《玄品录》Vol. 2

The True Lord is the Lord of Fate, also known as Lord Great Mao, an immortal in the Daoist legends of the Mao clan.

Daoquan (chapter title)

Only after Master Xie, Wang Shilong, came to help confirm the matter was there a response, though failure still seemed almost certain. In the end, he was granted a name in the Eastern Palace and ranked among the middle-grade immortals. In the seventh month of the third year of Qianhua under the Yunliang reign, he was enfeoffed as the True Lord of Returning to Unity, Lord of Fate, and Lord Great Mao.

Daoquan (chapter title)

Xie An, whose courtesy name was Anshi, was from Yangxia in Chen Commandery. He came from a family in which generations had studied Confucian learning. In his youth, he was upright in conduct and widely renowned. While living in seclusion in Kuaiji, he would go out to fish and hunt among the mountains and rivers, then return home to discuss principles and write. He had no intention of entering public life. Once, sitting in a stone chamber and gazing into a deep valley, he sighed calmly: “How is this place any different from where Boyi lived?”

Xie An was skilled at discussing the Zhuangzi and Laozi. One day, he joined Zhi Daolin, Xu Xun, and others at a gathering in Wang Meng’s home. Xie An said to the group, “Today’s gathering truly deserves to be called an elegant assembly. Time cannot be held back, and such gatherings cannot last long, so why don’t we discuss the principles together and give voice to what is in our hearts?” Xu Xun asked the host whether he had a copy of the Zhuangzi, and by chance they found the “Fisherman” chapter. After looking at its title, Xie An invited everyone present to explain it in turn. Zhi Daolin spoke first. He spoke for about seven hundred sentences, with profound reasoning, elegant language, and exceptional insight. Everyone praised him.

After each person had shared what was on their mind, Xie An asked, “Have you all finished?” They replied, “How could we hold anything back in a discussion spanning past and present? We have given it our all.” Xie An then raised difficult questions and set out his own views, speaking at length—more than ten thousand characters—with remarkable talent. He answered the challenges put to him with ease and remained composed and relaxed, leaving everyone present delighted. Zhi Daolin said, “You have always thrown yourself into things, and your performance today was certainly excellent.”

Emperor Jianwen, who was then serving as chancellor, said, “Since Xie An shares in everyone’s pleasures, he cannot help but share in everyone’s worries as well. If the court summons him, he will surely come.” At the time, Xie An’s younger brother Xie Wan held an important post governing a regional command. Though Xie An lived in humble quarters, his reputation surpassed Xie Wan’s, and he was naturally regarded as a candidate for the highest ministerial office.

Xie An was already in his forties when he first considered entering public service. The Great General Who Conquers the West invited him to serve as his aide. As he was about to set out from Xinting, officials from the court came to see him off. Gao Song joked, “You have repeatedly defied the court’s wishes and lived in seclusion on the Eastern Mountain. People often say, ‘If Xie An refuses to leave the mountain, what will become of the people under Heaven?’ Now the people will have to ask, ‘Xie An has come out—what will become of us now?’”

Later, Xie An became a chief minister, at a time when the Eastern Jin faced many troubles. With his broad-minded composure, he steadied people’s hearts, acting calmly and speaking with an easy smile. He checked Huan Wen’s ambitions to usurp power, recommended and appointed many talented people, and defeated Fu Jian’s million-strong army at the Battle of Fei River. His achievements were no less than those of Wang Dao and Wen Qiao. Though he held high office at court, Xie An never abandoned his resolve to return to seclusion on the Eastern Mountain.

Later, when he was sent to govern from Xincheng, he had already prepared for his whole family to move and for them to travel by sea. He planned to lead the army in securing the frontier, then, once the situation had largely settled, return to the Eastern Mountain by river. But he died before his long-held wish could be fulfilled. The court posthumously bestowed on him the title Grand Preceptor and gave him the posthumous name Wenjing.

Zhen Dexiu of Xishan commented: “During his sixteen years in government, Xie An first checked a powerful minister’s plot to seize the throne, then thwarted a formidable enemy’s attempt to annex the Eastern Jin. His achievements were truly outstanding. Yet Xie An did not enter public service at first in pursuit of fame or rank. His lofty aspirations and graceful composure brought him close to the character of figures such as Zhuge Liang and Zhang Liang.”

Yang Xi, whose courtesy name was Yihe, was from Hao Commandery and later moved to Jurong. He was born in the ninth month of the fifth year of the Xianhe era of the Jin dynasty (the gengyin year). From childhood, he seemed unusually gifted and intelligent. Handsome and quick-witted, he excelled at calligraphy and painting and was renowned throughout the land alongside the Right Army General Wang (Wang Xizhi).

Although Master Xu Mai and Chief Secretary Mu were far apart in age, they formed a spiritual bond with Yang Xi early on. When Emperor Jianwen was still Prince of Langya, he appointed Yang Xi to office; the Chief Secretary also recommended him for a position as a retainer in the prince’s mansion. After Emperor Jianwen ascended the throne, Yang Xi did not seek promotion. Unconcerned with fame and profit, he devoted himself to cultivation and, through his sincerity, connected with the spirits.

In the fifth year of the Yonghe era, Yang Xi received from Zhong Huangzi the method for controlling tigers and leopards, a Daoist art for commanding and subduing these animals. In the sixth year of Yonghe, he received the Five Lingbao Talismans from Liu Pu, the eldest son of Lady Wei. He was then twenty-one years old.

In the sixth month of the third year of the Xingning era, the Purple Void Primordial Lady, Lady Ziwei, and Lady An of Jiuhua were moved to descend at Yang Xi’s home. At times they also descended to the residence of Chief Secretary Shan Xian, who lived on Mount Mao. Yang Xi transcribed the scriptures and revealed instructions they transmitted, then showed them to Lord Xu and his sons. From then on, he became the teacher who transmitted scriptural methods to the Chief Secretary.

Lady An of Jiuhua said that Yang Xi was even-tempered and simple, with a tranquil and empty mind. He cultivated secret methods at Yulang Lanyuan, a name for an immortal realm, and his refined reputation spread through the Golden Palace, an abode of the immortals. He could preserve wondrous secret methods, allowing the profound and hidden Dao of Truth to emerge within him. He organized and transmitted the immortals’ scriptures in accord with Heaven’s mandate and the turning of the times. His virtue was pure, like a garden of immortals, and he possessed the noble purity of cinnabar, gold, and jade. His cultivation could summon clouds and mist and raise up scenes of immortality; its renown carried far on the drums of the hidden realms.

Yang Xi would become a Grandee of the Three Affairs and serve the Heavenly Emperor. He would hold the high office of the Four Aids and assist the sage ruler. He would govern life and death, determine the rewards and punishments of ghosts and spirits, command the many deities, seal off mountains and summon clouds, and oversee the scrutiny and ordering of the harmonizing Qi of Yin and Yang. He would also be appointed lord of the ghosts and spirits of Hao and Yue. Among the Three Offices, which govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, a song was often heard: “Lord Yang An, Director of Truth, Commander of Spirits.” This referred to Yang Xi.

Yang Xi would ride a dragon and harness clouds to ascend to Heaven in broad daylight. If he could not endure the ascent, with its winds, fire, smoke, and flames, and wished instead to preserve his true body in secluded mountains and forests, he could seek the way of sword release, one of the Daoist methods of bodily liberation, and use the rite of declaring one’s end. Whether he chose to leave the world and ascend to immortality or to dwell in seclusion in the mountains would be his decision when the time came.

The Perfected Lord Wang of Xicheng also transmitted to him the method of imbibing the essence of the sun and moon. Emperor Jianwen, too, studied with Yang Xi. Yang Xi released his carriage in the eleventh year of the Taiyuan era (the bingxu year), a Daoist expression for passing away or ascending to immortality. He was fifty-seven years old.

During the Xuanhe era, Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty issued an edict: “I often keep the Infant Empyrean Palace in mind and gaze toward the Scenic Dragon Terrace. I admire the beautiful homeland of the immortals and long for the wondrous teachings of the immortals of Jiuhua. I revere the deeds of the assembled immortals and honor their achievements in spreading instruction. Perfected Yang assisted Donghua and oversaw the Office of Destiny. Through long study, he penetrated the hidden and subtle; devoted to inquiry, he united with the Great Dao. He obtained Zhong Huangzi’s secret formulas and received the hidden transmission of the Perfected Ones of the South. He guarded the strategic passes of the Hao-Yue region and commanded the vital offices of the spirits. His merit in propagating the Great Dao deserves recognition with an honored title. May he look kindly upon my intentions, and may the court’s favor endure for generations. I hereby confer upon him the title ‘Perfected One of Numinosity, Manifestation, and Transformation.’”

Xu Mu, courtesy name Sixuan, also known as Xu Mi, was from Pingyu in Runan. Six generations before him, his ancestor Xu Juguang had moved to Danyang. Xu Mu was born in the second year of Yongxing, an Yichou year. He first served as a Doctor at the Imperial Academy, then as magistrate of Yuyao County. He was later summoned to serve as a Gentleman of the Secretariat and went on to hold posts including district assessor and Chief of Staff to the General of the Guards, as well as Attendant-in-Ordinary and Regular Mounted Attendant.

In public, he took up worldly responsibilities; in private, he cultivated the Way of seeking the Real. Xu Mu had long admired his elder brother’s noble resolve to travel far away and cultivate the Dao. After Emperor Jianwen died, Xu Mu devoted himself to life in the mountains. Later, he formed a profound sacred bond with Lord Yang, a figure in Daoism. During the Xingning era, several Perfected Ones descended to Lord Yang, intending to transmit scriptures and sacred decrees. In the first year of Taiyuan, Xu Mu underwent transformation and ascended—an expression in Daoism for attaining the Dao and rising into the heavens—at the age of seventy-two. His sons and nephews prepared an empty coffin for him and placed it in a large tomb west of the city walls, to show that he had departed this life and ascended.

The Zhengao says: The destiny and foundation Xu Mu received had been established long ago through merit accumulated in a former life. He was originally the younger brother of Lord Xue of Changli, Chief Minister of the Nine Palaces in the time of King Wu of Zhou. He also inherited the merit left by Xu Zhao, so his blessings were meant to extend to his descendants. Thus he followed the course of his destiny and took human form, accomplishing the Great Dao through his innate endowment. By decree of the Jade Register, he became a Perfected One of Highest Clarity, with a rank among the marquises and counts and a place among the celestial ministers. He governed the celestial realm and nurtured its people, assisting the sages in guiding the populace.

The Xuanhe Quanshu says: “I descended to the Jade Realm of Total Truth and ascended the Terrace of Luminous Dragon at Luyao. At Yuanshou I conferred the registers of destiny to save the people of the lower world. All who establish merit within the ranks of the Dao should be elevated in their celestial standing. The Perfected One of Highest Clarity, Chief Secretary Xu, is outwardly quiet and unassuming, yet inwardly has attained the divine. His subtle, numinous voice flows with pleasing clarity, and in secret he consorts with the assembled sages. He rides to lofty heights and assists Highest Clarity in its governance. Now that he has spread his merit throughout the Great Brahma Realm, he should be honored with a title befitting his virtue, so that his celestial rank may shine among the lineages of immortals. May this reveal his vast protection and spread the subtle teachings more widely. He is hereby invested with the title ‘Perfected One of Great Origin and Vast Virtue.’”

Xu Ke, whose courtesy name was Daoxiang and childhood name was Yufu, was the third son of the Chief Historian. He was naturally clear-minded and pure, and his conduct surpassed that of ordinary people by far. He was born in the first month of the xinchou year, the seventh year of the Xiankang era. The commandery recommended him for the post of Assistant Clerk in charge of the annual accounts. He was also summoned to serve in the residence of Grand Minister Zuo, but he took up neither appointment. At the foot of Leiping Mountain on Mount Juqu, he built a home and secretly practiced the higher Daoist arts.

In the seventh month of the third year of the Xingning era, Lady Ziwei, a female immortal in Shangqing tradition, descended and instructed him. From then on, Xu Ke corresponded with various Perfected Ones and devoted himself to practices including Returning to the Origin, the Two Radiant Realms’ Flying Steps, and Yilin. He hoped to enter the immortal realms of the grotto-heavens early and did not wish to remain long in the human world. In the gengwu year, the fifth year of the Taihe era, he went to the Northern Grotto, the Liangchang Grotto, and brought his life to an end. He was thirty years old.

The elders passed down the story that Xu Ke burned incense and bowed in worship on the stone altar in the Northern Grotto, then lay face down and did not rise. The next morning, people saw that his body still appeared alive. Lady Mao Xiaojun, a female immortal of the Mao clan, sent word: “Master Xu was able to relinquish his body and enter the transformations of the unseen, following the example of Zhang Zhennan, who freed himself from his body at night.” Zhang Zhennan was Zhang Lu, the third-generation Celestial Master. Thereafter, Xu Ke dwelt in the Fangyu Grotto Lodge and often visited the Sifang Terrace.

The Zhen’gao, a Daoist text of the Shangqing tradition, says that sixteen years later he would guide Shuhua to salvation and become the Shangqing Immortal Lord. During his reclusion, he was called the “Perfected Master Within the Mystery.” In the Xuanhe era, the court posthumously bestowed on him the title “Perfected One of Primordial Unity and Transformation.”

The encomium says: “The Pole of Purple Tenuity contains primordial Qi, though it abides within the single Qi before the division of chaos. The Cinnabar Terrace arranges the registers of immortals and governs the ten thousand Perfected Ones. Every elevation in rank within the immortal lineages serves to make the Dao’s merit known. Shichen of Shuhua and the Shangqing Immortal Lord, Perfected Xu, were born through studying the wonders of the Three Spirits and gathering the Qi of the Nine Celestial Coordinates. You brought your life to an end in the Northern Grotto, peacefully keeping the integrity of a recluse. Shuhua walked upon the sunlight, alone in surpassing the world and roaming the realm of the High Minister. Though you withdrew from worldly renown, your heart remained compassionate, sheltering and protecting living beings. May you continue to receive mysterious protection, so that the Dao’s guiding principles may shine more brightly.”

The Dao is hidden.

Liu Linzhi, courtesy name Ziji, also used the name Yimin, was from Nanyang. In his youth, he valued simplicity and quiet contentment. He was modest and withdrawn, with few desires, and paid little attention to his appearance or manners, so people did not really know him. He loved traveling through mountains, forests, rivers, and marshes, devoted to seeking secluded places of retreat.

Once, while gathering herbs on Mount Heng, he went deep into the mountains and lost his way back. He came upon a stream, and on its southern bank stood two enormous mushroom-like forms, one closed and the other open. The water was deep and wide, impossible to cross. People said that inside the mushroom-like forms were all manner of things, including secret recipes of the immortals and wondrous medicines. Liu Linzhi wanted to return and investigate, but he could never find the place again.

He refused every gift anyone offered him. More than a hundred li from his home lived an elderly woman who lived alone. Gravely ill and near death, she sighed to those around her, “Who can arrange my burial? Only Liu the Chief Clerk can.” How could she have let Liu Linzhi know? It happened that he had earlier heard she was ill and went to visit her. He arrived just as she died, so he personally arranged her coffin and took care of the funeral. Such was his benevolence, care for others, and compassion.

One day, he heard that a fisherman from Wuling Creek had entered the Peach Blossom Source. Eager to visit it himself, he set out in good spirits, but never made the journey. Not long afterward, he died. The Record of Tao the Recluse calls him a man of noble character, and from this we can glimpse what he was like.

Suo Xi was from Dunhuang. He was calm and quiet by nature, loved reading and learning, and declined summons from the regional authorities. Later, when he was recommended for the positions of Filial and Incorrupt and Worthy and Upright, he used illness as an excuse to refuse them both. He devoted himself to studying Yin-Yang arts and numerical methods, writing more than ten works on astronomy and geography and offering many illuminating insights.

Zhang Mao and Yin Dan, the governor of Dunhuang, considered him extraordinary and went to visit him. They talked for the entire day and forgot to leave. Later, when Suo Xi died at the age of seventy-nine, Yin Dan attended his funeral in plain clothes and gave two thousand cash.

Yin Dan said, “What people pursue is nothing more than wealth and status. Their eyes delight in the five colors, and their ears love the five tones. Yet the Master let go of what everyone cherishes and took up what everyone casts aside. In the indistinct and subtle, he experienced the flavor of the flavorless; amid myriad mysteries, he sought the deeper mystery. His dwelling occupied no more than a few acres, yet his aspirations roamed freely across the Nine Provinces. His body lived in the world of dust, while his spirit rested beyond the heavens. Even Qian Lou, renowned for his pure and humble life, and Zhuangzi, who refused to be bound by worldly conventions, could not surpass the Master.”

Yin Dan therefore bestowed on him the title “Master of the Mysterious Abode.”

True recluse: a genuine hermit.

Zhang Zhong, courtesy name Chenhe, was from Zhongshan. During the upheaval of the Yongjia era, he withdrew to Mount Tai. He was calm and quiet by temperament, had few desires, and cultivated stillness and emptiness. He maintained his health through fuqi (a practice of regulating the breath through inhalation and exhalation). He ate pine nuts and the tender shoots of trees, and practiced daoyin (exercises combining bodily movements and breathing to nourish body and mind). He did not study the scriptures or make a practice of explaining them to persuade others. Instead, he took the supreme Dao and the original source of emptiness as the aims of his cultivation.

He lived among layered cliffs and deep ravines, where he carved a chamber underground. His disciples also lived in caves, more than sixty paces from Zhang Zhong, and visited him once every five days. He taught mainly by example rather than by words. The disciples observed his conduct, received his guidance, and then departed. Above his chamber, he set up a Daoist altar and went there each morning to pay his respects.

He ate from earthenware vessels and hollowed out stone to make a cooking pot. Nearby residents offered to weave for him and supply him with food and clothing, but he accepted none of it. When curious people asked him about the auspicious or inauspicious signs of changes in water, fire, Yin-Yang, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), he replied, “Heaven does not speak, yet the four seasons continue their cycles and all things continue to grow. The changes of Yin-Yang are not something I, an old man living in poverty in the mountains, can understand.” He was generally just as indifferent to external things. Even when he was a hundred years old, his eyesight and hearing had not declined.

Fu Jian sent a messenger to summon him and bestowed robes and a headdress upon him. Zhang Zhong declined, saying, “I am old and frail, and my hair has fallen out. I am not fit to wear formal robes and a headdress. Please let me appear before you dressed in the clothes of the mountains.” Fu Jian said to him, “You have withdrawn to the mountains and devoted yourself to studying the principles of stillness and simplicity. The virtue of cultivating yourself alone is already sufficient, but you have yet to achieve the work of benefiting the world as well. That is why I have summoned you from afar: I intend to employ you as the state of Qi employed its Grand Mentor, Jiang Taigong.”

Zhang Zhong replied, “I once fled the turmoil of war and took refuge on Mount Tai, living among birds and beasts and seeking only to preserve my life. Now we are in an age of peace like that of Yao and Shun. I am old and my resolve has faded; I cannot serve the court. I would not dare compare myself with a worthy minister like the Grand Mentor. By nature I love the mountains and forests, and my heart remains in the rocky caves. Please let me spend my remaining years in peace and be buried on Mount Tai after I die.” Fu Jian then sent him back in a covered carriage.

When the carriage reached Mount Hua, Zhang Zhong sighed, “I am a Daoist of the Eastern Peak, yet I am to die on the Western Peak. This is fate.” After traveling another fifty li, they reached a pass, where he died. The messenger rode swiftly back to report to Fu Jian. Fu Jian sent the Palace Attendant Wei Hua, bearing an imperial tally and a written decree, to mourn Zhang Zhong. He bestowed on him the robes of an appointed official and posthumously granted him the title “Master An Dao.”

Dao and Confucianism

Song Xian, courtesy name Lingwen, was from Xiaogu in Dunhuang. From a young age, he had lofty aspirations and a quiet, reserved nature, and kept away from worldly people. He lived in seclusion on Mount Nan in Jiuquan. Well versed in the classics, astronomy, and geography, he took on students and lectured to them; he had more than three thousand disciples.

Ma Ji, the governor of Jiuquan, was also a man of noble character. He prepared a formal escort, beat the gongs and drums, and went to visit Song Xian. But Song Xian remained inside a tall, secluded building and refused to meet him through the closed gates. Ma Ji sighed, “The Master’s reputation can be heard, but I cannot see him in person; his virtue deserves admiration, yet I have no chance to glimpse him. From this day on, I know that the Master is a dragon among men.” He carved a poem into a stone face:

“Red cliffs rise a hundred zhang high;

blue crags stretch for ten thousand xun.

Strange trees grow thick and luxuriant,

a scene like Denglin, the legendary forest of sacred trees with luxuriant branches and leaves.

“That man is as fine as jade,

a treasure of the state.

Though his dwelling is near,

he is beyond reach;

how deeply this weighs on me.”

Song Xian died at the age of eighty-three. His posthumous title was “Master of the Profound and the Empty.”

Dao and Silence

Tao Dan, courtesy name Chujing, was the grandson of Grand Commandant Tao Kan. Orphaned in childhood, he took an interest in daoyin practices and methods for nourishing body and mind, believing that attaining immortality and the Dao was possible. At fifteen or sixteen, he began taking medicines, gave up eating grains, and never married.

The Tao family had a fortune of a thousand jin and more than a hundred household servants and guests. Tao Dan, however, sat quietly all day and never concerned himself with household affairs. He greatly enjoyed reading the Classic of Changes and was skilled at divination. He built a dwelling in the mountains of Linxiang, Changsha, and kept a white deer for company. When relatives and friends came to visit, he would move to a place surrounded by streams, where they could not approach him.

The prefecture recommended him as a xiucai, a selected scholar, but he fled to Mount Pi in Luo County and never returned. From then on, no one knew where he had gone.

Dao and Seclusion

Tao Yuanming, whose courtesy name was Yuanliang, was a great-grandson of Tao Kan. From a young age, he had lofty aspirations and broad learning, and was skilled at writing. Quick-witted and unconstrained, he followed his nature and found contentment in it. He once wrote “The Biography of Mr. Five Willows,” in which Mr. Five Willows describes himself: “No one knows where the gentleman comes from, and even his family name and courtesy name are unclear. Five willow trees stand beside his house, so he took ‘Five Willows’ as his name. He is quiet and reserved, and does not envy wealth or status. He enjoys reading, but does not puzzle over every word and phrase. Whenever he grasps something in a book, he is so pleased that he forgets to eat. By nature he loves wine, but his family is poor, so he cannot drink often. Relatives and friends know his circumstances and sometimes prepare wine and invite him over. As soon as he arrives, he drinks his fill, often becoming drunk; then he takes his leave, with no reluctance in his heart. At home he has only a few bare rooms, so desolate that they offer no shelter from wind, rain, or sun. He wears coarse, patched clothes and often lacks even food and water, yet remains calm and at ease. He often writes to amuse himself and express his aspirations. He pays no heed to gains or losses, and passes his life in this way.”

The eulogy to “The Biography of Mr. Five Willows” says: “Qian Lou once said that he did not grieve over poverty and low status, nor eagerly pursue wealth and position. Judging by those words, was Mr. Five Willows perhaps such a person? He drinks freely and composes poems, taking pleasure in this. Might his aspirations resemble those of the people in the age of Wuhuai and Getian?” Wuhuai and Getian were legendary ancient rulers, whose names are often used to evoke a simple and peaceful life in remote antiquity. Tao Yuanming’s self-portrait was broadly like this, and people of his time considered it a faithful account of his character.

He believed he came from a family of high ministers of the Jin dynasty and was ashamed to humble himself by entering official service again. Later, as the imperial fortunes of Song Gaozu gradually rose, he still refused to take office. He dated all his writings: before the Yixi era, he explicitly used Jin reign titles; from the Yongchu era onward, he gave only the cyclical dates. Yixi and Yongchu were reign titles of the time. Using only cyclical dates was seen as a refusal to adopt the reign titles of Liu Song. Tao Yuanming once said that in the fifth or sixth month, as he lay beneath the north-facing window, a sudden breeze came through, and he felt as though he were a man of the age of the Xi Emperor. The Xi Emperor refers to Fuxi, a legendary ancient ruler; here the name evokes the simplicity of remote antiquity.

In the fourth year of the Yuanjia era, Tao Yuanming died at the age of sixty-three. Yan Yanzhi composed a funeral eulogy for him, and he was given the posthumous title “Jingjie Zhengshi.” Zhengshi refers to a recluse summoned by the court who declined to enter official service.

Lu Xiujing, courtesy name Yuanji, was a native of Dongqian in Haoxing. His father, Lu Lin, was summoned to serve at court several times but never accepted, and was therefore known as “the Master, a lofty Daoist recluse.”

Lu Xiujing had unusual physical features: his ribs were layered one above another, each foot had two ankle bones, his palms bore patterns shaped like large characters, and his back had markings resembling the Northern Dipper. He deeply loved scriptures and writings, and studied astronomy and the stars widely. As he grew older, he enjoyed traveling in search of the Dao. He went south to Mount Heng, the Xiang River region, and Mount Jiuyi to seek traces left by the Southern Perfected Ones. He also traveled west to Mount Emei and Mount Xicheng in search of the retreat left by the Perfected Man of Clear Emptiness.

Toward the end of the Yuanjia era under Emperor Wen of Song, Lu Xiujing was selling medicine in the capital. The emperor summoned him, but he did not go; afterward, he returned to Mount Lu. In the third year of the Taishi era under Emperor Ming of Song, Wang Jingzong, governor of Jiangzhou, respectfully invited him to court. He stayed in the rear hall and was later summoned to the Yanxian Hall in Hualin Garden, where princes and high officials gathered to meet him. Lu Xiujing appeared before the emperor wearing a deerskin headcloth. The emperor received him with solemn respect and then entrusted him with the Shangqing scriptures and methods transmitted by the Perfected Ones, including Yang Xi and Xu Mi.

Lu Xiujing brought together the scriptures of the Three Caverns and was honored by people of his time as a patriarch. He was also ordered to establish Chongxu Abbey on Mount Tianyin in the northern suburbs, as an altar center for transmitting the scriptures and methods. The following year, when Emperor Ming fell ill, a Golden Register Retreat, a Daoist purification rite for praying for blessings and averting calamity, was held at Chongxu Abbey. Overnight, yellow clouds shaped like a jeweled canopy appeared above the ritual altar and spread across the entire courtyard. The emperor also dreamed of an auspicious portent, and soon recovered.

In the first month of the fifth year of the Yuanhui era, Lu Xiujing suddenly seemed to be preparing to return to his former mountain dwelling. His disciples were all astonished. On the second day of the third month, he died peacefully. His disciples returned his cap and shoes and buried him at Jianji Abbey. He was given the posthumous title “Master of Simplicity and Stillness,” and during the Xuanhe era he was further honored with the title “Perfected Man of Cinnabar Origin.”

Thus speaks the Dao.

Dong Jing, courtesy name Weinian, was of unknown origin. At first, he came to Luoyang with an official from Longxi Commandery who was responsible for keeping accounts and reporting local affairs. Dong Jing wore his hair loose, walked freely along the roads, and recited poetry. He often stayed at Bai Society. Sun Chu, who then served as a Gentleman of the Palace Library, visited him there many times to talk. Several years later, Dong Jing withdrew into seclusion and disappeared; no one knew where he had gone. At his dwelling, he left only a stone bamboo stalk and two poems. One reads:

“The Dao of Heaven is strong and simple; the Earth’s substance is generous and profound. The boundless Great Simplicity, the primordial state before Heaven and Earth were divided, is the root from which all things take their model and follow their course. In this final age, people’s hearts have become scattered, and ornament has taken the place of simplicity. The affairs of the world stretch on into the distant past and future—who can know what is true among them? I will leave this place for the realm of utmost emptiness, and return to the natural dwelling that is mine.”

The other poem says: “Confucius found no place in his time, and lamented that he had encountered a qilin. O qilin, O qilin, why did you not withdraw from the world and preserve your true nature?”

Transformation through the Dao

Shan Daokai was from Dunhuang. He usually wore coarse hemp clothing and would not wear silk garments that people gave him. He feared neither cold nor heat, and did not go outdoors by day or night. He often ate tiny stones, swallowing several at a time once each day, sometimes more and sometimes fewer. He liked to dwell in the mountains. Spirits of the mountain forests once appeared in strange forms to test him, but he showed no fear.

During the reign of Shi Jilong, Shan Daokai set out from Xiping and traveled a hundred li in a day. When he reached Qinzhou, the local authorities submitted a memorial and sent him to Yecheng. Shi Jilong ordered Fotudeng to speak with him, but Fotudeng could not make him yield. Fotudeng said, “This Daoist can perceive the rise and fall of the state. If he leaves, I fear great disorder will follow.” Later, toward the end of Shi Jilong’s reign, Shan Daokai traveled south from Qinzhou across the river to Xuchang, and Yecheng indeed fell into great disorder.

In the third year of the Shengping era, Shan Daokai came to the capital. Later, he traveled to the South Sea and entered Mount Luofu. There he lived alone in a thatched hut, quiet and detached from worldly life. He died at his mountain dwelling when he was over a hundred years old. His disciples initially planned to place him in a stone cave, but later moved him to a stone chamber. When Yuan Hong of Chen Commandery was serving as governor of the South Sea, he climbed Mount Luofu to the stone chamber. At its entrance, he saw Shan Daokai’s body, which still looked lifelike; incense and pottery vessels were also still there. He sighed, “The master’s practice was extraordinary. Surely he departed like a cicada shedding its shell.” He then composed a eulogy for him.

Zong Bing, whose courtesy name was Shaowen, was from Nanyang. After Emperor Wu of Song, Liu Yu, had Liu Yi executed and taken charge of Jingzhou as well, he asked Shen Yong, a military adviser in Liu Yi’s household, “What should we do now?” Shen Yong replied, “Set aside old grievances, show twice the generosity, appoint the former officials according to their family standing, and promote those with ability. That should be enough.” Emperor Wu followed his advice and summoned Zong Bing to serve as a clerk. Zong Bing refused to take office. When the emperor asked why, he replied, “I have been drinking spring water and eating grain in the hills for more than thirty years. How could I bend my back to become a petty clerk who runs errands and obeys orders?” Emperor Wu admired his answer and did not press him further.

Zong Bing was skilled at playing the qin, calligraphy, and painting, and he was also well versed in principle and doctrine. Whenever he traveled among mountains and waters, he would often lose himself in the journey and forget to return home. His older brother, Zong Zang, who served as governor of Nanping, once forcibly brought him back. Zong Bing then built a home near the Three Lakes of Jiangling and lived there at ease.

The court summoned him to serve as an aide in the Grand Marshal’s office, and General of the Flying Cavalry Daolian appointed him as a secretary, but he did not take up either post. When Liu Yiji, Prince of Hengyang, became governor of Jingzhou, he went in person to Zong Bing’s home, feasted and talked with him, and appointed him as a military adviser. Zong Bing still did not enter government service.

Zong Bing loved mountains and waters and often traveled to distant places. He went west to the region of Jingzhou and Mount Wu, then traveled south and climbed Mount Heng. Later, illness forced him to return to Jiangling. He sighed, “Old age and illness have arrived together. I fear I can no longer see all the famous mountains. From now on, I can only still my mind, contemplate the Great Dao, and wander among mountains and waters within my heart.” He painted on his walls all the places he had visited and told people, “When I play the qin, I want the mountains all to echo.”

In ancient times there was a qin piece called “Jinshi Nong,” which the Huan clan greatly prized. After the Huan clan fell into decline, no one could play the piece anymore. Only Zong Bing still knew it. Emperor Wen sent the musician Yang Huan to learn it from him.

Shen Daoqian was from Wukang County in Wuxing Commandery. As a young man, he was kind and compassionate, and loved the Laozi and the Book of Changes. He lived beneath Stone Mountain, north of the county seat, in a modest dwelling, sharing his home and meals with several nephews whose fathers had died. Though his circumstances were poor, he never compromised his principles.

Shen Daoqian studied the qin with Dai Da, and Wang Jinghong held him in great esteem. The provincial government summoned him to serve twelve times, but he declined every time. Once, he saw someone picking vegetables from his garden. He hid and waited until the person had left before coming out. On another occasion, someone pulled up large bamboo shoots behind his house. When another person tried to stop them, Shen Daoqian said, “Let those shoots grow into a bamboo grove. There are better shoots we can give him.” He then sent someone to buy large bamboo shoots and deliver them. The person who had taken the shoots was ashamed and refused to accept them, so Shen Daoqian had them placed inside the person’s gate and went home.

Young people from the village flocked to study with Shen Daoqian, but he often lacked enough grain to feed his students. Kong Tingzhi, the magistrate of Wukang County, generously provided support, and those who came to study were able to make progress. When Emperor Wen heard of this, he sent an emissary to offer his regards.

Even in old age, Shen Daoqian ate only vegetables. He often did not have enough grain to sustain himself for several days, yet he took delight in playing the qin and reading, and never slackened in his efforts. After his death, his son Huifeng carried on his studies and likewise declined the provincial government’s summons.

Liu Ningzhi, whose courtesy name was Yin’an, was from Zhijiang in Nanjun. He admired Lao Laizi and Yan Ziling and refused to accept his family’s property. Instead, he built a dwelling in the wilderness with his younger brother and nephew, and insisted on living only by what they earned through their own labor. The people of his home district respected his virtue, and though the authorities summoned him several times, he never agreed to serve.

Liu Yiqing, Prince of Linchuan, and Liu Yiji, Prince of Hengyang, both sent messengers to visit him. In his replies, Liu Ningzhi referred to himself as “your servant” and performed the kowtow, without following the customary etiquette expected of ordinary people addressing officials. When some people mocked him, he explained, “In the past, Lao Laizi referred to himself as ‘your servant’ when meeting the King of Chu, and Yan Ziling once treated Emperor Guangwu as an equal. I have never heard that Chao Fu or Xu You called themselves subjects before Emperors Yao and Shun.”

At the time, a famine struck Jingzhou. Worried that Liu Ningzhi might starve, Liu Yiji sent him a hundred thousand coins. Liu Ningzhi was delighted. He carried the money to the entrance of the marketplace and gave it to anyone who looked hungry. Before long, he had given it all away.

Liu Ningzhi had a natural love of mountains and rivers, and often took his wife and children by boat to explore lakes and waterways. Later, he withdrew to the south of Mount Heng, settling on a lofty, remote ridge rarely visited by people. There he built a small hut and lived. He gathered medicinal herbs and took them, spending the rest of his life there.

Chu Boyu, whose courtesy name was Yuanqu, was from Qiantang in Wu Commandery. From a young age, he aspired to live in seclusion and had few desires. When he was eighteen, his parents arranged a marriage for him. As the bride entered through the front gate, he slipped out through the back and went to Kezhong, where he lived on Waterfall Mountain. He feared neither cold nor heat. People of the time compared him to Wang Zhongdu. He then lived in the mountains for more than thirty years, cut off from the world.

When Wang Sengqian served as governor of Wu Commandery, he earnestly invited Chu Boyu with due courtesy. Unable to refuse, Chu stayed in the commandery for two nights, spoke only a few words, and then left. After Emperor Gao took the throne, he issued a personal edict ordering the officials of Wu and Kuaiji commanderies to welcome Chu with due respect and invite him out of seclusion. Chu again declined, pleading illness. The emperor did not wish to go against his wishes, so he had the Taiping Lodge built for him on White Stone Mountain in Ke County. Chu lived to the age of eighty-six. He habitually lived in a tower, and after his death he was buried where the tower stood. Kong Gui had studied the Daoist arts under him and erected a stele beside the Taiping Lodge.

Gu Huan, whose courtesy name was Jingyi and whose other name was Xuannian, was from Yanguan in Hao Commandery. By the age of six or seven, he already knew how to calculate dates using the sexagenary cycle of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. His family was poor, and his father sent him to the fields to chase away sparrows. While there, Gu Huan wrote “Rhapsody on the Yellow Sparrow.” By the time he returned home, two sparrows had eaten most of the rice. His father was so angry that he was about to beat him, but stopped when he saw the rhapsody.

There was a school in their village, but Gu Huan’s family was too poor for him to enroll. Instead, he leaned against the wall and listened from outside, remembering everything he heard. At night, he read by the light of burning pine branches, sometimes burning rice husks for illumination. As he grew older, he devoted himself to study without ever slackening. Hearing that Shu Qian and Shao Xuanzhi of Haoxing could explain the chapters and passages of the Five Classics, he lodged with them and studied under their guidance. In his twenties, he also sought instruction from Lei Cizong, a native of Yuzhang, on the principles of metaphysics and Confucian learning. After his mother died, he went six or seven days without drinking a drop of water, then built a hut beside her grave and observed the mourning rites.

After this, Gu Huan lived in seclusion and declined official service. He established a school on Mount Tiantai in Keting, where he taught students, often nearly a hundred at a time. He favored the teachings of Huang-Lao, the Daoist tradition associated with the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and practiced methods of ingesting special substances for cultivation and health. He seldom associated with others. Each morning when he went out, mountain birds would alight on his hand to take food.

Gu Huan also understood texts on Yin-Yang and was skilled in divination and related arts, which often proved accurate. Many people in the area around Baishi Village in Shanyin suffered from illnesses attributed to evil influences. When villagers sought his help, he went there and lectured on the Laozi, after which the sick recovered. On another occasion, someone suffering from such an illness came to consult him. Gu Huan asked what books the person kept at home. The reply was that they had only the Classic of Filial Piety. Gu Huan told them to take out the chapter “Zhongni Resides” and place it reverently beside the sick person’s pillow. The person duly recovered. Asked why, Gu Huan said, “The Classic of Filial Piety is effective at dispelling evil. When righteous Qi overcomes malign Qi, the illness fades.”

Kong Gui once climbed the mountain to visit Gu Huan and discussed the “Four Foundations” with him. Gu Huan said, “In the end, principle is one. How could there be two? The so-called Four Foundations lack a proper basis because they depart from the central and correct principle.” He then wrote “Treatise on the Three Names” to clarify the matter.

Gu Huan was not skilled in debate, but excelled at writing. He also composed a two-volume commentary on Wang Bi’s Book of Changes, which circulated among scholars. After Emperor Gao of Qi took charge of the government, he appointed Gu Huan as a chief clerk in Yangzhou. Gu Huan did not take up the post until the emperor ascended the throne, and described himself as “a minister from the mountain valleys.” He presented a volume titled “Principles of Governance.” The emperor issued an edict praising it, gave him a horsetail whisk and a plain zither, and then sent him back to the mountains.

Knowing that his death was near, Gu Huan wrote a poem to express his convictions: “The Five Paths of reincarnation have no fixed abode; the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Daoist realm of purity, are the enduring home. Jing and Qi move in accordance with the Way of Heaven; wandering souls transform along with the myriad things. The Kunpeng is suited to roaming the vast sea, while the cicada and dove are content on a mulberry branch. Those who understand life let coming and going take its course. To meet a good end, like to live on, is no more than the alternation of day and night. Entrusting life to destiny, one may ride whatever carries one and go wherever one is bound. With reverence in my heart, I follow the awakened ones of old, and so depart this life in peace.”

He chose the date of his death and the hour of his burial himself. He eventually died on Mount Keting at the age of sixty-four. According to legend, his body was fragrant and supple, which was taken as a sign that he had become an immortal through corpse liberation—the Daoist transformation in which the body is left behind as the spirit departs. He was later buried beside his old grave, and a tree with two joined trunks grew by the tomb. The county magistrate, Jiang Shantu, submitted a report about the event to the throne.

Du Jing chose in advance the date of his death and the hour of his burial. He later died at Keshi Mountain at the age of sixty-four. His body gave off a fragrant scent and remained supple, as if he were still alive. People therefore believed that he had attained immortality through “corpse liberation.” After his remains were reburied in the old tomb, a tree grew beside it with branches joined together. The county magistrate, Jiang Shantu, submitted a memorial to the throne reporting the event.

Du Jingchan, courtesy name Jingqi, was from Qiantang in Wu Commandery. In his youth he was calm and unassuming, with no interest in pursuing office. He studied classical interpretations and writings widely, while devoting himself to the teachings of Huang-Lao, the Daoist school. He shared the same interests as Gu Huan, from the same commandery, and together they established a school at Shushan in Shengning. At the beginning of the Jianwu era, the court summoned him to serve as an Attendant Gentleman of the Palace Guard without portfolio. He said, “Zhuangzi fished with a pole in hand. Could he really have been swayed by humble lodgings?” He therefore declined on the grounds of illness and never took up the post. He later died.

Zong Ce, courtesy name Jingwei, was the grandson of Zong Bing, a reclusive scholar of the Liu Song dynasty. From childhood, he was quiet and modest, and disliked associating with others. He often remarked, “My family is poor and my parents are old. In earlier times, worthy people were praised for refusing to choose an official post simply to support their parents. I have some doubts about this. I cannot move the earth and obtain gold from beneath it as the ancients did, nor can I summon carp from the river. I can only follow the seasons and make use of the land’s advantages. How could I enjoy another person’s generous salary while taking on the heavy burdens of their affairs?”

Xiao Yi, the Prince of Yuzhang and a general of the cavalry, summoned him to serve as an aide. Zong Ce replied, “Why needlessly harm a seabird or cut down the trees in the mountains?” The prince then wrote again, inviting him to enter government service. Zong Ce answered, “My nature is like that of fish and birds; I wish only to remain among the valleys. I am attached to pines and clouds, and long ago forgot the road that leads to the human world. Even if streams rush between the rocks, I am content to live as an eccentric. In the blink of an eye, old age has come; my temples are now gray. How could anyone still urge me in vain, or force me to chase fame and office?”

When Zong Ce prepared to travel among famous mountains, he had a picture of “Shang Ziping” by his grandfather Zong Bing painted on the wall. His eldest son, Zong Bin, was then in the capital. Understanding his father’s intentions, he requested leave from his post and returned home to serve as assistant administrator of Nan Commandery. Zong Ce accordingly entrusted him with the affairs of the household. The provincial inspector, Prince Zijing of Anlu, the chief secretary Liu Yin, and others came to offer gifts, but Zong Ce declined them all. He set out carrying only his treasured copies of the Laozi and Zhuangzi. As his descendants took their leave, they wept with grief. Zong Ce gave a long whistle and did not look back at them, then went to Mount Lu and took up residence in his grandfather Zong Bing’s former home.

When Zixiang, the Marquis of Yufu, became provincial inspector of Jiangzhou, he sent someone with lavish gifts. Zong Ce said, “Since I was young, I have been drawn to seclusion in the mountains and often went there to gather herbs. I have come a long way to live here, eating only what my appetite requires, sheltering under a roof of pinewood, and wearing simple garments made from vines. This plain life is enough for me. How could I accept these unsolicited riches?” Zixiang went in person by carriage to visit him, but Zong Ce avoided meeting him. He associated only with people who shared his interests, such as Yu Yi, Liu Ci, and his kinsman Zong Shangzhi, discussing learning and the Dao with them.

In the second year of the Jianwu era, the court summoned Zong Ce to serve as a secretary in the Minister of Works’ office. He did not take up the post and later died. Zong Ce was skilled at painting. He once depicted himself and Ruan Ji meeting Sun Deng outside the city, seated opposite him outdoors. He also loved music, mastered the Book of Changes and the Laozi, and continued Huangfu Mi’s Biographies of Recluses in three volumes. He also wrote the Gazetteer of Mount Heng and Mount Lu.

Shen Linshi, courtesy name Yunzhen, was from Wukang in Huxing. As a child, he was bright and quick-witted. When he was seven, he listened to his uncle Shen Yue explain the mysteries of the Dao and remembered everything he heard. Shen Yue patted him on the shoulder and said, “If our culture and tradition are to endure, it will probably depend on you.”

As he grew older, Shen Linshi mastered the classics and histories and held lofty aspirations. He lived in seclusion in his native region. His family was poor, and he earned a living weaving curtains, yet he never stopped reciting books. The people of the region therefore called him “Master Who Knows the Curtains.” He was deeply learned in ritual studies and the classical commentaries, and personally taught local students.

When people urged him to enter government service, he replied, “Fish are hung up, and animals are shut in cages; that is more or less what happens to people in the world. The sages can commune with the mysteries of the Dao, and so they are always first to meet good fortune. I truly cannot yet follow the sages’ example, sit at ease, and forget myself. Why, then, should I not aspire to teachings that gradually diminish a person’s selfish desires?” He then wrote “Rhapsody on the Scattering of the Mystery” to decline the invitation to serve.

Shen Linshi taught the classics, with students numbering in the dozens and even hundreds. Many built homes near his residence. People of the time praised him, saying, “In the mountains of Huxing lives a worthy man: he opens his door to teach, yet resides in the city.” His clansmen Shen Yuan, a Gentleman of the Ministry of Personnel, and Shen Yue, a Secretariat Gentleman, jointly submitted a memorial recommending his moral character and righteous conduct. The court summoned him to serve as a Director of the Archives, but he did not take up the appointment.

He wrote to Shen Yue and the others: “A reputation is merely a guest of substance. I never meant to seek fame. If I were to toil in vain, rushing back and forth between north and south in pursuit of favor, I might instead invite disaster.” Even in his eighties, he continued to copy books by hand, writing carefully by lamplight and producing another two or three thousand volumes. People of the time saw this as the result of his cultivation of mind and body, and his quietness and lack of desire.

He expressed his thoughts in “Rhapsody on the Black Abalone” and wrote commentaries on the “Appended Statements” of the Zhouyi, the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, the Essentials of the Laozi, and several dozen other volumes of classical texts. Shen Linshi died at home at the age of eighty-five. Before his death, he instructed his family to follow the example of Huangfu Mi, courtesy name Xuanyan: place one volume of the Classic of Filial Piety in his coffin, dig the grave only two feet deep before laying the coffin inside, and set out no sacrificial table or ancestral tablet. For seasonal commemorations, they were to lay out a mat and offer only clear water. His son Shen Yi carried out these instructions.

Lu Huixiao and Zhang Rong of Wu Commandery both wrote biographies of him. In the Tang dynasty, the provincial inspector Yan Zhenqing composed “Record of the Shen Clan’s Inherited Virtue” and erected a stele beside the ancestral tomb to honor Shen Linshi’s virtue. Shen Linshi’s tomb is on Golden Goose Mountain.

The Nature of the Dao

Yu Yi, whose courtesy name was Youjian, was from Xinye. He was calm and quiet by nature and kept apart from worldly affairs. After Prince Ying of Linchuan took up his post in the province, he submitted a recommendation on Yu Yi’s behalf and sent him a hundred hu of wheat. Yu Yi said to the messenger, “I have always kept company with woodcutters and deer hunters. All my life I have worn coarse cloth and worked under the sun and moon, providing for myself. Your prince’s kindness toward me has already been profound.” He firmly declined and did not accept the gift.

Yu Yi took pleasure in studying the meanings and principles of texts. Yuan Xiang, the chief aide to the Western Pacification General, admired his bearing and sent him a bookstand made of deer antler, an inkstone fashioned from shell, and a brush with a white ivory handle. He also sent a poem that read, “The daylight is clear, and the blue sky vast.” Yuan Xiang’s kindness, too, was already profound, but Yu Yi firmly declined and accepted nothing. In return, he gave Yuan Xiang a table made from intertwined-branch wood and a tall bamboo bookcase.

In the third year of Jianwu, the court issued an edict summoning Yu Yi to serve as Registrar to the Minister of Works. He did not take up the post and later died.

The Dao and the Confucian Tradition

Yu Chengxian, whose courtesy name was Zitong, was from Langling in Yingchuan Commandery. He was quiet and purposeful, rarely spoke about right and wrong, and did not show anger or joy on his face, so others found him difficult to read. He had mastered all the classic and esoteric texts of metaphysics, and was also thoroughly versed in scholarly works such as the Nine Schools and the Seven Summaries.

He once traveled on Mount Heng with the Daoist Wang Sengzhen. Prince Zhonglie of Poyang admired his bearing, invited him to associate with him, and asked him to lecture on the Laozi. Noted scholars came from near and far to listen. The debates and exchanges were lively; Yu Chengxian answered calmly, often explaining principles his listeners had never heard before.

In the third year of Datong, Liu Huifei of Mount Lu came to Zhao Province. Yu Chengxian had long been acquainted with him, so he went to Jingxia to visit. Local scholars asked Yu Chengxian to lecture on the Laozi. The Prince of Xiangdong came in person by carriage to hear him. When Yu Chengxian returned to the mountain, the prince personally saw him off with a farewell feast and presented him with a poem.

The Excellence of the Dao

Tao Hongjing, whose courtesy name was Tongming, was from Moling.

Tao Hongjing, whose courtesy name was Tongming, was a native of Moling. When he was ten, he came upon Ge Hong’s Biographies of the Immortals. After reading it, he told someone, “When I look up at the blue clouds and see the sun, the path to becoming an immortal no longer seems far away.” He had a bright, handsome air, clear eyes, sparse eyebrows, a slender frame, a high forehead, and prominent ears. Dozens of black moles marked his right knee. When he wrote, he arranged his strokes in the shape of the Northern Dipper. He had read more than ten thousand volumes and considered it a great disgrace to be ignorant of anything. He was skilled at playing the zither and at chess, and was also proficient in cursive and clerical script.

Before he was twenty, Emperor Gao of Qi, then serving as chief minister, invited him to become a reader-in-attendance. Later, he held a minor, largely honorary court post. The court often sought his advice on important matters and adopted his recommendations. His family was poor, and he hoped to ask for an appointment as a county magistrate, but his request was unsuccessful. In the tenth year of the Yongming era, he took off his court robes, hung them at Shenwu Gate, and submitted a memorial resigning his salary. The emperor approved his request by decree and gave him a bolt of silk. The emperor also ordered that wherever Tao went, he should receive five jin of poria and two sheng of white honey each month for nourishment and cultivation. The high officials saw him off at Zhenglu Pavilion, saying, “Since the Song and Qi dynasties, there has never been anything like this.”

Tao Hongjing then settled on Juchu Mountain in Jurong, where he built a retreat and cultivated the Dao. He called himself “the Recluse of Huayang.” In letters, he often used “the Recluse” in place of his own name. At first, he studied with Sun Youyue, a native of Dongyang, learning Fulu (talismans and registers), Daoist charts and texts, and methods of Daoist practice. Later, he traveled widely among the famous mountains south of the Yangtze, seeking traces left by Daoist figures such as Yang Xi and Xu Mi. He once told his disciples, “When I see a grand mansion with vermilion gates, I know the pleasures of wealth and status it holds, but I feel no desire to pursue them. When I see a high cliff overlooking a broad lake, I know how hard it would be to make a home there, yet I always want to draw near. Besides, when I sought official rank and salary during the Yongming era, everything went against me. If things had gone otherwise, how could I have achieved the life of Daoist cultivation I have today?”

Tao Hongjing was even-tempered, modest, and cautious. Whether entering public service or withdrawing from it, he seemed to follow the opportunities of the moment. His mind was clear like a mirror: he understood whatever arose before him. His speech was concise and orderly; if he sometimes said something ill-judged, he noticed it at once. In the early years of the Yongyuan era, he built a three-story tower. His disciples and guests lived on the lower floors, while he gradually reduced his contact with the outside world. He especially loved the sound of wind through pine trees and was delighted whenever he heard it. At times he wandered alone among the mountain springs and ridges; people who saw him from afar took him for an immortal.

He enjoyed writing books and was drawn to unusual learning. He was especially well versed in Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), wind divination, which used the direction of the wind to predict good and ill fortune, astronomical calculation, the geography of mountains and rivers, the products of different regions, medicine, and materia medica. He once made an armillary sphere about three feet tall, with a model of the earth at its center. Mechanisms set the celestial images in motion while the earth remained still, and their movement corresponded to the observed heavens. He said this was an instrument needed for Daoist cultivation.

He greatly admired Zhang Liang, calling him “an ancient worthy without equal.” Near the end of the Qi dynasty, he composed a prophetic verse: “Water, blade, and wood make a beam.” Later, when Emperor Wu of Liang’s army reached Xincheng, Tao sent his disciple Dai Mengzhi to deliver a memorial by way of the army. Hearing that the court was discussing the abdication of the throne and a change of dynasty, he had his disciples work out the relevant prophetic diagrams and writings. Several calculations all produced the character “Liang,” so he ordered his disciples to present them.

Emperor Wu of Liang had known Tao Hongjing from early in his career, and treated him with even greater courtesy after ascending the throne. Tao had obtained divine talismans and secret instructions, refined a divine elixir, and reported this to the emperor. The emperor regularly supplied him with medicinal ingredients and also took the flying elixirs Tao made, finding them effective. This deepened his respect for Tao. Whenever the emperor received one of Tao’s letters, he accepted it reverently after burning incense.

The emperor once asked Tao to compile a calendar. When Tao reached the year Jisi, he added a red dot to mark it as the third year of the Taiqing era. The emperor wrote to summon him in person and also bestowed on him a deerskin cap. Tao replied with a drawing of two oxen: one grazing freely among water and grass, the other wearing a golden halter and being led and prodded with a stick. The emperor laughed and said, “This man can do anything. Is he trying to teach me to be a turtle that drags its tail through the water and hides there? How could I possibly do that?” Through the drawing of the oxen, Tao was expressing his preference for the freedom of a reclusive life and his reluctance to be bound by constraints.

The emperor consulted him in advance on every matter of state, and they exchanged several letters each month. People of the time called Tao “the chancellor in the mountains.” In the fourth year of the Tianjian era, he moved to the eastern ridge of Jijin and practiced the highest Daoist methods. From then on, he lived in seclusion for about forty years. Even after turning eighty, he still looked robust. An immortal text says that people with square-shaped eyes can live for a thousand years; in his later years, one of Tao Hongjing’s eyes sometimes appeared square.

He was skilled in the arts of divination and calculation, and foresaw the coming fall of the Liang dynasty. In advance, he wrote a poem: “Wang Yifu lived carelessly and neglected his duties; He Yan sat idle, talking in vain. Could the Zhaoyang Hall itself become the Xiongnu chanyu’s palace?” He hid the poem in a box, and his disciples only gradually brought it to light after his death. At the end of the Datong era, scholars competed to discuss abstruse principles but neglected military training. Later, when Hou Jing usurped power, he did indeed occupy Zhaoyang Hall. As he neared death, Tao knew that he was about to depart and wrote a farewell piece.

Tao Hongjing died in the second year of the Datong era, at the age of eighty-one. The court posthumously appointed him Grand Master of the Palace and gave him the posthumous title “Master Zhenbai.” He wrote several hundred volumes on mountain cultivation and Daoist teachings. More than three thousand disciples received Daoist teachings from him. His nephew Tao Xu compiled Record of the Origins of the Master Tao, Recluse of Huayang. Xie Lun of Wuxing wrote A Brief Biography of Master Tao; Li Bo wrote Biography of Master Zhenbai of Maoshan in the Liang; and Jia Song wrote Inner Biography of the Perfected Tao, Water Director of Penglai.

During the Xuanhe era, the court conferred on Tao Hongjing the title “Perfected One Who Upholds the Teachings, Zongyuan Xu.” The imperial edict said: “I have received the heavenly mandate of Langxiao and hold the precious talisman of Longhan. My purpose is to proclaim the teachings of numinous subtlety and spread the transformation of the Dao, to elucidate the hidden words of the highest teachings, and to seek auspicious protection from the immortals. Tao the Recluse, Water Director of Penglai, became renowned early in life and later devoted himself to cultivation, avoiding the entanglements of the world. Though he lived in the mountains, his sincerity had long since reached the spirits. His immortal name has spread across the seas; his virtue and renown have no equal. How could his wondrous protection be forgotten? Therefore, I confer upon him this distinguished title, that he may forever bestow blessings upon all living beings.”

The third volume of the Record of Profound Teachings is complete.

Record of Profound Teachings, Volume Four

Compiled by Zhang Tianyu, the Outsider of Gouqu, a native of Haichang in Wu Commandery.

Southern Histories

Daoist Persons

Zhou Ziliang, courtesy name Yuanhe, was a disciple of Tao the Recluse of Maoshan. His family was originally from Runan County in Yuzhou; he later settled temporarily in Dan…

Zhou Ziliang, courtesy name Yuanhe, was a disciple of Tao Hongjing of Maoshan, known as the Recluse. He was originally from Runan County in Yuzhou, but later settled in Qinghua Ward, in the western district of Jiankang, Danyang. His grandfather, Zhou Wenlang, once served as Left Palace Attendant to the Prince of Jiangxia under the Song dynasty. His father, Zhou Yaozong, Zhou Wenlang’s fifth son, served as a clerk in the county administration and died young. His stepfather, Zhou Yaoxu, served as a deliberative officer in Yangzhou.

When Zhou Ziliang’s mother, Xu Zhengguang, a native of Yongjia, was five months pregnant, she dreamed that all the immortal sages in her house rose and came to her from afar, approaching from every direction. Zhou Ziliang was born on the second day of the first month in the fourth year of Jianwu, a Dingchou year, at night, around the time when people had settled in for sleep. At the age of ten, he accompanied his mother back to Yongjia. In the seventh year of Tianjian, Tao Hongjing traveled east to explore the seas and sacred mountains and seek immortal realms. He arrived in Yongjia and rested at the Hall of the Celestial Master’s Retreat, a Daoist ritual site. Zhou Ziliang, then only twelve, was already living there. He asked to enter the mountains to cultivate the Dao and become Tao Hongjing’s disciple. He was successively taught the Register of Immortals, the Five Thousand Words of Laozi, and the Talisman for Restraining Tigers and Leopards from the Duke of the Western Peak. From then on, he devoted himself to tending incense and lamps. He enjoyed reading and painting, and was also skilled at handling practical tasks.

He later accompanied Tao Hongjing to Southern Huo, then returned to Muliu. In the eleventh year, he followed his master back to Maoling, where he was further taught the Diagram of the Five Sacred Peaks and the Inner Writings of the Three Sovereigns. In the autumn of the twelfth year, relatives from his family came to seek refuge in the mountains, so Tao Hongjing left his original quarters and moved to a separate dwelling on the western slope. Zhou Ziliang secretly received a numinous instruction and gained the ability to summon Perfected Beings and usher in immortals. Tao Hongjing never doubted him.

On the day of the summer solstice, the twenty-third day of the fifth month in the fourteenth year, an Yiwei year, Zhou Ziliang suddenly sensed a spirit’s descent while asleep. Only after a long time did he rise. This was regarded as the beginning of his communion with spirits. On the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month that same year, after sunset, he underwent corpse liberation in Pingwai—a Daoist transformation in which the body is shed and one transcends to become an immortal. He was then twenty years old. Tao Hongjing sorted through his belongings but could not find any records he had left behind. At dawn on a Jiazi day in the eleventh month, Tao Hongjing went to Yenkou Cave and, as it happened, found a large document case. He climbed the steep mountain to retrieve it. The case was the one that had been sealed away when Zhou Ziliang received the numinous instruction. Its papers were scattered and jumbled, so Tao Hongjing arranged them by year, month, and day, compiling them into four volumes of Records of Zhou’s Communion with the Hidden Realm. He also wrote a biography of the Mystic Zhou to place at the beginning of the work and presented it to Emperor Wu.

It is said that Zhou Ziliang had studied the Dao across three lifetimes. He was first born into the Zhou Da family, and next into the Liu Wei family. The blessings he had earned through diligent Daoist cultivation in his previous lives carried over into this one. He had already been entered into the registers of immortals three times, but each time his name was struck off for violating the rules. Only after passing through life and death was he finally able to preserve his immortal destiny. He changed his name to Taixuan, took the courtesy name Xuling, and served as Assistant Keeper of the Registers. Later, he petitioned for the Eastern Florescent Perfected to serve as Keeper of the Morning. His name was engraved on a purple jade slip. The teachings and numinous instructions bestowed by the various Perfected Beings are recorded in detail in Records of Zhou’s Communion with the Hidden Realm.

Daoist Arts

Sun Wentao, also known as Tao, with the courtesy name Wencang, was from Kexian in Kuaiji. He went to Mount Mao, became a disciple of the reclusive master Yinju, and received the true teachings. Later, after seeing the high scriptures handwritten by the three Perfected Ones Yang and Xu, he began practicing by copying them. Gradually, his calligraphy became exceptionally refined. He then studied Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy and attained great skill, earning considerable praise at the time.

The “Stele of the Nine Bestowals” in the Southern Grotto of Huayang and the altar stele at the former residence of Xu Changshi were both written by Sun Wentao. An inscription on the back of the Southern Grotto Stele says: “Wentao was gentle of heart and resolute in bearing. His conduct was upright, and his talent and insight were well rounded. His skill was unlike that of ordinary people, so he was specially entered in the ‘Unusual Register.’” What exactly the “Unusual Register” referred to can no longer be determined from the records preserved in the mountains.

Daoist and Confucian

Ma Shu, whose courtesy name was Yaoli, was from Fufeng Commandery. He had read widely in the classics, histories, and other writings, and was especially well versed in the teachings of the Book of Changes and the Laozi. When Xiao Lun, Prince of Shaoling, served as governor of Nanxu Province, he appointed Ma Shu as a scholar. After the Rebellion of Hou Jing broke out, Xiao Lun raised troops to relieve the besieged imperial capital, leaving his collection of twenty thousand volumes in Ma Shu’s care. Ma Shu read to his heart’s content, nearly exhausting the collection, and reflected: “I have heard that those who seek high rank and distinction regard Chao Fu and Xu You, legendary recluses, as obstructing branches; those who cherish life in the mountains and forests regard Yi Yin and Lü Shang, celebrated ministers who served rulers, as plants that block the view. Fixation on fame and achievement leads people to look down on the nobility of Dong Sheng and the Historian at the Pillar, who valued moral integrity and quiet Wuwei (non-action). Reverence for quiet emptiness, in turn, makes them dismiss discussions at the mat as dross. Examined closely, these principles show that people simply follow their own inclinations. Now, those who seek the path of reclusion stop as soon as they catch sight of the road ahead. Could it be that Heaven does not favor people of noble character? Why, then, does reclusion in the mountains remain so obscure?” He thereupon withdrew to Mount Mao, resolved to spend the rest of his life there.

In Ma Shu’s youth, the land was ravaged by war, yet bandits never harassed the places where he went. Several hundred households often gathered around him. In the first year of the Yuanchia era of the Chen dynasty, Emperor Wen summoned him to serve as Director of the Bureau of Revenue, an official in charge of state finances, but he declined. In his later years, his eyes were clear and bright, and he could see minute objects. A pair of white swallows nested in a tree in his courtyard and became very tame and familiar with him, often flying to his writing desk. They came in spring and left in autumn for nearly thirty years. Ma Shu died in the thirteenth year of the Daye era. His Treatise on Awakening to the Dao has been handed down.

Xue Biaozhi was from Jinling. In his youth, he kept apart from worldly society and did not envy high-ranking official posts. In the second year of the Jianwu era of the Qi dynasty, he stayed in Dongchuan to seek the true Dao and its secret methods, returning only in the third year. Later, he cultivated the Dao at the Dongtian Lodge on the eastern ridge of Great Mao Peak on Mount Gouqu, eating pine seeds and drinking spring water for many years. The Dongtian Lodge was where the perfected person Ren Duncheng attained the Dao during the Jin dynasty. The remains of its altar grounds still stand, and are said to have shown signs of spiritual efficacy. Drawn by these traces of the past and seeking the true Dao, Xue Biaozhi therefore practiced there.

Xu Ze was from Ke County in Donghai Commandery. From childhood, he was quiet and had few desires. He studied under Zhou Hongzheng and was skilled in exploring the three metaphysical classics, the Laozi, the Zhuangzi, and the Zhouyi. He was also an accomplished debater and was well known around the capital. Xu Ze sighed, “Reputation is merely an appendage to actual virtue. Am I really to become someone who chases after fame?” He then resolved to withdraw from the world and cultivate the Dao. Carrying a staff, he entered Mount Jinyun, where several hundred people came to study under him.

During the Taijian era of the Chen dynasty, Xu Ze was summoned to stay temporarily at Zhizhen Abbey. A month later, he took his leave and went to Mount Tiantai. He cultivated his body and nature by abstaining from food, relying in daily life on nothing but pine wood. Even in the bitter cold of deep winter, he wore no padded clothing.

When he was first on Mount Jinyun, the Supreme Ultimate Perfected Xu (a legendary immortal) appeared to him and said, “After you pass the age of eighty, you will become the teacher of an emperor and then attain the Dao and become an immortal.” At that time, Prince Yang Guang was stationed in Yangzhou. Hearing of Xu Ze’s reputation, Yang Guang summoned him with a letter written in his own hand. Xu Ze said to his disciples, “I am eighty-one this year. The prince has summoned me, and Xu’s words have indeed come true.” He then went to meet Yang Guang. Yang Guang asked to learn Daoist methods, but Xu Ze declined, saying the time and day were not auspicious.

Later, one night, Xu Ze instructed his attendants to bring incense and fire, and made offerings as he did during his customary morning rites. At the fifth watch, he died. His body remained supple, as though he were still alive; even after lying in state for several dozen days, his complexion had not changed. Yang Guang sent an envoy to return his coffin to Mount Tiantai for burial.

Around that time, some Daoists traveling from Jiangdu to Mount Tiantai said they had seen Xu Ze walking along the road. They heard him say, “I have been permitted to return, and am going back to my old home.” He distributed his scriptures and ritual implements among his disciples, then had someone clean a room, saying, “A guest is coming; you should invite him in here.” After that, he crossed the stone bridge and disappeared. A little while later, the coffin arrived, and only then did people realize that he had undergone immortal transformation. Xu Ze was eighty-two when he died. On hearing of this, Yang Guang was even more astonished. He sent a painter to make a portrait of Xu Ze and commissioned Liu Jing to write an encomium for it.

Zhang Xian initially served as an official under the Later Zhou, holding the post of Grand Master of the Court of Education. He wrote fifty-two essays discussing the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, which he called Dao Yan.

Wang Yuanzhi was from Langya. His grandfather, Wang Jingxian, had served as governor of Jiangzhou under the Liang dynasty, and his father, Wang Tanxuan, as governor of Yangzhou under the Chen dynasty. His mother was the daughter of Ding Chao, a Court Gentleman of the Ministry of War. One day, while sleeping, Wang Yuanzhi’s mother dreamed that a numinous phoenix alighted on her. She then became pregnant and once heard a baby crying in her womb. The Buddhist monk Shizhi told Wang Tanxuan that this child would one day become a great master among the immortals.

Wang Yuanzhi was born in the second year of the Datong era of the Liang. Bright and quick-witted from a young age, he read widely. He first studied under Master Zongdao, Zang Jin, and later went to Maoshan, where he inherited and practiced the scriptures and methods of Tao the Hermit (Tao Hongjing). When the Chen ruler heard of his reputation, he summoned him to the Chongyang Hall to give a lecture and greatly admired him.

When Emperor Yang of Sui was still Prince of Jin and governing Yangzhou, he sent Wang Zixiang and Liu Guyan in succession to summon Wang Yuanzhi. Wang came to pay his respects, and before long his hair and beard turned white. The prince was frightened and sent him away; a short while later, Wang’s hair and beard returned to their original color. When Emperor Yang traveled to Zhuojun, Cui Fengju, a Gentleman of the Outer Court, invited Wang Yuanzhi to come. Wang met the emperor at Linshuo Palace. Emperor Yang personally treated him with the respect due a disciple and ordered the construction of a Jade Purity Mystery Altar in the capital for him to live in. Later, when the emperor traveled to Yangzhou, Wang Yuanzhi urged him not to go far from the capital, but the emperor did not heed his advice.

Before Tang Gaozu ascended the throne, while he was still governing a regional command, Wang Yuanzhi secretly transmitted to him talismans and prophecies of his destined mandate. During the Wude era, after Tang Taizong had defeated Wang Shichong, he and Fang Xuanling disguised themselves as commoners and went to visit Wang Yuanzhi. Wang came out to meet them and said, “There is a sage here. Could he be the Prince of Qin?” Taizong then told him the truth. Wang Yuanzhi said, “You will become an emperor who brings peace to the realm. I hope you will take good care of yourself.”

After Taizong ascended the throne, he intended to appoint Wang Yuanzhi to a high office, but Wang firmly requested permission to return to the mountains. In the ninth year of Zhenguan, the court established the Temple of Great Peace at Maoshan in Runzhou and arranged for Daoist priests to live there. In an edict, Taizong praised Wang Yuanzhi as mild and simple in character, pure in virtue, and removed from worldly affairs, with his attention devoted to the mysteries of the Dao. He also said that through practices such as exhaling the old and inhaling the new, and consuming fungi and plants, Wang had sought the mysteries of the realm of the Three Pure Ones, and that though advanced in years, he looked like a young man. His attainment in the Dao surpassed that of the worthy recluses of earlier times, and few throughout history had matched his renown. Surely, Taizong said, he was one who had received secret instructions from Jintan and hidden scriptures from Yuji. Taizong recalled that in his early years governing a regional command, he had sought Wang’s guidance and never forgotten his teachings. Now that Wang had asked to withdraw from the world, the court had granted his return to the mountains and built a temple to show its respect. Taizong also asked when Wang would arrive and when the halls being built at Maoshan would be completed. He sent the Director of the Astronomical Bureau, Xue Yi, and others to convey his instructions.

On the fourteenth day of the eighth month that year, Wang Yuanzhi told his disciple Pan Shizheng that, after consulting the registers of the immortals, he had learned that as a child he had accidentally injured another boy’s lip. For this reason, he could not ascend to heaven in broad daylight and had been granted only the immortal office of “Count of Shaoshi.” He said that he was about to die. On the sixteenth day of the eighth month, he bathed, put on his cap and clothes, and lay down peacefully after burning incense. He asked his attendant the time. When told that it was the hour of Chen, he said, “Good,” adjusted his cap, and died. He was one hundred and twenty-six years old.

In the second year of the Tiaolu era, the court posthumously awarded him the title Grand Master of the Palace and the posthumous name “Master Who Ascended to the True.” During the Sisheng era of Wu Zetian, he was further awarded the title Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Sash. In the second year of the Tianshou era, his posthumous name was changed to “Master Who Ascended to the Mystery.” People of the time called him “Master Wang of the Dao.”

Xu Hongke was a Daoist of Mount Tai. During the reign of Wu Zetian, the court posthumously bestowed on him the official title Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Golden and Purple Insignia. In the second year of the Tianshou era, he was given the honorific title “Master of Ascending to the Mystery.” People of the time also called him “Wang, the Master of the Way.”

During the turmoil of the Sui dynasty, Xu Hongke wrote to Li Mi: “Your great army has been assembled for a long time. I fear that when its provisions run out, the people’s hearts will scatter. The generals have campaigned for years and grown weary of fighting; under these conditions, success will be difficult. You should seize the moment to advance while the army’s morale is high, travel east by water straight to Jiangdu, capture Emperor Yang of Sui, and issue commands to the realm.”

Li Mi agreed that his advice made sense and sent him a letter inviting him to join his cause. But Xu Hongke never came forward, and no one later knew what became of him.

Hu Jun of Zhìtáng commented: “Xu Hongke’s strategy was both extraordinary and in accord with the right path. Li Mi could not match him, nor could the men of the Tang dynasty. The world is not without talent: some gifted people vanish among butchers and merchants; others take refuge among bandits. Xu Hongke and Wei Zheng both lived quietly as Daoists, yet possessed strategies for setting troubled times aright and abilities to aid the people. The world simply did not know them.

“Emperor Yang of Sui ruled without the Dao, so it is understandable that the people resented him, that the army rebelled, and that the scholar-officials deserted him. But Xu Hongke was a Daoist, dwelling amid the mountains, forests, and clouds, far removed from worldly turmoil. He could have paid no heed to a ruler’s fortunes or misfortunes, or to whether the realm was well governed or in chaos. What had any of this to do with him? Yet he still spoke out with urgency, getting straight to the heart of the matter and urging Li Mi to pursue the next best course: to capture Emperor Yang directly. The Book of Songs says, ‘People are endowed with their inborn nature and delight in fine virtue.’ It speaks of a man like this.

“Still, Li Mi may not have been worthy of such a serious conversation. Perhaps Xu Hongke knew nothing of the uprising from Jinyang; perhaps, unable to find another way to offer his counsel, he used Duke of Pucheng Li Mi as a means to voice his plan. Even this single piece of advice shows how many extraordinary strategies he held within him. Yet he never revealed his abilities. After Emperor Taizong of Tang had secured the realm, no further word of Xu Hongke was heard. Had he already died, or had he withdrawn from public life like the Yellow Stone Old Man and Lu Zhonglian? Alas, he truly deserves to be called a lofty recluse.”

Daoquan

Wei Zheng, whose courtesy name was Xuancheng, was from Qucheng in Wei Prefecture. He lost his father when he was young and lived in poverty and disappointment, yet did not manage a family estate and held great ambitions. During the upheavals of the Sui dynasty, he withdrew from society and became a Daoist. Later, he served Tang Taizong and often advised him with frank remonstrances, urging him to govern with benevolence and moral principle. His counsel helped bring peace during the Zhenguan era, and he became a renowned official of his generation. His biography in the Book of Tang does not record these events in full.

Guarding the Dao

Xue Yi was from Fenyin in Hedong and took an early interest in arcane learning. During the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, he left ordinary life and became a Daoist, mastering astronomy and the calendar. Under Emperor Yang of Sui, Xue Yi was summoned to the inner sanctuary of the Jade Purity Abbey and was repeatedly ordered to preside over Zhaijiao (purification rituals with altars, prayers to the gods, and scripture recitation for blessings).

In the early Wude era of the Tang, Xue Yi was assigned to serve in the Prince of Qin’s household. He once told Prince Li Shimin in private, “A star of virtue has appeared in the celestial region corresponding to Qin. You will come to possess all under Heaven; I hope you will take good care of yourself.” He later rose through the ranks to become Director of the Astronomical Bureau, an official responsible for astronomy and the calendar.

During the Zhenguan era, the court was preparing to hold the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai when a comet appeared in the sky. Judging from the celestial signs, Xue Yi concluded that it might not be suitable to travel east for the sacrifices. Just then, Chu Suiliang expressed the same view, and the ceremony was called off. Later, Xue Yi submitted a memorial asking to become a Daoist again. Taizong then had the Purple Palace Abbey built for him on Mount Jiufeng, appointed him a Senior Grand Master, and put him in charge of the abbey.

Xue Yi also built a Clear Observatory at the abbey to observe celestial phenomena. When ominous signs occurred, such as eclipses or close approaches between the sun and moon, he reported them to the court as circumstances required. Most of his forecasts over the years agreed with those made by Li Chunfeng at the capital’s observatory. Li Chunfeng had also been a Daoist under the Sui, with the religious name Yellow-Crowned Master. He later became known for his writings and discussions.

Daoist Recluses

Wang Ji, whose courtesy name was Wugong.

Wang Ji, courtesy name Wugong, was from Longmen in Jiangzhou. Plain and free-spirited by nature, he disliked bowing and other formal courtesies. His elder brother, Wang Tong, was a great Confucian scholar in the late Sui dynasty. Wang Ji repeatedly took part in examinations for filial piety, fraternal devotion, and integrity, and was appointed Proofreader in the Palace Library. Yet he had no wish to pursue office. He later became assistant magistrate of Liuhe County, but neglected his duties because of his fondness for wine. When the realm fell into turmoil, he resigned and left, lamenting, “The nets have already been spread across the sky. I would rather be content with my own lot.”

Afterward, he returned to his home region, where he had sixteen qing of farmland. He heard that a recluse named Zhongchang Ziguang lived by the river and cultivated health by ingesting substances. Admiring his simple, natural way of life, Wang Ji moved nearby. Zhongchang Ziguang developed sores on his body and never spoke to anyone. Wang Ji once drank with him; the two sat at ease, carefree and delighted.

Wang Ji had several servants who grew millet and brewed wine in spring and autumn. They also raised crows and cultivated medicinal herbs for his use. He kept the Classic of Changes, the Laozi, and the Zhuangzi at his bedside, and read few other books. When he missed his elder brother, he would cross the river to visit him. He enjoyed wandering around Donggao in the northern hills and therefore called himself “Master Donggao.” When riding his ox past a wine shop, he would sometimes stay there for several days.

In the early Wude era, Wang Ji was summoned to serve in the Chancellery on the basis of his former official position. By convention, officials awaiting an audience were given three liters of wine each day. When someone asked what pleasure he found in this post, he replied, “Good wine is reason enough to stay.” Wang Ji died in the eighteenth year of the Zhenguan era.

Ye Fashan was from Kuocang, in the area of present-day Lishui, Zhejiang. Beginning with his great-grandfather, three generations of his family were Daoist priests, each passing down the arts of divination and nourishing life. In his youth, Ye Fashan received Fulu (talismans and registers) and could use Daoist methods to expel and subdue ghosts and spirits.

During the Xianqing era, Emperor Gaozong of Tang heard of his reputation and summoned him to the capital, intending to grant him a noble title. Ye Fashan firmly declined. He remained at a Daoist establishment within the palace, where he received special favor. At the time, Gaozong was recruiting fangshi (masters of esoteric arts) on a large scale to practice the arts of making gold and silver—that is, Waidan (external alchemy). Ye Fashan submitted a memorial stating that producing the Golden Elixir was exceedingly difficult, would only waste money, and would also hinder the conduct of government. He asked the emperor to investigate whether these masters were genuine. Gaozong agreed and ordered him to examine them. More than ninety were found unqualified, and the entire group was dismissed.

From the reigns of Gaozong, Wu Zetian, and Zhongzong, Ye Fashan served for roughly fifty years. He often traveled among famous mountains and was repeatedly summoned to the palace, where the emperors treated him with respect and sought his counsel on the Dao. After Ruizong took the throne, he said that Ye Fashan had secretly helped the court. In the second year of the Xiantian era, Ye was appointed Court Minister for State Ceremonial, an official responsible for guests, rites, and related affairs, and was enfeoffed as Duke of Yue. He continued to live as a Daoist priest, residing at Jinglong Abbey in the capital. His father, Huiming, was posthumously awarded the title Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Silver Seal and Blue Ribbon, and Li Yong, governor of Shezhou, composed an inscription for his stele. At the time, no one could match the esteem and favor bestowed upon Ye Fashan.

Ye Fashan was born in the bingzi year of Daye under the Sui and died in the gengzi year of Kaiyuan under the Tang, at the age of 107. In the eighth year of Kaiyuan, the emperor issued an edict:

“Ye Fashan, a late Daoist priest, Court Minister for State Ceremonial with an additional appointment, and Duke of Yue, was endowed with pure nature, well versed in the principles of the Dao, and deeply perceptive of its mysteries. He understood its secret essentials and manifested numinous signs; the depth of his attainments was beyond measure. Yet his temperament was detached and his conduct modest. Though he served at court, he did not covet its splendor; though he was a Daoist priest, he took no pride in his official rank. He stood apart, serene and self-possessed, with lofty bearing, few desires, and steadfast integrity. His outward presence was extraordinary, and inwardly he was luminous and full. It may be said that he had reached the rank of a middle immortal and was counted among those of lofty De (Virtue/Power).

“In the course of my duties, I repeatedly sought his counsel on the highest Dao. He often offered me beneficial advice on the art of governing the state; his plans held profound meaning, and his words truly served the court. I still hear his fine words in my mind, yet grieve that he has suddenly passed away before I could arrange the things he left behind. This is deeply painful. I have long mourned his loss, and should confer additional honors upon him to recognize his merit in the world below. He is hereby posthumously granted the title Governor-General of Yuezhou.”

On the Dao

Sun Simiao was from Huayuan in the Jingzhao region. He entered school at the age of seven and could recite more than a thousand characters each day. By the time he was about twenty, he was already skilled at discussing the teachings of the Zhuangzi, the Laozi, and the various schools of thought. When Dugu Xin, governor-general of Luo Prefecture, met him, he remarked with a sigh, “This is an extraordinary child prodigy. It is only a pity that his capacities are so great that a small place could hardly make use of him.” During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Zhou, amid the many troubles of the royal house, Sun Simiao withdrew to Mount Taibai. When Emperor Wen of Sui took charge of the government, he summoned Sun to serve as a professor at the National University, but Sun pleaded illness and declined office.

Sun Simiao once told those close to him, “Fifty years from now, a sage will appear, and I will help him save the people.” After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he summoned Sun to the capital. Seeing how young Sun looked, he exclaimed, “Now I know that people who possess the Dao truly deserve reverence. Could the ancient stories of immortals like Xianmen and Guangcheng really be made up?” Taizong intended to grant Sun an official title and rank, but Sun firmly declined. In the fourth year of Xianqing, Emperor Gaozong appointed him Grand Master for Remonstrance, and Sun again firmly refused. In the first year of Shangyuan, Sun pleaded illness and asked to retire. Gaozong specially bestowed a fine horse upon him and let him live at the office and residence of Princess Poyang’s fief.

The celebrated scholars Zong Lingwen, Meng Shuo, Lu Zhaolin, and others served him with the respect due a teacher. Sun Simiao once accompanied the emperor to Jiucheng Palace, while Lu Zhaolin remained at Sun’s residence. A pear tree in the courtyard was sick, and Lu wrote an essay about it.

Lu Zhaolin’s uncle recorded: “In the year guiyou, I was ill in the government lodging at Guangde Ward in Chang’an. Local elders said that the place had once been the office and residence of Princess Poyang’s fief. The princess died before she married, so the residence fell into disuse. At that time, the reclusive scholar Sun Simiao lived there. Master Sun’s knowledge of the Dao’s arts reached across past and present. His learning was profound, and he understood the arts of calculation. When discussing Zhengyi, an important school of Daoism, he was like the ancient Zhuangzi; when exploring the principle of nonduality, he was like Vimalakirti, a figure in Buddhist scriptures. In calculating the calendar, interpreting omens from the heavenly stems and earthly branches, and measuring heaven and earth, he was a figure like Luo Xiahong or Master Anqi.”

Lu Zhaolin suffered from a paralytic illness that physicians could not cure, so he asked Sun Simiao about the way of nourishing life. Sun said, “I have heard that those skilled at discussing the Way of Heaven must verify it through the human condition; those skilled at discussing humanity must also take the Way of Heaven as their foundation. Heaven has the four seasons and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), with cold and heat alternating in their cycles. When the climate is in harmony, rain forms; when the Qi stirs violently, wind arises; when it congeals, frost and snow form; when it spreads, rainbows appear. These are the ordinary workings of heaven and earth.

“Human beings have four limbs and five organs, wakefulness and sleep, breathing in and out, and the movement of Jing and Qi. When Qi and blood circulate, they form the nutritive and defensive Qi that sustains the body and protects it from external influences; when they show outwardly, they become the complexion; when they sound forth, they become the voice. These are the ordinary workings of the human body. Yang Qi acts upon the body, while Yin Qi acts upon Jing. Heaven, earth, and humanity all follow this pattern.

“When the pattern falls out of balance, Qi that stagnates and steams produces fever, while impeded circulation produces cold. Congealing forms tumors; sinking inward forms abscesses and sores. Qi rushing upward brings on panting, while depleted Jing leaves the body withered. Illness appears in the complexion and alters the body’s form. By extension, the same principle applies to heaven and earth. Irregular movements of the five planets, disordered stars, eclipses of the sun and moon, and celestial phenomena such as comets and meteors are all urgent warnings from heaven and earth. Abnormal cold and heat are signs that the Qi of heaven and earth has become stagnant and disordered. Rocks thrusting upward and earth swelling are tumors of heaven and earth; mountains collapsing and the ground giving way are their abscesses and sores; violent winds and torrential rain are their panting and exhaustion; overflowing or drying rivers are their depletion.

“A good physician uses medicines, needles, and stones to guide and restore balance, treating the body with acupuncture, moxibustion, and prescriptions. A sage harmonizes the world through lofty De (Virtue/Power), while also governing human affairs. Thus, illnesses of the body can be cured, and disasters of heaven and earth can likewise be averted.”

Sun Simiao added, “Be bold in spirit, yet cautious within; be flexible in wisdom, yet upright in conduct. The Book of Songs says, ‘As if approaching a deep abyss, as if treading on thin ice’: this speaks of caution. ‘The mighty and valiant warriors are the shield of dukes and lords’: this speaks of boldness. To change one’s principles for profit, or to feel guilt in the face of what is right, is not upright conduct. To act as soon as a sign appears, without waiting until the last moment, is flexible wisdom.”

Lu Zhaolin then asked about the essentials of nurturing one’s nature: caring for body and mind and cultivating one’s nature and life. Sun Simiao replied, “Heaven has fullness and decline; people have security and danger. If they do not know how to exercise caution and restraint, they cannot preserve themselves. So the first requirement in nurturing one’s nature is to know how to be cautious. Reverence is the foundation of caution. Without reverence, scholars become dismissive of benevolence and righteousness; farmers neglect their cultivation; artisans fail to follow the rules; and merchants cannot make their goods prosper. Sons without reverence forget filial duty; fathers without reverence lose their loving care; ministers without reverence find it hard to achieve merit; and rulers without reverence bring disorder to government.

“Thus, the highest person reveres the Dao; the next reveres Heaven; then come reverence for all things and for other people; and finally, reverence for oneself. Those who take care of themselves will not be manipulated by others; those who restrain themselves will not be controlled by others. Those cautious about small matters need not fear great ones; those who guard against present mistakes will not dismiss dangers in the distant future. In this way, one has fulfilled one’s responsibilities in human affairs.”

Sun Simiao said that he was born in the xin-you year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty and was then ninety-three years old. Yet when people from his hometown were asked, they all said he had lived for several centuries. When he spoke of events from the Zhou and Northern Qi dynasties, he remembered them as clearly as if he had witnessed them himself. By this reckoning, he was plainly more than a hundred years old. Yet his sight and hearing were sharp, and his spirit was vigorous. He could truly be called one of the wise and perceptive people of antiquity, seemingly beyond death.

Wei Zheng and others were ordered to compile histories of the five dynasties of Qi, Liang, Zhou, Chen, and Sui. Worried that some events might be missing from the historical record, they repeatedly consulted Sun Simiao. He recounted events as if he had witnessed them himself. When Lu Qiqing, the Crown Prince’s Chamberlain, was young, he once asked Sun about his destiny. Sun said, “Fifty years from now, you will become the governor of a region, and my grandson will serve as one of your subordinates. You may remember this.” Later, Lu Qiqing became governor of Xu Prefecture, and Sun Simiao’s grandson Sun Pu indeed became assistant magistrate of Xiao County in Xu Prefecture. When Sun Simiao made the prediction, Sun Pu had not yet been born. There were many other remarkable stories of this kind.

In the ninth year of Yongchun, Sun Simiao died. In his will, he asked to be buried simply, without funerary objects, and requested that no animals be slaughtered for the rites. More than a month later, his appearance had still not changed. When his body was placed in the coffin, it was as light as an empty garment, which astonished people at the time.

Sun Simiao annotated the Laozi and the Zhuangzi. He wrote the thirty-volume Thousand Gold Prescriptions, as well as one volume each of the True Record of Nurturing Life, the Plain Book Kept in the Pillow, and the Convergence of the Three Teachings. All these works have been handed down.

Zhou Yinyao, whose courtesy name was Xiyuan, lived on Baoshan Island in Lake Dongting. He said that he was descended from Master Jiao Li, and that his ancestral temple stood on the mountain. Local people told stories of members of his family attaining the Dao generation after generation.

Zhou devoted himself to the art of refining the body through Great Yin energy, a Daoist practice that cultivates the body by drawing on Yin Qi. He did not alter the rhythm of his breathing as day gave way to night, nor did his body grow leaner or fuller with changes in the seasons. He ate nothing yet remained strong; though he drank water, he produced no waste.

During the Zhenguan era, the emperor summoned him to Chang’an and lodged him in a guest residence. In the inner palace, the emperor asked him about methods of regulating the breath and cultivation. Zhou replied, “The arts I practice are merely techniques for an ordinary person, and their benefits cannot extend to the people at large. A single beneficial word from an emperor can bring blessings to all under Heaven; its effects are far swifter than mine. What I have learned concerns only personal cultivation, and is not worth the attention of the ruler of ten thousand chariots.” He earnestly requested permission to return to the mountain, and the emperor issued an edict allowing him to leave whenever he wished.

Later, Li Deyu of Zanzhuang heard that Zhou possessed Daoist arts and built the Baoli Chongyuan Shengzu Monastery as a place to support him. The monastery stood before the Southern Grotto of Huayang on Mount Gouqu. Linghu Chu recorded the related events in writing.

Daoist Recluses

Tian Youyan was from Sanyuan in the Jingzhao region. At first, he was appointed to a place among the students of the Imperial Academy.

Tian Youyan was from Sanyuan in the Jingzhao region. He first received an appointment as a student at the Imperial Academy, but later resigned and returned to his home region, living in seclusion on Mount Taibai. Whenever he came upon a mountain forest or a spring that pleased him, he would stay there and be reluctant to leave. His mother, wife, and children also longed for a life beyond the secular world, so they traveled among mountains and streams with Tian Youyan. More than twenty years later, he arrived at Mount Ji and built a home east of the temple to Xu You, calling himself “Xu You’s eastern neighbor.”

During the Tiaolu era, Emperor Gaozong went to Mount Song and sent the Vice Director of the Secretariat, Xue Yuanchao, to convey his regards to Tian Youyan’s mother. Tian Youyan came out to greet them dressed in rustic clothes and wearing the kind of hat commonly seen in the fields. Gaozong ordered his attendants to support him and keep him from bowing, then asked, “Sir, you have been cultivating your mind and body in the mountains. How have you been lately?” Tian Youyan replied, “I am deeply attached to mountain springs and rocky crags, and have a chronic affliction: a longing for mist and rosy clouds. Now I have encountered a wise and enlightened age, and can live freely and at ease.” Gaozong said, “Having you with me today—is it any different from Emperor Gaozu of Han obtaining the Four Sages of Mount Shang?” Xue Yuanchao replied, “Emperor Gaozu of Han wanted to set aside the eldest son in favor of a younger one, and only then did the Four Sages of Mount Shang come forward to support the heir. Your Majesty, by contrast, honors recluses and personally visits them in the mountains. Is that not an even greater distinction?” Gaozong was delighted. He took Tian Youyan to the traveling palace, arranged for carriages and horses to bring his family to the capital, appointed him an Academician of the Chongwen Institute, and had him discuss learning with Liu Rengui, Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince.

Later, Gaozong planned to build the Fengtian Palace and again went to Mount Song. Tian Youyan’s former home stood beside the palace grounds. Gaozong specifically ordered that it be preserved, personally inscribed a plaque, and hung it above the door: “The Residence of the Recluse Tian Youyan.”

Lu Hongyi, courtesy name Haoran, was originally from Fanyang and later moved to Luoyang. In his youth, he devoted himself to his studies and was especially skilled in seal, large seal, regular, and clerical script. He later lived in seclusion on Mount Song. Early in the Kaiyuan era, the emperor twice sent envoys with gifts to summon him, but each time he declined.

In the fifth year of Kaiyuan, the emperor issued an edict: “My virtue is shallow, yet I occupy the imperial throne. I often regret that the Daoist ethos (a reverence for the Dao and quietude) has declined and that a culture of simplicity and honesty has failed to flourish. I continually hope that worthy men will come forth, so that I may hear the teachings of the sage kings of antiquity. You are inwardly perceptive and clear-minded, able to investigate what is profound and subtle, versed in the Dao of the Great One (Daoist thought concerning the origin of the cosmos), and committed to the virtue of the mean. Your steadfast and noble resolve is worthy to be compared with that of the worthy men of old. I have therefore repeatedly issued edicts summoning you, hoping you would answer the call and put your talents to use. Yet you have always found reasons to decline and refused to come, leaving my sincere hopes unfulfilled for several years. You have indeed preserved the integrity and self-restraint of a recluse, but have not accepted the court’s summons to honor the worthy and humble itself before them. Is it that the court’s aims differ from yours, or that you are so attached to the mountains and forests that you cannot return? Ritual has its essential principles; the bonds and proper roles between ruler and subject cannot be discarded. The capital is not far from you, and coming here should pose no difficulty. I now prepare gifts once more and repeat my request. I hope you will change your mind and fulfill my expectations.”

Lu Hongyi accepted the summons and came to the eastern capital, Luoyang, to meet the emperor in the sixth year of Kaiyuan, but did not bow to the chancellors. The emperor sent a Palace Attendant for Communications, an official responsible for conveying imperial commands and communicating between the court and outside, to ask why. Lu replied, “I have heard Laozi say that ritual arose only after loyalty and trust had declined, and so it is not something on which one should rely. I, Lu Hongyi, a minister of the mountains and wilderness, have come to pay my respects with a loyal and trusting heart.”

The emperor then summoned him into the inner palace, treated him to food and wine, and issued an edict: “Lu Hongyi answered the summons and came. In discussing the highest Dao with him, I found that he accords with the simple ways of antiquity. The court appoints recluses to encourage the people of the realm. I therefore appoint him Grand Master for Remonstrance, an official charged with advising the emperor.” Lu Hongyi firmly declined.

The emperor issued another edict: “In ancient times, Emperor Yao preserved Xu You’s noble integrity, and Yu the Great likewise honored Bocheng Ziqi’s lofty aspirations. From this we know that an emperor may sometimes choose not to treat certain people as subjects, and a feudal lord may sometimes choose not to treat certain people as friends; such conduct accords with the circumstances of the time. Lu Hongyi, the recluse of Mount Song, has withdrawn from the world and devoted himself to calligraphy. He lives in seclusion to preserve his aspirations and practices the Way to realize his principles, having dwelt for many years among mountain forests and streams. An ancient text says that when recluses are recommended, the people of the realm will turn their hearts toward the court. For this reason, the court sent an envoy into the mountains with proper gifts to summon him, originally hoping he would offer counsel to correct the administration and help govern the state. Yet he stands apart from others, steadfast in resolve and difficult to sway. He guards his inner nature to strengthen his integrity and purifies his mind to inspire an upright ethos. By firmly refusing honors and favor, he seeks to strengthen the customs of the people. He does not alter his aspirations, but preserves himself. The gentleman of Yanling, Jizi of Wu, cannot be said to have yielded; Wang Ba of Taiyuan ultimately retired to seclusion because of illness. Lu Hongyi should be appointed Grand Master for Remonstrance, then permitted to return to his mountain retreat. Each year he shall receive one hundred shi of rice and fifty bolts of silk to cover expenses such as medicine. Officials from the prefecture and county are to escort him back to his place of seclusion. If he knows of successes or failings in the court’s affairs, he may submit them in a memorial.”

When Lu Hongyi returned to the mountain, the emperor gave him recluse’s robes and presented him with a thatched hall, showing him exceptional favor. Lu Hongyi had once painted The Thatched Hall and The Ten Aspirations. Those who prized works of art and antiquity eagerly collected and passed them around.

Daoism and Confucianism

Bai Lüzhong was from Junyi in Chenliu. He studied history and literature widely and once lived in seclusion in the old city of Daliang. People called him “Master Liangqiu.” During the Jingyun era, the court summoned him to serve as a Collation Official in the Palace Library, but before long he resigned and left.

In the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era, Wang Zhixi, Minister of Justice, submitted a memorial recommending Bai Lüzhong. He said that Bai lived in seclusion to study, steadfastly upheld a life of austerity, and possessed the character of an ancient worthy, making him suitable to serve in the palace as a reader to the emperor. When Bai answered the summons and arrived in the capital, he declined on the grounds that he was old and often ill.

The emperor issued an edict: “Bai Lüzhong, formerly a Collation Official in the Palace Library, has profound learning and outstanding virtue. He has sought what is subtle in the mountains and forests, and in seclusion has fulfilled his aspirations. The court seeks worthy people and searches for recluses; his noble bearing far surpasses splendid official robes. Now that he is advanced in years, he should be granted rank and emoluments and receive the court’s generous honors, thereby showing our esteem for the worthy. Let him be appointed Grand Master for Court Audiences.”

Not long afterward, Bai Lüzhong submitted a memorial requesting permission to return home. The emperor issued a handwritten edict: “He has grounded his conduct in filial devotion and fraternal respect, and through calmness and modesty has guided customs for the better. Now advanced in years, he remains untouched by worldly turmoil. The court has heard of his fine virtues and granted him rank, both to honor recluses of the mountains and forests and to encourage the people. Ask him to remain in the capital for a while, then return to his native place at his leisure.”

Bai Lüzhong therefore stayed for several months before returning home. He wrote a one-volume work titled Discourse on the Subtle Discriminations of the Three Profound Traditions, annotated the Laozi and the Inner Landscape Scripture of the Yellow Court, and also left a ten-volume collection of writings.

Pan Shizheng, whose courtesy name was Zizhen, was from Zongcheng in Beiqiu. His mother died when he was young, and he built a hut beside her grave to observe the mourning period. He became known for his filial devotion. During the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, he received ordination as a Daoist. He studied under Wang Fazhu and learned Daoist secret formulas and Fulu (talismans and registers).

Pan Shizheng lived quietly and without desire. He practiced in Xiaoyao Valley on Mount Song for more than twenty years, eating only vegetables and pine needles and drinking spring water. The original phrase “qing ta fan” may reflect a variant reading or a textual error; here it is understood to mean a vegetarian diet. When Emperor Gaozong of Tang came to the eastern capital, he visited Pan in the valley. Seeing him living alone in a humble dwelling, with only a rattan bed made of ivy that was nearly rotten, the emperor asked what he lacked in the mountains. Pan replied, “The abundant pine trees and clear spring water I need are never lacking in the mountains.” The emperor then asked him to write Fulu, but Pan declined, saying that he did not know how to make them. Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu were both astonished, and then departed.

The next day, Gaozong sent a palanquin to bring Pan Shizheng to the temporary palace. They spoke for a long time, and the emperor kept him as a guest for two nights before allowing him to return to the mountain. Before long, the court ordered the construction of Chongtang Abbey where he lived, and built another residence for him on the ridge, called Jing Si Monastery. It was later rebuilt as Fengtian Palace. Gaozong also ordered a special gate opened at the entrance to Xiaoyao Valley, naming it “Gate of the Immortal’s Visit,” and established “Gate of Seeking the True” to the north of the imperial garden. Both names were chosen for Pan Shizheng.

Whenever Gaozong traveled by palanquin to welcome Pan Shizheng into the palace, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices performed newly composed music. Gaozong named the pieces “Immortal’s Departure,” “Longing for the Immortal,” and “Yearning for the Immortal.” He also bestowed dozens of poems on Pan over time, showing him great reverence.

In the first year of the Yongchun era, as Pan Shizheng was nearing death, he told his disciples, “I had hoped to live out my days here in peace, but instead I have caused the ruler of the world to trouble himself over me and disturbed this sacred mountain. I am truly at fault. As you cultivate the Dao, keep seeking its profound and subtle truths.” He died at the age of ninety-eight. Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu continued to remember him. They posthumously awarded him the title Grand Master of the Palace, gave him the posthumous name Master Who Embodies the Dao, and issued an edict appointing the Director of Merit, Wang Shi, to compose his stele inscription.

Daoist arts

Liu Daohe was from Wanchu in Chenzhou. In his early years, he lived in seclusion on Mount Song with Master Pan. After hearing of his reputation, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang ordered the construction of Taiyi Abbey, a Daoist temple, at the place where he lived, and arranged for him to reside there. The emperor summoned him to the palace many times.

When Gaozong was about to hold the Fengshan ceremony, a royal rite of sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, it rained for several days. He ordered Liu Daohe to perform a rain-stopping ritual in Yiluan Hall. Before long, the rain ceased and the sky cleared. Delighted, Gaozong sent a message by relay horse ordering Liu Daohe to ascend Mount Tai ahead of him and pray for blessings for the state. Liu Daohe gave all the gifts and valuables he received over the years to the poor.

Gaozong once ordered him to prepare a Reversion Elixir, a Daoist elixir of immortality. When it was ready, Liu Daohe presented it to the emperor. He died during the Xianheng era. Later, when Gaozong was building Fengtian Palace, Liu Daohe’s burial chamber was moved. His disciples opened the coffin, intending to change his clothes and bury him elsewhere, but found only an empty layer of skin inside. It was split along the back, like a cicada’s cast-off shell; his teeth and bones had vanished. Those present took this to be “liberation from the corpse,” a Daoist transformation in which one sheds the mortal body and thereby attains immortality.

On hearing this, Gaozong sighed and said, “Master Liu prepared an elixir for me, yet took it himself and left as an immortal. The portion he presented to me, in the end, had nothing special about it.”

Sima Ziwei, also known as Chengzhen, with the courtesy name Ziwei, was from Wen County in Hanoi. He was a descendant of the Duke of Langya, who had served as governor of Jinzhou under the Northern Zhou. In his youth he enjoyed reading but had no wish to become an official, so he left home to become a Daoist. He studied under Pan Shizheng, learning Fulu (talismans and registers), bigu (a practice of restricting food as part of cultivation), daoyin (a regimen combining breathwork with physical movement), and shier (taking specific medicines or health preparations), among other arts. Pan Shizheng held him in particular esteem and said, “I received the Zhengyi teachings from Tao Hongjing. You are now their fourth-generation successor.”

Sima Ziwei traveled widely among famous mountains and later settled on Mount Tiantai. When Wu Zetian heard of his reputation, she summoned him to the capital and personally wrote a text praising him. As he prepared to return to the mountain, the court sent Li Qiao, Director of the Lintai Bureau, to give him a farewell banquet east of Luoqiao.

In the second year of Jingyun, Emperor Ruizong sent Sima Ziwei’s elder brother, Chengwei, to Mount Tiantai to escort him to the capital. After Sima Ziwei entered the palace, the emperor first asked him about Yin-Yang arts and numerical methods. He replied, “The Dao De Jing says that seeking the Dao requires continual reduction: reducing and reducing, until one reaches Wuwei (non-action). People often cannot let go even of what they know and see through their thoughts and eyes. Why, then, seek unorthodox arts and strange techniques that only add to one’s cleverness and anxious calculations?” The emperor asked, “Cultivating oneself to reach Wuwei brings great stillness and transcendence. How, then, should Wuwei be practiced in governing a state?” He replied, “A state is like a person’s body. The Laozi says that when the mind rests in calm simplicity, the breath accords with emptiness, and one follows the natural condition of things without self-serving intent, the world can be governed well. The Book of Changes says that the Virtue of the sage accords with Heaven and Earth. From this we know that Heaven speaks no words, yet is trustworthy; it acts without contrivance, yet brings all things to completion. This is the essential meaning of Wuwei and the principle of governing a state.” The emperor exclaimed, “These are exactly the teachings of Guangchengzi.”

Sima Ziwei firmly took his leave and asked to return to the mountain. The emperor gave him a precious zither and a quilt patterned like rosy clouds, and saw him off as he left the capital. Eminent men at court presented poems in response. Li Shi was the first to compose one, and more than three hundred others joined in. The collection was titled Record of the White Clouds.

Lu Cangyong pointed toward Mount Zhongnan and said, “This place is excellent. Why insist on going to Mount Tiantai?” Sima Ziwei replied, “In my view, this is a place for officials seeking a shortcut to advancement.” Lu Cangyong looked embarrassed, since he himself had once secluded himself on Mount Zhongnan in hopes of entering official life.

In the ninth year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong sent an envoy to invite him to the capital and personally received his Fulu, the ritual credentials conferring a Daoist’s status and office. He bestowed generous gifts on him on several occasions. In the tenth year of Kaiyuan, Xuanzong returned to the Western Capital, and Sima Ziwei again asked to return to Mount Tiantai. The emperor composed a poem to see him off. In the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan, Sima Ziwei was summoned to the capital once more. He settled on Mount Wangwu, personally selecting a scenic site where he established an altar and living quarters.

Sima Ziwei submitted a memorial stating that in the caverns of the Five Sacred Peaks, Shangqing Perfected Ones—high-ranking Daoist immortals—each descended to oversee the mountains and rivers, wind and rain, and the seasonal cycles of Yin and Yang. The immortals who assisted them also each had their own titles, ranks, and attire. He requested permission to establish Zhaijiao altars, distinguishing the spirits of the mountain forests. Xuanzong accepted his proposal and established a shrine to a Perfected Lord on each of the Five Sacred Peaks. The images of the deities and the ritual forms in the shrines were created in accordance with Daoist scriptures.

Sima Ziwei was skilled in seal script and clerical script. Xuanzong ordered him to copy the Laozi Jing in three script styles and revise its wording, fixing the text at 5,380 characters before presenting it as the definitive version. Xuanzong named Sima Ziwei’s residence the Yangtai Abbey and personally inscribed its plaque. He also gave him three hundred bolts of silk to buy medicines and health supplies.

Sima Ziwei died on Mount Wangwu at the age of eighty-nine. His disciples submitted a memorial stating that, at the moment of his passing, two immortal cranes flew to the outside of the altar, while white clouds poured from within it and rose straight into the sky; his face still looked as it had in life. Hearing this, Xuanzong sighed and issued an edict: “Sima Ziwei devoted himself wholly to the Dao and grasped its profound mysteries. He traveled among famous mountains, attuning himself in secret to the realms of immortals; he contemplated the subtle and wandered in freedom; he returned to the root and came to rest in the realm of Nonbeing. He had long since been entered in the registers of the Perfected Ones and ranked among the numinous officials. The mountains and forests remain as they were, but he has departed from the world of dust. At the thought of his lofty Virtue, I am filled with sorrow. Let him be honored so that his place in the register of the Perfected Ones may be proclaimed. Posthumously grant him the title Grand Master of Silver and Azure Radiance, bestow the posthumous name Zhenyi, and have the emperor compose his stele inscription, with Wei Qumou writing his biography.”

Dao Hua

Wu Jun, whose courtesy name was Zhenjie, was from Huayin County in Huazhou. In his youth, he mastered the classics and excelled at writing, but failed the presented scholar examination. Of lofty character, he had no wish to go along with worldly conventions, so he went to Mount Song and became a Daoist under Master Pan, studying the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition. He devoted himself to his studies and eventually mastered its methods.

During the Kaiyuan era, Wu Jun traveled south to Jinling and then visited Mount Mao to seek the Dao. Afterward, he traveled around Mount Tiantai, gazed out over the vast sea, and associated with renowned scholars. His writings circulated widely in the capital, and when Emperor Xuanzong heard of his reputation, he sent an envoy to summon him to court. Upon Wu Jun’s arrival, he was called to the Hall of Great Unity. Xuanzong found their conversation deeply congenial and appointed him to await imperial summons in the Hanlin Academy, where he could serve as an adviser.

One day, Xuanzong asked what Daoist methods were. Wu Jun replied, “The essential meaning of Daoist methods is fully contained in the Five Thousand Words, another name for the Dao De Jing. Other writings that merely elaborate on minor branches and talk emptily only waste paper and ink.” Xuanzong then asked about the cultivation of immortals. Wu Jun answered, “That is a matter for people in the mountains and wilderness. It must be pursued through years of practice and the accumulation of merit; it is not something a ruler should concern himself with.”

Whenever Wu Jun spoke with Xuanzong, he discussed moral instruction and affairs of state, offering discreet admonitions. Xuanzong respected him and bestowed on him the title Master Zongyuan. During the Tianbao era, Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong held power, and the court’s order and discipline steadily deteriorated. Wu Jun firmly requested permission to return to Mount Song. He submitted memorials several times, but Xuanzong would not grant his request. The emperor therefore ordered a Daoist residence built at Yueguan for him. Later, as turmoil threatened the realm, Wu Jun asked to return to Mount Mao, and Xuanzong consented. After great upheavals broke out in the Central Plains and bandits ran rampant across the Jianghuai region, Wu Jun traveled east and withdrew into seclusion on Mount Tiantai.

Wu Jun associated with Li Bai and Kong Chaofu as friends beyond the worldly sphere, beyond the relationships of official life. He left a twenty-volume collection of writings, with a preface by Quan Deyu. His works Three Essays on the Mysterious Principle and On How Immortality Can Be Learned, among others, won the praise of widely read scholars.

While serving in the Hanlin Academy, Wu Jun had enjoyed deep imperial favor. Gao Lishi, a devout Buddhist, once disparaged him before Xuanzong, whereupon Wu Jun firmly requested leave to depart from court. His writings were profound in their reasoning and vivid in their style; whenever he completed a piece, people competed to copy it. In his literary gifts, he combined Li Bai’s lofty freedom and vigor with Du Fu’s strength and elegance. Perhaps only Wu Jun could achieve such a combination.

Li Mi, courtesy name Changyuan, lived at Guigu in his early years. Whenever he completed an essay, people eagerly copied it and passed it around. In talent, he combined Li Bai’s bold freedom with Du Fu’s strength and refinement. Li Mi may have been the only person able to bring both styles together.

Li Mi could write essays by the age of seven. In 728, the sixteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned the boy, whose literary reputation was already remarkable. Zhang Jiuling especially admired him and called him “young friend.” As an adult, Li Mi became widely learned and skilled in studying the Book of Changes. He often traveled around Mount Song, Mount Hua, and Zhongnan Mountain, and admired the arts of immortals and long life.

During the Tianbao era, Li Mi went to court to present his “Discussion on Restoring the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor.” Xuanzong remembered his childhood intelligence and summoned him to explain the Laozi. Finding his exposition well ordered, the emperor appointed him to await orders at the Hanlin Academy. After Emperor Suzong of Tang took the throne, he searched for Li Mi in Lingwu, and Li Mi happened to arrive of his own accord. After paying his respects to Suzong, Li Mi described the crucial factors that would determine the success or failure of the empire. Suzong was pleased and wanted to appoint him to office, but Li Mi firmly declined. He wished only to accompany the emperor as a guest: entering court to take part in state deliberations and accompanying the imperial carriage when the emperor traveled. People called them “the sage in yellow and the mountain recluse in white,” meaning that the emperor was accompanied by a hermit. Suzong bestowed on Li Mi a goldfish pouch and purple official robes, and appointed him secretary to the army of the Marshal, Prince Guangping. Suzong once said, “You served the Retired Emperor and were also my teacher. Now you serve in Prince Guangping’s army. You are someone both father and son rely on.”

The chancellor Cui Yuan and the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo resented the emperor’s trust in Li Mi. Fearing that he would fall victim to their schemes, Li Mi offered to withdraw to a life of seclusion on Mount Heng. Suzong issued an edict granting him the stipend of a third-rank official, gave him a recluse’s robes, and had a residence built for him in the mountains. Li Mi once fashioned a backrest from pine branches and called it “Nourishing Harmony.” Later, he acquired one shaped like a dragon and presented it to the emperor. People across the realm rushed to make copies.

After Emperor Daizong of Tang took the throne, he summoned Li Mi to live in the library pavilion of Penglai Hall. Li Mi initially abstained from meat, but later Daizong granted him a residence and urged him to eat it. When Emperor Dezong of Tang was at Feng Tian, he summoned Li Mi to the imperial encampment, the temporary residence used when the emperor was traveling, and appointed him Left Palace Attendant. Li Mi cut a mountain path and built a road for carts leading directly to Sanmen, facilitating the transport of grain and other goods by water. He was consequently promoted to Minister of Rites. For the next three years, he served as Tong Pingzhangshi, participating in the work of the chancellors.

Dezong once remarked in conversation that although Lu Qi was incorruptible and dared to speak his mind, he lacked learning and could not grasp broader principles. The emperor said he had tried to advise Lu Qi through the teachings of the ancients, yet everyone else had recognized Lu Qi’s treachery while he himself had failed to see it at first. Li Mi replied that since the emperor now saw Lu Qi’s evil deeds clearly, he should also hold him accountable for the upheavals he had caused during the Jianzhong era. Li Mi further pointed out that Lu Qi had sent Li Kui on a mission to Tibet to arrange a marriage alliance, and sent Yan Zhenqing to negotiate with the rebel general Li Xilie, leading to the deaths of these esteemed veteran ministers. He had also framed Yang Yan, bringing about his execution, and driven the battle-tested Huaiguang into rebellion—an act of deceit against Heaven. Dezong conceded that Li Mi was right. He then brought up the Jianzhong rebellion and asked whether Li Mi knew what Sang Daomao had said about Heaven’s decree. Li Mi replied that “fate” was simply a name given to events after they had happened. A ruler and his chancellors should shape events themselves rather than blame Heaven’s decree; otherwise, they could not reward good conduct or punish wrongdoing. Dezong said he would not speak of fate again.

Before long, Li Mi was also appointed an academician of Chongwen Hall and took part in compiling the official history. He proposed abolishing the festival on the last day of the first lunar month and establishing the first day of the second month as the Zhonghe Festival. The emperor gave rulers to ministers and members of the imperial clan, calling them “measures for setting standards.” Officials in turn presented books on agriculture to show their regard for farming. Dezong was pleased and ordered that the Zhonghe Festival, the Shangsi Festival, and the Double Ninth Festival be collectively called the “Three Command Festivals,” with money and banquets provided on each occasion.

In the eighth month of 788, the sun was eclipsed in the region of the Eastern Wall constellation. Li Mi explained that the constellation symbolized the repository of books, and that the ministers associated with it might face trouble. Since he served both as chancellor and academician, he said, he should bear the consequences himself. The following year, Li Mi died.

Li Mi moved in and out of the imperial palace and served four emperors. He repeatedly incurred the resentment of powerful figures, yet also used his wit to escape danger. His words often brought rulers to their senses, and he made substantial contributions in practice. Liu Mi praised him, saying that Li Mi’s strategies had played a major part in recovering the two capitals, and that his achievements even surpassed those of Lu Zhonglian and Fan Li.

Li Hanguang was from Jiangdu in Guangling. His family name was originally Hong, but he changed it to Li to avoid the taboo on Empress Wu Zetian’s personal name. His family had studied the classics for generations, and his father, Li Xiaowei, known as Master Zhenyin, was well versed in the teachings of Huangdi and Laozi. In the early years of the Shenlong era, Li Hanguang was ordained as a Daoist because of his upright conduct and lived at Longxing Abbey.

In the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era, he followed Sima Ziwei to Mount Wangwu. At their first meeting, Sima Ziwei praised him, saying, “He truly has the bearing of someone from the immortal realm of Jade Clarity.” Li Hanguang later lived at Songyang for more than twenty years. After Sima Ziwei died, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned Li Hanguang to court. After speaking with him, the emperor remarked, “Meeting Hanguang is like seeing Perfected Sima still alive.”

One day, Xuanzong asked him about the Golden Cauldron. Li Hanguang replied, “The Dao and De are matters of public-mindedness; seeking to lighten the body and ascend is a private desire within that public-mindedness. If one sees only the selfish desire in them, the sages’ establishment of teachings loses its original purpose. To pursue longevity single-mindedly and inquire after one’s desires is like striking the wind in vain: nothing can be gained.” Xuanzong was deeply moved by his words and summoned him to live at Yangtai Abbey. A little over a year later, Li Hanguang pleaded illness and asked to return to Mount Mao to organize and edit the scriptures and Daoist methods.

In the twelfth month of the fourth year of the Tianbao era, Xuanzong sent a palace envoy with an imperial letter summoning him. After reaching the capital, Li Hanguang stayed at the official guesthouse. Whenever Xuanzong wished to seek his advice, he first fasted and bathed, then asked to receive instruction in Daoist methods. Li Hanguang declined, citing illness, and again asked to return to the mountain. Xuanzong specially urged him to live at Ziyang Abbey, where Yang and Xu had once resided. He wrote a poem himself to see him off and ordered that gathering plants, fishing, and hunting be forbidden on the mountain; anyone who ate meat or blood foods was barred from entering.

By then, many original handwritten copies of scriptures and proclamations had been lost. Xuanzong issued an order to search for them, and Li Hanguang found and presented a number of precious texts. Later, Xuanzong summoned him again and asked the mountain recluse Wang Yu to request that Li Hanguang make thirteen sheets of regular-script copies of the “Upper Scriptures” to replace missing portions. Li Hanguang said, “The key to attaining the way of the immortals lies in copying the scriptures by hand and transmitting them from generation to generation.”

On the eighteenth day of the third month in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, Xuanzong received the registers of the Three Caverns (Daoist registers symbolizing the conferral of Daoist rank) at the Hall of Great Clarity. He performed the rites from afar toward Li Hanguang, his ordination master, who was in the mountains, bestowed on him the title Master Xu Jing, and presented him with a set of ritual robes to express the respect due between master and disciple.

On the fourteenth day of the eleventh month in the fourth year of the Dali era, Li Hanguang died seated upright at the Ziyang retreat. His posture was composed and he held a book tablet in his hands, as though he were still alive. He was eighty-seven years old. The court posthumously bestowed on him the titles Grand Master of the Left Mystery and Grand Master of Correct Counsel. Yan Zhenqing and Liu Shi composed his epitaph, and the stele also bore twenty-four handwritten imperial edicts issued by Xuanzong during the Kaiyuan era.

Zhang Zhihe, whose courtesy name was Zitong, was originally named Guiling. He came from Jinhua in Dongyang. His father, Zhang Youchao, was fond of Daoist arts and well versed in texts such as the Zhuangzi and Liezi. He wrote pieces including “Xiangwang” and “Baima” to express his own views. Zhang Zhihe’s mother once dreamed that a maple tree rested on her belly; later, she gave birth to him.

At the age of sixteen, Zhang Zhihe passed the Classics examination. His policy essays won Emperor Suzong’s admiration, and he entered the Hanlin Academy as an attendant scholar. He was later appointed recording secretary and military adviser in the Right Guard of the Golden Bearers. After his parents died, he left office and lived among the rivers and lakes, calling himself “Fisherman of Misty Waters.” He wrote the twelve-volume Xuanzhenzi and adopted that name as his own. He also composed fifteen chapters of The Great Changes, containing 365 hexagrams.

His elder brother, Zhang Heling, formerly a county commandant in Puyang, feared that Zhang Zhihe would not return once he withdrew from the world. He therefore built him a home in the eastern outskirts of Kuaiji. Its roof was thatched, and its beams left unadorned. Zhang Zhihe lived there with the doors closed for ten years. Chen Shaoyou, regional inspector of the Eastern Zhejiang Circuit and censor-in-chief, visited him and stayed for the entire day. He submitted a memorial naming Zhang Zhihe’s residence “Xuanzhen Ward” and the lane “Huixuan Lane,” and also had a bridge built to connect it to the residence. People called it “Censor-in-Chief’s Bridge.” Zhang Zhihe then wrote “In Praise of Censor-in-Chief’s Bridge” to thank him.

With a bamboo staff and his belongings, Zhang Zhihe traveled wherever he pleased. When fishing, he used no bait and cared little whether he caught anything. Emperor Suzong once gave him a male servant and a maid. Zhang Zhihe married them to each other, naming them “Fish Lad” and “Woodcutter Qing.” When asked why he had chosen those names, he replied: “Fish Lad carries the fishing rod and gathers the line, and poles the boat among the reeds. Woodcutter Qing gathers pine, orchid, cassia, and bamboo for fuel, and makes tea for guests.”

Lu Yu, known as Master Jingling, and Pei Xiu, a Collator, asked him, “Who comes to visit you?” He replied: “We take the Great Void as our dwelling and live together there; we take the bright moon as our lamp and share its light. I have never been apart from my friends throughout the four seas, so what do you mean by people coming and going?”

When Yan Zhenqing was prefect of Huzhou, Zhang Zhihe came to see him. Yan noticed that his fishing boat was worn out and offered to replace it. Zhang Zhihe said: “If you would give me a fishing boat, I would make it my home, sail the rivers and lakes, and travel among them. That would be a great blessing for a country man like me.” He was witty and quick in his replies, and there were many other episodes like this.

Zhang Zhihe was skilled at painting landscapes. When the wine had taken hold, he would sometimes beat a drum or play a flute, then sweep ink across the page in time with the rhythm. Emperor Xianzong had once heard and loved his fishing songs, and wished to summon him, but could not find him. Zhang Zhihe painted a screen for Li E, a censor. Its images shifted in countless ways, leaving all who saw it astonished. More than sixty people present each wrote their name and home region beneath the painting. Zhang Zhihe wrote a two-character comment for each person, with the characters matched in pairs, and everyone in the hall marveled.

Zhang Zhihe was proud and austere by nature, and not easy to approach. In his “Stele Inscription for the Master Who Roamed at Will,” Yan Zhenqing wrote that Zhang regarded official rank and carriages as no more than weeds, and tastes and desires as mere dust; he followed the Daoist ideal of the perfected person and shared the aspirations of the lofty men of antiquity. Li Deyu also praised him: in seclusion he had a reputation, but when prominent he was free of entanglements; he neither lived in hardship nor sought eminence, and could be compared with Yan Guang.

The Record of Profound Patterns states that He Zhizhang was from Yongxing in Kuaiji. As a young man, he became known for his elegant, classical writing and later passed the jinshi examination. Lu Xiangxian recommended him for appointment as a Doctor of the Four Gates at the Directorate of Education. He was later transferred to the post of Doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, gradually rising to Vice Minister of Rites. He was also appointed Academician of the Jixian Hall and served as tutor to the Crown Prince for thirteen years. Li Deyu praised him for earning a reputation while living in seclusion and for showing little interest in politics despite holding a high office. Whether in hardship or in success, he maintained the bearing of Yan Guang, the Eastern Han recluse.

When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai, he summoned He Zhizhang to discuss and devise the ritual texts. He Zhizhang submitted that the August Heaven Supreme Emperor should be honored as the sovereign, with the Five Emperors of the cardinal directions occupying the rank of ministers. Though their imperial titles differed, the distinction between ruler and ministers should be clear. His Majesty would offer sacrifice to the sovereign on the altar, while his officials would sacrifice to the ministers below it. This would set a model for later generations and constitute a major change in ritual practice. However, the rites prescribed three offerings of wine, so the second and final offerings should be performed together. Xuanzong said, “That is exactly what I had in mind; that is why I asked you.” The ceremony was arranged accordingly, with sacrifices to the Five Emperors of the cardinal directions and the other spirits performed below the altar. After the rites were completed, He Zhizhang was promoted to Guest of the Crown Prince and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness in Silver and Blue-Green, and was also appointed Director of the Palace Library.

He Zhizhang was broad-minded and loved witty conversation. The worthy scholars and notable figures of his time greatly admired him. In the third year of the Tianbao era, after falling ill, he dreamed that he had traveled to the dwelling of the Celestial Emperor. He submitted a memorial asking permission to become a Daoist priest and return home in retirement, and donated his residence to establish a Daoist temple. Earlier, he had petitioned to use several qing of water on Yongxing Lake as a pond for releasing living creatures. After the emperor approved his request, he also granted him a winding stretch of water in the area of Mirror Lake. The court named the Daoist temple he had founded Qianqiu Abbey and appointed his son, He Zeng, a Director of Palace Provisioning, as Commandant of Kuaiji Commandery so that he could care for his father.

Emperor Xuanzong composed a poem to see him off and wrote in its preface: “In the third year of Tianbao, He Zhizhang, Guest of the Crown Prince, understood when to be content and yield. He submitted a memorial requesting retirement and a return to his native place, relinquishing his office and its honors in order to devote himself to the Dao. Remembering that he had long wished to leave the world, and that he was now advanced in years, I have allowed him to fulfill his wish to hang up his official cap, withdraw into seclusion, and roam with Chisongzi, the legendary immortal. On the fifth day of the first month, he will return to Mount Kuaiji. I have arranged a farewell banquet for him on the eastern road and ordered the six ministers, the officials, and the senior court officers to prepare a send-off feast at the Green Gate. This honors an elder of great virtue and also seeks to encourage others. The uncles and nephews Shu Guang and Shu Shou of the Han dynasty, paragons who resigned from office and returned home, should not be the only ones remembered in the historical record.” Xuanzong then composed a poem in farewell, and all who attended the banquet wrote poems in response.

Officials from the Crown Prince on down also came to see him off. He Zhizhang called himself “the Mad Guest of Siming” and was also known as “the External Director of the Palace Library.” In his later years he became increasingly free-spirited and often wandered through the streets and lanes. When drunk, he would write without revising, and he excelled especially at cursive and clerical script. He was renowned alongside Zhang Xu of Wu Commandery. He returned to his native place to retire and died at the age of eighty-six.

Remembering that He Zhizhang had once served as tutor to the Crown Prince, Emperor Suzong issued an edict in the eleventh month of the first year of the Qianyuan era, posthumously appointing him Minister of Rites. The edict praised his calm and unassuming character, his gentle and cultivated nature, his clear spirit and lofty aspirations, and his broad learning and outstanding talent. He had been renowned at court, had attended the emperor’s lectures, and often used wit and tact to offer remonstrance. In old age he resigned and returned home, at last fulfilling his wish to follow the recluses and become the “Mad Guest of Siming.” He took off his court robes and never returned to the court, like an immortal who rode away on a blue ox, or a noble recluse who lived close to the gulls and withdrew for good. Now the past is gone and the old friend has passed away. Remembering their former ties, the court judged that he should be mourned and honored with a posthumous distinction, and therefore appointed him Minister of Rites after his death.

Xuanpin lu, Volume Five: The Tang Dynasty — Daohua

Li Bai, whose courtesy name was Taibai, was from Shandong. As a young man, he showed exceptional talent, lofty ambition, and an easygoing, unconventional nature, with aspirations to rise above the secular world. His father once served as a commandant in Rencheng, so the family settled there. While visiting Bingzhou, Li Bai recognized Guo Ziyi among the soldiers through his keen eye for character and praised him as an outstanding talent. Li Bai revered Daoist arts and believed that becoming an immortal was possible. He would not read books that departed from the Way of the sages, nor did he care to write the languid, frivolous poetry associated with the Zheng and Wei regions. His writings therefore often carried an otherworldly quality.

Li Yangbing remarked: “Since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, after the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu, only Li Bai, in a thousand years, has stood alone in the literary world, mastering the work of Qu Yuan and Song Yu and surpassing Yang Xiong and Sima Xiangru.” In his youth, Li Bai lived in seclusion on Mount Zulai with the Confucian scholars Kong Chaofu, Han Zhun, Pei Zheng, Zhang Shuming, Tao Mian, and others from central Lu. They drank freely and sang aloud; people of the time called them the “Six Recluses.”

During the Tianbao era, Li Bai was staying in Kuaiji and living in seclusion with the Daoist Wu Yun. Later, Emperor Xuanzong summoned Wu Yun to the capital, and Wu Yun recommended Li Bai to the emperor. The emperor sent an envoy to summon Li Bai to the palace, spoke with him beside a bed inlaid with the Seven Treasures, and offered him food and drink. Li Bai and Wu Yun both served in the Hanlin Academy, awaiting assignments and standing ready to carry out the emperor’s orders.

Li Bai loved wine. When Emperor Xuanzong wanted to commission new music and the Music Bureau hurriedly summoned him to the palace, Li Bai was already drunk in a tavern. After he was brought in, water was splashed on his face to sober him, and he was immediately ordered to write. He quickly composed the three “Qingping Diao” poems, which greatly pleased the emperor. On one occasion, Li Bai got drunk in the hall and stretched out his foot for Gao Lishi to remove his boot. As a result, others slandered him, and he was sent away from the capital. After that, he wandered through the lakes and rivers, drinking all day.

At the time, Censor Cui Zongzhi had been demoted to Jinling. He and Li Bai exchanged poems and spent time drinking together. Once, on a moonlit night, Li Bai traveled by boat from Caishi to Jinling. Wearing a brocade robe bestowed by the court, he looked about from the boat and shouted aloud, heedless of those around him.

When He Zhizhang first met Li Bai, he praised him, saying, “This is an immortal banished from heaven.” Sima Ziwei, a Daoist of Mount Tiantai, also said that Li Bai had the bearing and Daoist bone of an immortal, and could roam in spirit beyond the eight directions. Later, Li Bai accompanied his distant clansman Yan Yun, an investigating commissioner in Chenliu, and asked the Celestial Master Gao of Beihai to confer on him Daoist registers at the Ziji Palace in Qizhou. He received a set of blue-green silk robes and a cap, and prepared to return east to Penglai, traveling as an immortal would in a feathered carriage toward Danqiu.

People believed that Li Bai was the essence of the Taibai Star, and also called him “Perfected One of Untroubled Insight of the Highest Clarity.”

Daoist Arts

Meng Tan was from Liang County in Ruzhou and passed the presented scholar examination. In the early Chuigong era, he was promoted several times, eventually becoming a Gentleman of the Phoenix Pavilion, an official who drafted imperial edicts. Meng Tan was fond of esoteric arts—that is, Daoist methods of cultivation and practices for nourishing life. Before Emperor Ruizong ascended the throne, he summoned Meng Tan to serve as his tutor. During the Chang’an era, Meng Tan became governor of Tongzhou and was also awarded the title of Grand Master for Glorious Happiness in Silver and Azure. In the early Shenlong era, he returned to his mountain residence in Yiyang, where taking medicines and caring for his health became his daily routine.

Although Meng Tan was advanced in age, his resolve and energy grew ever stronger. He once told those close to him, “To preserve your health and cultivate your nature, make a habit of speaking beneficial words; do not be sparing with them. Keep good medicines at hand as well, and do not let them leave your side.” After Emperor Ruizong took the throne, he summoned Meng Tan to the capital and intended to entrust him with an important post. Meng Tan firmly declined, citing his advanced age. During the Jingyun era, the emperor issued a special edict granting him one hundred bolts of silk and ordering that sheep, wine, porridge, and other provisions be given to him each spring and autumn.

In the early Kaiyuan era, Bi Gou, the governor of Henan, considered Meng Tan a man of ancient virtue and renamed the place where he lived “Ziping Ward.” Meng Tan died at the age of ninety-three. He wrote one volume each of Family, Sacrifices, and Rites, as well as three volumes of Formulas for Supplementing and Nourishing.

Zhang Guo’s origins are unknown. He once wrote The Profound Meaning of the Yinfu Jing…