《桓真人升仙记》

Immortal Lord Li Huan of Huagai Mountain in western Shu transmitted the Daoist arts to Perfected Huan Kai. The Immortal Lord bestowed his own title as a surname on his disciple, so the disciple was called Huan Kai; “Huan” was not originally his surname.

One day, the Immortal Lord said to Huan Kai, “You have already obtained the great medicine of the Golden Elixir, and you have learned the formulas for flying steps, invisibility, and other arts. But you have not yet heard of the Great Dao.”

Huan Kai replied, “I have followed you for thirty years, Master, and have always known that you possess such wondrous arts as the Three Radiant True Talismans, the Five Spirits’ Essential Compendium, the Eight Directions’ Luo Chart, and silent homage to the August Emperor. We disciples have never dared to ask about them. I earnestly beg you, Immortal Lord, to reveal the Supreme Way, so that I may cultivate it, realize entry into Wuwei (non-action), and quickly penetrate the mysteries of the Dao.”

The Immortal Lord said, “The Three Radiant True Talismans are arts for prolonging life by swallowing or wearing talismans. The Five Spirits’ Essential Compendium and the Eight Directions’ Luo Chart are wondrous sacred texts of the heavenly realm. Silent homage to the August Emperor is a wondrous method of ascending to heaven, the essential key to riding the clouds and becoming an immortal. These are not things you are able to hear about yet.”

Huan Kai then purified his thoughts and strengthened his resolve. He became even more devoted to burning incense and honoring the Dao, and practiced diligently for five years without daring to ask again.

One day, the Immortal Lord sighed and said, “When Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth harmonize, the sun and moon display auspicious signs, and wondrous principles take shape. When mountains and rivers are beautiful, luminous pearls are conceived and gold and jade emerge. When plants and trees flourish, fragrant herbs bloom in profusion and lingzhi mushrooms grow. When phoenixes gather and auspicious clouds fill the sky, the worthy and the sages come to govern the world. When the stars move in orderly courses, the sun appears with a double halo, and a bright star manifests, these are all auspicious signs of a prosperous state. The plants and trees, mountains and rivers, and birds and beasts between Heaven and Earth receive clear and pure Qi, and thereby display auspicious signs. Human beings, living between Heaven and Earth, cannot ultimately escape death. The true immortals transformed by the Supreme Mysterious Truth—the highest, most profound true Dao—and the Primordial Original Purity—the pristine source revered in Daoism—left the art of long life and deathlessness in the human world…”

Some people study the scriptures and methods for hundreds of millions of years, yet still exhaust themselves with worry, tormented by desire and vexation. They cling to deluded thoughts that generate karma, willingly enduring the bitter fruits they bring. They do not know that beyond the mists and clouds lies an immortal realm, freed from the world and forever without night; that beneath the dark depths of the sea lies a wondrous medicine that can restore the soul and overcome death. Nor do they know that one may ride six dragons to the farthest reaches of the eight directions, or soar through Kunlun on the back of nine phoenixes. There, jade trees remain in spring throughout the year, and golden peaches bear fruit only once in ten thousand years. The Guanghan Palace is cool, so that no one needs a fan even in midsummer; the courtyards of the Purple Mansion are warm, so that few need to burn firewood even in the depths of winter.

There are also jade terraces and orchid pavilions, tier upon tier of jeweled towers, phoenix gates and silver bridges, and painted walls and flower gardens. Their pearls shine upon one another in a joyful land where happiness never ends. Green canopies and ceremonial processions interweave in a delightful realm without sorrow. Ordinary people, lacking virtue, may know of these realms yet refuse to cultivate themselves. Bewitched by sights and sounds and by the six emotions—the desires and feelings of the six senses—they cannot turn back.

When the Lord had finished speaking, Shi Kai stepped forward, bowed respectfully twice, and addressed the Immortal Lord: “I have often heard that Yao Pond and Crimson Towers, Yueyuan and Pengqiu, the Purple Mansion’s jade halls, Kunlun, and Fangzhang, as well as the cave abodes of the immortals, are blessed with wondrous scenes of eternal life, where mountains and rivers never fall into night. There are tiered jeweled canopies and lofty terraces, and the scenery is bright in every season. Golden vessels hold wine of immortality, while vessels of colored glass contain elixirs that prolong life. Peach trees bloom with fragrance and shed their blossoms only once in a thousand years; cloud-essence treasures take ten thousand years to form a single pearl.

“I have also heard that snow-white cranes dance among the steps; numinous immortals sing and dance; phoenixes spread their wings; and celestial maidens play the xiao flute. Sweet dew gushes from Yao Pond, and jade trees are laden with fragrant grains from Heaven. Exquisitely crafted terraces and pavilions shimmer with light; halls and chambers are serene, and mists and clouds interweave like brocade. At the immortals’ feasts, heavenly music resounds on drums, phoenix flutes, and dragon pipes, while flying immortals play and keep the beat. The Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit roam across crystal platters; jade horses and blue oxen leap out from gardens of sacred fungus. Are these scenes the everlasting realm of bliss, an immortal land that never changes? I beg the Immortal Lord to guide me: what method should I cultivate to attain such a realm?”

Then the Immortal Lord said, “Jade…”

Is the land of Changleguo an everlasting, unchanging paradise of immortals that I might reach? I earnestly ask you, Immortal Lord, to guide me: what method should I practice to attain this state?

The Immortal Lord said, “Jade Spring flows from Mount Kunlun. Above the Eastern Sea stands a city among three mountains. The seventeen thousand Celestial Immortals within drink the waters of the Cinnabar Pool and, by taking Jade Spring, ascend to immortality. But the way is blocked by the Weak River; only flying immortals can reach it. Mortals cannot go there.”

Kai asked, “Where does Jade Spring arise? From which mountain does the Cinnabar Pool come? What method should I use to obtain and consume them?”

The Immortal Lord said, “Jade Spring comes from Mount Kunlun, and the Cinnabar Pool comes from the Land of the Sun and Moon. That mountain is less than a foot high and no larger than a pint. Three divine imperial sons dwell there, along with nine immortal plant spirits who have attained long life. Heavenly fragrance rises from its summit, where fragrant grasses grow; heavenly music sounds of its own accord. On the mountain is a red lotus adorned with the Seven Treasures, which draws in the pool’s waters. This is the spring of deathlessness, and it can produce the sound of the Dao. Its waters ring out in harmonious tones. They shine day and night, illuminating the Three Heavens so that all things appear clearly. Cloud-borne carriages, dragons that ride the wind, dancing phoenixes and flying luan birds, beings both good and evil, and every kind of thing—all are present there. If you can investigate this realm and understand its methods, you can gather tens of millions each day. After paying homage to the True Immortals countless times, when your merits are complete and your practice perfected, you may ascend to the Purple Palace, the celestial palace where immortals dwell.”

Kai asked, “How far away is it? Can I reach it?”

The Immortal Lord said, “In truth, it is not far away. It lies within the space of a square inch, between the eyebrows—the gateway through which divine light enters and leaves. The Jade Gate and the Golden Pillar face one another, yet they are not connected. Only by obtaining the secret and wondrous numinous text can you reach that place.”

Kai bowed and bowed again, filled with admiration, and earnestly asked the Immortal Lord to explain its meaning. The Immortal Lord said, “Eight thousand li to the southeast are the ancient sites of Mao Peak. The two immortals Yang and Xu once practiced there. In the mountain lives an extraordinary man surnamed Tao, known as the Recluse: Tao Hongjing, the Perfected White of the Liang dynasty. He had more than seventeen hundred disciples, including three hundred who entered his inner chamber. Of those who truly received my Dao teachings, seven remain. Xie Qian, you are among those seven; you are also this Master’s disciple.”

I will teach you the most subtle Daoist arts. Let your hair hang loose, go barefoot, and carry a hoe, pretending to be a farmer as you seek out seven people who wish to cultivate the Dao. Ask them for money, in whatever amount you choose. You yourself are also this ruler’s disciple. You must also let your hair hang loose, go barefoot, and carry a hoe, pretending to be a gardener. Continue your search for twelve years, accumulating merit through good deeds done in secret. Do not reveal your Daoist arts; keep the secrets hidden, and behave like an ordinary person in daily life so that no one suspects. In time, I will recommend you. The Lord of Heaven will surely issue an edict and summon you up to the heavens.

At that, Kai bowed again and vowed to ascend the altar. With his hair hanging loose and his feet bare, he received the Daoist arts.

The Immortal Lord said, “Tao Hongjing, known as the Recluse Tao, was exceptionally intelligent and skilled at polishing his prose. He devoted himself to studying the classics and probing the meaning of the scriptures. He enjoyed recording strange and unusual tales, and loved mountains and waters, planting pines and bamboo. His aspirations were lofty, and he devoted himself to the hope of ascending to the heavens. Though the Lord of Heaven looked favorably upon him, he had accumulated too little genuine merit, and his good deeds were insufficient. These fell short of the merit earned by the seven disciples who cultivated the Dao.”

The Immortal Lord continued, “Tao Hongjing was not single-minded in his pursuit of truth. In secret, he practiced two different paths. He favored meditation and Buddhist teachings, spoke of the practice of Bodhi, and wrote accounts of the Western Pure Land and texts on rebirth there. He cultivated Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism side by side, and so the Lord of Heaven did not appoint him.”

The Immortal Lord went on, “Tao Hongjing did three things right and four things wrong; these were the reasons Heaven punished him. The three right things were these. First, he devoted himself to cultivating the Great Dao and presided over the teachings of the Mysterious Gate. Even as the Liang dynasty neared its fall, he continued to uphold the Buddhist teachings. He also prayed for the ruler’s long-lasting good fortune, showing loyalty and filial devotion. Second, he gave generously to orphans and the poor, often practiced filial conduct, and carried on the true tradition of the Three Mao—the Daoist tradition of Mount Mao—and of Yang and Xu, figures of the Shangqing school such as Yang Xi and Xu Mi. He did not violate the teachings of the Most High. Third, he worked with great diligence, neglecting sleep and meals; kept himself pure and cultivated with care; gathered and refined medicines; studied the classics; and never forgot the grace of the Highest Perfected Ones, the revered Daoist deities who protect Heaven, Earth, and all living things.

“Though he had these three good qualities, he also had four failings and violated too many prohibitions. First, when compiling prescriptions, he killed birds, fish, insects, and animals to treat the sick. Though his intention was to save lives, in practice he was guilty of taking life. Second, he liked to calculate the movements of the stars and probe the secrets of Heaven. In secret, he also used spells to suppress ghosts and spirits, and spoke of people’s good and bad fortune.”

The third kind of failing is planting flowers and trees, digging pits and clearing weeds, cutting down forests, and felling trees to build houses. It also includes a fondness for divining mysterious and unusual matters, relying on one’s influence, and cultivating ties with the imperial court. Such acts may all cause a person to incur the karmic burden of killing birds and beasts.

The second kind of failing is an eagerness to calculate the movements of the stars and probe the secrets of Heaven, secretly praying to ghosts and spirits to avert misfortune, and making reckless claims about other people’s good or ill fortune.

The fourth kind of failing is excessive attachment to ascending to immortality and an impatient longing to become an immortal. This leads people to build towers where they can await immortals and halls to welcome perfected beings when they descend. Even with many disciples and followers, one may not thereby gain the destined opportunity to ascend to Heaven. You have now received my secret teachings. You should serve Lord Tao, and you will surely ascend to Taiji, the lofty immortal realm spoken of in Daoism. All those under Lord Tao’s guidance are cultivators of the Dao. If one has not yet accumulated sufficient merit in the world of dust, this is the place where those who study the Dao establish merit and bring their cultivation to completion; the blessings gained here will also come swiftly.

That evening, the immortal lord imparted secret teachings to Huan Kai, instructed him, and entered into a solemn covenant with him. When their oath was complete, the immortal lord said, “The scriptures, registers of names, secret teachings, and illustrated texts are boundless, yet there are only one or two essential points that reveal the root. I have previously spoken of the realm of Jade Capital, the Mountain of the Sun and Moon, and the domain of Kunlun. Do you understand what they mean?”

Huan Kai replied, “I do not yet understand.”

The immortal lord said, “Within the human body are thirty-six thousand spirits of luminous essence and twelve thousand spirits of the hun and po souls. In the Muddy Pellet, the upper Dantian associated with the head and the dwelling place of the brain spirit, resides the Great Lord of eternal life. Yin and Yang Qi, the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams, the Nine Palaces, as well as Kunlun, Fanghu, and the palaces of the heavens are all perfectly present within the human body, neither more nor less, in accord with Heaven and Earth. From wind and clouds, thunder and rain, frost and mist, snow and hail, smoke and rosy clouds, to plants and trees, mountains and rivers, numinous pillars and long-lived trunks, fish and dragons, people and animals, the transformations of the myriad things, the changes of gestation, and the realms of Heaven and the underworld—there is nothing that is not within it.”

The six kinds of worldly desire and delusion multiply without end. The Three Poisons—greed, anger, and ignorance—grow ever more entangled, penetrating to the marrow and harming body and mind. They leave people dull and unaware, confused in their senses, and lost in the grip of their souls. Bound by the desires of sound and sight and by the ties of affection and love, people cannot transcend. They may fall into other forms of existence, unable to escape the cycle of rebirth, and instead become ever more confused and distressed. They may also suffer all manner of illness and malign influences, the pains of birth and death in their many forms, as well as natural disasters, calamities, and punishment under the laws of the ruler.

For this reason, the Most High (Taishang), the supreme deity honored in Daoism, expounded the Three Caverns scriptures and opened the gates of the Four Supplements, guiding all beings together toward the sacred realm. Is this not arduous work? Now that you have received from me the Most High’s true and mysterious secret words, do not reveal them to ordinary people, nor treat them lightly, or you will bring blame upon yourself for nothing.

Kai respectfully knelt, bowed his head, and received the Immortal Lord’s secret words. The Immortal Lord said, “The sun and moon are the most subtle presences between Heaven and Earth. They are the refined radiance of Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, and the singular lights that shine amid Yin and Yang. In the heavens they are like eyes; in the sea they are radiant essence; among all things they are their finest essence; and in the human body they correspond to the hun and po souls.

“Your body, too, conceals secret treasures. The head is called Kunlun, its crown the Mud Ball, and its center the Brain Gate. The Brain Gate is where the spirits roam and where the Celestial Emperor resides. From the sun and moon and Kunlun below, radiance flows down to the Golden Pool and connects with the liver and lungs. The lungs belong to Metal, like a cauldron within Metal, and correspond outwardly to the nose. The liver belongs to Wood, like the essence within Wood, and corresponds outwardly to the eyes. The eyes pursue the five colors and give rise to desire; the nose is drawn by the five aromas and becomes blocked. When Metal and Wood are cut off from one another, radiance escapes through the gateways, and the spirit pearl is lost along with it, leading at last to death.

“Now I transmit to you the Way of Immortality, the Most High’s method for ascending through the clouds. This is no shallow or minor technique. Long ago, the Immortal Earl Zixuan of Donghua Qingtang Mountain transmitted this method to me; seven hundred years have passed since then. You must first cultivate the joining of Water and Fire and the two gates of Kan and Li—terms for harmonizing the Yin and Yang energies within the body—before you can attain long life. If the heart cannot open to spiritual clarity and the spirit cannot transform, it will be difficult to ascend into the clouds. In the past, Perfected Xu received this supreme Way from the Elder of Western Mountain and ascended to the Azure Vault, the celestial realm, that very day. Is that not a joyful thing?”

When the crown of the skull is blocked, harmful Qi leaks out. Then ghostly winds blow in and close it again. The Kunlun spirit—a deity who governs Kunlun and related spirits—takes up residence in the heart, tormenting a person day and night as if they were being boiled. The essence and Qi of the liver and kidneys keep flowing away, and Yang Qi is depleted along with them, eventually damaging the body’s Golden Cauldron, the place where essence, Qi, and Shen are refined. The spirit and Qi can no longer be contained; true immortals will not remain, and the Supreme Emperor will not descend. The only outcome is death.

Now you turn back the radiance of the sun and moon, illuminating Kunlun within the Taiji, here referring to a mysterious place inside the human body. The left and right eyes are like the sun and moon in the heavens. They must keep shining on this place throughout the twelve double-hours. The Immortal Lord then sang:

“The Golden Cauldron and the Heavenly Gate open; old age is reversed, and the state of infancy restored. The sun and moon illuminate Kunlun, and the True Lord arrives of his own accord. After three years, yellow clouds congeal; after a thousand days, the sacred embryo, the inner essence nurtured through practice, is formed. After nine years, you ascend to the Golden Palace in heaven; after one cycle of twelve years, you rise to the Three Terraces, a high celestial office. Dragon and tiger join of their own accord, and the Supreme Emperor sits enthroned on the Golden Terrace. The gods gaze up at the celestial scene, longing for it and lingering there. Now that you have received the sacred text, practice with undivided attention and keep your mind as still as cold ashes. Accumulate merit for twelve years; when your work is complete, ascend the cloud ladder. White light appears within the perfected form, and purple Qi rises straight into the clouds. Be upright and inwardly still, and focus your thoughts on Taiyi, one of the revered Daoist deities; then you can endure as long as Heaven and Earth.”

At that moment, Huan Kai was dazed and sighed deeply. “Through countless cycles of life and death, I have never understood the spiritual root. I knew only that the heart is the master, but did not understand that this is the true Dao. I regret that I once knew nothing of the realm beyond the Great Void, nothing of the land where both existence and nonexistence are absent, and nothing of the vision of eternal life within Kunlun. Beneath the sun and moon, I passed through endless deaths in vain. Now I understand: primordial Jing, the innate essence, neither arises nor perishes; it is the root of water and fire. To take the heart and kidneys as one’s foundation is the gate to the Dao’s mystery—and this truly lies above Kunlun.”

Huan Kai bowed his head and prostrated himself twice, then asked, “How can the refined light of the sun and moon shine on the Heavenly Gate and open the summit of Kunlun?”

The Immortal Lord replied, “Concentrate your Shen on your eyes and imagine them shining toward the Dantian, the inner cultivation site below the navel. After a short while, turn the light inward so that it shines directly on the Heavenly Gate. The Heavenly Gate is the crown of the head.”

Practice in this way at all times, morning and evening, whatever you may be doing. Gather your mind and spirit, and turn inward silently, keeping your thoughts fixed at the crown of your head. This is called the “Silent Audience with the Lord on High” method, an inner practice of silently visualizing and paying audience to the Lord on High. It must be transmitted in secret.

Ordinary people’s minds, spirits, and gaze always scatter outward; they never pause, even briefly, in the Dantian—the place within the body where Daoists cultivate. Therefore, draw the light back and turn it inward and upward toward the Gate of Heaven, which is the forehead. Morning and evening, whatever you may be doing, gather your mind and spirit and turn inward silently, keeping your thoughts fixed at the crown of your head. This is called the “Silent Audience with the Lord on High” method. It must be transmitted in secret. Ordinary people’s minds, spirits, and gaze always scatter outward; they never settle within themselves.

A verse also says: “Look inward and return the numinous light; Taiyi, the primordial true Qi, holds within itself a fragrance of true mystery. Its scent spreads, its splendor appears, and deep within, the Purple Chamber takes form—the image of the dwelling place of perfected beings in inner cultivation. The Gate of Heaven opens, leading to the heavens; in silent stillness, pay homage to the Jade Emperor.”

The Immortal Lord also said: “When a person enters the womb, the first things to form are the two eyes, like water bubbles. The limbs have not yet formed, and the body has no complete features. Next the kidneys emerge, inwardly linked to the circulation of Jing and Qi. The creation of Heaven and Earth is the same: before Heaven and Earth separated, and before the sun and moon shone, there was the root of chaos and the beginning of the sun.

“Confucianism and Buddhism do not speak of this level of principle. They say only that the mind governs all things and precedes the Lord on High, but they offer no concrete method for beginning the practice. So people can only diligently burn incense and bow in worship, eat plain food, and abstain from meat and pungent foods. Some swallow talismans, take medicines, worship the moon, gaze up at the stars, exhale turbid Qi and inhale clear Qi. These are all expedients adopted out of necessity.

“As for such methods as corpse liberation—leaving behind the physical remains in order to become an immortal—escaping the body, emerging in spirit, embryonic breathing, severing desire, forgetting emotion, roaming freely, dying while seated or standing, reincarnating through a new womb, seizing protection to escape one’s allotted fate, concealing oneself and becoming invisible, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, cultivating in accord with the stars’ courses and the timing of the fire, refining Jing and consuming fluids, eating medicinal fungi and plants, as well as the Buddhist practices of shedding the body, entering emptiness, abandoning the material body, cultivating oneself and following the Way, giving alms, and practicing patience—each has its own practitioners. But unless one has awakened to the mysterious root principle, these remain thousands upon thousands of separate paths of cultivation.”

To cultivate the highest level of the Great Dao, one must rely on one’s own inner radiance to emerge, making the mind’s state clear and open. In paintings today, immortals are often shown releasing white light from the crown of the head. A dignified and awe-inspiring figure appears within the light, seated upright on a lotus. This comes close to what is meant here.

Yet in ancient times, people were sometimes beset by misfortune. Even if they grasped wondrous being and true emptiness—the profound state that transcends the distinction between being and nonbeing—and attained freedom from thought and desire, even if they understood that the Dharma-body, the essence of all things, is by nature beyond birth and death, they could still be reborn in the cycle of transmigration if they failed to cultivate deep meditative stillness. They might enter the wrong womb, waste lifetime after lifetime, and remain unable to find liberation through millions of kalpas. Even when they encountered an accomplished adept, they were not necessarily taught at once the supreme subtle meaning and the path of great wisdom and perfect understanding.

Some people were born into comfortable homes, enjoyed good fortune, and became kings, ministers, or exceptionally intelligent people. With perceptive minds and keen understanding, they could explain the scriptures, yet might also turn those teachings into poison. Their intelligence could give rise to delusions; they might drift along with sentient beings, entangled in attachment and love. Or, through wrong views, they might slander the true path, fall into demonic states, and be beguiled by demonic attachments. Thus, even after hundreds of millions of kalpas, they might still fail to awaken to the truth.

Therefore, the Most High—the Daoist honorific for the Dao—acts with compassion to save sentient beings. He expounds scriptures and treatises so that people may understand the true principle, escape the afflictions of birth and death, and return to the Gate of Purity. In this way, one silently accords with the subtle principle, and the mind’s eye opens wide. But unless still and clear awareness arises from within, and one cultivates both meditative stillness and wisdom until one’s true nature is complete and radiant, one cannot escape the cycle of birth and death.

The Immortal Lord then said, “Now you are to go to Huayang Grotto Heaven, an ancient site on Mount Sanmao, and serve the Tao family. Keep and silently guard the essentials of cultivating the Dao, taking care never to reveal them. Accumulate good deeds and build up merit, and silently pay homage to the Highest Emperor. When your twelve years of practice are complete, you should ascend to the cloudy heavens.”

Kai replied, “The journey is long, and rivers, lakes, and seas lie between us. How can I get there without a boat?”

The Immortal Lord said, “I have a spirit talisman that can travel through springs and pass beneath the earth. Tonight, bathe and purify yourself, then stand in Huayuan Lodge with your eyes closed and your mind still. I will enable you to arrive.”

From here to Huayang is eight thousand li. Along the way are the Great River Water Palace Sovereign, who governs the palace beneath the waters of the Great River; the Yangzi River; Lingchuan Valley; and the Purple Gold and White Jade Grotto. There are three thousand six hundred attendants, ten thousand divine soldiers, five divine dragons, and such spirits as the Thunder Lord and the Wind Earl. One need only close one’s eyes and quiet the mind to arrive.

The Commander-General of the Lower Origin Water Palace, Haoyue Oumin, governs an immortal source. He stores ninety million hu of water and commands thirty-six qing of tidal waters. He leads eighty thousand mighty troops and nine hundred thunder drums, and lives for one hundred thousand years. His authority is equal to that of the Waterway Envoy of Penglai. The Lower, Middle, and Upper Origin Water Palaces all govern the tides of rivers and streams, droughts and floods throughout the world, and affairs among humankind.

Kai asked, “What are the duties of the Three Mao Lords of Huayang?” The Immortal Lord replied, “They oversee the registers of the immortals and govern the allotment of reward and punishment in the Haoyue region. They also administer the lands around the imperial capital and matters concerning the imperial enterprise of the Nine Provinces.” Each of the three Immortal Lords has ten thousand reporting marshals and immortal attendants. Each carries out the duties assigned to him, administers the Nine Provinces, and examines the merits and transgressions of those throughout the world who cultivate the Dao.

The Immortal Lord continued, “The Eighth Grotto-Heaven of Huayang connects with the Ten Great Grotto-Heavens and the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto-Heavens. It reaches the Four Seas, the rivers and streams, Penglai, the Ten Continents, and the peaks of Kunlun, all the way to the secluded mountains of Dengdu. One may travel freely among all these places. Only ordinary people, clouded by pollution, sensual desire, and delusion, cannot pass through. If they give rise to no false views, the paths of ordinary people and sages can be joined, and one may roam throughout the realms within and beyond, in every direction of heaven and earth.”

Then the Immortal Lord performed the art of the spirit mirror and passage through the spring. Kai did not know its method, so he closed his eyes. At once he arrived without walking and was carried there without being urged on. He dimly heard someone asking questions; by then, he had already crossed the rivers and lakes.

Some people heard a strange fragrance drifting from the palace; others heard singing and the music of the immortals. Suddenly, an Immortal Lord said, “Open your eyes.” He seemed to awaken from a dream, then climbed ashore. He saw a solitary green mountain rising steeply, with the blue sea close at hand. The boats passing to and fro were unlike any he had seen before. He asked a passerby where he was and learned that this was Danyang. He then asked how far Mount Mao was. “Another two hundred li,” the passerby replied. He asked whether there were any temples there. The passerby answered, “Mr. Tao Yinju, a man from Daliang, built a temple there and welcomes worthy people.” He immediately set out along the road.

That night, Tao Yinju dreamed that divine light filled the room and colored clouds rose straight into the sky. A figure in golden armor pointed at him and said, “Tomorrow, an extraordinary person will arrive.” Tao Yinju asked, “When?” The figure replied, “At noon.” When Tao awoke, he told his disciples, “Help me clean the area in front of the gate. An honored guest will arrive at noon. Do not turn him away; come and tell me at once.”

At noon, Kai arrived barefoot and with his hair loose, singing:

“Just as expected, a guest has come. Beside the one with loose hair, yellow flowers give rise to purple clouds;

The sun and moon circle through the heavens. The energy of primordial chaos fills the Great Void, unlike the grass and trees among living beings;

Upon Kunlun’s twelve peaks, the Heavenly Emperor attends court ten thousand times;

When a day’s cultivation is complete, one rises into the sky and pays homage to the Primordial Sovereign.”

The disciples could not understand what he meant and hurried to tell Tao Yinju. Tao was delighted and invited him inside. He saw that Kai had his hair loose and was barefoot, with an eccentric and unrestrained manner. Tao Yinju asked, “What brings you here?” Kai replied, “I heard that your Daoist attainment is profound, sir, so I came to help you grow vegetables.” Tao Yinju said, “I just heard your unusual song. What were you singing about?” Kai replied, “I heard it from someone else and learned to sing it. How would I understand what it means?” Tao Yinju did not press him further. Then he asked, “What is your surname?”

Kai, whose surname was Heng and whose given name was Kai, was from the land of Shu. The Perfected Tao asked him, “When did you leave home?” Kai replied, “Just last night.” The Perfected Tao laughed and said, “What a wild young man! What a wild young man!”

Then the Perfected Tao asked Kai, “You say you are willing to be a gardener. Don’t you think that is a lowly position?” Kai replied, “I only wish to hear of the Great Dao.”

The Perfected Tao said, “My disciples are divided into three ranks: upper, middle, and lower. Those of the upper rank wear silk brocade, take medicines such as lingzhi, write essays and annotate scriptures, manage documents and records, and prepare elixirs. They may also attend upon the Perfected One, accompany honored guests, enter the homes of the powerful, and come into my inner chamber.”

Kai asked, “What do disciples of the middle rank do?” The Perfected Tao said, “They manage letters and official documents, handle questions and answers, prepare medicinal decoctions, wear silk clothes, eat rice cooked with green mallets, and drink fermented pine brew. They live to either side of my courtyard. I teach them methods of practice and have them accompany people who possess the Dao.”

Kai asked again, “What do disciples of the lower rank do?” The Perfected Tao said, “They wear silk clothes, eat grain, prepare medicines to give to others, and live in my residence. They sweep the rooms, burn incense, and pay reverence to the stars and moon. I teach them breath cultivation, a practice for nourishing life through regulated breathing and control of the breath. At times, I also have them associate with learned people, receive guests, and grow vegetables and medicinal herbs.” The Perfected Tao said that each of these three ranks had several hundred disciples.

Kai said, “I do not seek a place among these three ranks. I only want to grow vegetables, draw water, chop firewood, burn incense, clean the latrines, and wash out the well. Would that be acceptable?” The Perfected Tao replied, “I fear you may be unwilling to do such things.” Kai bowed twice, expressing his willingness to burn incense and draw water. The Perfected Tao then let him stay.

Kai lived in the Perfected Tao’s household for twelve years. Whether the weather was cold or warm, he made no demands. He treated people alike, whether high or low in status. Hungry or full, he never grew angry; weary and overworked, he never sighed. When the other disciples mocked him, he did not take offense. When others gave him tasks, he never slackened. He rose before the others and stayed awake after they had gone to bed. He did not burn incense, pay reverence, or recite scriptures, and he did not abstain from meat. He neither despised nor shunned anything. He paid no attention to his appearance and sought no finery. He spoke little and showed neither joy nor anger. In his free time, he swept the ground; when busy, he chopped firewood. When work called for it, he tended the fire; when things grew quiet, he washed clothes.

In this way, Kai lived in the Perfected Tao’s household for twelve years, and the Perfected Tao seemed not to notice him. Even when Kai stood right before him, the Perfected Tao paid him no special attention, and Kai never disturbed the Perfected Tao.

Tao Hongjing, a renowned Daoist adept, lived in a three-story tower whose upper floor stood close to the tops of the pine trees. He often listened to the sound of wind in the pines. He assigned his disciples to the lower two floors and devoted himself to annotating more than a thousand volumes of classics.

When Emperor Wu of Liang faced matters of good or ill fortune, he often sent palace messengers to consult Tao Hongjing. At times, Tao would draw an ox as his reply to the emperor’s inquiry. The emperor also asked how much longer the Liang dynasty’s mandate would last. While annotating books, Tao had learned that the dynasty would not endure much longer, so he used red ink to circle and mark the years gengzi and xinchou. The emperor still did not understand. Court officials therefore called Tao Hongjing the “Chancellor in the Mountains,” meaning that although he lived in seclusion in the mountains, the court relied on him.

Tao Hongjing was profound in Daoist cultivation and widely respected for his virtue. People came from all directions to follow him. He had more than a thousand disciples, including three hundred who formally entered his inner school to study under him. He built the Zhuyang Lodge, the Tower for Awaiting Immortals, and the Pavilion for Receiving Edicts, where he devoted himself to cultivation and offerings of incense. He often used a fan to cover his face, fearing that dark Qi might obscure his spiritual radiance. He once said, “If the Heavenly Emperor sends an edict summoning me, let this mountain be transformed into a palace of jade towers and halls.” He was already eighty-four, yet remained vigorous and tireless in his work, never neglecting his daily annotations of the scriptures. He loved planting bamboo and medicinal herbs, and he also refined elixirs at Dayue Rock, Muliu Islet, and the summit of Mount Tao in Yongjia.

Tao Hongjing was unusual from birth. His face was radiant, he had a long beard, and he was handsome, standing seven chi tall, with fine eyes and slender brows. His bearing was refined and his speech calm. He was learned in the past and present, skilled in the arts, astronomy, calendrics, astrology, and medicine; there was scarcely any school of learning he did not understand.

At dawn on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the first year of the Tianjian era of the Great Liang, several shafts of white light suddenly appeared above Mount Maoshan. Before long, dense clouds rose, the mountain forests and springs seemed clear and bright, and the ringing music of Heaven sounded through the sky.

Everyone saw a celestial crane amid five-colored auspicious clouds, with a young attendant in blue holding an imperial decree and standing in midair. Within the clouds appeared colorful banners and feathered ceremonial ornaments. More than a hundred celestial youths and numinous officers escorted an empty carriage shaped like a dragon-drawn chariot. The attendant and crane came together into the courtyard. Tao Yi assumed that the Lord on High had summoned him, but the celestial youth said, “Do not trouble yourself. Quickly have Huan Kai change his clothes, take the elixir, and hear the decree read aloud.”

The celestial youth added, “The Lord on High and the Perfected One of Drought are waiting for Huan Kai in the Hall of Still Yang at the Palace of the Bright Golden Gate.” Huan Kai then bathed, changed his clothes, and took the elixir. The decree said:

“Knowing that you have cultivated in secret with success and ceaselessly accumulated De, and that a worthy master has transmitted to you the wondrous teachings, you have swiftly attained the Dao of the immortals. Your body is united with the Great Void, and your spirit roams the Golden Gate. Resentments and debts accumulated over many lifetimes have melted like spring ice; faults from former lives have vanished like candle flames blown out by the wind. Now I send an envoy bearing a Golden Elixir, a celestial crane, and this decree to Mao Peak. The perfected beings of the Purple Palace have long since prepared a dwelling for you among the immortals. You have endured hardship and toil without ever faltering; your resolve is like a lofty pine, and you deserve to take your place among the immortals. On the day this decree arrives, you may ascend into the clouds. Let the official in charge of destinies at Mao Peak recommend and carry out this command.”

After the decree was read, Huan Kai mounted the crane and ascended into the clouds. Phoenixes cried out, the ceremonial procession followed, and he drifted away. While Huan Kai was changing clothes, Tao Zhu had said to him, “I will consult the register of immortals in the Heavenly Archives to see when your deeds are complete, what De you still lack, and how many faults remain.” Huan Kai received his master’s instruction and took his leave. Tao Zhu showed how reluctant he was to part; all night he remained dazed, as if drunk.

After ascending to Heaven, Huan Kai left behind another hymn:

“Nurture the spirit and regulate the breath; when the heart is still and clear, its radiance appears of itself. Delusive thoughts do not arise from nowhere; naturally, the pursuit of the true Dao will succeed.”

The radiance of the sun and moon shines upon Mount Kunlun, penetrating the Mud Ball (the key point of cultivation in the head) by day and night. Lingzhen (divine spirits and perfected immortals) descend of their own accord. Once cultivation is complete, one ascends through the Gate of Heaven and enters the immortal realm.

The Record of Perfected Master Huan’s Ascension to Immortality ends here.

Note: The original text’s “xianjun” is suspected to have been written as “xianjun” (immortal lord) rather than “xianjun” (former ruler); the character “yu” is written as “wang” in the original and has been corrected according to the meaning.