《离峰老人集》

On the western side of the emerald cliffs is where the Daoist lives. The fields outside the gate lie fallow, with wildflowers growing sparsely and untidily. Butterflies flutter about, still seeming to dream; busy bees come and go, as though they have not yet forgotten the affairs of the hive. Between the clouds, a young attendant returns carrying spirit herbs; in the sky, immortals walk upon rosy clouds. I idly think of those in the mortal world who chase fame and profit. They do not know that within the gourd there is a world vast and wide.

Green mist veils the emerald mountains; fallen leaves sweep past the eaves amid the sound of wind and rain. With fewer worldly troubles, even dreams grow peaceful; the Milky Way stretches across the clouds, and the stars seem sparse. The water is cold and the frost clear, so the fish no longer seek food. The mountains are remote, the trees gaunt and bare, as though they had no clothes. The Daoist passes his days in ease and idleness, while outside the gate the turmoil and disputes of the human world go on without end.

When will the commotion of the mortal world ever cease? Better to leave it behind and wander freely beyond its bounds. The beautiful mountains and waters are endless, and strange flowers and rare fruits make the secluded landscape all the lovelier. The wind passes through the herb garden, carrying a faint fragrance; moonlight falls on the fields of Lingzhi, and a purple glow seems to rise. Living at ease in seclusion amid the finest forests and streams, what in the world is worth keeping on one’s mind?

Looking south toward the mountains, the scenery surpasses that of Tianping Mountain. Mountain clouds drift across the sky, lending the view a striking clarity. Since ancient times, immortals have mostly lived in seclusion, leaving no trace; even now, Daoists continue to cultivate the Way of long life. The rise and decline of human affairs have become things of the past, while clouds surge and the world shifts between darkness and light. Only the ancient pines and strange rocks remain evergreen, flourishing in every season without decline.

Those who have attained understanding are not bound by life and death. They know how to use the wondrous principles and respond to the myriad changes. When revealed, they are like clouds parting to show the moon; when concealed, like a pearl hidden inside a mussel. In profound stillness, the inner numinous ruler—the clear nature of the heart—illuminates all. In blazing radiance, it is as though the furnace of creation, the power through which Heaven and Earth generate and transform all things, were melting open. Once the Golden Elixir is formed, it shines day and night with myriad rays of red light, illuminating the world within the gourd, clear as ice and jade.

The heat of summer recedes and the cold arrives: such is the natural change of the seasons. The west wind rises, and once again the osmanthus flowers fill the air with fragrance.

Mountain forests stand silent and empty, the leaves have all fallen, and crows roost in the trees. After the frost descends, the water turns cold, and the fish hide in the deep pools.

A friend from beyond the mundane world suddenly comes to visit, while the recluse in the grotto sleeps soundly.

The visitor leans on a staff and gently knocks on tablets of ivory and langgan (a gem-like stone), waking the immortal whose spirit wanders in dreams through the Huaxu (Huaxu State) realm. Huaxu is a utopia of ancient legend, and here the phrase describes a serene and beautiful dream.

Again

I do not study the profound principles of xuanli (mysterious reasoning), nor do I seek the Dao from the Chan (Zen) school. I simply dwell in a quiet little hermitage among the forests and springs, living at ease.

The sounds of nature that come from the sky are like music composed of the gong and shang notes. The household customs beyond the mundane world are expressed in virtuous conduct and literary writing.

Beside the fragrant grass I rest my head on a pillow and idle the time away, and in the setting sun I listen to a woodcutter's song.

I am not yet able to ride a phoenix and ascend to the heavens, so for now I will be a carefree immortal guest among the mortals.

Again

Others laugh that I am too foolish and wild. But do they understand this madness of mine?

I have made an agreement with the seagulls to meet on the dream shore, and I follow a mountain deer into the vine-entangled hills.

When the sun has climbed three poles high, I am still sleeping sweetly. Hearing a few snatches of human song, I step to the rhythm and sing along.

I return to my homeland to live in peace, watching how people in the world below stir up strife on the level ground.

Impromptu Verses

I lightly unfurl my sleeves of wind and stand upon the blue clouds. I once accompanied Hongya (an immortal) on journeys to the Dongtian Fudi (Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands).

Riding a chariot of divine fungus, I descended to the human realm on a phoenix. I also held the jade trees and kept company with the cranes for a thousand years.

Purple clouds and rosy mist breathe out flames that envelop the alchemical cauldron. The bright moon sheds its clear light upon the auspicious lotus.

My jade pendants hang down and brush lightly against the ground, and the golden youths convey the edicts of the Jade Emperor.

Pavilion of Mist and Clouds

The tall pavilion rises faintly into the clouds, and from the railings on its twelve sides the view stretches especially wide.

Looking back at the human world, it seems no more than a pinch of dust. At times, the sounds of the mountains rise like the notes of a xiao (bamboo flute).

On the distant peaks, the treetops are layered in shades of green, and in the breeze a thousand strands of willow sway.

The immortal realm of mist and clouds is close at hand, yet few can reach it. The road to Penglai (the mythical isle of the immortals) is, in truth, not far at all.

Instructions to Others

Whether one becomes a Buddha or an immortal depends on the mind's intention alone. How could one squander the light of worldly years in vain?

If one idles away the years, the road to the Great Dao will seem endless. If one delays cultivation from day to day, the years of toil will only grow heavier.

Already drunk on fame, wealth, and status, you are like a man in his cups, unaware of how precious your own spirit and qi are, as precious as gold. After "Qin Xin San Die" (the state in which the mind settles and deepens layer by layer in Daoist cultivation), it is as if the embryonic immortal begins to dance. I would like to write these words as admonitions, in the manner of a motto for practitioners of the Mysterious Gate (Xuanmen).

Written on Seeking the Road Through Delusion

When the six sense gates (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) are all open, one can see the light of heaven. Only when the barriers within the heart are completely torn down is one truly open and unconstrained.

The roads that lead the Dao (the Way) to its home are all level and direct, yet the lost wander where they cling. Walk onward and every path leads to Chang'an, and every path also opens onto boundless countryside. Set aside the passes and the books, and where will you search for the stray sheep?

Answering Someone

Someone asked me where the xuanzhu (the dark pearl, a Daoist metaphor for the inner true nature or numinous awareness) is. A single spark of light illuminates the jade vase. It has endured since ancient times and never perishes; it existed before heaven and earth took form.

Even amid the tangle of the six dusts (the sense objects of color, sound, scent, taste, touch, and mental phenomena that disturb the mind), the inner true master remains. Even when one ascends to an illusory Seven Treasure Mountain, one is only toying with this illusory body. If someone grasps the family style of this practice, they need not strive to run about, and they may still ride the clouds.

Again

Once awakened, brush the dust of fame and gain from yourself and become a person at ease and free. At leisure, go to the stream to keep company with the waterfowl; now and then enter the forest and lie down on a mat woven of sedge.

Worldly affairs are tangled and endless. The foolish busy themselves without ever recognizing their true nature. They see only the arising and perishing before their eyes, and do not know that within the inner heaven and earth lies a realm of everlasting spring.

Sent to Master Lang, Who Lives in Worldly Seclusion

More than ten years have passed since we parted, and time slips away, yet the Dao you follow has remained constant. You gather in your radiance and hide your traces, like one who cultivates the true in quiet devotion; you respond to others with flexibility, like a worthy sage skilled in dealing with the world.

You live a life like the fields and gardens of Zhengpu, far from the affairs beyond the fields, and you also carry the open spirit of Zhuangzi at the lacquer grove (Qiyuan), drifting in leisure among water and clouds. A hundred years from now, you will lift your whole house and ascend beyond the Milky Way, and the pure fame you leave among people will be transmitted for ten thousand ages.

Shown to Overseer Zhang

Do not covet empty splendor; you should comprehend your own self, and nourish your nature through tranquility and simplicity. Life before your eyes is like a dream within a dream. Only upon waking do you realize that beyond the body there is a true self.

You may as well plant a shadowless tree in a jar, and within a cave dwelling first obtain the spring that has not yet sprouted. The bustling worldly crowd will likely find it hard to discern these principles.

Everything before my eyes seems like a dream within a dream; only upon truly waking do I realize that there is a self beyond the body. Within a gourd one may cultivate trees that have neither shadow nor form, and within a cave one may glimpse the spring before it has begun to bud.

Worldly people bustle about in confusion, and I fear they will hardly discern the principle within it. As the bright daylight rises, the days renew themselves one by one.

Secluded Dwelling

Beside my gate runs a clear stream, and behind my hut rise the mountains. I came here by chance, made this place my temporary home, and live at my ease. At times I read, but only to shelter my eyes with a book and browse at random. I despise the guests that fame brings, and so I have no wish to cling to wealth or renown. I have planted slender bamboo, now numbering in the thousands, and built a thatched hut of barely two or three rooms. My secluded delight is shared with the white clouds, which unfurl and gather morning and evening, seeming to come and go with me.

Shown to Xiao Zhang, the Immortal

The children laugh and point at my wide cloth robe, saying that the immortals' celestial garments amount to no more than this. Cranes cry high in the sky while wisps of cloud drift slowly; above the phoenix towers (the immortal palace), phoenixes and luan birds call out, and the moon is full and bright.

In the Purple Mansion (the dwelling of the immortals), golden youths distribute fragments of jade dust (fine jade shards of the immortal realm), and in the Cinnabar Terrace (where elixirs are refined or immortals dwell), jade maidens roll pills of the soul-essence (pellets symbolizing the immortal medicines of the immortal household).

Yesterday the Jade Emperor (the celestial sovereign revered in Daoism) was busy issuing edicts, and he has already inscribed my name in the register of immortals.

Shown to Abbot Yuxi

The Daoist priest raises a cloud beneath his feet, as if about to roam freely beyond the dusty world. He brushes the dust from his robe and lays his staff, bright as the moon, across his side.

Several peaks seem to rise out of the level ground like a painting; one glance at them and body and mind feel refreshed. So I wish to end my days here, leaving the people of the world to chase profit and fame.

Shown to Abbot Yang of Shiwo

In poverty and disappointment, who can see that he is truly a man of resolve? When others speak of wealth and rank, he regards them with complete indifference.

He lives among the clouds and water, serene and still. His life is simple, with coarse tea and plain rice, and he does not strain after anything else. Whenever external things come before him, his mind becomes as clear as a mirror. Even when others mock his plain appearance, he does not mind.

His mind is open and unobstructed, like the void with nothing to block it. Beneath the boundless blue sky, it seems there is only a single pearl.

Written for Zhang, Who Wishes to Leave Home

When a great man reaches a critical juncture, he should not hesitate or waver; he should turn his thoughts toward the true Dao at once and seek it.

Once one awakens to the great Dao, the mind must return to stillness. Seeing through the brevity and emptiness of life, one knows that all the worldly affairs are like dust. The Daoist cultivator also relies on this temporary body to refine the elixir, and borrows a fleeting spirit to gather the "sacred embryo" (a term in Neidan, or internal alchemy, used to describe the fruit of cultivation).

Once one breaks free from the bonds of Yin-Yang (Yin-Yang) transformation, one is no longer governed by the workings of creation (zaohua). The single spark of numinous awareness (lingming) that was present from Heaven before birth shines upon the heart-mind.

Sent to Hermit Li of the Hut

The heart-mind is carefree and at ease, and the breath flows naturally and calmly. Though the storms of the world rise and fall, one is not disturbed by them.

The jade wheel (the full moon) floating in the sky seems to let one see through all the dust of the world. A sword must still be ground on a whetstone before it becomes sharp. When one cuts away karmic obstructions and idle hindrances, the elixir cassia (danggui) will be seen flourishing and swaying once more. At that time, all things will be bright and clear, as though transformed into a single golden pure land. Such a state fills Heaven and Earth, and one will never find it excessive.

Sent to Second Official Liu of Songzhou

Worldly merit and achievement are external matters, and astonishing wealth and rank are but the glory of the mundane world. Only after awakening does one realize that all of these are like fleeting dreams. Once this is understood, one is no longer startled in mind by favor or disgrace.

The bright and pure moon hangs high in the heavens of the mind, and everyone can see it. The black pearl (lizhu), said to lie hidden at the bottom of the sea, adds its light alone. If someone asks how a superior adept (shangshi), one who has accomplished the Way and whose virtue is lofty, embraces benevolence and kindness, the answer is that one should advance one step further in one's cultivation.

Admonition to Han, Head of the Association

Human fate has its smooth and difficult periods, each with its own causes and conditions, and one need not always sigh or complain. The Dao is vast; it appears broad and loose, yet nothing is omitted. Within its fine and intricate pivots of movement, the deep and hidden places have their own presiding spirits.

The waxing and waning of the sun and moon follow fixed patterns, and the growth and decline of Yin and Yang show no partiality based on closeness or distance. Looking at the transformations of the world, I see them as a Nanke dream (a metaphor for glory and wealth that vanish in an instant). Who, then, will be the one to awaken from this dream?

Admonition to Liu, Daughter of the Liu Family

To leap beyond the red dust, one must carry it through completely. When the mind is clear and the intention is still, the resolve to cultivate will grow even firmer. The sword rises with a flash of light, and its cold edge seems to turn into ten thousand tongues of flame. The jade blossoms bloom, and all the other flowers pale in comparison.

The Perfected of the Purple Mansion (Zifu), a true person dwelling in the immortal realms, descends from the Jade Capital (Yujing), the celestial realm of Daoist legend. Riding a cloud chariot and a moonlit seat, the ranks of banners and insignia arrayed before them. Holding the returned elixir (huandan) in hand, light shines through the Grand Void (taixu). At that moment, there is no longer any need for gold dust to refine the elixir.

Admonition to Shu Hu, Myriarch

Once merit is achieved and fame is established, one should withdraw early into the mountain forests. Only then can the body and mind find rest, and the heart will become more at leisure.

Looking Back at the Dusty World

Looking back at the dusty world of mortals, it truly resembles an illusory dream painted in ink. In the end, no elixir or miraculous medicine can hold back the bloom of youth.

Dwelling on Penglai, the Isle of Immortals (a fairyland said to lie on the sea), why would one bother to be tainted by worldly affairs? Wisteria vines wind over the gate, and there is no need to bar it against intruders.

Suddenly a pellet like a golden bullet flies out, faster than those who rush back and forth, illuminating people and prompting them to ask questions.

Presented to Jiagu, Commander-in-Chief (Dutong)

Gain and loss, hardship and prosperity: accept them all as they come, without rejoicing or worrying over them.

The wealth and honor of this life are causes sown in a previous life, and one's present circumstances are the fruit of past cultivation. On Guangwu Slope there was once a brief moment of exhilaration, yet beneath the Duyou Pavilion how many transgressions were left behind. When will retribution and its reward come to an end? Better to join me in cultivation and become an immortal who transcends the dust of the world.

Sent to Vice Envoy Zhang

Do not covet gaudy splendor and let desire disturb your heart, for even Penglai will become hard to find because of it.

The divine furnace on the cinnabar terrace is covered with dust, and the lingzhi on the lunar palace is overgrown with weeds.

Tell me, what is there in pursuing the endless affairs of the world that compares with realizing the true mind that is already within you?

Devote yourself diligently to cultivation for three thousand days, and you will refine a well of gold within a gourd. Here the refining of elixir serves as a metaphor, expressing the long-term effort of condensing jing (essence), qi (vital energy), and shen (spirit).

Presented to a Daoist Adept

To study the Dao (the Way), one must first dispel fixed views and distinctions. It is best to speak little among the crowd.

Do not take "six-six" as a mysterious secret, nor cling to sayings such as "three-three."

Only by clarifying the source of the mind can one observe the profound principles hidden within, and only by opening the eye of wisdom can one recognize "Xiyi" (the subtle, formless, and soundless quality of the Dao).

Only by investigating the root and consolidating the foundation is there a method of longevity. Once one attains Wuwei (non-action), nothing cannot be accomplished.

Presented to Abbot Zhang

I have heard that in ancient times, immortals dwelt in nests and caves, and such tales have been passed down to the present day.

The common people lived like wild deer, not knowing how to be grateful, and those in high positions were like trees on lofty branches, letting things take their natural course.

Forgetting the distinction between good and evil, one can roam freely in the vast realm. Regarding life and death as one, one can dispel the entanglements of all conditions.

As for when one may snap the scales and split open the measures, freeing oneself from worldly measurement and contention? I wish to return to the state of undifferentiated chaos and remake such a heaven and earth.

Presented to Zhai Haoran, Assistant Censor

Presented to the Assembly Leaders

Life's span is limited, like a candle flame in the wind; our bodies and fortunes have nothing to rely on, like foam on the water.

One should consider that youthful looks will inevitably change, and not wait until white hair climbs early onto one's head. One must exhaust greed and attachment, and seek patiently in the subtle and profound.

Let body and mind enter the vast, boundless realm of complete awakening, and roam freely in the Land of Great Peace.

Offered to Wendihan Mingdao

I had long heard of your reputation, and today we finally meet. Sitting down to converse, it is as if a spring breeze has suddenly arrived.

With the breath in harmony, a peach-blossom flush rises on the face; with the spirit settled, the elixir in the furnace glows as if red-hot. The "infant" (ying'er) and the "maiden" (chanü), which stand for the yin and yang essences in internal alchemy (neidan), unite and return to the Purple Mansion (zifu), the dwelling of the immortals in Daoist belief. The Dragon and the Tiger, metaphors for yin and yang essences, meet and enter the Palace of Li (Ligong), a term in internal alchemy referring to the place of mind and spirit in cultivation.

Wandering freely at sea, seeking the mysterious oral instructions, the road to the immortal isle of Penglai seems to have already joined into a single line.

Sent to Master Heshilie

Body and mind are at peace and at ease; together we laugh and talk as we walk out of the dusty world.

The path of cultivation leads steadily toward the Three Mountains (legendary immortal isles in the sea), and the harmonious qi flows warmly, as if the spring of the tenth month has melted open.

Beneath the walls of Luoyang, plum blossoms release their fragrance as the flowers open; in the region south of the river, the tips of the willows are dyed with fresh green.

If you are willing to come and cultivate together here, you need no longer be a dreamer within a life of toil.

Shown to Zhai Haoran

Only upon attaining great awakening does one know the great dream has ended, and so one follows the transformations of all things and roams freely to one's heart's content.

The spirit is like a crane in the high sky, freed from its cage; the body is like a boat on rivers and lakes, unbound by its mooring rope.

The profound principles may instead be grasped from withered wood; scenes of worldly splendor are all left to the fallen petals that drift away on the water.

Now one no longer asks whether to advance into office or retreat into seclusion; one simply lets oneself be at ease, like the toad that stretches and bends or the whale that tumbles in the waves.

Following Another's Rhyme

Encountering the one who has attained the Dao amid the sea of clouds, I imagine his spirit and bearing as clear and luminous as autumn water.

He rode a white deer on journeys to the Three Islands (legendary immortal mountains in the sea), and when he departed he rode a azure phoenix to pay respects to the Five Perfected (five realized beings who had attained the Dao).

He refined an elixir of longevity in a cauldron, and through the cultivation of his heart-mind he dispelled the worldly afflictions brought by the Six Roots (liu gen): eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

Master, you have already obtained the arts of the immortals. A person of lofty virtue is never alone; companions who share the Way will surely gather around them.

Presented to Physician Wang

Physician Wang, with hair like crane feathers and a beard like frost, is an extraordinary person rarely found in this world. You were willing to come here and discuss with me the Way of long life.

You might as well tend the withered tree on the moon, that is, cultivate the roots of the Dao within the heart. Refine also the priceless true treasure within the gourd, which refers to the essence (jing), vital energy (qi), and spirit (shen) attained through internal alchemy (neidan).

So long as you mend the flaws of heaven and earth, why trouble yourself to shape this mortal body, so wretched and unworthy?

The land of Penglai will ultimately have to be reached by you yourself, and when you arrive you may dwell beside the grass immortals as neighbors.

Instruction to the Judge of the Sitian Terrace

Amid the clamor of the dusty world, to comprehend the one true Dao is to become as free as a drifting tumbleweed.

Let the crane soar into the blue clouds with no thought held in its heart; let the bright pearl lie hidden in the Red Waters, and the Dao is not thereby impoverished.

Within the gourd there are pavilions and towers, revealing the paradise of the Three Islands; in the grotto, flowers and trees bloom in perpetual spring.

Where the azure phoenix and the white crane soar, the golden and jade-bright Liaoyang (a celestial realm in Daoist legend) is likewise renewed and resplendent.

Written for the Young Immortal Yan

Young man, your future is bright, and I hold you in tender regard. You are in the season of vigorous blood and breath, and all the more should you hold yourself in awe and keep yourself carefully restrained.

For the time being, keep your gaze and your hearing attached to the flourishing affairs of the world; if you undertake the practice of Daiolian (the original term, possibly referring to some cultivation method), it will only consume your effort.

If your resolve grows as hard as iron and stone, you will betray the aspirations you first held; when your years grow old and your days draw near to twilight, you will lose the chance to make amends.

So long as you constantly use this intention to remind and admonish yourself, the sages will secretly come to your aid.

Instruction to Daoist Li

Stillness and emptiness can forge a firm Dao-heart; one who can endure solitude will have wisdom made complete.

A hall full of gold and jade is, in the end, a thing outside the body; yet a single grain of cinnabar can prolong one's life.

People constantly cling to the splendor of the mortal world and sink into a dreamlike pursuit, never knowing that beyond the world there is the vitality of the Dao, which transforms and gives birth to all things.

If one can turn back and comprehend this principle, one will find that there is indeed a path to ascending and becoming an immortal.

Admonition to the World

Empty fame and profit must all eventually dissipate. They bind the human heart, and sooner or later they too will cease.

Busy with nothing but management and pursuit, the days pass just like this. How many people have ever kept their wealth and rank until their white bones have rotted away?

Clearly having the chance to ascend a precious mountain, one turns back and sighs in vain. The sea of bitterness has no shore, yet people still struggle reluctantly to rise above it.

Human life hangs like a thread, like a puppet being manipulated. Yet one does not know that life is merely a play, and still takes it as glory and triumph.

Passing Lianchang

The halls of the Lianchang Palace have long turned into level sand. The immortals who once rode off on phoenixes are nowhere to be seen, and only crows fly past.

Mount Song still lies across the horizon, and the Luo River flows endlessly into the distance.

The "Rainbow Skirt" melody has been played through, and only mountain birds sing. The Upright Tower stands empty, and wildflowers bloom among the weeds.

Ten thousand ages of splendor ultimately cannot be kept. Now this quiet dwelling belongs to a Daoist.

To the Daoist Shi

Fame and profit, these trifling matters, have stirred human hearts from ancient times to now. One is delighted upon gaining them, and fearful upon losing them.

People seem to be in the butterfly's dream, yet upon waking they may not fully understand. This brief life passes like a white colt glimpsed through a crack in the door, yet people vie for empty glory.

The Copper Mountain once received an imperial edict of reward for its favor, and the high towers of Jinggu Garden once turned to level ground in a single day.

How could this compare with a Daoist who sets down these strifes and lives out a whole life peacefully by the water and under the trees?

Again

Having dreamed upon the Pillow of Wandering Immortals, I have just awakened. The wind blowing through the bamboo house brushes my face, cool and fresh.

Already I hear the water clock's drip turning outside the window, and I see the tail of the Big Dipper lying across the treetops.

The worldly turmoil has vanished without a trace. At the moment of Dragon and Tiger joining, a sound will naturally arise. (Longhu jiao ("Dragon and Tiger joining") is a term in Neidan (internal alchemy) practice, referring to the union of yin and yang vital energies.)

Release one grain of purple-bristle gold, and it can soar up and down, startling ghosts and spirits.

Sent to Hermit-Abbot Guo

The floating life passes in haste, like leaves leaving their branches. A hundred years of time has already gone by, half of them spent.

Beyond the mundane world, the green mountains can only be gazed at with empty sighs, while the white hair at my temples grows ever more numerous.

As the year draws to its close, how could one not be stirred to sighs? You linger and do not return, and what am I to do?

The pact I made with the seagulls is already fulfilled. This time, do not betray this bond of affection again.

Instructing Qu, Zhiguan (Superintendent of the Daoist Monastery)

Yuanqi (primal qi, the root vital energy from which heaven and earth and all things arise) emerged from the far and dim depths. It was opened and divided long ago, and it governs Yin and Yang.

It distinguishes the transformations of creation and becomes the ancestor of the numinous powers. It embraces emptiness and nothingness, so that the myriad things flourish.

In motion, it reveals the subtle mechanisms of the mysterious and responds to the changes of all things. In stillness, the empty chamber of the heart shows the light of heaven.

Those who study the Dao must not seek for traces. Recognize that true emptiness is the Dharma King, the supreme law.

Instructing Official Kang

How can holding office compare with learning to become an immortal? One should nourish the flowing vital breath (haoran zhi qi) with purity and sincerity.

Each day, one refines the great elixir in the jade furnace. At all times, one refines red lead (hongqian) in the golden cauldron, a term of internal alchemy (neidan).

Let auspicious vapors rise straight into the Clear Han, the clear celestial realm. Plant golden lotuses and let them be enveloped in purple mist.

When merit is complete, one attends the true immortals and goes to Guanghan, the Palace of Cold Brightness. Then one proceeds together to Daluo Heaven, one of the highest heavens in Daoist cosmology.

To Controller Zhang

For several years, you and I agreed to retire to the mountain springs and forests, but empty fame held you back, and for a time you changed your mind.

The frontier is near, yet you still hold your ambitions. The Jade Pool, where the Queen Mother of the West is said to dwell, is not far, yet you have not yet had the chance to go.

For now, you remain among the cloud-filled ravines to manage Daoist affairs. With a raise of a hand or a step, you still wield the authority of heroic soldiers.

When your achievements are complete and your name is established, withdraw and retire, and cultivate yourself into a Daluo immortal.

Instructing Pucha, Superintendent of Songzhou

The profound Xuanyuan Supreme Dao needs no explanation. Tranquility, stillness, and emptiness all accord with nature.

Within the gourd there seems to be another new world, and within the cave are three immortal islands unlike the mountains and rivers of the human world.

Master Ding has not yet taken a wife, yet he already refines mercury in the Li Palace. The Jade Maiden hides the lead deep within the Kan Gate. (Li Palace and Kan Gate are terms of internal alchemy. They borrow the hexagrams of the Book of Changes to refer to the Yin and Yang breaths within the body, while mercury and lead are terms of alchemical practice.)

Do not lightly cut open the state of primordial chaos, lest you be forced to refine stones to mend the blue sky once more.

Instructing Guo, Superintendent

A bowl of gruel is my daily fare. Such a person is likely one who takes the Dao as a friend.

In stillness, one is like clear river water reflecting the sun and moon. In motion, one follows the cranes of the dim depths and flies toward the mists.

Green gradually dyes the temples, and white hairs dot the head like stars. The Dantian (elixir field, the site of inner cultivation in the body) exhales yellow radiance, and new shoots sprout inch by inch.

Shown to Mr. Zhao

Mountain streams and golden peaks are all places where one can retreat from the world. I have come to this place and built a Lotus Hermitage as my dwelling. Having set out on the path of Daoist practice, I walk it steadily, step by step, and as I look back on worldly affairs my heart grows more distant from them each day. On the shelf there are only a few dusty volumes, and before the gate, beside the mist-wrapped bridge, stand a thousand trees. Lately my mind has settled and the light of heaven has appeared, and a single spark of clear awareness has condensed into a jewel.

Shown to Official Le

What do honor and disgrace amount to when they fall upon a person? As long as the mind clings to either one, it harms the peace within. Looking back, the days of life steadily diminish, and even if a hall is filled with gold and jade, who would ever complain of having too much? Without seeking the sun and moon within the Heaven of the Gourd (a Daoist term for the inner realm of immortals and cultivation), one only sets the mind to endless strife in vain. Why not early on awaken to the Way of non-birth? The numinous light that transcends calamity, how could it ever be destroyed?

Again

The four elements of the human body (earth, water, fire, and wind, the constituents of the physical body) are the furnace of creation, and the True Fire of the Five Phases (the fire of Yin-Yang and Five Phases qi, used in neidan practice to regulate the firing process) is used to refine the empty primordial. A blazing flame rises from the depths of the Dantian, and even within the dim dust of the mortal world, a vast Great Void appears. The embodied form is ultimately a temporary combination, while the unborn nature of Dharma is what is truly real and original. A young spirit-boy who cuts open the jade of Mount Kunlun could not have it bought for any sum, however priceless it may be.

Sent to Zhang Tikong

Between the hasty turnings of white hair my head has become entirely white, and my youthful face has quietly faded without my noticing. If there is an opportunity to become an immortal, one should lightly rise and transcend the world; the affairs of the world are endless, and one should not strive for them in vain. Human life is like an illusion that cannot withstand the blowing of a candle flame in the wind; the floating life is brief, like bubbles on water, impossible to keep for long. What, after all, is fame and rank? Yet the clever still hurry about without rest on their account.

Shown to People

Who can recognize the free and easy immortal among the mortals of the world? When hungry, one eats; when tired, one sleeps. A small hermitage is sufficient to shelter one from the world, even if it holds only a single person; an empty reputation written on half a sheet of paper is worth nothing at all. The bright moon hangs overhead, clear and upright, and the cool breeze constantly circles about me. Before the hall there is no need to plant useless flowers and grasses, for green lang-gan (jade-like bamboo) will naturally grow in unbroken stands, thrusting straight into the clouds.

Inscribed as a Gift for Wang Yasi of Songzhou

Inscribed as a gift for Wang Yasi of Songzhou.

For Wang Yasi of Songzhou

Having examined this carefully, I tell the worthy ones: once the word "Dao" (the Way) is spoken, it falls into the words and distinctions of the mundane world.

The Great Dao is utterly empty and utterly still. How could it bear to be interrogated with words? It is subtle and profound, and it cannot be lightly transmitted.

Within stillness there is light. In the mysterious realm, the vitality of creation emerges, as if a lotus were growing from fire. The great chiliocosm (the vast, boundless universe) connects everywhere, and a luminous, spirit-like mind, like a divine pearl, is complete in every place.

Shown to Magistrate Hao of Ninghai

I tell people: what is a great man? Everyone has a pearl that shines in the dark within their heart.

Long ago it was deeply obscured by love, desire, and worldly worries. Now that confusion and grime have been ground away, the cover has naturally dissolved.

Within the heart there is a radiance, clear as a precious mirror and pure and bright as a jade vessel of ice.

Sacred spring water descends from the summit of Kunlun and nourishes the jade blossoms (the jade flowers of the immortal realms), so that they never wither.

Given to Sun, Supervising Clerk of Taihe

Do not covet fleeting splendor, and do not resent your own circumstances. It is best to nourish your natural nature in quiet places.

What can a person ultimately accomplish in a lifetime? The affairs of the world have always been easy to deceive oneself about.

Accumulate much virtue, and do not worry that the road to immortality is long. Let go of attachments and fixations, and you will naturally draw close to the Dao.

Once you awaken from the dream of the Huaxu realm, the Yang Spirit (yangshen, the pure yang spirit that practitioners speak of) will appear, and you may roam together in the realm of transformation (the ideal immortal realm), enjoying a spring without nightfall.

Roaming Jiaozi Mountain

Whether life flows smoothly or meets obstruction depends on natural causes and conditions. This journey to Jiaozi Mountain was also a matter of chance.

I have long drifted like duckweed on the waves. Let my sleeves flutter in the wind, light and at ease.

Several peaks seem to rise from the level ground like a painting. Hundreds of birds sing within the deep forest, like music being played.

Within a short distance, the Seven Returns (qihuan, an inner alchemy practice that refers to refining and returning essence and breath so they condense) are complete. The fine scenic places of the human world are also places where flying immortals come and go.

Shown to Daoist Yuan

All day chasing empty fame is truly futile. Tell me, is there any way to make time stand still?

You only see flies competing for blood, not realizing you are inside a dream of illusion, like crows startled into flight beneath the moon.

Warning to the Kitchen

For many generations, you have indulged in desire, and your worldly attachments have grown ever deeper, gradually wounding the purity you were born with and drying up your nature.

I say to the wise: keep firmly in mind that you must treasure and nurture the "luminous pearl" within your body (yemingzhu), which is to say, your inner true nature and numinous awareness.

Warning to the Kitchen

The kitchen of the vegetarian hall bustles every day with fires and cooking, and every meal it prepares is offered to sustain this defiled physical body.

A single grain must be tilled many times before it is obtained, and it is not easy to come by. Eating a hundred spoonfuls of food already incurs many harms and debts.

People cherish the marrow of the brain yet do not cherish other lives. They do not till the land themselves, and they cast aside the root of cultivating the Way (Dao).

If you forget to keep the mind pure and tranquil and to observe the precepts constantly, you may in the future grow fur and horns and be reborn as a beast to repay what you owe.

Self-Chanting

I am like duckweed drifting on the sea, wandering for forty years. Year after year has passed, and I have long since seen through worldly affairs.

The spring breeze blows in from a distant realm beyond birth, and the autumn moon shines eternally over a sky without night.

Rising from samadhi, it seems a willow branch still lingers at my elbow. When the mind is clear and empty, it is as though no lotus remains beneath my feet.

I sincerely send word to my friends in the dusty world: come to Yunxi early or late, and join me in cultivating the Way.

Again

I am a disappointed, impoverished man living alone at Yunxi, a leisurely recluse who lies content by a small window, nurturing my innate nature.

Once one has awakened within a dream, one is no longer deluded by dreams. Only by transcending the body does one come to know a deeper level of life.

The cold moon hangs high in the sky, clear for a thousand years. The fine spring light falls upon all things, brief as it is, and renews them completely.

Rather than chase worldly change, it is better to recognize the Way of longevity. Whether in ancient or modern times, the spring of life endures equally forever.

Composed in Accordance with Sun Boying's Original Rhyme

Alone, I settle wherever I arrive. Having trodden every road of clouds and mist, my resolve remains firm.

Who sends news from the blue bird at the edge of heaven? White clouds drift in the wind from west to east.

Pounding and refining the medicinals symbolized by the jade hare of the moon palace, I employ true fire (zhenhuo) to set the essence and qi symbolized by the golden crow of the sun in motion.

Gathering these into the mysterious, one may nurture life over the long term, and the numinous true nature endures together with Heaven and Earth.

Presented to Sun Boying

The noble scholar has long grown weary of the splendor of the capital, and now, thinking of the immortal mountains, wishes to lie among the colored clouds.

He keeps company with a bamboo staff and straw sandals, and relies daily on a medicine stove and scriptures.

When hungry, he eats acorns and taro; when thirsty, he drinks pine-pollen infusions and stone tea.

He does not dwell on the right and wrong of the mortal world. He wishes only to lie at rest among the colored clouds.

Relying on a bamboo staff and straw sandals as companions, with a medicine stove and scriptures as daily support.

Hungry, I eat acorns and mountain taro; thirsty, I drink pine pollen and stone tea. I do not weigh the right and wrong of others. I know only that I belong to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Following things, moving with circumstance, and trusting in nature, one finds within nature the true meaning of becoming an immortal (xian). There is no need to bury oneself in fragmentary texts or to exhaust the doctrines of the scriptures, for I have long since grasped the patriarch's Chan meaning from "holding up the flower." Let idle talk in the world swirl as it will; so long as the mind and spirit are settled, one can obtain this ease. The true delight of cultivation lies right here. Why seek Caverns-Heavens (dongtian) and Blessed Lands (fudi) among mountains wreathed in mist and cloud?

To learn immortality, one should in general enter a monastic community (conglin), meaning a Daoist temple or cultivation fellowship, and in conduct and action not be stained by familiar old habits. Do not linger in the marketplace of fame and profit; set your mind on the Way of the sages and worthies. Accumulating cultivation is like building a thousand-fathom mountain from a basketful of earth at a time. Cherish every bit of time, treating the smallest moments as inch-gold. When the Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) gather and condense into an undefiled body (wulou zhi ti), a state of cultivation in which one no longer dissipates Jing (essence), companions from among the mists and clouds will come to keep you company.

How many years can beautiful looks last? In the blink of an eye they become dry bones in a desolate mound. While alive, people strive for superiority through cleverness, and at that final moment even heroes can only come to a halt. When deluded, people take sorrow and joy as real and unchanging. Once awakened, one sees that life and death are like floating foam, bubbles that drift on the water and burst in an instant. Yet is the numinous nature ever destroyed? It remains, so that cultivators may awaken through it.

Presented to Clerk Zheng

Alas, your temples have already turned white, and you are busy all day among mountains of lawsuit documents. Worldly profit is like hot soup poured on snow: it vanishes in an instant. The power the brush can bring is no more substantial than the sting of ginger's spines. Sweet, rich food may satisfy the whole household for a time, but when karmic debts come due, one must repay them oneself. I offer these words to you as bitter medicine. May you heed them and find peace in your heart.

Presented to Assistant Treasurer Zhang

When will you bid farewell to the red dust and retire to rest? I hope you will keep me company, wandering freely among the clouds and waters.

To Magistrate Wang

Settling the basic needs of a lifetime, such as dwelling and food and clothing, is worth more than years of official service bound by constraints. Within the gourd there is indeed medicine to prolong life, yet in the world there is ultimately no way to keep from dying. Once cultivation is complete, one may transcend the dusty world and meet the immortals at the Jade Pool.

To Master Ji of Mount Song

Gazing toward the southeast, layer upon layer of green mountains stretch on without end, and the master dwells in these lofty heights. Having seen through the splendor of fame and profit, he has also severed his entanglements with the mundane world. Having grasped the subtle and profound principles, he has cultivated a far-reaching "Dharma eye" (the wisdom to discern the truth of things). The books of the world may be set aside, and no fixed rule before him can bind him. I hope you will continue to encourage yourself and devote your heart to all beings, so that the work nearing completion is not undone for lack of one final effort.

To Daoist Dong of Xishan

To practice cultivation in the Dao (the Way) as a renunciant, one cannot do without the monastic community (the places where Daoist practitioners live and study together). Do not leave your fellow practitioners in haste on a passing whim. Tell me, is the monk who drifts like a floating cloud truly without feeling? How can he compare with the companionship of flowing water and the finding of a true friend? Jade becomes fine jewelry only through careful carving, and when the sand is blown away, true gold appears. I have heard that the immortal isles of Penglai and Yingzhou have many beneficial companions. All the more, you should cherish your time and not waste it carelessly.

An Admonition to Elder Aunt Liang

Those who cultivate the Dao should not toil relentlessly at refining themselves, for the Great Dao is originally within nature itself. When one attains true stillness, its function naturally manifests. Without deliberately adjusting or carving, the roundness and squareness of things are naturally accomplished. In the Hall of Five Brightnesses, the lingzhi fungus grows, and on Mount Seven Treasures, auspicious lotus blossoms bloom. Pluck a single stem and carry it back to the misty, distant realm, and offer it to the immortals at the Jade Pool.

Instructions for Abbot Wang of the Hermitage

The bearing of an immortal is fitting for dwelling among mountain forests and springs. Once one sees through the entanglements of the mundane world, one can seek the affinity with the Dao. Brush away the scattered thoughts in your mind and quietly nurture the profound mystery within your nature. When the light of heaven appears, the mists will disperse, and when the Dharma eye opens, the moon of wisdom hangs high in the heart.

Once more, the Silver River is turned back, its waters are drawn up, and they are poured over the purple-gold lotus in the grotto-dwelling. The "purple-gold lotus" stands for the precious fruits of cultivation.

For Immortal Mei

You were born with the bones of a Daoist, and you admire the cultivation of the Way, so you naturally have no wish to linger long in the dust of the mortal world.

When the mist clears and confusion dissolves, the "Dharma Eye" (the wisdom-eye that perceives truth) of the cultivator opens, and wisdom hangs high like a bright moon.

Once more, the Silver River is turned back, its waters are drawn up, and they are poured over the purple-gold lotus in the grotto-dwelling.

For Immortal Mei

You were born with the bones of a Daoist, and you admire the cultivation of the Way, so you naturally have no wish to linger long in the dust of the mortal world.

You have already seen through worldly affairs as a fleeting glimmer of light past the window. Why would you submit to being like a parrot, confined to a narrow space and unable to roam freely?

Within a gourd you refine the elixir of long life, and you let the boats on the sea drift with the waves, untethered.

I hope that, when dusk falls and you return home, you will sit alone before the bright moon and enjoy the autumn colors of the green river.

For Zhang, Granary Official of Songzhou

To become a disciple of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school, you must take up a bamboo staff, leave the mortal world, and set out on the path of cultivation.

Polish the precious mirror of the heart until it shines; refine cinnabar, and you can subdue ghosts and spirits. The "refining of the elixir" here refers to the practice of either Neidan (internal alchemy) or Waidan (external alchemy) in Daoism.

Clear away the various attachments within the mind, and with a single phrase awaken those lost in dreams.

Looking back at those who are caught up in trivial attachments, they think themselves clever, yet in doing so they lose their original true nature.

Inscribed on Shihuo Hermitage

Gazing as far as the eye can reach, I see clouds shrouding the emerald mountains. A Daoist who arrives here forgets cleverness and worldly calculation.

Everywhere before the eyes is true stillness, and the ears hear no idle disputes of right and wrong.

Distant peaks stretch out beyond the clouds like jade-green kingfisher feathers, and the fine spring at the gate drips down like pearls and jade striking together.

The red dust of the world is close at hand, yet it feels as distant as the sky's edge. In the daytime, the pines cast a silent shade, and the hermitage gate stands closed.

For Zhao Jixian of Shihuo

You have seen through the emptiness of human life, like a bubble on water, and you allow not a trace of worldly thought to remain in your heart.

At times you set down your scriptures and, with keen delight, wander among the green mountains.

Do not mock the gourd and the single ladle of water as all one's possessions. Such a simple, impoverished life is what later generations will revere.

If someone comes to ask about the method of cultivation, the answer is only this: once you have eaten your fill, do not give rise to any further delusive thoughts, and the myriad affairs will come to rest of their own accord.

Sent to Zhang, Granary Official

A human life is limited, so do not let it be wasted; a hundred years of time pass in the blink of an eye.

You are only concerned that the gold in your purse is not yet enough, and you fail to notice that the white hairs at your temples are gradually multiplying.

As life reaches its final hour, no one can escape birth and death, and even with eyes full of children and grandchildren, one is helpless. It is better, while the body is still strong, to invite the bright moon early and go together to the secluded mountain forests.

Instructions to Yang, Head of the Assembly (Shi Yang Huishou)

Do not speak of golden lotuses growing from fire, nor of a grotto-heaven (an immortal realm) within one's own home. In general, to leave the household and cultivate the Dao, one must set aside love and desire and cut off all distracting thoughts, entering the deep and mysterious realm.

Grinding a brick will never make it a mirror, and wiping a stone until it turns into a sheep is only an expedient saying. If one attains a state of spiritual power that moves freely and without obstruction, one can become an immortal even while standing on level ground.

Autumn Day: Instructions to Wanyan the Daoist (Qiuri Shi Wanyan Daoren)

At dawn, the White Emperor (the deity who presides over autumn) displays the power of frost, as though joining Heaven and Earth in strengthening the air of austere decline. Leaves on the treetops can no longer hold on and drift down in flurries, and the wild geese at the edge of the sky, urged on by the autumn chill, fly off in flocks.

Travelers far away in the red dust of the world grow so anxious that their hair turns to silken threads, and the frontier soldiers, clad in iron armor, grow weary and fall ill. Only the immortal households seem free of worry and care. They drink a bowl of thin gruel, close the brushwood gate, and dwell in peace.

Reflections at the Taiqing Palace (Taiqing Gong Shuhuai)

Waking from sleep, my spirits are light and at ease, and my frail body leans on me as I make my way to the Dwelling of Dwelling in Stillness (a place for Daoist practice and quiet nourishment). In the wind, red and purple blossoms fall now and then; after the rain, the langgan (a jade-like bamboo) grows fresher day by day.

This sacred place naturally gives rise to auspicious qi, and the sun in the vast heavens moves on without pause. The old immortal has forgotten the affairs of the human world, and as he hears the morning bell from outside, he happens to turn around.

Instructions to Daoist Zhao (Shi Zhao Daoren)

Gather the spirit and turn the gaze inward, so that the dust of the outside world does not cloud you. The Mysterious Key of the Six Gates (the inner passes that open the gate of cultivation) requires cutting off worldly desire, while the Seven Returns Elixir (a term in Daoist Neidan practice) requires that the Qi of the Dao circulate and condense within the body.

When the jade dew descends, each drop is like a pearl; when the golden clouds rise, each is round like the moon. Within the crystal pavilions dwells the Perfected, and the red phoenix and the black tortoise (often used to symbolize the two forces of Yin and Yang) circle above and below.

Admonition to Zhang Gu (Zhanggu Gao)

Work at the furnace in the pure, snow-like stillness of spring, and through refinement the inner elixir must condense into round pearls, one after another.

Myriad Daos glimmer and cross like silver mist, and a thousand auspicious lights shine so brilliantly that they cannot be told apart.

The infant gathers the lingzhi herb, and the astonished maiden quietly opens the furnace of creation. Here the scene is painted with mythic imagery to evoke something wondrous.

A perfected person (one who has attained the Dao) plays idly, lifting the bright moon with a staff and toying with the mysteries of emptiness.

Presented to Daoist Li of Qingping

Advancing in years, my eyes tire easily when I read. It is better to nurture a tranquil, empty heart in some quiet place.

Every one of the body's hundred bones is at ease and unobstructed, the spirit is calm, and there are no dream disturbances at night. The four limbs are loose and free-flowing, and the breath grows naturally deep and long.

Search carefully, as one chisels into Jing Mountain for a raw jade, and as one sifts the ash of the alchemical furnace for true gold, pursuing the inner true Dao.

Now I will tell you the essential secret of attaining immortality. It may be taught to the many, but cherish every inch of time.

Announcement to Assistant Abbot Wang

I tell you this: if you ask what a resolute great person is, know that everyone in the world already holds a luminous pearl. The luminous pearl stands for the innate spiritual brightness of our nature.

Long ago, this pearl was clouded by worldly dust. Now that the veil has been brushed away, not a single delusive thought remains in the heart.

Its radiance is like a spotless white silk, as pure as a jade vessel of ice.

Kunlun turns into a spring of numinous water to irrigate the jasper blossoms, so that they never wither. Here the numinous spring and the jasper blossoms stand for nourishing one's nature, so that the inner vitality endures.

Presented to Daoist Master Hui

Shakyamuni held up a flower to signal, and Bodhidharma faced the wall in meditation. Both revealed the Buddha-dharma through action. Yet these remain outward manifestations, and they may also merely linger in the process itself.

The originally numinous nature has no distinction of completeness or deficiency. It is only the human mind that falsely generates attachment, like adding superfluous tumors to a sickness.

The great Dao cannot be exhausted in words. To embody the Valley Spirit (gu shen, the profound and ever-generating mystery of Qi that the Daoists speak of), there is also no fixed path that may be deliberately pursued.

The person who truly attains the Dao, once awakened, is loath to say much. When thirsty they drink water, when hungry they eat rice, and other matters no longer weigh on the mind.

Presented to Daoist Master Zhang

Deep stillness and the crash of thunder each follow their own nature, and the principle behind them is, from the start, empty and formless.

Lotus-like dwellings, birth and death: these cannot be governed by cleverness or scheming. An appearance as plain and rough as wood and earth does not mean dullness.

Counting the breath deliberately is only a minor, ordinary method. As for canxia (the Daoist legendary practice of ingesting the mist of dawn clouds), if one clings to its outward forms, it is merely shallow work.

If you wish to know the essential teachings of the immortals beyond the world, you must seize the pearl from beneath the black dragon's jaw. The black dragon's pearl is a legendary treasure; here it stands for a deeply hidden and rarely found mysterious secret.

Five-Character Regulated Verse

Sent to Wanyan, Provost of the Dongxiao Palace (Dongxiao Gong)

I send word to a fellow adept of Dongxiao Palace: your innate quality is excellent, truly precious. True goodness leaves no trace, and in dealing with the world it is sometimes better to appear plain and unpolished.

Consider that this life is like a burning candle. It is better to be like a pearl hidden within a clam, gathering in its light.

Do not let your brightness show outwardly. Cherish your body and nourish the years that remain to you.

A Message to an Old Friend in the Western Hills

Living in the mountains is also very joyful. The sea of green before my eyes now seems as dull and tasteless as chewing wax, and only a single thought remains in my heart, cold and still as ash.

When I bade farewell to Wu Jiyi, I jotted down this new poem on a whim. The Gao Zhen (High Perfected, the exalted immortals of Daoist belief) have cherished me greatly and would not let me easily reveal myself or leave the mountains.

Expressing My Feelings

Dressed in hemp and wearing a kudzu-fiber headcloth, I am a carefree person between Heaven and Earth. My mind is open and wide, transcending the Three Realms (the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm) and rising high above the Six Dusts (the forms, sounds, scents, tastes, touches, and phenomena that disturb people).

The immortals in the cave-dwellings never age, and the paradise within the gourd enjoys eternal spring. I climb to the summit of Kunlun and look back at the North Star (Beichen, the Pole Star).

Again

My resolve in cultivating the Dao grows ever firmer and more refined, and I gradually grow distant from worldly affairs. I take pure stillness and emptiness as my livelihood, and nourish my true suchness (zhenru, the unchanging true nature) through quiet tranquility and detachment.

The medicinal substances that alchemical texts describe as lead and mercury are refined in the golden cauldron, and the mysterious frost (xuanshuang, an elixir of Daoist practice) is produced in the jade furnace. Once the work is complete, I will return to the immortal capital and dwell there forever.

Shown to the Dance Assembly Leader of the Central Capital

The peaks of Mount Song are green and cold, and my hermitage rests beside a mountain stream. Worldly ties have gradually grown thin, while my thoughts on cultivating the Dao have become ever more subtle.

Phoenixes and cranes gather in the cinnabar courtyard, and clouds and mist seem to drift toward the jeweled halls. What does it matter to remove one's orchid-sash? Once one departs, one does not return.

Following the Rhyme of Lei Gong

I wander at leisure among the forest and springs, and without noticing, forty years have slipped by in vain. When the moon rises, there is no need to point at it with one's finger; once the fish is caught, one has long forgotten the basket used to catch it (the poem uses this image to express a refusal to cling to means).

The years flow by in this way, and my mind has grown calm. Until I return to the immortal mountains, I will simply go along with whatever lies before me and follow the course of fate.

Twenty-Two Five-Character Quatrains

All the affairs of the world have come to an end, and the many duties of this floating life have been set down. I suddenly rise beyond the Three Realms and am no longer bound by the slightest worry.

The Great Dao is profoundly deep and mysterious, and pure stillness and emptiness accord with nature. When I part the eye of samadhi (sanmei, the state of concentrated meditative stillness), I can see another world.

From the visible forms I understand the formless; from the true void I perceive that all appearances are fundamentally empty. Neither existence nor non-existence clings to me, and I dwell in the Great Void (taixu).

To cultivate a body and mind free from constraint, one must repay the debts incurred in the past. Once the lamp within one's original nature is lit, it can illuminate the entire void.

A thatched hut built at a corner of the city wall: who could tell that this is an immortal's realm? The place is remote and seldom visited, and with a tranquil mind, the flavor of the Dao (the Way) lingers long.

The Dao is everywhere, and all things manifest it. Yet I do not dare to state this absolutely. When one forgets the distinctions made by words, the mind naturally becomes at peace.

Autumn wind rustles, and fallen leaves drift down in profusion. These scenes before the eyes fully reveal profound mysteries.

Outside the world, one can nourish a person of lofty and pure conduct, and within the mundane world, there are also people who transcend worldly habits. By opening up a clear, unclouded gaze, one can see through attachment to fame and profit.

Liberation is ultimately one's own affair, and life and death have nothing to do with oneself. The mind is like a bright moon in the empty sky, and the body is as free as a wild cloud drifting in the open country.

Within the original nature there is something pure and true. How can the myriad miscellaneous things stain it? Undo the seamless lock, and one can escape bondage and attain freedom.

The physical body (composed of the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind) has, by its nature, a place to belong. Can the true original nature be without a root? Seek deep within the heart, and the nature that governs body and mind remains.

Once the branches and leaves are fully pruned, wisdom and talent naturally emerge. A body cannot hide from its reflection in a mirror, and bamboo must meet the blade before it can be split.

Excessive attachment to worldly emotions makes the mind hard to keep clear, and only when the mind is limpid can one savor the true flavor of the Dao. Wanting to preserve both is unrealistic; one must truly let go of something.

The highest skill often appears clumsy. An awl hidden in a bag should not be eager to poke its head out. Once the hunting of hares is finished, the hunting hounds need not worry.

Traveling to the Bohai Sea, one sees snowy waves rising in layers before the eyes. Try casting bait into the water: which one is the divine turtle?

Life originally has no true life, and death is not true death. People cycle through the long flow of birth and death, yet few understand this principle.

The four great elements (earth, water, fire, and wind, which make up the human body) manifest countless marvelous transformations, while the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) ultimately return to decay. Forms change a thousand times, and across ten thousand ages, arising and perishing turn endlessly.

Worldly human feelings have their limits, but the great Dao has no boundary. If one diligently comprehends that life is like a dream, the mind will become serene and at ease, pure like a lotus rising from the water.

The one who has attained free and easy freedom should also seek out those who have transcended the mundane world. When two such people meet, there is no need to exchange a word. A single exchange of glances is enough for their understanding of the Dao (Way) to flow together.

This place is far from the disturbances of the mortal world and suits quiet retirement. To tell a close friend of this state of mind: human life is brief and, in the end, like an illusion.

When will fame and achievement finally come to an end? When will wealth and honor finally cease? Once one sees through life as a dream, one understands that all of it is like foam on water, dissipating in an instant.

I wished to cast out bait to test the waters, but the spirit turtle (a legendary marvelous giant turtle) would not take it. So I turned my lone boat and departed, and saw only the moonlight shining on the green river water, with the chill of autumn in the air.

Two Six-Character Quatrains

The Dao cannot be explained in words, provided one's resolve is firm. When the ten thousand miles of idle clouds are scattered, a single bright moon appears. Here the image of clouds parting to reveal the moon serves as a metaphor for sweeping away stray thoughts and revealing one's original nature.

To refine black mercury into white snow, and to congeal red lead into yellow sprouts: these are coded terms of inner alchemy (Neidan), in which mercury, lead, snow, and sprout refer to the vital essences and methods of the practice. Under the lamp, the master personally transmitted the oral formulas and instructed his disciple to keep the spiritual elixir hidden in his heart.

Collected Poems of the Recluse of Lifeng, Volume Two: Seven-Character Quatrains

Chance Attainment

After many years of quiet, wandering life among clouds and waters, I have at last obtained the immortal art of longevity and non-death.

The two ingredients together weigh sixteen liang, and one rides a vermilion phoenix (a sacred bird symbolizing the immortal's mount) into the realm of the immortals. "The two things" and "sixteen liang" are terms of inner alchemy, and here the imagery of alchemical furnaces describes the achievement of cultivation.

Refining the Mind

The heart of one who cultivates the Dao has already grown still as cold ashes, and the endless dust and turmoil of the outer world are therefore also brought to rest.

When one transforms all things under heaven and earth into the subtle workings of cultivation, one feels that wherever one stands is Penglai (a legendary mountain isle of the immortals).

Presented to Master Yila

The realm within the gourd is truly extraordinary, and all things between heaven and earth naturally shine with radiance.

Through quiet cultivation, one develops a body and mind undisturbed by desire and vexation, and nourished by the qi of harmonious emptiness, one can accomplish the supreme method.

On Others Talking About Me

When will the discussion of others and the talk about oneself ever end? Why should one worry over the contest for fame and gain?

If one comprehends that human life has its limits, one will let go of those contests for fame and profit that are as trivial as the head of a fly or the horn of a snail.

Message from Daoist Wang

The oral formulas of cultivation have been solemnly transmitted to the worthy: when hungry, eat; when tired, sleep.

When the mind-spirit is clear and pure, mundane thoughts find it hard to stain; the original nature is like a precious mirror without dust, naturally complete and bright.

Sent to Yila of Deshun Prefecture, in Reply to Deputy Jiefu

Fame and achievement have not yet ended, yet the heart has already let them go; worldly affairs have all been forgotten, yet the original nature remains clear and undiminished.

Let the wind of wisdom stir the myriad sounds of the world, and once the ten thousand things return to stillness, true emptiness (a state beyond attachment, free of any obstruction) will appear on its own, like a single bright light.

The spirit staff (lingzhang), symbolizing the adept's wisdom and magical power, pries open the chains of fame and profit, while the wisdom blade (huidao), symbolizing the sharpness of wisdom, severs the boundaries of right and wrong. He was originally an immortal guest who roams beyond the mundane world, riding a whale, and naturally he can wander in spirit through the realm where night never falls.

Lying at ease on a high pillow by the Cloud Stream, dwelling amid the mists, one tends and cultivates the flower that symbolizes longevity so that it never withers. Such a person is fit to become the leader of the immortals, harmonizing the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang so that it spreads to the ends of the earth.

Auspicious vapors rise unceasingly south of the mountain, and golden blossoms open one after another north of the water. At times a marvelous sound brings good news: the Jade Void Hall (Yuxu Dian, the immortal palace of Daoist legend) is selecting immortals.

Mists are faint and mountain hues are pale, and I have long dwelt among the green peaks. White clouds drift over the empty valley, no one comes to visit, and so all day my body and mind are at leisure and at ease.

I have lived in seclusion by the Cloud Stream for many years, occasionally drifting on the wind into the human world. The tumult of the mundane world is not what I seek; I will lead the white clouds back to my old mountain.

Look at those who covet wealth and cling to office, bustling about in the dust of the world. When will they ever rest? Our finite days are soon spent, and the boundless years, once gone, cannot be held back.

Everywhere shows the Chan (Zen) meaning that came from the West, referring to the true intent of the Buddha-dharma, and all things make plain the minds of the Patriarchs and the Buddha. Let go of thoughts and distinctions, and one can act freely without wrangling or straining over thought.

Do not force yourself to seek food and clothing; simply let each day unfold according to circumstance and follow what is natural. This saves both mind and effort, so no idle affairs trouble the heart.

On the mountaintop, numinous springs gush forth in torrents, and in the depths of the sea, flames blaze fiercely, together forming an auspicious lotus. Once Yin-Yang is in harmony, the Neidan (internal alchemy) condenses naturally, and in the Crystal Palace the immortals gather.

Hu, the Head of the Association in Xihua County, said:

If you can grasp the principle of lunhui (cycles of rebirth), you should turn back early. Do not plant the golden lotus in the fire. Even if you plant it and its roots and sprouts survive, in the end it will never bloom.

Zhang, the Abbot of Xihua County, said:

Do not cling to the fleeting splendor of the mortal world, nor grasp at the illusory emptiness. The days of one who cultivates the Dao are plain and simple. When the mood strikes, read a couple of leisurely books. When weary, gaze at the evening clouds from the pine pavilion.

Jia, the Daoist of Xihua County, said:

Do not alter your nature to accommodate things, and do not be bewildered by the gains and losses of the world. A single ladle is enough for a recluse to find contentment. When the mind is often clear and empty, one can attain great awakening and become an immortal (xian).

Shown to Chang Gu of Chenzhou:

The heart of one who cultivates the Dao is as clear as ice. There is no need to seek it deliberately, for the Dao will arise on its own. When all sounds return to stillness, the mind is at peace, as bright and pure as an autumn moon.

Wanyan, the Gentleman of Chenzhou, said:

In cultivation, one values chou-tian (adjusting Yin and Yang, increasing and decreasing the fire), which must revolve continually across the blazing fire timing (huohou). Once Yin and Yang reach ji ji (completion, mutual union), the zhenhuo (true fire) circulates and refines. When pure Yang (chunyang) is achieved, the yuanshen (primordial spirit) naturally appears, and one roams freely on the path that transcends birth and death.

Wanyan, the Aunt of Chenzhou, said:

Something sought everywhere, all day and all year, cannot be found, yet when it is truly attained, it takes no effort at all. That single point of numinous awareness is the true message. Whether one becomes a Buddha or an immortal, the key lies in this heart.

Sun, the Aunt of Chenzhou, said:

Sweep away all the emotions and attachments, and do not let them stir you. Do not let dust cloud a heart as clear as an ice jar. Once divine light appears in the breast, a myriad rays of red clouds will envelop the precious pearl.

Presented to Gentleman Pucha Congyi of Xizhou:

Once merit is achieved and fame secured, one should retire early to the mountain forests, walking freely with a staff and at ease wherever one goes. Under the clear brilliance of the moon, contemplate the mysterious workings, and in the depths of the white clouds, cultivate the divine elixir.

Wanyan, the Elder Brother of Chenzhou, said:

Clear the thorns from the heart, sweep away the wasteland, and plant the auspicious lotus.

A cool breeze of feeling gently stirs the jade leaves, and a bright crescent moon shines upon the Pot-Heaven (hutian, the pure and carefree realm described in Daoist writings). Deep among the white clouds, one penetrates the mysterious workings and refines the divine elixir.

Cut away the thorns and open up the mind-ground; sweep clear the wilderness and plant the auspicious lotus. A cool breeze of feeling gently stirs the jade leaves, and a bright crescent moon shines upon the Pot-Heaven.

Set aside the six desires (the six sensory appetites of human beings), and body and mind become at ease; untouched by the dust of worldly thought, one's nature can wander freely. Plant the rootless tree in the fire, let its spiritual blossoms open, and they will never wither.

Fame and rank are like sparks struck from stone, gone in an instant; wealth and status are like foam on water, dispersed in a moment. Release your attachments, and you can set foot on the road beyond the clouds; right and wrong, and the strife between self and others, will then also come to rest.

Since we parted at Suiyang, I have lingered long in longing; gazing until the spring clouds were gone, I still have not seen you return. Treasure this priceless Longquan sword (a symbol of the precious mind dedicated to the Way), and do not let its treasured light be soiled by dust.

This body is like a single drifting tumbleweed across heaven and earth, letting the mind idle away the time as one wanders east and west. It is better to return to a thatched hermitage, sit in quiet meditation at ease, keep far from the turmoil, and cultivate a life of untroubled leisure.

The four great elements of fire, wind, earth, and water each have their function: when they gather, they form the body; when they scatter, they return to dissolution. Exhausting one's strength for fame and rank yields only a thin sheet of paper; a hundred years of toil and striving is like scooping foam from the water, all in vain.

A heart at peace and free of care must not waver in its aspiration; return to the lofty realm and cultivate a life of untroubled leisure.

The four great elements of fire, wind, earth, and water each have their function: when they gather, they form the body; when they scatter, they return to dissolution. Exhausting one's strength for fame and rank yields only a thin sheet of paper; a hundred years of toil and striving is like scooping foam from the water, all in vain.

A heart at peace and free of care must not waver in its aspiration; once the doubts within the heart are broken through, one can realize wuwei (the state of not acting presumptuously and following what is natural). Keep the complete true nature firmly in mind; once the simple and constant original nature becomes manifest, how many people will recognize it?

The spring light grows old, and people tire of wandering from place to place; the flowers wither, and the butterflies are weighed down with even more sorrow. Yet they do not realize that the fragrance of the osmanthus beneath the moon never fades; when will this fragrance finally be scattered among the people of the world?

If one does not know how to restrain the monkey-mind and the horse-like thoughts (the restless, wandering mind that must be settled), one will simply eat when hungry and sleep when weary. When the mind-spirit grows still, as if one has entered the Huaxu dream (the tranquil dream of the ancients), only then does one perceive that within the pot there is another heaven and earth.

Poem in Reply to the County Clerk (Dianshi)

For many years I held a fishing rod and angled only for great turtles. Facing giant fish like whales, I merely glanced at them with disdain and let them frolic among the waves. Now I have put away my fishing line and turned west to return, as if I had once more crossed the vast sea in empty space and come back to where I began.

Presented to Assistant Magistrate Wugulun of Wuyang County

Cultivation toward immortality (xiuxian) is not especially difficult. One clears away distracting thoughts, lets go of attachments, and the breath naturally grows calm. When the mood strikes, I take up my fishing rod and stroll along the wild paths. When I tire, I rest on a high pillow and let the wisteria vines wind around me.

Instruction to Auntie Wanpo

Beneath a pine by the window, I rest my head on a stone pillow and sleep without a care. When someone comes down the bamboo path, I remain completely unaware. Suddenly I wake, throw on my robe, and sit upright, gathering my spirit. My body is like withered wood, and my eyes are as still as my brows.

Announcement to Zhang, Head of the Mengzhai Association

Abruptly casting off the entanglements of the mortal world, I return to my true nature. I wash the mind clean and nourish the Valley Spirit (gushen), the primordial spirit within the body as Daoists understand it. I keep the heart constantly empty and tranquil, undisturbed by miscellaneous affairs. After the osmanthus has bloomed everywhere, body and mind seem renewed as well.

Presented to Yu, Zhiguan (Daoist Abbot)

Distant mountains loom faintly, as though veiled in emerald clouds, while the nearby green peaks stand tall beside the forest and springs. By opening a small realm of primordial chaos, one seems to have stolen a corner of heaven and earth from the "heaven within a gourd" (hu zhong tian di), a common Daoist metaphor for a separate world beyond the ordinary.

Presented to Daoist Zu of Nanyang County

Even if the Three Realms (Sanjie), the desire, form, and formless realms in which beings dwell, were walled in, they would still seem cramped. Yet there is not a single place in heaven, earth, or the four directions that cannot become a garden. Yellow flowers and green bamboo are the heaven and earth within my mind. Clouds are simply clouds, and mountains are simply mountains, each just as it is, with no need for further distinction.

Presented to Abbot Cheng of the Hermitage

For forty years I have held the fishing rod, and whenever I meet the waves, I cast my hook. When the great fish refuse to swallow the bait, I drift alone in an empty boat and wander freely.

Presented to Lady Muhu

People only know how to recite "Amitabha." Have they ever realized that they themselves are Amitabha? Once one recognizes the ancestral nature (zuxing), which is originally without form and is the formless true nature every person innately possesses, there is no need to toil outward in search of it.

Presented to Official Kang

Do not liken the difficulty of the Way to lofty mountains or deep seas. Such talk only leads seekers to waste their strength, searching far and wide. The path to longevity lies right before your eyes. Whether one becomes a mortal or a sage is determined by the heart within the inch-square (fangcun zhi xin).

Presented to Xue, Head of the Luoyang Association

Near the water and beside the hills, the scenery is secluded and deep, shaded in green. When profit, fame, and emolument entangle the heart, they feel harder to shed than mountains and seas. If seekers of the Way merely pursue far-off journeys, they too will only waste their effort in vain.

Now, the Way of longevity (Dao (the Way)) is naturally present; for ordinary people and sages alike, everything turns on a single thought in the heart-mind.

Presented to Xue, Association Head of Luoyang (Xue, the leader of a local Daoist community)

The dwelling sits near a stream and mountain ridges, surrounded by green scenery. Yet once a person steps into the marketplace of fame and profit, they forget to return home.

My body and mind no longer belong to the ordinary dust of the mortal world; I lie at rest and watch white clouds drift beyond the sky.

Admonition to the Daoist Yizha Da

A Daoist in conduct and cultivation should not let time go to waste. Single-mindedly polish the mirror of the heart, which is the clear original mind.

When the stains and traces upon the heart are wiped away, light shines of its own accord. There is no need to leave the small space of the heart, for one can see Amitabha (the Buddha as known in Buddhism).

Admonition to Guigu

Searching the ends of the earth, one finds nothing; yet when it is truly attained, it turns out there was never any need to strive for it.

Once one lets go of the worldly affairs that have bound one for a hundred years, a perfected person (zhenren, one who has attained the Dao) appears, driving a carriage onward.

Admonition to Jimo Fan, Association Head

Even within the realm of form, there are body and mind that are unhindered; from ancient times to the present, who has ever truly distinguished between kin and stranger, gain and loss?

Cast away this body given birth by one's mother, and a perfected person appears, driving the sun as it moves across the sky.

Admonition to Tangkuo, Supervising Official of Chenzhou

Once one breaks free of the nets of the mortal world, body and mind become at ease; once one leaps out of the cage of ordinary life, the nature grows even more leisurely.

Holding the tally, one walks straight up the road to the immortal realm, startling the white clouds until they drift over the mountains of one's homeland.

Admonition to Association Head Ma

Since one studies the Dao, one must thoroughly investigate the principle of the one Great Dao; once the secret instructions are passed down, cultivation will bear fruit.

A single spark of numinous clarity in the heart shines like clear water, and the elixir refined in the cauldron emits a red glow.

Admonition to Association Head Chen

Within the bitter sea, one should not speak empty principles; above one's head, the weight of gratitude is as heavy as a mountain, so one should not speak only of Chan (Zen) doctrine either.

If one can let go of both, there is no need to dig the earth or search the heavens, or to look outward for another Great Dao.

Admonition to Supervisor Shi

Outside the city are a few mu of fields and gardens, where one grows mulberry and hemp and relies on the harvest to sustain one's later years.

One does not aspire to ride a crane and ascend on the clouds, but seeks only in the human world the principles for responding to illusory transformations.

Admonition to Association Head Cao

The Great Dao is wordless, yet it resides in the small square of the heart; there is no need to travel a thousand li in search of it.

Within the chest there is naturally a perfect and luminous mirror; do not let the dust cover it too deeply.

Sent to Ma Wenqing

Once one has awakened to this, do not waste time any longer; an inch of time is worth an inch of gold.

The sea of love and desire churns with rising waves, and it is hard for a person to find peace; amid the tangled, dark mists, one searches for someone who truly understands.

For Heshilie of Suzhou, who asks about his future:

Your family's noble lineage has its own origins. Can the cassia branch of Yanshan, a metaphor for the outstanding talents of a family, be without cause?

There is no need to press too hard on what lies ahead. Those who are truly selfless and upright of heart will naturally receive good fortune.

Presented to Master Song of Xiao County:

The Master walks with a staff, calm and unhurried, as if holding a spirit pearl (lingzhu, a metaphor for inner spirituality or what is attained through cultivating the Dao) right in the palm of the hand.

Why not withdraw into the cloud-covered mountains, sit idly by the window, lie back and rest, and listen to the wind through the pines?

Self-Chanted Verse from the Lazy Nest:

The lazy man now lives in his lazy nest.

For Master Jin:

The Master walks with a staff, calm and unhurried, as if holding a spirit pearl right in the palm of the hand.

Why not withdraw into the cloud-covered mountains, sit idly by the window, lie back and rest, and listen to the wind through the pines?

Self-Chanted Verse from the Lazy Nest:

The lazy man now lives in his lazy nest. He wants to bind the restless mind, the "monkey of the heart and horse of thought" (xin yuan yi ma, a metaphor for a wandering, unruly mind), but has already wasted the time.

After eating, he simply sits among piles of ash. Who could be more idle than I?

Presented to Aunt Gao:

Who can see clearly this puppet-like body before us? It is nothing more than a layer of skin and flesh, a heap of dust.

After a hundred years, the threads that move this body will snap, and then there will be no more news. The one who manipulates this performance will also have departed.

Presented to the Wife of Supervisor Dujii:

The Four Images (sixiang, the four elements that make up the body) have combined into this foolish flesh, and the Five Phases (wuxing, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) have gathered into this foul-smelling skeleton.

I have seen it with my own eyes: the human body is like a puppet. Everyone can speak and knows how to nod.

Presented to Liu, the Aunt:

Within the crystal palace a red lotus blooms, the fruit of cultivation, and one attains the fruit of wuwei (non-action, effortless accord with the natural course of things) and becomes a Great Awakened Immortal.

Gradually climbing the road beyond the clouds, one soars lightly into the Purple Tenuity Heaven (Ziwei Tian, one of the heavens in Daoist cosmology).

Presented to the Wife of Ao Tun, Official:

Seventy years have already passed, more than half of them gone. I urge you to cultivate the Dao quickly and not waste your remaining years.

When impermanence (wuchang, death) draws near, even if children are close to you, can they bear it in your place?

Admonition from the Man of the Dao, Le:

To speak of cultivation, one must let go of all affairs; the heart should not hold on to a single trace of concern.

In the stillness, when the ten thousand sounds fall silent and no trace remains, a spirit child (a spiritualized figure in the imagery of cultivation) rides a fire-ox and travels onward.

Admonition from Aunt Yang:

A person who cultivates the Dao has a will as firm as iron, unhindered by obstacles. Leaping with one bound beyond the Three Mountains, they merge into a boundless, vast realm.

Pointing afar toward the depths of the white clouds, that Penglai immortal realm was originally my old home.

Presented to Lady Dayang

The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) condense into this mortal body, and within it is hidden a divine pearl (a metaphor for the human spirit or inner true nature).

When stillness settles, the inner light blooms like a flower and the whole body becomes clear and luminous. When one acts, that radiance is everywhere.

Admonition from Xu Daochong

For one who cultivates the Dao, what matters most is to live in an authentic and natural way. Once you have eaten your fill, wander the mountains without any entanglements.

When drowsy, lie down by a stream in your clothes. On waking, gather your thoughts again and let the scattered mind dissipate like clouds.

Admonition from Lady Tong

When one can remain pure and still, one is spared many troubles. Nurture the vast qi (haoran zhi qi) within the chest with a calm, tranquil, and empty mind.

Open the Eye of the Three Samādhis (sānmèi yǎn, a symbol of inner awakening and insight) at the back of the head. Let the mind become bright and transparent, so that you can see your own nature.

A Disciple Asks What Is Complete Understanding

You come asking how one may attain thorough understanding. The tangled affairs of the world must all be swept away together.

When that is achieved, a bright moon hangs directly overhead, with not a cloud across ten thousand miles, its light pure and radiant.

Instruction to Gao Xian

Always be on guard against your bad habits, for even a slight indulgence in conduct can harm the budding sprouts of your inner spirit.

Bind yourself firmly, as if with a coarse rope, until both mind and external world are forgotten.

Guang Jiaojiao

Instruction to Gao Xian

Always be on guard against your bad habits, for even a slight indulgence in conduct can harm the budding sprouts of your inner spirit.

Bind yourself firmly, as if with a coarse rope, until both mind and external world are forgotten.

Admonition from Lady Liu

On the path to longevity there are free and carefree cultivators. In the immortal realm untouched by night, there are unhindered immortals.

Lead the spirit child (a symbol of inner spirit) back to the Purple Mansion (zǐfǔ, the divine palace within the body in Daoist teaching), harmonize the Jade Maiden (yùnǚ, the yin essence in inner cultivation), and nurture the Golden Lotus (jīnlián, an image of attainment in neidan practice).

Presented to Sun Tianhe

Use the blade of wisdom to sever attachment to fame, wealth, and status. Transcend the mundane world and forget its myriad worries.

Once you let go of your concerns, you can set out on the road to the Three Islands (legendary immortal mountains in the sea). Wherever you go along the way, it is an immortal realm wreathed in white clouds.

Again

In a nameless cavern lies a venomous snake. Once it raises its head to strike, everything around it will suffer harm.

Remind travelers to be mindful, and to stay cautious as they come and go.

Presented to Daoist Shang

The empty fame written on half a sheet of paper is as hollow as an echo. A hundred years of life passes swiftly, like a shuttle.

How many more white hairs have appeared at the temples, and how much of youth's bloom has quietly faded from the face.

Presented to Supervisor Gao

Along the ancient road where the clear breeze blows, travelers are few. Yet in the filthy mud, people fight fiercely to grab at things.

How laughable are the foolish ones who indulge all day in wine dregs and yeast, muddling through their entire lives.

Xu Daochong Asks About the Dao

To Immortal Xiao Zhang

Those two things you once relied upon have been entirely removed, and one day your ancient, numinous original nature will reveal itself.

Pass the rest of your life.

Xu Daochong Asks About the Dao

You already have a true teacher, so to whom else would you turn for instruction? He shares your tea and your meals. Has he ever left your side?

Now I will point out the key: know that whenever a thought arises or the mind stirs, he is right there within it.

To Immortal Xiao Zhang

Those two things you once relied upon have been entirely removed, and one day your ancient, numinous original nature will reveal itself.

Once you grasp this true benefit, every place in the world becomes like the Penglai (Isles of the Blessed) immortal realm.

Lady Zhan Instructs

Once you understand the root of the Dao (dao), all affairs can be set down. The entanglements of the mortal world cannot tarnish the spirit pearl, a metaphor for the pure, numinous nature.

When the wellspring of the mind is clear and pure, the whole body and mind are revealed. As the clouds and mist disperse, the moon shines alone in the vast sky.

Bo Zhijian Instructs

Cultivation is neither difficult nor easy. When you begin, first remove the mountain of "self and other," which refers to attachment to the distinction between oneself and others.

Keep refining yourself until you merge with the True Void. The mind will naturally drift at ease, like a white cloud.

Lady Li Instructs

Spring haze drifts, the days slowly lengthen, and the plum blossoms by the river still carry the Returning-Soul Incense, a fragrance said to restore the dead to life.

The Dongtian (Cavern Heaven), the immortal realm where transcendents dwell, has already sent good news ahead, urging you to hasten the work of your own transformative cultivation.

Early Spring

The twelfth month ends, spring returns to the human world, and the days grow longer. The Dongtian welcomes the fine spring light first.

The Jade Emperor, the celestial sovereign revered in Daoism, invites the host of immortals to gather. As they depart, their sleeves, like emerald clouds, still retain their fragrance.

Magistrate Li of Linying Instructs

In the wind one faintly catches the scent of pine and cassia. In the mountain hall, the bright moon casts its clear radiance.

The Daoist sits alone in the deep quiet of night. Ten thousand sounds are still, and the mind holds only a pure stillness.

Lady Li Asks About the Journey

Penghu, the legendary immortal mountain on the sea, seems far off at the edge of heaven, yet also seems within reach. The traveler, however, is lost amid layers of obstruction and struggles to return, until his emerald-cloud sleeves are soaked with fragrance.

Magistrate Li of Linying Instructs

In the wind one faintly catches the scent of pine and cassia. In the mountain hall, the bright moon casts its clear radiance.

The Daoist sits alone in the deep quiet of night. Ten thousand sounds are still, and the mind holds only a pure stillness.

Lady Li Asks About the Journey

Penghu seems within arm's reach, yet remains unreachable. The traveler is cut off by layer upon layer of barriers.

The cowherd has not shown the road to Xiangcheng, and the Yellow Emperor still seeks Mount Dakuai, the place where, in legend, he sought the Dao from Guangchengzi.

Presented to Lady Zhou

Looking clearly at power and profit, one sees that they are as insubstantial and fleeting as ice. The Daoist has long forgotten worldly sentiments and is no longer stirred by mundane affairs.

Dreaming of Visiting the Immortals

Last night I dreamed of visiting the immortals. In the dream I rode serenely on a golden phoenix (a legendary immortal bird) and paid homage to the Jade Capital (the celestial capital of Daoist legend).

Presented to Yila, the Abbot's Hall

My mind has grown cold and no longer stirs with desire between man and woman. My body is like withered wood that no longer puts forth new shoots.

Only when the True Fire of the Three Yangs (the fire of yang vital energy, a symbol in internal alchemy cultivation) descends will the iron tree in the front hall bloom.

The Venerable Nun Asks About Cultivation

You have come to ask me the secret of cultivation, so I will tell you earnestly now:

Sweep away every dark and scattered thought, and let your original true nature appear, like a bright moon hanging high in the clear sky.

Again

Whether one departs or stays, one is free and at ease, following nature. "The tortoise is long and the snake is short" is a metaphor from the Patriarchs' Chan teaching.

On the mountain there is a region of cool, limpid clarity, and only then does one see that there is another heaven and earth within the gourd.

Dong Zhiyuan Announces

When the Blade of Wisdom (a Dharma gate that symbolizes wisdom, used to cut away delusion) is swung, the swarm of delusions scatters. In its passing in and out, ten thousand rays of silver light shoot forth.

The yin corpses and the many-eyed ghosts (images in Daoist usage for yin evil and confusion) are destroyed, and within the lotus canopy Xiyi (a Daoist term for a subtle state that is hard to see and impossible to describe) is revealed.

Presented to the Assembly Leader Xue, Sixth Son

The Numinous Thing of Prior Heaven (the mysterious origin that precedes all later things, invisible and beyond form) exists between being and non-being. When it moves, it responds to conditions and to the moment; when it is still, it reaches a natural state.

Dong Zhiyuan Announces

When the Blade of Wisdom is swung, the swarm of delusions scatters. In its passing in and out, ten thousand rays of silver light shoot forth.

The yin corpses and the many-eyed ghosts are destroyed, and within the lotus canopy Xiyi is revealed.

Presented to the Assembly Leader Xue, Sixth Son

The Numinous Thing of Prior Heaven exists between being and non-being. When it moves, it responds to conditions and to the moment; when it is still, it returns to emptiness and stillness.

Amid all things it remains the constant master, and in every application it responds with ease, without end.

Spring Outing

I am old and find my sash too long, so I manage with a staff and go out to see the spring light.

The peach and plum trees throughout the garden seem to envy me, saying that my skin is like that of Shen Lang (a man famed for his beauty).

Chef Zhang Asks About Life and Death

Those who died in the past, did they ever truly die? Those born now, what true birth is there?

In the end, what are life and death? To be at peace with one's circumstances and to follow the principle of things: this is what must be understood.

Roaming at Yunxi

The immortals invited me to seek out the spring light, and each thread of spring color seems to greet the others as it quietly unfolds.

Once one enters the Peach Blossom Spring (a legendary immortal realm), one knows it is no dream. If people ask where Penglai (the legendary island of the immortals) is, where then should one search for it?

Zhang Wuzhen Announces

Within the gourd lies a grain of Purple Gold Sand (an alchemical term for the refined elixir or medicinal substance), and once it is refined it releases ten thousand rays of rosy light.

Once one takes it, the mundane world no longer feels narrow and cramped, and one suddenly finds oneself in a vast and boundless heaven and earth.

Aunt Zhou Announces

Once all things are seen through, they all resemble dreams. However familiar the affairs of the world become, in the end they are all empty.

Having thoroughly grasped the principle of "emptiness that is not empty," one lives contentedly and keeps to one's proper station, letting the sun and moon ("wutu," the crow and the hare, a metaphor for the sun and moon) travel westward.

Zhang Huaiyuan said:

Of all the things in the world, none is truly worth clinging to.

Master Zhou said:

Once the myriad affairs are seen through, they are all a single dream. However much one comes to understand of worldly matters, in the end they all return to emptiness.

Having thoroughly grasped the principle of "emptiness that is not empty," one lives contentedly and keeps to one's proper station, letting the sun and moon travel westward.

Zhang Huaiyuan said:

To see clearly into all things without being deluded by them, and then to turn back and penetrate the profound truths of the Chan school. Do not get lost in the endless flow of the human world, but hold fast to the true nature that is formless (without fixed shape).

Liu, the Secretary, said:

One whose mind is pure and still is a free and unfettered guest. One who has no attachments and no burdens is an unconstrained immortal. Leaning on a staff, he returns beyond the clouds; wearing straw sandals, he wanders through the cave-heavens and blessed lands (dongtian fudi).

Presented to Master Sun:

Cherish your spirit (jing shen) and nourish your original qi (yuanqi), and guard the spirit field within the body (a term in cultivation for the region that serves as the foundation of body and mind). When the external world is quiet and the inner mind is at ease, the Dao naturally reveals itself. Within a brilliant light, auspicious herbs of spirit arise; within a blazing fire, a red lotus takes form.

Three Poems Composed While Roaming at the Shíhuò Yùxī Hermitage

The Daoist leans on a staff and gazes at the Western Mountain, his heart as white as a cloud, drifting wherever it goes in leisure and ease. Weary, he lays his head on a pillow and sleeps, and in his dream he arrives at an immortal's palace, unaware that he is still among the green mountains.

Suddenly he recalls his roaming beyond the dust of the world, so he takes up his staff and enters the forest. He leaps straight up to the summit of the three peaks, his mind clear and transparent, and all his myriad thoughts come to rest.

Yesterday he remembered having once traveled to an immortal realm and arriving at this mountain, where the scenery accompanies one another in a state of perfect leisure. White clouds drift out of the valley without any intention, and a quiet bird meets a person by chance and without design.

Master Xin said:

The Daoist's mind is settled and dwells in stillness. His heart is pure and luminous, clear as a jade vessel. Clouds come and go without obstructing the wellspring of one's nature. By realizing that there is neither birth nor extinction, one attains a perfect and complete state with nothing left over.

Master Liu said:

The great Dao is empty and non-existent, and it is originally natural. There is no need to struggle with endless words. Only let the mind be free of dust and grime, and a single point of spiritual clarity will naturally become full and shine.

Lecture held at the Taiqing Palace in Bozhou.

Wandering Hermit of Yunxi: Lines Written at Qizhen Hermitage in Taiqing Palace

I am a lazy fellow of Yunxi, and the feathered guests (yuke, Daoist adepts) of the ancestral court barely keep me going.

I wish the Sage a life without limit. Then I will see whether any golden carp takes the bait, that is, whether someone with the right affinity and promise appears to be guided.

Lines Written at Qizhen Hermitage in Taiqing Palace

A clear breeze led me to Qizhen Hermitage, where a serene realm shut out the worldly clamor.

Before the window stand bamboos, gentleman of the winter, whose slanting shadows sway between the panes, full of vitality.

Birds chatter and clamor in the bamboo grove, and when the person in the bamboo studio is roused, the sun has already climbed high.

Visitors come and go without pause, and even though others know me well, a quiet stillness remains within my heart.

I have always been indolent and unrestrained. With my robe open, I leisurely read the Laozi and the Zhuangzi.

Suddenly I reach a state too profound for words, and I feel my body become like withered wood, my mind merging with the vast void.

Reading the Treatise on Forgetting Intention

Searching through the entire Nanhua Jing (another name for the Zhuangzi), I cannot find what I seek. Only after truly grasping it do I realize that there was never any need to strain after it.

Understand that everyone possesses an innate, unadorned nature, and that a single spark of numinous awareness (a clear and lucid mind) always remains clear and tranquil.

Recording a Dream

In a dream I saw sages descend with my own eyes, white cranes and azure phoenixes flying down from the jade terrace.

Cultivating the Great Return Elixir (dahuan dan), a symbol of attainment in Neidan (internal alchemy), still lacks one final basket of earth, and it is not yet complete. Auspicious clouds swirl around, and the sages mount the clouds and return.

Another

The cold window is still, and I fall asleep with my head resting on a book. When I wake, the lamp on its stand still burns steadily.

Beyond the eaves, the moonlight is as bright as day. The wind has stopped, the mist has settled, and it is as though the land enjoys a time of peace.

Instructions for Officials of the Age

When serving in office, do not harm the common people. Seek every means to bestow kindness upon them, and continually renew good governance.

At home, love and honor your parents; abroad, show deference to your elder brothers. Outwardly practice benevolence and righteousness, and inwardly preserve your genuine original nature.

Admonition to Zhang Gu

The affairs of the world are many and cannot be exhausted. The myriad matters of human life vanish in the blink of an eye.

Turn back and remember the innate nature that existed before Heaven and Earth. It is not destroyed by calamity; it endures forever, without beginning and without end.

Worldly fame and merit are not worth pursuing, and human wealth and honor dissipate in an instant.

Better to plan early for retreat into the mountain forests, and to roam freely among the white clouds beyond the sky.

Why do the roads crossing the waters north and south intertwine, with people coming and going without rest? What are they all so busy with? Take hold of what is prior to Heaven (the things that precede acquired creation and concern one's original nature or the Great Dao (Dào), the fundamental things), and even through calamity it endures forever, without end.

Worldly fame and merit are not worth pursuing, and what people call wealth and honor vanish in an instant.

It is better to resolve early on retreat into the mountain forests, to ride a single white cloud and roam freely beyond the sky.

The Daoist Lègū admonishes:

Why do the roads crossing the waters north and south intertwine, with people coming and going? What are they all so busy with?

It is better to sit in meditation at ease in a small hermitage, with no worries in the heart, so that naturally the mind becomes still and clear.

The Daoist Huò admonishes:

This body has lived past sixty and is now past its half-century. The face has aged, and the beard has turned white.

I am long weary of rushing about in the dusty, turbulent world. For now I will go to the cloud-covered mountains and become a recluse, a companion of the mists and clouds.

Kāng Guóbǎo, Arriving at the Palace Examination

The stream stretches far, and the water's shimmer and the cloud's reflection lie flat and joined along its surface. The mountains rise steeply, and the paths between them wind through danger.

I only hope that an autumn wind will bring a small boat to my gate, that a visitor will knock and meet me, and that at the first sight of each other the eyes will brighten and the heart will rejoice.

Shíwā Gives a Stone to the Daoist Shí

If you wish to seek the mysterious pearl (a symbol of the profound Dao and one's inner true nature), seek it as Wǎngxiàng did. Once the pearl is obtained, all attachments and disturbances dissolve.

Do not, in cultivating the method, cling to outward forms. Know that the supreme state is to personally realize rúrú (suchness, the true condition of things as they are, unaltered by deluded thought).

The Cuckoo

Green mountains are shrouded in vast mist, and low, tangled clouds drift in every direction. The solitary birds cry mournfully day and night without pause.

They cry until their voices break and their blood runs dry. Yet who understands their meaning? Each cry seems to say: "It is better to go home."

Shown to the Daoist Dù

The dense green leaves hide the setting sun, and white clouds drift one by one across the autumn pond.

The Daoist pays no heed to the affairs of the dusty world. He dwells among the forests, springs, and streams, forgetting both favor and disgrace.

Presented to the Daoist Cáo

I love the quiet scenery among the forests and springs, where a stream flows eastward into the depths of the white clouds.

The Daoist ignores the rise and fall of worldly affairs, and so one body and mind finds its freedom.

The Daoist Gāo of Huaizhou admonishes:

The Daoist is content with his life and does not worry about poverty. His family tradition is plain and still, and is not stained by the vulgar dust.

When the clouds and mists disperse and the moonlight shines as bright as day, reflect within, and you will see the true person within yourself.

The Daoist Dòng Qīlang of Shíhuò admonishes:

The style of the ancient Daoists is now hard to find. Poring over old books again and again, when will this ever end?

The sky is a pale blue, the moon is clear, and the stream keeps flowing on its own.

Sent to Cao Kongyue of the Tianhu Inn, Who Compares Himself to a Water Buffalo

To the old water buffalo of the Cao household: thread a straw rope through your nose and pull yourself back toward home. Keep the whip coming, again and again, until your whole body turns white, and only then will you be free.

Admonition by Daoist Quan

Men of the world, do not argue over who is foolish and who is clever. To argue over who is dull and who is deluded is itself delusion. Understand the meaning of piercing the buffalo's nose and pulling it back: whip yourself constantly until your whole body is white, and then you may attain freedom.

Men of the world, do not argue over who is foolish and who is clever. To argue over who is dull and who is deluded is itself delusion. Grasp the fundamental principle of pure stillness and emptiness, and among the deep white clouds, realize Xiyi (the subtle, hard-to-perceive, ineffable quality of the Dao, which the Daodejing describes as unseen and unheard).

Admonition by Lady Li of Songzhou

Having traveled a thousand paths and ten thousand roads, you returned alone, and on the spirit mountain you gathered a precious pearl. When the spring wind blows, do not casually disclose the secret tidings, for the treasure wrapped in clouds has not yet opened to view.

Though the mountains and rivers stretch a thousand and ten thousand li, the journey has not gone astray. First, in the Moon Palace (Changgong, the toad palace of legend), break off a branch of cassia. Offer it earnestly to Danyang Fu (Danyang Father, a respectful title for a senior master), and you may be permitted to take the first dwelling in Penglai, the legendary isle of the immortals.

Admonition by Lady Zhang of Songzhou

To grasp the wordless Dao is the deepest understanding, and there is no need to travel far to seek a kindred spirit. Suddenly letting go of all things, you will possess a heart that is pure, empty, clear, and serene.

Gift to Governor Duji of Songzhou

Within the deep green mountains, white clouds drift at leisure. I too recall how I once chanced upon this place where the clouds are idle and the mountains are still. A dark, hidden path (wudao) quietly leads out beyond the trees, and a wooden man (muren, in Daoist usage, one without mind or attachment) walks again along the green mountain trail.

Admonition by Daoist Wang

Diligently whet the sword of wisdom to cut through foolish delusion, and reveal the radiance of numinous awareness so that attachment to distinction and cognition dissolves. From then on, body and mind are no longer obstructed, and Lord Yuan (Yuanjun, a revered deity in Daoism) will accompany you wherever you go.

Admonition by Master Lang the Twelfth

Though the mountains and rivers stretch a thousand and ten thousand li, the journey has not gone astray. Mountain roads wind about, and the scenery along the way grows ever more lovely. When you meet an old friend, there is no need for many words. Simply sit facing each other and watch the colored clouds over Qin Peak (Qinfeng).

Gift to Daoist Ma of Shihuo

A mountain village is quiet, close to the forest and the spring. Spring is ending, no one is about, and the willow branches are like wreathing mist. When you meet one another, there is no need for many words. Simply sit facing each other and watch the colored clouds over Qin Peak.

A mountain village is quiet, close to the forest and the spring. Spring is ending, no one is about, and the willow branches are like wreathing mist.

To Immortal Zhang

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) must strive wholeheartedly forward. Even if they must travel to the ends of the sea and the edges of the sky, they must carry their cultivation through to the end.

Only after wearing through iron shoes do they finally awaken. At that point, a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers can all be set down at once.

After parting, wondering where to go next, I idly gaze upon the immortal realm within the jade gourd while at Penglai, the legendary mountain of immortals in the sea.

Admonition to Mr. He of Dengcheng County

The true work of a Daoist practitioner does not lie in reading through the alchemical scriptures (Daoist classics on cultivation) or the Confucian canon.

Even when one has grasped a single sentence, its full meaning cannot be exhausted in words. Simply sitting upright and still, one can come to experience "Ziludu" (a term from the original text whose precise meaning is unclear).

For the Birthday of Abbess Tang, Aunt

The lingzhi beyond the reach of calamity grows without relying on spring, and the immortal realm within the gourd is yet more free of the slightest dust.

The elm at the edge of heaven gleams brightly, its branches and leaves pure white. The cassia in the moon is full and round, ever renewed as at first.

Admonition to Daoist Wang

Once one leaps beyond the entanglements of the mundane world, body and mind attain freedom, and matters of life and death become all the clearer.

A carefree nature, unobstructed in every direction, has no need to journey a hundred thousand li in search of ascension.

Little Li: The cassia in the moon is full and round, ever renewed as at first.

Admonition to Daoist Wang

Once one leaps beyond the entanglements of the mundane world, body and mind attain freedom, and matters of life and death become all the clearer.

A carefree nature, unobstructed in every direction, has no need to journey a hundred thousand li in search of ascension.

Admonition to Aunt Li

Washing away worldly passions, one can let go of every matter. The mind, clear and luminous, is like a vessel made of ice and jade.

There is no need to keep questioning the patriarchs' original intent, for the bright pearl within the heart then fills the entire void.

Instruction to Bian the Eldest

For seventy years I, this old slyboots, have been discussing Chan and the Dao. When will it ever end?

Even if one understands all manner of principles, if one has not managed to let go of discouragement and still the thoughts, so that the mind is as clear as autumn, it cannot be considered true understanding.

Admonition to Aunt Chang

Seeking out teachers and investigating the Great Dao, striving painfully, one instead binds body and mind and cannot find ease.

Sweep away all those intricate and profound discourses, and a full moon rises over the mountaintop.

To Chief Han of the Association

Leaping beyond worldly turmoil, all things can be let go. I have entrusted myself and worldly affairs to a single empty boat.

Casting fragrant bait into the depths of the blue waves, I do not believe the great golden turtle (symbolizing a rare opportunity or the fruit of cultivation) will fail to take the bait.

To Commander Mu Hu

Leaning on a staff, drifting freely like windblown grass, at ease as the heart wishes, fellow practitioners from among the clouds and waters come to visit, asking about the mysteries that lie between water and cloud.

"Urge a Full Moon to Rise over the Mountain": This line appears on its own in the original. Literally, it means to support or spur a full moon to rise over the mountaintop.

While discussing the principle of "non-birth" (wusheng) over the banquet, we did not notice that the setting sun had already dropped behind the western hills.

Daoist Zhao said:

One night of autumn wind brings the ten thousand trees down in leaf, and the life of a daoist grows still and lonely. Vexing thoughts and the burdens of worldly affairs have all been washed away, and the way to Penglai (a legendary immortal mountain) lies close at hand, with nothing left to block it.

To Xu Gu:

To cultivate immortality, one must first remove the distinction between self and other, and in studying the Dao one must also guard against quarreling over right and wrong. The desire-fire on Mount Qibao has already gone out, so one may realize Muni (a Buddhist term for the state of quiet awakening) within the Palace of Five Brightnesses (a state of purity in Daoist cultivation).

To Assistant Magistrate Zhang:

My body is like a small boat swaying on the waves. I do not avoid the wind and waters but have come deliberately to travel. I cast bait into the depths of the misty waves, and if I fail to catch the divine turtle (a legendary spirit turtle), I will not give up.

Again:

Dressed in a cloth robe, staff in hand, I set off far away, like a solitary cloud drifting between heaven and earth. Wherever I go, I cannot bring down sweet rain on the human world, so I return to the forest to keep company with the green mountains.

To Zhang the Young Gentleman:

Autumn wind sweeps clean the heaven and earth, and across ten thousand li in every direction not a single cloud remains; the sky is clear and free of dust. Only a moon, without form or appearance, exists, having been present before heaven and earth took shape, and it still shines clearly today.

To Zhang the Young Gentleman:

Autumn wind sweeps clean the heaven and earth, and across ten thousand li in every direction not a single cloud remains; the sky is clear and free of dust. Only a moon, without form or appearance, exists, having been present before heaven and earth took shape, and it still shines clearly today.

To Ma Gu of Hanyang:

A traveling guest, wandering to the ends of the earth, goes north and south in search of the profound Dao, wishing to become a free immortal. Only after I contemplated the vision of the ancestral masters, who transcend the calamities of birth and death, did I return and realize that my original mind is that very sky.

To Wang Gu:

For ten years I have traveled everywhere with a staff, never imagining that the Dao has been accompanying my very self through walking, sitting, and lying down. Now I have been awakened by those clever and attached-to-form people, ghostlike figures, and so the original master (the root Dao that existed before heaven and earth took shape) has revealed itself.

To Daoist Zhou:

A proud seven-foot man should not, like one who licks the honey on a knife's edge, risk everything for a moment's sweetness. He should know that he already possesses a natural treasure; why bother to search in vain beneath the jaw of the black dragon (a legendary divine dragon) for a pearl?

Sent to Magistrate Nala of Mianchi:

To govern with fairness is more beneficial than empty talk about cultivating the Dao; this saying is worth writing on the sash of every scholar who studies and serves in office. Do not seek out the hemp-robed guest beyond the mundane world (a Daoist who wears hemp and keeps apart from the secular world); it is better first to use good remedies to relieve the suffering of the common people.

To Master Song:

There is no need to leaf through alchemical scriptures and Daoist classics. Hurry back to your own heart and keep it free of a single speck of dust. Entrust this body to the clouds as friends, and let your departing and staying, advancing and retreating, unfurl and roll up with them.

Daoist Yuan said:

Presented to Master Song

No longer do I leaf through the alchemical scriptures (danjing, the classics on refining elixirs and cultivating the Way) or the writings of the masters. I hurry back to the heart and let it be wholly free of dust.

This body has agreed to take the clouds as its companions. They come and go, gather and scatter, and I drift along with them at ease.

Announcement from Daoist Yuan

The Great Dao (Dao, the Way), empty and still and without form, originally follows what is natural. Let the twists and turns of worldly affairs unfold as they will; for now I will simply go along with circumstances as they arise.

Whether one is destitute or prominent, lowly or exalted, these are determined by fate. Whether one is clever or clumsy, wise or dull, these are determined by Heaven's will.

Presented to Mr. Zhang, Registrar of the Central Capital

For a long time you have lingered in the red dust, coming and going without rest, never suspecting that high-minded hermits dwell among the mountain forests and springs.

You keep gazing at the dewdrops on the flower tips as the sun rises, and so you miss the eternal spring of the vessel-cosmos, where night never falls. Here "the spring within the gourd" (hu zhong chun) refers to the inner realm attained through cultivating the Dao.

Announcement from Head of the Association Wang

Cleave open chaos and the true, natural nature appears; leap beyond the red dust and you are free and unbound.

For now, observe the transformations of all things as if in a mirror, but do not, amid their changes, lose track of yourself.

Presented to Vice Envoy Zhang

I have always held a fishing rod, meaning to catch a giant turtle. Let the winds rage and the waves surge.

So long as a marvelous great fish swallows the fragrant bait, I will not mind the toil of journeying ten thousand miles or soaring aloft on the wind.

Presented to the Judge of the Directorate of Astronomy

A high-minded person leans on a staff and knocks at the gate of the government's prisons and courts, coming to visit a recluse who has only coarse tea and plain food and wears cloth garments.

Once you see the Dao with your own eyes, you forget speech and thought; come with an empty heart, and you will at last return laden with treasure.

Announcement from Lady Chai

When the heart is still, few idle thoughts or scheming arise; when facing external circumstances, one remains harmonious and filled with peace.

A pure breeze, carried in both sleeves, always stays at one's side, and a red silk thread is drawn out from the wisteria vines of marriage. Here "red silk" (hong lian) refers to the bond of marriage.

Presented to Daoist Zhang

I have already cast off the worldly entanglements as a line is freed from its hook, and no tempting bait can stir my heart any longer.

The Yangtze remains broad, its waves boundless. Do not let the storms of the world stain you, the spirit fish with brocade-like scales.

Presented to Head of the Association Zhao

Counting on one's fingers, spring's brightness has turned into autumn in the blink of an eye. If this bodily frame is sold off like merchandise, when will the reckoning ever be over?

Tangled love has become the business of this life, and as a result this body is driven about like a horse or an ox.

Presented to the Disinterested Scholar Zhao of Yanshi County

When one awakens to the Dao, the Isles of Penglai lie just within reach; when one is lost, the dust lies thick and the way seems endless.

A solitary lamp has just been trimmed and brightened, and it must be carefully guarded. Do not let the oil run dry and plunge this life into darkness.

To Adept Zhao of Yanshi County

When one wakes to understanding, Penglai (the legendary immortal isle) lies within arm's reach; when one is lost, the eye sees only dust upon dust, boundless and without end.

The lone lamp in the heart has just been trimmed and set upright, and it must be carefully guarded, lest its oil run dry and its brightness be hidden once more by darkness.

To Old Adept Shi

Within the gourd (a common Daoist image for the body and mind, or for an immortal realm) stand halls of gold and jade, and beneath the moonlight, flowers like jade blossom in full splendor.

Cranes cry in the high heavens and phoenixes dance lightly; deep among the colored clouds lies Penglai.

To Adept Zhao

The mind originally possesses a point of clarity that has never been stained with dust. What one realizes through this illusory body is precisely the Fashen (Dharma body, the essential reality that transcends form and embodies truth).

The Dao (the Way) lies within one's own nature and need not be sought elsewhere. When one follows circumstances and responds to things, one naturally accords with spontaneity and innocence.

To Zhang, Association Head of Longwo

Who among those who have followed our lineage truly understands its core principle? Those who understand must grasp the pivotal workings of the transformation of creation.

Within stillness and purity lies subtle function, and within Wuwei (non-action) lies profound principle.

To Quan the Maiden

Who could bear to carve and cook oneself? Even an axe can hardly fell a gnarled, bloated tree.

Whether talented or not, each has its use. If one's life must be like the wooden crow, a useless bird, why should one go to such lengths?

To Adept Tian

To study the Dao, one must first comprehend the principles of nature. Only after this understanding is complete can one cultivate a true immortal.

Thick makeup and light powder are but vain inversions, and trying to kindle fire by drilling into ice can never make it burn.

To the Maiden Kou of the Three Ministers' Temple in Nanjing

True stillness should be unbroken. Before cultivating qi (lianqi, refining vital energy), one must first recognize the principles of nature.

A single grain of cinnabar, refined through nine cycles (jiuzhuan), brings ten thousand auspicious rays to enfold the golden immortal. Cinnabar and the nine cycles refer to the transformative process of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation.

To Yuanxian

On first entering the gate of the Dao, one should not delay. One should diligently refine oneself within the monastery (cong lin, the cloister of practice).

Do not let fresh dust cloud the precious mirror, and beware that old circumstances do not harm one's nature and inner harmony.

To Adept Liang

The luminous black pearl (symbolizing inner spirit or the essence attained through cultivation) reflects the sun and shines within the crystal palace.

Within the human body lies this boundless treasure from the start, yet for the sake of fleeting worldly affairs, one rushes about all day long.

Passing Mengjin

Surging waves flow eastward, sunlight glints on the water, and drifting clouds pass by. How many autumns have come and gone?

If one could ride a lingcha (spirit raft, a legendary raft said to reach the Milky Way) and roam the great sea, one could arrive at Fusang (the legendary land where the sun rises in the east) and gaze afar at Yingzhou (a legendary mountain of immortals at sea).

To Carpenter Yang, Immortal

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I have wandered through countless mountains and ranges, yet my body and mind remain as leisurely as white clouds.

Upon returning, I lie back and gaze at the bright moon in the blue sky. The wind roars through the pine forest beside my ear, and its chill pierces to the marrow.

To Dong Zhiguan: Only after great awakening does one understand that cultivating the Dao (the Way) need not involve deliberate contrivance, and that even profound and mysterious words may all be set aside.

Let go of everything, follow what is natural, and with a staff in hand, roam freely across the vast world.

To Daoist Tian of Mount Song: I have already attained freedom and ease, and so I have come to visit an old friend. Still dwelling among the clouds, I nurture my pure and genuine nature.

The west wind blows the moonlight down from the pine tips, and I sit waiting for the sun to rise from the east. Here "Fusang" refers to the place where the sun rises in the east, and "sun-wheel" refers to the sun itself.

To the Chief of the County Chu Assembly: Within the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school, I have traveled across the clouded mountains especially to select those with the talent for cultivating immortality.

The principles I speak of are easy to practice; they are not empty words. Once worldly affections are set down, the scene before one's eyes can become the Penglai paradise. Here "Penglai" is a legendary immortal mountain in the sea.

On Snow: The north wind is fierce and vigorous, and the falling snowflakes bloom across the earth like flowers from heaven.

The peach and plum trees do not yet know that the season has changed, but the wintersweet senses the workings of creation first and blooms to meet the cold. "Huagong" refers to the transforming power of nature and heaven.

On Snow: The north wind is fierce and vigorous, and the falling snowflakes bloom across the earth like flowers from heaven.

The peach and plum trees do not yet know that the season has changed, but the wintersweet senses the workings of creation first and blooms to meet the cold.

To the Tax Supervisor Li of Yanshi County: You have freed yourself from the boundless waves of desire, and your mind is clear and discerning. You truly surpass those suited to be chosen for the cultivation of immortality.

The innate numinous treasure is hard to find, so I entrust it to the Platform of No Shadow in the Southern Palace. "Innate numinous treasure" refers to the inner, mysterious essence sought in cultivating the Dao, and "Platform of No Shadow in the Southern Palace" is a mysterious realm in Daoist terminology.

To Daoist Shi: The gate of all wonders opens daily, and the family's cultivation style is pale and unstained, without a trace of worldly dust.

In my leisure I summon the long-lived guests from beyond the clouds, and together we admire the spring that never fades within the pot-world. "Within the pot" is often used to refer to a realm of immortals transcending the mundane world.

Self-Amusement: The wind passes through the pines in the courtyard and wakes me from my afternoon nap. On waking, the smoke from the stone incense burner has not yet dispersed.

I do not seek to become a winged being and ascend on a crane. Rather, I wish to be a "land immortal" (lùdì xiān), one who, though living among people, roams at ease in freedom.

Farewell to the Taiqing Palace: The west wind stirs my Daoist robe, and I depart here. I have not been able to settle in the ancestral court and truly rely on the cultivation of the Way.

The apes and cranes elsewhere have grown long accustomed to their leisure, so for now I will tend to a patch of white cloud there, and I may return again later.

Sent to Shang Xian: In the dim and unseen realms, the wondrous affairs of ghosts and spirits are sent to me from time to time, and the mysterious gate of the Daoist world beyond the mundane opens to me every day.

Mozi sighed when he saw silk being dyed, for silk changes its color with the dye. Yang Zhu wept at a fork in the road, for there were too many paths. Here these two stories illustrate that a person's state of mind is easily swayed by external things, and that one's journey may also lose its way amid too many choices.

To Official Li: Upon the vast, misty waves of ten thousand li, a small boat with its light sail raised and its short oar in hand drifts in the very middle of the river.

Announcement to Official Li

Across a myriad li of misty waves, a single small boat, its light sail raised and its short oar stroking, drifts out in the middle of the river.

Moonlight reflects on the water's surface as I fish at my leisure. How could I still mind that the whale has not taken the bait, lingering without return?

To a Daoist Companion in Chenzhou

Once merit is achieved and fame secured, it is the right time to withdraw and become a carefree recluse in the mountain forests.

Once the Sun Soul (the yang vital essence in internal alchemy, Neidan) is gathered as the Great Medicine, and the Lunar Soul (the yin vital essence) is refined, the Yang Spirit (the spirit body said to manifest upon the completion of cultivation, Yang Shen) appears.

To Official Li of Feizhuang

The road of learning to become an immortal has not yet reached its end, so there is no need to abandon the mundane world at this point. Cultivation is like gathering tiny drops of water, which in time will gradually accumulate into something complete.

One must still advance steadily within the Mysterious Gate (Xuanmen, the gate of Daoist cultivation). Penglai holds yet another grotto-heaven and blessed land.

To Daoist Companion Baisha

Firmly restrain the mind-monkey and thought-horse (a metaphor for scattered, restless thoughts). Do not cling to worldly pleasures so as to become intoxicated by them.

Once one awakens to the Dao, one can leap beyond the gate of life and death, so that the numinous, luminous true nature is no longer obstructed.

Presented to Daoist Companion Li

The immortal's dwelling is no more than five mu in size, yet it is like a little Penglai, and the autumn waters all around are exceptionally clear.

There is no need to rely on eyes and ears to see and hear. Walking the road of Xiyi (the realm Daoists describe as that which cannot be seen when looked at, nor heard when listened for), the way is level everywhere.

To Friend Kou-tian Jiang Men

Everyone can recite "Amitabha Buddha," but have you ever recognized the "Amitabha" that is inherently your own?

Remember that the fundamental ancestral nature is originally without form or appearance. It does not depend on prajna and paramita (Buddhist terms meaning wisdom and "reaching the other shore").

Announcement to Head Li

The many gates of mystery swing open each day, and the austere, ancient household style is free of even a speck of dust.

Though it is plain and non-acting (Wuwei), with nothing else to do, it does not admit ordinary people to enter at will.

Instructions for Ren Gu

Break through the knot of doubt in the heart, and you can laugh freely. There is no need to rush about seeking in every direction.

Within the breast there is already wisdom as bright as the moon, yet one still seeks candlelight at night from others.

To Daoist Shi

The mysterious Dao that transcends the mundane world is nonetheless troubled by empty worldly fame. Where one place declines, another rises.

Having later become a guest in the immortal realm of Penglai, one no longer walks that worldly path.

Instructions for Chen, Head of the Assembly

A bend of flowing water passes through the cloud stream, cool and babbling day and night, as if all the while it were telling of the subtle mysteries of the Dao.

Collection of the Old Man of Lifeng

How many people rush to and fro in pursuit of fame and profit, fixing their eyes only on the wind and waves of the world, yet failing to see the subtle and profound principle.

Instruction to Daoist Wang

A straight hook cannot catch the moon in the water; a fine-meshed net cannot haul up the clouds at the water’s bottom.

Exhausting heart and strength only carries one farther from the Great Dao; only by letting go of all entanglements can the Dao be transmitted to you.

Sent to the Old Man of Longxi

Gazing as far as the eye can see toward the southeast, one sees only leaves fluttering; the autumn mood filling the sky seems to press against the body through one’s clothes.

The immortal elder has already reached the Cinnabar Empyrean (Danxiao, the high heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism), leisurely facing the green pines and breathing the fresh mountain mist.

Exhortation by Little Li Gu

Having left the household to cultivate, one should study the way of the immortals; only then can one draw near the way of long life and widely form good affinities.

As long as one is willing to hold a single thought of sincere heart in this matter, one can gather at the Jade Pool (Yaochi, the immortal realm where the Queen Mother of the West is said to dwell) and form a golden lotus.

The immortal elder has already reached the Cinnabar Empyrean, leisurely facing the green pines and breathing the fresh mountain mist.

Exhortation by Little Li Gu

Having left the household to cultivate, one should study the way of the immortals; only then can one draw near the way of long life and widely form good affinities.

As long as one is willing to hold a single thought of sincere heart in this matter, one can gather at the Jade Pool and form a golden lotus.

Instruction to Secretary Liu

The immortal guest of the Three Mountains, far removed from the bustling dust of the world, is like a tiny boat amid the waves of the sea of suffering.

Try casting a fishing line into the deep waves—what swimming fish would be willing to come and swallow the hook?

Instruction to Daoist Li of Jimo

Calm your thoughts, forget cunning, and accord with nature; there is no need to go everywhere seeking the Dao or practicing Chan meditation.

Let a wisp of idle cloud rise leisurely—yet it obscures the heavenly light within the gourd, where night never falls.

Instruction to Association Head Ji of Xiashi County

In a dream one again speaks of things within a dream; only after waking does one know that the dream has already ended.

Brushing the dust from the stone, one watches the transformations of the myriad things by South Creek; the creek water still rolls on eastward.

Sent to the Association Head of Shanzhou

The divine elixir (the immortal elixir spoken of in Daoist cultivation) should always be held in the palm; the mysterious mirror (the mind-mirror that discerns the subtle and hidden) should only be placed within the heart.

Once it shines through the illusory scenes of the world, one will naturally be as free and leisurely as a wild cloud.

Instruction to Daoist Wang of the Yuxi Hermitage

Where in human life can one not roam free and unfettered? Why bother calculating whether one is in a mountain village or amid the court and marketplace?

As long as all kinds of fear in the heart have been dispelled, even in the midst of a pack of tigers and wolves one can be peaceful and at ease.

Instruction to Association Head Xia of Feizhuang

My Gate Has Always Been Profound and Mysterious

My dwelling has always been secluded and mysterious, quiet and spare, left to follow its own nature. Questions of the length or brevity of life, of greatness or smallness, of right or wrong, need not be raised. When hungry, I eat; when tired, I sleep.

Leaving the Hall of Taiqing Palace (Taiqing Palace: a Daoist monastery. Leaving the hall: the Daoist assembly disperses after a ritual service ends)

I was originally a recluse guest on Peach Blossom Peak, who by chance left traces among the human world and was asked about them. The ancestral court is fine, but my destined ties arrived early, so let the white clouds carry me back to my mountain of old.

Another

I ride the wind and arrive lightly at the ancestral court, where auspicious clouds and fragrant grasses surround the osmanthus blossoms. My karmic ties are not yet concluded, so I must turn back; yet I still enter the brocade curtains of Yichuan (a place name referring to the Yi River valley, a general term for a secluded retreat) and lie down to rest.

Returning to Changsheng Monastery (Changsheng Monastery: a Daoist monastery)

Having seen through the false faces the world habitually wears, I let a thousand criticisms and ten thousand slanders go their way. Thin mist and light clouds may cover the view, yet the distant mountains remain serene and do not knit their brows.

Self-Chanting

I cut off the stray thoughts before me, and the orifices of the heart no longer clamor. I gather the mysterious pearl (a metaphor for the inner nature and the Primal Spirit) and place it within the treasure vase. From now on, I will no longer pride myself on wisdom or foolishness. A heart that lays down its armor like a general at rest is peace itself.

Touring Laojun Mountain (Laojun Mountain: said to be the place where Laozi cultivated the Dao)

My sleeves flutter in the wind as I lightly leave the mountain gate. Looking back, the green mountains seem like the very embodiment of Laozi. Listening closely, I hear clear springs murmuring as they accompany the mountain, and it is as if they were expounding the Daodejing, the five thousand characters, in full.

Shown to Daoist Hu of Zhicha Mountain (Zhicha Mountain: a mountain name. Daoist Hu: a Daoist surnamed Hu)

I build a hermitage deep among the tumbling mountains and cultivate the Dao, where ten thousand acres of clouds and mist cannot be parted. A young immortal gathering herbs, his sleeves lifted by the wind, comes bringing a strange fragrance and purple zhi (the legendary immortal herb, namely the lingzhi mushroom).

Shown to Chief Zhang of the Association (Chief of the association: the head of a folk society or religious group)

Whether one seeks to become an immortal or a buddha, one must apply hard effort, carefully removing the dust of worldly thoughts and the common mind. Only when the light of spiritual clarity shines through the cosmos will one understand that the books of the world are no more than dregs.

Presented to Madam Pucha, Supervisor (Pucha: a Jurchen clan name. Tikong: a low-ranking official title in the Jin and Yuan periods)

I love the scenery of forest and spring, and this landscape is no ordinary one, where the wind of heaven scatters the fragrance of osmanthus. The visitor wishes to leave, yet keeps turning to look back. How laughable that people of the world toil through their floating lives. What, after all, are they so busy about?

Birthday Wishes for Madam Pucha

This Daoist would also like to offer birthday wishes to Madam, but worldly affairs are dim and hazy, and nothing about them can be known. Please accept this single elixir pill. Wishes for a lifespan like the pine and an old age like the crane are nothing remarkable.

Presented to Madam Sun, Grand Preceptor (Grand Preceptor: the highest honorary title in ancient times)

Merit and enterprise remain unfinished, and the body has already grown old. When the hair is white and the face is worn, to begin cultivating the Dao now is far too late.

Only after a sudden awakening does one understand that this body does not truly belong to oneself, yet people still wish it long life. The countless affairs of the world are profound and hard to fathom, and people often have no way to know them.

Those who have the karmic connection to receive this single elixir—here it may also mean the wondrous principle attained through cultivating the Dao—need only savor it carefully. Longevity like a pine and long life like a crane are hardly anything extraordinary.

Presented to the Wife of Grand Preceptor Sun

Before merit and fame are achieved, the body has already grown old; only when hair turns white and the face fades does one begin to cultivate, and then it seems too late.

After a sudden awakening, one knows that this body does not belong to the true “I”; true emptiness—a state beyond attachment, pure and still in wuwei (non-action)—is silent and unmoving, like a single cloud drifting freely past.

Admonition to Assembly Leader Tian

The bright and manifest spiritual nature is right within this mind; if a single word obscures it, it will cover its light like dense clouds.

Within purity, stillness, and emptiness there are naturally true tidings; do not seek them among all kinds of external methods.

Admonition to Ma Gu

The creative transformations—the generation and transformation of all things in heaven and earth—are endless and spontaneous; there is no need to seek a way to immortality outside oneself.

When heavenly light appears, ordinary worldly feelings and thoughts dissolve; when one is clear as a bright mirror, the eye of Dao—the wisdom that perceives the great Dao—becomes complete.