《凝阳董真人遇仙记》

Perfected One Ningyang Dong came from a prominent family. His original surname was Mu Hu, though people commonly called him a member of the Dong clan. His given name was Shouzhi, his courtesy name Kuanfu, and his religious name Ningyangzi. He was originally a Jurchen. After his father died, he did not take up an official post; his mother had died when he was young. He married a woman of the Nü Xilie clan, and they had one son and two daughters. His grandfather had once served as an official in the Shaanxi region, so the family moved to Zhongnan Mountain. In the gengzi year during the Dading era of Emperor Shizong of Jin, the authorities ordered troops to be recruited at night. Later, the Perfected One became a mouke, a junior military and administrative officer in the Jurchen system, and was transferred to garrison Woyang Town in Longzhou. He settled there.

The Perfected One was naturally honest and plain, with a broad bearing and appearance. As a child, he strictly observed filial duty; when grown, he acted unlike ordinary people. Though he served in the military, his words and conduct far surpassed those of his peers. He admired the Daoist path of mystery and subtlety, but for a time lacked the means to practice it. Later, he met the three immortals Zhengyang, Chunyang, and Haichan. They recognized the karmic ties to his practice across many lifetimes. In turn, they questioned him, explained the causes of his previous lives, and guided him in many ways. The Perfected One then fell ill, disrupting his former life and responsibilities. A ruling by the authorities also removed him from military service, allowing him to devote himself to cultivating the Dao.

From then on, his illness never fully went away. Later, a high immortal bestowed a small amount of elixir on him and sealed the source of his illness. The immortal also gave him the Iron Horse Star Seal, a Daoist seal, to carry with him, as well as talismanic water and medicines so that he could aid the world and save people. The immortals left him verses to guide him and gave him wine to console him. At times they tested his conduct; at others, they pointed out his shortcomings. Sometimes they appeared at his hermitage, and sometimes they met him on the road. Whether beneath a clear sky or in broad daylight, they appeared plainly before him, and their dealings with one another were especially sincere and warm.

After meeting the immortals, the Perfected One left worldly life, became a Daoist, and built a hermitage where he lived in seclusion, traveling between Deshun, Qinzhou, and Longzhou. He often came to insights on his own, forming connections and practicing wherever he went. Many people came to believe in and follow him. When someone asked for medicine, it proved effective; when someone sought treatment, the illness was cured. When he said he would summon thunder, thunder sounded; when he prayed for rain, rain followed. He could also send his spirit out, enter dreams, and manifest incarnations. He could foresee the thoughts of anyone whose mind had just begun to stir, whether for good or ill. He set his insights down in hymns and poems. His words were startling and entirely free of worldly concerns.

The Perfected One Ningyang was born on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month in the gengchen year of the Zhenglong era. In the gengzi year of the Dading era, he was entered on the military register. On the first day of the ninth month in the yimao year of the Mingchang era, he was sent to garrison the southern stockade of Deshun Prefecture. At the chen hour on the eleventh day (between seven and nine in the morning), as he was dining with a group of people, he suddenly saw a divine being about eight feet tall. The being’s hair was arranged in two topknots, his face was ruddy purple, and his beard was thick and handsome. Wearing a blue robe and straw sandals and carrying a precious sword, he came to the doorway and shouted, “I know you are hiding among the troops, so I have come especially to receive you. Why don’t you come out?”

The Perfected One sprang up in alarm, fell beneath the bed, and immediately lost consciousness. The others helped him up and cared for him. Seven days passed before he gradually came to, but he could not bend or straighten his limbs. Shen Zhi, the thousand-household commander of the stockade, sent an official physician from the headquarters to examine him. The physician judged that he was paralyzed, and he was granted an extended leave. He returned to the Woyang stockade to seek treatment.

At the wei hour on the third day of the third month in the bingchen year of the Cheng’an era (between one and three in the afternoon), the divine being appeared again at the doorway, this time wearing a white robe. Pointing at the Perfected One’s face, he laughed loudly. The Perfected One went to the outer couch to gaze up at him and pay his respects, but the divine being suddenly vanished. He asked his family, “Do you recognize the divine being who just came?” They replied, “We don’t.” The Perfected One told them, “Tonight, be sure to clean the house thoroughly and put it in order. I hope the divine being will come again and save my life.” His family did as he asked.

At midnight on the fifteenth day of that month, the divine being descended once more. The room shone as brightly as daylight, and it was filled with a wonderful fragrance. Standing before the Perfected One, the divine being said, “Because you have not awakened, you have fallen gravely ill. I have come especially to save you.” As he spoke, he took three pellets of elixir from his robe to settle the Perfected One’s three Hun souls, then took out seven ingots of medicine to settle his seven Po souls. The divine being told him, “Take these medicines and they will dispel the evil Qi throughout your body. Your body will grow hot as if it were burning, so do not be startled or afraid.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the divine being vanished. After Dong the Perfected swallowed the elixir, his illness was indeed cured.

At noon on the twenty-seventh day, the divine being appeared again. The Perfected was delighted and bowed in thanks. The being asked, “Do you know the bell?” The Perfected replied, “Yes. They are everywhere in Daoist temples.” The being smiled and said, “You know only the bell that is struck and rings; you do not know where its sound comes from. I am Zhongli Quan of the Han dynasty. You have cultivated over many lifetimes, but your merit and practice are still incomplete, so I have come to bestow an iron horse upon you. Keep it with you and do not discard it lightly. This year’s fortunes are poor, and many people will suffer illness and epidemics. I also bestow ritual water and talismanic medicine upon you, which you can use to save people. Once you have completed your merit and practice, burn incense each morning and ask for medicine, and I will send it down to you.”

The Perfected did as he was told, and the medicine indeed descended from the sky. The sick took it and all said it worked. Whenever he asked for medicine, the Perfected often saw the divine being appear in the sky; some of those who prayed with sincere hearts could see him as well. Before giving ritual water to the sick, the Perfected always drank some himself, then used it to treat them. He drank a great deal of ritual water each day, so much that no one could count it. In the end, people could not understand why. When those with a destined connection met the Perfected, he would offer them a hint in words.

On the first day of the first month in the Dingchou year, the Perfected saw a strange man: tall, with a yellow face and disheveled hair, barefoot, his body covered in hair. A hemp rope was tied around his waist. With both hands on his hips, he walked with his head held high through the market, begging and saying, “I’m only asking for one coin.” Someone gave him two coins. He said, “A beggar asks for only one coin. What would I do with two?” After taking the money, he pointed at the person and sighed, “You do have an eye for things. All because of four words, you made me wait a whole day.”

He took the money he had transformed into and used it to buy meat. Then he wrapped the meat and the money left over together in paper and carried the bundle to the riverbank. He dug into the sand with his hands, buried the bundle, and piled up the earth to make it look like a grave. After planting a branch in the mound, he hung the paper money on it and arranged dates and pears beside it as offerings. He then sat nearby. When a crowd of onlookers had gathered, he pointed to the offerings and said, “Call them dates and pears. How did the date tree later come to bear dates? And how did the pear tree later come to bear pears?” Then he thrust both hands into the earth and vigorously flung up the soil covering the meat, saying, “Dates and pears cannot be made to grow. Must we wait until we want them before they will grow?”

He traveled for several months, practicing xinghua—journeying from place to place to guide people and solicit alms—and people at the time called him “Master Banjian.”

The Perfected One often met with the master and spoke with him about cultivating the Dao and attaining its truth. The master always used various things as metaphors, hoping to persuade the Perfected One to leave home and practice cultivation. The Perfected One understood his words and said, “Your disciple is willing to follow you.” The master replied, “You cannot leave just yet. When the time comes that you can, I will take you with me.” The Perfected One asked, “May I ask your immortal master’s surname?” The master answered, “I am Master Liu of the Yellow Face.” The Perfected One then asked where he was from. The master said, “I am from Yincheng in Jiezhou.” The Perfected One next asked him about cultivation. The master called for paper and a brush and wrote:

“Once the Three Corpses have been cut away, look westward and flow to Yangzhou; only when weary is it good to withdraw. Within a single utterance there is spirit, and spirit too has words. If people do not trust the words of spirit, how can they act? In speaking, one cannot attend to appearances; once words have been spoken, they are hard to take back. When Jing is settled, Qi is settled; when Qi is settled, Shen comes to rest. Jing, Qi, and Shen must gather together and not scatter: this is true daily cultivation.”

The master also left a verse: “In coming, there is no need to cultivate, and there is no form. In going, there is no need to cultivate, and there is no form. To seize within them the pivot of creation: only when weary does one truly practice Wuwei.” Hearing this, the Perfected One felt deeply that these words were extraordinary.

After the master left, the adept often thought of him. At the Mid-Autumn Festival in the eighth month, the adept competed with others in archery, vying for victory. He also drank wine and ate meat to excess, and his old illness flared up again. In the tenth month, he received an official notice from Longzhou ordering him to appear for an inspection. His illness was so severe that he was discharged from military service, but he could no longer return to his former life of seclusion. That same day, he went by sedan chair straight to Baipo Hermitage. Half a year passed, but treatment with medicine brought no improvement.

Near the end of winter, on his birthday, the adept reproached himself: “Once again I am suffering from illness. Is it because the sages have punished me? When will I recover?” On the first day of the first month of the Wuwu year of the Cheng’an era (1198), he suddenly heard someone in the air say, “Since you have already entered the Daoist path, how dare you still eat meat and drink wine? This is precisely what caused your illness.” Hearing this, the adept resolved to mend his ways and vowed never to transgress again.

At noon on the seventh day, a master arrived. He had a yellowish, dark complexion, wore a black headscarf, and had a long beard. He was dressed in a cloth robe and straw sandals, with a load slung over his shoulder. He asked, “What illness do you have?” The adept told him that his lower back and knees were afflicted and he could not walk. The master asked how long he had been ill. “Half a year,” the adept replied. “I’ll treat you with acupuncture now,” the master said. “By midnight tonight you’ll be cured; otherwise, you won’t recover.”

The master helped the adept up and seated him with his body leaning against the master’s knees. Then he located the acupuncture points and inserted the needles: first at Tianmen, then at Baihui, and then two needles each at Hegu and Yongquan. When the needling was finished, the master prepared to take his leave. The adept asked his name, and he replied, “My surname is Liu.” The adept invited him to stay the night, but the master declined. Deep in the night, a sudden peal of thunder rang out. The adept sprang up in fright and immediately felt his back and knees loosen; the pain seemed to have been lifted away all at once.

Snow fell that night. At daybreak, the delighted adept went out to sweep it.

Snow fell through the night and continued until dawn. The Perfected One, delighted, swept the snow and went to a nearby hermitage. Everyone was astonished. They knew this was because the Perfected One had met an Upper Perfected One from the higher realms and received aid and healing.

On the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the gengshen year of the Cheng’an era, the Perfected One was staying at a hermitage in Woyang when he suddenly encountered the divine being he had met before. He hurriedly knelt and bowed before him. The divine being said, “Because you still have not awakened, I gave you the iron horse before; now I give you the Seven-Star Treasure Seal, a ritual seal associated with the Big Dipper, for you to practice with. The iron horse and the seal are both things from before Heaven—in other words, the Wisdom Sword of the Seven Stars. Practice according to the method, and I will guide you further. Do not reveal this. Remember, remember.” The Perfected One bowed in thanks and was about to ask a question, but the divine being suddenly vanished.

At the hour of the tiger on the seventeenth day of early winter in the renxu year of the Taihe era, the Perfected One suddenly heard a voice from the sky: “Meet us at the mouth of the San River.” He hurried there. When he reached the south bank at the mouth of Xuchuan Ravine, he saw two divine beings already seated on a broad rock: the two immortals Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin. The Perfected One knelt and bowed before them. Immortal Zhongli said, “You have too much filth on your body. Why don’t you get in the water and wash?” The Perfected One replied, “Yes.” Immortal Zhongli then pointed to a large fish in the water and asked, “Can you catch it?” The Perfected One went upstream to catch it, but failed. The two immortals then pointed to a large tortoise and asked, “Can you climb onto its back?” The Perfected One tried with all his might, but could not manage it.

The two immortals clapped their hands and laughed. “You can catch neither the fish nor the tortoise. When you have washed the filth from your body and can catch the fish and tortoise, we will guide you further. Look to the southwest.” The Perfected One looked up, and the two immortals suddenly vanished. He climbed out of the water, put on his clothes, bowed to the sky in thanks, and returned.

Back at the hermitage, the Perfected One felt heat throughout his body. This continued for more than ten days. Every morning he went to bathe in the San River, and then suddenly stopped eating.

As his understanding deepened, he often sensed the presence of the immortals in silence. In the year guihai, when the Perfected Dong entered the Dao, he still had a wife and relatives at home. The woman of the Xilie family witnessed with her own eyes the extraordinary event of the Perfected One meeting an immortal. She then let go of her family ties and later was able to become his disciple and enter religious life.

On the night of the fifteenth day of the second spring month in the year yichou, Immortal Zhong descended into an earthen dwelling. Divine light shone so dazzlingly that the room was bright as day. The Perfected Dong knelt for a long time before the immortal. Immortal Zhong warned him: “Do not treat people’s illnesses with medicine, for you may endanger their lives and damage your own spiritual merit. Earlier, when I met Immortal Lü at Sanhe, I had you wash away grime and grease and catch fish and turtles. Do you understand what that meant?”

The Perfected One replied, “I do not.”

The immortal said: “The grime and grease refer to the grime in the heart; the fish and turtles refer to people’s nature and life. In general, cultivation requires only that you remove the heart’s impurities and quiet distracting thoughts, so that the mind is clear and empty. Then nature and life will naturally remain together. From there, you can refine the Golden Elixir—the condensation of Jing, Qi, and Shen achieved through Neidan cultivation—shed your mortal body, ascend, and roam the realms of the immortals. You must remember this.”

Immortal Zhong then left behind the “Song on Practicing Medicine,” whose verses urged him:

“I advise you not to practice medicine or use drugs; these bring no benefit to the heart devoted to the Dao. You are intent on saving others, yet fail to see that this may harm you. Even if you truly cure someone, the people will praise you. But if someone resents you for it or even dies, the entanglements spanning many lifetimes will be hard to undo. How can such medical practice fail to grieve you? Think carefully: you still do not understand the essentials of cultivating the Dao.

“I now advise you: practicing medicine and using drugs will exhaust your mind and spirit. If you refuse to heed this, you will sink into decline for a long time. Do not become attached to sights and sounds, and do not speak of right and wrong. I urge you again: do not be greedy or grow angry. If you keep exhausting Jing, Qi, and Shen, when will you cultivate and awaken fully? Treasure your original Qi and nurture your spirit; strengthen your foundations. Correct your errors and return to the right path, and the burdens of past karma can be dispelled. Only through clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action) can you unite with the Dao and realize the truth.

“After accepting offerings from others, devote yourself to cultivating the Dao. If you fail to cultivate diligently, calamity will come upon you. I now reveal the secret. You must awaken to it and keep it firmly in mind. When nature is still and settled, and life is secure, you can roam the realms of the immortals and ascend with a lightened body. If you do not correct your errors and return to the right path, once you miss your opportunity, you may lose it forever. Cultivate in this way, and I will come to guide you.”

He also accepted offerings from petty people, yet devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Dao. If you do not diligently cultivate the Dao, every kind of disaster will befall you. I am now revealing the secret; you must awaken and keep it firmly in mind. Once your nature and life are at peace, you will be free to roam and rise lightly into the heavens. If you do not mend your ways and return to the right path, you will lose this opportunity forever. Cultivate according to these words, and I will come to guide you.

He then picked up a small gourd ladle, poured out wine, and offered it to Dong Zhenren. After drinking, Dong Zhenren sank into a deep stupor and did not wake for seven days. When he gradually came to, he saw that Merit Auntie, who had been in the earthen chamber, and all the necessary supplies had turned to ashes. A strange fragrance lingered throughout the room. From then on, he was suddenly enlightened.

At dawn on the Shangyuan Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month) in the Jisi year of the Daan era, at Woyang, Dong Zhenren suddenly heard a voice from the sky: “Your destined encounter lies in Deshun. Be sure to remember.” The Perfected One hurried outside to look up and pay his respects, but saw no one. On the twenty-fifth day of the second lunar month, he went to Deshun specifically to urge his disciple Lu Ziran to leave home and become a Daoist. When the two met and spoke, their words seemed to fit together like matching tallies; they were perfectly in accord.

On the seventh day of the eleventh lunar month in the Gengwu year, just before dawn, the Perfected One was walking in the front courtyard, looking up at the sky, when he happened to see two immortals passing by on colorful clouds. Startled and uneasy, he changed his clothes, burned incense, and went out to greet them. He saw that the Immortal of Pure Yang wore a blue robe and straw sandals. The other immortal had a golden, healthy complexion and a handsome beard; he wore a black headcloth and a dark red robe. The Immortal of Pure Yang supported the other immortal’s right shoulder with one hand, and the two stood beneath a large apricot tree. Radiant clouds dazzled the eyes, and fragrant breezes swept toward him.

The Perfected One knelt and paid his respects. The Immortal of Pure Yang said, “When you were at Woyang, a man disguised as a shoulder-bearer came to enlighten you, yet for months you failed to awaken. Who did you think that man was?” The Perfected One replied, “At the time, he said he was Huangmian Liu of Rancheng, Jiezhou.” The Immortal of Pure Yang pointed at the other immortal and said with a smile, “This is Lord Haichan. Later, at Baipo Hermitage, the man who passed a secret method to you and cured your illness was also Lord Haichan. Since you too cultivated the Dao in a previous life, Lord Haichan and I have both supported and guided you. We now bestow on you the Daoist sobriquet Ningyangzi and the ritual name Yuzhen.”

I have now come once more with the Immortal Haichan to explain the karmic ties from your previous life, restore your former title, and add the name “Old Man Who Harmonizes with the Light.” Your ritual name is “Keeper of the Will.” I also taught you the “Way of the Three Unities”—a method of cultivation that brings related inner elements into harmony—as well as the reversal of Water and Fire and the method of refining the Golden Elixir from liquid gold, through which Jing and Qi are condensed into Neidan. I also taught you the secrets for bringing the Yellow Sprout to maturity and preventing Mercury from dispersing, along with the practice of condensing Mercury and Lead and keeping Shen and Qi together.

Then I composed a poem:

“Preserve the spirit and nourish the original Qi, and the body will be at peace. Mercury and Lead condense; the Yellow Sprout matures; all things follow their natural course. Enter the realm of the sages, transcend the ordinary, and return to a place beyond the world of dust. Why should you worry that you cannot become a Great Luo Immortal?”

I also said:

“I once bestowed on you the Seven Stars Iron Horse Treasure Seal, but you have not yet grasped its meaning. Now I will explain it: in the past, I passed the sword technique to Dongbin, who cultivated while carrying a sword. Now I pass the Iron Horse Star Seal to you, so that what you receive is the same as what Dongbin received.”

Then I composed two more verses.

The first said:

“The Seven Stars Treasure Seal holds authority, its radiance shining once more across the great cosmos. The Iron Horse can uphold the righteous Way and drive away evil spirits, taking the place of the sword. The tortoise and serpent have always been a pair, entwined together.”

The second said:

“Time and again I have guided this dull-witted man, until, white-haired in old age, he finally understood the Way of the worthy. If he delays, he will in the end return to the underworld. Once the life of a human being is lost, it is difficult to regain.”

The Immortal Haichan also left a verse:

“In my former life I was poor, and my name was Haichan. Now I have come to reveal the karmic ties of the past. Without cultivation over many lifetimes, who would be willing to guide you, worthy one, time and again?”

He then wrote a long poem in five-character lines as a gift:

“Now I have come to expound the Great Dao; since ancient times, few have truly put it into practice. Hold fast to the gourd of Mercury; do not let it be squandered at will. Keep yourself pure and reach true Wuwei, allowing not even a speck of dusty thought to disturb you. Let no dark cloud veil the heart; keep it clear as the bright moon. Keep your mouth shut and guard your tongue with care; sweep away the Six Roots—the feelings and thoughts stirred by the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The black tortoise of the Northern Sea and the red serpent of the Southern Mountain coil around each other. Snowflakes drift within the grotto, and the Cinnabar Furnace forms of its own accord. Refine the priceless treasure, and together we shall journey to the Immortal Isles of Penglai.”

This is the secret of cultivating the Real—the practice of returning to the root and recovering one’s original nature. You must be careful, and not concern yourself only with your own cultivation. You have several sons as well; they were your Dharma kin in a former life, people bound to one another through their connection with the Dao. You once built a hermitage at Jixiu Monastery in the Dengzhen Grotto on Wannu Mountain and named it “Congealed Yang.” You kept company there with Master Tongxuan, Chen Xindao. Now Master Gushenzi, Ma Shanneng, and the others are your disciples, cultivating alongside you. Dengzhen Grotto is where the immortal Zhang Guolao lived in seclusion. Master Tongxuan is the one now known as Master Bingyangzi, Chen Zhihe.

You should now also bestow on them Dao names and Dharma names. First have them make vows, then transmit the method to them; only then can they cultivate. Keep this firmly in mind, and carefully observe the precepts. After the Realized One bowed in thanks, he looked up at the two immortals and saw them rise into the sky once more, riding colored clouds. He then recalled their words reminding him of his former life and committed them firmly to memory. He bowed again and looked up as they ascended on their colored clouds; as he reflected once more on their teachings about his former life, he suddenly understood everything.

In the Xinwei year, the Realized One went to Yuzhen Hermitage in Deshun. His fellow Daoists heard thunder rumbling in his belly and, astonished, asked him to compose two quatrains for the gathered Daoists to see. On the twenty-sixth day of the second month, in mid-spring of the Guiyou year of the Chongqing era, the Realized One returned to Woyang with his master’s uncle, Master Chen. The sky was dark, and yellow dust blotted it out. When they reached Liujiang Gorge, they suddenly encountered two immortals: Zhengyang and Haichan. Each was riding a spotted deer, and they had stopped there. The Realized One knelt and bowed. Zhengyang said, “The other night, when I passed on to you the secret of cultivating the Real, there was so much going on that I feared you had not understood it clearly. So today I will explain it again. Guide all men and women to return to their original nature and come back to the Great Dao; only then can they refine the Great Elixir, nurture the natural energy of balanced harmony, and use the true Water and true Fire—the Yin-Yang transformations of internal alchemy—to unite Mercury and Lead, symbols of the Yin and Yang essences in the alchemical process, and refine them into an elixir.

“If you do not cultivate your thoughts, steady your will, gather your breath, and nurture your spirit, how can you escape the suffering of repeated rebirth? Do not stir up turmoil, and do not kindle the fire of resentment. Hatred weakens the spirit, and anger disperses Qi. When Qi disperses, a person dies; after death, they sink forever into the lower realms, with no knowing when they might escape their suffering.”

The Yinfu Jing says: “Fire is born from Wood. Once a calamity breaks out, it causes harm through mutual overcoming. When treachery and evil take root in a state, the state will collapse when the time comes. Those who understand these principles and cultivate themselves accordingly are called sages.”

When the fire of desire arises in the heart, cravings follow. As these cravings grow, people become clouded and fail to notice what is happening; in time, they harm themselves. Do not indulge the “Six Thieves” (the six kinds of desire that damage body and mind) or the “Three Corpses” (spirits said in Daoism to dwell within the body and obstruct cultivation). Instead, subdue the restless “warm horse” within (a metaphor for thoughts that are hard to tame) and clear away scattered thoughts. If you doubt this, consider the Five Phases’ cycles of overcoming: Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood, Wood overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water, and Water overcomes Fire. This is the mutual overcoming of the Five Phases. Likewise, Metal generates Water and Wood generates Fire: this is the Earthly Way proceeding in its natural direction, and following that direction brings birth and death. If one can instead make Water generate Metal and Fire generate Wood, this is the Heavenly Way running counter to its natural course. How could birth and death still remain? In short, the key to cultivation is to develop the practice of “Metal within Water” (a Neidan term for the essence born within Water). This is the method of reversing the Five Phases.

Anyone who has seen me with their own eyes will not fall into hell for three lifetimes. You may not have another chance to see me, so be sure to remember this. If you reveal the secrets of Heaven and transmit the teaching to someone unfit to receive it, calamity will befall you. When you meet someone sincere and trustworthy, first have them take an oath and swear before the ancestors; only then may you transmit the teaching.

After paying his respects, the Perfected One asked, “Have the two immortals already ascended to Heaven?” He looked around, then raised his eyes and saw an immortal standing among the pines and rocks on a sheer cliff. Just then, his martial uncle arrived. The Perfected One said, “There is an immortal in the mountains. Can you see him?” His martial uncle replied, “I can’t.” The Perfected One prayed devoutly and bowed again. The immortal then appeared among the pines and rocks. He wore a black headscarf and a dark red robe, its sleeves fluttering in the wind, and walked away along a narrow path. Though everyone looked up to him and bowed, none of them ultimately saw him. His martial uncle then returned to Deshun. It was the middle of Mengxia, the first month of summer.

In the Jiashu year of the Zhenyou era, the Perfected One traveled from Deshun to Woyang. He set out on the fifteenth day of the ninth month and arrived in Longzhou on the eighteenth, lodging at the South Gate. At the hour of Wei (1–3 p.m.), he suddenly saw the Immortal Zhengyang standing by the river and asked, “Where are you going now?” The Perfected One hurriedly bowed and replied, “This disciple is going to Woyang. There is a place called Tukung (a place name or the name of a cave), which has been seized by someone…”

At the hour of Wei, the Perfected One suddenly saw the immortal Zhengyang standing by the river. The immortal asked, “Where are you going now?” The Perfected One hurriedly bowed and replied, “I am going to Woyang. Someone has taken over a small cave in the earth, so I am making a special trip there to settle the matter.”

The immortal asked, “How much is that cave worth? And how much is your life worth? You value the cave alone, while remaining blind to the true emptiness. You cling to false emptiness and still have not awakened; in the end, you will sink into rigid emptiness.” The Perfected One asked, “What is true emptiness?” The immortal replied, “True emptiness fills all of empty space. It is untouched and free of attachment, while the numinous, illuminating nature remains ever present.” The immortal asked whether he understood. The Perfected One said, “I do not.” The immortal gently breathed out, and the Perfected One awakened at once. A moment later, the immortal had vanished.

When the Perfected One reached Woyang, he was deeply troubled and no longer dared mention the matter he had intended to settle. More than a month later, he returned to Deshun and met fellow Daoists Zhang Yilang and others from Zhen’an Hermitage. Someone asked, “At the winter solstice, Yang begins to arise. What does this mean?” The Perfected One composed a lyric in response and presented it to them.

In the yi-hai year of the Zhenyou era, Wang Jinqing of Deshun invited the Perfected One to a vegetarian meal, then accompanied him back to the hermitage. It was already dark. As Wang Jinqing was about to take his leave and go home, the Perfected One asked him to stay the night, but he declined. The Perfected One then said, “You may take my iron horse, a ritual implement used in Daoist ceremonies, and place it upstairs for worship. If you hear thunder, do not be afraid.” Wang Jinqing did as he was told.

That night, as he sat, he gradually grew drowsy and fell asleep. Suddenly thunder crashed, shaking the building until the pillars nearly lifted from their bases. The whole family cried out, but Wang Jinqing remained unaware. His family lit a lamp to check on him and found that his beard had been singed by fire. Only after they woke him did he come around a little.

The next day, Wang Jinqing and his family prepared incense and flowers, carried the iron horse back to the hermitage, and recounted the events of the previous night in detail. The Perfected One said, “When the thunder roared yesterday, you could not be roused even when people called to you. Do you know why? A wicked dragon was hiding in the wall of your upstairs room, where a sword was hung. It happened to be there when the heavenly thunder came to subdue it. That thunder did not come from my iron horse.” Wang Jinqing went home and checked. Sure enough, the dragon’s traces had disappeared, the sword blade had been forced out of its scabbard, and claw marks remained on the wall.

An Immortal True Person could adapt to circumstances and manifest in many forms, yet people in the world could not recognize his true identity. In the Bingzi year, he returned from the Luo River to Deshun. When he reached the Shousheng Temple and walked among the pines behind the main hall, he suddenly encountered the two Immortal Sages Chunyang and Haichan. They said, “Throughout the lands, we have taken the form of poor people, going from household to household and urging people to do good. Yet people never take our words to heart. This is all because their karmic obstructions run deep: they are greedy and jealous, and commit so many evil deeds. It is truly helpless.”

The Immortal Sage Chunyang composed a song of admonition: “For years I have traveled in every direction. Each day, amid the bustle of the marketplaces, I take the form of a beggar and go from household to household to urge people on. But they resist instruction, and I cannot persuade them to turn back. I secretly wear myself out trying, because worldly people are blinded by ordinary desires and passions. I urge you with all my heart to take the great matter of life and death seriously, but the foolish and stubborn are deeply greedy and refuse to cultivate the Dao. They also violate Heaven’s prohibitions, and in the end fall into Fengdu, the legendary underworld, to suffer without end.” When he had finished the song, the Immortal Sage asked the True Person to spread the teaching and urge people to do good.

The Immortal Sage Haichan said, “We see people in the world lost in delusion, each accumulating all kinds of evil deeds. Among ten thousand, scarcely one awakens. Whenever you see a man or woman who can be guided, lead them onto the path of goodness: accumulate hidden merit outwardly, doing good without seeking recognition, and guard the spirit inwardly. If your nature is not clouded by desire, your true heart will naturally accord with the Way of Heaven. This illusory body is only a temporary gathering of the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind. Why value and cherish it so excessively?”

The Immortal Sage Haichan also composed a song of instruction: “Listen closely to my teaching, which I give to my disciples. Do not let your true heart be obscured. If you do not refrain from creating karma through speech, you will fall into the cycle of rebirth, and lose the human body you have obtained in this life. When your hair turns white, do not complain, and do not cling to your worldly body, for this temporary gathering will ultimately decay. Be still and free of entanglements, and cultivate the Alchemical Terrace—the practice of internal alchemy. Then you will naturally be able to meet Chunyang in Penglai, the realm of immortals.”

After hearing their instruction, the True Person bowed in thanks and asked them questions. Then the two Immortal Sages vanished. The True Person accordingly spread their teachings far and wide, instructing people in every direction. Within a few years, the teaching flourished, and more and more people embraced it.

In the Wuyin year, disciples Lu Ziran and the others wanted to hear the Master tell the story of the origins of the two Perfected Ones, Yin and Ma. So the Master explained it to them in verse. On the twelfth night of the second lunar month in the Rengwu year of the Yuanguang era, during the second watch, the Perfected One was sitting quietly when he heard a sound like thunderclaps coming from the sky. Startled, he rose and heard these words descend: “Your karmic ties are already in Long. You should no longer set your heart on staying here; you ought to follow the guidance you have been given.” The Perfected One went to the front courtyard to look, but saw nothing.

In the Guiwei year, Daoist companions in Longzhou invited the Perfected One to come and guide them. He responded to circumstances as they arose, appearing with a compassionate heart to guide everyone. Daoists from all directions gladly heeded him, and many admired him. Dozens of Daoist temples were built in the surrounding area. Daoist practice flourished ever more, and the lineage grew as a result.

In the Yiyou year of the Zhengda era, a severe drought struck Long. It had not rained for a long time, and local people asked the Perfected One to pray for rain. With the people’s livelihoods on his mind, he calmed his heart and entered the Great Void—the Daoist state of emptiness, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action). Before long, rain began to fall.

On the Zhenyuan Festival in the Bingxu year, the Perfected One said to his disciples: “I have taught and guided you many times. Life and death are great matters in human life, so you should devote yourselves to cultivating the Dao and perfecting the Way. Not one of the twelve double-hours in your day is truly spent cultivating the Dao. You accept offerings from people in all directions, yet let your time go to waste. In the future you will have to repay these ‘debts of the mouth’—the responsibility incurred when you accept people’s support without practicing in return. How will you bear the suffering then? So even your slightest thought should accord with Heaven’s heart. Those of virtue in the past all had deep blessings and affinities; they could naturally move Heaven, Earth, and the spirits.

“Broadly speaking, cultivation means accumulating merit and doing good widely, tempering the heart and nature, and ultimately realizing the true Dao. It also means keeping the mind settled, undisturbed by the myriad conditions, and maintaining purity and integrity, so that Shen and Qi are in harmony and nature and life naturally abide together. Then the Great Elixir—the essence formed through internal alchemy—will congeal of its own accord. When your merit and practice are complete, you can become sages and worthies, free and at peace. I will guide you forward so that you may walk alongside me. But how many people can truly accomplish this?”

Hearing this, all the disciples grew fearful and uneasy. They bowed in thanks and withdrew. On the first day of the tenth month in the Dinghai year, the Perfected One named the hermitage “Nourishing Vastness.”

From the twenty-third to the twenty-fifth, auspicious clouds covered the hermitage. Thunderclaps sounded several times, and the air filled with a strange fragrance. Everyone saw and heard these wonders with their own eyes and ears. They burned incense and asked what was happening. The Perfected One said, “The Patriarch has invited me to a gathering at Penglai, and I am about to depart. Long ago, when I met the immortal Zhengyang, he gave me a seal and a horse so that I could cultivate. Now I give the iron horse to Lu Ziran and the Seven-Star Precious Seal to Ma Shanneng. You two must join me in establishing the teaching, serve as teachers and lead the disciples, and pass on the methods I imparted that day. Do not reveal them casually, and do not neglect them.”

Lu Ziran and the others said, “We have never accumulated merit through cultivation, and dare not accept such a weighty responsibility.” They declined again and again. When the Perfected One saw that they would not accept, his face grew stern and his gaze piercing. Everyone was frightened. The Perfected One said, “You do not take my teaching to heart, and even dare to disobey me.” The two wept bitterly, but could not refuse; they had no choice but to accept reverently.

The Perfected One summoned his disciples and instructed them all to pay their respects to Lingyangzi and Gushenzi. Then he asked for water to bathe, and afterward asked for clothes. The Perfected One said, “There is no need for heavy silk robes. A plain, single-layer cloth garment will do.” The others said, “Winter is cold. How can you wear only a light garment?” The Perfected One said, “What was I wearing when I came?” He then put on the light garment and sat for a long while. After that, he asked for a brush and wrote three verses.

The first said: “I cultivated in the human world as though steering a vessel of the Dharma, rowing without pause for decades. Now I have laid down both boat and oars; Heaven no longer governs my life.”

The second said: “I have a method for gathering spirit and Qi, refining cinnabar with true fire. When one reaches the realm of formlessness and no-mind, one recognizes the Patriarch Ama.”

The third said: “I penetrate the divine and transform without limit; the workings of creation are likewise inexhaustible. My life is mine to command; even Heaven and Earth cannot bind me.”

After finishing the verses, he instructed his disciples, saying:

“After I have passed away, you need only bury me beneath the ridge.” Having said this, the Perfected One peacefully passed away during the hour of Wei (between one and three in the afternoon). It was the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month in the year Dinghai.

After the Perfected One ascended to true realization and became an immortal, the world fell into turmoil. His disciples had no choice but to bury him temporarily at Yanghao Hermitage in Xia Village. Twelve years later, in the year Wuxu, his disciples Lingyangzi and Lu Ziran, among others, lamented how swiftly time had passed and grieved that the Perfected One’s face and voice were fading from memory. They journeyed from Qin across the Long region, temporarily moved his coffin, and personally built a tomb and a hermitage. As they paced about, gazing in reverence and paying their respects, they saw a propitious plant growing on the cliff north of the tomb. It resembled a purple lingzhi, its dense branches and leaves spreading like a canopy over the burial mound.

They ordered the tomb opened. Suddenly, they heard a sound like thunder. Then they lifted the coffin and opened it: the Perfected One’s face looked as it had in life, and his clothes were white all over, like frost and snow. A wondrous fragrance rose from him. Around the coffin grew unusual flowers and plants, their delicate forms seeming almost carved and painted. Everyone marveled at the sight. The next day, they transported the body by carriage, using ropes to haul the coffin, and buried the Perfected One beneath Turtle Mountain at the foot of the Long. It was then the thirteenth day of early summer.

The Perfected One was endowed with an extraordinary nature and remarkable intelligence; he was truly among the immortals. After receiving personal instruction and guidance from three sages, he abandoned his habit of riding horses and testing his sword, and turned instead to cultivating the Dao. He left behind a life spent rushing about in the mundane world and took the path beyond the ordinary toward sagehood. In the past, he had not even known characters such as “zhi” and “wu”; now, he could write a book as soon as he took up his brush. He had never received formal scholarly training, yet now he could compose polished prose as soon as he spoke. His aspirations reached heights few in past or present could match, and his phrasing naturally accorded with the rules of prosody. Even learned and widely read scholars had their limits beside him. This was because his cultivation was profound and his practice diligent: sages and worthies protected him without his having to pray for their aid, and his writing came naturally without his having to study. He was worlds apart from those who merely rummage through ancient books and copy their words.

Disciples such as Lingyangzi served and stayed close to their master for many years, hearing and witnessing more and more. They obtained four works passed down from him: writings, poems, lyrics, and hymns. These were compiled into three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—and titled The Collected Works of Harmonizing with the Light. The disciples could not bear to keep these works for themselves, so they had them printed and distributed to the world.

They also compiled a work entitled Record of Encountering an Immortal, recounting the life and deeds of Perfected Dong and the dates on which he met immortals. They hoped this would help later generations understand the origins and course of the Perfected One’s ascent to immortality and realization of the Dao, as well as how he founded his teachings. Thus they wrote this preface.

Record of Perfected Dong Ningyang’s Encounter with an Immortal