《混元圣记》Vol. 2

What is meant by “opening the kalpa to save people” is that when a kalpa cycle begins, scriptures descend to the world to teach and transform sentient beings. Opening a kalpa is not a single event; hence there are kalpa names such as Yankang, Chiming, Longhan, and Kaihuang—these are also the era names of each kalpa.

Scriptures arise naturally from the Qi of Yuanyi (the primordial breath); they are not human compositions. Like the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), they exist eternally and do not perish. Before heaven and earth are destroyed, the scriptures lie hidden and are not spread in the world; when a kalpa opens, the classics appear of themselves. The Celestial Worthy then charges the Heavenly Perfect Sovereign (the divine being in heaven who transmits scriptures) to turn the sounds of heaven into words and to explicate them. From the Heavenly Perfect Sovereign downward through the immortals, transmission passes layer by layer; only after immortals receive them are they passed to people in the world.

In summary, the aim of these scriptures is benevolence and purity. With constant practice, one may gradually attain longevity and then naturally transform into a spirit; some ascend as immortals in broad daylight and merge with the Dao.

In the Song, Zhang Shangying wrote in his commentary on the Daodejing: The kalpa is long; Yin-Yang Qi is blocked and does not flow; deviant qi loses its root and spreads among sentient beings. Because of this, beings gain the nine apertures and produce emotion and consciousness. When emotion flows and consciousness is obscured, they turn in confusion and lose their proper order. Flowing emotion gives rise to craving; obscured craving gives rise to aversion. Aversion and love fight each other—an old thought has barely subsided when a new one arises. People abandon the bright and drift toward darkness; accumulated darkness becomes Yin qi. Yin qi congeals, the root is lost, and deviant qi again spreads among beings. Beings thus produce emotion and consciousness; emotion flows, consciousness is obscured, and they fall into confusion and inversion—from this comes love, from love comes hate, hate and love attack each other, they leave the clear for the murky, and murk accumulates into Yin.

When Yin qi congeals, a realm of gloom forms; entering that gloom, one becomes a ghost. Those whose spirit and qi are upright and pure take human form; those who stray from the correct path are reborn in other categories. They devour, fight, bully, and tyrannize; their minds cannot be still, and their lives cannot be prolonged. Murky, deviant qi fills the air and even offends the heavens.

The transforming lords of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and the celestial emperors look down with compassion. Then wondrous Qi flows of itself and in succession becomes scripture; spirit winds stir and play, and the sounds of the classics appear naturally. The Dao with utmost compassion relieves calamity, with utmost benevolence cherishes life, with utmost rectitude subdues evil, and with utmost clarity dispels darkness.

Above, offices are set in the heavens; below, mountain peaks, grottoes, and spirit domains are assigned. The perfected receive appointments; ranked immortals govern in turn. After the mysteries of the true Dao are revealed, jade characters (heavenly script) can appear: refining Dongyang Qi with fire and writing with a brush on kongqing (a blue mineral pigment). Jade documents, golden tablets, talismans and registers (fulu), and oral formulas are entrusted to the immortals to awe demon hosts, refine and deliver souls, and command the myriad spirits.

The scriptures of the Supreme Dao (Taishang) number three sections; upper true scriptures seven; middle true six; lower true four. These are classics proclaimed from the golden mouth and transmitted by the three masters, treasured in jade caskets and precious tubes, secretly kept on Mount Tiantai. Later some texts scattered into the human world; practitioners gathered and arranged them into the “Three Caverns” (San Dong).

“Non-non-supreme truth” is called Dongzhen (Perfect Grotto); what is profound and subtle is Dongxuan (Mysterious Grotto); what is numinous, wondrous, hidden and manifest is Dongshen (Spirit Grotto). The “true” here is not the worldly sense of true—it is still and traceless, with no words to express it. The “primordial” is not the ordinary primordial—its subtle body exists alone. The “spirit” is not common spirit—it is still, subtle, and boundless. These words explain the purport of the true texts of the Three Caverns.

Laozi once again transformed into Jinglao Heavenly Lord, preaching the teaching in the five directions. Later he expounded the Dao at the Nine Harmony Mysterious Platform on Mount Shuhua and transmitted it to King Shi of the Shuji realm. The king’s consort, princes, and more than five thousand ministers all cultivated his Daoist method together and each attained the rank of earthly immortal—immortals who dwell in the human world and hold a celestial office. The king then built the Palace for Cultivating Immortals, together with the two halls Xiling and Qizheng, for those who sought immortality to live in. Within two hundred years more than three thousand people in the realm ascended in broad daylight, while the king himself rose to become Miaofan Heavenly Lord.

The Inner Text of the Green Lad records that the realm of Shi Lao lay beyond the eastern sea and was also called the Realm of Pure Harmony. Miaofan Heavenly Lord later fell from grace through excessive ease and indulgence, was demoted to the human realm, and became king of Jupin; Laozi took form to instruct and transform him until he became a Buddha—the story refers to this episode.

In the era of the Heavenly Sovereign, Laozi bore the title Great Dharma Master of the Mysterious Center, also known as the Mysterious-Penetrating Celestial Master. He transmitted the twelve sections of the Dongzhen Jing (Scripture of the Cavern of Realities) and taught the human realm with the boundless great Dao. In the era of the Earthly Sovereign he was titled the Great Ancient Master, transmitted the twelve sections of the Dongxuan Jing (Scripture of the Cavern of Mystery), and taught people with the supreme orthodox perfect Dao. In the era of the Human Sovereign he was titled Master Pangu, transmitted the twelve sections of the Dongshen Jing (Scripture of the Cavern of Spirit), and taught people with the Dao of great peace and Wuwei (non-action).

During the era of Fuxi, a perfected immortal descended to the countryside, known as Master Yuhua (Yuhua Zi). He transmitted the Inner Scripture of the Heavenly Sovereign (Tianhuang Neiwen) and brought down the River Chart (Hetu) and the lore of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), teaching people to live in accord with their innate nature.

During the era of Zhurong, a perfected immortal descended on Mount Heng, known as Master Guangshou (Guangshou Zi). He transmitted the Inner Scripture of the Human Sovereign (Renhuang Neiwen) and taught people to settle and steady the spirit. He also taught them to fire clay and make vessels, so that daily life could change for the better.

During the era of Shennong, a perfected immortal descended at Jiyin, known as Master Dacheng (Dacheng Zi). He transmitted the Inner Scripture of the Earthly Sovereign (Dihuang Neiwen) and taught people to cherish life. He taught sowing grain and cultivating fruit trees, so that people could rely on these instead of slaughtering animals; he also compounded medicinal formulas to treat illness and nurture body and mind. These accounts receive brief mention in Tang-dynasty records.

During the era of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), a perfected immortal descended on Mount Kongtong, known as Master Guangcheng (Guangcheng Zi). In the twenty-ninth year of Huangdi’s reign, troubled that the realm was not well governed, he went to visit Master Guangcheng and asked: “I have heard that you have attained the supreme Dao (the Way). I wish to draw the essential qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth to help the crops grow and nourish the people, and also to observe the transformations of yin and yang so that the myriad things may flourish—how should this be done?”

Master Guangcheng replied: “What you ask concerns the outward form of things; what you wish to control is only the dregs and leavings of outward things. Ever since you have ruled the realm, clouds have not yet gathered when rain falls, plants wither before their leaves turn yellow, and the light of the sun and moon has grown dim. How could those who are clever with words and skilled only in verbal display be fit to speak of the supreme Dao?”

Huangdi withdrew, set aside the affairs of the realm, built a quiet chamber, spread white rush mats, entered on his knees facing downwind, bowed twice and knocked his head on the ground, and asked: “I have heard that you have attained the supreme Dao—how should one cultivate the self so as to endure long?”

Master Guangcheng rose solemnly to his feet and said: “Well asked! Come—I will tell you.”

The subtlety of the Great Dao is profound, remote, and dark—beyond measure; its utmost reach is still and deep, without sound or trace. Do not use the eyes to look or the ears to listen; simply quiet the heart and guard the spirit, and the body will naturally come upright. Be sure to remain clear and still: do not overwork the body or dissipate essence and qi; reduce deliberation and lessen desires, and you may extend life and preserve your years. When the eyes do not chase what they see, the ears do not chase what they hear, and the heart does not cling to what it knows, spirit can guard the form, and the form can endure long.

Guard the inner carefully and do not let outer things disturb you; knowing too much can instead bring harm. I once led you up to the heights of Great Brightness—that is the root source of utmost yang; I also led you into the gate of deepest obscurity—that is the root source of utmost yin. Heaven and earth each have their sovereign; yin and yang each have their storehouses. Guard yourself with care, and the myriad things will naturally grow strong and flourish. I hold fast to that single root, settling myself in the harmony of yin and yang; therefore in cultivating myself for twelve hundred years, my form has still not aged.

The Yellow Emperor again bowed and prostrated himself, saying: “What the Master has said is truly the way of Heaven.” Guangchengzi said further to the Yellow Emperor: “Come—I will tell you: the myriad things have no end, yet the people all treat them as if they had a limit; the myriad things are unfathomably deep, yet people all think they have reached the bottom. One who obtains my Dao may above become emperor or sage-king, and below become a true king; one who loses my Dao may above still see brightness, but below will in the end turn to dust. Now every living thing grows from earth and at last returns to earth. Therefore I will leave you, enter the gate of the inexhaustible, and roam in the boundless realm. I will shine together with sun and moon and endure as long as heaven and earth.” After this, Guangchengzi transmitted the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) to the Yellow Emperor.

In the age of the Three Sovereigns, Laojun (Lord Lao) expounded scriptures; people of the time called them the “books of the Three Mounds”—the legendary texts of high antiquity—and later those books were lost. The scriptures Laojun taught in successive ages were many: some were stored in jade-built halls and towers, some hidden in dragon palaces and sea treasuries, guarded by immortal perfected ones, beyond the sight of the world. What circulates today is no more than a single hair on Mount Tai—utterly insignificant by comparison.

Long afterward, Laojun again commanded the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) to bestow upon the Yellow Emperor a jade image of Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Celestial Worthy). The Yellow Emperor placed the jade image in a high terrace and towered hall, honoring it with reverent offering; often colored clouds covered it above, and for this reason it was called a “Dao-guan”—a site for contemplating the Dao. The name “Dao-guan” (Daoist temple), it is said, began from this.

According to Daoist scriptures cited in the Taiping Guangji, in remote antiquity the Dao rested in dark stillness, clear purity, and wuwei (non-action)—a state from which the term daoguan (“contemplation of the Dao”) is said to derive.

When the Dao was about to unfold its subtle power and give birth to the myriad things, it first had the eastern utmost-true qi (vital energy) produce Mugong (Wood Lord). Mugong arose above the Blue Sea in the realm of Green Spirit; he presided over the warm, generative yang qi, governed the east, and was titled Dong Wang Gong (Eastern Lord King). The Dao then had the western utmost-refined qi produce Jinmu (Golden Mother). She oversaw the gestation of all things; in depth and mystery she gathered the Dao’s rich, pure refined qi and condensed it into form. With Dong Wang Gong she jointly regulated the two qi of yin and yang, nourished heaven and earth, and shaped the myriad beings. She embodied the root of yielding softness and was the source of utmost yin qi; dwelling in the west, she nurtured sentient beings and was titled Xi Wang Mu (Western Mother Queen). Every woman under heaven and earth, in the three realms and ten directions, who attained the Dao and became an immortal fell under her authority.

Mugong wore a three-tiered crown and a robe of nine-colored cloud and mist; he was also known as Yuhuang Jun (Jade Emperor Lord). He lived amid cloud chambers, with purple clouds as canopy and azure clouds as ramparts; immortal lads stood in attendance and jade maidens scattered incense. Countless true officials and immortal clerks surrounded him, each with a defined duty. For this reason the registers of men who attained the Dao and became immortals were kept under Mugong’s charge. He often went to pay homage to the Nine-Spirit Golden Mother (Jiuling Jinmu), visiting her palace twice each year. Together they checked the registers and posts of male and female true immortals, graded them by merit, and decided promotions and demotions.

As heaven and earth passed through kalpas and yin and yang turned in succession, fortune rose and fell; the calamities and upheavals signified by the cycles of “yang nine” and “bai liu” also brought trials that rewarded the good and censured the evil. The immortals’ registers were compiled by Mugong and Jinmu and submitted to Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Celestial Worthy, a member of the Sanqing, the Three Pure Ones); the report passed through Yuchen and was relayed to Laojun (the deified Laozi). For this reason Laojun once transmitted Dao teachings to the Yellow Emperor and ordered Jinmu to reveal to the Yellow Emperor the appearance of Yuanshi Tianzun.

Laojun (the Supreme Old Lord, a supreme deity in Daoism) again ordered the Emperor to go to Mount Wangwu, open the stone casket, take out the jade box, and obtain from within the methods of refining the Nine Cauldrons divine elixir and the snow-flying furnace fire. The Emperor then cast a cauldron furnace with copper from Mount Jing, refined the elixir, and after taking it, a cloud-dragon came to welcome him, and the Emperor rode the dragon and ascended to heaven.

At that time, among the ministers and attendants, seventy-two persons ascended together. Other officials of lower rank who could not reach the dragon’s body in time scrambled to grab the dragon’s whiskers and fell; the Yellow Emperor’s bow and cauldron also fell with them. The people wept as they held these relics, and so this bow was called the “Bow of Wuhau.” With no way to follow or venerate the Yellow Emperor, they took the relics he left to Mount Ba, built a tomb to enshrine them, and called it “Baling.” They also buried his hat and robes at Mount Qiao, calling it the “Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor.” Where the cauldron fell was called “Dinghu” (Cauldron Lake).

Today, atop Mount Xiandu in Jinyun County, Chuzhou, there is Dinghu, with no path to reach it; golden lotuses grow on the mountain. Leaves of the golden lotus once drifted to Shuangxi, hence the name Jinhua County. In antiquity the Yellow Emperor was called “Jinyunshi,” so the county was named “Jinyun”—a name with clear historical roots.

Initially, Laojun (Taishang Laojun, the Supreme Old Lord) taught the people of the world. He therefore revealed methods of cultivation and realization of the Dao, and also fixed the ritual forms by which masters transmit the teaching to disciples. On the second day of the seventh month in the year jiazi of the Shanghuang era, Laojun traveled to the West River. There he met Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Heavenly Worthy), who rode the jade carriage of the Eight Splendors and drove the nine-colored dark dragon, moving amid the Three Pure flying clouds with a host of immortals guiding the way as he came through the sky to meet Laojun above the West River.

Yuanshi Tianzun produced the Jade Talisman for Internal Contemplation of the Mysterious Cavern (Dongxuan) and conferred it upon Laojun. Laojun bowed in obeisance and received the teaching. After he applied the jade talisman, the divine forms of the Three Sections and Eight Splendors appeared within his body, and in the air there manifested twenty-four scrolls of golden script and jade characters—luminous, penetrating, and inexhaustible, their patterns arising of themselves. Laojun at once commanded the superior immortals in charge of the canon to copy them, inscribing them in golden script and purple characters on cinnabar slips and jade seals; thus the texts and images were established. The authentic writings handed down by Lady Wang, True Queen of the Nine Lights of Supreme Primordial Origin at the Southern Pole; the Two Huas of East and West; the True Lords of North and South; the immortals of the Five Sacred Mountains; and Qingxu Zhenren were likewise all transmitted by Laojun. These works were arranged in upper, middle, and lower grades.

The upper grade comprised the Diagram of Immortals Bathing at the Well of Binding; the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains (a Daoist pictorial schema of the five mountains’ forms); the Diagram of the Eight Histories of the Essential Spirit-Communication Formula; the Diagram of Spirit Communication through the Six Jia; the Diagram of the Purple Chamber of the Nine Palaces; the Diagram of the Primordial Great Clarity; the Diagram of the True Dao in Primordial Unity; and the Diagram of the Western Ascension and Preservation Record.

The middle grade comprised the Diagram of Immortal Subtle Spirit Transformation; the Diagram of Treading the Void with the Nine Spirits; the Diagram of the Nine Transformations of Heaven; the Diagram of Constant Preservation; the Diagram of Guarding the One and Nourishing the Body (the practice of holding fast to the primordial unity and nurturing body and spirit); the Diagram of Guarding the Spirit and Embracing the Inner Radiance; the Diagram of Silent Stillness, Nourishing True Nature, and Upholding the Will (cultivation through quiet silence, refining the true self, and steadfast intent); and the Diagram of the Jade Maiden of Spirit Mushrooms.

The lower-grade category includes works such as the Illustrations of the Six Yin Jade Maidens of Immortals, the Illustrations of the Ninety-Nine Dao Immortals, the Daoyin Illustrations, the Illustrations of Hongbao in the Cave, the Illustrations of Hidden Transformations and Omens, the Illustrations of Gathering Ganoderma and Opening the Mountains, the Bright Mirror Illustrations, and the Illustrations of the Limitless Grand Unity, among others. These twenty-four illustrations in all are methods for cultivating the body, nurturing life, and seeking longevity; they too were formed from the qi of the primordial Dongxuan.

Laojun also oversees the Jade Dawn Divine Tiger Talisman Illustrations and the Scripture of Pure Wisdom, as well as the talisman illustrations and jade seals used in the Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing to summon spirit officials, awesome deities, and demon gods. All these scriptures and illustrations are recorded and kept in Laojun’s charge.

These scriptures were condensed from the qi of flying mystery and natural spontaneity. Their principle is profoundly subtle and they are the most honored classics among all scriptures: they command the myriad spirits and guard and protect the hosts of immortals. They are secretly stored in the Great You Palace above the Nine Heavens, cast in gold to make tablets for writing spirit-script; some are carved on jade with cinnabar used to inscribe the chapters. Others are kept within the jade chambers of the Grand Subtlety Spirit Capital’s jade halls, guarded by great beasts, poisonous dragons, and divine tigers. In the jade gate-towers, three thousand Golden Dawn Jade Boys and Pure Spirit Jade Maidens are stationed to serve and protect these spirit-texts. The various perfected ones hold banquets and perform rites, and the myriad sages come to pay homage.

The Jade Dawn Great Dao Lord often said to Laojun: “After the great kalpa ends, choose worthy persons to transmit the classics; if no suitable person is found, transmission must be withheld through many kalpas. Later students who wish to seek immortality but do not understand the root of the Great Dao merely concentrate their minds in vain thought and waste body and spirit for nothing. To seek the root, one must return to the source; those who lose the root yet hope for long life can never be preserved in the end. The jade texts of the Upper Sovereign—you must choose recipients to transmit them. These methods are precious and hidden, too deep to put fully into words; transmission and practice should follow clear precepts.”

On the first day of the third month of the first year of the Middle Sovereign, renchen (in the sexagenary cycle), Laojun examined and collated the root source of the Great Dao in the Jade Heaven Jade Chamber, compiled subtle chapters, and gathered them into precious scriptures in three hundred scrolls, talisman illustrations in seven thousand chapters, and jade instructions in nine sections.

In the first year of Zhonghuang, on the first day of the third month of the year Renshu, Laojun, at the Jade Heaven Jade Chamber, calculated and verified the original sources, compiled wondrous chapters, and produced three hundred volumes of precious scriptures, seven thousand chapters of talismanic diagrams, and nine thousand chapters of jade instructions. He entrusted these to the Blue Youth Great Lord of the Eastern Sea palaces, commanding him to transmit them to later generations of those whose names were recorded in the jade register and who could align with the true Dao. After receiving the precious scriptures, the Blue Youth Great Lord was promoted to Senior Minister. Three thousand Golden Flower Jade Maidens and three thousand Purple Dawn Jade Youths all attended and protected him.

The Blue Youth Great Lord wielded the Spirit Talisman Banner, commanding demon spirits, moving freely through the Purple Void Hall and lingering in the Blue Splendor Chamber. In the final age he would destroy the forces of the Six Heavens and cut down myriad spirits and monsters in the mountains; he would seek out later disciples from the golden tablets, verify the blue records at Fangzhu, summon the myriad emperors at Quyu, and expound the precious instructions in the wondrous chapters. He presided over the affairs of independent alignment with truth, strictly monitoring the four directions and inspecting the times, governing the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths, the Five Sacred Mountains, and billions of true spirits — all fell under his jurisdiction. Records concerning the life and death of all beings, down to the most minute details, were also under his authority.

Later disciples wishing to receive the scriptures and cultivate the Dao must first submit the golden tablet to the Blue Palace, then deliver the jade letter to the Upper Clarity, where the Jade Office would register and manage it, secretly examining the cultivator's diligence and effort. Only those who were truly diligent and hardworking could receive the mysterious transmission.

Laojun also transmitted the scriptures to the Grand Void True Person, the Red Lord of Mount Nanyue, commanding him to grant them to those who sincerely wished to learn the Dao, whose names had long been registered in the immortal register with golden names and jade characters, and whose names were carved on the high pavilion, destined to become true persons. He also transmitted them to the Heavenly True Yellow Lord, the Grand True Lady Wang, and others. Some scriptures were sealed and stored in the Western Mystery Mount Wangwu, others were carved on the golden pillars and jade bi of the northern chamber of the Penglai Palace. Laojun also made tablets from five-colored jade, sealing them separately in the stone stalagmites of the Five Sacred Mountains. When the year Renchen arrived for the convocation and the Later Sage Lord descended, these scriptures would be retrieved and entrusted to the Four Assistants, who would teach those possessing the qualities of upper true persons.

According to the Records of the Later Sage Lord Li, the Four Assistants of the Later Sage Lord Li were: the Blue Youth Great Lord of Fangzhu Palace, serving as Senior Minister; the Southern Pole Primordial Lord of the Grand Elixir Palace, serving as Senior Protector; the Grand Simplicity True Lord of Mount Baishan, serving as Senior Tutor; and the True King Lord of the Western City Palace, serving as Senior Steward.

Anyone who wishes to seek immortality should first seek out the classics and clarify their root source and stream; only then can cultivation have a chance of success. If one does not know whence the Dao method comes or by whom precious secret formulas were transmitted, it is like groping in the dark. Learning without a lineage, the true Dao will not descend and be conferred—Dao techniques will naturally be hard to put into practice.

Lord Lao said: “The precious scriptures of the Three Caverns are all the supreme Great Dao transmitted by the Three Pure Ones. Long ago I transmitted these scriptures to Yuanshi Tianzun. Down to the present, seven hundred million kalpas have passed; heaven and earth have repeatedly formed and been destroyed, the myriad things ceaselessly arise and perish—only my Dao endures. Even now I still cultivate this Dao above the Jingyun (Radiant Cloud) realm, and often grant the Jade Clarity mysterious registers to true lords; I also transmit them in the Heaven of Boundless Life to the Azure Lad Great Lord of Fangzhu.

“According to the ranks and institutions of the Nine Heavens, the scriptures are transmitted only once every myriad kalpas. Since the Kaihuang era, transmitting the scriptures to later Dao learners depends on whether the recipient possesses the character fit for becoming a true immortal. Within nine thousand years transmission is permitted to only three persons; if a suitable person appears within forty-nine years, transmission may also be granted once. Whoever wishes to receive my scriptures must follow the Four Poles Bright Regulations concerning the rites and norms for receiving scriptures, prepare the tokens of faith, go to the master to receive the scriptures; afterward carry them on the person, cultivate single-mindedly, act with caution, and never lightly pass them to others.”

Examining the regulations on receiving scriptures in the classics and precepts, the fixed year-limits differ in each age. In high antiquity customs were simple and honest, and transmission occurred only once per myriad kalpas; in the final age customs grow daily shallow and thin, and saving and ferrying sentient beings is all the more needed, so when a suitable person appears, transmission within forty-nine years is permitted. Receiving scriptures always puts fasting and precepts first and secret accumulation of merit and good deeds as essential—the aim is to release the sins of the nine generations of ancestors, rescue sentient beings from calamity and disaster, and only afterward speak of oneself. Practitioners should accumulate merit, widely perform good deeds, observe the laws of heaven’s Dao, and seek transcendence and ascent.

Therefore Daoism has twenty-seven grades of fasting-and-precept liturgy and thirty-six grades of jiao (purification and offering) methods. Among these, the highest method of cultivation takes purity, stillness, and emptiness as essential; next, breath regulation and ingestion methods serve as paths of practice; again, purifying the inner mind and repenting to renew oneself is fundamental; universally applicable jiao methods take putting others before oneself as essential. Once merit reaches three thousand, one may ascend to heaven in broad daylight—this saying has basis in the tradition.

It is also said: Those who wish to cultivate the superior Dao should first observe the Gaoshang Dongzhen Sanyuan Fast (the important Daoist fasting and purification rite of the Three Primordial). When the Three Primordial align with the true Dao, one can respond above to the nine ancestors (nine generations of forebears).

All who wish to study the Scripture of the Great Cavern’s True Scripture in Thirty-nine Chapters, the Ciyi Yujian Wulao Precious Scripture, to vow the eighty-two supreme vows of the Mysterious Mother, to wear the Shenhu and Jinhu talismans, to employ the ritual invocations of the Huoluo Seven Primordials, the flowing gold fire bells, and the hidden spells for subduing demons and commanding the myriad spirits, to perform the flying steps of the Five Stars (walking in the pattern of the five stars in the sky), to visualize the Seven Primordials (contemplating the Big Dipper’s seven stars in the mind), to yearn for perfected ones and practice the Dao in the hope of becoming a celestial immortal, or to compound and ingest divine elixir and flying ascent spirit pills—all should first observe the upper primordial fast for nine days and nine nights, purifying the fast and concentrating the mind on the spirits. On the day before the formal fast begins, one bathes with the five aromatics and starts the fast at night. Participants may be at most nine and at least three; host and guests must pray with sincere hearts and be diligent in every detail.

To practice the middle primordial fast, one should keep the fast for six days and six nights, to expiate accumulated personal faults, to seek release from guilt before the celestial perfected ones, and to confess before the Three Primordial (the three supreme deities of the celestial realm). When past faults are cleared, the lofty spirits will descend, one’s name is entered on the mysterious register (the roster of heaven), and one may hope to become an upper immortal. Those who cultivate the Dao without following the regulations only waste effort in vain and cannot resonate with the natural Way.

To practice the lower primordial fast, one should keep the fast for three days and three nights, to free the nine ancestors from distress, so their souls may be reborn, leave the three evil paths (the three miserable destinations in Daoist cosmology), ascend to the Southern Palace, and be freed from entanglement and obstruction, cutting off evil roots. The scripture says that seven generations of ancestors are thereby released, and the practitioner can also become an immortal. This method is profound; it must not be transmitted except to one who is truly fit.

Only after the fast is completed may one cultivate the upper Dao. Thereafter one should often bathe and keep purification, wear neat ritual vestments, rinse the mouth and purify the body so that inner and outer are clean: no mixed flavors in the mouth, no turbid Qi in the belly, no impurity in the eyes, and the body unstained by dust. Maintain simplicity and quiet, let the self be single-minded toward the Dao, and then perform the rites of cultivation.

Those who cultivate the upper Dao without observing the three hundred major precepts, yet recite scriptures, perform methods, wear talismans, visualize spirits, compound and take medicine, or hide in mountains and forests seeking ascension to immortality, can hardly expect to succeed.

Those who cultivate the supreme Way, if they do not observe the Three Hundred Great Precepts (the code of conduct Daoist practitioners are expected to keep) yet only recite scriptures, practice ritual techniques, wear talismans (fulu), and visualize deities, then further refine elixirs and take medicinal pills while retiring to mountains and forests in hope of becoming immortals, will probably find it hard to succeed.

If one can inwardly keep the precepts in full and outwardly meet the world with humility and restraint, one comes close to the rank of a spiritual immortal. Cultivating the Way is not difficult in itself; what is difficult is upholding the precepts. If you can keep the precepts and extend good conduct to the ten directions, the Supreme Sovereign (the highest deity in Daoist reverence) will protect and assist you in ascending to immortality. After the precepts are fully maintained, one may then recite the precious scriptures, wear the great talismans, and act in accordance with the law; if even then one cannot become an immortal, then in this world there would be no path to long life at all. What I lament is how hard it is in this world to find people who truly do all of this.

To have scriptures yet not keep the precepts is like crossing the sea without boat or oars, or like having a mouth but no tongue—how could one save oneself? The crux of cultivation lies in conduct that conforms to the precepts of the hidden realm, with inward accumulation of merit sufficient, and only then entering the sphere of the great Way. Failing that, one ends up merely running to and fro in the dusty world, with no benefit either for lengthening or shortening one’s allotted life.

Laojun also transmitted to the Lord of the Azure Youth a scripture in one scroll titled Lingshu Ziwen (Purple Scripture of the Numinous Book), which sets forth twenty-four methods of cultivation. The general purport is as follows:

The first is the method of gathering and ingesting “Feigen” (Flying Root) and swallowing the sun’s qi. One first takes the “Kaiming fu” (Opening Brightness Talisman) used for this practice, and regularly visualizes the sun just rising. Then one clicks the teeth and silently recites the name of the sun’s hun (soul) and the names of the five sovereign lords within the sun; next one visualizes the five-colored radiance of the sun coming to one’s side, encircling the whole body, and swallows it according to the method. When doing this, one should feel the body moist and lustrous as jade, with a constant glow upon the face.

Next is the method of gathering and ingesting “Yinhua” (Yin Splendor) and swallowing the moon’s essence. One first takes the “Taixuan Yinsheng fu” (Great Mystery Yin-Generation Talisman), and regularly visualizes the moon just rising. Then one clicks the teeth and silently recites the name of the moon’s po (the numinous essence of the moon in Daoist teaching) and the names of the five ladies within the moon; next one visualizes the five-colored flowing light of the moon coming to one’s side, encircling the whole body, and swallows it according to the method. When doing this, one should feel the body suffused with jade-like light, as if refined brilliance moves within the eyes.

Then comes restraining the three hun (souls). The three hun may leave the body and wander outside, swiftly drifting far from their original abode; they may also be constrained by other souls or captured by spirits and demons. Therefore the three hun must be held within the body and not allowed to stray. In practice one visualizes a mass of red-black light in the heart gradually expanding to cover the whole body, then transforming into fire that illuminates the body inside and out; at the same time one clicks the teeth and calls out according to the method, thereby restraining the three hun.

Next is subduing the seven po (corporeal souls). The seven po may scatter in foul places, or connect with blood-offerings and move among ghosts and demons, or become linked with corpses; they may also proclaim a person’s faults and bring about ruin and downfall. All these are regarded as disorders of the seven po. The practice is on dark moon days, new moon days, first-quarter days, full moon days, and gengshen days, to visualize white-black light at the tip of the nose gradually expanding to cover the body in nine layers; then visualize it becoming the four numinous beasts encircling the whole body, while calling out according to the method, thereby subduing and refining the seven po.

Furthermore, within the human body there are the Three Yuan Palaces. The Upper Yuan Palace is located at the Niwan Palace in the Dantian (energy center); its spirit is called Chizi (Red Child), styled Yuanxian, with another title Dixiang (Sovereign’s Village).

The middle dantian (Central Dantian) is located at the Crimson Palace (Jianggong); the spirit within it is called the True Person (Zhenren), with the style name Zidan, also known as Guangjian. The lower dantian (Lower Dantian) is located at the Gate of Life Palace (Mingmen Gong); the spirit within it is called the Infant (Ying'er), with the style name Yuanyang, also known as Xuangu. Together with the spirit of the upper dantian, these three are collectively called the "Three-One Spirits" (San Yi Zhi Shen). The spirit of the upper dantian wears purple robes; the spirit of the middle dantian wears red robes; the spirit of the lower dantian wears yellow robes—all resembling infants in appearance. To restrain the hun and po souls, one should first silently recite their names in the heart and visualize their respective robe colors, contemplating them clearly in sequence.

Within the Gate of Life Palace there is also a Great Lord named Taokang, with the style name Heyan, who wears vermilion robes and a lotus crown, with the three hun souls attending at his side. When about to fall asleep at night, one should often visualize this Great Lord and recite protective incantations according to the secret formulas, continuing for eighteen years, after which the Great Lord can activate the Three Fields with his left hand and command the Three Blacks with his right; he can also summon the Yang Six Jia of the human realm and call the Yin Six Ding of the netherworld to attend the practitioner. These are all visualization and spirit-summoning methods within Daoist internal cultivation.

Furthermore, by practicing the Way of Jadey and Liubing Morning Flight, ingesting the Spirit-Flying Six Jia Yin-Yang Talismans, wearing talisman registers such as the Divine Tiger, Golden Tiger, Demon-Dispelling, Huoluo, and Flowing Gold, reciting the Scripture of the Great Cavern (Dadong Zhenjing), visualizing the Twenty-Four Spirits of the Three Sections and Eight Sceneries, ingesting the Langya Flowery Elixir, embracing the Yellow Water and Moon Essence, and revolving the Water-Jade Essence Ring of Gang Fruit, one can cause seven-colored light to emanate from the head. Through this the practitioner can dispel demons and remove obstacles, transform the body into multiple forms, and gain a retinue of a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders, ascending to heaven in broad daylight. What is listed here are the secret formulas, talismans, scriptures, and visualization methods used in Daoist cultivation.

These essential secrets were personally transmitted by the Great Emperor of Taiwei, the Great Emperor of Ziwei Shangzhen, and the Lord of Jade Clarity: they used purple jade for the slips and green gold for the characters, with the Turtle Mother holding the brush, the Golden Boy sweeping the mat, the Heavenly Consort attending the incense, and the Jade Boy compiling the chapters. The book is titled The Secret Book Purple Chapter (Lingshu Zipian). This text was entrusted to the Great Lord Qingtong of the Upper Minister, who then transmitted it to those in the Mysterious Palace who had received jade names and become True Persons (Zhenren).

The Great Lord Qingtong undertook purification fasting for one thousand days, kowtowing and prostrating himself, crawling on his knees, holding the text and facing north, swearing an oath to transmit it according to the ritual protocols, after which he returned the book to the Fangzhu Xiaogong Palace. Later, he transmitted the book to the Lord Wang of the Western City, who passed it on to those possessing the physiognomy of immortal bones.

According to the scripture: Beginning from when the Great Luo Heaven established the laws of all things and nurtured the beings of the ten directions, the Nine Sages were first appointed, each divided into nine grades. Immortals, from lowest to highest, comprise eighty-one ranks in all. Because the beings of the three realms are confused and dim, and their spiritual capacities differ, the three vehicles (methods distinguished by level of cultivation) were set up, divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, so that all beings might awaken.

In the kalpa of Longhan at the beginning, the holy Way was transmitted to the Nine Heavens Zhangren and the Nine Heavens Zhenhuang; in the Chiming kalpa, it was transmitted to the Xuhuang Jade Emperor; in the Shanghuang kalpa, the immortal Way was transmitted to Lord Wanshi and the Taizhen Jade Emperor. These belong to transmission of the Dao by the upper sages. In the Taiyi period, the Dao and De were transmitted to the Tai Emperor Lord; in the Taishi period, to the Heavenly Emperor Lord; in the Taichu period, to the Taiwei Emperor Lord; in the Taiji period, to the Taiwei Heavenly Emperor; in the Taisu period, to the Jinyue Emperor Lord and the Shangxiang Qingtong Lord. These belong to transmission of the Dao and De by the middle perfected ones.

Later transmission of the teaching proceeds according to twelve categories of instructive methods: first, the original texts of the Three Caverns (Daoist scriptures); second, divine talismans and their credentials (shenfu and gaoxin); third, jade instructions and secret taboos (cultivation formulas and hidden names); fourth, sacred diagrams and their inscriptions; fifth, transmission of the Way through successive generations; sixth, precepts to guard against error (using precepts to prevent faults); seventh, ritual deportment and proper order (ceremonial etiquette and sequence of conduct); eighth, methods of cultivation; ninth, extrapolation of numbers and hidden arts (numerological calculation and arts of concealment); tenth, records and biographical transmission (narrating and handing down deeds); eleventh, hymns of praise; twelfth, memorials and petitions (presenting memorials to the deities and making supplication). Mastery of the scriptures of the Three Caverns enables response and verification of talismans; this is the manner in which the Dao was transmitted through later generations.

During the reign of Shaohao, Laojun (Lord Lao) descended again to Kongtong Mountain, taking the title Suiyingzi, and expounded the Zhuangjing Jing (Scripture of Dignified Reverence), teaching people to align with the seasons and govern in harmony with the times. In the time of Zhuanxu, Laojun came to Heng Mountain as Chijingzi and taught the Weiyan Jing (Scripture of Subtle Words), instructing people in loyalty and respectful deference. When Emperor Ku ruled, Laojun appeared on the riverbank as Lutuzi and lectured on the Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture), guiding people toward quiet clarity and inner balance.

At that time Laojun ordered the True King of the Nine Heavens and the True Emperor of the Three Heavens to descend to Mude Platform bearing rods of ninefold radiance and talismanic seals of auspicious clouds, and there they bestowed upon Emperor Ku the numinous talismans of the Nine Heavens and the treasured seals of the Three Heavens. These fulu (talismans and registers) were used in service to Heaven so that yin and yang in heaven and earth would not lose their proper order; they were also used in ordering human affairs so that human lifespan would not fall into decline. Emperor Ku then sacrificed to Heaven at the altar of the Northern River and stored the talismans on the summit of Zhong Mountain; he later ascended and became a perfected one of the Mysterious Palace.

Laojun also transmitted the Way to Chisongzi, Piyi zi, Wang Ni, and Nie Jue. These events are briefly recorded in the Tang Ji (Records of the Tang).

According to the Records of Buddhism and Daoism in the Book of Wei, the lineage of Daoism originates from Laozi. Laozi existed before Heaven and Earth, nourishing the ten thousand things through the power of the Dao; in the upper realm at Jade Capital (the immortal realm in Daoist teaching) he is the sovereign of divine kings, and in the lower realm at Purple Subtlety (the abode of the Celestial Emperor) he is the master of flying immortals. He can transform in myriad ways—sometimes manifesting De (Virtue/Power), sometimes not manifesting it; he responds in accord with induction to the ten thousand things, and his traces have no fixed mode.

Laozi once transmitted teachings to the Yellow Emperor on Mount Emei, and in the land of Mude instructed Diku (the title here follows the original text). Yu the Great once sought from him the method of long life, and Yin Xi transmitted the essential purport of the Dao De Jing. There were also the Scripture of Ascending to the Mystery and Flying Steps, written in cinnabar script with purple characters, and jade-and-golden-light teachings on the Dao of “wondrous being and cavernous spirit.” Such scriptures are too numerous to record in full.

The Bibliographical Treatise in the Book of Sui records that from ancient times the Yellow Emperor, Diku, Yu of the Xia, and others all encountered divine persons and received Dao methods and Daoist registers (fulu) from them. Because the ages are remote, related deeds were not preserved in the classics and histories. The Bibliographical Treatise also says that teachings outside the world (religious instruction beyond ordinary secular life) embody the profound intent of sages. When people of the world practice them without understanding their essential meaning, they often mix in tortuous and strange claims—and that is precisely where harm arises. Therefore, the way of teaching spoken of in the Doctrine of the Mean seldom touches on such matters, yet one cannot for that reason assert that all related accounts are empty falsehood.

In the time of Emperor Yao, Laozi descended to Mount Gushé, styled himself Master Wucheng, expounded the Scripture of Mysterious De, and taught humility. In the time of Emperor Shun, he descended to Heyang, styled himself Master Yinshou, expounded the Dao De Jing, and taught accord with nature and Wuwei (non-action). He also transmitted the Dao to Peng Zu.

According to accounts cited in the Taiping Guangji from the Jixian Lu (Records of Assembled Immortals), the female Daoist Wang Miaoxiang lived on Jiuyi Mountain in Cangwu. For a long time she abstained from grain, nourishing body and mind through fuqi (ingesting breath), often reciting the Huangting Jing (Inner Scripture of the Yellow Court) and worshipping the spirits with sincere devotion.

Suddenly, thick spiritual fragrance filled the air, auspicious clouds spread over the courtyard, music sounded from heaven, and light flooded the altar hall. A great celestial procession came through the sky—banners and crane-shaped canopies leading nine dragon chariots that descended before the altar. An immortal official appeared in feather robes and a jeweled crown, sword at his side, shoes trailing, and took his seat in the hall, his body radiating five-colored light. Wang Miaoxiang at once stepped forward to pay homage.

The immortal official said to her: “I am Emperor Shun of ancient Youyu. Long ago I wearied of ruling the realm and cultivated the Dao on this mountain, always hoping to guide later generations to know the Great Dao, yet I never found anyone fit to receive it. The Great Dao dwells in the human heart, not in outward things; it is in you yourself, not in others. The Xuan Jing (Mysterious Scripture) says that when cultivation is rooted in oneself, the virtue one gains is real.

“Recently the disi (the divine office that governs affairs on earth) reported upward that you have cultivated the Dao on this mountain for more than thirty years—steadfast from beginning to end, holding to the Dao without swerving, your mind single and sincere, keeping the precepts of the Mysterious Gate—yet it seems you still have not received verification. If that were truly so, it would mean the Great Dao had abandoned the cultivator. The Xuan Jing also says: ‘One who constantly excels at saving the myriad things does not abandon any being.’ The Great Dao bestows its grace broadly and reaches all things equally, wishing each to come to fruition and every person to attain deliverance. Yet people’s merit and virtue are often shallow and their daoqi (vital force of the Way) insufficient, so they cannot long sustain focused, diligent practice; before daoqi can respond, they already slacken midway. In such cases people abandon the Great Dao themselves—it is not the Great Dao that abandons them. Your spirit is so pure and your resolve so unwavering that even across a hundred or a thousand lifetimes you still hope for realization without falling back—this is truly worthy of compassion.”

In the past I once encountered the Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun). He expounded to me the teachings of the Daodejing (Scripture of the Way and Virtue) on governing the state, cultivating the self, guiding the people, and carrying out instruction. These teachings can penetrate heaven and earth and fill the cosmos; they reach the nine heavens and run through the myriad things. They are the key to spreading instruction and the root of practice and realization of the Dao—yet they cannot be fully conveyed in words.

Yet people in the world are restless and insincere. They mock humility and reserve as weakness and cowardice, and treat yielding and self-restraint as pedantic and base. They laugh at “abolishing sages and discarding wisdom” (jue sheng qi zhi) as absurd, and despise “abolishing benevolence and discarding righteousness” (jue ren qi yi) as contrary to ordinary principle. This is precisely how beings in a decadent age go astray in delusion and reckless action.

The Mysterious Sage (Xuansheng) wished to return the customs of the age to simplicity and honesty, taking the Dao as foundation and clearing away heterodox doctrines. When deviant paths are removed, the supreme Dao appears of itself; when simplicity and honesty are established, shallow rivalry and competition naturally fade. Then institutions that lay down rules and standards need not be enforced, universal compassionate charity has nowhere to be imposed, and the display of sagely renown or the use of clever contrivance find no application. The myriad things of the world naturally return to harmony. This is the fundamental aim of the Mysterious Sage.

Reflecting on affairs of former times, I withdrew to govern this mountain, constantly relying on the way of long preservation and quiet non-action (wuwei). I sent immortal officers down in turn to teach human beings. The highest sages and perfected ones (zhenren) took pity on the shifting fortunes of the kalpas: ages turn, yin and yang wax and wane, birth and death follow one another. In the blink of an eye, calamities and numbered tribulations such as the “yang nine and bai liu” cycles would come again—so they diligently sent down instruction to save people, and above all urgently hoped that people would seek the Dao.

People’s wish to seek the Dao comes and goes; though it stays in the heart, those who truly persevere to the end are perhaps one in ten thousand. The perfected ones in heaven pity worldly beings. They move among humanity, sometimes concealing their forms and changing their appearance, guiding people according to local circumstances. On this mountain the immortals have descended nine times; at each place there are palaces where immortal officers dwell, overseen by perfected officials.

In the mountains there are precious jade, the five metals, spirit fungus and divine herbs, as well as elixirs guarded by the Three Heavens (the higher celestial realms in Daoist cosmology), and scriptures kept in store by the Supreme Venerable (Tai Shang, the highest deity in Daoist tradition). Some of these lie hidden in stone chambers and cave terraces; others are concealed in mist-shrouded cliffs and deep valleys—all under the charge of spirit officers and divine clerks. There are no venomous insects or fierce beasts there; one may aid the world, nurture life, and cultivate the Way, and may also become a perfected True Person (Zhenren) and ascend to the immortal realm.

Since you have lived in the mountains, you have never traveled widely or surveyed the peaks and ridges, and so naturally you do not know these things. You should strive in cultivation; only when you can mount the light and ride the void should you turn back to investigate what is root and what is branch. Then the Old Master (Laozi) ordered his attendant ministers to hand him the two classics of the Daode (Dao and De) and the Zhujing Lingtu (Scripture on Stabilizing the Radiant Spirit, a Daoist text), and departed. From then on, the Old Master would descend to Huangting Abbey every year or every three to five years.

Some years later, Miaoxiang ascended in broad daylight. The abbey where Miaoxiang had lived was renamed Yingdao Abbey. This mountain was where Emperor Shun cultivated the Way; hence the place was called Daozhou (Prefecture of the Way). The Old Master had once transmitted the Daode to Shun here—that may serve as corroboration. He Shang Gong (the immortal traditionally credited with commenting on the Laozi) once said: “This book of mine is already seventeen hundred years old.”

In the time of Yu the Great, the Old Master descended again on Mount Shang, styling himself the True Practice Master (Zhenxingzi).

During the time of Xia Yu, Laojun descended to Mount Shang, styled himself Zhenxingzi, and taught people diligence and frugality, also transmitting the Book of Nine Categories. Laojun further commanded the mountain god of Mount Wanwei and the Xuanyi emissary to present Xia Yu with the jade text Lingbao Wufu—mysterious characters used for controlling water—along with the Yu Step (a form of treading the Dipper and pacing the asterisms in Daoist ritual) and methods for commanding ghosts and spirits.

When Xia Yu was taming the floods, he followed the terrain to open channels. Laojun sent Lady Yunhua in secret to assist him. While Yu was encamped below Mount Wu, a sudden gale arose; cliffs and ravines were shaken and broken, and the wind could not be subdued. Yu met Lady Yunhua and bowed to ask for help. The Lady had her attendant hand Yu a text of spells for summoning and dispatching ghosts and spirits, and ordered spirits such as Kuangzhang, Yuyu, Huanghui, Dayi, Gengchen, Tonglü, and the Giant Spirit to help him split rock, clear water, block breaches, and cut new courses.

Yu once climbed to the summit of Mount Chong to visit Lady Yunhua. In her bearing she would at times turn to stone, then suddenly soar and scatter into light clouds, then gather again as evening rain; sometimes she became a roaming dragon, sometimes a flying crane—myriad transformations that made her hard to approach. Yu suspected her conduct was strange and unlike a true transcendent, and questioned Tonglü.

Tonglü answered: “The root of Heaven and Earth is the Dao; those who can wield the power of the Dao are sages. Among the kinds of sage are the Perfected Person (Zhenren) and the immortal (Xianren). Some beings receive Primordial Qi and become perfected without cultivation or attaining the Dao—Duke of Wood (Mugong) and Golden Mother (Jinmu) are of this sort. They are the ancestral source of Yin and Yang, the sovereigns of immortals and perfected ones, and also the primal beginning of creation.

Lady Yunhua is the daughter of Golden Mother. She was enfeoffed as Lady Yunhua, Shangguan of the Clouds, charged with instructing youths who preserve their innocence, and she dwells at the Jade Reflection Terrace. Her hidden appearance and transformations are her normal state. She condensed Primordial Qi to become perfected and merged in one body with the Dao; she was not born from a womb or shaped by bodily change, but was transformed from the qi of Lesser Yin of Xihua.

Primordial Qi can pervade Heaven and Earth, move among plants and animals, both embrace vast creation and enter the finest hair. In a person it becomes a person; in the ten thousand things it becomes the ten thousand things—how could it only take the forms of dragons, cranes, wild geese, and phoenixes?”

Yu followed her advice and went to pay his respects. Suddenly he beheld tier upon tier of cloud-piercing towers and jade halls, jade palaces rising in layers, with spirit officials attending and guarding the deity—each name beyond naming. Lions kept the gates, celestial horses cleared the way, poisonous dragons and lightning-fast strange beasts went in train, and the Eight Mighty Presences stood complete before the carriage. The Lady sat upright upon the jade terrace. Yu bowed and asked his question. The Lady bade him sit and spoke thus:

Sages and master craftsmen at first opened the myriad things from the undivided whole of primordial chaos, divided it into countless forms, released the life-force stored within, and turned it into inexhaustible phenomena. Therefore people took the courses of sun, moon, and stars as their measure for seasons and directions, divided the nine regions and established states; used clepsydras to mark day and night and cold and heat to fix the year; marked east and west with the trigrams Dui and Li and divided Yin and Yang by mountains and rivers; built walls and cities to gather the people and fashioned tools to protect the multitude, displayed rank and low estate through chariots and caps and robes, and stored grain in millet and panic grass against lean years. These institutions looked upward to the stars and to the divine and the perfected, and downward they nourished all formed things in the world.

Hence sun and moon have brightness and dimness; the growth and decay of the myriad things follow the alternation of cold and heat; thunder and lightning have their times of arising and ceasing, wind and rain their patterns of change. Every kind of breath floats above; many essences spread below. The rise and fall of affairs, the shifts between order and disorder, whether people are wise or foolish, good or evil, hard or soft, the length of life, high or low station, the order of honor and humility, and whether fortune or misfortune, obscurity or success befall one—all receive their allotment from the Dao, appear through Heaven, and are recorded and fixed by the sages.

Human nature arises from Heaven; fate takes shape in the human world. The root of nature is granted by Heaven; conduct follows the Dao. Where the Dao is present, the myriad things can endure; where the Dao departs, they cannot be sustained. Without the Dao, nothing can last; without cultivation, one cannot attain the Dao. The Most High said: “Empty the mind to the utmost, hold fast to stillness without wavering, and the myriad things will naturally return to their true root.” The meaning is: return to the Dao, and one may endure.

The workings of the Dao transform in myriad ways, so rich that they cannot be exhausted; they cannot be summed up by any single kind of change. Therefore heaven receives the deep and subtle Dao, earth receives the broad and weighty Dao, and human beings receive Dao and De. Without these, one cannot be called [one who follows] the Dao.

To preserve oneself for long, the key lies in this: heaven keeps its subtle mystery, earth guards all that it bears, and human beings nourish their own Qi—the fundamental power of life’s activity. Only thus can life be preserved. From this perspective, my life and fate are in my own hands; it is not that heaven seeks to destroy me, nor that ghosts and spirits wish to harm me. If a person loses the Dao, they will decline and perish on their own.

Set your resolve firmly and cultivate diligently. What you have done already benefits the myriad things, and you are diligent in bringing good to the people—virtuous conduct enough to move heaven. Yet you have not yet heard the most profound Dao. Long ago I received scriptures at the Pass of Purple Clarity (Ziqing), and treasured and diligently practiced them. My teacher, the Three Origins Dao Lord (Sanyuan Daojun), said: “The Scripture of the Supreme True Inner Canon (Shangzhen Neijing) is a classic treasured by the Heavenly True. When it is sealed in the Golden Terrace and worn at the Palace of Great Subtlety (Taiwei), one may ascend riding the clouds; the Divine Tiger guards the gate. Dressed properly, one enters the Jade Chamber (Yao Fang); feasting in the Rare Woods (Xilin), one long draws the Immortal Lords; dwelling to the right on White Mountain, looking down upon the great void, drifting freely at the Ford of Heaven (Tianjin), one rides…”

When riding clouds and dragons to traverse this famous mountain, celestial immortals come to one's dwelling, myriad spirits guard the way, and a thousand essences welcome one's arrival. In motion, the Eight Sceneries jade chariot (a carriage adorned with treasures of the immortals) accompanies one; at rest, one sits securely upon a golden platform. This exquisite text is also called the "Supreme Venerable's Wondrous Scripture of the Jade Pendant and Golden Earring."

You are about to cross the great sea yet have neither carriage nor boat; to pass through flying sand yet have no cloud carriage; to travel overland through perilous terrain with no vehicle to ride; or to wade through muddy waters with no boat to ferry you. Thus long journeys become exhausting, and crossing water risks drowning. You also wish to channel the hundred valleys and dredge the ten thousand streams—a task truly dangerous and arduous. The Grand Supreme takes pity on you and will confer upon you the Lingbao True Scripture (a classical Daoist text endowed with sacred power). With it, on land you can drive tigers and leopards; on water you can subdue dragons and crocodiles; cut down every kind of evil apparition; and restrain all manner of fierce beings—thereby helping you accomplish the work of controlling the waters and making your merit shine forth in Heaven.

The precious book I transmit can also enable one to enter and exit fire and water, shout commands to the netherworld, subdue tigers and leopards, summon the Six Ding (Daoist protective deities), conceal oneself in the eight directions, overturn the Five Stars (the stars of the Five Phases), long preserve form and spirit, as if sharing the same endurance as Heaven and Earth. Thereupon Yu ordered the attendant lady Ling Ronghua to take out the cinnabar-jade casket and open the Shangqing Precious Scripture to confer it upon Yu; he also commanded spirits such as Kuang Zhang and Ju Ling to help Yu execute those who harmed the people—foes that human strength alone could not overcome. Yu killed Fangfeng at Kuaiji and subdued Wuzhiqi, the god of the Huai River whirlpools, at Gui Mountain—all achievements made possible by the power of the Lingbao True Scripture.

Later, Yu entered the Yangming Grotto Heaven, became a Purple Court Perfected Person, and deposited the Lingbao True Scripture in the grotto palace on Mount Bao.

It is said that the Tai Xiu Fayue Grotto Heaven of Mount Yutong is precisely where the Grand Supreme conferred the Lingbao True Scripture upon Yu. Yu later became a Purple Court Perfected Person and stored the True Scripture in the grotto palace on Mount Bao.

The Grotto-Heaven of Supreme Elegance and Dharma Joy at Mount Yujian—one of the grotto-heavens and blessed lands recognized in Daoism—was where the Supreme Sovereign (Tai Shang) transmitted the Lingbao True Scripture to Yu the Great; this text was later preserved in writing. The Linwu Dongtian in the Dongting hills within Lake Tai is where Yu stored that true scripture; it is also called Mount Bao.

In the twelfth month of the first year of King Helü of Wu’s reign, Helü ascended Mount Bao and ordered the reclusive practitioner known as Elder Longwei to enter the cave and explore its depths. Deep inside he saw halls of gold and chambers of jade; on the gate was inscribed “Separate Palace of the Queen of Heaven, Hall of Grand Yin.” From a table in the jade chamber he took back one scroll of plain silk bearing one hundred seventy-four characters.

Helü could not read the script and sent envoys to ask Confucius. Helü said a red crow had brought it and handed it to him. Confucius replied that long ago in the Western Sea he had heard a children’s rhyme: “The King of Wu travels to view Lake Zhen; Elder Longwei, named Yinju, goes north into Mount Bao’s spirit realm, enters the grotto of Dongting, and steals Yu’s book. The Great Scripture of the Celestial Emperor must not be spread; this text was meant to pass on for six hundred years at the start; now it is forcibly taken out— the state will perish and its halls fall.” That is: the King of Wu came on tour to Lake Zhen; Elder Longwei, called Yinju, went north into the numinous precinct of Mount Bao, entered Dongting’s grotto, and removed the book Yu had left. The great Way-text of the Celestial Emperor should not be lightly disclosed; this writing was originally to circulate for six hundred years; now that it is seized by force, the state of Wu may suffer ruin.

Confucius also said that according to the rhyme, the book was obtained by Elder Longwei in the cave; as for the tale of the red crow delivering the scripture, he knew nothing of it. When the King of Wu heard this he was afraid and sent the book back.

In the time of King Tang of Shang, an immortal descended on Mount Qian and was known as Master Xize. He expounded the Scripture of Long Life and taught people to live by reverence and humane kindness. The site of the Dragon Hall in front of Tianzuo Palace on Mount Qian is said to be where he once lectured.

Although Laojun (the Supreme Elder Lord) manifested in the world through successive ages, no record survives of his birth. When he was about to conceal his numinous powers and live among ordinary people to establish worldly teaching, he first commanded the Mysterious and Marvellous Jade Maiden—a goddess of immortals—to be born as the daughter of the Yin clan of Tianshui, named Yishou; she later married the immortal Li Lingfei. The Mysterious and Marvellous Jade Maiden is the Supreme Primal Lady.

Li Lingfei was a descendant of Gao Yao. In the Shang dynasty, father and son in his line passed down the practice of the path to long life. His father Qingbin lived beyond a hundred years yet often looked young; he traveled the five sacred mountains and other peaks. One day a divine dragon in the clouds came to receive him, and he ascended in broad daylight. Moved by his father’s ascent, Li Lingfei devoted himself to the Great Dao; he too lived more than a hundred years and ascended before Laojun was born.

During the reign of Yang Jia, the eighteenth ruler of the Shang, Yang Jia also ascended in daylight. In the seventeenth year of his reign, the year gengshen, Laojun divided a portion of his spirit from the Realm of Great Clarity—the immortal realm spoken of in Daoism—and transformed it into black qi. Riding the sun’s vital essence and driving nine dragons, he descended to the human world as a five-colored flowing pearl.

At that time Lady Yin was napping by day and dreamed that the sky split open several zhang wide and immortals presented the sun. After a long while the sun shrank and fell from heaven, turning into a pearl the size of a pellet in five colors. Lady Yin held the pearl and swallowed it; when she woke she was with child. Today at Tianjing Palace in Bozhou there is a Meteor Altar, traditionally held to mark the place where this happened.

From then on Lady Yin’s face grew ever younger and her bearing serene. In her chamber the six qi of yin and yang were in harmony: no bitter cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer; auspicious light filled the room and no evil could enter. Eighty-one years passed yet she did not feel the time as long.

In the ninth year of the reign of King Wu Ding, the twenty-second ruler of the Shang—the year gengchen, on the fifteenth day of the second month at the mao hour—when the Holy Mother grasped a branch of the li tree, Laojun suddenly descended from her left armpit and was born.

Biographies of immortals (xianren) all say that Laozi remained in his mother’s womb for eighty-one years. Only the Neizhuan (Inner Tradition) says that Yuanshi Jun (Primordial Sovereign), who was teacher to the Supreme Emperor, responded to the jingqi (essence-energy) of sunlight entering the mouth and thus conceived; after seventy-two years she gave birth to Laozi from beneath her left armpit. The two accounts do not match in every detail, yet they rest on a shared logic. Yu Xuan’s Chusaiji (Record of Going Beyond the Frontier) says that Laozi spent seventy-two years in the womb and, after birth, another nine years—eighty-one in all.

When Laozi was born, layers of sunlight shone down, auspicious clouds filled the courtyard, ten thousand cranes circled in the sky, and the Nine Heavens rejoiced together. Jade maidens knelt and offered sacred water; nine dragons drew water to bathe him. The pool where the nine dragons drew water later became nine wells.

According to Fu Tao’s Han-dynasty Beizhengji (Record of the Northern Campaign), the Laojun (Lord Lao) temple had nine wells whose waters were linked: draw from one well, and all nine would stir. As soon as Laozi was born he took nine steps; at each step a lotus flower appeared under his foot. He then pointed at a plum tree (li) and said, “This is my surname.”

Many kalpas (jie)—vast cycles of cosmic time—earlier, he had been born in Ligou of the Northern Mysterious Jade Kingdom (Beixuan Yuguo), and therefore bore the surname Li. In this birth he came into the Li family beneath a li tree and knew his surname from the first; pointing at the tree was to show others, not to mean that he had only now acquired the name Li.

“Dan” describes how Laozi’s ears rose above the nape, were thick and firm, with pearl-like pendants below the lobes and three openings in the ears—features of a divine being, unlike ordinary people—hence the epithet “Dan.” Some texts write xiu, a common graphic variant; the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) has Taishi xiu, and in place names such as “Xiu Prefecture” the same graph refers to the ear. Others write dan as a phonetic slip. Still others say that because Laozi protruded his tongue when he spoke he was called ci (“eloquent”)—that too is mistaken lore.

Lord Lao was named Er, with the courtesy name Boyang. Some called him “Father Boyang,” “father” being an honorific for an elder. He had many other names as well: given name Ya, courtesy name Bozong; given name Zhi, courtesy name Boguang; given name Shi, courtesy name Menggong; given name Chong, courtesy name Ziwen; given name Ding, courtesy name Yuanyang; given name Yuan, courtesy name Boshi; given name Xian, courtesy name Yuansheng; given name De, courtesy name Bowen.

The Jiuguan Jing, Sanwu Jing, and Yuanchen Jing say that everyone has periods of ill fortune, and that if one changes one’s name to accord with the sounds of yuanxi, one can prolong life and ward off disaster. Many cultivators today do the same. The Lieji also states that Lord Lao changed his name every two thousand five hundred years. Because he lived longer than any other figure, his titles and names are especially numerous. He once told Yin Xi: “My surname and personal names shift in ways too deep to fathom; from one kalpa to the next they cannot all be written down.”

On the ninth day after Lord Lao’s birth, his body underwent nine transformations, and each time he was naturally arrayed in a celestial crown and celestial robes. He also displayed seventy-two physiognomic marks and eighty-one signs of excellence. Among the seventy-two marks were these: a head as round as heaven, a face as luminous as the sun, a forehead rising like a recumbent rhinoceros, and the crown of the head high and full like a jade bowl. Silvery hair…

When Lord Lao was born after nine days in the womb, his body underwent nine visible transformations, and he naturally wore a heavenly crown and heavenly robes. At the same time he displayed seventy-two distinct physical traits and eighty-one beautiful forms.

Among the seventy-two traits, his head was round as Heaven, his face bright as the sun, with a prominent forehead and a full, high crown. His hair was white as a crane’s and more than seven chi in length; his eyebrows were like the Big Dipper, in an emerald green hue. His beard was thick like tiger and dragon whiskers, white as silk thread. His earlobes bore pearl-like pendants, and within his ears were three passages; his ears were high and level, aligned with the crown of the head, thick and firm.

His eyes were clear as river water, the sun, and the moon, with square pupils marked by green patterns. His nose bridge had twin ridges and a high nasal bone. His mouth was square and wide as the sea; his lips were red as cinnabar. His teeth were white as rows of shells, hard as silver—sixty-eight in all, evenly set above and below. His tongue was long and broad, its texture like brocade; his voice was clear as jade and ringing as metal. His chin was high, his jaw square as a carpenter’s square.

His rijiao and yueyuan (prominent forehead corners and the deep hollow between the brows) were in harmony, his countenance like gold and jade; a dragon’s face, solemn and still, a phoenix’s gaze, calm and at ease. Radiance showed on his forehead, with three lines running straight upward. His tian ting (upper forehead) was level and his jinkui (the full, rounded fullness of the forehead in physiognomy) was ample. White marks appeared on his cheeks, and pearl-like round signs on his lower jaw. Three creases marked his neck—white, long, and held high like a crane’s.

When his arms hung down they reached past his knees; his palms bore ten line patterns. His fingers were long and slender, each with its own markings; his nails too were finely formed and distinct.

His armor was like jade, green hair covered his body, a prominent ridge bone rose on his chest, and on his back was the star He Kui. His navel was more than one cun deep, and his belly was soft as cotton. Brocade-like patterns marked the region of his heart; within his abdomen lay a subtle, mysterious intent. His eyes showed wheel-like markings, his two feet rested upon the “two fields” (two loci in the body used in cultivation), and his fingers stood for Qian and Kun—Heaven and Earth. He stood one zhang and two chi tall, proportioned evenly, and gave off a fragrant scent.

His face was square yet lustrous, with the three divisions of the face—upper, middle, and lower—clearly set. His body was hard as diamond (vajra), his countenance clear as crystal; in walking he moved like a tiger, in motion like a dragon. Such was his appearance.

On his left the Azure Dragon supported him, on his right the White Tiger guarded him; the Vermilion Bird led before, the Dark Warrior followed behind. Purple clouds crowned his head, lotus flowers bore his feet, his neck upheld the twin luminaries (sun and moon), and five kinds of radiance illumined the sun. His form bore the mark of fullness; when he moved, light filled the nine heavens. He combined every sign of the immortals, strange and splendid in brilliance. Such favorable marks numbered eighty-one in all, and were called the “excellences.”

He lodged in his mother’s womb for eighty-one years, reaching the sun’s “nine times nine” count; at birth his hair was already entirely white, so he was called “the old one.” The ancients also called a teacher “zi,” and “zi” was a general term for a man—hence the name Laozi.

Some say that “lao” is a term for an elder and “zi” for someone young; Laozi was both advanced in years and yet like a newborn infant, and so he was called Laozi. Others say that Laozi’s hair was white, and therefore both “lao” and “zi” were used in addressing him.

In the Tang dynasty, Yin Wencao explained: “Laozi is the embodiment of the Dao. When the Dao appears, it has inner and outer aspects, because it can respond and transform according to conditions, and so the forms in which it appears differ.”

Laozi’s inner honorific titles include Zhiyi, Zhenyi, Xuanyi, Huangyi, Yuanyi, Diyi, Taiyi, Tianyi, Zhengyi, and others. “Zhiyi” is subtle and without form; “Zhenyi” is pure and clear; “Xuanyi” is spiritually responsive and unobstructed; “Huangyi” is luminous beyond compare; “Yuanyi” is foremost among the myriad ways; “Diyi” is the supreme venerable one among the gods; “Taiyi” is the great venerable deity who governs long life; “Tianyi” is the true sovereign who presides over yin energy; “Zhengyi” is the dharma king who manifests awesome power. These nine titles differ in meaning but spring from one root. They accord with profound principle, and therefore all are named with “yi” (one).

Laozi’s outer honorific titles include Yuhua, Dacheng, Guangshou, Guangcheng, Suiying, Chijing, Lutu, Wucheng, Yinshou, Zhenxing, Xize, Xieyi, Yucheng, Jingcheng, Guoshu, and others. These names signify respectively: Yuhua—the Dao’s teaching flourishes in brightness; Dacheng—mysterious virtue and grace reach all things; Guangshou—spirit is settled and life is nurtured; Guangcheng—the work of sustaining life is vast; Suiying—responsive communion is unobstructed; Chijing—the wondrous elixir method is manifest; Lutu—alignment with mysterious talismanic mandates; Wucheng—all undertakings are fully accomplished; Yinshou—upright and dignified, the body is at ease; Zhenxing—sincerity runs deep; Xize—benevolence benefits the people, applied with measure; Xieyi—local customs are transformed through teaching; Yucheng—the people are governed and nurtured so each finds their place; Jingcheng—correct instruction is preserved for long ages; Guoshu—accumulated evils of generations are cleared away.

These honorific titles were taken according to different teachings and merits. When Laozi descended to the world and served as teacher to the realm, these titles likewise used “zi” as a mark of respect.

Laozi lived in Qu Ren Li in Lai Xiang, Ku Xian, Shu State, on the north bank of the Guo River.

Records disagree on Laozi’s native place. The Shiji says he was from Qu Ren Li in Lai Xiang, Ku Xian, in the state of Chu; Liu Xiang’s Lienü zhuan says he was from Chen; Huangfu Mi’s Gaoshi zhuan says he was from Xiang Xian in Chu, with his home on the north bank of the Guo. Others call him a native of Qiao Xian, and some write “Lai Xiang” as “Li Xiang.” These differences reflect repeated changes in local administrative affiliation over time.

The area had been the old domain of Taihao Fuxi, near Wan Qiu, where Zhuanxu also once established his capital. The Yugong placed it within the region of Yuzhou. Tang of Shang built his capital here again, calling it Bo. After King Wu of Zhou overthrew Shang, he enfeoffed a descendant of Shun at Wan Qiu as the state of Chen. When Xiong Yi received his fief, his territory bordered Chen, forming the state of Chu. In the eleventh year of Duke Xuan of Lu, Chu destroyed Chen; after Shen Shushi remonstrated, Chu restored Chen. In the eighth year of Duke Zhao, Chu destroyed Chen again and made it a commandery; by the thirteenth year of Duke Zhao, Chen was restored once more. In the seventeenth year of Duke Xiang, Chen was finally extinguished by Chu, and the land passed to Chu.

When King Qingxiang of Chu was attacked by Qin and lost his capital Ying, he moved the court to Chen. After Qin conquered Chu, the area fell under Yingchuan commandery. Under the Han it was set up as the Kingdom of Huaiyang, with its seat at Chen and nine counties, including Ku Xian, Xiang Xian, Qiao Xian, and Li Xian. Under Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han it became Chen commandery; later the region was known as Bozhou.

Regarding Ku Xian, Xu Guang records that in the Jin it was called Gu Yang; in the Qi the name Gu Yang was abolished, and in the Sui it was re-established. Gu Yang’s old city east of Ku Xian was ancient Li Xiang; northeast of the county seat stood old Xiang Cheng, the Chu county of Xiang. In the late Warring States period Xiang Xian was merged into Ku Xian. In the first year of the Tang reign Qianfeng, Ku Xian was renamed Zhenyuan Xian, later called Weizhen Xian. The county seat lay north beside the Guo River; forty li east stood old Qiao Cheng, the Han county of Qiao.

Hence Laozi is sometimes called a man of Chen, of Chu, of Xiang Xian, or of Qiao Xian. Li Xiang is the same as Lai Xiang. The Zuoshi zhuan records that when King Cheng of Chu attacked Xu, Qin forces struck Li to aid Xu. Du Yu explains that Li was a Chu ally. The Dili zhi lists Li under Huaiyang; Wang Mang renamed it Lai Ling. Pei Songzhi’s Beizheng ji, Li Daoyuan’s Shui jing, and the Shisan zhou yi bing tujing all write “Lai.” Because the place lay near the Guo River, popular usage later turned “Lai” into “Lai” in the sense of shoals (lai as river shallows).

The Holy Mother, having given birth to the Dao-body, was about to return to the celestial court and resume her divine rank as Yuanjun (Primordial Sovereign). To show the world how master and disciple transmit the Way, she said to Laozi (Lord Lao):

“Human beings born between heaven and earth receive qi (vital energy) that is either clear or turbid. Those with ample clear qi are intelligent and benevolent; those with heavy turbid qi are foolish and violent. The clear-sighted cultivate themselves and form a good nature; the dim-witted indulge desires and harm their lives. Nature (xing) is the root of the body; life (ming) is the foundation of existence.

“Therefore those who study and practice the Way must refine and nourish the body through the nine elixirs (jiudan, levels or methods of Neidan [internal alchemy] cultivation), harmonize the five spirits (wushen, the numina corresponding to the five viscera), return primordial qi to the root of life, and at the three passes (sanguan, three critical loci in cultivation) cut off the fundamental obstacles to life. After nine refinements and ten transformations, when every joint in the body is open and the blockages formed in the womb are cleared, one can know one’s true self, become a person of superior root, and thus attain the rank of upper immortal.

“If one does not cultivate the Way, evil demons and ghosts invade the body, diseases follow one after another, life is exhausted and one dies—pain beyond words. To become an immortal one must study from within the heart; only when the mind is sincere can the immortal Way be achieved. The Way is prized when sought inward; when the inner mind is deep and still, the Way descends. One who can quiet spirit and mind and practice the true Way, accumulating emptiness and stillness to reach the numinous, draws nearer to immortality day by day.

“If spirit and mind contend and labor, the body is restless and cannot concentrate, action and rest both scatter essence and qi, and ears and eyes lose their clarity, then even after years of seeking the Way, the Way only recedes further.

“Humans dwell in heaven and earth for but a short span. If one can gather qi, nourish spirit, single-mindedly and diligently cultivate truth, long practice will eventually yield the Way, and one can then abide with heaven and earth in Taiwu (the vast formless void). When one penetrates emptiness and realizes non-being, one reaches a state where nothing is seen or heard, and merges with the Dao as one.”

Laozi said: “Now that I have come into the dusty world, I wish to remain long without dying and, in accord with the world, teach the multitude—is this possible?”

Yuanjun said: “I have a secret treasure, not transmitted except to sages. Whoever can cultivate it may endure long.”

Laozi said: “I wish to hear its essential purport.”

The Original Sovereign said: “The supreme Dao is so deep and subtle that its depth cannot be fathomed. It is neither being nor non-being; it has neither sound nor form. You cannot see it by looking or grasp it by touch, yet it embraces heaven and earth. The perfected person has no fixed boundary, while the Dao is as close as one’s own person—yet no one can measure it. Whoever can grasp its principles is called one of xuande—profound, lofty Virtue (De).”

Laojun asked: “Then is there a path one can follow to attain the Dao?”

The Original Sovereign said: “The Dao is the utterly true principle that is empty, still, and unobstructed; shu (methods) are the wondrous techniques by which things are transformed. The Dao relies on methods to deliver the world; people comprehend the Dao through cultivation, and transformation knows no end. The heart of the Dao lies in wuwei (non-action) and following what is natural; the secret of methods lies in talismans and elixir. A talisman is the numinous script of the sun, moon, and stars—the credential of heaven; elixir is the quintessence of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the refined essence of earth. What is called ‘He’ is the concentrated harmony of Yin-Yang and also the numinous quality of the ten thousand things. Even if a person obtains only one of these, cultivation is still incomplete; one must rely on talisman, elixir, and Dao together to succeed. These are my hidden treasures. If you can practice all of them, you may endure long and deliver countless people.”

Laojun said: “The body is the vessel for attaining the Dao; He is the root that sustains life. When the root is pulled up, life ends; when the vessel breaks, the Dao departs. I wish now to cultivate so that life is firm and the path flourishes—can you tell me the method?”

The Original Sovereign said: “The human body, endowed with flesh and bone, is like unfired clay from a potter’s wheel; without firing, it easily crumbles. A body not refined and nurtured will have a short span—this is inevitable. Even if one’s virtue surpasses others and spirit penetrates the deepest mystery, one may still not escape aging and death, because one is subject to the transformations of creation and cannot easily avoid them. Only elixir can refine and nourish the form; only talismans can summon the qi of spirits and gods. When spirit and qi return, the heart opens and temperament settles; when the form is solid, qi fills and life is preserved. Then one transforms yin breath into refined essence, enters the realm without form, travels in empty space, and keeps one’s original authenticity—only then can one endure long.”

One who has attained the Dao, even when calamity strikes and heaven and earth collapse, will not be harmed by disaster. For this reason Fulu (talismans and registers) and elixir medicines have been held precious. Laozi asked: “Is obtaining long life through taking the divine elixir due to protection by divine beings, or due to the power of the medicine itself?”

Yuansong replied: “The efficacy of long life comes from the elixir, yet the elixir can be successfully refined only by relying on divine beings. Therefore, before refining the elixir one must rectify the mind and avoid sinful acts. The divine will grant protection, and then the elixir can be completed. When the divine elixir enters the mouth, one’s lifespan knows no end. Heaven and earth see all things clearly; in the end the Dao returns to the person of benevolent virtue.

“The multitude of living beings, if they do not believe that long life can be cultivated, call it absurd talk. From morning to night they do only what leads toward death—how could Heaven force them to live forever? Indulging the heart and satisfying desires, they perish in an instant; even if a thousand in gold is spent on burial, what use is it? To refine the divine elixir and complete this path brings not only long life but also makes one a treasure in the world.

“One who understands this path—why should he still prize dominion over the realm? Some would offer a whole kingdom to exchange for my methods, but unless the person is suitable, I will not transmit them.”

Laozi bowed and said: “I wish to hear the essential points.” Yuansong then raised his head and gave a long cry; in an instant purple clouds descended like a carriage canopy from heaven. Within the clouds were five-colored luminous vapors, shining in all directions, and the immortal Juanzi stood in attendance at his side. Yuansong produced the divine charts, precious registers, and the methods of transformation, huandan (reverted elixir), fire-control techniques, liquid mercury, golden fluid, and related arts—seventy-two sections in all—and transmitted them to Laozi.

The text reads: “…From xuanbai the ‘golden lord’ is generated; the ‘flowing pearl of the sun’ enters the huachi (lapsed pool)… Within each jin, five liang of ‘Wenjiang,’ luochi salt, and ‘white snow’ are refined into the male-and-female five talismans and the nine elixirs. Obtaining them, one can ascend and become a true immortal.” The scripture then continues with fire-control, liquid mercury, golden fluid, and other elixir-refining techniques.

The Dao is right before one's eyes, yet people fail to recognize it. The five talismans are called: Xuanbai, Jinjing, Feifu, Jinhua, and Sanwu Qinglong Jing.

The nine elixirs are called: Baixue Jiuzhuan Huandan, Cixiong Jiuzhuan Huandan, Jinye Jiuzhuan Huandan, Baihua Jiuzhuan Huandan, Danhua Jiuzhuan Huandan, Wuse Jiuzhuan Huandan, Nigong Jiuzhuan Huandan, Jinjing Jiuzhuan Huandan, and Jiuding Jiyao Huandan. Among the nine elixirs, obtaining and ingesting even one suffices for longevity; there is no need to refine all nine. Methods for refining spirit elixirs all pass through three transformations and five conversions until the nine revolutions are complete; those who take such pills can reach a realm equal to ours.

The method of becoming an immortal does not lie in sacrifice or praying to ghosts and spirits, nor in daoyin or bending and stretching the limbs, not in endless incantations and much speech, nor in bitter rumination and exhausting self-mortification. The key to longevity lies in the spirit elixir (shendan). This principle is easy to state but hard to practice; those who can cultivate accordingly may endure long. If this path is perfected, one attains immortality. I too achieved success only after learning it—it was not spontaneous attainment of the Dao.

Laozi bowed again and said: “As for the way of the nine elixirs, I have respectfully received your instruction. Yet I have heard that seeking immortality without obtaining Golden Liquid (jinye) is merely suffering in vain. Please point out the most direct essential method.”

Yuan Jun replied: “You ask well. Both the nine elixirs and Golden Liquid are paths to ascension, but among the nine elixirs, Golden Liquid is supreme. The reason is that those who take the nine elixirs may need three years, or two years, one year, half a year, or again one hundred days, sixty days, thirty days, ten days…”

Therefore, those who take the nine elixirs may wait three years, two years, one year, half a year, or as little as a hundred days, sixty days, thirty days, ten days, or even three days before immortal officials arrive on cloud-dragons to escort them. Only for those who take the golden liquid does the effect come the moment the liquid enters the mouth: the body turns purple-gold, wings sprout at once, and they ascend to become immortal officials.

Anyone who wishes to take these elixirs must first observe long purification and abstain from grain for a full year before they may ingest them. Unless one is fated by destiny to be aligned with the Dao and bears an immortal name that grants freedom from death, one will never hear of the way of the nine elixirs and golden liquid. This method follows the earlier steps to refine the elixir, then transforms the elixir into liquid; when that is done, the Daoist practice is complete.

This is a secret method I have guarded, comprising twelve hundred formulas in all. In kalpas past, before heaven and earth had taken form, I received these formulas from the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, revered and cultivated them, and thereby attained the rank of Supreme Primordial Lord. Long ago I transmitted them to the Supreme True Great Sage Heavenly Emperor God and to the Taiwei Taiyi Primordial Lord; now I transmit them to you. If you earnestly honor and practice accordingly, you too may attain the rank of Supreme Primordial Lord. After receiving this transmission, Lord Lao asked again: “The people of the world are countless, and in their actions they rush toward death. If I now wish to use this Dao to rescue them broadly, what should I do?”

The Primordial Lord replied: “Those in the world who are lost in splendor and cling to desire go toward death like stones thrown into a river—gone without return— which is truly lamentable. Yet the Dao is not transmitted at random; it must be given to true persons. This Dao is profound and subtle, hidden within the nine mysteries, resting on jade platforms above the clouds; it circulates once in ten thousand years and is recorded only in the jade registers of the profound. Unless one’s allotted fate and bone-structure both fit the conditions for becoming an immortal, one cannot hear of it. The foolish err in many ways—how could one violate heaven’s rule and transmit it casually?”

“What I transmit ends here; I am about to depart. The Taihe Primordial Lord should be sent to instruct you.” As soon as these words were spoken, ten thousand chariots and myriad riders accompanied him; the Five Emperors and highest perfected beings escorted the eight-scenic jade carriage, and welcomed the Primordial Lord as he ascended to heaven.

In the methods of refining elixir described in the Taishang Shendan Jing (Scripture of the Supreme Clarity Divine Elixir), the tradition holds that they were handed down from the Supreme Primordial Sovereign (Wushang Yuanjun). The divine elixir possesses the power to harmonize yin and yang, command wind and rain, set the five planets in motion, and regulate cold and heat. It can also test and control divine beasts such as the nine dragons and the twelve white tigers; all immortals under heaven rely upon it. Human life and death are bound up with it as well—here the text speaks of the effects of ingesting the divine elixir.

Laozi traveled far through mountains, rivers, lakes, and marshes in search of methods to refine the divine elixir. Passing Mount Lao, he met the Supreme One Sovereign Lord (Taiyi Yuanjun), a revered deity in the Daoist pantheon, who rode a five-colored qilin and was attended by ten retainers. Laozi asked the Sovereign Lord to teach him the Dao. The Sovereign Lord said: “The essential point of the Dao lies in the returning elixir and the golden fluid.” He then transmitted the secret formulas to him. Later, on Mount Li, Laozi met the Supreme One Sovereign Lord again and thanked him for teaching the method of the divine elixir. The Sovereign Lord said: “You are the sovereign among immortals and the master of the myriad ways; these profound and efficacious secret arts were yours from the beginning—why thank me?” Laozi said: “The people are ignorant, and many die. I weep and grieve for this; when I see it I am deeply saddened. I wish to distribute the divine medicine among the multitude so that all may attain long life—is that permissible?” The Sovereign Lord said: “It is not. The way of long life is exceedingly weighty; it may be passed only to the worthy, and to those who are filial and sincerely trustworthy. Heaven nourishes the ten thousand things, among which there are good and evil; the good are fit for long life, the evil ought to be removed. There is no need to give the divine medicine to everyone so that all become long-lived. You already understand this principle; do not disclose it lightly.”

The eulogy in the Shengji (Annals of the Sage) says: Laozi’s body merges with the silent, formless Great Void; his virtue rests upon the mysterious, formed ten thousand things. He long since attained the Dao, through countless kalpas, creating and nurturing the heavens; all of this arose naturally, not from accumulated learning. He descended in the age of the Nine Sovereigns and established teaching—such secret methods truly must not be lightly revealed.

The Shengji praises the Dao in these terms: Laojun’s essential body is still and silent, resting in supreme non-being (the realm of utmost emptiness and formlessness); his De takes root in subtle being (a presence that is delicate yet real). He attained the Dao countless kalpas ago and has created and nurtured all heavens entirely through natural spontaneity—not by piling up study step by step. Laojun descended through the eras of the Nine Sovereigns to establish teaching, and in successive reigns served as teacher to various emperors. He stood alone in the Purple Clarity (the celestial realm), with none to rank before him.

Yet Laojun asked the Holy Mother to be his teacher and followed the Primordial Lord in seeking the Dao—so as to reveal the mystery of the true Dao: without learning there is no accomplishment; the realm of immortals is lofty and wondrous, and through cultivation one may hope to attain it. Thus he taught people to honor teachers and value De, to keep to emptiness, stillness, and softness, thereby displaying the law of the supreme sage and leaving later generations a model for practice. He taught according to circumstance, encouraging good conduct and warning against delusion. Wen Shi and Baopu had already explained this matter; now it is praised again in the text that follows.

Laojun held that the path of immortals must rely on cultivation. Wishing to leave methods to guide posterity, he guarded his true nature, keeping it unified and undispersed, and refined the elixir so that essence and Qi returned to the “black”—the alchemical state of returning to the origin. Thereafter one could ride the void and traverse emptiness, passing in and out of being and non-being, going wherever the heart leads, beyond what ordinary people can fathom. It is said that one day Laojun mounted a white deer, stepped upon the courtyard cypress, and ascended to heaven.

In the twenty-first year of King Zhou of Shang, on the twelfth day of the first month (dingmao year, bingwu day), Laojun—the Daoist honorific title for Laozi—saw that King Zhou was dissolute and cruel, that the people were caught in war and suffering, and that King Wen of Zhou, as feudal lord of the West, possessed humane virtue and was fit to support the worthy and deliver the people. He therefore sent forth a transformed body, riding a flying platform chariot, and descended south of Mount Qi. Eighteen li northeast of present-day Fengxiang Prefecture stands Qisheng Palace; tradition holds that this was where Laojun descended, and traces of the terrace where the Lord of the West received the Dao still remain.

Laojun took the style Lord of Xie and taught the Chijing (Red Essence Scripture), instructing people to practice benevolence and righteousness and to keep faith and trust. When King Wen of Zhou heard of this, he summoned him to serve as keeper of the archives (shoucang shi), the office charged with guarding the written records. After King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang and took the throne, Laojun was reassigned as historian under the pillar (zhuxia shi), took the style Lord of Nurturing Completion, and composed the Youji Jing. In the reign of King Cheng he was styled Lord of Scripture Completion, expounded the Guanghua Jing (Scripture of Broad Transformation), transmitted the Dao to the Duke of Zhou, Dan, and then withdrew to live in seclusion.

Later Laojun traveled west to Great Qin, Zhuqian, and other lands, calling himself the Ancient Master. In the time of King Kang of Zhou he returned to Zhou, styled Lord Guo, and again served as historian under the pillar.

According to the Shiben, Laojun served as keeper of the archives under the Shang and as historian under the pillar in Zhou—likely because King Wen of Zhou still held the status of a vassal serving the Shang at that time.

Laojun remained in humble posts while secretly supporting the Zhou house. In the reign of King Zhao of Zhou, knowing that the Zhou royal house was about to decline, he conferred upon Zhao the Eight Heavens’ Hidden Writings—esoteric texts concerning the way of Heaven—so that he might use them to sustain the nation’s destiny. Zhao, thinking he was aligned with Heaven’s natural course, gradually slackened his hold on governance and wished to indulge in travel, and he ceased to honor the celestial patterns. Laojun, knowing that Zhao would not die a natural death, reclaimed the celestial writings and returned to his homeland to live in hiding.

Though Laojun long resided in Zhou, he always made concealment of identity and disdain for fame his guiding principle. Outwardly he adapted to the world and did not contend; inwardly he remained clear, still, and empty, never letting his reputation or standing show.

The Stele Inscription for the Laojun Shrine, composed by Bian Shao of the Eastern Han, states that Laojun did not seek renown and carefully upheld De (Virtue/Power) without self-aggrandizement; he regarded high position as perilous and was content in a lowly station. The inscription reads: “Deeply concealed within the root-nature of De, embracing emptiness and stillness, preserving clarity and purity; delighting to dwell in the lower place, not striving for power, rank, or stipend. For many years he passed his days at ease, and people could not fathom his intent. He took Wuwei (non-action) as his guiding principle, letting the myriad things transform and nurture themselves naturally, and thus the realm was brought to completion. In advance and retreat he had no fixed pattern; change and alternation intertwined, yet he always held to the correct course—seeming wise yet like one dull, abundant and full yet never self-satisfied.” From this inscription one can see how the sage advances and withdraws in the world: content in a lowly place, not seeking power or emolument, accomplishing transformation and instruction by following what is natural.

Laojun then prepared to travel to the Western Regions (roughly the western part of China and lands beyond) to transmit the Way. Tradition holds that in the twenty-third year of King Zhao of Zhou, the guichou year, on the fifth month’s renchen day—the first year of “Supreme Heaven’s Wuji (Supreme Ultimate)”—he set out riding in a cart drawn by a green ox. The vehicle was covered with a thin, curved board like a vault; Xu Jia drove the cart, ready to cross westward over Hangu Pass.

The Citing Court Stele Inscription composed by Xue Daoheng of the Sui says: “The Five Sacred Peaks seem too small, and the Nine Provinces too narrow; I will leave the dusty world and wander far beyond. The green ox is already yoked, and purple qi rises ahead. The mysterious gate opens, and wondrous transformations flow in secret.” This is roughly saying that Laozi was about to transform himself and go west to the Western Regions.

The Record of Leaving the Frontier says Laozi went west through Hangu Pass. Li Kang in the Inscription on Hangu Pass says Yin Xi invited the Old Lord to stay, and the Old Lord wrote two treatises and gave them to him to keep. Xuanjing says Laozi left west through Long Pass; Cui Hao says Yin Xi once served as chief of San Pass. The Qin Gazetteer records a Yin Xi City beside San Pass, so some suspect that Yin Xi of King Kang of Zhou’s time was chief of San Pass.

Historical biographies only say Laozi “crossed the pass” (du guan) without stating which pass, so later scholars each explain according to their own inference—as with the places where Chao Fu and Xu You watered their ox not being only one, or Mount Shouyang where Bo Yi and Shu Qi lived not being pin-pointable. Long Pass and San Pass are both in the Qin and Long region; Hangu Pass is twelve li south of Taolin County in Shazhou, where the old pass site still remains. According to the Gazetteer and local tradition, the pass Laozi crossed was the old site of Hangu Pass.

In King Wu of Zhou’s time the capital was at Hao; King Cheng built Luoyang but later returned to Western Zhou. Only when King Ping moved east did the capital shift to Luoyang. The Inner Biography of Louguan says King Kang of Zhou appointed Yin Xi as grand officer; the Inner Biography of Yin Xi says Yin Xi served as pass warden. If Yin Xi was chief of San Pass under King Kang and met Laozi when he left the pass under King Zhao, the chronology and narrative can be made to fit.

However, the Inner Biography of Yin Xi says that after Laozi left the pass he went to Yin Xi’s residence; Yin Xi’s residence was in Zhengwu County west of Hangu Pass. If Laozi had already left the pass, he should not have gone again to Yin Xi’s residence inside the pass. Hangu Pass lies east of Hao, and Laozi was then also east of Hangu Pass.

The Immortal Lord, following the account of Laozi’s westward journey, explained it as Laozi leaving the Zhou court and traveling west—hence the term “crossing west” (xidu). If one holds that Laozi passed through Hangu Pass only after meeting Confucius, then his crossing would fall after the Zhou house moved east. By then the region of Long Pass and San Pass was already under Qin control, and above all one cannot identify Hangu Pass with San Pass or Long Pass.

Consider the distant history of Qin: Feizi first lived in the area of Taqiu, mingling with the Rong people—that was in Qizhou. King Xiao of Zhou had Feizi raise horses between the Qian and Wei rivers. For his service Feizi was first enfeoffed at Qin, namely Qin Pavilion in Longxi. When King Li of Zhou reigned, the Western Rong rebelled against Zhou; Zhong of Qin campaigned against them, and the Zhou king granted him the Taqiu region. Zhong of Qin could not hold that land and withdrew to Qin Pavilion. Later Duke Xiang of Qin escorted King Ping of Zhou in the eastern migration; King Ping granted him the lands west of Mount Qi. Qin’s power pushed east again between the Qian and Wei, and because of the ancestral enfeoffment they held territory east of Long Mountain. Duke Mu of Qin defeated Jin at Hanyuan and extended the frontier east to the Yellow River. Duke Xian of Qin gradually moved the capital east to Liyang; Duke Xiao of Qin built the Ji Gate and established the capital at Xianyang.

From this one infers that Qin first moved west from east of Long Mountain to settle at Qin, then expanded west from Long westward to the Qian and Wei region. After Confucius’s time, Long Mountain and San Pass were already within Qin’s domain; there was no reason for Qin to maintain a pass there.

The presence of Yinxicheng (Yin Xi City) near San Pass is said to commemorate the Immortal Lord (Laojun) and the perfected Yin Xi preparing to ascend Kunlun Mountain during the reign of King Nan of Zhou, passing through that place. King Zhao of Qin ordered a walled town built there in remembrance—hence the phrases “the Immortal Lord halted at the post station” and “Yin Xi City.” Some, seeing Yin Xi City locally, suspect that San Pass was where Yin Xi held office. But if Hangu Pass were already located there, one could not also say that after Laozi crossed the pass he still went to Yin Xi’s residence.

Examination of the relevant historical records indicates that the place where Yin Xi served as pass keeper, and where Laojun and Yin Xi met, should both be identified as Hangu Pass. In the first year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang, the Tianbao Spirit Talisman that Laojun had hidden was discovered here. The emperor issued an edict renaming Taolin County as Lingbao County and building the Lingfu Monastery on the spot. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang went in person to pay homage and composed a stele inscription that was erected in the monastery. Emperor Zhenzong of Song likewise composed in his own hand the Stele Inscription on Crossing the Pass, which was carved on stone.

At first Yin Xi resolved to seek the Dao. In youth he cherished ancient works such as the Sanfen and Basuo, and was versed in astronomy and the art of prognostication by celestial signs (inferring fortune and misfortune from the heavens). He put up a thatched tower to watch the sky, gazing upward at the constellations while pondering subtle principles; for this reason he called the building “Louguan” (Tower Observation). Later Yin Xi saw purple cloud-qi in the east moving westward—a propitious sign in the heavens—and knew that a sage would pass the barrier and travel west. He therefore asked to be appointed keeper of Hangu Pass, and the ruler consented.

Xi, courtesy name Gongwen, served as a grand officer (dafu) during the reign of King Kang of Zhou. He was later summoned to court and appointed guest companion to the summoning office (shuguan binyou). According to the Inner Biography (Neizhuan), Xi’s mother once dreamed in daylight that crimson clouds from heaven swirled around her body, and she swallowed their light. When Xi was born, numinous radiance moved about him, and his eyes shone like sunlight.

In youth he loved reading ancient classics and was deeply versed in astronomy and the arcane arts of chenwei (prophecy and correlative cosmology). Whether he looked up at the stars or down at the land, nothing escaped his insight; even ghosts and spirits could not hide their truth from him. His mind was broad and his bearing extraordinary. He did not cling to worldly etiquette; he would rather harm his own interests than fail to help others, and he sought neither fame nor advancement. Later his reputation spread far, he was called to court as guest companion to the summoning office, and afterward he served as warden of the pass (guanling)—the official in charge of the frontier gate.

Liu Xin’s Qilüe (Bibliographic Treatise) states: “Master Yin of the Pass was the official who guarded the pass, named Xi.” The Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) and the Liexian Zhuan (Biographies of Immortals) both call him “Guan Yin Xi,” but it cannot be settled whether Yin was Xi’s surname or a title meaning chief of the pass. The Zhuangzi says “Liezi asked Master Yin of the Pass,” which suggests that Yin was the title of the warden. Today some families surnamed Yin claim descent from Xi; others hold that because Xi held the office of pass warden (guan yin), he took the office as his surname.

Both the Neizhuan and the Shenxian Zhuan (Biographies of Divine Immortals) say that Warden Yin Xi was born into the Yin clan of Tianshui. Examining the Zhouli (Rites of Zhou), the Superintendent of Passes (siguan) had senior and middle-grade officers; at each pass a lower officer opened and closed the gate, while the siguan was the chief over all passes. Other classics also speak of a gate warden (men yin) and village warden (li yin); the Guoyu (Discourses of the States) records that when envoys from a rival state arrived, the gate warden announced them. Clearly the heads of gates, villages, and passes could all be called “Yin.” Xi was chief over the passes, and so was able to go out and welcome Laozi (the Old Master).

In the Zhou system, however, the pass warden was only a senior-grade officer (shangshi), not a grand officer (dafu). The Liexian Zhuan nevertheless calls Guan Yin Xi a Zhou grand officer skilled in neixue (the Daoist cultivation of inner body and mind); the Neizhuan says he mastered astronomy and chenwei. According to the Zhouli, the Director of Omens (Fengxiang shi) and the Keeper of Charts (Baozhang shi) both handled astronomical matters at the rank of middle officer; only the Grand Astrologer (Taishi), a lower grand officer, also oversaw celestial patterns and weather. Since Xi was skilled in astronomy and is called a grand officer, he may once have served as Zhou Grand Astrologer. He would have held grand-officer rank at court and taken the pass warden’s post when abroad. Perhaps Xi foreknew that Laozi would pass through the gate and asked for an outside appointment as pass warden so he could wait for him there.

Today on the northern foothills of the Zhongnan Mountains, in Wenxian Village of Shenlong Township, Zhouzhi County, there remain a thatched pavilion, a solemn altar, and shrine buildings said to mark Xi’s former residence.

According to the Biographies of Former Masters of Louguan and the Records of Louguan, Guan Ling Yin Xi, keeper of the pass, served as a high minister under King Kang of Zhou. In the reign of King Zhao of Zhou he encountered Laojun (the deified Laozi), attained the Dao through that meeting, and then accompanied Laojun as he rode a cloud chariot westward out of the realm. Later, King Mu of Zhou, in reverence and memory of the traces Laojun had left behind, built shrines and a Daoist temple in his honor.

The inscription states that Louguan was founded by Guan Ling Yin Xi in the time of King Kang of Zhou. Yin Xi built a tower woven from straw and grass, whence the name “Louguan” (Tower Observation). The text also records that when King Zhao of Zhou toured westward and when Duke Wen of Qin went hunting, each altered his route to come in person and honor the Daoist tradition. The First Emperor of Qin erected a temple south of Louguan, and Emperor Wu of Han established a palace north of the observatory. Petition and visit documents from the Jin and Song periods still survive, and households assigned to maintain the shrines from the Qin and Han dynasties continued without interruption.

From this it appears well grounded that Laojun crossed the frontier pass and departed during the reign of King Zhao of Zhou. Some say the event belongs to the Eastern Zhou period—likely because later readers knew only that Laojun was still present while Confucius lived and inferred accordingly. They did not realize that after Laojun’s “conversion of the barbarians” (huahu) he returned to the Central Plains and crossed the pass on several occasions. The other crossings left no record worth relating, so they are passed over in silence. What is narrated here is the beginning of Adept Yin’s reception of the Dao and also the starting point of the account of Laojun’s huahu deeds; for that reason this episode is set down in particular detail.

Yin Xi, the pass warden charged with guarding the frontier checkpoint, declared at the pass: “The yang number reaches its limit at nine; the stars correspond to metal, and the years and months all align with the signs of the kingly way. On this basis, within ninety days a great sage will pass through the capital region.” He therefore instructed the gate officer Sun Jing in advance: if anyone appeared with an unusual countenance and dress, or with horses and carriage unlike ordinary travelers, do not let him through.

Yin Xi fasted beforehand, had the road swept for forty li, and burned incense along both sides of the way to welcome the Tianzhen (immortal who has attained the Dao) entering the realm. On the twelfth day of the seventh month, the jiazi day, indeed an old man with white hair, a long beard, and large ears came driving a white carriage drawn by a green ox. The gate officer said: “The prefect has ordered that you please halt for a moment.” He then went in to report to Yin Xi. Yin Xi said: “The Dao has come at last—I can finally meet the sage.” He immediately put on court dress, went out to welcome him, prostrated himself and kowtowed, and begged the Dao: “I pray that the man of heaven will pause his carriage for a while.”

Lord Lao said: “I am only a poor old man. My home is east of the pass and my fields are west of it; today I am merely going briefly to gather firewood—why detain me? Please let me pass.” This was the first test.

Yin Xi kowtowed again and said: “How could the man of heaven be going only to gather firewood? I have long heard that the great sage would travel west. You have traveled far, exposed to wind and sun—please rest a little.” Lord Lao said: “I hear that in Zhu Gan (an ancient name for the India region) there is an Old Master who is skilled at entering the realm of Wuwei (non-action), enduring long without perishing and extending without end; therefore I took carriage on the road and pass through this gate. Why must you keep me?” This was the second test.

Yin Xi said again: “Now that I see the man of heaven’s sacred countenance in person, transcending the ordinary, you are truly the supreme lord of heaven. What in a remote land is worth your going to see? I hope you will no longer decline, but bestow a little teaching and guidance.”

Legend says that in the time of King Cheng, Lord Lao went to countries such as Da Qin and Zhu Gan and called himself the “Old Master.”

During the reign of King Cheng, Lord Lao traveled to distant lands such as Daqin and Zhu Gan (the western regions), where he called himself the “Ancient Master.” The Scripture of Western Ascension (Xisheng Jing) says: “Lord Lao went west to Zhu Gan to teach the people. There was an Ancient Master who was skilled at realizing the way of wuwei (non-action); he had no end and no beginning, and existed in long-lasting continuity—therefore Lord Lao went to meet him.” Here, the “Ancient Master” in fact refers to Lord Lao himself.

Chongxuanzi said that Zhu Gan lay west of Kunlun and north of the Red Water; its people received a pure, thick, and harmonious qi and naturally enjoyed long life. Yet they had not yet understood the root of the Great Dao or the essentials of cultivation, so Lord Lao once went to the far west to teach them.

When Lord Lao had just passed through Hangu Pass, he wished to test Guan Yin (the pass warden, also called Yin Xi). At first he presented himself as a poor and lowly old man. Guan Yin, however, recognized him as a great sage and insisted on keeping him. Lord Lao said again that he was going to Zhu Gan to teach the people and to meet the Ancient Master. Guan Yin held that Lord Lao was the supreme divine lord of heaven and ought not to wander in remote barbarian lands. This is the meaning of the opening chapter of the Xisheng Jing.

When the former sages sought to deliver people, they often tested them first. After Guan Yin passed three tests, Lord Lao told him the truth: “The Ancient Master is myself. I took form in Zhu Gan to teach the people; now I shall return to the realm of the divine and merge into namelessness, enduring in long continuity.” This is the meaning of the final chapter of the Xisheng Jing.

Lord Lao asked, “On what basis do you know who I am?”—this was the third test. Guan Yin replied: “Last year in the tenth month, the Tianli stars moved westward, passing through the Dipper (Dou).” This passage explains the Xisheng Jing’s idea that “within the Dipper there is Tianli.”

Within the Northern Dipper are four stars named Tianli, which govern and order all things; Lord Lao dwells among them. Thus the Rhyme of the Sacred Virtue of Primordial Unity (Hunyuan Shengde Fu) says: “Sometimes he shines in Gouchen; sometimes he gathers his light in Tianli.” Here, “Yi xing” refers to the asterism directly west.

Since the first of this month, the east wind has blown three times. Azure qi from the east drifted westward like dragons and serpents—a sign that a great sage was about to appear. Yin Xi, warden of Hangu Pass, loved studying the Fen, the Yi, and books on astronomy and esoteric cosmology. He looked up at the heavens and down at the earth; scarcely anything failed to match his reading, so he knew a sage must pass through the pass. Day and night he stilled his mind and held this thought, never resting for a moment. Now, by destined affinity, he truly met the immortal’s carriage and begged the Old Lord for compassionate teaching to lift him out of confusion.

The Old Lord tested Yin Xi three times in succession; he passed each time. The Old Lord then smiled with pleasure and said: “Good—you have recognized me, and I have come to know you. You have insight that reaches the divine; you should be able to transcend the dusty world.” Yin Xi rejoiced and leapt for joy, kowtowed again and again, and said: “May I ask the great sage’s name—can you tell me?” The Old Lord said: “My surname and personal name are vast and remote; from one kalpa to the next they cannot all be told. At present my surname is Li, my name Boyang, and my style Laozi.” Yin Xi then went to the official quarters to set out seats and food, attended to the Old Lord’s washing and combing, and performed the rites of a disciple.

Master Yongli commented: “Consider Laozi and Yin Xi—had they not long seen what was coming and grasped the inner meaning? They still defer and demur in this way in order to teach the world.”

Laozi (the Supreme Old Lord) employed Xu Jia as his charioteer. When Xu was young, he worked for Laozi under an agreement of one hundred coins per day. When Laozi set out on a long journey beyond the passes, the wages owed to Xu Jia came to seven million three hundred thousand coins. Seeing that Laozi was heading far away, Xu Jia hurried to demand payment.

Laozi said: “I am going to the Western Sea, Daqin, Tiaoqin, Tianzhu (India), and Parthia (Anxi), and other lands. Drive for me; when I return, I will pay you at the price of gold.” Xu Jia agreed. When they reached the Pass Keeper’s place, Laozi let the blue ox graze in the open country.

Laozi wished to test Xu Jia, so he transformed auspicious grass into a beautiful woman. The woman came to where the ox was being tended and began to flirt with Xu Jia. Xu Jia was bewitched and wanted to stay, thus breaking their earlier agreement. He then went to the Pass Keeper and sued Laozi, demanding his wages.

Laozi said to Xu Jia: “You have followed me for more than two hundred years; by rights you should have died long ago. I gave you the Taiyang Sheng Talisman (a talisman that prolongs life), and only then could you live until today. Why do you not remember that kindness, but instead come to accuse me?” As soon as he finished speaking, the talisman flew out of Xu Jia’s mouth; the cinnabar script and seal characters looked as fresh as when they were first written. Xu Jia at once turned into a heap of white bones.

Xi, who was traveling with Laozi, pitied Xu Jia. Seeing that he had died for breaking the agreement, Xi kowtowed to beg Laozi to pardon his fault, restore him to life, and offered to pay out Xu Jia’s wages from his own money. Laozi valued Xi’s kindness and generosity and said: “Very well.” He then placed the Taiyang Sheng Talisman on Xu Jia’s body again, and Xu Jia immediately came back to life.

Laozi said: “I did not treat you harshly. You broke the original agreement; the Dao left you, and so you died. Now I will pay you what I owe.” Xi handed the money to Xu Jia and saw him off with proper courtesy.

Xu Jia asked to stay on, but Laozi refused. Xu Jia prostrated himself and struck his own cheeks, saying: “I have already received your holy grace and your pardon; now, from white bones I live again and see the light once more—I will never forget this debt of gratitude. I wish to follow your carriage.” Laozi still would not agree.

Laozi remained at Hangu Pass for more than a hundred days for the sake of Yin Xi (the Zhou-era keeper of the pass, later honored as a Daoist figure). After Yin Xi had purified himself through fasting and abstinence, he prostrated himself, bowed, and knelt to request: “I am only a mortal in the dusty world; I am fortunate to meet a sage. I wish to entrust my body and life to you—please teach me the Great Dao.”

Laozi said: “Your question is very deep. The Great Dao takes guarding the True One and following the Three Grades as its standard, takes ‘the One’ as its measure, and takes uprightness as its virtue.”

Yin Xi asked: “The Dao is divided into Three Grades—can one ascend to immortality by this path?” Laozi said: “If you can understand guarding the One, you will comprehend all things; if you restrain desire and passion and enter a secluded chamber; if you take refining elixir and ingesting qi as the foremost cultivation, and moreover understand these principles and never lose hold of them—you can.”

Yin Xi was overjoyed and, prostrating himself, asked: “How does one refine elixir?” Laozi said: “This is a wondrous art. Since the Most High True Lord, none has attained the Dao except through the Golden Elixir. Practitioners enter the profound and remote, passing back and forth between upper and lower emptiness, and rise together by the power of the spirits.”

Yin Xi again prostrated himself and said: “Please clarify the essential purport.” Laozi said: “Red lead and black mercury are the root materials of the great elixir. Transition from red to black—that is true cultivation; extract essence from the red and obtain the marrow from the black—the refined red-and-black medicine is beyond compare. With red entering black, one can preserve longevity; with black entering red, one can become a celestial immortal.”

Yin Xi said: “The Great Dao is truly lofty and subtle; I have not yet mastered it—I hope you will instruct me.” Laozi said: “First is lead—lead is the sovereign; second is mercury—mercury is the minister. If lead is not pure and true, mercury will be hard to unite; if lead can unite with mercury in intimacy, the ministers in the household will not scatter. The Green Waist Messenger and the Red Blood General refer to symbols of the two medicines; one must make two kinds of materials of different natures unite and return to oneness. White mercury serves as the ‘brain,’ yellow sprouts are the root; lead is ground to powder, mercury is refined to dust. Yin occupies the position of yang, and yang’s number matches yin; the moon fills then wanes, cold and heat each have their boundary. From this myriad emblems are set forth, and their pattern is clear to see. Only this Dao that I transmit can endure as long as Heaven and Earth.”

The terms “lead,” “mercury,” “yellow sprouts,” and the like are both names of substances in alchemy and frequent symbols for yin-yang, medicinals, and the process of cultivation; the scripture uses them to explain the preparation of the Golden Elixir and the logic of yin-yang pairing.

Xibai said: “I have respectfully received your teaching on the essentials of the medicinals. How should one grasp the form of the furnace and cauldron, and the timing of water and fire?”

Laojun intoned: “Take the furnace and cauldron in a round form; let the dimensions follow the numbers three and five. The mouth is one cun and one fen; the furnace opening four cun and eight fen; the lip two cun wide. The body is two chi long, evenly thick, with three navel-rings on the belly. When you set it in place, let the body sit steady and the heat be right. Yin above, yang moving downward; at the head and tail use martial fire (wuhuo), in the middle use civil fire (wenhuo). At first fire it for seventy days, then thirty days at the end—one hundred days of inner refinement in all—and skillfully blend and balance them.

Yin fire shows white; yellow sprouts (huangya) are the root. The medicinals circulate to and fro and never leave the inside of the furnace and cauldron. Gradually they mature; disposition and nature grow pure and harmonious, then merge into one and return to the source. Keep them running through one full cycle: tend them diligently, guard them carefully, and do not sink into dullness and lose your way. This path is long, deep, and subtly mysterious; if you can penetrate it, you can unite with Qian and Kun. In practice, the zi and wu hours answer to each other; purify hun and po; by this you gain long life and enter the realm of immortals. Those who delight in the Dao should search out the meaning in the text and think it through carefully—there is no need for many words.”

He intoned again: “Sun and moon are the essence of Qian and Kun; the hexagrams turn in cycles—this is perfectly clear. Three fives before, three fives after; five times six is thirty, and you return to the beginning. Birth and death cycle twelve times; split twelve and you have twenty-four; the twenty-four qi shift and replace one another, and the hexagram lines of the myriad things and their finest changes are all contained within.

Mercury as a single medicinal interacts and combines; yin and yang transform, forming ‘already’ and ‘not yet’ (ji and wei). When ji and wei pair as husband and wife, you finally understand that inside the gourd there is a heaven and earth of its own.”

He intoned again: “The golden liquid returning elixir (jinye huandan), like an immortal flower in motion, soars among the clouds and ascends the heavenly mound. Red and yellow substances form in an instant; male and female unite and turn into a profusion of pearls and jade. It can transform and produce a traveling kitchen. Spirit boys and jade maidens go with me; in and out without obstruction, in harmony with heaven. Its essence congeals like frost and snow; it can sink or float. If you are reverent and careful, you will surely come and wander with me.”

“Ascend the heavenly mound—red and yellow form in an instant; male and female unite and turn into a profusion of pearls and jade. It can transform and produce a traveling kitchen. Spirit boys and jade maidens go with me; in and out without obstruction, in harmony with heaven; its essence congeals like frost and snow; it can sink or float. If you are reverent and careful, you will surely come and wander with me. The secret of the golden liquid is entirely here.”

After the elixir was refined, using gold to make eating vessels could also grant longevity. But one must first test and refine the gold, and only take it after confirming success. Thus it is said that the golden elixir can be refined, and people can transcend through it.

Then Laojun transmitted to Xi the Ta Qing Ba Fu Jing, Ta Qing Guan Tian Jing, Jiudu Jing, Shendan Jing, Jinye Jing, as well as the methods of eight refinements, nine turns of the returning elixir, and fire-sealing. Laojun also told him: “If you truly wish to become an immortal, you should first take the returning elixir and golden fluid. If you cannot take the returning elixir and golden fluid, arduous cultivation is in vain; you will be afflicted by wind and cold, rain and damp, and the intrusion of ghosts and evil qi, and even the Director of Destiny (Si Ming) cannot save you—how can you not strive? You should strive to refine the elixir and protect yourself early; do not transmit the elixir methods to foolish people, lest they slander the divine way and increase your faults. Alas, people who are like walking corpses—even if they possess all things and are honored as kings and lords—live no more than a hundred years and in the end turn to dust; no one can save them, which is truly pitiable. If one can combine and refine the divine elixir, one need only toil for a time; once the elixir is complete one can become an immortal, share the lifespan of heaven and earth, act as one wishes, and enjoy boundless joy.”

Xi asked: “Are refining gold and ingesting qi two kinds of Daoist practice?” Laojun replied: “The essence of heaven and earth and the root of yin and yang are the two qi of yin and yang. Yang dragon, yin tiger, and wood fluid and metal essence—when the two qi meet and combine, this is called the external elixir (Waidan). Harmonizing qi and circulating and storing it within, expelling old breath and drawing in new, causing qi to ascend to the Mud Pill (the upper Dantian in the head) and descend to the Dantian (the cultivation center in the abdomen), cycling without cease, then gathering in the Crimson Palace (the heart region), and drawing refined qi from the five stones (substances corresponding to the Five Phases) to nourish the spirits within—this is the internal elixir (Neidan).

Harmonizing and refining qi is the cultivator’s effort. Obtaining the internal elixir prolongs life; obtaining the external elixir enables ascension to heaven. Contemplating the Three Ones and practicing the Nine Contemplations are important methods of inner cultivation; the Nine Elixirs and golden fluid are the highest achievements of external elixir cultivation.”

When these are cultivated together in unity, the Dao will surely be attained.

The Han Celestial Master (Tianshi)—leader of the Way of the Celestial Masters in the Han—wrote the preface to the Scripture of the Golden Fluid and Divine Elixir, stating in essence: The aim of the path of immortals and its subtle teachings include truths that seem unreasonable yet are profoundly deep, and events that seem impossible yet are genuinely so. All of this is fully recorded in the profound classics; it cannot be exhausted in a word or two.

Laozi also expounded the way of emptying and stillness (chongxu). How his wondrous virtue appeared and from what it arose led him to compose scriptures, establish teachings, and record extraordinary accounts—penetrating the Great Dao and distinguishing the three poles of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. He first clarified the difference between following the Dao and turning against it, then taught people to transcend the myriad affairs of the world and forget distinctions altogether; all praised him for his De (Virtue/Power). He gathered all things under “depending on nothing,” and in applying the Dao he could come and go without obstruction, while living beings could not discern the slightest trace. In the daily life of the people, they constantly accord with nature yet do not know why.

This is the Dao; this is De. Probing the root and clarifying the source, seeking what is far-reaching and subtle, returning the many branches to the one true root and gathering the ten thousand threads into a single gist—so that the transmission of the Dao continues without break.

As for the methods of the Golden Elixir, their spirit and depth accord with hidden and subtle transformations; once perfected, one can manifest dragon-like numinous radiance. They can revive what is withered and cut off, and preserve what is full of life; the cultivator may ascend to the Milky Way and travel through the void, or roam cloud peaks in free ease. One’s face may glow like jade, strange hair may grow on the body; one may spit water and breathe fire, fly without wings, divide the body into myriad forms, and deploy abilities at will. To dam a river needs no basket of earth; to split a mountain ridge needs no axe or chisel. Such marvels are hard to record in full; their refinement must not be omitted. This great numinous essential teaching truly cannot be told to the end.

Xi Zhong again requested: The art of refining gold can make one spit water and breathe fire, fly without wings, divide the body into myriad forms, and deploy abilities at will; to dam a river needs no basket of earth, to split a mountain ridge needs no axe or chisel. Such marvels are hard to record in full; their refinement must not be omitted. This great numinous essential teaching truly cannot be told to the end.

Yin Xi asked again: “I have already received instruction in the methods of refining the elixir; I would also like to ask how one can guard and nurture essence and Qi.” The Old Lord replied: “Guarding and nurturing essence and Qi can fill essence and Qi to abundance, enable one to receive the luminous and subtle methods of the scriptures, and grasp the fine essentials by which the Great Dao is accomplished; one may enter and leave the hidden realm, above hold fast to the Cloud Gate, below hold fast to the Spirit Root. Understanding this principle is not difficult; what is hard is to persist in putting it into practice.

“When the body moves recklessly, virtue disperses; when breath is scattered, one turns away from the Great Dao; when essence is depleted, the Hun soul is harmed; when the eyes move recklessly, the Po soul falls into disorder. Therefore the sage keeps the body still and breath steady, stores essence and gathers the gaze, so that virtue may be empty and still and congealed, and Hun and Po may be securely kept. When body returns to unity and spirit is full, the Dao is thereby achieved.

“Often after midnight, lie on your back to sleep, grip firmly with both hands (to gather body and mind), draw clear breath through the nose, then exhale slowly through the mouth; afterward continue to visualize the Three Ones (the spirits in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian within the body). After entering the quiet chamber, perform the Nine Contemplations in sequence, so that spirit is settled and breath is harmonious—then one is close to the immortal way.”

Thereupon the Old Lord transmitted to Yin Xi the Jade Calendar Central Classic in thirty-five chapters. Yin Xi said: “Please indicate the essential purport of the Three Ones.” The Old Lord said: “The way of the Three Ones is prized by immortals; few in the world have heard of it—you must guard it carefully and keep it secret.

“One inch inward between the two eyebrows is the Hall of Brightness; two inches further inward is the Chamber of the Cave; three inches inward is the Mud Ball, which is also the palace of the upper Dantian. Within dwells a Red Child (the inner spirit visualized in cultivation), with the character Yuanxian and the name Diqing.

“The heart is the Crimson Palace, which is also the middle Dantian. Within dwells a True Person, with the character Zidan and the name Guangjian.

“Three inches inward from the navel is the Gate of Life, which is also the palace of the lower Dantian. Within dwells an Infant, with the character Yuanyang and the name Xuangu.

“These three are each three inches tall and wear red garments and shoes—this is the Three Ones. Another account says: the spirit of the upper Dantian wears purple, that of the middle Dantian wears red, and that of the lower Dantian wears yellow; all appear like infants. Each sits upon a golden forest and jade table, and constantly stirs essence with a golden furnace and jade spoon, feeding the spirits of the upper and middle Dantian. Day and night you must visualize them.

“If you wish long life, you must make the Three Ones clear and manifest. If you can hold fast to the One, the One will also guard you.”

Jing (essence) transforms into Shen (spirit), Shen further transforms into the infant self, the infant self ascends to become the True Person (Zhenren), and after the True Person one becomes the Red Infant (Chizi) — this is "True Unity" (Zhenyi), the state of returning to pure genuineness and becoming one with the Dao. It also says: the false Way cares only for nourishing the physical body, while the true Way nourishes the spirit; when the spirit is pure and genuine, the Dao flows unimpeded. One who cultivates the Dao can let the physical body perish, or can preserve it; the Shen can carry the body in flight, or can move mountains. The body ultimately turns to dust and ashes, which is something that can be seen.

The sounds and colors that the eyes and ears crave leave faults in a person; the fragrances and flavors that the nose and mouth delight in also become sources of entanglement. The body is the root of afflictions, bringing itch, pain, cold, and heat; the mind and will burden the body, bringing worry, vexation, and suffering. If one does not promptly remove these entanglements, a person's resolve will daily diminish, and longevity will be hard to extend — this situation has existed since ancient times. You should first reduce all kinds of desires and not let the mind and will run wild; dwell alone in a quiet place and concentrate your thoughts in the fasting chamber (a quiet dwelling for cultivation). To read ten thousand volumes of alchemical scriptures (Daoist cultivation texts) is not as good as holding to oneness (single-mindedly guarding the inner spirit). Take emptiness as your body and non-action (Wuwei) as your mind; only when there is no attachment within the body and no attachment within the mind can you be said to guard the Shen (spirit). Guard the spirit, and you will connect with the mysterious Dao — this is becoming one with the Dao.

This is like a high mountain and a great marsh not deliberately attracting insects, fish, birds, and beasts, yet insects, fish, birds, and beasts naturally gather there. If a person can be empty and still, practicing non-action without striving to attain the Dao, the Dao will also naturally return. I have seen this in the Xiyi Jing (Western Strange Classic). Then the method of the Nine Refinements of the Golden Truth of the Sun was transmitted, called the "Nine Chambers Visualization" (Jiushi Cunsi) — performing inner contemplation in nine successive levels. First, no improper thoughts; second, correct body contemplation; third, attaining correctness in contemplation; fourth, great correctness in contemplation; fifth, ultimate correctness in contemplation; sixth, bodily correctness in contemplation; seventh, true genuineness in contemplation; eighth, penetrating the mystery in contemplation; ninth, the great void in contemplation. Enter these nine chambers and practice these nine forms of visualization, and you will merge your form with the Sun and together reach the realm of the Dao. Xi fully grasped the secret method within, bowed twice, and reverently received the mysterious decree.

The discourse says: the words of the sage are extremely concise, and the fundamental principle is not complex. The content above is the Supreme One's response in mysterious principles after Guan Yin earnestly requested it over many days. The compiler gathered its key points to leave for posterity — these are not words that can be understood in a single day or night.

Xi Yu thereupon resolutely resigned from office. On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he reverently invited Lord Lao to his home. Later he asked Lord Lao for instruction: “I am dull and ignorant and do not know what to ask—please guide me.”

Lord Lao said: “If you wish to cultivate body and mind, follow the Dao in practice, unite form and qi to become spirit, and reach a state that never fails from beginning to end, the most important thing is stillness. Heaven is settled through stillness; spirit transforms through stillness; human beings live through stillness. When you are about to enter stillness, gather in your hearing and look inward: let no wild thoughts arise in the mind, let no reckless words leave the mouth, let the body not move recklessly. Formless images will appear, soundless sounds will be heard, tasteless flavors will seem sweet; wordless teaching will become guidance, divine visions will arrive, blessings will come, and the breath of harmony will respond in kind.

If you wish to quiet the spirit, first bathe and keep purification fast for twenty-five days, then carefully nurture yourself until hun and po are at peace—only then may you enter the quiet chamber to practice. After you enter the chamber, you may sometimes see a red serpent come before your heart, or see the Queen Mother descend, or see the Dao-body manifest. All of these are the spirits within your body testing you. You must not startle or fear; even if they question you, do not answer; even if you feel harmed, do not be afraid—simply settle mind and intent, and these visions will vanish of themselves.

On the twenty-fifth, forty-fifth, sixtieth, eighty-fifth, one hundred and fifth, one hundred and twenty-fifth, one hundred and fiftieth, and one hundred and eightieth days of practice, spirits will again appear. These too are tests. As long as you are at ease and give no response, they cannot harm you. If fear shakes you, you have failed the test and will lose the Dao. Be vigilant and careful. After one hundred and eighty days of practice, the chamber will naturally grow bright; matters of safety and danger, preservation and loss, can all be known in advance, and the palace-offices within the body will appear one by one.”

Two hundred and eighty days later, all kinds of illness were gone; after one year, every scar on his body had vanished; after one thousand days, body and spirit had reached a subtle, exalted state, and he became a zhenren—a perfected person who had attained the Dao.

Then Laojun (the Old Lord) transmitted to Yin Xi the Miaozhen and Neijie, the scriptures of the Three Caverns (San dong jing) in the Taiqing and Shangqing corpora—the classic framework of Daoist scripture—together with Lingbao talisman diagrams and methods from Taixuan, and charged him to teach those of utmost refinement and benevolence so that they might cultivate themselves into immortals. He also instructed him to “require severance from the mother.” Yin Xi kowtowed in gratitude.

Laojun said to Yin Xi again: “I solemnly tell you once more: Master Gu was none other than myself. I once manifested in Zhugan (an ancient name for the region of India); now I shall withdraw my spirit and return to the realm of the nameless, extending through the hidden and subtle as if present yet beyond naming. As I am about to depart, I too must revert to my origin.”

Just as Laojun was about to travel westward, Yin Xi kowtowed and begged to follow him. Laojun said: “I roam beyond heaven and earth, enter and leave the dark mystery (xuanming), move through the four quarters and the eight extremes, and above and below there is no boundary. You wish to follow me—how could you manage it?”

Yin Xi said: “Even if I must enter fire or plunge into an abyss, go deep into the earth or ascend to the sky, even if my body were crushed and my life lost, I would still wish to follow the great immortal.”

Laojun said: “One who has attained the Dao can see through with the eyes and hear afar with the ears, transform without limit, and hide or appear at will—yet even such a one cannot travel far with me. Though your bone structure accords with the Dao and, by the standards of the law, you ought to become perfected, the time since you received the Dao is still short; you have not yet penetrated its subtlety. How could you transform your form and follow my sacred body?”

Yin Xi kowtowed again and said, “I understand…”