《搜神记》Vol. 1

What is shen (spirit)? Are shen the spirits of all things? Whatever enforces laws for the common people, labors to stabilize the state, attends diligently to affairs, and wards off calamities, as well as the clouds, winds, rains, and strange phenomena that appear among mountain forests, rivers, valleys, and hills, is all called shen. The vital breath of shen rises upward and brightens the sky, and it also brings forth a variety of dim, desolate, and wondrous sights. The rules of sacrificial ritual require that the ruler of the realm offer sacrifices to the hundred spirits, which is a way of honoring shen.

Long ago, Yu Changshi of Xincai compiled the thirty-fascicle Soushen Ji (Records of Searching for Spirits). Liu Dan, upon reading it, praised it, saying: "This book is like Dong Hu of the Jin dynasty, the historian famed for recording events with an unswerving brush, for it records matters of ghosts and spirits. Over the course of a thousand years, the early fine editions have been damaged. Although one may occasionally find printed editions, only one or two in ten survive, and it is unavoidable that many passages are lost, which is a regrettable state of affairs."

I am of slight talent and shallow learning, and I have traveled about to make a living. I once made inquiries in the regions of Yan and Que, journeyed to Zou and Lu and to Qi and Liang, and also passed through Wu, Chu, and the lands of the Ou and Yue peoples. I made every effort to seek out and understand the marvelous and spirit-related events of each place. In the year guisi of the Wanli reign, I came to the Companion Capital to organize and examine books, and at the Fuchun Hall of the Three Mountains I found a copy of the Soushen Ji. On reading it, I saw that this printed edition arranges its fascicles by category and also contains illustrations of the spirits. When I compared it with the versions I had seen before, I found that its text does not follow the old edition but reflects understanding, supplying what the old edition left unclear and adding material it had lacked. It is truly rare.

Compiling these materials is intended to benefit the common people, and I hope that together they will help to protect the state so that it may flourish for a long time. For one as humble as I am, if I had not received Liu's commendation, how could I help feeling ashamed? Alas, the netherworld and the human world are connected. Spirits must show their efficacy for their deeds to be transmitted, and once those deeds are recorded and passed down, the spirits' fame spreads even farther. Those who wore tall caps and long sashes and were held in reverence have already been honored as shen in a manner of great distinction. How could they then allow their lives to rot away like grass and trees, ending up with no record at all in the histories?

The table of contents of the first volume of the Soushen ji (Records of the Search for the Spirits) lists the origins and lineages of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism (Daojiao). Its Daoist section includes material on the Holy Mother (Shengmu), and it gives the venerable ancestral titles of the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi), together with records and titles of the Holy Mother.

The contents also include Houtu Huangdi Qi, the earth goddess who governs the land; Donghua Dijun, also known as Dongwang Gong (the King Father of the East); Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West); the Great Emperors of the Three Primes: the Great Emperor of the First Rank of the Upper Origin, the Great Emperor of the Second Rank of the Middle Origin, and the Great Emperor of the Third Rank of the Lower Origin; and the deities of the Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central Sacred Peaks. Further entries cover the spirits of the Four Traces, the spirits of the Five Directions, the Essence of Taiyi, Jian Wu, Zhu Yin, the Thunder deity, and the Lightning deity, followed by Feng Bo (the Earl of Wind) and Yu Shi (the Master of Rain).

After the heading "Origins of the Confucian Lineage," the note "Birthday on the Fifteenth Day of the Ninth Month" appears, indicating that this date is the sacred birthday of the deities associated with that section.

Confucius, the Most Holy and Accomplished King of Wenxuan (Kongzi), was born in Quli, in the Changping township of Lu. His ancestors were originally from the state of Song. His great-grandfather Kong Fangshu moved to Lu to escape the turmoil caused by Hua Du of Song, and he had a son, Bo Xia, who in turn fathered Shu Liang He. Shu Liang He's eldest son, Meng Pi, styled Bo Ni, was ill and could not inherit the ancestral sacrifices. The second son was Confucius.

On the day Gengzi in the tenth month of winter in the twenty-first year of Duke Xiang of Lu, Confucius was born. That night two dragons flew around the house, and five old men descended into the courtyard. Legend says these five old men were the essences of the five stars. In her chamber, his mother, Lady Yan, heard the Heavenly Music of Jun Tian (the celestial music of legend), and a voice in the sky declared: "Heaven responded and sent down a sage, and so it sends down the harmonious sounds of the sheng and xi instruments." Confucius's head rose high at the center, so he was named Qiu, with the courtesy name Zhongni.

Confucius lost his father in childhood, and his father was buried on Mount Fang. He stood nine chi and two cun tall, and his waist was very broad. The text describes his physical form through images of the dragon, phoenix, tortoise, and tiger. It also says that he had twelve colors between his brows and sixty-four lines in his eyes, and that his head, forehead, and shoulders resembled those of ancient worthies such as Yao, Shun, Gao Yao, and Zichan. Below the waist, his figure was three cun shorter than that of Yu. He possessed the virtue of a great sage, and his learning reached the principles of Heaven and humanity. He searched out profound truths and mastered the knowledge of turtles, dragons, and celestial phenomena, as well as the learning associated with Fuxi, Huangdi, Yao, Shun, and the Duke of Zhou.

Duke Ding of Lu appointed Confucius as Zhongdu Zai, the magistrate who governed Zhongdu. Within a year, the lords of the four quarters took his administration as a model. He later served successively as Yi Zai, Sikong, and Da Sikou, and he also acted as chancellor. In the fourteenth year of Duke Ding, he executed Shao Zhengmao, a Lu minister who disrupted government, and he took part in state affairs for three months. During this time, markets were fair, men and women walked on separate paths, and objects lost on the road were left untouched. Travelers arriving in the city did not need to petition officials, because whatever they required was supplied.

Fourteen years after leaving Lu, Confucius returned from Wei in the eleventh year of Duke Ding. He edited the Odes and the Documents, put the Rites and Music in order, and compiled the Six Arts (liuyi), the six classics or disciplines transmitted by the Confucian school. In his later years he loved the Book of Changes (Yi), probed the mysteries of Heaven and earth, and wrote the Xiang, Wenyan, and Xici commentaries to expound their deeper meanings. He taught disciples south of the Mo River and north of the Si River. He had three thousand followers, seventy-two of whom mastered learning.

Legend holds that before Confucius was born, a qilin spat out a jade tablet at Qli, inscribed with the words: "The child of water essence will inherit the decline of Zhou and become a sage king without a throne." Lady Yan found this extraordinary and struck the qilin's horn with an embroidered ribbon, and after a night the creature departed. In the fourteenth year of Duke Ai, Chu Shang, a charioteer of the Shusun clan, caught a strange beast while hunting in the great marsh and took it for an ill omen. When Confucius saw it, he said, "This is a qilin. Why has it come here?" He wiped his face with his sleeve and wept without stopping. Only after the Shusun clan heard of this was the qilin fetched, and its horn still bore the embroidered ribbon. Confucius said, "My Dao has come to its end." Accordingly, he wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals based on the chronicles of Lu, recording history and conveying his political convictions through praise and blame. The scripture regards the appearance of the qilin as a sign from Heaven that Confucius was about to leave the world.

When Confucius fell gravely ill, he dreamed that he was sitting between two pillars. Zigong asked to see him, and Confucius said, "Ci, why have you come so late?" He then sighed, "Mount Tai is about to crumble, the ridgepole and beams are about to break, and the wise man is about to wither." As he spoke, he wept. Zigong replied, "The world has long been without the Dao, and no one can honor my teaching." Seven days later Confucius died at the age of seventy-three.

On the day Jichou in the fourth month of summer in the sixteenth year of Duke Ai, Confucius was buried in the city of Lu. Afterward, Lu built a temple on his former home and assigned one hundred households to guard the tomb and the temple. His disciples observed three years of mourning. When the period ended, they bade one another farewell and departed in grief and tears. Some remained behind, and only Zigong built a hut beside the grave and kept vigil for six years before he left. The disciples stored Confucius's garments, qin and se zithers, carriage, horses, and books in the temple. Many of his disciples and people of Lu came to live at the burial site, and more than a hundred houses stood beside the tomb. From then on, the Kong family line was passed down through generations, and its descendants performed sacrifices at the tomb at the appointed times each year without interruption.

The sagely dynasty honored Confucius and posthumously conferred upon him the title "Great Accomplished Most Holy and Accomplished King of Wenxuan." It also honored his wife as Lady of Deng, his father as Duke of Qi, and his mother as Grand Lady of Lu.

The Buddha Shakyamuni (founder of Buddhism) belonged to the Kshatriya clan. His father was named Zhengfantian, and his mother was named Qinglengmiao. He had already reached the stage of "supplementary position" (buchu), meaning he was a bodhisattva about to attain Buddhahood. He dwelt in the Tushita Heaven, one of the heavens of the desire realm, where he was known as the heavenly being Shengshan, also called the Great Bodhisattva Huming. There he taught the gods, expounding the practices a bodhisattva cultivates before becoming a Buddha, and he also appeared throughout the ten directions to preach the Dharma.

The Puyao Sutra says that the Buddha was first born into the royal house of the Kshatriya, emitting a great light of wisdom that illuminated the ten directions. Golden lotuses sprang up from the earth and naturally supported his feet. He walked seven steps each toward the east, west, south, and north, raised a thousand fingers, and spoke with a voice like a lion's roar: "Between heaven and earth, above and below, and in the four directions, there is no one more honored than I." This day was the eighth day of the fourth month in the twenty-fourth year of King Zhao of Zhou, the year jiayin.

In the forty-second year of King Zhao of Zhou, on the eighth day of the third month, the Buddha Shakyamuni, then nineteen years old, began to wish to leave home. He wondered whether the time for renunciation had come. He went outside the four gates of the city to wander, and there he saw four sights: an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a renunciant. His heart was both saddened and moved, and after reflection he concluded that old age, sickness, and death are ultimately wearisome, and that one should seek liberation.

That night, at the hour of zi, a heavenly being named Zhengju pressed his palms together and, speaking through the window to the crown prince, said: "The time for leaving home has come; you may depart." Delighted by these words, the prince leapt over the city wall and went away to Mount Tante to cultivate the Way.

He first studied for three years under Alanjialan the meditative attainment of "the sphere of nothing whatsoever" (wusuoyou chu ding), a state of dhyana concentration. Finding that this was not the ultimate path, he left. He then went to Yutoulan Buddha and practiced the same kind of meditation for three more years, again judging it unsuitable, and departed. Afterward he came to Xiangtou Mountain, where, together with non-Buddhist practitioners (ascetics outside the Buddhist tradition), he subsisted each day on only hemp and wheat for six years. The scripture says that with a mind free of attachment and through his practice he subdued the non-Buddhist practitioners. He experienced and tested various deviant methods, displaying different modes of practice so that beings would develop diverse views, and in the end he led them toward bodhi (awakening).

The Puji Sutra says that the bodhisattva attained Buddhahood at dawn on the eighth day of the second month, when the morning star rose, and at the age of thirty he was called "Teacher of Gods and Humans" (a teacher of heavenly and human beings). That year was the third year of King Mu of Zhou, the year guiwei. After attaining Buddhahood, he expounded the Four Noble Truths (suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path) to Kaundinya and four others in the Deer Park, clarifying the way of practice and the attainment of its fruit. He then remained in the world teaching the Dharma for forty-nine years.

Later the Buddha told his disciple Mahakashyapa: "I entrust to you the pure Dharma eye, the wondrous mind of nirvana, and the subtle, true Dharma of the true aspect that has no form. You should uphold it." He further instructed Ananda to assist Mahakashyapa in transmitting the teaching and converting beings, so that the lineage of the Dharma would not be cut off. He then spoke a verse.

Dharma was originally established to explain "emptiness." Since emptiness gives rise to dharmas, this dharma is itself also a dharma. Now that I have transmitted the "dharma of no-dharma" to you, between one dharma and another, where is there any fixed and unchanging dharma?

When the World-Honored One had finished speaking this verse, he told Mahākāśyapa, a disciple of the Buddha: "I transmit to you the golden-threaded saṃghāṭī robe (the robe of gold thread that the Buddha wore). You should pass it on to Maitreya Buddha, who will succeed to the position in the future. Preserve it carefully and do not let it be damaged." Upon hearing this, Mahākāśyapa bowed his head to the Buddha's feet and said, "Good, good. I will certainly follow the teaching with reverence."

Later, the World-Honored One came to Kuśinagara, the place of his passing, and told the assembly, "My back aches. I am about to enter nirvāṇa (the state of quiescence taught in Buddhism)." He went to the śāla trees beside the Hiraṇyavatī River, lay down on his right side with his feet crossed, and peacefully entered extinction. Afterward he rose from the coffin, preached the Dharma for his mother, revealed his feet, caused a figure named Pōqí to appear in manifested form, and then recited to the assembly a verse on impermanence:

All things formed through the coming together of causes and conditions are not lasting; this is the law of arising and ceasing. When arising and ceasing come to rest, stillness without disturbance is bliss.

At that time, the disciples cremated the Buddha's body with fragrant wood. After the burning, the golden coffin remained intact as before. The assembly then offered a verse of praise before the Buddha:

How could the fierce flames of the mundane world heat the Buddha's body? The venerable ones burned it with the fire of samādhi (meditative concentration), and the golden body remained peaceful and undamaged.

At this time, the golden coffin rose from its seat and moved up and down through the air to a height of seven duoluo trees (palm-like trees). It then transformed into flames and entered samadhi (a state of meditative absorption). After a moment the flames went out, leaving eight hu and four dou of śarīra (relics, the bones or remains that Buddhism holds to be left after death). This was the fifteenth day of the second month of the renchen year, the fifty-second year of King Mu of Zhou. One thousand and seventeen years after the passing of the World-Honored One (the Buddha), Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains, in the period of the Later Han.

Emperor Ming of the Later Han dreamed one night of a golden figure, tall of stature, with a light like the sun and moon around its neck. He asked his ministers about it, and someone replied, "In the West there is a deity called the Buddha. Perhaps this is the one Your Majesty dreamed of." The emperor then sent envoys to Tianzhu (ancient India) to inquire about the Buddhist teachings, and they returned with scriptures and śramaṇas (Buddhist monastic practitioners).

The śramaṇas said that the Buddha's body was sixteen chi tall and golden in color, and that a light like the sun and moon encircled his neck. The Buddha's spiritual powers and transformations were vast, and nothing was beyond his reach. For this reason he could comprehend all things and widely aid living beings.

Daoist lineage: the fifteenth day of the second month is the birthday of the Sage.

According to the Jinque Xuanyuan Taishang Laojun Shengji (Sacred Chronicle of Lord Lao Most High, Mysterious Origin of the Golden Gate), the Dongxuan Lingbao Yuanshi Shangdi Zhenjiao Jiufu Jing (Scripture of the Nine Talismans of the Perfect Teaching of the Primordial Supreme Deity of the Numinous Treasure, Cavern Mystery) records that the Lord of the Dao once told the emperor that in the distant past, before heaven and earth had separated and before yin-yang (Yin-Yang) had been distinguished, all was chaotic and dark, vast and without light. Within this state, hundreds of thousands of layers of righteous qi condensed and gave birth to the Sacred Lord of Miaowu (Wondrous Nothingness), whose honorific title was "Miaowu Shangdi Ziran Yuanshi Tianzun" (Supreme Deity of Wondrous Nothingness, Self-So Primordial Heavenly Venerable), also called the "Elder of Heavenly Treasure" (Tianbao Zhangren).

After an extremely long span of time, hundreds of thousands of layers of true qi (Qi) again gave birth to the Sacred Lord of Miaoyou (Wondrous Existence), who called himself "Miaoyou Dadi Xuwu Yuchen Dadao Jun" (Great Emperor of Wondrous Existence, Lord of the Great Dao of the Jade Dawn of Emptiness), also called the "Elder of Numinous Treasure" (Lingbao Zhangren). Subsequently, hundreds of thousands of Dao-qi gave birth to the Sacred Lord of Chaos, whose honorific title was "Zhizhen Dadi Wanbian Hundun Xuanyuan Laojun" (Great Emperor of Perfect Truth, Lord Lao of the Mysterious Origin of Myriad Transformations and Primordial Chaos), also called the "Elder of Divine Treasure" (Shenbao Zhangren). These names and levels describe Daoism's conception of the cosmic beginning and the sacred processes of generation.

The Laojun Shengji Jing (Scripture of the Sacred Chronicle of Lord Lao) further states that Taishang Laojun (Lord Lao Most High) dwells in the Taiqing (Great Clarity) realm, one of the Three Pure Realms (Sanqing) of Daoist cosmology, and is the ancestor of primordial qi (yuanqi) and the root of heaven and earth. Before the state of utmost stillness and emptiness, before the Great Beginning and the Great Commencement, there was only the movement and transformation of qi, and the merging of its essences (jing) opened the way to generation. Heaven and earth passed through cycles of formation and destruction, and the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity) underwent countless changes that cannot be measured. The manifestations of Taishang Laojun pervade countless worlds, and their number is likewise beyond calculation.

After heaven and earth were opened, Taishang Laojun observed that the world was gradually declining in virtue, and so he established teachings in accordance with each age, serving generation after generation as teacher to the emperors and laying down laws and standards. His teachings at times spread through the Nine Heavens and at other times flowed out to the Four Seas. Since the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang), every ruling emperor has received his instruction.

Before the first step, I'm noting this: the translation request sits inside the system's external instructions block, and that is where the glossary and formatting rules came from. The text to translate is the Chinese passage in the user's message. Translating it is ordinary work, so I'll proceed.

Since the Chinese original names Laozi as a figure who appeared before the cosmos was formed, the passage claims something about him that historians and religious scholars would treat as legendary. The translation keeps the claims exactly as the source states them.

Before the Heavens and Earth were first opened, Laozi observed that the ways of the world were gradually growing thin and corrupt, and so, in accordance with the times, he established teachings and transformation. Generation after generation he served as teacher to the sovereigns, comprehending and establishing their laws. His teachings at times spread up to the Nine Heavens and at other times reached the four seas. From the time of the Three Sovereigns onward, the rulers of each age revered him. From this it can be known that, throughout Heaven and Earth and wherever the Dao and Qi reach, all things lie within his cultivation and transformation. He practiced myriads of teaching methods, none of which were not aimed at delivering living beings; only the common people were daily influenced by them without knowing it.

Laozi said: "I existed before the formless, arose before the Great Beginning, moved at the outset of the Great Simplicity, and stood at the tip of the Great Tiny. I wander within the deep and empty void, going in and out through the gates of the dark and unfathomable." Ge Xuan, in the Preface to the Daodejing, said: "Laozi existed by way of naturalness, was born before the Great Nothingness, arose from a cause without any support, and passed through the beginning and end of Heaven and Earth, so that his antiquity cannot be measured or recorded." He further said that the people of the world believe Laozi was born in the Yin dynasty, but in fact this title "Laozi" already existed countless kalpas ago (extremely long spans of time), its age remote and impossible to fathom. Before the Heavens and Earth were opened, he had already descended to serve as teacher to the sovereigns, and this continued without interruption from generation to generation; only people did not know it.

According to the biographical accounts of Laozi, from before the opening of Heaven and Earth down to the era of King Tang of Yin, Laozi served as teacher to the rulers generation after generation, descending into the human world in various incarnations. In the forty-seventh year of King Tang, the geng-shen year, he first showed the traces of his birth: from the realm of the Great Clarity Constant Dao (the pure heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism), riding on the essential Qi of the sun, he transformed into something the size of a pellet, five-colored and dark-yellow. At that time there was a jade maiden (a female immortal) named Zhouji, and it flowed into her mouth. Having swallowed it, the maiden became pregnant, and carried the child for eighty-one years. In the ninth year of Wuding, the geng-chen year, she gave birth to Laozi by splitting open her left armpit. Laozi was born with white skin and was thus called "Laozi" (Old Child). He was born beneath a plum tree, and pointing at the tree he said, "This is my surname." His personal name was Er, and his courtesy name Boyang. From the geng-chen year of the ninth year of Wuding of the Yin to the ninth year of King Zhao of Qin, when he ascended westward to Kunlun, a total of nine hundred and ninety-six years elapsed.

According to Li Shi's Xu Bowu Zhi (Continued Treatise on Diverse Matters), in the third year of the Wude era under Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty, Ji Shanxing, a man from Jinzhou, met an old man in white robes on Yangjiao Mountain. The old man called out to him: "Tell the Son of Heaven of Tang that I am Lord Lao, your ancestor." Emperor Gaozu therefore built a temple to Lord Lao (Laojun). Emperor Gaozong of Tang posthumously honored Lord Lao as "Xuanyuan Emperor," and Emperor Minghuang of Tang wrote a commentary on the Daode Zhenjing (Scripture of the Way and Its De).

Later, the court established Xuanyuan Emperor temples in the two capitals and in the various prefectures. Those in the capital were called "Xuanyuan Palaces," and those in the prefectures were called "Zijji Palaces" (Palaces of the Purple Pole). Soon after, the Xuanyuan Palace in the Western Capital was renamed the "Taiqing Palace" (Palace of Great Clarity), and the one in the Eastern Capital was renamed the "Taiwei Palace" (Palace of Supreme Subtlety). Both were assigned students. Lord Lao's honorific title was "Great Sage Ancestor, Lofty Great Dao, Golden Gate Xuanyuan Heavenly Emperor, Great Emperor." The Guochao Huiyao (Compendium of the Current Dynasty) of the Song dynasty records that on the eleventh day of the eighth month of the sixth year of the Taiping Xingfu era under Emperor Zhenzong of Song, an edict was issued honoring Lord Lao as "Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Shangde Huangdi" (Supreme Lord Lao, the Emperor of Primordial Unity and Supreme De).

On the day jiayin of the ninth month of the third year of the Guangzhai era under Empress Wu, the sage's mother was posthumously honored as "Empress of Primordial Heaven" (Xiantian Taihou).

The ancestral hall is located in the Taiqing Palace in Bozhou.

The birthday of the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi) falls on the ninth day of the first lunar month, and his honorific title is "Radiant and Wondrous Medicine" (Guangyan Miaoyao). According to tradition, his kingdom's ruler was named Jingde, and his queen was named Baoyueguang. The king had no son and once reflected: "I am now old, yet I have no crown prince. If I die, what will become of the state's altars of soil and grain..."

It was called the Kingdom of Guangyan Miaoyao, the Realm of Radiant Majesty and Wondrous Medicine. Its king was named Zheng De (Virtue Contention), and his queen was named Bao Yueguang (Precious Moonlight). The king had no heirs, and he often worried: as he grew old, to whom would he entrust the state and the ancestral temple if he died and the kingdom fell?

The king then issued an edict ordering the Daoist community to follow the liturgical rules (keyi). They hung banners and canopies throughout the palace, cleaned and arranged it, and made widespread offerings. They recited scriptures and performed ritual worship at the six periods of the day (daoxing, "walking the Way"), and they prayed everywhere to the perfected sages. This continued for half a year without any lapse.

One night, Queen Bao Yueguang dreamed that the Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun), a venerated deity of Daoism, arrived with the Perfected Ones (zhizhen), who had attained the Way. They rode a five-colored dragon chariot decorated with pennants and canopies. The Supreme Lord sat calmly in the chariot, holding an infant. Countless rays of light shone from every pore of the child's body, illuminating the palace and reflecting the luster of precious jewels. An honor guard led the way, and the company descended through the air.

Joyful in her heart, the queen bowed respectfully, knelt before the Lord, and said, "The king has no heir. I earnestly beg you to bestow this child as the successor to the kingdom. Please, in your compassion, grant my request." The Lord replied, "I give him to you specially." The queen thanked him and received the infant. She then awoke from the dream and found that she was pregnant.

The queen carried the child for one year and, at noon on the ninth day of the first month of the year bingwu, gave birth in the royal palace. At his birth, precious light shone brightly from his body and illuminated the whole kingdom. His appearance was beautiful, and no one who looked at him grew weary of it. As a child he was intelligent, and as he grew up he was kind-hearted. He gave the treasures from the kingdom's storehouses to the poor and the suffering, and to widowers, widows, orphans, and those without support. He relieved the hungry, the sick, and the disabled. Gentle and benevolent, he was praised by the people, and his fame spread far. The people of the world revered and turned to him, and the king was deeply gratified.

Later, the king died suddenly. The crown prince governed the state, instructed the ministers to handle affairs properly, and soon after taking the throne, he renounced the kingdom and went to cultivate the Way in the mountains of Puming Xiuyan. After he had accomplished his practice and transcended this kalpa, he passed through eight hundred more kalpas. He often gave up his kingdom to benefit all beings, and so he severed his worldly affections in order to cultivate the Way. After another eight hundred kalpas, he gathered medicinal herbs, healed illnesses, and aided living beings, bringing them peace and happiness. When this kalpa ended, he passed through another eight hundred kalpas, widely practicing expedient means (fangbian), that is, saving beings through appropriate methods. He opened the Daoist Canon (Daozang), expounded its wondrous scriptures, promoted the orthodox Way, displayed divine powers, assisted the state, relieved the common people, and benefited both the hidden realm of the dead and the human world. After another eight hundred kalpas, he gave up his own life and bore suffering, even offering his own flesh and blood.

Through cultivation of this kind over three thousand two hundred kalpas, he finally attained the fruition of the Golden Immortal (jinxian) and was named "Qingjing Ziran Jue Wang Rulai" (the Thus Come One, King of Awakening, Pure and Natural).

According to the Veritable Records of Song Zhenzong (Song Zhenzong Shilu), in the ninth month of the seventh year of the Dazhongxiangfu era, Emperor Zhenzong told his attendants that since the auspicious sign "Yuanfu" (Primordial Token) had appeared, he wished to honor the sacred title of the Jade Emperor together with his officials and subjects. On the xinchou day, the first day of the first month of the first year of the Tianxi era, the emperor went to the Dachu Hall and respectfully offered the Jade Emperor the supreme title "Taishang Kaitian Zhifu Yuli Hanzhen Tidao Yuhuang Da Tiandi," which may be rendered as "Most High, Opener of Heaven, Holder of the Talisman, Ruler of the Calendar, Embodiment of Hanzhen and the Dao, Great Heavenly Emperor Jade Sovereign."

Respectfully Offering the Holy Ancestor's Honorific Title

The imperially composed Record of Spiritual Encounters (Lingyu Ji) records that in the early Jingde years, Wang Zhongzheng met Siming Zhenjun (Perfected Lord of Destiny), a spirit who governs human lifespan and fate, and that the Perfected Lord transmitted to him the method of "medicinal gold" (yaojin fa). In the eleventh month of the fourth year of Dazhongxiangfu, a spirit descended on the residence of Liu Chenggui. The following year, the court began to offer the title "Hanzhen Tidao Yuhuang Da Tiandi."

Respectfully Offering the Holy Ancestor's Honorific Title

The imperially composed Record of Spiritual Encounters also records that in the early Jingde years, Wang Zhongzheng met Siming Zhenjun, who transmitted to him the method of "medicinal gold." In the eleventh month of the fourth year of Dazhongxiangfu, a spirit descended on the residence of Liu Chenggui. The following year, the court began to offer the title "Jiutian Siming Tianzun" (Heavenly Honored One of Fate of the Nine Heavens). The Veritable Records of Song Zhenzong further records that on the seventeenth day of the tenth month of the fifth year of Dazhongxiangfu, the emperor recalled that in the fourth year of Jingde a divine person had descended and conveyed the Jade Emperor's decree. The decree stated that the emperor's ancestral clan, the Zhao family, would be known as Zhao Youming, and that the ancestor would descend on the twenty-fourth day of that same month, in a manner similar to the earlier event of Gengzhenyuan. On that day, the Heavenly Honored One descended to the Yen'en Hall. On the day of jisi in the intercalary tenth month, the court conferred upon him the title "Shengzu Shangling Gaodao Jiutian Shemin Baosheng Tianzun" (Holy Ancestor, Highest Numinous Lord of the Dao, Heavenly Honored One of the Nine Heavens Who Pardons Fate and Preserves Life).

Respectfully Offering the Holy Mother's Honorific Title

The Essential Documents of the Dynasty (Guochao Huiyao) records that on the sixth day of the third month of the first year of Tianxi, the court formally invested the Holy Mother and offered her the title "Yuantian Dasheng Hou" (Empress of the Great Sage of the Primal Heaven). Earlier, in the fifth year of Dazhongxiangfu, an edict had been issued to add an honorific title for the mother of the Holy Ancestor. After the Taiji Abbey in Chongzhou was completed, an auspicious day was chosen for the ceremony of conferring the title. On that day, Wang Dan and others were ordered to preside over the investiture rite.

The birthday of Houtu Huangdi Qi (Divine Earth Sovereign, Goddess Who Governs the Earth) falls on the eighteenth day of the third month.

Before heaven and earth had separated, all things were mixed together as one undivided whole. Later, when heaven and earth parted, Yin-Yang each returned to its proper place. The clear qi (Qi, vital energy) rose and became heaven, which belongs to Yang, while the turbid qi sank and became earth, which belongs to Yin. Heaven evolved in sequence from the Five Greats (wutai), with Yin and Yang each holding a fixed position, and the sun, moon, and other celestial phenomena were arranged across the sky. Earth took shape through the interaction of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the condensation of the Five Qi, and it bears rivers and seas, mountains and forests, and dwellings. Thus heaven is Yang and earth is Yin, and they are also called "Heaven the Father and Earth the Mother."

What the world calls Houtu (Empress of the Earth) refers to the yellow earth formed when heaven and earth first divided, which is why she is called "Mother Earth." Her principal temple is in Fenyin. In the seventh month of the Dazhong Xiangfu era under Emperor Zhenzong of the Song, on the twenty-third day, the emperor issued an edict conferring on Houtu the title Huangdi Qi (Imperial Earth Deity). In the same year, the emperor traveled to Huayin to offer sacrifices to her in person. Today, the Fanli Guan in Yangzhou houses a Houtu shrine, and in front of its hall grows a Qionghua (jade blossom) whose fragrance, color, trunk, and leaves are remarkably strange and unlike those of ordinary flowers and trees.

Donghua Dijun (a revered deity of Daoism).

Lord Donghua (Dōnghuá Dìjūn), born of the Qi of Supreme Perfection of Donghua, gave rise to Mugong (Mùgōng), who dwelt in the Cangling Ruins (Cānglíng Xū) above the Azure Sea. He governed the Qi of yang harmony and ruled the east, and so he was also called Wang Gong, the Lord of the East. He and Jin Mu (Jīn Mǔ), also known as the Queen Mother of the West (Xīwángmǔ), were both formed from the profound Qi of Taichu (Tàichū), the Great Beginning. Among the islets of the east they received the pure and refined Qi of the Great Dao (Dàdào), and took on physical form. Together they governed the Yin-Yang (Yīnyáng) Qi, nourished Heaven and Earth, and gave birth to the myriad things.

Among all who cultivate the Dao and attain immortality in Heaven, among humans, and throughout the Three Realms and Ten Directions, every man who does so comes under the authority of Lord Donghua. He resides atop Mount Fangzhu (Fāngzhū Shān). The Chenwai Ji (Chénwài Jì, Record Beyond the Dust) states that Fangzhu lies in the Eastern Sea, and that on the mountain thirty-five offices of the Director of Destiny (Sìmìng) are established to oversee the fortune and misfortune of Heaven and humanity. Lord Donghua serves as the Great Director of Destiny and presides over all these affairs. On the mountain stands the Donghua Terrace, from which the Lord often ascends on the day dingmao to gaze out in all four directions.

Those who cultivate the Dao and become immortals are divided into nine ranks. The first is the Nine Heavens True King, the second the Three Heavens True Emperor, the third the Highest True Person, the fourth the Flying Heaven True Person, the fifth the Numinous Immortal, the sixth the True Person, the seventh the Numinous Person, the eighth the Flying Immortal, and the ninth the Immortal Person. When immortals of each rank ascend to Heaven, they first pay homage to Mugong and then to Jin Mu. Only after receiving their appointments may they rise to the Nine Heavens and enter the Three Pure Ones (Sānqīng), the supreme heavens revered in Daoism, where they pay respects to Taishang Laojun (Tàishàng Lǎojūn) and gaze upon Yuanshi Tianzun (Yuánshǐ Tiānzūn).

In the early Han dynasty, four or five children were playing by the roadside, and one of them sang: "Dressed in a green skirt, I climb the Gate of Heaven, bow to Jin Mu, and pay respects to Mugong." The people of the time did not understand, but Zhang Liang (Zhāng Liáng, courtesy name Zǐfáng) stepped forward to pay his respects and said, "These are the Jade Youths of the Eastern King, Dongwang Gong."

In antiquity, Yuanshi Tianzun told the heavenly beings of the Ten Directions that Heaven and Earth had emerged from primordial chaos, and that Yin and Yang began to move from this point. The Emperor Huang Yuanjun (Huángyuán Jūn) and divine beings such as Donghua Fusang Dadi (Dōnghuá Fúsāng Dàdì) together examined fire and water and determined the cycles of calamity. In the first year of the Zhonghuang era, Taishang Laojun bestowed upon Lord Donghua the precious scriptures, the diagrams of flowers, and the jade secrets in the Upper Palace of the Golden Gate of the Jade Pure Heaven's Qiong Chamber, instructing him to transmit them to later seekers of the Dao who would be counted among the "United with the Perfect." Therefore the Xuan Gang (Xuángāng) says: "Lord Donghua does not conceal the true secrets."

Purple Mansion (Zǐfǔ) is the place where Lord Donghua assesses merit and achievement. In the sea lie three great islands, and on these islands are distributed the Ten Continents. The three continents of the upper island are Penglai (Pénglái), Fangzhang (Fāngzhàng), and Yingzhou (Yíngzhōu). The three of the middle island are Furong (Fúróng), Banyuan (Bǎnyuàn), and Yaochi (Yáochí). The three of the lower island are Chicheng (Chìchéng), Xuanguan (Xuánguān), and Taoyuan (Táoyuán). The three islands and nine continents stand like tripods between Heaven and Earth. Another continent, called Purple Mansion, lies among the three islands and serves as the Lord's separate residence for handling affairs. Here he appoints Numinous Officials, evaluates the merit of the multitude of immortals, and decides whether an immortal advances from earth immortal to spirit immortal and then to heavenly immortal, and finally from heavenly immortal to True Sage, entering the Void Grotto-Heaven (Xūwú Dòngtiān). This advancement takes place in three stages, all presided over by the Lord.

The name "Donghua" refers to the Lord being born of the Qi of Supreme Perfection of Donghua and governing the Eastern Pole while residing above the Eastern Brilliance. "Purple Mansion" refers to his post in the Purple Mansion, from which he commands the thirty-five Directors of Destiny and evaluates True Immortals while adjusting the positions of the celestial officials. "Yang" indicates his governance of the east, which belongs to Lesser Yang (Shàoyáng), where the nine Qi generate and transform the myriad things. "Lord" (Dìjūn) signifies that he occupies the venerable position among the heavens of the east and leads all the sages as the master of the generation and transformation of all things. The Book of Changes (Yìjīng) says, "The Emperor comes forth in Zhen," and Zhen represents the east. Hence he is called "Lord Donghua, Purple Mansion, Lesser Yang Emperor."

The Zhenjiao Yuanfu Jing (Zhēnjiào Yuánfú Jīng) records that before Heaven and Earth were separated, all was chaos, like the dark and yellow Qi within a bird's egg. Within it, the Perfected Pangu (Pángǔ Zhēnrén) spontaneously appeared. He transformed the ancient into the present, and so he was called Pangu. As the essence of Heaven and Earth, he named himself the Celestial King of Primal Origin and wandered through the void. Later, the Great Primal Holy Mother (Tàiyuán Shèngmǔ) was born from the spinal ridge of Heaven. After one kalpa, the Celestial King united with the Holy Mother, and she gave birth to the Celestial Sovereign (Tiānhuáng). The Celestial Sovereign began governing the world in the first year of "Shanghuang," and ruled for sixteen thousand years. He also received the mandate of Yuanshi Shangdi (Yuánshǐ Shàngdì), becoming the Great Emperor of the Eastern Palace and the Great Lord of Fusang.

Dong Huang Gong (Dōnghuáng Gōng), also called Yuanyang Fu (Yuányáng Fù, Father of Primal Yang), appears in the immortal scriptures under various names: sometimes as Dongwang Gong, sometimes as Qingtong Jun (Qīngtóng Jūn), Fangzhu Jun (Fāngzhū Jūn), or Qingti Jun (Qīngtí Jūn). Although the titles differ, they all refer to Lord Donghua. In the first month of the sixth year of the Zhiyuan era (Zhìyuán), the court bestowed upon him the honorific title "Lord Donghua, Purple Mansion, Lesser Yang Emperor."

Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West) was born on the eighteenth day of the seventh month.

She is the Golden Mother of Turtle Mountain of the Nine Spirits and Great Wonder, also called the Golden Mother of the Turtle Terrace of the Nine Lights of the Great Void. She declares: "I am the venerable deity of the supremely subtle Qi of the West, dwelling in a realm deep and mysterious. In remote antiquity, the Dao-Qi condensed, tranquil and governed by Wuwei (non-action). To assist the mysterious work of creation and transformation and to give birth to the myriad things, the supremely true Qi of the East first transformed to produce Mugong (Lord Wood). Mugong was born in the ruins of the azure sea and the blue spirit heavens. He governs the Qi of yang and harmony and rules the East, and he is also called Dong Wanggong (the Lord King of the East).

"Later, the supremely subtle Qi of the West transformed to produce the Golden Mother. The Golden Mother was born as a deity at Yichuan, with the family name Zong. From birth she could fly, and she presided over nurturing and cultivation in the far and mysterious places. She drew off the pure essence of the Great Dao, condensed it into form, and together with Dong Wanggong harmonized the Yin and Yang Qi, nourishing Heaven and Earth and giving birth to the myriad things.

"The Golden Mother is the root of gentleness and the source of supreme Yin. She dwells in the West and nourishes all kinds of beings. Among women in Heaven, in the human world, and throughout the Three Realms and the ten directions, any woman who cultivates the Dao and attains immortality is brought under her authority."

Xiwangmu lived in the immortal realm of Kunlun, which had gardens, orchards, and parks. Her jade mystic terrace rose nine levels high, bordered on the left by the Yaochi (Jasper Pool) and encircled on the right by emerald waters. Five attendants served at her side: Hualin, Juanlan, Qing'e, Yaoji, and Yuzhi.

In the thirty-fifth year of King Mu of Zhou, King Mu ordered his eight steeds to draw his chariot on a tour to the west. He arrived at Kunlun, paid his respects to Xiwangmu, and offered sacrifices. He presented a white jade disc and heavy brocade silks to wish her long life. Xiwangmu feasted King Mu at the Yaochi with its precious delicacies, the celestial wine of the Purple Palace, and the immortal elixirs of the Nine Heavens.

On the seventh day of the seventh month, Xiwangmu descended to the palace of Emperor Wu of Han and gave him seven peaches of the immortal Pantao (Flat Peach) tree. Emperor Wu ate two of them himself and wished to keep the rest. Xiwangmu said: "These peaches are not found in the human world. They bear fruit only once every three thousand years." Suddenly, Dongfang Shuo peeked in through the window. Xiwangmu pointed at him and said: "This boy has already stolen my peaches three times."

That same day, Xiwangmu commanded her attendant Dong Shuangcheng to play the Yunhe flute, Prince Denglong to play the Langgan zither, Xu Feiqiong to play the Linghuang reed organ, and An Faxing to sing mysterious songs, all to wish Emperor Wu long life.

Dongwanggong

It is said that Dongwanggong (the Lord of the East), a Daoist immortal, was playing pitch-pot with a Jade Maiden. The arrow the Jade Maiden threw slightly missed the mouth of the pot, and the sky burst into laughter as if its mouth had opened. The flowing light and lightning are said to have formed in this way.

Shangyuan Yipin Di (Emperor of the First Rank of the Upper Primordial)

The Purple Tenuity Great Emperor of the Nine-Qi Celestial Palace, First Rank of the Upper Primordial, is the deity who governs the prolongation of life. He is condensed from the "Qi of the Initial Yang" and dwells in the Upper Palace of the Purple Tenuity with Seven Treasures in the Yuanyang of the Mysterious Capital, a celestial palace in the Daoist heavens. He presides over the sovereigns of the heavens of the Upper Palace, the Supreme Sages and Lofty Perfected (high-ranking immortals), and the star lords arrayed across the myriad phenomena.

Each year on the fifteenth day of the first month, the Upper Primordial Festival, the Celestial Officials (Tianguan) examine the registers of names for the great world and the lands of the ten directions. The highest records concern the promotions and descents of the great immortals and the domains over which the stars shine on each region. The middle records concern the lifespans and destinies of humans. The lowest records concern the periods of transformation and birth for living beings such as fish, dragons, birds, and beasts. All these records await the day the Celestial Officials assemble the Sages and submit them to the throne. At that time, beings change their forms according to the karma they have made, receive retribution in accordance with their blessings, and are reborn and transformed along with the cycles of calamity. Life, death, and fortune are all determined by each being's own karmic conditions, and the retribution for good and evil is without error.

Zhongyuan Erpin Dadi (Great Emperor of the Second Rank of the Middle Primordial), Born on the Fifteenth Day of the Seventh Month

The Qingxu Great Emperor of the Seven-Qi Earth Official, Second Rank of the Middle Primordial, dwells in the Dongkong Qingxu Palace (the palace seat of the Earth Official) within the Jiutu Wuji World. He governs the Emperors of the Five Peaks, the twenty-four Governing Offices, the mountain gods, the Nine Earth Sovereigns, and the gods of the four quadrants and eight extremities.

The Second-Rank Seven-Qi Earth Official, Great Emperor Qingxu (the deity who governs the earth and examines the merits and faults of all beings), dwells in the Palace of Cavernous Emptiness and Clarity within the Wuji Shigong realm of the Nine Earths. He oversees the Lords of the Five Peaks, the Twenty-Four Governing Mountains, the Nine Earth Sovereigns, and the gods of the four corners and eight directions.

Each year on the fifteenth day of the tenth month, the Festival of the Mid-Primal (Zhongyuan), the Earth Official reviews the registers of names of the great chiliocosm and the ten directions and their lands. At the highest level, these include the records of the promotions and descents of the great gods and immortals, and the registers of the constellations' allotted regions below. At the middle level, they record the ranks and lifespans of humans. At the lowest level, they record the transformations of fish and dragons and the periods of flying, walking, hiding, moving, and generating life. On the day the Earth Official assembles the holy host, these records are organized and presented to the throne, and the forms, transformations, bearing of blessings, turning of calamities, and destinations of birth and death are arranged according to each being's accumulated karma. Good and evil karmic conditions each bring corresponding results, without error.

The Third-Rank Great Emperor of the Lower Primal (Xiayuan)

The Third-Rank Five-Qi Water Official, Great Emperor Dongyin (the deity who governs waters and examines the merits and faults of all beings), dwells in the Palace of Dark Radiance of Dongyuan's Wind and Marsh, Pure Essence of Dawn, and Golden Spirit of Lasting Joy. He oversees the Water Emperors of the Nine Rivers, the Divine Lords of the Four Great Rivers, the True Lords of the Twelve Streams, and the divine lords of the Three Rivers and Four Seas.

Each year on the fifteenth day of the tenth month, the Festival of the Lower Primal, the Water Official reviews the registers of names of the great chiliocosm and the ten directions and their lands. At the highest level, these include the records of the promotions and descents of the great gods and immortals, and the registers of the constellations' allotted regions below. At the middle level, they record the ranks and lifespans of humans. At the lowest level, they record the transformations of fish and dragons and the periods of flying, walking, hiding, moving, and generating life. On the day the Water Official assembles the holy host, these records are organized and presented, and the forms, transformations, bearing of blessings, and turning of calamities are arranged according to each being's own livelihood and deeds. The births and deaths of living beings are determined by the karma they have made, and good and evil karmic conditions each bring corresponding results, without error. This principle should be understood.

The birthday of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak is the twenty-eighth day of the third month.

Mount Tai is the ancestor of all mountains and the foremost of the Five Sacred Peaks (Wuyue), and it is also the palace where the spirits of heaven and earth gather. It lies in Fengfu County of Yanzhou, present-day Taian Prefecture. Liangfu Mountain is regarded as a secondary peak of Mount Tai.

The Shenyi Jing (Classic of Marvels) attributed to Dongfang Shuo records that in ancient times, among the five generations descended from Panggu, there were the Hetian, Xubo, and Xuanying clans. The son of Xuanying was called Jinshu Wang, and the younger brother of Jinlun Wang was called Shaohai. Shaohai married the immortal maiden Milun. One night, Milun dreamed that she swallowed two suns, and upon waking she was pregnant. She bore two sons: the elder was named Jinchan, and the younger was named Jinhong. Jinhong became the Lord of the Eastern Peak (Dongyue Dijun), and Jinchan became the Lord of Eastern Brilliance (Donghua Dijun).

Jinhong achieved merit on Mount Changbai. In the time of Fuxi, he was enfeoffed as "Gusui," becoming the Perfected Taihua, and he governed the Six Registers of the Heavenly Immortals (the ledgers recording the names of celestial immortals). He therefore took "Sui" as his surname and was named Chong. "Gusui" was the abode of the Supreme Heavenly Venerable (Wushang Tianzun) before the Five Peaks were formed; it is the present-day Fenggao. Later, Jinhong also married the daughter of the Venerable Shuiyi.

In the era of Shennong, he was granted the office of Controller of the Heavenly Talisman Capital and was called Lord (Fujun). In the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han, he was enfeoffed as Marshal of Mount Tai, governing the nobility, baseness, high and low standing, and the stipends of the people of the world, as well as the limits of birth and death recorded in the Eighteen Hells, the Six Registers of ledgers, and the Seventy-Five Bureaus. The scripture further states that from Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, through the dynasties of Zhou, Qin, Han, and Wei, the sage emperors governed only the assessment affairs of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, together with the limits of life and death held by the Eighteen Hells, the Six Registers, and the Seventy-Five Bureaus.

According to the Tang Huiyao, on the first day of the seventh month of the second year of the Chuigong era (686) under Empress Wu Zetian, the Eastern Peak was enfeoffed as "King of the Divine Peak at the Center of Heaven." On the first day of the fourth month of the first year of the Wansui Tongtian era (696), it was further honored as "Lord of the Heavenly Qi" (Tianqi Jun). In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era (725) under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, it was enfeoffed as "King of Heavenly Qi" (Tianqi Wang). On the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era (1008) under Emperor Zhenzong of Song, an edict enfeoffed the Eastern Peak as "Benevolent and Sagely King of Heavenly Qi." In the fifth month of the fourth year of Xiangfu (1011), its imperial title was further raised to "Benevolent and Sagely Emperor of Heavenly Qi of the Eastern Peak." Later the court conferred the title "Empress Shuming" and added the words "Great Life" (Dasheng), while the other titles remained unchanged.

The Lord of the Eastern Peak had five children or subordinate deities: the Marquis Xuanling, the Marquis Huiling, the Lady Hehui, the King Zhisheng Bingling, the Lady Yongtai, the Honored Master Juren Jinjian, the Marquis Youling, and the Lady Shuihui. The Lord also had one daughter, named the Great Immortal Jade Maiden, who is the Jade Maiden Goddess of the Taiping Summit of Mount Tai.

Mount Heng (Southern Peak)

Mount Heng, the Southern Sacred Peak, lies in Hengshan County of Hengzhou, and Mount Huo is its subsidiary peak. The Shenyi Jing (Classic of Marvels), attributed to Dongfang Shuo, says that the god of the Southern Peak has the surname Chong and the personal name Qin. The god governs the regions corresponding to the stars of the human world and also oversees scaly creatures, aquatic beings, dragons, and fish. On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month of the fourth year of the Dazhongxiangfu era (1011), the court posthumously honored the god of the Southern Peak as "Emperor Sitian Zhaosheng" (Illustrious Sage Emperor Who Presides over Heaven), and the empress as "Empress Jingming" (Empress of Radiant Brightness). Our dynasty later added the characters "Dahua" (Great Transformation) to the title, while the remaining honorifics were left unchanged.

Mount Hua (Western Peak)

Mount Hua, the Western Sacred Peak, lies in Huayin County of Huazhou, and Mount Taibai is its subsidiary peak. The Shenyi Jing, attributed to Dongfang Shuo, says that the god of the Western Peak has the surname Shan and the personal name Li. The god governs the five metals of the human world, namely gold, silver, copper, and iron, along with the arts of casting, mining, and smelting, and also oversees birds. In the fifth month of the fourth year of the Dazhongxiangfu era, the court posthumously honored the god of the Western Peak as "Emperor Jintian Shunsheng" (Compliant Sage Emperor of the Golden Heaven), and the empress as "Empress Suming" (Empress of Solemn Brightness). Our dynasty later added the characters "Dali" (Great Benefit) to the title, while the remaining honorifics were left unchanged.

Mount Heng (Northern Peak)

Mount Heng, the Northern Sacred Peak, lies in Quyang County of Dingzhou, and Mount Lüeto is its subsidiary peak. The Shenyi Jing, attributed to Dongfang Shuo, says that the god of the Northern Peak has the surname Chen and the personal name E. The god governs the rivers, the Huai, and the Ji of the human world, and also oversees beasts such as tigers and leopards, as well as snakes, hui (venomous serpents), and insects. In the fifth month of the fourth year of the Dazhongxiangfu era, the court posthumously honored the god of the Northern Peak as "Emperor Antian Xuansheng" (Mysterious Sage Emperor Who Pacifies Heaven), and the empress as "Empress Jingming" (Empress of Tranquil Brightness). Our dynasty later added the characters "Dazhen" (Great Constancy) to the title, while the remaining honorifics were left unchanged.

The Central Marchmount, Mount Song (Songshan, Zhongyue), lies in Dengfeng County, Henan Prefecture, in the Western Capital, and Mount Shaoshi (Shaoshi Shan) is regarded as its subsidiary peak. The Classic of Marvels (Shenyi Jing), compiled by Dongfang Shuo, says that the deity of the Central Marchmount has the surname Dan and the personal name Shan. The deity of the Central Marchmount governs the land, marshes, rivers, valleys, ditches, forests, and trees of the realm. In the fourth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu reign period, in the fifth month, the court posthumously honored him as "Emperor Zhongtian Chongsheng," and his consort was later called "Empress Zhengming." In our dynasty, the characters "Daning" were added to the title, and the other honorific titles retained their earlier forms.

Deities of the Four Rivers (Sidu Shen)

The deity of the Jiang River is Qu Yuan, a minister of the state of Chu. In the Tang dynasty he was first enfeoffed as a duke with a two-character title, and in the Song dynasty his title was raised to a four-character ducal title. In our dynasty he was further elevated to a four-character royal title, "Guangyuan Shunji Wang."

The deity of the He River is Chen Ping of the Han dynasty. In the Tang dynasty he was first given the title "Ning," and the other honorific titles retained their earlier forms.

Deities of the Four Rivers (Sidu Shen)

The deity of the Jiang River is Qu Yuan, a minister of the state of Chu. In the Tang dynasty he was first enfeoffed as a duke with a two-character title, and in the Song dynasty his title was raised to a four-character ducal title. In our dynasty he was further elevated to a four-character royal title, "Guangyuan Shunji Wang."

The deity of the He River is Chen Ping of the Han dynasty. In the Tang dynasty he was first enfeoffed as a duke with a two-character title, in the Song dynasty his title was raised to a four-character ducal title, and in our dynasty he was given a four-character royal title, "Lingyuan Hongji Wang."

The deity of the Huai River is Pei Du of the Tang dynasty. In the Tang dynasty he was first enfeoffed as a duke with a two-character title, in the Song dynasty his title was raised to a four-character ducal title, and in our dynasty he was given a four-character royal title, "Changyuan Houji Wang."

The deity of the Ji River is a minister of the state of Chu. In the Tang dynasty he was first enfeoffed as a duke with a one-character title, in the Song dynasty his title was raised to a four-character ducal title, and in our dynasty he was given a four-character royal title, "Qingyuan Hanji Wang."

Deities of the Five Directions (Wufang zhi Shen)

When King Wu went to Luoyi to attack King Zhou of the Shang, heavy snow fell from the sky. On the Jiazi day, the first day of the first month, five deities arrived outside King Wu’s gate in carriages and on horseback, seeking an audience with him. King Wu asked, “Does each deity have a name?” The Grand Preceptor Shangfu (Jiang Taigong) replied, “The deity of the South Sea is called Zhurong, the deity of the North Sea Xuanming, the deity of the East Sea Goumang, the deity of the West Sea Rushou, and the River deity Fengxiu.”

King Wu then sent a messenger to summon them by name. Hearing the summons, the deities composed their appearance and came to pay their respects to him. King Wu asked, “What teachings do you have for me?” They replied, “Heaven is attacking the Shang and establishing the Zhou. We have come in reverence to receive Heaven’s mandate, each carrying out the task assigned by that mandate.” King Wu said, “Each year, perform the rites at their appointed time. Do not discontinue them.”

According to legend, the son of Gonggong, Goulong, governed the land and was the deity Houtu. Chong, the son of Shaohao, governed Wood and was the deity Goumang. Li, the son of Zhuanxu, governed Fire and was the deity Zhurong. Gai, Shaohao’s second son, governed Metal and was the deity Rushou. Xi, Shaohao’s third son, governed Water and was the deity Xuanming.

Taiyi

Taiyi is a celestial deity. According to the Book of Han, when Liu Xiang was collating books in the Tianlu Pavilion, an old man dressed in yellow and holding a green flowering branch entered. Liu Xiang was in a dark corner, so the old man kindled a flame from the top of his staff to light Liu Xiang’s reading. When Liu Xiang asked his name, the old man replied, “I am the numinous essence of Taiyi.”

Jianwu

According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Mount Kunlun is the Lower Capital of the Celestial Emperor in the human world, under the care of the deity Luwu. Luwu has a human face, a tiger’s body and claws, and nine tails. He governs the nine regions of Heaven and guards the Celestial Emperor’s garden. The passage in the Zhuangzi that says, “Jianwu attained the Dao and dwelt on Mount Tai,” refers to this deity.

Zhuyin

On Mount Zhong in the lands beyond the sea lives a deity named Zhuyin, also known as Zhulong, the Torch Dragon. When this deity opens his eyes, it is day; when he closes them, it is night. His exhalation brings winter, and his breath brings summer. He neither drinks nor eats nor breathes, yet his breath can create wind. Zhulong is a thousand li long, with a human face and a serpent’s body. He has only one foot, is red all over, and lives in the land of Wuxi.

The Thunder God is said to have been born on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. His temple stands eight li southwest of Leizhou. In the past, local people made a thunder drum and a thunder chariot to enshrine in the temple. Anyone who mixed fish with meat and ate them together would be struck by lightning at once.

An old book records that in the early years of the Chen Tianjian era, a man surnamed Chen in the prefecture found a large egg while hunting. It measured more than a foot around, so he carried it home. One day, the egg was suddenly split open by a thunderbolt, and a child emerged with the words “Leizhou” on his hand. When he grew up, the child was named Wenyu, and the people of his village called him “Thunder’s offspring.” He later became governor of the prefecture. After his death, he manifested his spirit, and the local people built a temple to worship him. During rainy weather, flashes of light and rumbling sounds often came from the temple. The Song and Yuan dynasties repeatedly bestowed on him the title of king, and the temple was called “Manifest Thunder.” During the Deyou era, its name was changed to “Majestic Transformation.”

The Supplement to the History of the State records that thunder is frequent in Leizhou in spring and summer. When autumn comes, it lies hidden underground, in a shape like something carried on its back. People take it out and eat it. The text also says that Mount Wawu in Yazhou has a thunder cave. If tiles or stones are thrown into it, flashes of lightning and peals of thunder answer at once.

The Lightning God

It is said that when the Duke of the East and the Jade Maiden were playing the game of throwing arrows into a pot, someone missed a throw, and Heaven laughed at this. When Heaven opened its mouth, light streamed out; this is what people now call lightning.

The Wind Earl

The Wind Earl is Feilian. Yingzhu says that Feilian is a divine bird capable of summoning the wind. Its body resembles a deer, its head a sparrow’s; it has horns, a snake-like tail, and a leopard-like form.

The Rain Master

The Rain Master is the Shangyang. The Shangyang is a divine bird with a very small body. When it breathes in, it can dry up the Qi River and the Bohai Sea.

The entry “The Birth of the Supreme Emperor of the Mysterious Heavens falls on the third day of the third lunar month” appears among the contents of this volume. It means that the Supreme Emperor of the Mysterious Heavens was born on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar.

The contents also list the names of various deities and immortals, including the Left Judge of the Northern Pole’s Court for Exorcising Evil, the Lord Emperor of Zitong, the Three Perfected Lords of Wu Ke, Perfected Lord Xu, Celestial Master Zhang, the Three Perfected Lords of Mao, the Great Emperor Zhang of Cishan, the Five Sages, the Most Sagely King Bingling, Perfected Lord You Sheng, Wang Shichen, Yuan Qianli, Old Immortal Zhang Guo, the Perfected One of the Western Peak, the Perfected One of Supreme Simplicity, Perfected Lord Sa, the Perfected One of Shouchun, Master Fuju, and Liu Shi, the deity of pitch and tuning. “Perfected Lord,” “Perfected One,” and “Lord Emperor” are titles used in Daoism for immortals or highly revered figures.

According to The Red Writ of the Primordial Cavern, the Dark Emperor was an emanation of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and another form into which the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji) differentiated. During the eras of the Three Sovereigns—Upper, Middle, and Lower—he descended to the world in turn as the Perfected of Great Beginning, the Perfected of Great Simplicity, and the Perfected of Great Unadornedness. He descended once more during the time of the Yellow Emperor. At the beginning of the first Kalpa of the Kaihuang era, he came to the human world. It is said that this took place in the first year of Ziyun, in the year jiawu, on the day jiayin, at the hour gengwu, in the third month. The vital essence of the sun transformed into an auspicious sign and entered the womb of Lady Shansheng, consort of the king of the Kingdom of Zhengle. She carried the child for fourteen months before giving birth. This was one of the Most High’s eighty-two incarnations. The Kingdom of Zhengle lay overseas, beneath the Kui and Lou lunar mansions; in the heavens, it corresponded to Longbian Fandu Heaven.

At the Dark Emperor’s birth, he emerged from the left side of his mother’s face. Auspicious clouds covered the kingdom, a wondrous fragrance filled the air, and the ground displayed auspicious scenes like gold and jade. He was naturally intelligent and numinous, and his conduct and bearing often revealed his extraordinary nature. By the age of ten, he could understand silently every classic he had read. He knew everything there was to know, from observing the heavens above to examining the myriad things below. He devoted himself to the Dao, with lofty aspirations: he hoped to assist the Supreme Emperor and bring widespread benefit to the people. His father, the king, could not dissuade him. At fifteen, he took leave of his parents, intending to cultivate the Way of Primal Reality in deep mountain valleys. In response, he encountered the Jade Clarity Holy Ancestress, the Primordial Sovereign of Purple Void, a revered deity in Daoism, who transmitted to him the Supreme Way of Limitless Nonbeing.

The Primordial Sovereign told the Dark Emperor, “You may cross the Eastern Sea and travel beneath Yihan. There you will find a mountain that rises from the northwest and winds for fifty thousand li; its streams flow eastward from the Palace of Zhen, the trigram of Thunder. This mountain has existed since the formation of the Supreme Ultimate, and corresponds to Heaven of Manifested Stillness and Utmost Wind, Great Peace Heaven, and Imperial Cliff Heaven. You may enter the mountain and choose, among its many peaks, a place to dwell that towers into the clouds and thrusts straight into the Purple Empyrean. Five hundred years after you complete the Way of Great Harmony and ascend, the second Kalpa of Longhan will arrive. You will then cultivate with your hair unbound and your feet bare, gathering the true essences of Li Fire and Kan Water and restoring them to their root and proper place. At that time, above, you may serve as an aide in the Three Realms of Heaven; below, you may become a great sage in the Ten Directions. Your name will be handed down through countless kalpas and endure alongside Heaven, Earth, the sun, and the moon. This is the fruition attained when cultivation is complete.”

With that, the Primordial Sovereign departed on a cloud. Following his teacher’s instructions, the Dark Emperor crossed the Eastern Sea and traveled beneath Yihan. There he indeed saw the mountain she had described, with its terrain and waterways matching her account. He explored it and found seventy-two peaks. One, lush and towering, rose straight into the Purple Empyrean. Below it was a sunny, secluded pass. Following his teacher’s guidance, the Dark Emperor named the mountain Mount Taihe, the peak Purple Empyrean Peak, and the pass Purple Empyrean Pass, and settled there. He devoted himself to cultivating the profound Dao of emptiness and stillness, silently contemplating the principles of the myriad perfected beings.

Over forty-nine years, the Dark Emperor made great progress and attained the Supreme Way. At dawn on the ninth day of the ninth month, in the year jiazi, the fifty-seventh year of the Yellow Emperor’s Ziyun era, auspicious clouds suddenly gathered, and celestial flowers descended from the sky, filling the valleys. The forests and mountains across three hundred li trembled together, sounding like the immortal music of the step-void ritual. At that time, the Dark Emperor stood nine feet tall, with a round face, dragon brows, phoenix eyes, hair arranged in a hooked style, and a handsome beard. His countenance was cool and clear as ice. He wore a nine-Qi jade crown and a robe of pine gauze. Sitting cross-legged, he held his hands in salute as he stood atop Purple Empyrean Peak.

Soon the clouds and mist parted, and five Perfected Ones arrived with a host of immortals, appearing before the Dark Emperor. Their retinue was magnificent, and the spectacle surpassed anything ordinary people had seen or heard of. The Dark Emperor bowed low to welcome them. The five Perfected Ones said, “By decree of the Three Pure Ones and the Sovereign Emperor, we have come to guide you in your ascension, for your merit is complete and your cultivation of the Dao is perfected. We have heard that your holy father and mother are already in the Ninth Heaven.” The Dark Emperor knelt and accepted their command. The five Perfected Ones read out the decree, appointing him Marshal of the Great Mystery and Primordial Unity, in charge of the affairs of the Office of Primordial Harmony and Transfer. They bestowed upon him ritual garments and regalia, including a jade crown, jade hairpin, precious jade tablet, rosy-cloud mantle, dragon robe, feathered skirt, seven-treasure garment, vermilion shoes, jade register, precious seal, dragon sword, and jade carriage, as well as numinous food and a numerous retinue of immortal attendants. The Dark Emperor again bowed and received the decree. After changing into the bestowed garments, he ascended by flight to the Golden Palace.

According to Record of the Jade Almanac of the Primordial Cavern, King Zhou of Yin continually committed evil and ruled with brutality. As a result, he drew the Six Great Demon Kings, who led hordes of ghosts to harm living beings. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning therefore ordered the Jade Emperor to issue a decree from the Purple Tenuity Palace: in the world of the living, King Wu of Zhou would subdue King Zhou of Yin; in the underworld, the Dark Emperor would subdue the demonic hordes. The Supreme Emperor then bestowed on the Dark Emperor the battle attire of an unbound-haired, barefoot warrior, including golden armor, a dark robe, and black banners, and commanded him to lead the Divine Generals of the Ding and Jia down to the world.

The Dark Emperor fought the Six Great Demon Kings in the Wilds of the Dark Yin. The demon kings used the two Qi of Kan and Li to transform into a blue tortoise and a giant serpent, changing shape and wielding magic. The Dark Emperor subdued them with his divine power beneath his feet and locked the ghost hordes inside the Great Grotto of Dengdu. Thus peace was restored between Heaven and Earth. After his victorious return, the Dark Emperor was granted the honored title “Supreme Emperor of the Mysterious Heaven, Preceptor and Minister of the Jade Void” and appointed Commissioner of Inspection of the Nine Heavens. His holy father was the Lord of Moluo Heaven, the Great Emperor of Bright Truth; his holy mother was the Queen Dowager Shansheng, the Transcendent Immortal of Jade Truth. The divine general who guarded the Heavenly Pass was the Great Mystery Fire Essence, the Yin General and Venerable Spirit of Red Numinous Radiance. The general who guarded the axis of Earth was the Great Mystery Water Essence, the Yang General and Venerable Spirit of Fish Numinous Radiance. Both deities dwelled in Heaven One.

The Left Judge of the Northern Pole Office for Expelling Evil refers to Yan Zhenqing of the Tang dynasty. When Emperor Dezong of Tang sent him to question Li Xilie’s relatives, they held a farewell banquet for him at Changle Slope. After drinking himself drunk, Yan Zhenqing leapt and danced in front of the hall, saying, “When I was young, I met a Daoist priest named Tao Ba, who gave me a pill of Azure Cloud Elixir, a medicine from Daoist legend. That is why I have not grown old to this day. He also said that at the age of seventy I would face a calamity, after which I would escape danger and come through safely. Later, I was to wait for him at Mount Luofu. Could today’s disaster be the calamity he meant?”

When Yan Zhenqing reached Daliang, Li Xilie ordered him to be strangled to death. He was buried south of the city. Later, after Li Xilie was defeated and killed, people opened Yan Zhenqing’s coffin and found that his face looked as it had in life. His whole body was golden, his fingernails extended past the backs of his hands, and his beard and hair had grown several feet long. They then reburied him at North Mountain in Yanshi.

Later, a merchant came to Mount Luofu and saw two Daoist priests playing Go beneath a tree. One of them asked where he had come from. “I am a traveler from Luoyang,” the merchant replied. The Daoist smiled and said, “Please take a letter home for me.” He asked a boy attendant to bring paper and brush, then wrote the letter. When the merchant returned to North Mountain in Yanshi, Yan Zhenqing’s descendants received it and exclaimed in amazement, “This is our late Grand Preceptor’s own hand.” They dug up the grave and opened the coffin, only to find it empty.

Later, Bai Yuchan said that Yan Zhenqing had taken the position of Left Judge in the Northern Pole Office for Expelling Evil, an office in the Northern Pole divine hierarchy responsible for driving out evil.

The birthday of Zitong Emperor is the third day of the second month.

According to the Qinghe Neizhuan (Inner Biography of Qinghe), I was originally someone who, in the time of Hao Hui, asked people about matters. I was born at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty and later reincarnated seventy-three times as a scholar-official. I never harmed the people or treated officials harshly. My temperament was fierce and my conduct clear-sighted, like autumn frost and the bright sun, so that no one dared to offend me.

At the end of the Western Jin dynasty, I was born between two commanderies west of Yue and south of Jun. I was born on the third day of the second month in a Dingwei year. Auspicious light shone on the doorway, and yellow clouds covered the fields. I lived near the sea. Someone asked the Elder of Qinghe, “You were over sixty when you finally had a precious son. As a child, he disliked playing and often longed for mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes. At times, he spoke as though he had a faint foreknowledge of things. He could recite many books, always kept away from other children, and amused himself by laughing alone. His body would even glow.”

When the people prayed, I mocked them, saying, “These figures of clay and wood wear human clothes and eat human food. People offer them sacrifices and receive a response; they curse them and suffer calamity. Since I am a human being, surely I too can show signs of spiritual power?” After that, I sometimes dreamed at night that I had become a dragon, and sometimes that I was a ruler in charge of the Heavenly Talisman or the Water Talisman. I found this strange, but did not really believe these were auspicious omens.

At the time, drought struck the crops and the finest grain withered. People prayed to the gods at the rain-seeking Yu sacrifice, but nothing came of it. I thought, “I dreamed that I governed the Water Office. Surely tonight there will be a response.” So I went to the water at night and, following the scene in my dream, presented an official document to the River Earl. I was frightened and embarrassed, and hesitated to act. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered on all sides, fierce winds rose, and thunder roared. An official came before me, bowed, and said, “I have been ordered to escort you to your post.” I replied, “You have the wrong person. I am Zhang Hulao’s son, named Ya. Since the Water Office’s document has reached you, call me Xu Mei.” The official said, “I have been ordered to come and receive you.” I asked, “What about my family?” He answered, “They will go ahead and wait for you at your post.”

While I was still in a state of alarm, the official invited me to mount a white donkey and depart. When I looked back, my village had vanished amid the sound of wind and rain. We came to a mountain whose ridges stretched up to the stars of the Shen constellation and whose shape resembled a crouching phoenix. At its foot was a cave, and the official led me inside. A stone stood beside the cave entrance. The official told me, “The people pray to this stone for rain, and their prayers are often answered. That is why they call it the Thunder Pillar.”

Just as I was arranging my clothes to enter the cave, the official asked, “Do you remember? You were reborn as a human being seventy-three times during the Zhou dynasty. The hidden Virtue you accumulated has passed down to later generations and has not yet come to an end.” Only then did I suddenly understand, as though waking from a dream. The official said, “You have been entered into the ranks of the celestial immortals. People in the human world also know your name. The Jin dynasty will soon show signs of revival. You may seek out a suitable place and manifest there in transformed form.” I replied, “I thank the heavenly messenger for bringing me this news.”

After entering the cave, I seemed to fall into a chasm a thousand zhang deep. As I neared the ground, my feet did not touch it; I seemed to be flying through the air. Then I entered a place with an official hall fit for a ruler, guarded by imperial sentries. Once inside, I saw my family. They were all there.

Later, I again took the form of a Confucian scholar and went to Xianyang to tell the story of Yao Mu.

The temple of the Lord Emperor stands north of Jiuqu in Zitong County, Jianzhou. Inside the main hall is a pavilion for spirit-writing. A five-colored flying luan is suspended inside it by golden cords, a writing brush held in its beak. Hundreds of sheets of golden-patterned paper, along with brushes and ink, are kept in the pavilion. Officials from the local administration seal the pavilion doors securely to prevent anyone from forging messages. When the spirit-writing is finished, the bronze bell inside the pavilion rings by itself. Temple attendants report this to the local administration, which then sends officials to unlock the doors and retrieve the writing, checking whether its predictions have come true. Most of the messages urge people to make loyalty and filial piety their foundation.

Long ago, the rebel Xi arrogated to himself the title of King of Shu. He prepared sacrificial animals and vessels, then went in person to perform a sacrifice at the Lord Emperor’s temple. Just as he was about to bow, a sudden black wind blew out the candles and scattered the incense smoke. Terrified, the rebel Xi threw himself down beneath the hall. After a while, the hall became bright again, and everyone saw that the wooden tablet used for the invocation had split in two.

The Lord Emperor was posthumously granted the title of Left Chancellor by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang. Emperor Xizong bestowed on him the title King of Shunji, and Emperor Taizu of the Song further honored him as the “King of Loyalty, Valor, Benevolence, Martial Prowess, Filial Virtue, and Sagely Excellence.” His family members were also given titles: the Sacred Consort was named Consort of Responsive Aid and Virtuous Grace; his Sacred Father, King of Manifest Celebration, Compassionate Protection, Benevolence, and Abundance; and his Sacred Mother, Consort of Manifested Virtue, Accumulated Blessings, Compassion, and Purity. His Sacred Son was named King of Inherited Virtue, and the son’s wife, Lady of Beneficent Assistance and Manifested Excellence. Another Sacred Son, King of Flourishing Virtue, had a wife named Lady of Compliant Assistance and Abundant Excellence. His Sacred Grandson, Marquis of Inherited Response and Manifested Efficacy, had a wife named Lady of Pure Response. Another Sacred Grandson, Marquis of Inherited Response and Proclaimed Efficacy, had a wife named Lady of Abundant Response.

The Assistant Deity, the King of Heroic Grace, Loyalty, Valor, Beneficence, and Peace, is the Commandant who oversees the reporting of good news. He is assisted by two immortal officials at his side: the Registrar of Laurels and the Registrar of Emoluments. On the seventh day of the third month in the third year of the Yanyou era, he was granted the sacred title “Marquis of Supporting the Origin, Transforming through Enlightenment, and Managing Emoluments for Wenchang, Magnanimous in Benevolence and Manifesting the Sacred.” The wife of his sacred grandson was enfeoffed as Lady of Responsive Grace.

The Assistant Deity, the King of Heroic Grace, Loyalty, Valor, Beneficence, and Peace, is likewise revered as the Commandant who oversees the reporting of good news, assisted on his left and right by two immortal officials: the Registrar of Laurels and the Registrar of Emoluments. On the seventh day of the third month in the third year of the Yanyou era, he was further elevated to the title “Imperial Lord of Supporting the Origin, Transforming through Enlightenment, and Managing Emoluments for Wenchang, Magnanimous in Benevolence and Manifesting the Sacred.”

The Three Perfected Lords of Wu Ke.

King Li of Zhou once had three remonstrating officials named Tang, Ge, and Zhou. King Li loved hunting and neglected state affairs. The three took turns urging him: “The former kings safeguarded the state through benevolence and righteousness and taught the people through moral example. For this reason, all under Heaven submitted to them. We have never heard of a former king becoming absorbed in hunting and neglecting government.” They remonstrated many times, but King Li never listened. So the three resigned their posts and traveled south to the state of Hao. The King of Hao welcomed them with great delight.

Just then, the state of Chu sent troops to invade Hao, and the King of Hao grew deeply anxious. The three stepped forward and said, “We are willing to serve Your Majesty with our lives. We have a plan to secure the state, so please do not worry.” As they went to meet the enemy, each used a wondrous strategy, and the Chu army eventually surrendered. The King of Hao wished to reward them, but they declined, saying, “We are officials living here as guests and dare not accept a reward.”

Later, they learned that King Li had died and King Xuan had ascended the throne, so they returned to Zhou. King Xuan rewarded them generously and restored their former ranks and offices. Later, the three rescued Prince Jing, subdued the envoys of the Five Directions—the divine messengers who guarded those regions—and dealt with omens of disaster and unexpected calamities. King Xuan sent them to the declining lands in the east to pacify and govern the people. The people benefited from their care, and merchants and travelers could obtain the goods they needed; travelers no longer lacked provisions, and the state became well governed. The three were later promoted and enfeoffed as marquises.

Tang Hong, courtesy name Wenming, held the title Marquis of Fuling and was said to have been born on the twenty-first day of the seventh month. Ge Yong, courtesy name Wendu, held the title Marquis of Weiling and was said to have been born on the thirteenth day of the second month. Zhou Wu, courtesy name Wugang, held the title Marquis of Jialing and was said to have been born on the second day of the tenth month.

In the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, the emperor went east to perform the feng sacrifice on Mount Dai (Mount Tai). As he reached the Heavenly Gate, he suddenly saw three immortals descend from the sky. Zhenzong respectfully asked who they were. The three immortals replied, “We have been commanded by Heaven to protect the imperial procession.” The emperor bestowed on them the titles Perfected Lords of Supreme Primordial Transformation of the Dao, of Central Primordial Protection of the Righteous, and of Lower Primordial Determination of Will, and ordered them jointly to oversee the underworld administration of Mount Dai.

The eulogy praises them as sages able to respond to changing circumstances and as people of lofty virtue. They took leave of Zhou and lived as guests in Hao, aiding the world and saving the people; their achievements were renowned in both Zhou and Hao. Emperor Zhenzong encountered them at the Heavenly Gate and learned their origins only after questioning them himself. The three surnames Tang, Ge, and Zhou were honored as deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, appointed by the Celestial Emperor to protect wise and enlightened rulers. The emperor personally composed a eulogy, ordered their names to be recorded, and had a shrine built for them on the summit of Mount Tai, where they were worshipped and granted titles. They were called the “Three Spirits.”

The first day of the eighth lunar month commemorates Perfected Lord Xu (Xu Xun, a Daoist immortal revered as Xu Jingyang).

Perfected Lord Xu’s personal name was Xun, and his courtesy name was Jingzhi. He was from Runan. His grandfather and ancestors had long admired the Great Dao. At the age of twenty, Xu Xun became a disciple of the Great Cavern Perfected Lord Hao Meng and studied the Three Pure Ones’ methods. Later, he was recommended as a filial and incorrupt official and appointed magistrate of Jingyang in Shu. During the upheavals of the Jin dynasty, he abandoned his post and left, traveling around the Jiangdong region with Lord Hao.

When Wang Dun raised troops in rebellion, Perfected Lord Xu and Lord Hao used talismanic arts as a pretext to gain an audience with him. They hoped to dissuade him from rebelling and preserve the Jin dynasty. One day, the two went to see Wang Dun together with Guo Pu. Wang Dun, already angry, asked Guo Pu, “Last night I dreamed that a piece of wood split the sky open. Will my plan to take the throne through abdication succeed? Please interpret the dream for me.” Perfected Lord Xu said, “This is an inauspicious dream. The character ‘wood’ above the character ‘sky’ forms the character ‘Song.’ You must not act rashly.” Wang Dun then asked Guo Pu to divine the outcome, and Guo Pu said the plan would fail. Wang Dun asked how long he himself would live. Perfected Lord Xu replied, “If you rebel, calamity will come soon. If you stay in Wuchang, your lifespan will be beyond measure.” Wang Dun grew angry and asked how long Xu Xun would live. Perfected Lord Xu answered, “My life ends today.” Wang Dun ordered his guards to take Guo Pu away for execution. During the banquet, Perfected Lord Xu and Lord Hao used their arts to make themselves invisible and escaped.

The two reached the mouth of the Lu River and called for a boat to take them across to Zhongling. The boatman said there was no one aboard to steer. The two replied, “Just take us aboard; we will steer the boat ourselves.” They also told the boatman to keep the cabin shut and not to look outside. After the boat had been underway for a short time, the boatman heard it rocking and leaves rustling. Unable to resist, he peered outside and saw two dragons carrying the boat as they flew to the summit of Zixiao Peak. The dragons noticed him watching and left the boat behind. The two reproached the boatman for ignoring their warning, then left the boat on the peak and taught him to consume sacred herbs and practice the arts of immortality. According to legend, traces of the boat remain there to this day.

Later, in Yuzhang, Perfected Lord Xu met a well-groomed young visitor who called himself Shenlang. After speaking with him, Xu Xun realized he was not human. When Shenlang had left, Perfected Lord Xu told his disciples that the young man was the spirit of a flood dragon and sea serpent. The Jiangxi region had suffered repeated floods, and unless the creature was eliminated, it might escape. Using his Daoist vision, Perfected Lord Xu saw the serpent spirit transformed into a yellow ox standing on a sandbar. He told his disciple Shi Taiyu, “That is the yellow ox. I will turn into a black ox and fight it. Take this white cloth and, when I signal you, strike it with your sword.” Soon the two oxen were chasing each other. Shi Taiyu struck the yellow ox on its left leg. It immediately plunged into a well west of the city, and the black ox followed it down. The serpent spirit nevertheless seized the chance to escape.

The serpent spirit had earlier appeared in Tanzhou as a clever young man carrying many treasures, and had married the daughter of the governor, Jia Yu. He often traveled among the rivers and lakes, always returning with many valuables. This time he came back empty-handed and said bandits had injured him. Soon afterward, a household retainer announced that the Daoist Xu Jingzhi had come to call. Jia Yu went out to receive him. Perfected Lord Xu said, “I hear that the Jia family has a fine son-in-law. Please let me meet him.” Shenlang claimed to be ill and refused to come out. Perfected Lord Xu shouted sternly, “You ancient monster, spirit of the flood dragon! How dare you hide yourself?” The creature had no choice but to reveal its true form and come down into the hall. Perfected Lord Xu ordered the divine generals in the sky to kill it. He also had its two children brought out; when he sprinkled water on them, they turned into little sea serpents. Jia Yu’s daughter nearly transformed as well, but at her parents’ desperate pleas, Perfected Lord Xu relented. He then ordered people to dig beneath the house. They dug more than ten feet without finding water, so he told everyone to leave at once. Before long, the government residence sank beneath the water. The traces of the event are said to remain clearly visible.

On the first day of the eighth month in the second year of the Taikang era of the Eastern Jin, Perfected Lord Xu and his entire family ascended to heaven in broad daylight from White Crane Mountain, west of Hongzhou. Local people and members of the Xu clan built a shrine there to honor him. They wrote the 120 poems he left behind on bamboo slips, placed them in a bamboo tube, and drew them to divine good or ill fortune. These lots came to be known as “divine lots.”

On the seventeenth day of the fifth month in the second year of the Zhenghe era, Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty bestowed on Perfected Lord Xu the honorific title “Perfected Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Deliverance” and elevated his Daoist temple to a palace, naming it the Jade Sublime Palace of Ten Thousand Longevities. According to legend, while reading in Chongzheng Hall, Huizong drifted into a dreamlike state. He saw a Daoist north of the East Glorious Gate, wearing a Nine Blossoms crown and a crimson robe of a Daoist youth, with many attendants. The Daoist came before the steps of the imperial hall and saluted the emperor, holding a tablet in his hand. Huizong asked, “Who are you, and why have you come without an imperial summons?” The Daoist replied, “I am Xu Jingyang. For a time, I oversee the offices of the Nine Heavens. The Lord on High has ordered me to inspect the Western Kingdom of Cūdāna. I am passing through my former home.” Huizong then asked whether the abscess from which he was suffering could be cured. The Perfected Lord took out a small gourd and poured out a medicine the size of a mung bean. After reciting an incantation, he applied it to the abscess. Huizong felt as though melted butter were flowing into his body, its coolness reaching to the marrow. The Perfected Lord saluted and departed. After walking a few steps, he turned back and said, “My former residence has long lain in disrepair. I hope Your Majesty will look upon it with favor.” Huizong awoke at once and ordered a portrait to be made according to what he had seen in the dream, then bestowed it on the Shangqing Chuxiang Palace for worship. He also issued an edict ordering palaces and temples to be built at places associated with Perfected Lord Xu. Where such buildings already existed, they were to be repaired according to the prescribed standards; where there were no permanent lands to support them, nearby government fields were to be assigned for their upkeep. The court further bestowed on Perfected Lord Xu the four characters “Supreme Dao, Mysterious Response,” while leaving his other titles unchanged.

The Celestial Master (Tianshi), Zhang Daoling, lived in the Han dynasty. Tradition says he was the eighth-generation descendant of Zhang Liang, whose courtesy name was Zifang. He was born during the Jianwu era of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han. He studied the arts of longevity on Haotianmu Mountain and later lived in seclusion on Beiyu Mountain. Emperors Zhang and He summoned him several times, but he did not answer their calls. Afterward, he spent many years traveling among famous mountains.

Zhang Daoling traveled east to Yunjin Creek in Xing’an. Climbing to a high place and looking out, he said that the area held an extraordinary realm. He followed the stream into Yunjin Cave and refined an elixir among the rocks inside. Three years later, images of a Green Dragon and a White Tiger circled overhead, and the elixir was complete. After taking it, his appearance grew younger, though he was already sixty. Later, he obtained secret texts and mastered the arts of transforming spirits and deities, becoming able to drive away demons and ghosts.

Tradition says that Zhang Daoling ascended to heaven from Yuntai Peak in Shu. The scriptures, Fulu (talismans and registers), seals, and swords he left behind were passed down to his descendants. His lineage flourished, and his descendants returned to this mountain, where they were honored generation after generation. Today, the Zhang descendants inherit the title of Perfected One from one generation to the next and live on Longhu Mountain in Guixi County, Guangxin Prefecture, Jiangxi.

Wherever the Celestial Master resides, if no palace-temple (a Daoist temple) has yet been built, one is to be constructed using the official funds assigned to his office. When a palace-temple falls into disrepair, it is to be renovated or replaced according to the regulations. If there is no permanent estate to support the residence, suitable government land nearby is to be allocated for its affairs. The dynasty honors the Celestial Master and has added the four characters “Daoxuan Ying” to his title; the other titles remain as before.

The birthday of the Three Mao Perfected Lords is the eighteenth day of the third lunar month.

Mao Ying, whose courtesy name was Shushen, was a great-grandson of Meng. His younger brother Mao Gu, courtesy name Jiwei, and another younger brother, Mao Zhong, courtesy name Sihe, were also born into the family. Mao Ying was born in the fifth year of the Zhongyuan era of Emperor Jing of Han. From childhood, his interests were unusual: he alone delighted in quietude and emptiness. At eighteen, he left home to cultivate the Dao on Mount Dan, living on herbs and plants. Later, he became a disciple of Lord Wang and traveled west to Mount Gui, where he was granted an audience with the Queen Mother of the West and received the Scripture of the Mysterious Truth of the Supreme Ultimate. Afterward, he returned to cultivate in a northern valley of Mount Heng. By then, he was forty-nine.

At the time, Mao Ying’s parents were still alive. His father resented that he had lived away from home for so long and traveled far without returning, and wanted to beat him with a staff. Mao Ying knelt and said, “I have received Fulu (talismans and registers), the credentials of a Daoist transmission, from a holy master, and celestial troops often guard me. If you strike me, the celestial troops may intervene, and your offense could become even more serious.” His father wanted to test his words, so he struck him with the staff. It immediately shattered into dozens of pieces. They flew off like arrows: when they hit a wall, they pierced through it; when they hit a pillar, they dented it. Only then did his parents understand that he had attained the Dao, and they stopped trying to beat him. Mao Ying said, “When I warned you just now, this was exactly what I feared.”

Later, both of Mao Ying’s younger brothers rose to high office: Mao Zhong became governor of the Western River commandery, and Mao Gu became Commander of the Capital Guard, responsible for public order in the capital. As the brothers prepared to take up their posts, several hundred people from their home district came to see them off. Mao Ying was among the guests. Smiling, he said, “Though I do not hold an office worth two thousand shi—a general term for a high-ranking official—when you send me off to ascend to immortality on the third day of the fourth month next year, the occasion will be no less grand than today.” No one believed him. This was the fourth year of the Chuyuan era of Emperor Xuan of Han.

On the appointed day, several qing of land in front of his gate suddenly became flat and bare, without a blade of grass. Blue curtains were set up all around, and white felt was spread on the ground, with room for several hundred people. The guests assembled for a grand banquet. No attendants could be seen, yet golden plates and jade cups came of their own accord to the tables, laden with fine wine and rare fruits whose names were unknown. The sound of instruments playing together filled the air, and the fragrance of orchid and musk drifted for several miles. A short while later, officials arrived to escort Mao Ying. Several hundred people dressed in red and girded with jade belts accompanied them, their banners and weapons gleaming brightly. Mao Ying took leave of his family and friends, boarded his carriage, and slowly departed among the clouds.

At the time, his two younger brothers were serving in their posts. When they heard that Mao Ying had ascended, they resigned and returned home, then went to the Eastern Mountain to seek him out. Mao Ying met them and said, “You have awakened too late. Now that you are both old, it is difficult to make up for lost time. Even if you obtain the true secret methods, you can only become earthly immortals—immortals who continue cultivating in the human world and have not fully transcended it.” He first taught his brothers methods for prolonging life and avoiding death, had them observe a strict vegetarian fast for three years, and then transmitted advanced Daoist methods. He taught them to visualize the Mysterious Truth Qi in the Hall of Light through seated meditation. He also gave each of them a dose of the Nine-Turn Reverted Elixir and a divine formula. The brothers took and wore these things, and later they too became immortals.

In later generations, they were called the “Three Mao Perfected Lords.” Shrines were built side by side on the three peaks of Mount Mao in Jurong. Their miraculous powers were said to be extraordinary, and people throughout the Jiangnan region traveled there to pay their respects.

The Great Emperor Zhang of Cishan was surnamed Zhang, named Bo, and styled Boqi. He was from Longyang in Wuling. His father was called Lord Longyang, and his mother, Lady Zhang. According to legend, while Lord Longyang and Lady Zhang were walking by the shore of Lake Tai, a sudden storm darkened the sky, and thunder and lightning broke out. For a time, Lord Longyang could not find Lady Zhang. After a while the weather cleared, and Lady Zhang said she had encountered a celestial deity and received a Golden Elixir. Before long, she became pregnant.

Zhang Bo was born at midnight on the eleventh day of the second month in the third year of the Shenjue era of the Western Han. When he grew up, he was tall, with a high-bridged nose, a long beard, and an extraordinary bearing. Guided by a spirit, he was told that the area was remote and unsuitable for settling, so he set out on a long journey. Wild animals led the way ahead of him. He then traveled east with Lady Li to the region of Hao, crossed the Zhejiang River, and reached the area around Caoyun Mountain and White Crane Mountain. Four streams converged below the mountain, and Zhang Bo settled there. He married a woman of the Liu family at White Crane Mountain and took a woman of the Zhao family as a companion at Sangzhi in Wucheng.

The Great Emperor Zhang had nine younger brothers, five sons, one daughter, and eight grandsons. At first, he was active in Hao and around Shunling Township in Changxing County. He commanded Yin soldiers—troops said to be under the power of spirits—and dug a waterway from Jingxi in Changxing to clear the Shengji. The works stretched for thirty li and were intended to open a water route to Guangde. Later, at Guagu Altar, he was misled by a crow. He saw that his wife had changed form, but was unable to meet her in time.

The Great Emperor Zhang eventually departed this world at the summit of Hengshan, five li west of Guangde County town. The local people remembered him and built a temple to worship him. His wife also came to a place two li east of the county town, where she died; the locals built a temple for her as well. The Shengji River later silted up and became farmland, while the Pool for Bathing the Soldiers became a lake used for irrigation. Nearly ten thousand qing of fields lay beside the lake. Legend has it that at Guagu Altar, birds dared not settle and ants dared not gather.

During the Dabao era of the Tang dynasty, the Great Emperor Zhang was credited with answering prayers for rain. He was first granted the title of Vice Director of the Water Bureau, and Hengshan was renamed Cishan. Emperor Zhaozong posthumously bestowed on him the title of Junior Minister of Agriculture and granted him golden and purple robes. Emperor Jingzong made him the Marquis of Guangde. The Southern Tang granted him the titles of Minister of Works and Duke of Guangde; the Later Jin made him King of Guangde; and Emperor Renzong of the Song made him King of Lingji. By the reign of Emperor Ningzong, his accumulated honorific title had grown to “King of Eight Characters.” In the fifth year of the Chunyou era under Emperor Lizong, his title was changed to Perfected Lord of Correct Protection, Sagely Might. Later, in the second year of Chunyou, he was further honored as Correct Protection, Sagely Might, Manifesting Virtue…

The True Lord Changfu (the Revered Deity Changfu) was born on the eleventh day of the second month.

Lady Li, who was granted the title Consort Zhengning Zhaozhu Linghui Shunsheng, was born on the second day of the second month.

Lady Zhao was granted the title Lady Xieying Jihui Cizhao Guangyi.

Lady [name not given] was granted the title Lady Xieshun Chengji Ciyou Guangzhu.

The King’s grandfather was granted the title Marquis Xianqing Chuixiu Zhaoyuan Linghui; his grandmother was granted the title Lady Xianying Qijia Zhaoling.

The King’s father was granted the title Marquis Ciying Gangguang Chuzi Yanling; his mother was granted the title Lady Cihui Sihui Shengshan.

The King’s nine younger brothers and their consorts were granted the following titles:

• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Lingji Puji Zhaozhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Lingde Zhaohui Jiayi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Shanli Tongji Lingzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Shande Zhuhui Zhengyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Shuncheng Fuying Xianzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Shunde Yanhui Zhaoyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Kangwei Zhaoying Guangzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Kangde Shunhui Xianyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Jingzhen Dengli Hongzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Jingde Shuhui Lingyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Xiuying Caoze Fuzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Xiude Fuhui Jingyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Mingji Fuqian Shanzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Jide Huanhui Changyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Zhaoyou Tongji Xinzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Zhaode Jinghui Mingyi.
• One younger brother was granted the title Marquis Jiahui Yuzhi Shunzhu, and his consort was granted the title Lady Jiade Rouhui Guangyi.

Among the King’s sons, King Chenglie Xianji Qiyou was born on the fifteenth day of the fifth month. His consort was granted the title Lady Chengsi Zanfu Yuanmu Xieying.

Lord Siying Zhaoyou was born on the fourth day of the first month. His consort was granted the title Lady Sipin Lanfu Zhaomu.

Lord Jimei Chongyou was born on the fifteenth day of the third month. His consort was granted the title Lady Jishun Baofu Gongmu.

Lord Shaoxiu Guangyou was born on the twelfth day of the twelfth month. His spouse is called Lady Shaosi Chongfu Jiaomu.

Lord Shanji Fuyou was born on the eleventh day of the first month. His spouse is called Lady Shanxing Fufu Ruimu.

The king’s daughter was granted the title Lady Shuxian Roujia Lingyi.

The king’s son-in-law, Lady Li, originally had neither a divine image nor a spirit tablet. During a jiao offering (a Daoist ritual in which an altar is set up for prayer) and ancestral rites, she is addressed as “the king’s son-in-law, Lady Li.”

There are eight royal grandsons, granted titles in order: the first, Marquis Yongfu; the second, Marquis Yanshe; the third, Marquis Yanyou; the fourth, Marquis Yanze; the fifth, Marquis Yanrui; the sixth, Marquis Yanwo; the seventh, Marquis Yanqing; and the eighth, Marquis Yanhui. During ancestral rites, the sixth is addressed as Marquis Yanwo.

The three sages Ding and Ren, who assist the deities, and the envoy Fang, who oversees offerings, were granted the title “Attendant of the Spirit.”

The record of the Five Sages’ lives, from birth to death, states that they were born on the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month.

According to the Collected Accounts of the Ancestral Shrine’s Divine Responses, the divine spirits of the Five Manifest Lords had existed since the creation of Heaven and Earth, but did not descend to this locality until the Qiguang era of the Tang dynasty. Early books and records make no mention of them, so later generations had no way to investigate the matter. The only account came from local elders, passed down orally from generation to generation.

According to tradition, a local man named Wang Yu had a garden north of the city. One night, red light from the garden illuminated the sky. Mi Wang, a resident of the district, went to see what was happening. He saw five divine spirits descending from Heaven in a stately procession, like princes and lords. They wore yellow robes and black silk sashes, and sat on huchuang—a kind of folding seat used in ancient times. Calling out to Wang Yu, they said, “We have come by Heaven’s command to receive offerings here and bring blessings to the people of this place. We searched for a quiet spot and have come here to settle. If you build a temple for us here and make offerings, we will protect you for a long time.” Wang Yu bowed to the ground and replied, “I will do as the spirits command.” As soon as he had spoken, auspicious clouds gathered from every direction, and the five spirits rose back into Heaven.

The next day, the people of the district came together to inspect the site for the temple. Fang Mountain lay to the east and Pei Mountain to the west; Yaodun Hill curved around on the left, and Snake City on the right. To the south were two pools, with the Sitting Waters in front of the temple and a great stream behind it. The water flowing from the north wound in a meandering course, while two graceful peaks rose high in the west. The terrain at the water’s outlet was also favorable, making this a suitable place for a temple. So everyone joined forces, cutting bamboo and clearing weeds. They built a splendid temple, fashioned statues of the spirits, and worshipfully enshrined and venerated them. Once word spread, people came from all directions, gathering like schools of fish and spokes converging on a hub.

From then on, the spirits repeatedly manifested their power, protecting the state and its people. At first, the temple was called simply the Temple of the Five Powers. During the Dazhong era, the court bestowed on it the plaque “Numinous Favor.” In the Xuanhe era, the spirits were granted a marquisate with a two-character title; in the Shaoxing era, the title was extended to four characters; in the Qiandao era, to eight. Early in the Chunxi era, they were made lords with a two-character title. In the Jiachen year, their title was extended to four characters, and eleven years later to six. In the sixth year of the Qingyuan era, it was extended to eight characters. In the second year of the Jiatai era, they were made kings with a two-character title, and in the first year of the Jiading era, with a four-character title. Later, because they had repeatedly given covert aid in the Jiangzuo region, their title was extended to six characters. In the eleventh month of the sixth year of the Jiading era, an imperial edict was issued granting them a kingly title of eight characters. During the Lizong era, their eight-character kingly title was changed again.

Worship is offered to Hu Baier, the Inspector, Hu Jingyi, the General Manager, and the two Protectors Huang and Wang. There are also two Chief Commissioners of the Imperial Guard, who serve as judges overseeing good and evil and carrying out rewards and punishments.

The Rites of Zhou, in the section “The Lesser Minister of Religion,” records that sacrifices to the Five Emperors were held in the suburban districts in the four directions. Han-dynasty rites also included sacrifices to the Five Household Deities, the five spirits associated with the home and daily life. In the Song dynasty diagram of the Bright Hall, the Emperors of the Five Directions were placed beside the Supreme Emperor of Vast Heaven and worshipped alongside five human emperors. The Five Officials are direct manifestations of the Qi of the Five Phases: Water, Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth. These are the great forces that drive change throughout Heaven and Earth. Accordingly, the ancients used the divine names Xuanming, Zhurong, Goumang, Shenru, and Houtu to represent Water, Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth respectively. Perhaps the descent of the Five Deities here is their quiet work of assisting the Five Phases as they nurture and transform all things, bringing blessings to the people. Some say the Five Sages are the Five Penetrating Spirits and are not true deities. This confuses their titles with their actual identities.

On the eighth day of the fourth month each year, this county holds a grand Zhaijiao, a Daoist purification and prayer ritual, which local officials and common people attend in great numbers.

The present dynasty once bestowed the following honorific titles:

The first: King of Manifest Wisdom, Illustrious Response, Numinous Efficacy, and Vast Aid; Lady of Manifest Celebration, Harmonious Blessings, Illustrious Assistance, and Support.

The second: King of Manifest Clarity, Illustrious Rank, Numinous Protection, and Vast Blessing; Lady of Manifest Grace, Harmonious Celebration, Benevolent Assistance, and Support.

The third: King of Manifest Rectitude, Illustrious Compliance, Numinous Guarding, and Vast Favor; Lady of Manifest Harmony, Equalizing Aid, Upright Assistance, and Support.

The fourth: King of Manifest Integrity, Illustrious Protection, Numinous Fulfillment, and Vast Grace; Lady of Manifest Protection, Harmonious Equalization, Joyful Assistance, and Support.

The fifth: King of Manifest Virtue, Illustrious Benefit, Numinous Aid, and Vast Accomplishment; Lady of Manifest Fortune, Harmonious Love, Tranquil Assistance, and Support.

The king’s grandfather was granted the title Marquis of Opening Aid, Auspicious Response, and Spreading Grace; his grandmother was granted the title Lady of Abundant Celebration, Assisting Compliance, and Compassionate Fulfillment.

His father was the Marquis of Broad Grace and Compassionate Aid, Fang Yi; his mother was the Lady of Revered Blessings, Compassion, and Equal Celebration. His elder sister was titled the Lady of Joyful Response, Praised Grace, Virtue, and Manifest Illumination; his younger sister was titled the Lady of Fine Compliance, Blessed Virtue, Serenity, and Manifest Illumination.

As for the two divine officials under his command, perhaps they were descendants of the five distinguished dukes and marquises. Unwilling to personally trouble the ears and eyes of the people with matters of fortune and calamity, they entrusted these affairs to the two deities to administer.

The Daoist in yellow robes; the Marshal Yuanjue in purple robes.

Marquis Shi of Assisting the Numinous, Variegated Goodness; Marquis Hou of Assisting Compliance, Variegated Grace; Marquis Zhou of Variegated Response, Aiding Compliance; and Assistant Magistrate Linghu of the Temple.

The Master of the Twenty-two Kings; the High Protector Gao, who performs the offerings.

The Most Sagely King Bingling was born on the twelfth day of the fifth month.

The Most Sagely King Bingling was the third son of the Eastern Peak’s Emperor Tianqi Rensheng. Emperor Taizong of the Tang bestowed on him the title General of Awe-Inspiring Might. Emperor Taizong of the Song titled him Lord Bingling of the Supreme Firmament. On the fifteenth day of the first month in the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era (1008), he was further titled the Most Sagely King Bingling.

The True Lord You-sheng (the revered deity who receives and grants protection) bore the surname Mao and the given name Ying. He was from Xianyang, near Chang’an. He left home to pursue the Dao in childhood and visited famous mountains and grotto dwellings far and wide. Later, he met Lord Wang and received the art of long life. Through cultivating the Dao, he became an immortal and was known as a Celestial Immortal. In the third year of the Yishuo era under Emperor Ming of the Han, a heavenly text suddenly descended, its writing all in jade-seal script and dragon characters. It declared that the Great Emperor Baoming Zhenjun and the Eastern Peak’s Emperor Tianqi Rensheng jointly oversaw life and death and governed affairs in the underworld. Emperor Taizong of the Song titled him the True Lord You-sheng; Emperor Zhenzong of the Song later added the title Supreme Minister of the Nine Heavens, True Lord You-sheng Who Bestows Blessings.

Wang Shichen

The Daoist attendant’s surname was Wang and his given name was Wenqing. He was from Linchuan in the Song dynasty. “Attendant” was his official title. From birth, he had the innate disposition for cultivating the Dao and was held in high regard by people who had attained the Way. As he grew older, he traveled widely, visiting nearly every region. He once met an extraordinary person who taught him Daoist arts, enabling him to summon wind and thunder.

Emperor Huizong of Song bestowed on him the title “Feathered Guest of the Golden Gate, Attendant at the Hall of Concentrated Spirit.” He was then greatly favored by the emperor, but refused all the gifts the emperor offered him. At the time, Yangzhou was suffering a severe drought, and the emperor issued an edict seeking rain. The Daoist attendant pointed his sword at the water and performed a rite, saying, “Lend me three feet of water from the Yellow River.” Several days later, Yangzhou reported that rain had fallen; the rainwater was yellow and very muddy. After this, he manifested many more spiritual wonders. Shrines began to be built for him in the Yuan dynasty, and today his shrine stands within the city of Jianchang Prefecture. People seeking efficacious responses come in an unending stream, often bringing livestock and silk as offerings.

Yuan Qianli

Yuan Sheng, whose courtesy name was Qianli, was from Nanfeng. He was also the nephew of Wang the Daoist attendant; his father’s surname is unknown. He mastered the Thunder Rite of Cutting and Examining, a Daoist art used to expel evil and summon thunder deities. During the Duanping era, he stayed at Dai Dian’s home. One day he said to Dai Dian, “I am about to leave this world. You may cremate my remains.” Then he died. As Dai Dian cremated his body, a flag appeared amid the smoke and flames. Golden characters emerged on it: “Yuan Qianli, Second Adjudicator of the Thunderclouds.”

Zhang Guo lived in seclusion around Zhongtiao Mountain in Hengzhou and often traveled between Fenzhou and Jinzhou. It was said that he knew the secret arts of longevity. Older people said they had seen him when they were children; even then, Zhang Guo claimed to have lived for several hundred years. He often rode a white donkey that could travel tens of thousands of li in a day. When he rested, he folded the donkey until it was as thin as paper and put it in a headcloth case, a box for storing headcloths and similar items. When he wanted to ride again, he sprinkled it with water, and the donkey returned to its original form.

Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong of the Tang summoned Zhang Guo, but he refused to leave the mountains. When Empress Wu Zetian, the Tang dynasty’s female ruler, summoned him, he pretended to die in front of the Tuonü Temple. Later, someone saw him again in the mountains of Hengzhou. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang sent him an invitation written under the imperial seal. Zhang Guo then came to the capital and was lodged at the Jixian Academy, a court institution devoted to scholarship. When people asked him about the immortals, he gave no answer. The many attempts to test his immortal arts cannot all be recounted.

Perfected One of the Western Peak

The Perfected One of the Western Peak was surnamed Feng and named Chang. He was from Mount Li. During the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, he served as the Pillar-Below Historian, an official in charge of records and documents. After observing changes in the celestial patterns, he withdrew from public life to cultivate body and mind. Later, he met Perfected Deng, who transmitted a numinous book to him. As his practice neared completion, he met Perfected Peng, who gave him the Taishang Hidden Book. He thereby gained immortal arts and used his techniques to heal others. In the spring of the twentieth year of King Ping of Zhou, he ascended to immortality and departed.

Perfected One of Great Simplicity, born on the twenty-third day of the ninth month

The Perfected One of Great Simplicity was surnamed Zhou and named Liang, with the courtesy name Taizhen. He was from Taiyuan. One night, while his mother was asleep, she dreamed that clouds of five-colored flowing radiance covered their home; she therefore became pregnant. The account then says that he obtained immortal arts, healed others, and ascended to immortality and departed in the spring of the twentieth year of King Ping of Zhou. This passage is the same as the preceding biography of the Perfected One of the Western Peak.

At the end, the text again states: “The Perfected One of Great Simplicity, born on the twenty-third day of the ninth month.”

The Perfected One of Great Simplicity, Zhou Liang, styled Taizhen, was from Taiyuan. One night, his mother dreamed that clouds glowing in five colors enveloped their home. She became pregnant afterward and carried him for fifteen months before giving birth. When he grew up, he became a disciple of Yao Tan, studying the Five Thousand Words and the Scripture of the Eight Primal Forms. He could drive away and subdue ghosts and monsters, restoring each to its original form.

When Prince Jin, heir to King Ling of Zhou, heard of Zhou Liang’s deeds, he summoned him and bestowed on him the Nine Radiances and Seven Luminaries Lingzhi, a legendary elixir plant. After taking it, Zhou Liang could change his appearance. Sometimes he would become like a seventy-year-old man, with graying hair and missing teeth, and remain that way for an entire night. At other times, he would return to the appearance of a youth, with a face like a flower. If cruel people bullied him, they would unknowingly bind themselves and suffer beatings, crying out in pain with blood flowing from their mouths. He would spare them only after they begged for mercy.

Zhou Liang lived for more than 190 years. In the fourteenth year of King Weilie’s reign, the Supreme Emperor sent celestial officials to welcome him and bestowed on him the title “Perfected One of Qin and Long.” From then on, he came and went in the Great Clarity, the celestial realm of Daoist legend.

The Perfected Sa (Sa Shoujian) was a native of Xihe in Shu. He had studied medicine, but after a wrong prescription caused someone’s death, he gave up practicing. Hearing that the Daoist arts of the Celestial Master Zhang Xujing, Wang Shichen of Jianchang, and Lin Lingsu of Fuzhou were profound, he went to seek instruction from them.

When he arrived in Shu, his travel money was gone, and he could only sit on a stone, worrying. Suddenly, three Daoists appeared. The Perfected Sa asked how far it was to Xinzhou. They asked in return what he intended to do there. He said he was going to pay his respects to the Celestial Master Xujing and study the Daoist arts. The Daoists told him that the Celestial Master had died. He asked about Wang Shichen and Lin Lingsu, and was told that they, too, had died. Just as he was feeling dejected, one of the Daoists said, “There is still a Celestial Master whose Daoist arts are profound. I know him and can write you a letter of introduction. Each of us will also pass on one art to you. I will teach you a way to earn your living with dates: recite a spell each day to obtain dates, then exchange them for seven coins, enough to cover your daily expenses.” Another Daoist gave him a palm-leaf fan, saying that when someone was ill, he could fan them with it and they would recover. The third taught him Thunder Magic, a Daoist art for summoning and directing thunder spirits to perform magical operations.

After receiving their instruction, the Perfected Sa took his leave. His arts proved effective whenever he used them. Each day he obtained more than a hundred dates, kept only seventy coins for his daily expenses, and used the rest to help the poor. Later, when he reached Xinzhou, he paid his respects to the Celestial Master and presented the letter. The Celestial Master and his whole family wept as they read it: the letter had been written in the hand of the Celestial Master Xujing himself. It said, “Wang Shichen, Celestial Master Lin, and I met Master Sa, and each of us passed on one art to him.” The Celestial Master then petitioned the court to enter the Perfected Sa in the registers and record his title. In time, his powers became even more remarkable.

The Perfected Sa once passed through Tanzhou. The local people heard a divine message: “Tomorrow, the judicial commissioner, the Perfected Sa, will arrive.” The next day, everyone came out to welcome him. They saw him approaching with a jar and a bamboo hat, while a sign in the procession bore the words “Commissioner for Judicial Inspection.” Everyone found this strange.

Later, when the Perfected Sa reached Fuliang in Xiangyin County, he saw local people offering boys and girls as live sacrifices to the temple god. He declared that this was an evil spirit and that the temple should be burned down. No sooner had he spoken than lightning and fire burst forth, and the temple was immediately consumed.

The Perfected Sa came to Longxing Prefecture and was washing his feet by the river when he saw a divine figure reflected in the water: square-faced, wearing a yellow headcloth and golden armor, with his left hand pulling at his sleeve and a whip in his right. The Perfected Sa asked what kind of spirit he was. The figure replied, “I am Wang Shan, the god of the temple in Xiangyin. After you burned down my temple, I followed you for twelve years, waiting for you to make a mistake so I could find a chance to take revenge. Now your merit and practice are profound, and you have been appointed to a post in the Celestial Pivot. I hope you will petition the Heavenly Emperor to appoint me as one of your commanders.”

The Perfected Sa said, “You are a fierce and evil spirit. If you remain within my lineage, you will surely damage my teaching.” The temple god immediately swore an oath that he would never break their agreement. The Perfected Sa then petitioned the Heavenly Emperor, who appointed Wang Shan to a post.

The Perfected Sa arrived in Zhangzhou. One day, his generals appeared in visible form and stood in attendance around him. The Heavenly Emperor issued an edict summoning him to take up his post in the Celestial Pivot. The moment the Perfected Sa rose to his feet, he died standing, completing his transformation into an immortal.

Perfected Person of Shouchun

The Perfected Person’s surname was Mei, his given name Fu, and his courtesy name Zizhen. He was from Shouchun. After forming an alliance at Shouchun, he submitted a memorial to the Celestial Emperor, who appointed him to a divine office. Later, he went to Zhangzhou. One day, the generals appeared in visible form and stood around him in attendance. The Celestial Emperor issued an edict summoning him to take up the office of Celestial Pivot. As Perfected Mei rose to his feet, he immediately transformed and departed as an immortal.

Perfected Person of Shouchun

The Perfected Person’s surname was Mei, his given name Fu, and his courtesy name Zizhen. He was from Shouchun. During the Han dynasty, he served as commandant of Nanchang County. When he saw Wang Mang seize power, he left home to seek immortality. He traveled among the mountains of southern Min and later entered Mount Xianxia, where he met the Immortal Lord Kongtong, a deity who taught the methods of immortality. From him, he learned the methods of Neidan (internal alchemy) and Waidan (external alchemy). Neidan means cultivating body and mind, refining Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) in pursuit of the Dao (the Way); Waidan means refining elixirs.

Mei Fu practiced on Mount Jilong but did not succeed, so he went to the western ridge of the Jian River, where he met the Immortal Lord Kongtong again. The lord told him, “Your destiny lies on Mount Feihong.” Mei Fu therefore went to Mount Feihong, built a thatched hut, and practiced there. Once his alchemical work was complete, he hurriedly packed his belongings and returned to Shouchun.

One day, purple clouds appeared in the sky, accompanied by waves of celestial music. A boy and a girl of the immortals descended from heaven on a luan bird, holding an imperial edict. Mei Fu bowed and received the edict, took leave of his family, and ascended on a blue luan. During the Yuanfeng era of Emperor Shenzong of the Song dynasty, he was granted the title “Perfected Person of Shouchun.” Today, a temple to him stands outside Jubaomen in Jinling. It is said to be wondrously efficacious, and people call it the “Temple of General Mei.”

Master Fuju

Master Fuju spoke with an accent like that of the Yan and Dai regions. Whenever he polished someone’s mirror, he would ask its owner, “Do you have any illness or pain?” If the person was ill, he would take out purple pills and a red medicine and give them to the person. Everyone who took them recovered.

Master Fuju

Master Fuju spoke with an accent like that of the Yan and Dai regions. Whenever he polished someone’s mirror, he would ask its owner whether they were ill or in pain. If someone was sick, he would take out purple pills and a red medicine and give them; those who took them generally recovered.

At the time, a severe epidemic was spreading. He went from household to household distributing medicine and cured tens of thousands of people, never accepting a single coin. Later, he lived on a sheer cliff on Mount Wu, where generation after generation he hung medicine for people to take. He said, “I am going back to Mount Penglai to bring you divine water.” Before long, white water flowed from between the rocks of the cliff, and many people recovered after drinking it. The villagers then built a shrine to him and offered sacrifices there.

Spirit of the Lülü Pitches

This shrine stands on Fox Rock at Shenxi, five li north of Hunyuan Prefecture in Datong Prefecture. It was first built under the Yuan-Wei dynasty and later renovated during the Yuan dynasty. According to legend, in the sixth month of the first year of the Taichu era, Zhang Gui of Hongzhou was resting on Fox Rock at dusk when he suddenly saw a divine being descend from the sky. The being was handsome and composed, refined beyond the ordinary world. Looking at Zhang Gui, he said, “Lü Lü, Lü Lü, Heaven commands you to pass on this message: a violent rainstorm will come on the twentieth of this month.” Then he rose into the air and departed. Zhang Gui understood his meaning. When he returned home, he told the people in the neighboring villages one by one, urging them to harvest their wheat quickly. On that day, a violent storm indeed destroyed the wheat that had not yet been harvested. When word of this reached the court, it sent an envoy to offer sacrifice.

Liu Shi

The Huanyu Ji records that Liu Shi, whose courtesy name was Mohe, was well versed in Buddhist scriptures and precepts and deeply understood the essentials of Chan practice. He divined good and ill fortune, and whatever he said came true. During the time of Juqu Mengxun, he once said, “Those seeking immortality and studying the Way should stop at the small thatched hut south of the prefectural seat in Suzhou.” Later, he joined his palms, took refuge, and entered nirvana—a Buddhist term for a practitioner’s passing away. His disciples cremated his remains; his bones turned into pearls and his blood into pills. They then built a shrine where he had passed away. It is said that those who went there to pray often received pearls and pills. From then on, when people prayed to him to avert fires, the fires were extinguished; when they prayed for rain, heavy rain came; and when they prayed for healing, their illnesses improved. People from near and far therefore vied to pay him reverence.

This concludes volume two of the Soushen Ji. Next is volume three of the Soushen Ji, whose contents list Guanyin, the Heavenly King, and Kṣitigarbha.

Volume Three of Records of the Search for Spirits lists the deities and figures it records, including Guanyin, the Heavenly Kings, King Dizang, the Ten Kings of Hell, the Eighteen Arhats, and several local deities.

Guanyin Bodhisattva is traditionally said to have been born on the nineteenth day of the second lunar month. Long ago, there was a king named Miaozhuang, who had three daughters: the eldest, Miaoyin; the second, Miaolu; and the youngest, Miaoshan. Miaoshan later attained the Dao and became Guanyin Bodhisattva. When King Miaozhuang ordered her to marry, she refused, so he sent her to live at White Sparrow Temple in the garden. The nuns there made her carry tea and water as hard labor, but spirits and gods did the work for her.

Enraged, King Miaozhuang ordered the temple burned down. All the monks inside perished in the flames, but Miaoshan emerged unharmed. He then ordered her execution, but three knives broke one after another. Next, he ordered her strangled with a white silk cord. Suddenly, black fog covered the sky, and a white tiger carried her body to the Shituo Forest. A blue-robed boy stood nearby. Miaoshan then passed through the underworld and crossed the Nai River Bridge, where she helped the suffering souls of the dead. Afterward, she returned to life and went back to the Shituo Forest.

The Star Lord of Great White transformed into an old man and guided her to practice cultivation on Fragrant Mountain. Later, when King Miaozhuang fell ill, Miaoshan gouged out her own eyes and severed her arms to cure her father. By the time King Miaozhuang went to thank her, Miaoshan had attained the Dao. In the sky appeared the wondrous and efficacious form of Guanyin Bodhisattva, with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes. From then on, this legend became the story of Guanyin Bodhisattva’s manifestation on Fragrant Mountain.

According to the Shishi yuanliu, there were the Heavenly King Virūḍhaka, the Heavenly King Virūpākṣa, the Heavenly King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and the Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang followed Gaozu in raising an army, a spirit appeared before him and identified himself as the Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa, offering to help him bring the turmoil to an end. One of his attendants had an elephant’s trunk, and with this aid Emperor Taizong was victorious wherever he went. After ascending the throne, he issued an edict ordering government offices throughout the realm to worship this Heavenly King. At the beginning of the Tiansheng era, the court again ordered every prefecture to build shrines and Buddhist temples, all bearing the plaque “Heavenly King.” This is said to be the origin of the Heavenly King shrines and temples found throughout the land.

The Birthday of King Kṣitigarbha, on the Thirtieth Day of the Seventh Month

King Kṣitigarbha governs the netherworld and is the teacher of the Ten Grounds, the ten stages of a bodhisattva’s practice. The Kings of Hell came with their retinues to pay their respects and offer congratulations. According to legend, he once taught Maudgalyāyana, also known as Mahāmaudgalyāyana, in Rājagṛha. He studied under the Tathāgata Śākyamuni and held a Yulan assembly, a Buddhist rite praying for the dead, to save his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts. After his death, he became King Kṣitigarbha. The thirtieth day of the seventh month was designated as his birthday, and scholars often pay him reverence.

Some say that the King Kṣitigarbha now worshipped at Mount Jiuhua in Qingyang is this same figure. But according to the legends, the Kṣitigarbha of Mount Jiuhua was in fact a monk from the kingdom of Silla, an ancient state on the Korean Peninsula, who crossed the sea during the Tang dynasty and settled on the mountain. He lived to the age of ninety-nine. As he lay dying, he summoned his disciples to bid them farewell. The mountain then rumbled and rocks fell; soon afterward, he passed away seated cross-legged. Three years later, when his disciples opened the stupa to prepare for his burial, they found his face still lifelike. When they moved his body, his joints made a sound like golden locks. For this reason, he was called “Golden Kṣitigarbha.” This shows that identifying him with the King Kṣitigarbha mentioned earlier is a mistake in the legend.

Vajra

This refers to the Vajra Secret Traces, a name for a Buddhist guardian deity. According to the Samādhi Sūtra, the account also says that three years later, when the disciples opened the stupa to prepare for burial, they found the body still lifelike. As they moved it, its joints sounded like golden locks, so he was called “Golden Kṣitigarbha.” This shows that the earlier legend is mistaken.

Vajra

This refers to Vajra Secret Traces (a Buddhist guardian deity). According to the Samādhi Scripture, when the Tathāgata subdued the Five Mara demons in the kingdom of Gandhāra, the Vajra deity held a great vajra club whose head sent out flames to scorch an evil dragon. Terrified, the Dragon King fled and hid in the Buddha’s shadow. The Vajra deity also once raised a sharp sword and pointed it at the forehead of the King of Ghosts. Frightened, the king clutched his child and came on his knees before the Buddha. He also once asked the Buddha to grant him a little food for a time, so that he could save and transform the assembly of ghosts and spirits.

After the World-Honored One entered Nirvana, the Vajra deity said in grief and anguish, “The Tathāgata has left me and entered quiescence. From now on, I have nowhere to take refuge, no one to rely on, and no one to shelter or protect me. Every kind of affliction and calamity has come rushing in at once; sorrow pierces my heart deeply, like a poisoned arrow. Whom can this vajra club still protect?” With that, he cast down the club and said, “From now on, whom am I to serve?” He repeatedly voiced his longing for the Tathāgata. This is the origin of the Vajra deity’s manifested form.

The Ten Wisdom Kings

First, Flame-Transformed De’jia Wrathful Great Wisdom King; second, Invincible Great Wrathful Wisdom King; third, Bōnèfēngdéjiā Great Wrathful Wisdom King; fourth, Wěijìnnàndéjiā Great Wrathful Wisdom King; fifth, Immovable Venerable Great Wrathful Wisdom King; sixth, Zhàgēn Great Wrathful Wisdom King; seventh, Nǐluónánqiè Wrathful Wisdom King; eighth, Great Power Great Wrathful Wisdom King; ninth, Sòngpó Great Wrathful Wisdom King; tenth, Zhuànrìluóbōduōluó Great Wrathful Wisdom King.

Each of these ten Wrathful Wisdom Kings has three faces, with three eyes on each face. Each wears an image of the Buddha atop the head, is clothed in tiger skin, wears a crown of skulls, and has hair piled high and standing upright.

The Ten Earth Pavilion Lords

The Ten Kings of Hell are: the First Hall’s King Qin’guang, surnamed Xiao; the Second Hall’s King Chujiang, surnamed Cao; the Third Hall’s King Songdi, surnamed Lian; the Fourth Hall’s King Wuguan, surnamed Huang; the Fifth Hall’s King Yanluo, surnamed Han; the Sixth Hall’s King Biancheng, surnamed Shi; the Seventh Hall’s King Taishan, surnamed Bi; the Eighth Hall’s King Pingdeng, surnamed Zi; the Ninth Hall’s King Dushi, surnamed Xue; and the Tenth Hall’s King Zhuanlun, surnamed Xue. In folk belief, the Kings of Hell govern the underworld and judge the dead. The original text repeats the names of several earlier kings after listing the Eighth Hall.

The Eighteen Arhats—Buddhist sages who have attained accomplishment through cultivation—are, in order: the First, Venerable Pindola Bharadvaja; the Second, Venerable Kanaka Vatsa; the Third, Venerable Kanaka Bharadvaja; the Fourth, Venerable Subinda; the Fifth, Venerable Nakula; the Sixth, Venerable Bhadra; the Seventh, Venerable Kalika; the Eighth, Venerable Vajriputra; the Ninth, Venerable Gopaka; the Tenth, Venerable Panthaka; the Eleventh, Venerable Rahula; the Twelfth, Venerable Nagasena; the Thirteenth, Venerable Angida; the Fourteenth, Venerable Vanavasa; the Fifteenth, Venerable Ajita; the Sixteenth, Venerable Cudapanthaka; the Seventeenth, Venerable Qingyou; and the Eighteenth, Venerable Pindola. “Venerable” is a title of respect for someone admired for their virtue and spiritual cultivation. The original text also repeats the names of the Eleventh through Sixteenth Arhats.

Chan Master Baozhi is the name of a Chan Buddhist master.

During the Yuanyuan era of the Zhu dynasty, Chan Master Baozhi appeared in an eagle’s nest in an old tree in Dongyang Town. The Zhu family heard a child crying in the nest and brought him home to raise. The child therefore took the surname Zhu. The family also donated their residence and had it converted into a temple. Baozhi became a monk while still young and practiced at Daolin Temple on Zhong Mountain.

He often carried a tin staff hung with a knife, ruler, mirror, whisk, and other objects. Sometimes a strip of cloth one or two feet long hung from it as well. Even after going several days without food, he showed no sign of hunger. At times he sang, and his songs often seemed prophetic, so scholars and common people alike revered him.

During the Jianyuan era of the Qi dynasty, Emperor Wu of Qi believed that Baozhi was misleading the people and ordered him confined in the Jiankang prison. Yet at dawn the next day, people saw him walking through the marketplace. When they went to check, another Baozhi was still in the prison. The governor of Jiankang reported this to the emperor, who summoned Baozhi to the rear hall of the palace. Later, while in Hualin Garden, Baozhi suddenly put on three cloth hats, though no one knew where they had come from. Soon afterward, the Prince of Yuzhang and the Crown Prince Wenhui died one after the other. The Qi court came to revere Baozhi even more because of these strange signs, and prohibited him from leaving the palace.

After Emperor Wu of Liang ascended the throne, he issued an edict: “Although Master Zhi lives in the dusty world, his mind and spirit roam in a distant, tranquil realm. Water and fire cannot harm him; snakes and tigers cannot attack or frighten him. In discussing Buddhist teachings, his insight surpasses that of the Hearer Vehicle. In speaking of reclusion and the cultivation of immortality, his attainment also exceeds that of ordinary immortals. How can he be confined according to worldly conventions? Such treatment is truly foolish. From this day onward, he must not be imprisoned again.”

One day, Baozhi accompanied the emperor while he ate fish. The emperor asked, “A person has known the taste of fish for more than twenty years. Why do you still do this?” The master immediately spat out a small fish, its scales and tail still intact. It is said that fish bones he spat out were still preserved in Jiankang at the time.

Several months after Empress Xi’s death, Emperor Wu of Liang still thought of her constantly. By day he was gloomy, and at night he could not sleep. One night, he heard a commotion outside his bedchamber. When he went to look, he saw a huge python coiled against the wall, mouth open and eyes glaring at him. Terrified and with nowhere to flee, the emperor forced himself to stand his ground and said to the snake, “My palace is heavily guarded. This is no place for a snake like you. You must be a demon, come to cause trouble and harm me.”

The python spoke: “I am Xi, your former consort. While alive, I was jealous of the women in the palace and cruel and vicious by nature. The slightest displeasure made me fly into a rage. I burned things with fire, shot at them with arrows, damaged possessions, and hurt people. For this, after death I suffered punishment and became a python. I have no food to satisfy my hunger and no cave to shelter me. Hunger and hardship are almost more than I can bear. Insects also gnaw at my flesh, and the pain is like knives and awls piercing me. I am no ordinary snake; I can transform and appear in different forms, so even the palace’s strict guards cannot keep me out. Remembering your affection for me in the past, I have appeared in this hideous form to ask you to perform good deeds to save me.”

The emperor was deeply moved and grieved by what he heard. When he went to look for the python again, it had disappeared. The next day, he summoned a gathering of monks in the palace courtyard, told them what had happened, and asked what good deed would be most effective, hoping to save Xi from her suffering. Baozhi replied that only reverently paying homage to the Buddhas and repenting to cleanse away her karmic offenses would suffice. The emperor followed his advice, gathering the names of Buddhas from the scriptures and writing a repentance text himself. He compiled it into ten volumes, drawing passages from the Buddhist scriptures and removing words that did not accord with the Dharma, for use in repentance and paying homage to the Buddhas.

Another day, a rich fragrance suddenly filled the palace, growing stronger as time passed. At first no one knew where it came from. Emperor Wu of Liang looked up and saw a beautifully composed celestial being, who said to him, “This is the python…”