《犹龙传》Vol. 2

The Dao De Jing says, “When it enters the belly, all the spirits are present.” This means that when the teachings of the text are taken to heart, the spirit within becomes clear and settled. Lao Jun said to Yin Xi, “If you can banish distracting thoughts, quiet your mind and hold to the One, and practice purification and cultivation for a thousand days, refining and nourishing your body until you enter the mysterious realm, you may find me at the Qingyang Market in Shu Commandery.” Yin Xi repeatedly assented and thanked Lao Jun. Lao Jun then slowly ascended into the Taiwei Palace, the residence of the Celestial Emperor.

It is said that after descending into the world to teach and transform people, the Most High Lord Lao again took up residence in the Gouchen precinct of the Taiwei Palace, under the title Great Emperor of Heaven, Radiant Spirit and Treasure. When Lao Jun’s luminous form had faded and all sound had ceased, Yin Xi began his purification practice, dismissed his attendants, and devoted himself to studying the true scriptures.

He concentrated on cultivation for a thousand days. He visualized the Three Ones, three deities of Daoist visualization practice, in the Three Palaces, the three places within the human body where spirits reside, and deeply examined the Nine Chambers, the nine spirit chambers within the body. His thoughts grew still and focused, as though his body had dissolved and even his bones and flesh had melted away. After this, he fully understood the subtle patterns in the changes of Qi and destiny, as well as the mysteries of bodily transformation.

Lao Jun also taught Yin Xi the art of the Nine Elixirs of Golden Liquids, a Daoist alchemical method, and transmitted such scriptures as The Eight Talismans of Great Clarity and The Nine Celestial Capitals’ Divine Elixir of Observing Heaven and Golden Liquids. He also taught him essential methods for cultivating body and spirit, absorbing Qi, and the True Qi of the Five Teeth, a Qi practice involving visualization and breathing techniques.

Yin Xi later returned to the northern foothills of Mount Zhongnan, where he built a grass-thatched tower and made his home. Tradition places the site in Wenxian Village, Shenlong Township, Daowu County, at Mount Zhongnan in Fengxiang. The thatched tower was Yin Xi’s former residence, known as the Tower Monastery, and it still stands today. King Mu of Zhou once had the site renovated; Qin Shi Huang built a shrine in front of it, and Emperor Wu of Han established an official guesthouse to its north. The tablets used by visitors to present themselves have been preserved since the Jin and Wei dynasties. One is said to bear an inscription written in Qin Shi Huang’s own hand: “The Great Dao is vast and boundless, and can extend through the four directions. When Lao Jun departed, he went west; when he returned, he looked east. I am about to set out for Penglai and Yingzhou, and hope to receive your gracious attention.”

In the second year of the Zhenguan era, the Tower Monastery was renamed the Monastery of the Ancestral Sage. Yin Xi then drifted to the Qingyang Market, where he met the Most High Lord Lao once again.

End of Chapter Three of The Biography of the Dragon-Like Sage.

The Basic Annals of Primordial Unity records: The Most High Lord Lao ascended to Heaven in the year jiayin. In the following year, yimao, he quietly sent a manifestation down to Shu and was born into the household of a high official. In the year dingsi, Yin Xi arrived in Shu. There had been no Green Ram Market there before. While the Most High Lord Lao was in the Heaven of Taiwei, he first sent the Green Youth of the Azure Emperor down to Chengdu, where he transformed into a green ram.

When Yin Xi saw someone leading a green ram through the market, he thought: “Since there is a green ram here, and this is a market, this must be the place Lord Lao arranged to meet me.” He asked whose ram it was. The person replied: “My wife gave birth to a child who would not stop crying. Nothing could harm him, even when he was put in water or fire. A Daoist said to find some green ram’s milk for him to drink, and his crying would stop. So we came to buy this ram.”

Yin Xi asked the person to tell the child, “The Pass Keeper Yin Xi has arrived.” After the family passed on the message, the child rose from his arms, shook out his clothes, and said, “Let Yin Xi come in.” When Yin Xi entered, he saw the Most High Lord Lao, who stood more than ten feet tall. His body was golden, a round halo shone behind his neck, he wore a crown of the Seven Luminaries—symbolizing the sun, moon, and five planets—and he was clad in a nine-colored robe, radiant with many hues. Everyone in the household was deeply awestruck.

The Most High Lord Lao said: “Taiwei is my dwelling, and True Unity is my original nature. The refined essence of Great Harmony’s Qi descended, revealing my radiance in human form. My appearance changes with the form in which I manifest. Why are you so astonished?”

Yin Xi bowed low and said: “I never imagined I would be so fortunate as to see your revered countenance again. I do not know whether the Compassionate Venerable One, who comes and goes without form and appears or vanishes at will, has been well of late.” Lord Lao answered kindly: “Since we parted, what have you gained, and what have you lost? Have you preserved the Dao and held fast to the One? Has this brought you any benefit?” Yin Xi replied: “I have practiced the secret essentials you taught me and gained a rough understanding of their mysteries. The grace with which you saved me far surpasses Heaven and Earth.”

The Old Lord said, “Long ago, I left you in the human world to cultivate. You first observed purification and practiced in seclusion for a thousand days, so I waited for you here. Now you have preserved your body and refined and nurtured your Jing and Qi, reaching a profound and wondrous state. A purple Dao channel has formed within your heart, and your face shines with a complete, radiant light. Your name has been entered in the celestial register of immortals and perfected ones, and your jade immortal record is kept in the Purple Mansion, the abode of the immortals. Your breath is linked with Taiwei, where the celestial star officials dwell. You are now able to shed your bodily form and unite with the True Dao.” When he had finished speaking, the holy perfected ones of the Three Realms came soaring through the air, riding in a thousand chariots and followed by ten thousand horsemen.

The Old Lord then bestowed on Yin Xi a purple lotus crown, a flying green feathered skirt, a vermilion collar and green sleeves. He draped him in robes like colored clouds and fastened a patterned yellow sash around his waist. Yin Xi was appointed “Master Wenshi” and given the title “Supreme Perfected One.” From then on, he could attend the Old Lord’s dragon chariot and travel far and wide through the world.

The Record of the Green Ram states that the Old Lord entreated the Green Youth of the Azure Emperor—an immortal boy under the emperor’s command—to take the form of a green ram and go to Shu Commandery. Riding on purple clouds, he descended to the Purple Mansion and brought auspicious energy to the royal palace. A baby in the palace cried without stopping, as if waiting for the Old Lord to arrive before it would be quiet. The moment Yin Xi arrived, the crying ceased. He then changed from the appearance of a baby into a white-haired old man. In the blink of an eye, his body grew several zhang tall; in an instant, five-colored light shone from his face. On his head he wore a seven-rayed jeweled crown symbolizing the sun, moon, and stars, and over his shoulders he wore a nine-colored robe of fine silk. His attendants were beyond counting, and even the trees and plants seemed to have become immortals. This is the event being described.

The Most High Old Lord took his seat and expounded the Scripture of Original Yang to Yin Xi’s mother. The place where he taught is now several hundred paces southwest of Chengdu. In the second year of the Zhonghe era, people discovered miraculous traces there, and the court issued an edict to build the Green Ram Palace. The sites of the Birth Platform and the Original Yang Platform are also preserved there.

The Old Lord once again manifested his form and traveled with Yin Xi to the sacred mountain of Ling in Tianshui, where he taught the essentials of the Dao anew. This is the mountain now called Qiling Mountain in Qinzhou. Beneath its cliffs stand the Western Ascent Platform and the Hall of the Sacred Image. Later, the Old Lord and Yin Xi traveled secretly across the four seas.

He first traveled through the eastern sea region, visiting the Sun Cave, Changyang Mountain, and places such as Fusang, the Blue Sea, Shujing, Tang Valley, Zuzhou, Zhitian, Penglai, and the Palace of Fangzhang. Then he went south and climbed Phoenix Mountain, passing through Qingqiu, Changli, Chijin, and the Palace of Tandan, before reaching the regions of Jiang Mountain, Zhuling, and Yan’gang. Continuing west, he entered Turtle Mountain and visited Jade Gate, Renwu, Phoenix Mountain, Qian Forest, Linzhou, Golden Gate, Jade Pool, Kunwu, and White Emperor City. After that, he went north into Kongmeng, Dongyin, Yuanqiu, Guanghan, Zhong Mountain, and the Wilds of Wuwen. He also climbed Central Peak and Kunlun, and came to Zhenpu and the Palace of Qionghua.

The immortals received him with courtesy, with attendants standing by their sides. The gods of the heavens also came to welcome him. They taught Lord Lao the methods of the Dao. Whenever he asked a question, they taught him accordingly.

Next, Lord Lao traveled through the Nine Heavens, the nine celestial levels described in Daoism. First he went to the First Heaven, where he met the Heavenly Emperor Poli. The emperor rode in a carriage of nine numinous spirits and dark clouds, topped by a canopy of the seven celestial origins at dawn, and carried a five-colored staff for subduing demons. A retinue of officials, jade boys, and jade girls numbering ninety thousand welcomed Lord Lao into the Palace of Great Being and sought instruction in the Way of Nature.

Lord Lao then traveled through the Second Heaven, where he met the Heavenly Emperor Mayi. The emperor rode in a carriage of flying clouds tinted blue-green, with a canopy decorated with five-colored phoenix patterns, and carried a staff of sevenfold radiance that summoned the dragon of destiny. A retinue of officials, jade boys, and jade girls numbering fifty thousand welcomed Lord Lao into Phoenix City’s Jade Terrace and sought instruction in the supreme Way.

Next, Lord Lao reached the Third Heaven, where he met the Heavenly Emperor Fanbao. The emperor rode in a carriage of flowing clouds of Great Numinous Power, topped by a canopy of seven radiant dawn lights, and carried a five-colored staff for summoning spirits. A retinue of officials, jade boys, and jade girls numbering eighty thousand welcomed Lord Lao into the Vermilion Palace of Yangming and sought instruction in the Way of the Void.

On the fourth day of his journey, the Old Lord met the Heavenly Emperor of Huaying Heaven. The emperor rode in a carriage adorned with yellow clouds and sevenfold radiance. A canopy woven from brocade patterned in five colors covered the carriage, while a standard in seven colors, the emblem of divine spirits and commands, stood upright beside it. A total of sixty thousand attendant officials, jade boys, and jade maidens welcomed the Old Lord into the Upper Palace of the Seven Treasures and asked him to teach them the wondrous Dao.

On the fifth day, the Old Lord met the Heavenly Emperor of Bu Jiao Le Heaven. The emperor rode in a nine-spirit carriage adorned with blue clouds. A canopy of flying radiance and frost essence covered it, and a five-colored standard for subduing demons stood upright beside it. Seventy thousand attendant officials, jade boys, and jade maidens welcomed the Old Lord into the Nine-Tiered Jade Terrace and asked him to teach them the Great Profound Dao.

On the sixth day, the Old Lord met the Heavenly Emperor of Doushu Heaven. The emperor rode in a carriage of flowing essence and cinnabar clouds, covered by a canopy of sevenfold reflections and flying firmaments. A five-colored standard of divine command stood upright beside it. Sixty thousand attendant officials, jade boys, and jade maidens welcomed the Old Lord into the Palace of Vermilion Spirits and asked him to teach them the Dao of Utmost Truth.

On the seventh day, the Old Lord met the Heavenly Emperor of Xuyan Heaven. The emperor rode in a carriage of flying radiance and purple clouds, covered by a canopy patterned with five-colored gauze. A seven-colored standard summoning the True stood upright beside it. Ninety thousand attendant officials, immortal boys, and jade maidens welcomed the Old Lord into the Great Profound Capital and asked him to teach them the Dao of the True One.

On the eighth day, the Old Lord met the Heavenly Emperor of Chanshan Heaven. The emperor rode in a carriage of green mists and flying clouds, covered by a canopy of eight-colored jade radiance. A standard of ninefold light and numinous penetration stood upright beside it. Seventy thousand attendant officials, immortal boys, and jade maidens welcomed the Old Lord into the Pearl Forest and Jade Garden and asked him to teach them the Dao of the Imperial One.

On the ninth day, the Old Lord met the Heavenly Emperor of Yudan Heaven. The emperor rode in a carriage of dark mists and flowing clouds, covered by a canopy of ninefold luminous treasures. A standard of flying dragons that communicated with the spirits stood upright beside it. Ninety thousand attendant officials, immortal boys, and jade maidens welcomed the Old Lord into the Purple Chamber of the Mysterious Terrace and asked him to teach them the Dao of the Subtle and Hidden.

At every heavenly palace the Old Lord visited, they laid out immortal delicacies: jade blossoms and fruits, the moon’s nectar and cloud elixir, verdant sweet wine, fragrant orchids and rare dishes, and wondrous fruits of the numinous fungus. Their radiance illuminated the banquet.

In every celestial palace he visited, rare delicacies and fruits like fine jade were laid out, along with sweet dew from the moon and jade liquor from among the clouds. Blue-green wine gave off a fragrant aroma, exquisite dishes of orchid greens filled the banquet tables, and immortal lingzhi mushrooms and fruits gleamed brightly. At that time, celestial music sounded all around, and the immortals’ songs were so beautiful that words could not capture them. The Old Lord met the various Celestial Emperors and perfected immortals, each with a full, radiant halo appearing above his head. The immortals came forward to pay their respects to the Old Lord and ask him about the mysteries of the great Dao. They discussed the changing fortunes of Heaven and Earth, the length of cosmic cycles, good and evil conduct, the fated patterns of past and present lives, and the principles of karmic retribution. They also explored the source of the great Dao.

The Transformation of Eighty-One Kingdoms and Ninety-Six Heterodox Traditions in the Flowing Sands

In the central lands of the Xia states, Laozi taught stillness, Wuwei (non-action), humility, and inner quiet. Later, he traveled west into the land of the Flowing Sands. The scripture says that the people there were bold and fierce by nature and revered the use of force. Laozi did not turn back because the journey was distant and perilous or because local customs differed. He pressed on, hoping to transform them through compassion, turn them away from evil deeds, and guide them toward the good. He therefore chose no one as unworthy of instruction. This is like Confucius’s saying, “In teaching, there should be no distinction of class”—that is, no one should be denied instruction because of their birth or kind.

At that time, the Old Lord arrived in the Kingdom of Khotan, an ancient state in the Western Regions, and sent forth divine light in nine colors, illuminating every land across the western deserts, near and far alike. Before long, the palaces in the city of Vima were naturally adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones, and a magnificent, splendid ritual seat was raised on the ground. Perfected beings and sages from the Three Realms, along with dragon spirits, rode on clouds and cranes to attend. The King of Khotan and the other Hu kings, rulers of eighty-one kingdoms in all, saw this rare and wondrous spectacle. Gazing up day and night, they were both awestruck and delighted, and praised it again and again. The Most High Old Lord displayed his spiritual powers and drew them all in, bringing them under his instruction. In an instant, those kings gathered before him. The Old Lord ascended the jeweled seat, his appearance solemn and dignified. The people burned incense, scattered flowers, and played the Music of the Celestial Court, the music of the heavens.

At that time, the king of Khotan, along with the kings who had come with him from Zhuju-ban, Kebantao, Humiduo, Greater Yuezhi, Gudutao, Jumi, Jiesu, Zhihanna, Jiuyue-dejian, Yida, Wulahu, Shifanyan, Hushijian, Duolejian, Chubin, Hadaluozhi, Bosi-mi, Persia, Shule, Suye, Kucha, Fulin, Dashi, Zhifu, Shuman, Danmei, Juyao, Cuogu, Tanling, Gaochang, Yanqi, Gongyue, Seni, Kang, Shi, Mi, Simeipan, Cao, He, Greater and Lesser An, Mu, Wunage, Xunwu, Huoxun, Western Women, Great Qin, Shravasti, Varanasi, Dinahu, Gamaru, Gandhara, Uddiyana, Kashmir, Jialuo, Bululuo, Nepal, Rezha, Simha, Kushinagara, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Shravana, Zhanpoluo, Sanmazha, Wucha, Surashtra, Sindhu, Wulashi, Huli, Goutou, Jiali, Mantuman, Niba, Yuediyan, Shemi, Xiaoren, Xuanqu, and other lands—rulers from more than eighty countries in all—gathered around with their queens and retinues. They gazed toward the place where the Dharma was being expounded, hoping to hear the sound of the Dharma, that is, the teaching of the doctrine.

Laojun said to the Hu kings: “You indulge the thoughts of the Five Poisons—greed, anger, delusion, and other harmful impulses that injure body and mind. You love to eat flesh and blood, and your killing knows no bounds; you have taken countless lives. Now more than eighty kings, together with their consorts, queens, and relatives, are gathered at a distance around me, looking up to me and wishing to hear the teachings.”

Laojun then said to the Hu kings: “You indulge the thoughts of the Five Poisons, love to eat flesh and blood, and kill without restraint, taking countless lives. I will now teach you the Futu Jing. The name Futu means ‘Buddha.’ As I explain it to you, fu means that nothing in the world is eternally real; tu means that you should stop killing living beings. If you are not yet able to give up meat, you may eat animals that have died naturally. Your hair and beards are curly, your bodies carry a strong, rank odor, and you often wear felt coats, so much filth has accumulated. You should groom your hair and beards, cleanse body and mind, and practice compassion regularly to dispel afflictions.

“Follow the fasting days and precepts I have established. Observe the fasts and keep the precepts, put an end to all misguided thoughts, and take refuge in the Great Dao. The one who now accompanies me to teach and transform you is my foremost disciple, the unsurpassed Perfected Yin Xi. He cleanses body and mind, practices compassion regularly to dispel afflictions, observes the fasting days and precepts I have established, keeps the fasts and precepts, puts an end to misguided thoughts, and takes refuge in the Great Dao. Yin Xi will be your teacher. His body will appear golden, adorned with every kind of dignified mark. He will teach the Way of the Futu and skillfully use expedient means to guide living beings. His face will always turn east, showing that he has not forgotten his origins. Since I came from the east, he will appear in this form so that those who see him may awaken compassion.

“You kings should bow to him and make offerings. Do not lose faith, and you will attain the results for yourselves. The ninety-six schools of outsiders must also be taught and guided into the right path. These ninety-six include the Outsider School of Yuzhelu, the Outsider School of Chafazhi Nanfu, the Outsider School of Preserving the Form, the Outsider School of the Hot Ash Body, the Outsider School of Shaozijian, the Outsider School of Bindulu, and the Outsider School of the Protective Spirit, among others.”

The external paths known as the Dao-Seen, Faith-and-Practice, Biased-View, Seeing-the-Path, Emptiness-View, Empty-Space, Unprotected, Shouluo, Empty-and-Disordered-Sound, Fanboshe, Hongzhao, Pu’an, Zhangshi, Formless, True-Truth, Brahma-Sound, Zongming, Daba, Broad-Learning, Pure-Cultivation, Discourse-and-Debate, Manifest-Supreme, Asura, Shayi Shizi Wang, Shenqi Jia’nü, Huiyi, Jiumo Yena, Fanmo Geluo, Gangqi Suiluo, Narayan, Thousand-Coals, Qiubamo, Danmo, Moyun Shouluo, Bazheluo Ke, Ba Geluo, Zhewencha, Nilan, Shangjieluo, Yangjushi, Molizhi, Azha Boju, Shi’e, Mati, Naju Baluo, Zhao Spirits and Ghosts, Bojianti, Jiulüge, Guangzhao, Weiyan, Hongguang, Huixiang, Bitan Xiuduoluo, Zhenwei, Daiyangzi, Zizai Guangbo Yanzheng, Jiyedao, Qiuna Banao, Yizhen, Deshuang, Minglian, Gebaoyi, Nili, Gaowangti, Aqiu’na, Tengkong Daowei, Foshamosha, Najian’tao, Pomo Zhi’na, Nilian’ni, Pali’po, Daoli Dao, Ashanqidi, Kongjie Dadao, Tuoshen, Daojian, Daoxing, Fanyi, Dafeng, Chaokong, Good-Female-Heaven, Yuantong Taixu, Wojiao, Kuangxian, Dengfenhua, Aluoluozha, Alüzhi, Zhaoyi Mingwugu, and Yin Aqi Taoli.

This scripture passage lists a series of names designated as “external paths.” Daoist texts use “external paths” to refer to other religious schools, paths of cultivation, or associated lineages and figures. Many of the names here are proper names, and the text provides no explanation of their meanings, so they are retained without further conjecture. Several names appear more than once in the original, and a series of names also follows the character “Jiu”; the passage is understood here according to the text as it stands.

These heterodox traditions number ninety-six kinds. Their followers include men and women, humans and nonhumans, all capable of performing spells that bewilder people. They, too, shave their heads but leave their beards, wear black robes, shoes, and socks, and teach various samādhis (states of meditative concentration), methods of visualization, and paths based on equality or inequality. They also perform all manner of uncanny transformations and manifest many different forms, leading people into deviant paths from which they cannot free themselves.

Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao) said to Perfected Yin and his disciples: “After I depart, these heterodox traditions will spread widely throughout the world, extending as far as Shuxia. Their practices will be as described earlier: they will grow ever more covetous of offerings from others and behave in ways resembling sexual misconduct. They will also urge people to give up their lives, possessions, and the men and women of their households, claiming that by doing so they can obtain all manner of karmic results from past and future lives. They will further lead kings and imperial rulers to devote themselves wholly to their teachings, neglecting affairs of state and turning away from purity and stillness. Those who follow these heterodox traditions will grow arrogant, deceive and bewilder people in every possible way, and disrupt the Great Dao.

“In such circumstances, you should teach them through the Futu (Buddhist teachings), bringing them into the Dharma Gate of Nonduality (a path of practice that transcends distinctions between opposites) and cutting off deviant obstacles. Afterward, the heterodox practitioners will all come to bow before you and earnestly request the true teachings, no longer performing illusions. Other scriptures and biographies record the events in full; there is much to recount, so I will not copy it all here.”

Confucius Asks About Ritual

Confucius said: “One who knows from birth…”

Confucius said, “Those who understand the Way from birth are of the highest rank; those who come to understand it through study are one rank below.” Who could possess wisdom from birth, if not a sage?

Lao Dan—that is, Laozi—and Confucius were both sages. Confucius had investigated nearly every principle involved in dealing with the world and its affairs. But to cast off names and conventions, and to grasp beyond them the mystery of solitary insight, one must surely reach a state of accord with the Great Dao. So Confucius traveled from the state of Lu to Zhou. After meeting Lao Dan and taking his leave, he praised him as “like a dragon.” The sages’ profound esteem for the Great Dao shows, in turn, that nothing is more important than transmitting its teachings and opening the way to transformation. Those who study in the world merely range broadly, borrow other people’s words, and boast of them as their own—how pitiful!

The Kongzi Jiayu records that Confucius said to Nangong Jingshu, “I have heard that Lao Dan is learned in the past and present, understands the foundations of ritual and music, and knows where De (Virtue/Power) ultimately leads. He can be my teacher. I now intend to visit him.” Nangong Jingshu replied, “I will follow your instructions.” He then reported to the ruler of Lu, “Lao Dan is learned in the past and present, understands the foundations of ritual and music, and knows where De ultimately leads. He can be Confucius’s teacher. Confucius now intends to travel to Zhou. Please allow me to accompany him.”

Jingshu continued, “I heard from my late father that Confucius is descended from a sage. His ancestors lost their noble rank in the state of Song. His ancestor Fufu He had the chance to inherit the ruler’s position, but yielded it to Duke Li. Later, Zheng Kaofu served Duke Dai, Duke Wu, and Duke Xuan. Though he received a command three times, each time he became more humble. The inscription on his ritual vessel reads: ‘At the first command, I bowed my head and bent my back; at the second, I bent lower still; at the third, I stooped almost to the ground. I hurry along beside the walls, yet no one dares insult me.’ He even scooped up gruel there to keep himself alive. Such was the extent of his humility and frugality. Zang Sunhe once said that if the descendants of sages do not live in an age that brings them prominence, a wise and capable person will surely appear among them. Confucius loved ritual from a young age; surely he is such a person. My late father charged me to make him my teacher. Now Confucius plans to travel to Zhou to examine the institutions handed down from the former kings and investigate the highest principles of ritual and music, so that he may accomplish a great undertaking. Why not provide him with a carriage and horses and let me accompany him?”

The ruler of Lu agreed. He gave Confucius a carriage and two horses, and sent a young attendant and a servant with them. Confucius and Nangong Jingshu traveled together to Zhou. Confucius sought instruction from Lao Dan on ritual and from Chang Hong on music. He also examined the sites for suburban and soil sacrifices, the institutions of the Bright Hall, and the regulations governing ancestral temples and the court.

Confucius planned to travel to the Zhou capital to ask Laozi about the rites. After Laozi agreed, Confucius set out for Zhou with a carriage, two horses, a young attendant, servants, Jing Shu, and others. He asked Laozi about the rites, consulted Chang Hong about music, and examined the sites for suburban and land sacrifices, the design of the Hall of Enlightenment, and the ritual systems of ancestral temples and the court. Confucius then exclaimed, “Only now do I understand the sagacity of the Duke of Zhou, and why the Zhou dynasty was able to rule as kings over all under Heaven.”

As Confucius was leaving Zhou, Laozi saw him off and said, “I have heard that the wealthy give parting gifts of money and goods, while the benevolent give parting words. I cannot claim to be wealthy, but I would like to borrow the name of benevolence and send you off with a few words. Some people are clever, perceptive, and sharp-minded, yet easily invite danger because they enjoy criticizing others. Some are skilled debaters and widely learned, yet put themselves at risk because they enjoy exposing others’ faults. Do not think too highly of yourself. Whether you are a son or a minister, act with care and do not bring resentment upon yourself.”

Confucius replied, “I respectfully accept your instruction.” After returning from Zhou to Lu, his reputation grew even greater. It is said that as many as three thousand disciples came from afar to study with him.

The Records of the Grand Historian recounts that when Confucius asked Laozi about the rites, Laozi said, “The people you speak of who established those rites have long since turned to dust; only their words remain. When the time is right, a noble person takes office; when it is not, he adapts to circumstances like tumbleweed blown by the wind. I have heard that a good merchant keeps his goods hidden and appears to have nothing, while a noble person of deep virtue looks dull and foolish on the outside. Let go of your pride, your many desires, your affected manner, and your excessive ambitions; none of these benefits you. That is all I can tell you.”

After leaving, Confucius said to his disciples, “I know that birds fly; I know that fish swim; and I know that beasts run. Running animals can be caught in nets, swimming animals with fishing lines, and birds brought down with arrows. As for the dragon, I do not know how it rides the wind and clouds up into the sky. Today I met Laozi. Perhaps he is like a dragon.”

The Nanhua True Scripture records that Confucius wanted to store his books in the royal archives of Zhou. Zilu suggested, “I have heard that Lao Dan, the former keeper of the royal archives at Zhou—a legendary Daoist figure—has retired and returned home. If you want to store your books, why not try asking him for help?”

Confucius said, “Good.” He went to visit Lao Dan, but Lao Dan refused. Confucius then opened the Twelve Classics and explained their principles to him. After listening for a while, Lao Dan said, “That is far too elaborate. Please tell me the essentials.” Confucius replied, “The essentials are benevolence and righteousness.”

After hearing this, Lao Dan said, “Still too elaborate. Tell me the essentials again.” Confucius said, “The essentials are simply benevolence and righteousness.” Lao Dan asked, “Are benevolence and righteousness part of human nature?” Confucius answered, “They are. Without benevolence, a noble person cannot be a noble person; without righteousness, one cannot establish oneself. Benevolence and righteousness are the nature of the truly perfected. What else could they be?” Lao Dan asked, “What do you mean by benevolence and righteousness?” Confucius said, “A heart that is harmonious and joyful, that cares for everyone without favoring anyone—that is the feeling of benevolence and righteousness.”

Lao Dan said, “Ah, these ideas must have arisen only in later times. Is so-called universal love not misguided? Deliberately proclaiming oneself selfless only creates another kind of selfishness. If you want the people of the world not to lose their natural way of life, then Heaven and Earth already have their constant order, the sun and moon already have their brightness, the stars already have their proper arrangement, animals already have their distinct natures, and plants already know how to grow. You need only act in accord with De (Virtue) and follow the great Dao (the Way); that is enough. Why urgently raise benevolence and righteousness aloft, as if beating a drum to search for a lost child? I fear you are disturbing human nature.”

Confucius then asked Lao Dan, “Someone who studies the art of the Dao can distinguish opposing claims and determine what is permissible and impermissible, what is right and wrong. Debaters say that the principles of ‘separation’ and ‘hardness and whiteness’ seem to hang high in the heavens. Can such a person be called a sage?” Lao Dan said, “Such a person is merely driven by affairs and entangled in minor issues, worn out in body and exhausted in spirit.”

People think that civet cats catch mice and apes are nimble because these things are simply in their nature. Qiu, I tell you: the things you cannot hear or speak of are just so. Between Heaven and Earth, many things have heads and feet but no mind or hearing. There are also many forms of existence, tangible and intangible, shapeless too, and all of them come to dissolution. When they move, they are still; when they grow, they die; when they decline, they rise. Yet these changes are not the true source of things.

The ordering of the world lies within people themselves: forget external things, and forget the distinctions made within the Way of Heaven. This is called “forgetting oneself”—letting go of attachment to the self. Those who can forget themselves have entered the Way of Heaven.

At the age of fifty-one, Confucius, founder of Confucianism, had still not heard the Great Way. So he traveled south to Pei and went to see Lao Dan, that is, Laozi. Lao Dan asked, “You have come? I have heard that you are a worthy man from the north. Have you already attained the Way?” Confucius replied, “Not yet.” Lao Dan asked, “Where have you gone in search of the Way?” Confucius said, “For five years I sought it in ritual and institutions, but did not find it.” Lao Dan asked again, “Where else have you sought?” Confucius said, “For twelve years I sought it in the changes of Yin and Yang, but did not find it.”

Lao Dan said, “Indeed. If the Way could be offered to another, people would all offer it to their rulers. If it could be given as a gift, people would all give it to their family. If it could be explained to another, people would all tell it to their brothers. If it could be passed on, people would all pass it down to their descendants. But these things cannot be done, and there is only one reason: without an inner master, the Way cannot take up residence; without a proper basis outside, the Way cannot be put into practice. What comes from within cannot be brought forth even by a sage if the external world does not receive it. What enters from outside cannot be kept even by a sage if there is no inner master.”

Confucius went to visit Lao Dan, also known as Laozi, and spoke with him about benevolence and righteousness. Lao Dan said, “When a fleck of chaff gets into someone’s eye, the whole world seems upside down. When a mosquito bites the skin, a person may lie awake all night. Teachings about benevolence and righteousness disturb the human heart; nothing causes greater confusion. If you could keep the people of the world from losing their original simplicity, act in accord with the natural course of things, and preserve your De, why make such a show of it, as if beating a great drum while searching everywhere for a child who has run away?

“A swan’s feathers stay white without daily washing; a crow’s feathers stay black without daily dyeing. Their natural blackness and whiteness need no debate. The outward glitter of fame and honor does not truly broaden anyone’s understanding. When a spring dries up, fish are stranded on the ground, moistening one another with breath and spittle. Better to live freely together in rivers and lakes, forgetting one another.”

After meeting Lao Dan, Confucius returned and did not speak for three days. A disciple asked, “Master, when you met Lao Dan, did you receive any instruction from him?” Confucius said, “Only now can I say I have seen a dragon. When it gathers itself, it takes shape; when it spreads out, it displays its splendor. It rides the clouds and nurtures Yin and Yang. I stood there with my mouth open, unable to speak. What could I possibly have said to advise Lao Dan?”

Zigong said, “So there really are people who, in their ordinary state, are still as if lying in a coffin, yet can display the dragon’s spirit; who, when they act like thunder, can also be profoundly quiet, and whose movements follow the course of Heaven and Earth? Could I meet someone like that?” So, using Confucius’s name, he went to visit Lao Dan.

Lao Dan was leaning back on a seat in the hall. He answered slowly, “I am old, and my days are nearly over. What would you like to admonish me about?” Zigong said, “The Three Kings and Five Emperors governed the world in different ways, yet they all left behind a reputation. You, however, do not consider them true sages. Why?”

Lao Dan said, “Young man, come closer. What makes you say their ways were different?” Zigong replied, “Yao abdicated the throne to Shun, and Shun passed it on to Yu. Yu governed through force, while King Tang of Shang waged war to conquer. King Wen of Zhou submitted to King Zhou of Shang and did not dare defy him, but King Wu of Zhou rebelled against Zhou and refused to submit. Therefore…”

Lao Dan (Laozi) said, “Young man, come closer. Why do you say their ways were different?” Confucius replied, “Yao passed the realm on to Shun, and Shun passed it on to Yu. Yu governed the realm through his own efforts, while Tang of Shang used force to punish his enemies. King Wen of Zhou submitted to King Zhou and dared not oppose him; King Wu of Zhou, however, resisted King Zhou and refused to submit. So their ways were all different.”

Lao Dan said, “Young man, come closer. Let me tell you how the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors governed the realm. When the Yellow Emperor governed, he made the people simple in their thoughts. If someone did not weep when a relative died, the people did not consider this improper. When Yao governed, he made the people draw close to one another. If someone mourned only for close relatives and not for more distant kin, the people did not consider this improper. When Shun governed, he made the people competitive and eager to outdo one another. A pregnant woman carried a child for ten months and gave birth; by the time the child was five months old, it could speak. Before children had even grown up, people were already asking what they could do. Thus, from that time on, people began to die young. When Yu governed, he changed the people’s minds: everyone had their own opinions, and warfare came to seem entirely justified. Killing a thief was not counted as killing a person; people formed separate clans, and the realm fell into turmoil.

“So the realm was thrown into great upheaval, and the Confucians and Mohists both arose. At first they still observed certain standards, but now they even bring women into the matter—what more is there to say? Let me tell you: the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors may, in name, have governed the realm, but in practice its disorder was never greater than under them. The wisdom of the Three Sovereigns violated the light of the sun and moon above, disturbed the vital energies of mountains and rivers below, and disrupted the order of the seasons between heaven and earth. Their wisdom even surpassed the nature of the tail of the fierce weasel and the wild beast Xian Gui, so that all things could no longer abide in their own nature and the true conditions of their lives. Yet they still thought themselves sages. Is that not shameful? They were truly without any sense of shame.”

After hearing this, Zigong grew so uneasy that he could barely stand. Confucius said to Lao Dan, “I have studied the six classics—the Book of Songs, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, Book of Music, Book of Changes, and Spring and Autumn Annals—for a long time, and I thought I understood their meaning. I have expounded the Way of the ancient sage-kings to seventy-two rulers, explaining the methods of governance used by the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao, yet not one ruler has been willing to adopt them. It is people who are so difficult to persuade, or is the Way so difficult to make clear?”

Laozi said, “You are fortunate not to have lived under a ruler in an age of great peace. The Six Classics—the Confucian classics—are only traces left behind by the former kings. Can these traces really be the foundation on which the former kings governed the world? What you speak of now is still only what appears before your eyes. A trace is left behind when someone walks. How could the trace itself be walking?

“White ducks gaze at one another without moving their eyes, yet they can sense the wind and mate. Can this really be the foundation of mating? What you speak of now is still only what appears before your eyes. A trace is left by an action; the trace itself is not the action. White ducks can gaze at one another without moving their eyes and still follow the wind to reproduce. Some insects mate and reproduce when the male calls from upwind and the female answers from downwind. Each species has its own way of forming male and female, and so can follow the wind to reproduce.

“One’s nature cannot be altered, one’s Heaven-given destiny cannot be changed, the course of events cannot be stopped, and the Dao cannot be blocked. If you truly accord with the Dao, you can make your way through any circumstance. If you have lost the Dao, nothing you do will be easy to carry through.”

Three months after leaving Laozi, Confucius returned to see him and said, “I understand now.” He continued, “Crows and magpies hatch their young; fish pass life between them by spitting bubbles; the bagworm moth can transform its young and bring them to maturity; when a younger brother is born, his older brother cries. The principles by which all things change reach far back indeed! In the past, I had not become one with change. If I could not become one with change, how could I teach others?”

Laozi said, “Good. You understand.”

The Chongxu Jing (another name for the Liezi) records that the Grand Steward of Shang visited Confucius and asked, “Are you a sage?” Confucius replied, “How would I dare call myself a sage? I am simply learned and well informed.” The Grand Steward of Shang asked again, “Were the Three Kings sages?” Confucius said, “They were skilled at using strategy and strength. Whether they were truly wise, I do not know.” He then asked, “Were the Five Emperors sages?” Confucius replied, “They were skilled at practicing benevolence and righteousness. Whether they were truly wise, I do not know either.” He asked once more, “Were the Three Sovereigns sages?” Confucius said, “They were skilled at following the times. Whether they were truly wise, I do not know.”

The Grand Steward of Shang was astonished. “Then who counts as a sage?” Confucius answered solemnly, “In the west there is a sage who governs nothing, yet the world is not in disorder; speaks no words, yet people naturally trust him; offers no instruction, yet people find their own way onto the right path. His realm is vast beyond measure, and the people cannot even say what they should call him.”

The sage refers to Laozi. His title was the Lord of the Riverbank.

The wondrous transformations of sages are not far removed from us. They sometimes appear and sometimes vanish, so their whereabouts are unpredictable. According to popular tradition, the Lord of the Riverbank was an incarnation of the Great Lord Lao, though whether this is true cannot be known. Only after consulting relevant texts did I learn the story. Confucius did not speak of strange and uncanny things, violence, or spirits and gods. Yet so long as such stories do not descend into absurdity and grotesquerie, they do no harm to governance or religious teaching.

It is said that Emperor Xiaowen and Empress Dowager Dou both favored the teachings of Huang-Lao—the Daoist doctrines represented by the Yellow Emperor and Laozi—and even decreed that no one in the realm could hold office without knowing the Laozi. When Emperor Xiaowen read the five thousand words of the Laozi, there were passages he did not understand. Then Hun Yuan, an honorific Daoist title for the Dao or the Great Lord Lao, appeared in an incarnation and called himself the Lord of the Riverbank. He lived beside the river in Shanzhou and often recited the Dao De Jing. The emperor sent an envoy to ask him about the scripture’s meaning. The Lord of the Riverbank replied, “The Dao is revered and De is precious. Such truths cannot be understood by sending someone to ask about them from afar.” The emperor then traveled there himself in his carriage.

The Lord of the Riverbank sat cross-legged in a grass hut and did not rise to greet him. The emperor said, “Under all Heaven, there is no land that is not the king’s; among the people of the realm, there are none who are not the king’s subjects. Though you possess the Dao, you are still one of my people. How can you be so proud as to refuse to humble yourself? I can make a person rich or poor in the blink of an eye.” The Lord of the Riverbank clapped his hands and sprang up, slowly rising into the air. He stopped several yards above the ground and looked down at the emperor as he answered, “I do not reach up to Heaven, I am not constrained by people, and I do not dwell below on the earth. How, then, could I be one of your subjects? And how could Your Majesty make me rich or poor?” Only then did the emperor understand that he was a divine being. He bowed and prostrated himself, offering apologies. The Lord of the Riverbank then taught the emperor the chapter divisions and sentences of the Laozi’s two sections, along with their subtle and profound meanings.

Today, a temple stands north of Shanzhou at the place where the Lord of the Riverbank once lived, and Emperor Xiaowen’s Terrace for Gazing at Immortals also remains.

In the reign of Emperor Wu, the emperor was devoted to the way of the immortals. The Great Lord Lao sent the Nine-Heavens Attendant Dongfang Shuo to assist him, and also sent the Queen Mother of the West and the Lady of the Upper Origin to present him with five silver statues, telling him, “These are images of the Great Lord Lao.” They also bestowed the Shangqing Scripture and the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, an illustrated account of the mountains and rivers of the five peaks. The emperor received them with a formal bow. Later, when Emperor Wu ascended Mount Song, the Central Peak, to perform the Fengshan sacrifice, he heard people cry “Long live!” three times. He renamed his traveling palace the Abbey of Ten Thousand Years and donated more than thirty other residences, both before and after it, for Daoist activities. Each abbey housed seven Daoists who practiced the Way, following the model of the old abbey of King Mu of Zhou.

In the eighth year of the Yanxi era, Emperor Huan dreamed that the Great Lord Lao descended into the palace. He then issued an edict ordering a shrine to be rebuilt beside the Wo River. Bian Shao composed the inscription on its stele, which has survived to this day.

The Grand Chancellor Su once said to Pengqiuzi: “Writing without drawing on earlier accounts is difficult. I have read the Scripture of Great Peace (Taiping Jing) and observed how it develops its ideas and shapes its language. It never borrows expressions left by the sages of earlier generations, yet it has a style all its own. That is what makes it so remarkable.”

Accounts of the scripture differ: some say it was written by Gan Ji; others say he found it by the water. The Inner Biography records that during the Heping era of Emperor Cheng of Han, Hun Yuan—a Daoist honorific for the primordial Qi, or the Dao—manifested a body at Quyang Spring in Langye Commandery and bestowed 170 scrolls of the Scripture of Great Peace on Gan Ji, a native of Beihai. The scripture’s central teaching is this: when a person is born, Heaven endows them with Shen (spirit), Earth endows them with Jing (essence), and the human body contains Qi (vital energy). If people can nourish their Jing, cherish their Shen, and safeguard their Qi, they can gain longevity within themselves and bring peace to the state beyond themselves.

In the second year of the Yuanhe era under Emperor Zhang of Han, the Supreme One, a Daoist honorific for the highest deity, came again to Langye and bestowed 180 precepts on Gan Ji. These were intended to help the various libationers—Daoist officials responsible for teaching and conducting affairs—preserve their lives and cultivate themselves to attain perfection. The Supreme One told Gan Ji: “The sages of antiquity followed these precepts to cultivate the Dao and attain it. The Dao itself has no precepts, but one must learn from a teacher to complete one’s cultivation. The Dao must not be abandoned, and the teacher must not be treated lightly.” Gan Ji bowed repeatedly and respectfully accepted the command.

During the reign of Emperor Shun, Gong Chong, a native of Langye, entered the palace and presented the Scripture of Great Peace. In his memorial, he said that he had received it in person from Gan Ji—that is, Gan Ji had received it in person from the Supreme One. Besides the main scripture, there was also a single scroll called the Supplementary Text, said to have been written by the Later Sage Lord. It contained 2,123 characters. Its writing resembled seal script but was not seal script; it began with a preface, and its contents were obscure and difficult to understand.

There was also the ten-scroll Digest of the Scripture of Great Peace, whose author was not identified and which broadly explained the scripture’s sections; the one-scroll Secret Teachings of the Scripture of Great Peace, said to have been transmitted by Lord Azure Youth, the Supreme Minister, and concerned with “guarding the One,” a method of cultivation that gathers the mind and focuses visualization; and the one-scroll Biographies of the Lineage Masters, also of unknown authorship, which recorded the lives of Lord Wang of Xicheng, Bo He, and Gan Ji.

Toward the end of the Tang dynasty, there was a man named Qiu Fangyuan, a native of Susong. He had mastered the classics and histories, was quick-witted and eloquent, and had once studied under Zuo Yuanze of Xianglin. Zuo Yuanze once said to him, “Have you not heard Laozi say, ‘I have a great affliction because I have a body’? The body arises when Wuwei gives rise to action. To return to the root now, one should attain Wuwei.

“Wuwei means that if you cling to ‘emptiness,’ you fall into voidness; if you cling to ‘being,’ you meet with obstruction. Clinging to either being or emptiness leads to stagnation. Only when being and emptiness are brought into accord, and the mind clings to neither, does one draw near to the Dao (the Way). Buddhists call this state Chan; Confucians call it ‘sitting in forgetfulness.’ The Book of Changes says, ‘Without thought or action, still and unmoving; once stirred, it can comprehend the principles of everything under Heaven.’ The principles they point to are in fact the same.

“The scriptures say: ‘Meet it, and you cannot see its head; follow it, and you cannot see its tail.’ What, then, is it? If you can understand it in silence and verify it within yourself, why seek it outside? If you fail to realize the Dao in this life, you will drift aimlessly through the long years. If you do realize it, where could there still be a difference between delusion and awakening? Why must you hide away in an empty mountain and practice beneath towering pines? It is a pity that, with your exceptional talent and learning, you could have become a model for the Daoist tradition.”

Qiu Fangyuan bowed deeply in thanks and took his leave. He had long admired the character of Ge Zhichuan (Ge Hong) and Tao Zhengbai (Tao Hongjing). Besides taking black elixirs and refining and nourishing his body, he devoted himself especially to the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace), which he interpreted and compiled into thirty chapters, summarizing its central teachings.

End of The Life of the Dragon-Like One, Volume Four.

The Life of the Dragon-Like One, Volume Five

Compiled by Jia Shanxiang, Left Street Supervisor, Joint Director of Affairs for the Teaching of the Scriptures, Master Who Honors Virtue and Awakens to Truth

The Celestial Master who crossed the Han Dynasty

Cloud Script (yunzhuan), the mysterious script used in Daoism, names the holy perfected beings of the heavens, the immortal palaces of the Daoist realms, and the sun, moon, and stars. It is also the hidden name of the deities of the heavens. The holy perfected beings annotated these Cloud Scripts: the shorter texts are called numinous talismans, while the more extensive ones are called true registers. They are used to make their authority known throughout the Three Realms and the underworld, so that all spirits and ghosts bow their heads in reverence. This is like the imperial seal of the Son of Heaven, by which his authority is proclaimed throughout the realm.

When Yu the Great was controlling the floods, he was the first to obtain the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure. Later, the Most High transmitted talismans and registers to the Celestial Master, in twenty-four grades. Thereafter, talismans, charts, scriptures, and registers from the Shangqing tradition were also transmitted to the human world. This shows that the Celestial Master’s achievements in healing illness, dispelling evil influences through talismans and registers, and benefiting the people have endured through later generations and carry far-reaching significance. Scriptures and purification rites were transmitted along with them, giving rise to liturgical teachings and rites for praying for blessings and atoning for sins.

According to the preface to the Scripture of the Southern Dipper, the Most High descended to Linqiong in Shu, traveled to Dayi, and came to Heming Mountain. There he first transmitted to the Celestial Master the twenty-four grades of the Secret Registers of the Zhengyi Covenant of Authority, the Yuyi and Jielin methods for paying homage to the sun and moon and ascending to the heavens, liturgies for the Three Origins and the eight seasonal nodes, and documents for atoning for sins, erasing names from the registers of offenses, and delivering the seven generations of ancestors. These are known as the “Three Registers Retreat.”

The Celestial Master had earlier obtained the Yellow Emperor’s Book of the Nine Cauldrons of Elixirs on Mount Zhong. Later, while living in seclusion on Heming Mountain, he gathered the necessary ingredients and cultivated the elixir according to the method. After three years, the elixir was complete, but he did not dare take it. He said to his disciple Wang Chang, “The divine elixir is ready. If I take it, I will be able to soar into the heavens and become a perfected being. But I have not yet accomplished great deeds. I should first rid the country of harm, bring it benefits, and help the people. Only then, having done my utmost, can I take the elixir, ascend, and serve the Three Realms—the three upper heavens spoken of in Daoism—without feeling any regret in my heart.”

Thus Zhang Daoling at last received the personal descent of the Most High Lord Lao, who bestowed Dao scriptures upon him. After practicing for one thousand days, he suddenly became able to look inward into his five viscera and summon the gods. The Most High Lord Lao then sent the Clear and Harmonious Jade Maiden, the title of an immortal woman, to teach him to regulate his breathing and absorb the clear, harmonious Qi. She also taught him the ritual steps known as “Three Steps and Nine Traces,” the Daoist practice of pacing the Dipper; how to step according to the directions of the celestial pattern; how to summon the Nine Origins and align the Seven Regulators—the sun, moon, and five planets—and how to use the contours of the mountains to subdue evil influences. After this, he began taking elixirs, and the efficacy of his Daoist arts grew greater.

He also fought the demons of the Six Heavens and seized the Twenty-Four Governance Centers, the twenty-four Daoist administrative centers established by Zhang Daoling. He rebuilt them as blessed sanctuaries and named them “Transformative Domains.” He demoted the demon chiefs to officials of the underworld and appointed Daoist practitioners to tend incense and cultivate the Way. From then on, the netherworld and the human world each had their own officials, and humans and ghosts each followed their own paths.

Later, the Most High Lord Lao descended again at Renshou County, bringing twelve Celestial Wandering Jade Maidens, heavenly immortals. A salty spring emerged from the ground. People boiled water from the spring and used it to wash their hands, so they called the place “Long Commandery.”

At the third transmission, the Most High Lord Lao descended once more and bestowed a thousand volumes of scriptures, all containing the essentials of cultivation. He instructed Zhang Daoling to pass them on to people who had attained the Way, so they could be delivered in this life and endure for a long time. Then Lord Lao and the Celestial Master traveled together through Chengdu: the Most High Lord Lao rode in a dragon-drawn carriage, while the Celestial Master rode a white crane. They descended from auspicious clouds of five colors and came to the place where the Taihao Jade Maiden cultivated the Great Elixir. The Earth Deity responded and appeared; a jade platform surged up from the ground, its raised seat standing more than a zhang high. The Most High Lord Lao took his seat, and the Celestial Master bowed before him. Lord Lao explained the methods in the Jing of the Seven Origins of the Northern Dipper for reducing one’s allotted days of death and extending one’s life.

That year was the first year of Yongshou under Emperor Huan of Han, the yichou year, on the seventh day of the first month. At the time of the Shangyuan Festival, Lord Lao also explained to the Celestial Master the Wondrous Scripture of the Six Offices of the Southern Dipper for Extending Life and Delivering People. Then Lord Lao said to the Celestial Master, “I have ordered a carriage to be prepared. Together we will go to the Seven-Treasure Terrace at Jintang, Ban Feng of Kunlun, to pay homage to the Most High.”

Many Immortal Perfected Ones from the heavenly realms also came riding through the air in golden chariots, with jeweled canopies above their heads. Thousands upon thousands of chariots and horses gathered on the high terrace for three days and three nights. They performed solemn, beautiful immortal music, and their joy was beyond description.

The Lord of the Dao said to the Celestial Master, “From the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors onward, the world has endured years of calamity such as the Yang Nine and Hundred Six, when Heaven and Earth split apart and fell into turmoil. By the end of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, and through the time of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn period, the virtue of rulers and ministers had decayed, and the lords of the four quarters no longer followed the righteous way. The Immortal Perfected Ones withdrew from view, while worldly evil influences ran rampant. Strange demonic doctrines and talk of ghosts and spirits arose everywhere, and people even called them the ‘Six Heavens.’ People made a practice of slaughtering living beings by boiling them, throwing the world into disorder. The ignorant people followed these beliefs, and shamans who sang and danced appeared, falsely claiming to speak for ghosts and spirits in order to deceive the good-hearted.

“Now I entrust to you the true rules of liturgy, to dispel the wicked darkness represented by the ‘Six Heavens’ and bring the whole world under the influence of clear and upright instruction. This body of rules is called the Code of Great Truth. The divine generals Mo Jin and Qing Tong, among others, will give you seals and official robes, so that you may set right the conduct of twelve hundred shamans who falsely claim to speak for ghosts and spirits and deceive the good-hearted. I now entrust to you the true rules of liturgy, to sweep away the wicked darkness of the ‘Six Heavens’ once and for all and bring clarity to the world.

“I also grant you official documents, Fulu (talismans and registers), covenant documents, scriptures, precepts, and decrees. Let these support the state and its fortunes, preserve life and suppress evil, and help you accomplish meritorious deeds, so that all may enter the Dao and return to what is true and upright. Yet the Qiang, Hu, Di, and Yi peoples continue to enter the Central Plains, and their population grows ever larger, while the Han people will decline. To avert this calamity and stop this harm, the state should build a Transformation Center on Mount Yu, north of Luoyang, and conduct Daoist rites to pray for blessings. Only then can the state be stable and the people live in peace. Otherwise, disaster may spread across the Central Plains, and that would not be a way of cherishing life.”

After receiving his instructions, the Celestial Master performed a formal bow of thanks and withdrew. The Lord of the Dao then assigned to Ling the twenty-four Transformations—the Daoist divisions of instruction—corresponding to twenty-four kinds of evil influence. He added four more, making twenty-eight Transformations in all, corresponding to the twenty-eight lunar lodges. He also established thirty-six Jinglu, Quanzhen’s community centers, and distributed tokens as proof of their covenant. Everyone received their instructions, bowed in thanks, withdrew, and returned to serve the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition.

Laojun also taught the Celestial Master the great rites of the “Six Annual Purifications” and the “Ten Monthly Purifications.” These teachings are all recorded in the Five Lingbao Scriptures, written in large characters in the natural script of Heaven and titled the Essential Subtleties Scripture. It is a single scroll, and Laojun instructed the Celestial Master to proclaim it throughout the world.

The “Six Annual Purifications” are observed on purification days in the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh months of each year. For the three days above, the Heavenly Emperor, the envoys of Taiyi, and the Three Officials—the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water—are sent to inspect people’s sins and blessings throughout the world. Those who observe these six great purifications can dispel ten kinds of suffering, avoid calamities, and pay homage to the Most High, an honorific for the supreme deity in Daoism, thereby attaining long life.

The “Ten Monthly Purifications” are observed on specific days each month. On the first day, the Lords of the Northern Dipper descend; on the eighth, the Northern Dipper’s deity who governs killing descends; on the fourteenth, the envoys of Taiyi descend; on the fifteenth, the Heavenly Emperor descends together with the Three Officials; on the eighteenth, the deity Tianyi descends; on the twenty-third, the eight divine envoys of Taiyi and the deity who governs killing descend; on the twenty-fourth, the Northern Pole descends; and on the twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth, the Lower Taiyi, Middle Taiyi, and Upper Taiyi descend, respectively. The deities who descend on these days include the gods of Earth and Water. They tour the celestial realm and inspect good and evil.

In addition, on a Jiazi day, Taiyi reviews the registers of the gods; on a Gengshen day, the Three Corpses—deities believed to dwell within the human body and record people’s misdeeds for reporting—report people’s sins; and on a person’s natal day, the day corresponding to their year and date of birth, their merits and deeds are examined. On the Eight Seasonal Nodes—the solar terms marking the beginnings and midpoints of the seasons—the Eight Gods also record people’s good and evil.

There are also the “Three Primal Purification Days”: the fifteenth day of the first month is the Upper Primal, the fifteenth day of the seventh month is the Middle Primal, and the fifteenth day of the tenth month is the Lower Primal. On these three days, the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water examine people’s sins and blessings. People should therefore bathe and fast, perform the Great Offering at the Primal Capital, a rite in which offerings are presented to the deities, pray for blessings, and repent of their misdeeds.

There are also the “Three Assembly Days”: the seventh day of the first month is called “Assembly of Elevation and Reward,” the seventh day of the seventh month is called “Middle Assembly of Celebration and Life,” and the fifteenth day of the tenth month is called “Establishing Merit.” These days, too, are times when the Three Officials examine people’s sins and blessings. People should bathe and fast, perform the Great Offering at the Primal Capital, pray for blessings, and acknowledge and repent of their offenses.

There are also three “Assembly Days”: the seventh day of the first month, called the “Assembly of Elevation and Reward”; the seventh day of the seventh month, called the “Central Assembly of Celebration and Birth”; and the fifteenth day of the tenth month, called the “Great Assembly for Establishing Merit.” On these three days, the Three Officials, divine beings who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, examine people’s merits and faults. Those who have received Fulu, covenant tallies, and teachings of the scriptures and methods should fast, submit memorials, and pray on these days to seek blessings and protection.

There are also the “Five La Days”: the first day of the first month, called the “Heavenly La”; the fifth day of the fifth month, called the “Earthly La”; the seventh day of the seventh month, called the “Dao and De La”; the first day of the tenth month, called the “People’s Year La”; and the La day in the twelfth month, called the “Rulers’ La.” On these days, one should make offerings to deceased ancestors and family members, praying for blessings on their behalf and remembering them. Those who do so are called filial children and can also receive immeasurable blessings. If such rites are performed on other days, they are called “improper sacrifices” and bring guilt. Together with the first days of the first three months—Upper Origin, Middle Origin, and Lower Origin—these days are known as the “Eight Days of Release.” On all of them, one may prepare pure offerings and pray for blessings.

The essentials of fasting are to abstain from sweet, rich, pungent, and smoky or fishy foods, as well as from alcohol, sexual desire, treachery, theft, jealousy, quarrelling, and all other wrongdoing. One should burn incense, light lamps, recite scriptures, perform rites of repentance, and pray that all living beings be spared calamities. This is true fasting. The blessings and merit gained through fasting are immeasurable; nothing surpasses it in protecting the living and delivering the dead.

The Celestial Master (Zhang Daoling) attained the Dao through cultivation at Yuntai in Weizhou on the ninth day of the ninth month in the third year of the Yongshou era. At noon, flying immortals, dragons amid five-colored clouds, divine swans, and immortal deer came to welcome him, escorting him in front and behind. He ascended to Heaven together with his disciples Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng.

The Inheriting Master, successor to the Celestial Master’s lineage, was the Celestial Master’s son. His name was Heng and his courtesy name was Lingzhen. He lived in seclusion and cultivated the Dao teachings passed down by his forebears. On the fifteenth day of the first month in the second year of the Guanghe era, he attained the Dao and ascended to Heaven at Yangping.

The Lineage Master Zhang Lu, courtesy name Gongqi, was the son of the Inheriting Master. The Great Wei appointed him Special Commissioner and General Who Pacifies the South, as well as Inspector of Liang and Yi provinces. Later, he lived in seclusion and cultivated the teachings handed down by his ancestors. In the sixth year of the Zhengshi era, he too attained the Dao and ascended to Heaven at Yangping, in the eighth month.

The Celestial Master (Tianshi) once wrote a preface to the Jing of the Divine Elixir of Golden Liquid from the Great Clarity. In essence, it says: The principles of wondrous transformation and subtle discourse, and truths that seem contrary to reason yet accord with the ultimate, have long been fully recorded in profound and remote Daoist books. They cannot be expressed completely in a few words. Laozi, too, expounded the Way of emptiness, stillness, and harmony, and recorded the Great Dao. His teachings on the wondrous, subtle, and extraordinary likewise appear in remote and profound texts, beyond what a few words can fully convey.

Laozi’s divine virtue and bearing arose from insight and inspiration. He therefore composed scriptures and established teachings, recorded unusual events, connected the ordinary world with the Great Dao, and distinguished the levels of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, the Three Powers. First he emphasized the difference between following the Dao and going against it; then, through a way of forgetting both sides, he led people beyond such distinctions and praised those who possessed De. Yet the root that governs all of this is “non-reliance”: depending on nothing outside oneself. The Great Dao’s workings extend through coming and going. When plants and trees grow, people cannot see where their growth began; people follow the ordinary course of life every day without knowing why. The Dao’s power becomes evident in clarity, serving as a bridge along which all things may pass.

The Dao Jing and De Jing investigate the root and illuminate the source, probing the hidden and reaching the utmost subtlety. They gather many essences under the true root and draw countless principles together under one central idea, extending on without end.

As for the effects of Golden Elixir cultivation, the true spirit reaches into distant and hidden realms, while the body undergoes subtle transformations and takes on forms like a dragon; numinous light shines throughout one’s dwelling. Withered and severed life can be restored. Practitioners preserve life and nourish Jing, thereby extending their years. They ascend to the heavens, travel through the air, and roam freely among mountain ranges in the clouds. Some even develop a jade-like sheen on their faces and strange hair on their bodies. They can spit water and breathe fire, fly without wings, and divide into many forms, displaying their powers at will: they can block rivers without a basket or split mountain ridges without a new saw. Their supernatural abilities are too numerous to recount, and their wonders too many to omit. The wondrous principles are so vast that they cannot be described one by one. The Jing of the Immortals’ Traditions records that all the immortals praised this preface.

The Celestial Master also composed the Inner Traditions of Lord Lao and wrote a preface to the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure. These prefaces are kept in the Daoist library. Wen Ruzhang once mocked him, saying, “When he served the Han court, he could not speak of the Dao of Laozi and Zhuangzi, yet at that time he made a point of promoting talismans and registers.”

This view is biased. In private, I believe it is not so. Consider the preface to the Golden Elixir: it says, “Within what seems to make no sense lies the highest principle; in what seems contrary to reason lies the greatest accord with reason.” It also says, “Dispel thoughts of distinction, so that all things return to mutual forgetfulness; encompass everything without relying on anything external.” This is precisely a deep grasp of the wonder Laozi and Zhuangzi called “seeing the One” (realizing the Dao beyond distinctions among things). How can anyone casually call it biased? A person like Hai probably never read this text. If he had, how could he have split it into two opposing sides?

Moreover, the wonder of “seeing the One” can only be realized through one’s own experience. Even the deepest affection between father and son or among brothers cannot transmit this realization from one to another. As for heavenly books written in celestial script, jade caskets and tablets preserving talismans or methods for preparing elixirs, and spirit talismans and precious registers bestowed upon the human world, their purpose is to bring peace to the realm and strengthen the fortunes of the state, ensuring the dynasty’s long duration. Next, they are used to issue proclamations summoning dragons and spirits to dispel floods and droughts. Finally, with sincere devotion, they destroy goblins and evil influences and protect those suffering from illness and hardship. The Celestial Master originated this method; it flourished only a thousand years later, by which time its lineage and contents were complete. What is there to doubt? “The deceased master” received the transmission from the Most High and thereby came to know all its mysteries.

The purification rites transmitted to Ge Xiangong

Some matters in this world lie beyond the direct reach of human eyes and ears. To believe in them too readily may lead people throughout the realm into confusion; to reject them outright may bring down the censure of the divine. The age of the sages is now far distant, and people can neither hear nor see for themselves. They can only investigate the matter through bamboo records and books.

Thus, in the Han dynasty, Laozi descended on many occasions during the time of Celestial Master Zhang and transmitted numerous scriptures. People of the world are puzzled by these accounts because they do not appear in the histories they recognize. After Emperor Ming of Han dreamed of a golden figure, people throughout the realm turned to Buddhism in great numbers. Laozi’s appearing and disappearing, and his descents among humankind, are no less conceivable. If someone relies only on what their own eyes and ears have not witnessed and thereby leads later generations to doubt these accounts, that person’s understanding is merely partial. In general, without extraordinary signs of manifestation and descent, how could people be made to believe? Yet if it were not the Immortal Lord of Taiji, who else could undertake such a task?

The Biographical Account records that on the seventh day of the first month in the second year of the Guanghe era of Emperor Ling of Han (the year Jǐwèi), Hundun—the honorific title of Laozi—and the Perfected One of Taiji descended upon Mount Tiantai and bestowed thirty-six scrolls, including the Lingbao scriptures, upon the immortal Ge Xiaoxian. Some time later, Hundun appeared again with three Perfected Ones. They rode in a jade carriage adorned with the Eight Radiances, a splendid conveyance for immortals, with a jeweled canopy, banners, and ceremonial guards. Their radiance illuminated the sky, and their retinue numbered in the tens of millions. Hundun ordered the immortal attendant Wang Sizhen to unfurl the Nine-Radiance Jade Scroll and take out thirty-six scrolls, including the Dongyuan Dadong scriptures, which he bestowed upon Ge Xiaoxian.

There are two methods of the Shangqing Purification Rite, the purification liturgy of the Shangqing school. One is to sit quietly alone, gather in the spirit, forget the body, and let the mind enter a state of profound stillness. The other is to perform the rite in a pure and solemn altar space according to the ritual of the Great Perfected Ones: first praying for blessings for nine generations of ancestors, then for one’s family, and finally making confession for oneself.

The Lingbao Purification Rite, the purification liturgy of the Lingbao school, has six methods. The first is the Golden Register Purification Rite, used to harmonize Yin-Yang and secure the good fortune of the state. The second is the Jade Register Purification Rite, used to protect the empress, consorts, dukes, marquises, and nobles.

The third is the Yellow Register Retreat, presided over by high ministers and provincial officials. It removes the sins and karmic burdens of one’s ancestors, enabling nine generations of forebears to be delivered from suffering. The fourth is the Covenant with the Perfected Retreat, used to deliver ancestors and resolve various grievances and enmities. The fifth is the Three Origins Retreat, in which one repents of transgressions against the precepts. The sixth is the Eight Seasonal Retreat, held at the eight seasonal festivals of the year to repent for the faults of oneself and seven generations of ancestors.

In addition, the Natural Retreat is performed to pray for blessings and atone for sins on behalf of the people and oneself. The Cavern of the Spirit Retreat prizes simplicity; the Great One Retreat places reverence and solemnity first; the Retreat of the Teachings of the Master values purity and plainness; and the Retreat of Mud and Charcoal regards austerity and steadfast observance of the precepts as merit.

Hun Yuan also taught Xiao Xian forty-five scrolls of the Wondrous Scripture of Admonition and Instruction on the Dharma Wheel and the True Scripture of Admonition and Instruction on the Root of Life and Death in the Three Paths and Five Sufferings, as well as the Wondrous Scripture of Boundless, Penetrating Mystery: Turning the Spirit and Entering Stillness, so that he could teach and transform people in the world. On the Jiazi day, the first day of the tenth month in the first year of the Haochiwu era (the Wuwu year), Hun Yuan ordered the Nine-Heavens Perfected Lord, a revered Daoist deity, to carry documents and bamboo registers and confer on Xiao Xian the title “Left Immortal Duke of the Supreme Ultimate.” On the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the seventh year, a Jiazi year, Tan Xian led the attendants with ceremonial regalia in hand, and Xiao Xian ascended to heaven in a white deer carriage.

Xiao Xian was bestowed the title “Perfected Lord of Great Wei’s Great Peace.”

It is De (Virtue/Power) that can move Heaven and Earth, and Shen (spirit) that can connect with the hidden, profound, and distant realms. Shen dwells in the heart, while De derives from the Great Dao. Thus, whether in the unseen or the manifest, near or far, great or small, among immortals or ordinary people, the principle of spiritual resonance is the same.

In ancient times, Celestial Master Kou (the Daoist Kou Qianzhi) cultivated the Dao on Mount Song. Later, the Supreme Lord Lao descended and bestowed scriptures, precepts, and Fulu (talismans and registers) upon him, granting him the title “Perfected Lord.” The manifestation of this resonance was unmistakable. Was it not the work of De and Shen? Emperor Wu of Wei deliberately named an era after the title “Perfected Lord” bestowed on Kou Qianzhi, proclaiming the matter throughout the realm to show the gods’ protection and blessings upon the people. This makes clear his respect for and belief in Daoism.

According to the records, on the first day of the fourth month in the second year of Shenrui, under Emperor Mingyuan of Northern Wei (the Yi-mao year), Zhenyuan—here, a manifestation of the Supreme Lord Lao—sent down a divine emanation to Mount Song. At the time, the Daoist Kou Qianzhi was cultivating the Dao in the mountains. That day, two divine beings dressed in robes of kingfisher feathers and wearing purple-gold crowns arrived riding dragons and carrying ceremonial tallies. They told Kou Qianzhi, “The Supreme Lord Lao has arrived.” Soon, music could be heard. The Lord Lao descended in a chariot drawn by nine dragons, accompanied by a splendid procession and a sky filled with immortal attendants. The chariot stopped at the mountain summit, where five celestial officials stood in attendance before it.

Kou Qianzhi saw the five palace gates swing open, as wondrous music played from every side. The Lord Lao sat beneath a white-silver flowering tree. The kalpa immortal Bo Wang Fangping led Kou Qianzhi forward. The Lord Lao said, “I have received memorials from Zhao Hongzheng, master of the Gathering Immortals Palace, and others. They have recommended you as capable. I intend for you to act on my behalf in assisting the state and teaching the people, so that they will no longer fall into evil paths.” The Lord Lao then bestowed nine scrolls of scriptures and precepts on Kou Qianzhi. Afterward, the chariot hovered in the air and soon vanished.

On the fifteenth day of the first month in the second year of Taichang (the Ding-si year), Zhenyuan again bestowed on Kou Qianzhi more than ten newly established scrolls of Fulu. Fulu are written talismans and ritual documents used in Daoist ceremonies, often to petition the gods, perform rites, and protect the body.

In the tenth month of the guihai year (483 CE), on the fifteenth day, the Most High Lord Lao once again sent the Perfected Master Li Puwen, a descendant of the Primordial Ancestor, to descend from heaven. He bestowed on Kou Qianzhi the Four Registers of the Celestial Palace, an immortal’s crown and robes, and the title “Perfected Lord of Great Peace.” He also gave him six celestial fruits. After eating them, Kou Qianzhi no longer ate the cooked foods of the human world. The Most High Lord Lao then ordered the Jade Maiden Changrong and eleven others to teach Kou Qianzhi the methods of daoyin (cultivating body and mind through breathing and movement) and ingesting Qi (using regulated breathing to draw in vital energy).

In the first month of the jiazi year (484 CE), the era name was changed to Shiguang. Kou Qianzhi brought scriptures to the court to spread the teachings and gave a detailed report of what had happened. Emperor Taiwu ordered the relevant officials to arrange offerings of food and silk for the sacrificial announcement. He then issued an edict saying, “Now the sage master, the Most High Lord Lao, has personally descended and bestowed on me the title ‘Perfected Lord of Great Peace,’ along with a crown, robes, and Fulu (talismans and registers). I can change the era name to the first year of Perfected Lord of Great Peace and grant a general amnesty throughout the realm.” Emperor Taiwu received the Fulu, and all banners were made blue to accord with Daoist color symbolism. From then on, officials inside and outside the court addressed him in their reports as “His Majesty, the Emperor Perfected Lord of Great Peace.” The court also decreed that Daoism should rank above Buddhism. After Emperor Taiwu, every emperor accepted Fulu upon ascending the throne.

On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month that year, Kou Qianzhi underwent hidden transformation (a Daoist term for a practitioner’s death) at Jinglun Palace. It is said that blue-black Qi issued from his mouth and rose into the sky like smoke. He lived to the age of eighty-four. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Shen Youxing of Dong Commandery saw Kou Qianzhi on Mount Song. His body was silver-white and shone like the sun as he slowly ascended to heaven. According to legend, this showed that he had attained the Way of journeying to the moon.

Later, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou established the Tongxuan Hall, where Daoist images were enshrined, and summoned local practitioners from across the realm to explain the Upper and Lower Scriptures. Emperor Wen of Sui built a capital on Longshou Plateau, originally named Daxing City. He ordered Yuwen Kai, the Director of Construction, to select broad, level sites and build thirty-six Daoist temples, which he called immortal altars. The temples were serene and elegant, spacious and magnificent, surpassing those of earlier times.

The August Ancestor of the Great Tang.

After the Tang dynasty was established, it honored the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), a revered Daoist deity identified in legend with Laozi, as its sacred ancestor. No previous dynasty had shown him such reverence. This was like the Song dynasty’s honoring its own imperial ancestors and tracing their origins to the immortals by enshrining the Yellow Emperor as its sacred ancestor. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, the Most High Lord Lao appeared at the Hall of True Wandering; his words on that occasion are recorded in Record of the Descent. Yet the earliest recorded manifestation of the Most High Lord Lao in the Tang occurred during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, the Divine Emperor Yao of Tang. Such appearances took place more than once, continuing until the reign of Emperor Xizong, and were recorded in the official histories.

According to historical research, in the thirteenth year of Daye under the Sui, Lord Lao sent the spirit of Mount Huo to tell Li Yuan, Duke of Tang: “In time, you will surely gain the realm.” The rest of their conversation was not fully recorded.

In the first year of Wude under Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Lord Lao appeared on Mount Yangjiao in Fushan County, Jinzhou, and spoke to Ji Shanxing. Ji was from Quwo County in Jiangzhou. He was naturally simple and honest, and never spoke with deceit or flattery. At the time, the rebel Liu Wuzhou had sent his general Song Jingang south to attack Jinzhou and Jiangzhou, while Prince of Qin Li Shimin had stationed his troops in Jiangzhou. To escape the turmoil of war, Ji Shanxing went to Datong Fort in Linfen County, Jinzhou.

On the twenty-third day of the second month, people asked Ji Shanxing to go to Mount Yangjiao. He waited on a ridge in the northwest, between two willow trees and a persimmon tree. From afar, he saw someone riding a white horse along the northern slope. Finding this strange, Ji walked north to a place beneath the Gantang grove. The rider had already arrived: he had snow-white hair and beard, wore white robes and a black cap, and rode a white horse with a red tail and red hooves. Beside him stood a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, his head wrapped, dressed in a red upper garment and blue lower garment. One attendant held a hand towel, and another carried a red horsetail whisk.

The rider said to Ji Shanxing, “Tell the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang on my behalf: you are now about to receive wise rule, and the state will enjoy lasting peace and stability. You should build a temple called the Palace of Peace and Transformation east of Chang’an and enshrine Daoist deities there. Then the realm will be at peace.” Having spoken, he rose into the air and departed.

That year, on the night of the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month, while Ji Shanxing was at home, someone came again to summon him.

On an auspicious day, Shanxing went to the place where the old man had stood before. He saw him still riding a horse as before, dressed in white and wearing a golden crown. The old man asked Shanxing, “Do you still remember what I told you earlier?” Shanxing replied, “I do.” The old man said, “Go at once to the palace and report to the Son of Heaven. Tell him what I said.”

Shanxing explained that his family was poor and that he had no documents, so he did not dare submit a report without proper authorization. The old man said, “The road ahead will take care of itself.” Shanxing added that an audience with the Son of Heaven was no small matter, and he did not know what he could present as proof when he reached the capital. The old man replied, “When you arrive in the capital, if someone offers you a stone tortoise, that will be your proof.” With that, the old man vanished.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, Shanxing told He Ruoxiaoyi, Chief Clerk of the General Administration of Jinzhou. He Ruoxiaoyi kept Shanxing with him. On the eleventh day of the month, he took him to see the Prince of Qin. Shanxing gave a detailed account of the divine being’s appearance. The officials then drafted a memorial and performed rites of congratulations. Soon afterward, the Prince of Qin sent Du Ang, Commander of the Left Bodyguard, together with Shanxing to offer sacrifice at the place where the old man had appeared.

On the thirteenth day of the month, just as the sacrifice was about to begin, the old man suddenly appeared amid purple clouds, exactly as Shanxing had described. Pointing his whip at Du Ang, he asked, “Who are you?” Du Ang replied, “I am Du Ang, an envoy sent by the Prince of Qin. I have come especially to present this sacrifice.” The old man said, “I neither drink nor eat, so what use are these offerings?” Then he pointed to Shanxing and said, “This man knows the whole story.”

When Du Ang returned, he gave a detailed report of the divine being’s second appearance. The Prince of Qin ordered a memorial to be drafted, then sent Du Ang and Shanxing by relay horse to the capital to present it. On the nineteenth day of the month, the two arrived in the capital. They had just stopped outside the court hall when, as foretold, Zhang Da from that prefecture presented a stone shaped like a tortoise. Inscribed on it were the words: “Peace throughout the realm; flourishing descendants; ten thousand generations; ten thousand years.” They all entered court together and reported the matter. Gaozu was greatly pleased.

On the eleventh day of the sixth month, the emperor issued an edict appointing Shanxing as a Court Gentleman for Audience at Dawn and granting him one hundred bolts of cloth. On the sixth day of the seventh month, the emperor ordered the Palace Attendant Liu Xian to build a temple on Sheep-Horn Mountain, where the old man had appeared, and renamed Fushan County Spirit Mountain County.

On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month that year, the old man again sent someone to summon Shanxing. The next day, Shanxing went to the temple and saw the old man once more, seated between two trees. A large canopy stood above him; he sat on an ivory couch, leaning against a curved table. Red-patterned silk netting hung over the canopy. Two attendants in blue stood at either side, while behind them a man in yellow held a horse.

The old man asked Shanxing, “Is the Son of Heaven pleased?” Shanxing replied, “Very pleased.” The old man asked, “What still gives him cause for doubt?” Shanxing answered, “He does not know the sage’s name.” The old man said, “I am the supreme immortal. My surname is Li, my courtesy name Boyang, and my title Lao Jun. I am also the emperor’s ancestor. My deeds are recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian. In Guyang County, Bozhou, there is a dead juniper tree. If it comes back to life, that may serve as proof. Now that the rebels have been subdued and the realm is at peace, the imperial throne will endure for a long time.” As soon as he finished speaking, the old man suddenly vanished.

Shanxing immediately told He Ruoxiaoyi what had happened. Xiaoyi sent Xi Tong, registrar of Xiangling County, and Shanxing to ride post horses to the capital and report the matter. On the fifth day of the tenth month, Shanxing met Emperor Gaozu. Gaozu was delighted and gave Shanxing a robe from the imperial wardrobe and forty bolts of silk. The officials also bowed to congratulate him.

On the seventh day of the twelfth month that year, Shanxing went to the temple again. He saw Lao Jun seated on a square platform, leaning against a jade table, with more than ten immortals and attendants serving and guarding him on either side. After Shanxing paid his respects, Lao Jun suddenly vanished.

On the seventeenth day of the third month of the fifth year, Shanxing went to the temple and saw true immortals standing in formation inside the hall, accompanied and guarded by divine troops. They rode blue dragons and white beasts; banners and ceremonial standards rose high, and mounted attendants filled the sky.

The Lord Lao, whom Daoists venerate as the Most High Lord Lao, said to Shanxing: “The withered cypress at my temple in Bozhou has come back to life and begun to grow again. The Tang dynasty will be governed by a sage ruler, and my descendants will become kings. I have sent the Duke of Zhou, Dan, leading a million divine troops, to help the court campaign against Liu Heita. By the fourth month, the court will be victorious.” He Ruoxiaoyi sent Jing Qing, an assistant in the Office of Military Affairs, to travel with Shanxing by relay horse to report to the court. He also recommended that Shanxing travel by relay carriage to the army at Luozhou, carrying a document foretelling the outcome of the campaign.

On the twenty-first day of the fourth month, Liu Heita was indeed defeated. The realm was thereby pacified, and the withered cypress sprouted again. During the Kaiyuan era, the emperor issued an edict renaming Yangjiao Mountain Dragonhorn Mountain and the temple the Abbey of Celebrating the Tang. A stele inscription personally composed by Emperor Minghuang, along with portraits of sage emperors from successive dynasties, was displayed in the abbey. On the eighth day of the sixth month that year, Shanxing arrived at the temple and saw the Lord Lao once more, just as before. After receiving his respects, the Lord Lao soon vanished.

In the third year of Gaozu’s Wude era, an edict appointed Wang Yuanzhi, a Daoist from Jinyang, as a Court Gentleman for Audience. He was also given a gold-threaded crown and a purple silk rosy-cloud robe, in recognition of his accurate prediction that Emperor Shengyao would receive the Mandate of Heaven. Taizong later promoted Wang Yuanzhi to Grand Master of the Silver and Azure Radiance. During Empress Wu’s reign, he was posthumously awarded the title Grand Master of the Golden and Purple Radiance. These honors were bestowed because Wang Yuanzhi had foreknowledge, demonstrating a secret correspondence with the prophecies of the Most High Lord Lao. The practice of granting Daoist priests purple robes began at this time.

On the twenty-fifth day of the first month in the eleventh year of Taizong’s Zhenguan era, an edict declared: “The teachings left by the Lord Lao aim at stillness and Wuwei (non-action); the teachings left by Shakyamuni are grounded in cause and effect. In examining how these two teachings guide the people, their approaches differ; yet when we consider their fundamental purposes, the profound benefit they bring to the people is the same.”

Thus, the circulation of the Great Dao began in remote antiquity and arose from the nameless, formless source. Its workings transcend all formed things and move between Heaven and Earth and Yin-Yang, nurturing and transforming the myriad beings. The Great Dao can therefore govern a state and bring order to its affairs; it can also lead people back to simplicity and restore their natural sincerity.

Buddhism arose in the Western Regions and did not enter the Central Plain until the Eastern Han. It speaks of many kinds of supernatural powers and transformations, and offers more than one account of karmic retribution. In recent times, people’s devotion to Buddhism has grown ever deeper: some hope to gain blessings in this life, while others fear calamity in the next. Thus, those bound to worldly conventions laugh in disbelief when they hear profound teachings, while those drawn to novelty rush to embrace what they take to be the truth. Buddhism first spread rapidly among the people and later became popular at court. As a result, Buddhist scriptures from foreign lands came to be revered as the foremost of all wondrous teachings, while China’s native Daoism was placed behind the “One Vehicle”—the Buddhist term for the highest and most complete teaching. People followed the prevailing tide and for a long time forgot to turn back.

Day and night, I have acted with reverence and care, pondering the Great Dao and wishing to remove the errors of the past so that all things might return to their proper order. Moreover, my ancestors came from beneath the Pillar—a reference to Laozi, who once served as custodian of the Zhou royal archives and was later known by this title. The prosperity of our state depends on the blessings of our ancestors’ esteem for De, and peace throughout the realm depends on the efficacy of the Dao of Wuwei. It is now fitting to make an adjustment and promote this true teaching. From this day forward, in matters such as ritual offerings, ceremonial processions, and forms of address, Daoist priests and priestesses are to take precedence over Buddhist monks and nuns. May this help to deepen the people’s customs, spread instruction throughout the land, and pass the tradition of revering our ancestors down through the ages. Let this order be proclaimed throughout the realm, and let the responsible officials carry it out accordingly.

In the second year of Longshuo (662), in the second month, Emperor Gaozong was suddenly moved by a spiritual response while in the palace at Luoyang. He asked those around him whether there were any ancient sites nearby. An elderly minister replied, “On the mountain north of the imperial city stands a shrine to Laozi. Prayers offered there have always been answered.” The emperor then ordered Xu Lishi, the Chief Administrator of Luo Prefecture and Duke of Qiao, to build a grand temple in particular honor. During the excavation, they uncovered a stone table and an old stele inscribed: “Marker for the Perfected Lord Bo.”

The damaged portions of the text cannot be examined in detail. According to tradition, this hall was built by the immortal Bo Zhongli. Inside stood a stone table, four chi long, two chi wide, two cun thick, and eight cun high. It had four legs at each end and was inscribed with the words “Taishang Laojun” (the Most High Lord Lao).

After the hall was completed, the court appointed the palace eunuch supervisor and palace chamberlain Quan Dafang to oversee it. On the night of the twenty-seventh day of the second month that year, the Daoist priests Guo Xingzhen, Huang Yuanyi, Liu Daohe, and others set up a ritual altar, held a celebration, and performed a Jiao (a Daoist offering ritual for blessing). As soon as the rite ended, a white radiance appeared in the hall, illuminating the entire building and its tiers of altars. Laojun appeared within the light, with wholly white hair and beard and dressed in white. Two attendants stood beside him. Only after a long while did he disappear. Yang Hushi, registrar and military adviser of Luozhou, and twelve others witnessed the apparition with their own eyes.

The court reported the matter to the emperor. He ordered an image to be painted according to the description in the report, and it was called the “Auspicious Image of Laojun.” The officials presented a memorial of congratulation, saying:

“Laojun has descended during Your Majesty’s reign and has repeatedly manifested auspicious signs. Your Majesty governs with composure and directs your heart toward the mysterious Dao. You have therefore ordered the sacred image to be painted and installed in a lofty hall. The building rises high, its eaves reaching into the clouds. Now its doors have been opened to welcome auspiciousness: Laojun’s numinous form sends forth wondrous light among the altars, while the figures of his immortal attendants shimmer with extraordinary colors on the courtyard steps. This is the response to Your Majesty’s utmost sincerity and a commendation of Your Majesty’s virtue. It will bring lasting blessings to the ancestral temple and protect the state in enduring peace. How could such an auspicious sign be compared with the radiant glow that appeared in the time of Shun, the propitious vapors that descended in the Han, the divine birds that came to a place of sacrifice, or the auspicious plants that aided the Fengshan rites?”

The emperor then issued an edict ordering a Qing Palace to be built to the left of the temple gate, as a place for the emperor to change clothes. Each year, the palace sent people to deliver incense trays, banners and canopies used in ritual, and Taichang ceremonial music, accompanied by an escorting procession. The court’s reverence for its ancestors had few precedents.

On the twentieth day of the second month of the first year of Qianfeng, …

On the twenty-eighth day of the second month in the first year of Qianfeng, after completing the Feng and Shan rites on Mount Dai (Mount Tai), the emperor returned to Bozhou to pay homage to the Old Lord. He respectfully bestowed upon him the honorific title “Emperor of the True Origin.” The investiture text read:

The Great Dao is one undivided whole, established before Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, took shape. The Perfected One, having attained the Dao, forgets the self and expounds the myriad things through subtle principle. As for the Old Lord, he is the forefather of my own ancestral line. From the age of Fuxi to the end of the Zhou dynasty, he manifested spiritual wonders without any fixed form, transforming in countless ways. At times he rode primordial Qi up into Heaven; at times he responded to the essence of the sun and descended among humankind. Sometimes he moved freely between Heaven and Earth, breathing out clouds and wind; sometimes he served as teacher and friend to emperors, transforming and instructing the people through spiritual powers. His profundity was like Yin and Yang, beyond all measurement; his radiance was like the sun and moon, shining without end.

When the world fell into disorder, the Old Lord withdrew to live beneath the pillar—the name later generations gave to his legendary post as keeper of the Zhou royal archives—and left teachings of great scope and refined rectitude as a model for posterity. His mind accorded with the Great Void, while the principles he expounded returned to the True Sovereign, the source that governs all things. As for his teachings on casting aside cleverness, settling the spirit, reducing desire, and finding joy in stillness and Wuwei (non-action); on drawing from what is inexhaustible and putting to use what never runs dry; on grasping the Great Dao and returning to simplicity; on washing away the entanglements within profound contemplation; on transcending Heaven and Earth to endure forever, and harnessing the power that nurtures and transforms all things to sustain living beings—these principles are truly supreme, and indeed cannot be named in words.

The virtue of the Great Sage is the foundation on which the prosperity of the state rests; the Dao of highest virtue is where auspicious times and blessings converge. I have received the Mandate of Heaven and rule over countless people. Looking up to the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars, I remain reverent and vigilant day and night. Entrusted with the weighty affairs of all under Heaven, I maintain a sense of awe in every moment of my daily life. I devote myself to filial reverence in serving my ancestors, extend kindness widely to bring peace to both the visible and invisible realms, uphold the Way of purity and stillness, and continue the instruction of an age of peace. I ascended Mount Jieqiu (Mount Tai) to perform the rites and sat in the Bright Hall to receive blessings. Auspicious vapors rose, and celebrations gathered; two suns appeared together as an omen of good fortune; immortal cranes answered the “Nine Songs,” and the mountains seemed to cry, “Long live!” The grandeur surpassed ancient times, bringing together every auspicious sign, and stood above the achievements of emperors throughout the ages, unmatched by any.

When the great rites were complete, I returned to the capital and made a special detour to Laixiang, where I personally offered a libation of pepper wine to the Old Lord. I gazed up at his sacred and auspicious countenance and lingered for a long time; embracing the divine spring, I sighed at length. I held the Old Lord in my thoughts as though he were present, with heartfelt devotion; recalling my original resolve to honor and serve him, my emotions grew all the more urgent. It is therefore fitting to make clear the profound principles of his source and origin, and thereby honor the merit and virtue of this Great Sage.

A title may be bestowed upon the Most High Perfected One (a Daoist honorific for a high-ranking immortal): “Emperor of the Primal Origin.” The Holy Mother may be given the title “Empress Dowager of Primordial Heaven,” and Guyang County may retain its new name, Zhenyuan County. The local clans are to be exempted from taxes and corvée labor for one year, as an expression of their remembrance and reverence for their ancestors. Let this be announced throughout the realm and carried out by the officials in charge.

The emperor had the Shuming Abbey built for Empress Wende of the Taizong imperial house. Its construction was exquisitely crafted, its decorations lavishly adorned in gold and brilliant colors, and its scale magnificent and unprecedented. The emperor and empress went there in person to hold a purification rite and pray for blessings, then offered congratulations and praise. Their attendants all cried, “Long live the emperor!”

On the fourth day of the fourth month in the fourth year of Yifeng, the emperor sent the Daoist Zheng Yuan Yin to the temple on Beiyu Mountain, where he and the Daoist Luo Wuguang and twenty-three others performed a Daoist ritual. At the hour of the Ox on the first day of the fifth month, the Daoist Kou Yi, who was serving at the western side of the altar near the eastern hall gate, saw Lord Lao riding a red steed. The horse was white, with a reddish mane, and a youth in blue stood beside him. They descended from the sky onto the altar. Auspicious light shone in every direction, making the inside and outside of the hall clear and bright. Lord Lao said to Kou Yi, “My descendants will enjoy good fortune for a long time.” With that, he vanished.

Sun Rui, the supervisor of the palace gardens to the north, reported the event to the throne. The officials submitted a memorial of congratulations, saying: “We have heard that the Emperor of Primordial Chaos—an honorific for Lord Lao—appeared in the temple, his countenance as stately as gold and jade, the light between his brows brighter than the night sky. The white horse with its red mane left tracks as though a celestial steed had passed. At dawn, a youth in blue led the way, accompanied by immortal music as they descended; at night, purple clouds spread across the sky, veiled the Milky Way, and rose into the heights. This truly foretells the flourishing of the imperial line and the rise of a new Mandate of Heaven, enlarging the laws of the state and placing it above all the people. If not for sagely reverence and communion with the spirits, who could encounter such a vision? This is surely a sign that Your Majesty’s virtue surpasses that of emperors through the ages and your blessings will extend for ten thousand generations. May the imperial house remain secure for long, and may the fortunes of the state endure without end.” The emperor read the memorial and was greatly pleased.

In addition, Emperor Taizong decreed that from then on Daoist priests would be placed under the administration of the Imperial Clan Court, and that at court audiences they could stand immediately after the princes.

In the first year of Wenming, the Jia Shen year (684), Empress Wu Zetian took charge of the court and wanted members of the Wu family to be made kings. On the eighteenth day of the second month that year, the Lord Lao appeared at Huangtianyuan, Fangxing Hamlet, Longtai Township, Quexiang County, Haozhou. He sent Zou Yuanchong, a native of Yuzhang County in Hongzhou, to deliver a message to the empress, saying that the nation’s fortunes would endure for a long time and that peace would prevail throughout the realm.

At first, Zou Yuanchong saw six immortals riding red dragons out of rainbow-colored clouds in the northwest. They wore garments of many colors. Two carried beaded banners, while the other four each held rainbow-like flags and brocade canopies. Seeing Zou Yuanchong, they said, “The Most High Lord Lao is coming.” Then they passed by him.

A little later, Zou Yuanchong smelled a rich, unusual fragrance. He then saw three boys in blue robes carrying incense burners emerge from the clouds in the northwest and pass before him. Next, two men in blue robes, holding red horsetail whisks and ruyi scepters, passed by with smiles. After them came four immortals, each riding a blue dragon and holding a banner and a tally. They said to Zou Yuanchong, “The Most High Lord Lao is coming. He wishes to speak with you.” Then they passed by him.

Soon afterward, Zou Yuanchong saw a Daoist appear amid five-colored clouds, riding a white beast shaped like a mule with a red tail. The Daoist wore pale yellow robes; his beard and hair were completely white, and he wore a golden flower crown. He said to Zou Yuanchong, “I am the Most High Lord Lao, and you are the emperor’s distant ancestor.” Zou Yuanchong immediately knelt and bowed. Lord Lao called to him, “Come with me. I have something to tell you.” Zou Yuanchong followed Lord Lao as they rose on the clouds, ascending to a height of several zhang above the ground.

After meeting the Old Lord (Taishang Laojun), six immortals appeared behind him, each riding a dragon. They wore Seven-Star swords at their waists and held other objects that no one could identify. All wore flower crowns and clothes woven in many colors, their bodies shining with radiance. They stood in two lines on either side of the Old Lord.

Behind them came a cloud chariot adorned with objects of many colors. A splendid canopy rose above it, with banners and floral ornaments hanging down, while five-colored auspicious clouds surrounded it. Other immortals rode dragons, carrying ceremonial staffs and banners as they escorted the procession. Their followers were too numerous to count, and all were tall. Musicians also played as they led the way. At the time, five-colored auspicious clouds also surrounded the area beyond the pass. More immortals riding dragons, carrying ceremonial staffs and banners, escorted the procession; their countless followers were all tall, and musicians played as they led the way.

More than five hundred people saw these auspicious manifestations: travelers passing beyond the pass, along with the people and officials of Quexiang. All paid their respects from afar. In an instant, Yuan Chong found himself back on the ground without realizing how he had arrived. He reported in detail to the court what he had seen and heard. Although Empress Wu was displeased at first, she ultimately did not harm him. She also converted the Quexiang palace into the Fengxian Temple, and gradually abandoned her misguided plans.

Not long afterward, a mountain rose up in Xinfeng County, reaching a height of three hundred feet. The court ordered that it be named Mount Qing. These auspicious events are recorded in detail in the Veritable Records of Empress Wu, under the fifth day of the ninth month of the second year of Chuigong (686). Could this not have been Heaven’s way of signaling that the Empress and the state would flourish again through the virtue of Earth? In the end, Empress Wu passed the throne to Emperor Zhongzong.

After Emperor Zhongzong ascended the throne, he changed the era name to Jinglong and ordered every prefecture in the realm to establish a Daoist temple, all to be named “Jinglong.” In the second year of Jinglong, they were renamed “Zhongxing Temples”; in the third year, they were renamed “Longxing Temples.” The ordination of Daoists at these temples continued according to the old regulations. In the third year of the Kaiyuan era, Emperor Minghuang ordered the establishment of Kaiyuan Temples throughout the realm.

The emperor personally composed the Hymn to Hundun. It reads: “Long ago there lived a man of supreme De, born with a long life. His white hair fell to his shoulders, and purple Qi appeared in the sky. He passed west through the Hangu Pass, leaving behind a scripture of five thousand words. The Dao is not the Dao commonly spoken of; it is mysterious and profound, beyond all measure.” The emperor personally wrote these words in eight-part clerical script on a red-and-white panel and hung it above the jeweled canopy in the Hall of the Great Sage and Ancestor.

The emperor personally inscribed an inscription in bafen script, a style of Chinese calligraphy, on a vermilion board and hung it above the ceremonial canopy in the Hall of the Great Sage Ancestor. In the eleventh year, he ordered a temple to the Perfected Lord built on each of the Five Sacred Mountains and a Purple Pole Palace established in each circuit.

In the thirteenth year, he ordered the construction of the Taiqing Palace in the Upper Capital, the Taiwei Palace in the Eastern Capital, the Ziwei Palace in the Northern Capital on the former residence of Emperor Shenyao, and the Qisheng Palace in Ruzhou on the site of the former Hidden Dragon Palace. Each palace and temple was furnished with imperial robes and crowns, crimson gauze curtains, and halberds bearing intertwined dragons. Their arrangements resembled those of the imperial palaces.

While digging in Puzhou, people uncovered a piece of jade shaped like a half-moon, with an image of an immortal pounding medicine on it. When struck, it rang with a clear, resonant tone. The emperor ordered it hung in the courtyard of the Zhenyuan Temple in Taiyuan and named it the “Crescent Moon Chime.”

Zhang Qi, the military governor stationed in the Eastern Capital, reported that during repairs to the ancient Xianju Temple in Lushan County, Ruzhou, a piece of jade had been found. When struck, its sound carried for several miles. The emperor ordered it hung in the courtyard of the Sage Ancestor Temple at the Taiqing Palace.

During the construction of a Daoist temple in Quzhou, workers dug up a fish-shaped stone object about three feet long. It looked like iron, with a faint purple-green hue, and also resembled blue-green stone. Its surface was glossy and its carving so fine that it seemed beyond human workmanship. When struck, it rang out loudly, though no one could say what it was. The emperor therefore sent an envoy to present it at court. He had it shown to the assembled officials, but they too could not identify it. He named it the “Auspicious Fish Chime” and ordered it hung in the Taiwei Palace. It could be struck only during scripture lectures or Zhaijiao purification rituals. Afterward, temples and palaces competed to make wooden and stone imitations so they could strike them to summon people.

The emperor also issued an edict establishing that each palace and temple was to be jointly overseen by a chancellor and the local military governor, and that this arrangement was to remain in force permanently. He composed the “Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Tune” and the “Purple Pole Eight Trigrams Dance” for offerings at the Taiqing Palace, to show that its status differed from that of the Nine Ancestral Temples, where the imperial ancestors were enshrined.

After completing the rites of the Eastern Fengshan ceremony, the emperor returned to his own palace in Bozhou to pay homage to the Sage Ancestor. In his own hand, he inscribed the Dao De Jing on stone and had it made into a great stele, a tall stone pillar used for commemoration or ritual. He then built an octagonal pavilion over it in front of the Hall of Emptiness.

Later, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang visited Kaiyuan Abbey in Huaizhou and Fengxian Abbey in Quexiang to pray for blessings for the princes and the common people. He personally inscribed two scriptures, setting each between two large stones in the manner of the old precedent at Taiqing Palace. These inscribed stones have survived to this day. At the time, the emperor issued an edict appointing Yuan Chong governor of Dizhou.

In the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era (the xinyou year), an ancient dead cypress stood before the Hall of Emptiness in the former residence of Lord Lao in Bozhou. When Daoist priests were preparing to cut it down, they found five characters written in cinnabar on the pieces of wood they had cut off: “Qian, Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen.” The strokes were exquisitely formed, and the characters appeared on many of the pieces. After the matter was reported to the court, the emperor issued an edict saying: “This auspicious tree has displayed a wondrous sign, as marvelous characters have appeared of themselves, revealing great good fortune and protecting the enduring prosperity of the state. These characters correspond to the Five Virtues of the Classic of Changes and foretell that this splendid age will continue for ten thousand generations. First, offer a sincere sacrifice of thanks; then entrust the matter to the court historians for recording.” The characters found on the cut pieces of wood were kept in the palace treasury and bestowed upon the princes, chief ministers, and Daoist community.

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era (the jisi year), Zhang Jingzhong, chief secretary of the Grand Governor’s Office of Yizhou, reported that the Great Sage Ancestor, the True Origin Emperor (here referring to Lord Lao), had appeared within his jurisdiction, on a pillar in the Buddha hall of Xinxing Nunnery in Xinjin County, Shuzhou. Wood grain had naturally formed on the pillar, taking the shape of a sacred image of Lord Lao. Above the image’s head was a canopy, and at its feet and on its front, back, left, and right were thirteen cloudlike and celestial-flower patterns.

The court sent Wang Dazhong, a registrar in the Yizhou administration, to inspect the site. Wang Dazhong, together with Li Zhongxuan, governor of Shuzhou; Lu Fang, deputy governor; Li Shao, county magistrate; and 130 Daoist priests, Buddhist monks, and nuns, jointly reported that the wood grain on the pillar had naturally formed a clear sacred image, a most extraordinary marvel. After the pillar was washed, the image became even clearer. It could not have been made by human carving, nor achieved through the art of sculpture.

I humbly submit that the Most High Lord Lao (the supreme deity revered in Daoism) is a great sage born before Heaven and Earth. Since ancient times, he has bestowed blessings; his transformations are boundless, and his whereabouts are too mysterious to fathom.

In the time of the Yellow Emperor, he appeared as Guangchengzi; under King Wen of Zhou, he served as the Scribe Beneath the Pillar, in charge of the classical texts. At the beginning of the Wude era of the Tang, he appeared in person at Yangjiao Mountain; during the Kaiyuan era, auspicious signs appeared at Xinxing County. This foretold a splendid omen, whose radiance was enough to outshine the auspicious signs since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Thus “New Ford” appears in the county’s name, and “Xinxing” in the temple’s name. Auspicious flowers encircling the site showed that its fragrant radiance would never fade; a canopy gathered above, proclaiming the lasting eminence of its numinous, precious light. The omen appeared upon a temple pillar, bringing to mind that Lord Lao had once held office beneath a pillar. Its light shone upon a Buddhist temple, too, evoking the age when Lord Lao transformed the barbarians—so the legend says, after leaving the pass, he took the form of a Buddha and taught the peoples beyond China.

Phoenixes once perched upon the palace towers of Xuanyuan, and qilin once appeared in the courtyards of the Zhou. Yet how could such omens compare with the descent of the Immortal Ancestor and the receipt of Heaven’s Mandate by a sage ruler? I respectfully hope that this event will be entered in the ritual records of the imperial ancestral temple, so that Lord Lao may be honored alongside Heaven and Earth, and that, in accordance with ancient rites, a title may be deliberated for him. The matter should then be entrusted to the court historians for recording and proclaimed throughout the realm.

On the twentieth day of the fifth month, the Immortal Ancestor descended and the Sage Grandson received Heaven’s Mandate. I respectfully hope that this event will be entered in the ancestral temple records, so that Lord Lao may be honored alongside Heaven and Earth, and that, in accordance with ancient rites, a title may be deliberated for him. It should then be entrusted to the court historians for recording and proclaimed throughout the realm. On the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, the emperor sent the palace attendant Lin Zhaoyin to retrieve the divine image from the pillar and convey it to the palace, where it was enshrined in the Hall of Great Harmony. He also ordered the palaces and temples in the streets of the two capitals to enshrine it for seven days, after which it was to be returned to the palace. Someone said, “The substance of the Dao is present everywhere, and its deep lineage responds to events. The divine image appeared upon a pillar, and its fame reached Xinxing. The ancestral temple receives its blessings, and the people share in them. This matter should be entrusted to the Historiographical Office for recording and proclaimed in all directions.”

On the seventeenth day of that month, the day guimao, as the emperor was preparing to travel to the north of the Wei River, he suddenly dreamed that Zhenyuan, a title of a Daoist deity, warned him: “You have enjoyed the Mandate of the realm for a long time. Now the northern deity is absent. You must not travel; cancel your journey at once, and an auspicious event will soon occur.” At midnight, the emperor ordered the journey to the north of the Wei River canceled. By dawn, torrential rains poured down over the Jing and Wei Rivers, which flooded and did not subside for more than ten days.

In the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan, the year guiyou, the emperor wrote a commentary on the Dao De Jing and composed a preface. He ordered scholars and commoners alike to keep a copy in their homes. The palaces and temples in the two capitals competed to display banners, pennants, and musicians. They escorted the imperial commentary to and from the palace and the Taiqing Palace, where offerings of incense and flowers were made on a grand scale.

In the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan (the Guiyou year), the emperor wrote a commentary on the Dao De Jing and composed a preface. He issued an edict ordering every household among the officials and common people to keep a copy. Along the capital’s two main streets, banners and ceremonial standards were displayed in competition, accompanied by musical ensembles. The emperor also had the Dao De Jing brought from the palace to the Taiqing Palace. The offering of incense and flowers was more lavish than anything seen in recent times. The court also established examinations for Daoist candidates, following the same system as the civil service examinations administered by the Ministry of Rites.

On the seventh day of the first month in the twenty-ninth year of Kaiyuan, Tian Tongxiu, an officer in the Prince of Chen’s household, suddenly saw purple clouds rising in the northwest outside Danfeng Gate and illuminating the city tower. He then saw Hundun (here referring to Laozi) riding a white horse, accompanied by two attendants and two boys. Hundun said to Tian Tongxiu, “Long ago, when Yin Xi and I were about to enter the Flowing Sands, I hid a Golden Casket numinous talisman in the old pass at Taolin, in Yin Xi’s former residence. You may ask the emperor to send people to retrieve it.”

Tian Tongxiu reported the matter to the emperor in detail. The emperor ordered the palace attendant Li Zhizhong to accompany and supervise Tian Tongxiu as they went to search at the site of the old Hangu Pass, twelve li south of Taolin County in Shan Prefecture. Before long, they saw purple clouds and a white rabbit beneath a dead mulberry tree. They began digging and continued until they reached water, where they found a stone casket containing a Golden Casket and a jade tablet, inscribed in tiny seal script with cinnabar.

When the emperor heard the news, he was overjoyed. He immediately ordered ten divisions of music—court music and dance—to be presented in the capital, and had singers, dancers, and wind and percussion ensembles escort the talismanic text from Tonghua Gate into the city. The text was placed in a jeweled carriage and emitted five-colored rays that illuminated heaven and earth. The emperor ascended Danfeng Tower, dressed in his dragon robe and holding a golden censer. The palace consorts, too, vied to burn incense and scatter flowers from the tower, bowing from afar. The emperor ordered gold coins to be scattered below, so officials and commoners could each pick them up in celebration. At once, the crowd’s cries of “Ten thousand years!” shook the capital.

The court then enshrined the precious talisman in Lingchang Hall. That night, divine lamps appeared on the towers and among the trees. The court therefore changed the thirtieth year of Kaiyuan to the first year of Tianbao. Three years later, the emperor saw the words “Tianbao for a thousand years” on the numinous talisman. Taking this as confirmation that the era name should be Tianbao, he changed it once more, to Zai.

The court therefore built the Tianbao Abbey in Changle Ward and renamed the thirtieth year of the Kaiyuan era the first year of Tianbao. Three years later, the emperor saw the words “Tianbao for a thousand years” written on a numinous talisman. Believing this matched the name of the new era, he changed the era name to “Zai” (“Enduring”). He also built a Tianbao Abbey in Changle Ward, personally composed an inscription for the talisman, and had it carved at the place where the talisman had appeared.

In the palace’s Numinous Talisman Hall, the emperor granted Tongxiu a regular official post of the fifth rank. The chancellor asked that the emperor be given the honorific title “Kaiyuan Tianbao Divine Might.” The emperor agreed and, on that account, declared a general amnesty.

On the gengzi day of the intercalary fourth month that year, the emperor dreamed that Hun Yuan—a Daoist honorific for the Dao or its source—said to him, “I have been in the southwest of the city for a long time. You should meet me at Xingqing Palace. Come quickly to welcome me.” The emperor told the chancellors Li Linfu and Niu Xianke, “I have governed the realm for nearly thirty years. Every day, I have always risen at the fifth watch, put on my court robes, and paid homage to the True Image, praying for the people’s good fortune. Recently, while dozing, I dreamed of Hun Yuan.”

The emperor then sent palace attendants and the Daoist ritual official Su Yuan-yu to search the southwest of the city. Several days later, they suddenly saw purple clouds rising among the valleys of Louguan Mountain and a white beam of light reaching straight into the sky. Beneath the light, they dug up a jade statue of Lord Lao, more than three feet tall, and presented it to the emperor.

That day, the emperor was in the Great Unity Hall of Xingqing Palace. He personally welcomed and paid homage to the jade statue, and the dream’s reference to Xingqing Palace was thus fulfilled. He placed the statue in an inner hall for worship, ordered the relevant offices to make images of the deity and distribute them to Daoist temples throughout the realm, and once again declared a general amnesty.

In September of that year, Chen Xilie, a grand academician of Chongyuan Abbey, and the Daoist Xiao Congyi, along with twelve others, suddenly saw a moonlike light at the Taiqing Gate, with purple clouds within it. Two boys dressed in blue came slowly toward them. Laozi (Taishang Laojun), dressed entirely in white, stood amid the clouds, holding a horsetail whisk in his left hand. He said to Chen Xilie and the others, “I am the Emperor of Primordial Unity. You may report this to my descendants: you are a Perfected Being from the highest realm. I will protect you at your side for a long time, granting you endless life, dispelling calamities, and bringing peace and happiness to the realm.” When he had finished speaking, Laozi disappeared into the hall gate with the clouds.

Chen Xilie and the others reported the event and requested that it be entered into the histories. The emperor issued an edict granting their request. In the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, the emperor dreamed that the Emperor of Primordial Unity said, “I have sent auspicious signs of my divine power, and soon I will appear in person.” Later, the emperor obtained spirit talismans and jade registers on Mount Taibai, regarded as talismans and written records bestowed by the gods. After they had been escorted to the capital, the emperor placed them in the Hall of Spirit Talismans and personally made offerings to them. He then enfeoffed the deity of Mount Taibai as the Duke of Numinal Response, renamed the grotto where the talismans had been found the Grotto of Auspicious [□], established Zhenfu County at the foot of the mountain, and ordered every circuit to build a Zhenfu Abbey. He also ordered that the event be recorded in the Historiographical Institute.

On the Wuxu day of the twelfth month that same year, the emperor went to Huaqing Palace. On the fourth day of the month, before sunrise, auspicious clouds suddenly covered the summit of Mount Li. Before long, the clouds gradually dispersed, and the Sacred Ancestor of Primordial Unity appeared above Chaoyuan Pavilion. The emperor and the palace consorts went to gaze upon and pay their respects to him. Only after a long while did the Sacred Ancestor vanish. The emperor issued an edict renaming Huichang County Zhaoying County and placing Xinfeng County under its jurisdiction. He also renamed Huichang Mountain Zhaoying Mountain, enfeoffed its deity as the Duke of Primordial Virtue, and renamed Chaoyuan Pavilion the Pavilion of the Holy Descent. The emperor took designs from the palace and distributed them throughout the realm, and ordered the court historians to record the event.

In the Yichou year, Emperor Ming of Tang obtained twenty-seven jade statues of immortals in Luochuan County, Ningzhou, and ordered that they be brought to the capital. The ceremony followed the rites used to receive the Lingbao talisman in the early Tianbao era, and the emperor personally composed an encomium. Later, Luochuan County was renamed Zhenning County. The court built Tongsheng Abbey at the place where the jade statues had been found, and the emperor also composed an inscription for its stele. All of these things were still preserved at the time.

In the sixth month of that year, a jade fungus—regarded as an auspicious sign—grew in the Hall of Great Harmony. Li Hun, a man of Mount Taibai, submitted a memorial saying that he had seen Hundun. He also reported that a jade tablet stone in Golden Star Cave bore an inscription recording signs of the sage emperor’s good fortune and long life. Wang Bing, Censor-in-Chief, was ordered to enter Immortal Journey Valley. After traveling more than forty li, he found the jade tablet stone. The court announced these auspicious signs within and beyond its walls.

On the Bingyin day of the intercalary sixth month, the emperor went to the Taiqing Palace, where he bestowed honorific titles on the Five Sages. He also ordered statues of Confucius and his four disciples to be made and placed standing before the image of Hundun. The emperor further ordered Jade Fungus Abbeys to be established in the major prefectures of the ten circuits and proclaimed a general amnesty throughout the realm.

In the ninth year, the Gengyin year, Wang Yuanyi, a man of Mount Taibai, submitted a memorial saying that the Great Emperor Hundun had appeared and that a wondrous treasure and true talisman could be found in Treasure Immortal Cave. The emperor ordered Zhang Jun, Minister of Justice, and Wang Chui, Minister of Works, to retrieve the talisman. After bringing it back, they handed it over to the Historiographical Institute for safekeeping.

End of The Story of the Dragon-Revering (Youlong zhuan), scroll five.

The Story of the Dragon-Revering, scroll six

The Tang Dynasty’s Sage Ancestor, Part Two

Compiled by Jia Shanxiang, Superintendent of the Right Street and Joint Director of Affairs for the Teaching, Master of Revering De and Awakening to the True

On the eighth day of the first month of the Jiawu year, Hundun appeared at the Taiqing Palace, riding in a carriage of purple and black. He summoned the scholar Li Qi and spoke with him, telling him that the fortune of the Tang dynasty would remain prosperous for a long time.

On the eighth day of the first month in the jiawu year of the Tianbao era, Hunyuan (Laozi) appeared at Taiqing Palace, riding in a dark purple carriage. He summoned the scholar Li Qi, spoke with him, and foretold that the state would prosper for a long time. White cranes and colored clouds appeared in the palace, and were regarded as auspicious signs.

On the guiyou day of the second month, the emperor went to Taiqing Palace to pay homage. He bestowed on Hunyuan the honorific title “Great Sage Ancestor, Supreme High Dao, Golden Gate, Hunyuan, Heavenly Emperor.” He also added posthumous titles to each of the Five Sages. The emperor himself adopted the honorific title “Sagely, Cultured and Martial, One Who Has Realized the Dao, Filial and Virtuous Emperor, Great Treasure of the Opened-Era Heaven and Earth,” and issued a general amnesty.

In the tenth year of the Tianbao era, the emperor traveled to Shu. Hunyuan appeared beside the Blackwater in Sanchuan County, Hanzhong Commandery. The emperor went there to pay homage, then ordered a stone carving and statue to be made at the site of the appearance, depicting Hunyuan’s true likeness. Later, on a mountain ridge in Yichang County, Lizhou, the emperor saw Hunyuan passing by on a white mount resembling a guard’s steed. This was said to foretell the recovery of the realm after the An Lushan rebellion. The emperor issued an edict naming the mountain “White Guard Ridge” and established a Daoist temple at the place of the appearance. The site of the appearance at Sanchuan lay six li south of Wangqin Post Station.

On the eighteenth day of the third month in the dingyou year, the second year of the Zhide era under Emperor Suzong, Hunyuan appeared at Yunlong Rock in Tonghua Commandery. Local people were then praying for the state and holding a large Zhaijiao purification ritual. On the eighteenth day, mist and an unusual fragrance suddenly appeared and lingered for a long time. By the hour of chen, the mist gradually cleared and the sky grew bright; divine light shone across the heavens. People saw Hunyuan’s true image standing before the mountain, his figure extending from the ground to the sky. He was dressed entirely in white, his left hand hanging down and his right hand holding a five-branched fan. His appearance was clear and majestic. Everyone looked up and paid homage. Though the mountain was very high, it reached only below his elbows. After a long while, the true image disappeared.

The people then submitted a detailed report of the event. An image was issued from the palace, and the Retired Emperor personally composed a eulogy and preface. He entrusted them to the court historians to record, then made them known throughout the realm. The preface states: “Our great Sage Ancestor has widely bestowed the wondrous Dao in all its many forms, shining in the highest reaches of the Upper Clarity heaven. He left plans and blessings for his descendants, and has repeatedly manifested his subtle protection.”

On the eighteenth day of the third month of that year, the Sacred Ancestor appeared once again at Cloud-Dragon Rock in Tonghua Commandery. During the day, wonders appeared: auspicious radiance shimmered in the sky. The Sacred Ancestor wore robes glowing with the light of the Seven Luminaries and five colors, and bore the poise of a jade boy and a golden maiden. The Daoist and Buddhist communities, along with the celestial beings, bowed and gazed in reverence.

Long ago, the Perfected Lord had sent a message through Yangjiao, wishing the state a long and unbounded destiny. Now the Sacred Ancestor’s august presence had appeared at Dragon Rock, and the forces of evil were about to vanish as if by some rare marvel. Could this be merely a matter of teachings passed down through generations of masters and disciples, or of former kings grasping the Great Dao? Surely it was an auspicious sign bestowed by the ancestors and the state altars, bringing blessings to descendants for ten thousand generations. An order was therefore given to have the image painted and circulated among the commanderies and kingdoms. People felt as though they stood before the vast, clear heavens, or within the halls of Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate.

The eulogy said: Praise to our ancestors, who proclaimed the teachings in keeping with their times, cultivated themselves and governed the state, and brought the world toward ever greater peace and order. From heaven, the ancestors opened the immortal grotto; bending down, they revealed their wondrous forms, illuminated the all-embracing Supreme Dao, and extolled rule through Wuwei, non-action. The cliffs and valleys were made more beautiful by this, beyond what a painter’s brush could fully capture. Divine radiance shone brilliantly, and the scenery stretched on in enduring splendor. The court, from top to bottom, rejoiced together, while people from every commandery came to pay their respects. Blessings would continue without end, and the hope of a thousand years of prosperity was fulfilled in that moment.

On the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month, a Renyin day that year, the court issued an edict.

In the second year of the Qianyuan era, a Jihai year, the emperor dreamed one night that two boys in green robes led him to a palace, where he paid his respects to Hundun, an honorific in Daoism for the Dao or Lord Lao. Hundun wore robes like clouds and rosy mists, and a crown adorned with nine phoenixes. Seated on a square mat, he had a jeweled canopy behind him, leaned against a jade table, and held a white horsetail whisk. A large retinue stood in orderly ranks around him, including guards, Perfected Ones, jade maidens, immortals, boys, and the Mighty Warriors of the Five Heavens.

The emperor wore deep red robes and rode upon a gui, an ancient ritual jade tablet, standing behind Hundun in attendance. In the dream, he traveled through mountains and seas and across distant lands, silently noting down everything he saw. He also saw that Hundun’s hair and sideburns were entirely black.

At dawn, the emperor ordered a search along both avenues for the auspicious image from his dream. In the Sacred Ancestor’s shrine at Guangtian Abbey in Wuben Ward, they found an image of Lord Lao with a black beard. It was painted and presented to the emperor. Seeing it, he was delighted and declared that it was exactly as he had seen in the dream.

So they brought out a portrait of the Yellow Emperor, set it behind the image of the Venerable Lord of Primordial Unity, and issued an order throughout the realm for it to be widely worshipped and offered sacrifices.

In the early years of Emperor Daizong’s reign, eight treasures were discovered in Anyi County, Chuzhou. The court therefore renamed Anyi County Baoying County and ordered a Baoying Abbey to be built where the treasures had been found. The era name was also changed to “Baoying Year One,” and a general amnesty was declared.

In the tenth year of the Zhenyuan era under Emperor Dezong, the Venerable Lord of Primordial Unity secretly sent the Golden Mother (Queen Mother of the West) to descend repeatedly upon Jinquan Mountain in Guozhou. There she taught the nun Xie Ziran the art of refining the black. Xie Ziran mastered her practice and ascended to heaven in broad daylight on the sixteenth day of the tenth month that year. Three months later, she returned to the human world and told Prefect Li Jian: “In heaven there is a Jade Hall, and the Venerable Lord lives at its highest point. The names of the immortals are inscribed on its walls, with their identities from their time in the human world written beneath them. Some were emperors, others chief ministers. When the immortals go to pay their respects to the Venerable Lord, they must bow four times.” After speaking, Xie Ziran ascended to heaven once more.

In the first month of the second year of the Baoli era under Emperor Jingzong, the court held a sacrifice in the southern suburbs and went to the Taiqing Palace to offer respectful thanks. As the imperial retinue was about to arrive, Zheng Weng, assistant magistrate of Chang’an County, suddenly saw the Venerable Lord dressed in white, with an extraordinary bearing. The Venerable Lord advised him: “There is a well here. It should be filled in at once, or an unforeseen calamity may occur.” Alarmed, Zheng Weng inspected the site and saw that the ground beside the well had already begun to sink slightly. He quickly gathered workers and had the well filled in. Then he could no longer see the Venerable Lord. When the imperial retinue arrived, Zheng Weng reported the matter in full, and all the officials offered their congratulations. The court issued an edict appointing Wei Chuhou, vice minister of War, to compose an inscription and Liu Gongquan, diarist of the court, to write it. The inscription was erected beside the filled-in well, and the event was entered into the historical records.

On the eighteenth day of the twelfth month that year, as Liu Gongquan was writing the inscription, a sudden, powerful gust of wind swept through. When the matter was reported to the court, the officials once again offered their congratulations.

On the eighteenth day of the twelfth month that year, Liu Gongquan was writing an inscription when a fierce wind suddenly arose and circled for a long time without dispersing. Then people saw Hunyuan, an honorific Daoist title for the original Qi or the Dao, dressed in purple, wearing a golden crown and golden shoes, and standing on a white lotus. He held a five-brightness fan in his right hand, while his left hand hung at his side. The air all around shone with a golden light. Liu Gongquan and the stone carvers watched for a long time, then traced the figure on the ground. As soon as they had finished, Hunyuan pointed his fan toward the sky. Light burst in every direction, and he rose into the air and departed. The onlookers gazed upward, turning their heads to follow him. They saw his figure grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared into the clouds. When the matter was reported to the court, officials were ordered to include an account of it in the inscription.

In the fifth month of the second year of the Kaicheng era (837), under Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Gao Yuanyu, a Secretariat Drafter, left the capital to take up the post of prefect of Banzhou. At the foot of a small hill beside the Jialing River, eight or nine li north of the prefectural city, he suddenly saw an unusual radiance on the cliff face. On closer inspection, he found a true image of the Lord Lao, the Daoist honorific for Laozi, naturally formed in the stone. Its eyebrows, hair, clothing, headwear, and shoes were all clearly depicted. Beside the image stood a figure in a loose robe with broad sleeves, holding an incense burner; behind them was a young attendant with hair tied in two topknots, waiting respectfully for instructions. The figures were so finely rendered that they seemed beyond the work of human painting or carving. Whenever Gao Yuanyu prayed, a dark purplish glow appeared above the stone images, and a numinous spring welled up nearby. Local people came to pray for blessings, and their prayers were said to be answered. They therefore carved the images into the stone and built a temple to honor this auspicious sign, then made a picture of it and presented it to the court. After an account of the event was entered into the historical records, the emperor issued an edict approving it.

In the first year of the Huichang era under Emperor Wuzong of Tang, the court designated the fifteenth day of the second month—the birthday of the Great Holy Ancestor—as the Festival of the Descent of the Sage. From then on, the two capitals and prefectures throughout the empire were ordered to hold purification rites, perform the ritual procession of the Way by reciting scriptures and paying homage to the gods according to liturgical rules, and celebrate with music and a three-day banquet. The order did not apply when military affairs were urgent. This regulation was established as a permanent practice.

On the tenth day of the ninth month in the tenth year of the Xiantong era (869), under Emperor Yizong of Tang, Pang Xun’s rebellion broke out in Xuzhou.

On the tenth day of the ninth month in the tenth year of Xiantong under Emperor Yizong (the jichou year), Pang Xun, leader of the rebel forces in Xuzhou, led more than three thousand followers in an attack on the Taiqing Palace in Bozhou, a Daoist temple where Lord Lao was enshrined. That day, more than three hundred officials and local people at the palace saw Lord Lao rise into the sky and travel south. Soon afterward, a dark fog covered the fields to the south. The rebel troops became trapped in the fog and lost their way, turning on one another in a deadly struggle. Pang Xun drowned. Li Wei, military governor of Bianzhou and commissioner of the Taiqing Palace, submitted a detailed report of the incident to the court.

The imperial edict said: “Our Great Tang imperial house inherits the Primordial Origin, the source of the Dao, and reveres the teachings of purity and stillness. Ku County is the hometown of our ancestor, Lord Lao; its palace and temple are solemn and complete, and a sacred image is enshrined there. Earlier, rebel troops launched a surprise attack and set the palace and temple ablaze. Dark clouds suddenly covered the clear sky, and the frenzied bandits became confused and lost their way on the roads. They scattered into the fields, and in the end…”