast sky.

Even in a space as small as a grain of millet, there is room enough to hold the vastness of Mount Kunlun. Once the clamor of the mortal world is clarified, wisdom becomes as still and deep as a fathomless pool. The nets of delusion unravel of their own accord, and the bright mirror of the heart is not easily clouded. When all the myriad things and phenomena have dissolved away, only the Dao remains, enduring forever.

Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism each contend for supremacy, yet the Dao is the most honored. If the Five Bandits (the five desires or sensory activities that disturb the mind) lodge within the heart, the state will be at peace, and the Nine Gates (symbolizing the gates of the palace city or the state) will be purified and orderly. Crowds of people and carriages come and go without end, and throngs fill the thoroughfares and ritual altars. Envoys arrive from the Five Directions bearing tribute, and distant regions vie with one another in submission. Retinues of carriages and horsemen gather as dense as river mist, and taxes and tribute pile up like clouds.

The Jade Emperor (Yuhuang, a supreme deity of Daoism) stands lofty and majestic, and the golden registers (Jinlu, the sacred documents used in Daoist purification rituals) shine with brilliant radiance. The Numinous Officials guard the four seas, and the Waterways Bureau extends throughout the four quarters. The sovereign thrones of Yao and Tang endure, and the mandates and blessings received by Shun and Yu continue unbroken. Great bandits are destroyed, treasures are preserved intact, and the divine land is restored to peace. Myriad spirits are summoned to descend, and a hundred kinds of blessing are received. The sky turns like a wheel of azure, and the earth revolves like a hub of yellow. Jade is offered up, and the nine regions present gold and silk as tribute. Cold and heat move in their seasons, and auspiciousness and calamity arise alternately, each depending on the other. Disasters, punishments, and weapons of war recede, and the fierce rhinoceros is subdued.

Holding in hand the mirror of Xuanyuan (symbolizing clear discernment), and hanging upon the wood the cord of the Yin dynasty (symbolizing law and standards), one sees that the jade terrace has nine tiers and the silver silkworms number as many as five hu. The fingers point to the azure ox, and the body rides a white deer. The grotto-dwelling opens toward Mount Kuocang, and the gate of heaven is opened at Mount Wangwu. The foundation of the imperial house is deep, and the lineage of the ruler extends without end. The sovereign sits upright in the Hall of Light, and worthy ministers assist him with counsel. The four seas and all regions submit.

A rainbow winds like a dragon, and a pair of phoenixes wheel and dance. Cranes draw their chariots across the clear Celestial River, and luan birds accompany them among purple clouds and mist. As good deeds steadily accumulate, merit grows to a hundred, to a thousand. Towers of red jade rise high and reach the ninth heaven, and altars of green jade stand steep, as though the Eight Immortals had descended from the sky. Far away lies the isle of Penglai, where dragons plough the fields of lingzhi fungus. The terrain lowers itself in accordance with the Dao, and all waters flow east. People dwell in the realm of superior De (Virtue), and the worthy face south to govern the multitude of talents. There are the well of great life and the spring of long life, and may the blessed fortune of this sagely dynasty extend for eighteen thousand years.

A white crane passing through fire does not turn black, and a crow was never dyed black. All things are so by their own nature, and what they attain also comes from within themselves. How is ignorance to be enlightened? One must distinguish delusion within the heart. How is one to awaken? One must cultivate the corresponding methods within the heart. It is like the south-pointing chariot that shows the direction, and like the myriad stars encircling the Pole Star. The manifestation and concealment of the Dao have no constant pattern, and its transformations are impossible to fathom. The great Dao cannot be fully contained, yet it pervades the world everywhere. Great wisdom cannot be fully displayed, yet the vast world seems narrow by comparison. The Dao holds the pivot of longevity and leads to the realm of enduring life, and people pay homage to the stars, turning toward it as all things turn toward the North Pole.

Manifestation and concealment change without constancy, and the marvel of these transformations defies measure. Even a vast spectacle cannot be fully contained, so Heaven and Earth seem crowded; outstanding wisdom cannot find room to unfold, so the realms of Heaven, Earth, and the four quarters seem narrow. The authority over long life and the state of everlasting longevity are as if one took an immortal elixir at dawn and by dusk had sprouted wings. Offerings are presented three times in the temple, and the wind of clarity and peace sweeps across the realm. The Numinous Abbey was built by the emperor himself, and the immortals descended in throngs. Its halls and terraces are as lovely as jade gems, and its scriptures and documents are as precious as jade and gold. The towering stele rises like a mountain, and its tortoise pedestal seems about to bear down upon us. The inscription extols only merit and virtue, without empty embellishment. Phoenixes and cranes raise their heads or crouch, dragons and serpents soar and coil, purple qi spreads everywhere, and red light gleams. The Seven Sages hold the Hetu (River Chart), and the Nine Sovereigns govern the cycles of fate. Buddhist temples are thereby adorned with added luster, and Confucian officials also appear glorious. The emperor sits upright in the Hall of Light, lets his robes hang loose, and governs the realm. The fortunes of the state are equal to those of the age of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and its blessings extend for hundreds of millions of years. When Heaven and Earth were first opened, all people revered De (Virtue); that the state could be preserved and revived for so long is entirely due to the emperor's power.

I, your servant, was ordered by imperial decree to compose the inscription for the stele of the Qingyang Palace. I respectfully hold that the Supreme Emperor of the Golden Gate, Mysterious Origin (Taishang Jinque Xuanyuan Huangdi, here referring to Laozi as venerated in Daoism), is the ancestor of the Great Dao and the root of the most exalted De. He was born before Heaven and Earth and endures after they perish. He roams through the Five Kalpas (the vast cosmic cycles of time that the universe passes through), spanning ten million years. At the ancient Qingyang market (the marketplace where, according to legend, Laozi once visited), there remain the traces of a white deer's manifestation. Purple qi spreads and red light shines; the efficacious offerings and jade talismans forever manifest the merit of the state's revival.

Nine myriads of immortals all obey his command, and three hundred million strong men serve at his bidding. Therefore he can turn Heaven and Earth, move mountains and seas, transform fish and turtles into soldiers, and slay the enemy with bronze heads. He can also turn armies into forests and bury iron-clad cavalry. He secretly assists the sacred dynasty's fortunes and silently aids the royal army, annihilating the rebel leaders and purging the realm. He hangs the heads of three villains and offers the spirit of victory to the ancestral temple, so that the imperial foundation flourishes and the state enjoys lasting peace and order.

I, your servant, kneel to receive the emperor's decree and humbly accept imperial grace. Your servant's learning is shallow and experience limited, and my prose is crude. The inscription is now complete, and I respectfully submit it together with this memorial.

The above is the memorial of Le Pengui, Hanlin Academician and Acting Vice Minister of War, respectfully presented as the contents above.

By imperial decree, the Secretariat-Chancellery issues this document to the Military Governor of Xichuan.

The Golden Gate has sent down auspicious omens, and purple vapors have revealed the scene of Laozi passing through the Hangu Pass. On the Jade Altar (a sacrificial platform built of jade stone), red light has risen as though the earth itself displayed patterns of literary elegance. There is a mysterious talisman here, preserved in ancient seal script. At midnight the seal characters seemed to coil like dragons and serpents, and six characters gave off a radiance. In the year that followed, the fighting ceased and the realm was pacified. The efficacious responses became manifest, and the state was able to open a period of restoration.

Examining the subtle words left by the imperial ancestors, one can make manifest the spiritual merit and the auspicious signs of a flourishing state. How could we not erect a stele in this Daoist temple and leave an inscription in Shu, to be transmitted for millions of years and to record our dynasty's eighteenth sovereign? Yue Pengui, serving as Neihan (Secretary of the Palace Scriptorium), holds first rank among the close ministers. He has skillfully shaped the text into a work worthy of transmission and carved it into hard stone. The composition is so thorough that Cai Yong need not regret failing to write it in advance, and the narrative leaves nothing out, so Cao Zhi need not stand alone in displaying his talent. This great event should be carved in stone, so that this inscription may bear witness to it.

The Military Governor of Xichuan is hereby ordered to erect the stele at this temple. Upon receipt of this document, carry out the decree accordingly. This document is issued accordingly.

Document of the eighth day of the ninth month of the fourth year of the Zhonghe era.

Stele Inscription of the Qingyang Palace in Xichuan.