《太平御览(道部)》Vol. 2

Qi was a native of Shu, and people often saw him. He practiced Daoist arts (daoshu) among the common people and lived in an earthen cave he had dug into a corner of the city wall of Shu. When Liu Bei was preparing to march east against Wu to avenge Guan Yu, he sent for Qi and treated him with great respect. Liu Bei asked him about the campaign, but Qi gave no answer. He asked only for paper, painted tens of thousands of soldiers and weapons, and then tore the pictures up one by one. He also painted a noble official, buried the painting in a pit, and walked away. Liu Bei was displeased. Later, Liu Bei was indeed defeated by the Wu army. Of more than one hundred thousand troops, only a few hundred returned, and nearly all of the weapons, armor, and military supplies were lost. Liu Bei fell ill from grief and anxiety and died at the Yong'an Palace. Qi spoke very little, and he did not answer when others questioned him. Once, when people in Shu were worried about calamity and went to ask him, he said: "Auspicious and inauspicious outcomes have their usual signs. One need only look at whether people's faces show worry or joy." Later he entered Langya Mountain and never came out again.

It is also recorded that Feng Junda was a native of Longxi who took huanglian (Coptis root) for more than fifty years. He entered Wushu Mountain to cultivate himself and, by taking and refining these herbs, lived for over a hundred years while still traveling back and forth to his home region. He often rode a green ox to distribute medicine and treat illnesses, so people called him only the "Green Ox Daoist" (Qingniu Daoshi). After living for many years, he entered Huqiu Mountain and ascended to immortality.

It is also recorded that Wang Zhongdu was a man of the Western Han who studied the arts of Dao and De (daode zhi shu) in his youth. On an extremely cold day, Emperor Wen of Han had him wear only a single layer of clothing and ride in a chariot drawn by four horses, racing around the edge of the Kunming Pool in the Shanglin Park. The drivers, though wearing fox-fur coats, shivered with cold and nearly froze to death, yet Wang Zhongdu's expression did not change. His body stayed warm, and his breath was vigorous, as if he were a flame. In the height of summer, people surrounded him with roaring fires, but he did not sweat. Later, no one knew where he had gone.

Also recorded: Jiqiu Gong was a Daoist adept at the foot of Mount Tai. When Emperor Wu of the Han made an eastern tour and arrived at Mount Tai, Jiqiu Gong came out to greet him, wearing an antique-style hat and yellow robes and carrying a qin (zither). He said to the emperor, "Your Majesty should not climb the mountain, for you may injure your feet." The emperor insisted on ascending, and after walking a few li he indeed injured his foot, though he kept the matter secret. The emperor therefore performed the sacrifice at Mount Tai only and then returned. He also built a shrine for Jiqiu Gong and assigned one hundred households to make offerings at it and to guard it.

Also recorded: Dai Meng, originally surnamed Yan, personal name Ji, courtesy name Zhongwei, lived during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han. He entered Mount Hua and Mount Wudang, where he received from Lord Pei the Jade Pendant and Golden Pendant Scripture (a Daoist scriptural method concerning the wearing of jade and gold ornaments) and the Shijing Jinguang Talisman (a Daoist talisman). He also obtained the Taiwei Huangshu (Yellow Book of the Great Subtlety), and by means of these arts he could travel among the famous mountains.

Also recorded: Zuo Ci, courtesy name Yuanfang, was a native of Lujiang. He was well versed in the Five Classics and also familiar with astronomy and meteorology. Seeing that the fortunes of the Han dynasty were in decline, he devoted himself to cultivation on Mount Tianzhu, where in a stone chamber he obtained the Jiudan Jinye Jing (Scripture of the Nine Elixirs and Golden Fluid), a cultivation method recorded in the Taiqing Zhongjing (Central Scripture of Supreme Clarity). He took Li Zhongfu as his teacher, and Ge Xuan in turn became Zuo Ci's disciple. When Cao Cao heard of this, he summoned Zuo Ci and asked him about the reasons for his cultivation. Zuo Ci did not answer, and Cao Cao, enraged, planned to find a way to kill him. Later Cao Cao held a banquet for Zuo Ci, and Zuo Ci soon vanished. In the final years of the Jian'an era, Zuo Ci crossed the Yangtze and wandered among the mountains and rivers, entering a cave on Mount Xiaokuo, and at that time his appearance was still youthful.

Also recorded: Wang Yao, courtesy name Boliao, was a native of Poyang. He often treated the sick, and all his patients recovered. Wang Yao had a basket only a few inches long. A disciple surnamed Qian followed him for more than ten years.

There is also a record that Wang Yao, styled Bo'liao, was a native of Poyang. He often treated the sick, and his patients were always cured. Wang Yao had a small basket only a few inches long. A disciple surnamed Qian followed him for more than ten years but never saw him open it. One night, when the sky was dark and rain was falling, Wang Yao told Qian to carry the basket on a nine-jointed staff (a walking stick with nine bamboo nodes) and accompany him out. They took a route Qian had never traveled. After walking more than ten li, the two climbed a small hill and entered a stone chamber where two men were already seated. As soon as Wang Yao arrived, he opened the basket and took out three five-reed bamboo mouth organs (bamboo instruments with five reeds). The three men each played one, and after a long while they returned the instruments to the basket and took their leave of the men in the chamber. Back home, Wang Yao changed into a single-layer ge-cloth robe (a thin garment of kudzu fiber), shouldered the basket himself, and left, never to return. Thirty years later, a disciple met Wang Yao at the foot of Mati Mountain and found that his appearance had grown much younger. The disciple concluded that Wang Yao had become a dixian (earth immortal, a immortal who dwells among humans).

There is also a record that Chen Zihuang, a native of Jiyin, obtained a formula for an elixir and, after taking it, gave up eating the five grains. At first he was past seventy and already old, but after taking the medicine he became young again. He then lived among people for many years before entering Huo Mountain and departing.

There is also a record that Ge Hong, styled Zhichuan, was a native of Langya. He did not pursue an official post of high rank. He closed his door to visitors and devoted himself to admiring the way of the immortals and their arts, and he kept no company. On Yuhang Mountain he met He Duodao and Guo Wenju, but they only looked at one another and never spoke. Ge Hong's paternal great-uncle, Ge Xuan (a cousin of his grandfather), achieved success in the study of the Dao in the state of Wu and passed the methods of alchemy on to his disciple Zheng Yin, styled Siyuan. Ge Hong became Zheng Yin's disciple and learned all of his alchemical methods.

The Daoxue Zhuan (Biographies of Daoist Learning) records that Bao Jing, styled Taixuan, set out on foot for the capital on the twentieth day of the eighth month of the first year of the Taixing reign. When he reached Longshan, he saw a young man ahead of him, dignified in bearing and remarkable in appearance, who was walking at an extraordinary speed. Bao Jing pursued him from a distance, and though he chased for several li, he could not catch up, which left him deeply puzzled. He then asked the youth, "From your appearance, you seem to be a person of the Dao." The youth replied, "I am Yin Changsheng of Zhongshan."

Jie Xiang, whose courtesy name was Yuanze, was a native of Kuaiji. He was thoroughly versed in the Five Classics (Wujing) and was also skilled at writing prose. Later he turned to the Way (Dao), and on hearing of a Daoist text called the Classic of the Returning Elixir (Huandan Jing), which describes the refining of elixirs and the cultivation of immortality, he searched for it far and wide without ever finding a copy. His teacher then went into the mountains to devote himself to cultivation, where he met a man who transmitted the Classic of the Returning Elixir to him. The man told him, "Once you obtain this scripture, you will become an immortal and need not practice anything else." His teacher then took his leave and returned.

Jie Xiang once visited the home of his disciple Luo Yanya and stayed on a flat couch behind a curtained partition. Several students in the house were debating the meaning of the Zuo Tradition (the Zuozhuan) without reaching agreement. Jie Xiang listened from the side, then stepped in to analyze their arguments and correct them. The students came to believe he was no ordinary person and secretly recommended him to the ruler of Wu. When Jie Xiang wished to leave, the ruler issued an edict summoning him to Wuchang. He treated Jie Xiang with great deference, called him "Lord Jie," and presented him with a residence, curtains, and a thousand catties of gold. Jie Xiang later feigned illness and soon died. The ruler issued an edict to bury him and to build a shrine in his honor. Whenever the ruler personally offered sacrifices, white cranes often alighted on the mats, circled for a moment, and then flew away.

Li Gen, courtesy name Zice, was a native of Xuchang. He once visited the home of Wu Taiwen in Shouchun. His disciples, knowing that Li Gen possessed Daoist arts, secretly searched his luggage and discovered a roll of the Plain Writings (Sushu), which recorded the dates on which he had studied the Way and taken elixirs. Wu Taiwen said that Li Gen had begun with the method of Tongzi Fang (a cultivation or elixir practice mentioned in the text) and had ultimately become an earth immortal (dixian), an immortal who lives long while remaining among the human world.

Bo Shanfu was a native of Yongzhou. He entered Mount Hua to cultivate himself and for two hundred years did not visit anyone's home. He could recount the good and evil deeds and the merits and faults of a person's ancestors for generations, as if he had witnessed them himself, and he could also foretell future fortune and misfortune.

Liu Zheng was a native of Pei. He was outstanding in learning and broad in experience, and he constantly sought out and examined strange and extraordinary events. Whenever someone's skill surpassed his own, he would take that person as his teacher, even if the person was a servant. He sought methods of nourishing life, took elixirs, and is said to have lived more than four hundred years.

It is also said that Wang Lie, courtesy name Changxiu, was a native of Handan. For many years he consumed Huangjing (Polygonatum rhizome) and lead, and it was said that he lived more than two hundred years, moving as swiftly as if he were flying. He read widely, and Ji Kang held him in high esteem, often discussing learning with him.

On one occasion the two of them entered Mount Taihang and saw a mountainside split open, with green shisui (stone marrow, a legendary elixir) seeping out. Wang Lie gathered some of it and kneaded it into pills, which hardened like stone. Their fragrance resembled cooked rice, and when chewed they tasted like rice as well. He took a small amount back intending to give it to Ji Kang, but when he brought it out he found it had turned into blue stone. Ji Kang then returned with him to the mountain to examine the site, and the crack in the mountainside had closed up as if it had never been opened.

Later, Wang Lie entered Baodu Mountain in Hedong, where he saw a stone chamber. Inside were stone shelves, and on them lay two scrolls of the Sushu (Plain Book), whose script no one could read. Wang Lie secretly copied several dozen characters and showed them to Ji Kang, who recognized all of them. Delighted, Wang Lie went with Ji Kang to read the text together. When they arrived, however, the stone chamber had vanished. Wang Lie privately told his disciples, "Shuye (Ji Kang's courtesy name) has come, and he fully meets the conditions for attaining the Dao." According to the Shenxian jing (Scripture of the Immortals), the immortals open the mountain once every five hundred years, and stone marrow flows out of it; whoever obtains and consumes it will extend their life. Afterward, no one knew where Wang Lie went.

It is also said that Bu Zheng, courtesy name Xuanzhen, was a native of Badong. When he spoke of events from the time of the First Emperor of Qin, it was as if he had witnessed them, and his account was remarkably clear. At the end of the Eastern Han, he led several dozen disciples into the region of Wu and taught them fuqi (breath-ingestion, a practice of regulating the breath and visualization), the method of consuming stone marrow, and the xiaodan fa (minor elixir methods, the preparation or ingestion of elixirs). He was said to have lived four hundred years.

It is also said that Jiao Guang, courtesy name Xiaoran, was a native of Hedong. He often ate white stone, boiling it until it became as soft as taro. Each time he went into the mountains to gather firewood, he carried the bundles and gave them away to others. After the state of Wei received the abdication of the Han, he bade farewell to his companions, and after he left, no one knew where he had gone.

There was also a man named Sun Deng, whose place of origin is unknown. He lived constantly in the mountains, sitting cross-legged in caves, playing the qin and reading the Book of Changes (Yijing). In winter he wore only a single unlined robe. When the cold was especially severe, people saw that his hair was over ten feet long, hanging down to cover his body. Though he was seen across many generations, his appearance remained the same as before. He possessed no other belongings and did not eat.

At that time Yang Jun was serving as Grand Tutor and sent people to invite Sun Deng. Sun Deng did not answer their questions, so Yang Jun sent him a cloth robe. Sun Deng went out, borrowed a knife, and cut the robe in half through the middle, separating the upper and lower sections, and left them at Yang Jun's gate. People thereby knew that Yang Jun would be executed.

Ji Kang of Kuaiji once visited Sun Deng, but Sun Deng did not speak with him. Ji Kang then pressed him with questions and argument, yet Sun Deng kept playing his qin, his expression unchanged. After a long while, Ji Kang left. Sun Deng said: "Ji Kang is gifted and brilliant, but his discernment is insufficient, and he is not skilled at preserving himself."

There was also a man named Bo He, courtesy name Zhongli, from Liaodong. He entered Mount Difei and followed Dong Feng in cultivation. Dong Feng transmitted to him the methods of circulating qi (xingqi) and ingesting wood (fumu), and told him: "Everything my Dao can teach is contained here. If you wish to obtain divine elixirs and golden sand, you must travel throughout the world and seek out every mountain. You are young now, so you should search widely."

Bo He then came to Xicheng Mountain and followed Lord Wang in cultivation. Lord Wang taught him the Formulas of the Great Dao (Dadao jue), saying: "In the stone chamber of this mountain, observe the north wall carefully. If writing appears on the wall, you will attain the Dao." Bo He watched for three years before he saw the writing. The writing had been carved into the stone by the ancients and included the Divine Elixir Formulas from the Central Classic of Supreme Clarity (Taiqing zhongjing shendan fang), the Large Characters of the Celestial Patterns of the Three Sovereigns, and the Diagrams of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks (Wuyue zhenxing tu). Bo He recited these contents repeatedly, over ten thousand characters, yet some points remained unclear to him. Lord Wang then transmitted a secret instruction to him, saying: "To become an earth immortal (dixian), go and cultivate on Mount Linlü."

There was also Gong Song, a native of Langya, who was skilled at writing and authored two hundred scrolls of Daoist texts. He took mica and became an earth immortal.

There was also Li Changzai, a native of Shu Commandery, who cultivated on Mount Linlü in his youth.

There was also Gong Song, a native of Langya, who was skilled at writing and authored two hundred scrolls of Daoist texts. He took mica and became an earth immortal.

It is further recorded that Li Changzai was a native of Shu Commandery, who in his youth practiced the arts of the Dao (daoshu). People often said they had seen him at the foot of Mount Huoshou.

Tao Qian's Record of the Peach Blossom Spring tells that during the Taikang era of the Jin dynasty, a fisherman from Wuling followed a stream, gradually losing track of how far he had gone. Suddenly he came upon a grove of peach trees. Blossoms bright and beautiful lined both banks of the stream, and their petals drifted down in profusion. At the end of the grove stood a mountain, and at its foot was a small cave entrance. At first it was very narrow, but after four or five steps the view suddenly opened into a broad, bright valley. Houses stood one beside another, and the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs could be heard from one to the next. The men and women there wore clothing like that of people outside. The villagers were astonished to see the fisherman, and they set out wine and food to entertain him. They explained that their ancestors had fled the wars of the Qin dynasty, bringing their wives and children to this place, and had since been cut off from the outside world. They asked the fisherman what dynasty now reigned, and they did not even know of the Han, Wei, or Jin. After the fisherman left, he reported the matter to the prefect. The prefect sent men to follow him back to look for the place, but they lost their way and never found it again.

The Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected), a Daoist classic, records that Liu Ping was a native of Pei, who studied the Dao under Master Jiqiu. For many years he took quartz (shiying), and he lived more than three hundred years while his appearance still looked youthful. Once he went to Chang'an, and many nobles, having heard of his Daoist powers, came to visit him. At that time more than one hundred bandits were following Liu Ping. He said to them, "You are human, yet you harbor the hearts of wolves and jackals. To incite others to cut off roads and harm people for private gain will only leave your corpses lying in the marketplace, to be pecked at by crows and hawks." One of the bandits, upon hearing this, immediately fell prostrate on the ground and fled in terror. Later, Liu Ping entered Mount Taibai, and after several decades he returned to his home district, looking even younger than before.

It is further recorded that Yin Si, courtesy name Shaolong, was a native of Anding. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month in the fifth year of the Yuankang era of the Jin dynasty, he sat in his room and had his son look at the moon to see whether anything unusual appeared there. His elder brother said, "There should be great floods now. In the moon there is a man wearing a straw raincoat and carrying a sword." Yin Si looked for himself and said, "The man in the moon wears a sword and bends forward holding a spear, which portends great disorder. Thirty years from now, the situation will settle somewhat." Later, Yin Si disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone.

Also, Huang Chuping was a native of Danxi. At fifteen his family sent him to tend sheep. A Daoist who saw that he was good-natured and sincere took him to a stone chamber on Mount Jinhua to cultivate the Way. For more than forty years he never once thought of his family.

His elder brother, Huang Chuqi, searched for him for many years. Later, at a market, he met a Daoist who told him where Huang Chuping was, and he followed the directions and at last found his younger brother. After the two had talked, Huang Chuqi asked where the sheep were. Huang Chuping said, "They are right nearby, to the east." Chuqi went to look and saw only a heap of white stones. Chuping then scolded the stones, and at once they turned into tens of thousands of sheep. From this Chuqi understood that his brother had attained the Way and become an immortal. He hurried home and, together with his brother, took pine resin and Poria (medicinal substances said to be used in cultivation). They are said to have lived to five hundred years. Later, Huang Chuping changed his name to Red Pine Master (Chisongzi), and Huang Chuqi changed his name to Red Lu Ban (Chilu Ban).

Also, Lü Gong, courtesy name Wenjing, was gathering herbs on Mount Taihang when he suddenly met a man who passed on to him an immortal prescription. After Lü Gong attained the Way, the man told him to leave, saying, "You may go back and visit your home village." Later, Lü Gong's grandson, Lü Xi, also became a Daoist, and most people in the village revered him. Lü Gong sent word of himself to Lü Xi's household and knocked at the door to greet them. A servant came out and asked where he had come from. Lü Gong replied, "This is my home." When Lü Xi heard of this, he came out in astonishment and joy to bow in respect. Lü Gong then passed the marvelous arts on to Lü Xi and afterward departed. Lü Xi was already eighty years old at the time, and after taking the arts he is said to have regained his youth, living to two hundred before entering the mountains. It is said that his descendants for generations no longer grew old.

Also, Shen Jian was a native of Danyang, and his family had for generations held local office. Shen Jian loved the arts of the Way and had no desire to serve as an official. He studied the practices of ingesting elixirs and nourishing life, and he was able to heal illness and fly, and at times he would vanish and at other times return. After more than three hundred years of this, he stopped revealing his traces, and no one knew where he had gone.

Section Five of the Dao Division Ends

It is also said that Xu Yuanyou's third son was named [name illegible in source], with the courtesy name Xiang and the childhood name Wangfu. He cared little for worldly affairs and lived at the foot of Leiping Mountain (Leiping Shan), where he diligently cultivated the Dao. He often hoped to enter the cavernous heavens (dongtian) early to practice, and he did not wish to remain long among mortals. Later he went to the North Cavern (Bei Dong) and died in the sixth year of the Liang dynasty's Taihe era at his old residence on Mao Mountain (Mao Shan), at the age of thirty. He then lived in the Fangyuan Hall (Fangyuan Guan) in the cave of Fangyu Mountain (Fangyu Shan), often traveling among the four flat platforms, and eventually departed to become an immortal of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) order.

It is also said that Ma Mingsheng was a native of Linzi and once served as a county clerk. While pursuing bandits, he was wounded, and he met a Perfected named Taizhen (Taizhen). After he swallowed a spirit pill (lingwan), his wound and illness were healed. Later he became a disciple of Anqisheng (Anqisheng) and received and took the Elixir of Great Clarity (Taiqing Dan). He is said to have lived five hundred years and finally died in the Guanghe era (Guanghe) of Emperor Ling of Han.

The Anthology of Gathered Immortals (Jixian Lu) says that Yang Ping, whose personal name is unrecorded, lived on Yang Ping Mountain and was skilled in many arts of transformation. When someone asked him about himself, he replied, "I am an immortal of the Yang Ping cavern."

The Anthology of Gathered Immortals also says: Yang Ping, whose personal name is unrecorded, lived on Yang Ping Mountain and was skilled in many arts of transformation. When someone asked him about himself, he replied, "I am an immortal of the Yang Ping cavern. At each of the three Primes (sanyuan), the great festival days of Upper, Middle, and Lower Primordial, the Highest Perfected (shangzhen) of the heavens all descend to tour the cavernous heavens. They observe the good and evil of human beings, and they also observe the rise and fall of life and death in the world, as well as drought, flood, wind, and rain, and they report these matters to the cave-abodes (dongfu) in advance. The spirits who receive sacrifices and offerings at dragon-spirit shrines (longshen ci miao) are also governed by the cave-abodes. The bureaucracy of immortal officials within the caverns resembles the commanderies, counties, and villages of the human world, and it cannot be described in full." After he finished speaking, he departed.

Section Six: Shijie (Corpse Liberation)

The Biography of Perfected Wang of the Western City (Xicheng Wang Zhenren Zhuan) says: The Way of shijie refers to the case in which a person does not ascend to immortality together with the corpse.

The Upper Scripture of the Precious Sword (Baojian Shangjing) says that there are several methods of shijie. In some cases, a person dies and then revives. In others, after the head is severed, the body appears elsewhere at the side. In still others, the outward form remains, but there are no bones within the body.

The so-called "corpse liberation" (shijie) is a process in which the true person transforms and departs through cultivation, and it is one of the five methods of concealed transcendence. Although it ranks lowest among the immortals, obtaining this endowment is not easy. "Hiding within the three luminaries" (concealing oneself from the light of the sun, moon, and stars) and "sinking into the land in broad daylight" (quietly vanishing in the day) both refer to corpse liberation. Those who cultivate the lower form of corpse liberation may never look back toward their homeland, and this is called the "way of the higher release." The names of corpse-liberated persons are entered in the purple register of immortals, and the Three Officials (sanguan), the spirit bureaucrats who govern heaven, earth, and water, can no longer spy on or interfere with their whereabouts. Nevertheless, even one who attains concealed transcendence and ascent may not return to the human world if worldly wishes remain unfulfilled, so their whereabouts and destinations are not fixed.

There is another account: one mixes pills with water and swallows them, then lies down embracing a bundle of grass, and afterward dies as if wounded in an empty room. This is called "release by weapon" (bingjie), a liberation accomplished through the image of military injury or death.

Another view holds that only the upper-grade immortals recorded in the Eight Essences Registers (Basu Lieji, a title found in Daoist texts or immortal registers) receive the transmission without practicing it, while all the rest undergo corpse liberation in the daytime and become flying immortals.

The Treatise on Concealed Instructions for Ascending to Perfection (Dengzhen Yinjue) states that at the moment of death, one undergoing corpse liberation may encounter calamities such as blades, water, or fire, and the suffering they endure is no different from that of ordinary people. Only after death does the spirit consciousness depart and migrate, while the physical body remains behind and cannot leave with it.

Another record tells of Dong Zhongju, a native of Huainan, who in his youth practiced fuqi lianxing (refining the body through regulated breathing and the circulation of qi). He lived past one hundred without aging. Once he was falsely accused and imprisoned, and later he departed through corpse liberation and became an immortal.

Another record tells of Qing Pingji, a native of Pei, who died in the Han Gaozu period. By the time of Emperor Guangwu, people still said he had not aged, and afterward he departed through corpse liberation.

The Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected) records that Gu Huan, courtesy name Xuanping, a native of Wu Commandery, was once imprisoned and later departed through corpse liberation and became an immortal.

Another account states that Qing Pingji, a native of Pei, died in the Han Gaozu period; in the time of Emperor Guangwu he was still said to be undying, and afterward he departed through corpse liberation. The Zhen Gao further records that Gu Huan, courtesy name Xuanping, was a native of Wu Commandery. During the Yongping era of the Qi dynasty, he died at Mount Shan, and was buried at Yuefuli in Yanguan. A conjoined tree (lianli mu, a portent of tree trunks and branches growing together) sprouted upon his grave. The county magistrate, Jiang Shantu, submitted a memorial reporting the matter and stated that Gu Huan had already departed through corpse liberation.

It is also said that Xin Xuanzi, whose courtesy name was Yanqi, was a native of Dinggu in Longxi. Fond of cultivating the Way (Dao), they fell into the water while crossing the Changliang Ferry on the Qin River, and then slipped away and departed.

It is also said that Zhang Zutang was a native of Pengcheng who came from the north during the Wu kingdom. They entered a cave chamber on Mount Fang and, feigning death by a fall from a carriage, withdrew into a secluded immortal's hall, where they practiced "Holding the One" (shouyi), a method of concentrating the spirit, guarding the primordial qi, and turning inward with single-minded attention.

It is also said that Liu Pinghe left no personal name or courtesy name. At the end of the Han dynasty they served as Chief of Pinghe in Jiujiang. They practiced medicine to aid others, treating the suffering of others as their own, and saved many lives. While traveling, they met the immortal Zhou Zheng, who transmitted to them the Way of Hidden Preservation (yincun), a practice of concealing one's traces and nourishing the spirit. Later Liu Pinghe lived in the cave chamber on Mount Fang, regularly consuming the essential qi of the sun, the moon, and the early morning, so that their appearance remained remarkably youthful. Eventually they departed through "corpse deliverance" (shijie), the Daoist notion that the physical body is left behind while the spirit is transformed and released to become an immortal.

It is also said that a person who has received the Great Precepts, after death, undergoes extinction (miedu) and the refining of the spirit (lianshen), and then ascends to take up an office among the celestial officials. This is called shijie.

After a person dies, the body should be examined. If the corpse looks like that of a living person, with feet that have not turned blue, skin that has not wrinkled, and eyes that still shine, these signs are all regarded as shijie. Those who depart in daylight are true immortals and do not fall under the ordinary category of shijie. Cases of corpse deliverance through medicine are different. Those who transform by means of numinous elixirs cannot return to their native place, because they will be detained by the Three Officials (sanguan), the bureaucratic powers governing heaven, earth, and water. Departure in daytime is called "upper shijie," departure at midnight is called "lower shijie," and departure at dusk is said to belong to the lords of the underworld.

The Qiongwen Siji Pian (Four Chronicles of the Jade Writings) states that whoever obtains the Jiuzhen Zhongjing (Central Scripture of the Nine Perfected) can achieve shijie in daylight. Others hold that the Feixing Yujing (Scripture of the Feathered Flight) is comparatively shallow. The Liuji Pian (Six Chronicles) further says that whoever possesses the Lingshu Zizhi (Numinous Book of Purple Fungus) or the Wulao Baojing (Precious Scripture of the Five Elders) may also achieve shijie.

The Shenxian Zhuan (Biographies of Divine Immortals) records that Jie Xiang, whose courtesy name was Yuanze, was a native of Kuaiji. The First Ruler of Wu esteemed Jie Xiang greatly and often urged them, "Master Jie, please hurry and seek the Way and depart." Yet the ruler would not let Jie Xiang go. Jie Xiang then claimed to be ill, and the ruler sent an attendant to present them with a box of pears. Shortly afterward, Jie Xiang departed through shijie.

Another account says that Jiuhua of the Upper Palace of Purple Clarity (Ziqing Shanggong) instructed Lord Yang: "You may seek the Way of releasing the sword and practice the art of an auspicious and fortunate end. When you take your own life and leave the world, you should remain silent. This is the trace of hiding and appearing."

Another account says that Ge Xuan, courtesy name Xiaoxian, studied the Jiudan Jinye Jing (Scripture of the Nine Elixirs and Golden Liquor) under Zuo Ci and regularly took wood medicines (mu yao). He told his disciple Zhang Feng, "I will depart through corpse liberation (shijie), and it will occur on the twelfth day of the eighth month." On that day, Ge Xuan's robes and cap remained, but his body had no breath, and his complexion did not change. He then departed through corpse liberation. Shijie is a Daoist mode of transcendence in which the adept leaves behind the body or garments while the spirit departs from the human world.

Another account says that Shiya Gong, Xie Yuan, was a native of Liyang, and Fei Changfang once served him as a teacher. Later, the Daoist Li Yiqi left with two disciples and did not return for many years. Fei Changfang and those two disciples likewise concealed their forms, transformed, and passed from the world.

Another account says that Bao Shuo, courtesy name Taixuan, was a native of Langya and lived during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Jin. Ge Hong's father-in-law, Yin Jun, transmitted to him the method of corpse liberation. Another version says that his personal name was Liang, that he was a native of Shangdang, and that he was a descendant of Bao Xuan, Director of the Retinue under the Han. He cultivated his person and nature, and in his seventies he achieved liberation and departed. Xu Ning once became Bao Shuo's disciple. One night, Xu Ning heard the sound of a qin coming from Bao Shuo's room and asked the reason. Bao Shuo replied, "When Ji Shuye (Ji Kang, courtesy name Shuye) was executed in the Eastern Market, he was in fact departing through weapon liberation (bingjie)." Bingjie is a Daoist legend in which the adept leaves the physical body through a weapon or through punishment.

The Jin Zhongxing Shu (Book of the Jin Revival) records that Ge Hong was going to take up the post of magistrate of Goulou County and died on the way, when he reached Guangzhou. Xu Ning had once become Bao Shuo's disciple, and one night he heard the sound of a qin in Bao Shuo's room. When he asked about it, Bao Shuo mentioned the legend of Ji Kang's departure through weapon liberation.

The Jin Zhongxing Shu also records that Ge Hong was traveling to take up his post in Goulou County and passed through Guangzhou. The regional governor there, Deng Dai, urged him to stay and would not let him leave, so Ge Hong remained on Mount Luofu, refining elixirs for many years. Later, he suddenly wrote to Deng Dai, saying that he was going far away to seek medicines. When Deng Dai received the letter, he went at once to bid him farewell, but found that Ge Hong had already died. Ge Hong was eighty-one years old, and his face still looked as it had in life. When his body was placed in the coffin, it was as light as an empty garment, and it was said that he had departed through corpse liberation.

According to the Daoxue Zhuan (Biographies of Daoist Learning), Wu Meng, styled Yunshi, was skilled in the arts of the Dao (daoshu). Geng Liang, having heard of his spiritual powers, invited him to Wuchang with generous gifts. Before long, Wu Meng asked to return home, saying that his allotted span had been fully reckoned and asking that a coffin be prepared. Geng Liang was saddened and that same day sent him on his way. Wu Meng died fifty li from home, before he arrived, yet his body still appeared as if alive.

The text further states that if a practitioner has not yet mastered the "six practices" (liuxing, the six kinds of cultivation merit) and has not accumulated enough merit from previous lives, he is placed in the middle rank and regarded as having undergone shijie (corpse liberation, in which one conceals one's traces and transforms in order to slip free of the body). Those below this level belong to ordinary fushi (ingesting elixirs). Those whose merit is shallow occupy lower grades, while those who have achieved more substantial cultivation undergo extinction (miedu) and are then reborn. After rebirth, one must continue to cultivate the Dao according to the amount of merit one has accumulated, and only then can one ultimately attain the Dao.

The Taishang Taixiao Langshu (Scroll of the Supreme Great Dawn) says that those who cultivate the superior Dao sometimes enter the mountain forests, take numinous herbs, follow opportunity, and avoid calamity. Even when they depart this world by corpse liberation, concealing their radiance so that they appear different from ordinary people, they must still be reborn. After rebirth, they must continue to cultivate according to their merit, and only then do they attain the Dao.

The same text adds that those who cultivate the superior Dao sometimes enter the mountain forests, take numinous herbs, follow opportunity, and avoid calamity. Even when they depart by corpse liberation and conceal their radiance in the world, their funerary customs differ greatly from common practice. No coffin or outer casing is used. Instead, one clears a small space on a level spot on the mountain or beneath deep trees and lays a thin quilt on the bare ground to cover it.

The Taishang Taizhen Ke (Supreme True Ritual Code) says that if one wishes to know whether one's ancestors have returned during sacrifice, this may be understood as follows. If the ancestors have merit, they have already ascended in deliverance and attained the Dao. If their descendants are benevolent and filial, the ancestors will take shape and come to visit, which is why sacrifices are established. Such cases also belong to the category of corpse liberation.

The Jinque Shengjun Zhuan (Biography of the Holy Lord of the Golden Gate) says that the so-called "Numinous Writings of Purple Pattern" (lingshu ziwen) are sometimes also called the Wulao Baojing (Precious Scripture of the Five Elders). Those who possess this scripture may undergo corpse liberation, and those who practice according to it may attain the Dao.

The Baopuzi states that in the Daolin there are five kinds of corpse-liberation talismans. The one now called the Taixuan Yinsheng talisman is one of them, a talisman of release associated with illness.

The Liexian Zhuan (Biographies of Immortals) records that Ning Feng, in the time of the Yellow Emperor, served as a potter (an official in charge of pottery production). He once set himself on fire, then rose and fell riding the smoke. The Zhen'gao says that after Ning Sheng took shinao (stone brain, a mineral preparation), fire ignited. This belongs to huojie (liberation by fire), a form of corpse liberation in which one sheds the mortal form through burning.

Sima Jizhu, having perfected the Dao, is said to have burned his own body with fire and ascended and descended with the rising smoke. The Declarations of the Perfected (Zhen Gao, a Daoist immortal biography collection) records Ning Sheng as taking stone brain (shi nao) and then refining his body with fire, which is called huo jie (fire liberation). Huo jie is one of the Daoist legendary modes of shijie (corpse liberation), in which the physical form is made to vanish through fire-refining, so that the practitioner leaves the mortal body and ascends as an immortal.

It is also said that Sima Jizhu lived in the time of Emperor Wen of Han and learned jian jie (sword liberation), a method in which objects such as swords stand in for the body so that the practitioner can shed the body and ascend, from Xiling Zidu. He lived in the Dayou Palace on Mount Weiyu, took the essence of Ming Dan (bright elixir), and embraced the radiance of Fu Chen. His face resembled a woman's, yet his beard was three chi long. He had a son named Fayu and a daughter named Jihua, and both learned the Daozhen Jue (Formula of the True Dao). It is said that after Jizhu took a spiritual powder he quietly ascended to heaven, though his head and feet were left behind. From this, the account seems to belong to a method of liberating the body by means of weapons, which is bing jie (weapon liberation). The scripture further states that those who undergo bing jie cannot reach Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate). His daughter, however, continued to study the Dong Jing (Scripture of the Caverns), which shows that she cultivated a higher Dao on her own.

Shou Xuanbai once lived in seclusion on the east side of Mount Tai Mao, where he could conceal his form and also manifested himself many times. He was a disciple of Jie Yan, who was himself a disciple of Lord Baiyang and is now said to dwell at Fangshan in Jian'an. Jie Yan was first killed by Sun Quan, but later departed through shijie transformation.

It is also said that E Lühua was a female immortal. According to Yan Zheng's record, on the tenth day of the eleventh month of the third year of the Shengping reign of Emperor Mu of Jin (a year of the earthly branch wei), she descended to the home of Yang Quan and declared that she came from the Southern Mountain. Yang Quan, courtesy name Daoxue, was the grandfather of Yang Xin, who served as Gentleman of the Yellow Gate under Emperor Jianwen of Jin. Yang Quan and Yang Xin both practiced the Dao in secret, immersing themselves in its profound principles and realizing its truth. Lühua said, "Those who cultivate the Dao, if they regard rank as a passing guest and regard gold and jade as rubble, can attain longevity." She transmitted the method of shijie to Yang Quan, and then concealed her form and departed through transformation.

It is further said that Lady Wang of Zhonghou learned the method of fei jie tuo gang (the flying liberation of the net-rope) from her nephew Wang Jin.

It is also said that Cai Tiansheng was a native of Shanggu. In his youth he sold incense in the countryside. He was naturally benevolent and fond of arts of the Dao, and once met a young daughter of He Bo (the Yellow River Lord) who was buying incense at the market on Mount Tian.

It is also said that Han Chong, courtesy name Changji, was a native of Wudjun and lived during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han. In his youth he was fond of the arts of the Dao (daoshu). The Immortal of Linwu, Wang Zhangxuan, was also devoted to these arts. He once met the daughter of the River Count (Hebo) and bought incense at a market on Mount Tian.

It is also said that Han Chong, courtesy name Changji, was a native of Wu Commandery and lived during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han. In his youth he was fond of the arts of the Dao (daoshu). Wang Zhangxuan, the Immortal of Linwu, taught him the method of the "Flowing Pearl Elixir" (liuzhu dan). Han Chong practiced it with reverence, and in time it showed its efficacy. Wang Zhangxuan then passed on to him the arts of concealment and transformation (yindun and jiehua). Afterward Wang departed and entered Mount Dahuo, where he attained transcendence and became an immortal, serving as the Right Director of the Central Office.

The Han Qijuzhu (Imperial Diary of the Han) records that when Li Shaojun was about to depart, Emperor Wu of the Han dreamed that he and Li climbed a high mountain, where he saw an envoy convey the command of Taiyi and summon Li Shaojun. On waking, Emperor Wu said to his attendants, "Shaojun is about to leave." A few days later Li Shaojun did indeed die of illness, departing through the method of "release and transformation" (jiejiu), which is to say the legendary corpse deliverance (shijie) by which one ascends as an immortal.

The Lingbao Chishu (Red Writings of the Numinous Treasure) records that the Sanyuan Wangfu (Royal Talismans of the Three Primes) and the five Lingbao True Writings both issued from the Purple Subtlety Upper Palace on Mount Yujing in the Great Mysterious Capital of the Dao (Taixuan Dudao). This scripture can ward off the calamities of the "Yangjiu Bailiu" (the cycles of Yang Nine and Hundred Six, the cosmic disasters in Daoist teaching) and help those who study the Dao to pass through these calamities and preserve their bodies. The Mysterious Capital holds this scripture, and one who carries it may become a sage and have audience with the Supreme Clarity (Taiqing). Even if one's merit is not yet complete, one may still attain corpse deliverance.

It is also said that She Qi, courtesy name Guangping, was a native of Jingzhao. At the beginning of the Jian'an era, he came to the Jiangdong region and attached himself to Sun Ce. Later he met the Master Jie Yan, who taught him the Dao and called him an extraordinary person. She Qi bowed twice and undertook to keep the incense and lamps. A young woman then taught him the method of worshipping the Heavenly Emperor and the Royal Sovereign. He practiced corpse deliverance and departed, dwelling in seclusion at Fangtai.

The Laojun Zhuan (Biography of Lord Lao) states that Jiuzhen and Wushi are both medicinal substances used in cultivation, and that they temporarily enter the Great Yin during the day. One who has passed through the Three Offices (sanguan) may then obtain the method of "Upper Release" (shangjie). Here the "Three Offices" refer to the Heavenly, Earthly, and Waterly Officials of Daoist belief, and "Upper Release" is the expression for corpse deliverance and other means of transcending the body and ascending to the realm of immortals.

It is also said that Master Ziyang transmitted the method of the Western City Sword Release (xicheng jianjie). After cultivating and wearing a spirit sword for seven years, one writes talismans in cinnabar and can then transform and depart. If one inscribes the talismans with the "Quchen Feijing" (Curved Dawn Flying Essence), one can change, go into hiding, and transform immediately. Taiyi will also send the Jiguang Treasure Robe to welcome the adept.

It is also recorded that Wang Nian, writing Fulu (talismans and registers) with cinnabar ink, could shed his physical form and depart. If he wrote the phrase "Qu Chen Fei Jing" on a talisman, he could instantly transform, slip away, and vanish. Taiyi (the Supreme One, a Daoist deity) would send Jiguang, who would come to greet him in a treasured garment.

It is also recorded that Wang Yuan, styled Fangping, saw Cai Jing's bone structure and judged that he would undergo shijie (corpse liberation, the Daoist term for leaving the body and ascending in transformed form). For this reason he told Cai Jing important matters. Wang Yuan wore a Yuanyou crown, a vermilion robe, a tiger-patterned panang (a pouch worn at the waist), and five-colored ribbons, and carried a yellow sword. His beard was sparse, and his stature was neither tall nor short. He rode a feather carriage drawn by five dragons of different colors, with attendants, tallies, and banners before and behind him, and he seemed to descend from the heavens.

Before long, Wang Yuan had Cai Jing brought to see his father and elder brother, and then sent them away. He summoned Magu, who replied that she had previously been ordered to inspect Penglai, was about to set out, and would return once her task was finished, so she would be able to leave soon. About two meals' time later, word came that Magu had arrived. Her approach was first heard as the sound of horses and riders, and her retinue was roughly half the size of Wang Yuan's procession. When Magu arrived, Cai Jing's entire family saw her.

Magu appeared to be a young woman. Her hair was gathered into a bun on top of her head, and the rest of her long hair hung loose to her waist. Her clothing bore patterns and colors, yet it did not look like brocade or embroidery. Its radiance shone like sunlight and could not be described, and its style was unlike anything in the world. She entered to pay respects to Wang Yuan, who rose to greet her. The two offered each other delicacies and dried meat, which Magu called lin (qilin) dried meat. Afterward they took their leave and departed. Cai Jing's parents found this strange and privately asked Cai Jing about it. Cai Jing said, "The lord Wang constantly dwells on Mount Kunlun and also travels among mountains such as Luofu. There are palaces on those mountains. When the lord goes out, he rides only a single yellow qilin, with more than ten attendants following. Each time he travels, the spirits of the mountains and seas come to greet and pay respects to him."

Wang Yuan once wrote a letter to Commandant Chen. Its script was loose and free-flowing, its characters broad and irregular. Before this, no one had known Wang Yuan's reputation, yet Wang Yuan recognized Chen from this letter. Chen Cun kept Wang Yuan's handwritten letter in a small box. Later, Cai Jing underwent shijie and departed.

It is also recorded that Zhang Weizi was the daughter of Zhang Qing, the Director of Construction under Emperor Zhao of the Han. Zhang Weizi was fond of Daoist arts, and she was later able to undergo shijie.

Also recorded: Su Zixun was a man of Qi. The people of his village did not know that he possessed Daoist arts. He conducted himself among his neighbors with sincerity and humility, and for many years his appearance did not age. Later, people sought to follow him, but none could find his trace. He ordinarily took medicinal substances, delighted in lofty conversation, often dwelt in quiet retirement reading the Yijing (Classic of Changes), and the essays he wrote were all richly meaningful.

Noblemen of the capital, having heard of him, all went humbly to call upon him, yet they never managed to secure an audience. One day, when he happened to be going out, the carriages and horses of the noblemen blocked the road. His disciples told the nobles that Su Zixun had already departed, and that the man riding a donkey on the eastern road was him. The crowd mounted horses and gave chase, but could not catch up. Su Zixun arrived at the household of Lord Chen and said to him, "Tomorrow I am going to leave, and I will never return." Lord Chen gave him a single-layer garment of ge cloth. When the appointed day arrived, Su Zixun died, undergoing jiehua (liberation through transformation) and ascending as an immortal. Jiehua is a Daoist expression describing a cultivator's departure from the mundane world and transformation into an immortal.

Also recorded: Yin Changsheng was a native of Xinye. He later lived in the quarter of the capital where the noble families gathered, devoting himself single-mindedly to the cultivation of Daoist arts. Hearing that Ma Mingsheng had attained the Way of everlasting life, he went to visit him. Ma Mingsheng each day merely conversed with him at length, discussing the affairs of the age and the work of farming. Thus more than ten years passed, and Yin Changsheng never grew slack. Twelve people studied alongside Ma Mingsheng; all of them eventually left, and only Yin Changsheng grew ever more reverent. Ma Mingsheng said, "You have truly attained the Way." He then led him into Mount Qingcheng and transmitted to him the Taiqing Shendan Jing (Scripture of the Divine Elixir of Great Clarity). After Yin Changsheng refined the elixir, he ascended as an immortal.

Yin Changsheng authored a work in nine chapters, which states: "In remote antiquity, many people became immortals. Since the founding of the Han dynasty, there have been forty-five, and counting myself, forty-six in all. Of these, thirty attained immortality through shijie (corpse liberation), while the rest ascended in broad daylight." Shijie is a method of attaining immortality described in Daoism, referring to a cultivator's departure from the mundane world by leaving behind the physical body or through other symbolic means.

The Preface by Yin Jun records: "In the first year of the Yanguang era of the Han, Yin Changsheng……" (The later passage restates the transmission of the Taiqing Shendan Jing by Ma Mingsheng, Yin Changsheng's refinement of the elixir and his ascension, and his account of the number of immortals in the Han period.)

In his preface, Lord Yin writes that in the first year of the Yanguang era of the Han (122 CE), a man from Mount Beiyi in Xinye received from an immortal lord the secret instructions for the divine elixir. After he attained the Way and departed from the human world, he entrusted the secret to famous mountains. He cut yellow silk and copied the elixir classic into several versions. One was placed in a box of patterned stone and deposited on Mount Song. One was written on yellow sandalwood slips, sealed with lacquer, placed in a box of green jade, and deposited on Mount Hua. One was carved into gold slips, placed in a silver box, and deposited on Mount Shujing. Another copy, written on silk, was combined into a single text and given to his disciples, to be transmitted from generation to generation. He also composed three poems to leave for later generations.

He further says that Lord Chengxian, whose name was Wuding, was a native of Guiyang. During the Eastern Han, he served as a minor county official. In his youth he was taciturn yet broad-minded, and he was learned in the classics. He had no formal teacher, but he was naturally perceptive. Once, on an official errand to the capital, he was traveling home through Changsha Commandery. Unable to reach a postal station before nightfall, he spent the night in the open. Suddenly he heard voices from a tree saying, "Go to the market in Changsha and buy medicine." At dawn he looked up and saw two white cranes in the tree. Lord Chengxian found this strange, so he went to the market, where he saw two men walking side by side, each holding a white parasol. They told him, "You should be able to become an earth immortal (a transcendent who lives long and dwells among people)." Later, Lord Chengxian fell gravely ill, and again he heard the voices from the tree: "Go to the market in Changsha and buy medicine." At dawn, there were once again two white cranes. Finding this strange, he went to the market and again saw the two men with white parasols, who repeated that he should be able to become an earth immortal. Afterward, Lord Chengxian returned home and died, undergoing "corpse liberation" (shijie), the Daoist process by which an adept's body transforms and sheds its mortal form to become an immortal.

He also says that Long Bogao was a man of the Eastern Han. The General Who Pacifies the Waves, Ma Yuan, once wrote a letter to the son of his elder brother, praising Long Bogao's admirable conduct and urging that he be emulated. Later, Long Bogao studied under the immortal Diao Daolin the method of "taking in embryonic breath" (fu taiqi, cultivating qi through practices such as exhalation and inhalation and breath regulation). He also received a technique for taking the green [illegible character] (qing□). Afterward he died from drunkenness, withdrew to Fangtai, and became Master Dinglu Lord (Shi Dinglu Jun). Long Bogao's personal name was Shu, and he was a native of Jingzhao. During the Jianwu era of the Han, he served as magistrate of Xiandu, and he later rose to be Administrator of Lingling.

In his letter admonishing his nephew Yan, Ma Yuan wrote: "Long Bogao is sincere and prudent, measured in his speech, humble and frugal, upright and incorruptible, and he commands respect. I esteem and value him, and I hope you will emulate him."

It is further recorded that Cheng Wei, a Gentleman of the Qimen (an attendant to the emperor responsible for his protection) during the Han dynasty, had a wife who had attained the Dao (the Way) and could transform herself. Cheng Wei pressed her to transmit her arts, but she refused. When he pressed her again and again, she suddenly collapsed and died, and afterward departed through shijie (corpse liberation), leaving behind a corpse or an illusion while she herself slipped away.

The Inner Biography of Lady Wei of the Southern Marchmount (Nanyue Wei Furen Neizhuan) records that the Perfected Qingxu Wang Zideng and the Azure Lord of the Eastern Bloom (Donghua Qingtong Jun) descended and bestowed upon Lady Wei a dose of the "Yinqian Baiyi Shensan" (Powder of Hidden Transit and White Cloud Spirit) and the "Baishi Jingjin Huaxing Lingwan" (Spirit Pills of White Stone and Refined Gold for Transforming the Form). They instructed her to swallow both at once. They told her to feign illness and remain out of sight, for arrangements would be made in due time, and everyone would gather at the Yangluo Palace on Yangluo Mountain, south of Danlong. The two Perfected then departed.

After taking the medicine, Lady Wei claimed that her feet were ailing, closed her eyes to rest, and drank only water without eating. Past midnight, the Celestial Immortal of Taiyi Xuanxian (Taiyi Xuanxian) sent a carriage to receive her. The carriage rode upon qi (vital energy) and went straight into the curtained chamber. At that time her disciples were attending to her in her illness, and her relatives and friends were gathered at her side, yet no one perceived that she had already gone. Yangluo Mountain had once been the place where Yu the Great, touring the famous mountains, carved his inscriptions into the rock. Beneath the mountain was a terrace-cave, said to house more than ten thousand people practicing the way of the immortals.

It is also recorded that Wang Jinxian was the daughter of Wang Yifu (Wang Yan) of the Jin dynasty and was married to Crown Prince Huaiyuan (Min Huai Taizi) as his consort. When war broke out in the city of Luoyang, Liu Yao seized Wang Jinxian and wished to take her as his wife. Wang Jinxian cursed him, saying, "I am the wife of the crown prince and the daughter of the Minister of Works. How dare you, a barbarian Qiang clown, violate me?" Having said this, she threw herself into the river. Her maidservant, named Liuchu, also threw herself into the river and died.

At that time, Han Xihua, the Female Immortal of Mount Songgao (Songgao Nü Zhen), was traveling and rescued them. Outwardly, everyone believed the two had died, but in truth they had been secretly saved, taken into Mount Songgao, and now dwell in the Inner Cavern of Huayang. Liuchu was in her twenties, handsome in appearance, and upright in conduct. Her surname was Tian, and she was a native of Yuyang. She was the granddaughter of Tian Feng, the late magistrate of Xunyi County during the Wei dynasty. Tian Feng had accumulated yinde (hidden virtue, doing good in secret without seeking reward), and its blessings extended down to Liuchu.

It is also recorded that Dong Feng, courtesy name Junyi, was a native of Houguan. In the time of the Former Lord of Wu (Sun Quan), he was known for his integrity. His family name was Tian, and he was from Yuyang. He was the grandson of Tian Feng, once magistrate of the former county of Junyi in the state of Wei. Tian Feng had accumulated hidden virtue (yinde), and because of this his blessings extended through six generations.

It is also recorded that Dong Feng, courtesy name Junyi, was a native of Houguan. In the time of the Former Lord of Wu, a young man once served as magistrate of Dong Feng's home county. He saw that Dong Feng was already past forty yet showed no sign of any extraordinary power. Later the magistrate left office. More than fifty years afterward, he passed through Houguan on official business and met Dong Feng again. Dong Feng's former subordinates and the common people all came to pay their respects, and they found that his appearance had not changed at all from the past.

Dong Feng lived in the mountains and did not farm. He treated people's illnesses and never accepted payment. Those who recovered were required to plant five apricot trees. After several years there were more than one hundred thousand apricot trees. Dong Feng had people carry a container of grain to exchange for apricots, while he himself collected the apricots. The grain obtained in exchange for apricots was used to relieve the poor and to supply travelers who lacked provisions, amounting to more than twenty thousand hu (a measure of grain) each year. Later Dong Feng departed through shijie (corpse liberation), which Daoist tradition describes as one way for a person to shed the mortal body and ascend to immortality.

Lord Pei said: those who become immortals through shijie cannot drive the huagai (canopy chariot), ride the flying dragon, ascend to the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), or roam through the Nine Palaces. Those who relied only on techniques such as Quchen and Feijing and ascended through the sword-liberation method (jianjie) could be enrolled in the Eight Radiant Registers. Dong Feng, however, kept these secret methods hidden away and did not practice them, yet he was still able to undergo shijie in broad daylight.

Some people underwent shijie by water, fire, weapons, or illness, and some departed by means of great swords, bamboo staves, and similar objects. Such people first reported to famous mountains, and all were classed as Taiqing shijie. Those who practiced the way of sword liberation had their names registered on purple tablets and belonged to the highest immortals. Those who in previous lives had merit and good conduct, and who had accumulated hidden virtue and thereby received an immortal connection, could send their spirit-consciousness to the Zhuhuo Danling Palace to study the immortal Way and become Perfected of the Nine Palaces.

Some practiced the Dají shijie (Great Ultimate liberation) method, departing at midnight, and their assigned office was Dizhen (Earth Perfected). Among those who should undergo shijie, some had cultivation of differing depth, some had declining aspirations, and some served as jijiu (libationers) or diligently rescued others. All of them could enter the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens (Dongtian). The civil-liberation Underworld Directors were replaced every one hundred and forty years, and the martial-liberation Ghost Masters were replaced every two hundred and eighty years. Those who undergo shijie are divided into three grades in total, and only after meeting the corresponding conditions may they be promoted or appointed to posts in the celestial realm.

Learning the superior Daoist methods, admiring the way of the immortals, or achieving shijie (the liberation of the corpse, in which one sheds the mortal body and transforms away, as Daoism describes it) all ultimately lead into the path of the immortals. Although the manner of spiritual transformation is the same, the paths do not become confused with one another, and in the end all enter together into the true realm of the Great Dao.

The Mingzhen Ke (Scripture of the Ming Zhen Regulations) says that those who, while alive, delight in the Dao, devote themselves to practice, widely perform good works, and whose names are recorded in Shangqing (the Supreme Clarity, the Daoist realm of pure subtlety), may become immortals through shijie. Lesser immortals (those of lower rank) first travel among the Five Sacred Peaks, and afterward are reborn among people, receive the scriptures and methods anew, and become masters for the multitudes.

The Taiwei Jing (Scripture of the Supreme Subtlety) says that those who become immortals through shijie must, according to the Siji Zhenke (the Four Polar Regulations, the precepts and institutions concerning the heavens of the four directions), spend one hundred and forty years before they can become true officials of the divine realm. Only then may they ride in a flying canopy, sit in a dragon carriage, ascend to the Taiji Heaven (Supreme Ultimate Heaven), and travel through the Nine Palaces.

The Ci Yi Wulao Jing (Scripture of the Five Elders of the Female Unity) says that immortals depart the mortal world in different ways. Some conceal their traces and keep the inner essentials in their hearts while still attending to worldly affairs outwardly; some leave behind a sword and a staff and drift away into the clouds; and others entrust their spirit to a mysterious realm, so that onlookers never know how they truly departed.

It further says that whoever obtains this Wulao Jing (Scripture of the Five Elders), even without fasting or cunsi (visualization of the deities through quiet contemplation), and even while living among ordinary people, does not lose the secret protective power that aids them, and may even undergo shijie in broad daylight. When life ends and the spirit returns to Taiyin (the Great Yin, the realm of the netherworld), it is dealt with by the officials of the underworld; yet it may also leave behind bones, or be born through the womb and be transformed into an immortal in the Southern Palace (a palace-office of the immortal realm). This must be because such a person had an affinity with the Dao in a previous life.

The Shangqing Jing (Scripture of Supreme Clarity) says that the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign transmitted to the Lady of the Southern Pole the methods by which Shangqing transforms into seventy-four forms and sheds the bodily frame. Some who undergo shijie leave behind bones, or pass through the womb and are transformed into immortals in the Southern Palace; this must be because they had an affinity with the Dao in a previous life.

The Taiqing Zhenren Neizhuan (Inner Biography of the Perfected of Great Clarity) and the Mingshan Ji (Record of Famous Mountains) say that the Luofu Mountain grottoes extend about five hundred li in circumference, lie thirty li south of Kuaiji, and rise to great heights; this was the place where Ge Hong underwent shijie. The Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected) calls it Zengcheng Mountain.

According to the Jixian Lu (Record of Assembled Immortals), Celestial Master (Tianshi) Zhang Daoling, revered by Daoists, lived in seclusion on Mount Longhu, where he practiced the Way of the "Silent Audience with the Three Primes" (Sanyuan Mochao), a method of quiet worship directed toward the Three Primes. He also received the Dragon-Tiger Central Elixir technique (Longhu Zhongdan Shu) from the Yellow Emperor. Once the elixir was refined and taken, one could divide the body into multiple forms and conceal one's shadow. When Daoling traveled from Poyang toward Mount Song, he obtained the Secret Writings and the Art of Ordering Destiny, a hidden method involving concealed talismanic writings and the governance of fate.

The text also records that Zhou Aiyou was a native of Ancheng in Runan and the daughter of Zhou Chang, who served as Governor of Henan (Henan Yin) during the Han dynasty. Zhou Chang performed many good deeds that went unrecognized during his lifetime. Aiyou delighted in the arts of the Dao from childhood and took fuling (poria) as an ingested herb. Forty years later, she met Master Shi, who taught her the Way of Evasion and Transformation (Dunhua) and the Art of Hidden Form (Yinjing), methods for concealing one's traces and altering one's appearance. Eventually she released her body and departed.

During the Tang dynasty, Lu Meiniang was born with green eyebrows and was naturally intelligent and deft. The Governor of Nanhai sent her to the palace, where Emperor Shunzong admired her and called her "Divine Maiden" (Shengu). She ate only one to three ge of sesame rice each day. In the Yuanhe era, Emperor Xianzong, delighting in her cleverness, bestowed upon her a golden phoenix bracelet, which she wore on her wrist. After some time, she did not wish to remain at court, so she was ordained as a female Daoist priest, returned to Nanhai, and given the title "Xiaoyao" (Free and Easy). For several years she ate no food, and she finally transformed through shijie (corpse liberation), the Daoist notion of escaping the physical body to attain immortality.

End of Daoist Section Six.

Daoist Section Seven: Sword Liberation (Jianjie)

The Taiji Zhenren Shijing Jinguang Cangjing Lu (Record of the Scripture of the Hidden Light and Form of the Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate, Taiji) records: The method of crafting the sword was originally transmitted by the Supreme Minister Zongzhen, Lord Xicheng Wang, to the Duke Ziyang, and by practicing it, Duke Ziyang attained the Dao. Zongzhen had in the past employed the Way of sword liberation, and he also passed the formula for the Nine-Cycle Elixir (Jiuzhuan Dan) to Master Changli, who lived in the Zhou period.

The Dongxiang Preface says: "Through taking spirit elixirs such as the dragon embryo (longtai), one may determine life and death. Consuming qiongying was the practice of the late master Wang Xicheng." This passage describes sword liberation (jianjie) after taking the elixir. It does not describe taking the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir (Jiuzhuan Jindan). Wang Xicheng transmitted this method but did not practice it himself, and later passed it to his disciples. Lord Mao also received the transmission without using it, which is why the scripture says only that it was handed down.

The Biography of Lord Mao records that Lady Wei of the Southern Peak transmitted the method to Yang. Consort An said that one could seek the Way of sword liberation, but it is not known whether Yang later truly practiced it. Chief Secretary Xu had already taken fushi, a mineral preparation used in refining and nourishing practice, so he perhaps did not need sword liberation. Moreover, he was liberated at night in the Zhennan region, which is not the method described here. Xu was Yang's son. If it were the liberation method of the Taiqing lineage, or sword liberation using a sword alone, the practitioner should not look back toward home. Xu, however, had once traveled and resided at Fangtai before returning to his native place, so the situation differs.

When a practitioner has been liberated by a divine sword, he can roam in the realm of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), gather the subtle energies of the Five Planets, and display the radiance of the Seven Primes, manifesting true qi (zhenqi) through his dignified bearing. Accordingly, legend holds that when Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, was buried on Qiao Mountain, the precious sword left in his tomb later vanished. In the tomb of Prince Qiao at Bohai, a sword in an empty coffin sounded like a dragon's roar. In the tomb of Prince Qiao at Jingling, a sword once flew into the sky. These events are taken as evidence of the sword's marvelous transformations, and they are also thought to correspond to the essential qi of the Nine Mysteries and the spirit power of Tailing.

Those who undergo corpse liberation (shijie) by means of a sword leave the sword in place of their bodies. After five hundred years, the sword naturally returns to its original place. Sword liberation is not limited to this one form. Even when one uses talisman scriptures and registers (fulu), an empty sword may give off a sound in some dark place. Such transformations are elusive and cannot be explained by ordinary reason, nor can they be fully put into words. The practitioner can only comprehend them within the mind, adapt to change, and respond to circumstances. Those who perform the practice may not understand its causes, and observers cannot fathom its ultimate reason.

Legend tells that Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, gathered copper from the mountains to cast a tripod, while tigers, leopards, and many kinds of birds tended his furnace. After the Yellow Emperor died, he was buried on Qiao Mountain. Five hundred years later the mountain collapsed, and people found a precious sword and red shoes left in the tomb, which soon disappeared as well. Prince Qiao once went to Zhong Mountain and obtained the Scripture of Nine Transformations and Ten Changes. From then on he hid among the sun and moon and traveled among the stars. Later he died suddenly, and his tomb was built on Bohai Mountain. During the reign of King Xiang of Xia, someone dug into the tomb and found that in the north chamber a sword gave off a dragon's roar by itself. No one dared approach it, and later the sword also vanished. In the Warring States period, someone opened Prince Qiao's tomb at Jingling and saw a sword. As he was about to take it, the sword suddenly flew into the sky. According to older accounts, Fuqiu Gong took Prince Qiao up Mount Song on a crane. The records here differ from those accounts: they state that at his liberation he was about fifty-five or fifty-six years old, and therefore he wore the Yuanyou (Distant Roaming) crown.

Ge Hong once said that Yin Jun transmitted the method of corpse liberation to Bao Jing. After Bao Jing died, he was buried at Shizi Ridge. When someone opened the coffin, they found only a great sabre. Around the grave they heard the sounds of people and horses, so they did not dare to take the sabre. This seems to be a method similar to sword liberation, but the sabre did not fly away. It is said that the talisman Lingbao Taixuan Yinsheng Fu was written on the sabre in cinnabar. This method belongs to the Taiqing school, and it can only enable a person to survive. According to the Yuqing Lingzhuan, Zongzhen wore a sword. Yang's account also mentions Tongbo wearing a sword. These swords were probably first used in sword liberation. When a true person uses a precious sword for corpse liberation, he sheds his form like a cicada shedding its skin, and this is considered the highest grade. Most corpse liberation methods resemble the cicada's molting, but this sword liberation is not merely a molting, which is why it is called the highest grade. It indicates that this is a more profound art among the arts of transformation and concealment.

When casting this sword, one first fasts for one hundred days, then builds a west-facing room in a quiet place near a clear spring, with the furnace mouth also facing west. One should invite a skilled, gentle-natured sword smith and wear clean new clothes and bathe to purify the body. The sword should be made of high-quality wrought iron, and about eight jin is a suitable weight after refining. For finer refinement, one may use bamboo charcoal and add copper and tin to soften the metal. This takes much time, so the ancients often needed three years to complete a sword. Xue Zhu said that Ouye Zi opened the mountain on Chi Zhong to obtain tin, and drew copper when the Ruoye stream ran dry. When these materials are combined, the sword becomes refined without being scorched, and hard and sharp without easily melting or wearing away.

On the day of casting, the smith must not drink wine or eat meat, nor go to any filthy place. The casting should be done on a gengshen day of the seventh month or a xinyou day of the eighth month. The sword should be three chi nine cun long and one cun four fen wide. The spine near the hilt should be three and a half fen thick, and near the two cutting edges it may be thinned by one or two li. The edge tapers gradually outward from the spine. The tip is nine cun long, both sides are sharpened to a point, and the tip is shaped with a double ridge like a halberd. The length of the hilt is determined by the position of the blade and the guard, and the hilt material is catalpa wood. The blade and the guard should be joined as one piece and should not be made from separate molds and then fastened together. The overall size and thickness should be even, and parts meant to be hollow should be carved out afterward.

The size and shape of the guard are also governed by rules, but ancient and modern practices differ, and there are more than ten forms, including perfect circles, narrow elongated shapes, and shapes like tripod handles. The diagrams attached to the scripture only explain how the left and right parts are made. They do not fix a single required shape. The inside of the guard should not be a perfect circle or square, and its outer edges should be finished properly. The inscriptions on the blade should not be slanted. Size, thickness, and form should all be determined according to the diagrams.

Ancient chi measures varied in length, and the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art counted them by accumulating fen and li. Xun Xu, Director of the Imperial Secretariat (Zhongshu Jian) of the Jin dynasty, was expert in music and skilled arts, and he was once troubled because the eight tones were out of harmony. Later, someone digging in the ground found a jade pitch pipe inscribed as belonging to the Zhou dynasty, which was four and a half fen shorter than the Jin chi. Xun Xu used it to correct the pitch standards, so that the tones matched the proper measure. This passage holds that the Zhou chi should be taken as the standard, because the swords in the legends of Zongzhen and Tongbo were both cast according to Zhou dimensions.

The lu huan (sword-ring, the ring-shaped fitting at the hilt and its engraved inscriptions) is inscribed on both sides. On the blade side, nine characters meaning "ren" (blade) are cut, and on the reverse of the ring nine characters "ji" (self) are cut. The incisions are deep and run down from the back of the blade in the direction of the edge, which is why they are called shun ren (following the blade). Because the lettering also follows the curve of the ring, it is called shun huan (following the ring). The cut areas may be inlaid with gold or silver to make the characters more legible.

The blade bears figured images. At the center of the ring is a raised boss, shaped like a small loop, called fu ji (the hidden foundation), meaning that it serves as the base of the sun and moon and conceals their radiance. On the inner side of the fu ji, the character "ri" (sun) is cut on the left and "yue" (moon) on the right. Outside the sun and moon, a circular outline is carved, called guo (the enclosure).

The sword is said to reappear five hundred years later, when it will be used to strike down the Five Peaks. In ordinary times it is kept in a hidden place, so that its numinous energy stays concealed and its form invisible. Downward, it can subdue the Nine Yin, that is, summon and control the spirits of the Nine Yin. Upward, it can receive Xuanming (the Dark Obscurity), referring to the hidden transforming power of the Xuanming star of the Northern Dipper. It protects the body and drives off demons and evil, and its authority is sufficient to illuminate the Seven Essences, here meaning the Seven Stars. Facing upward, it reflects the Qi of the Five Phases; facing downward, it can transform the body in place of the practitioner.

To determine the left and right sides and the inner and outer faces of the sword, point its tip to the south, with the back of the blade facing up and the edge facing down. The side facing east is then the right side, also called the inner face. The side facing west is the left side, also called the outer face.

The dimensions, form, and inscriptions of the sword are the sword pattern established by the Four Perfected of Taiji (Taiji Si Zhenren). The Shangqing Zhenren (Perfected of Highest Clarity) also carried swords, and all of these were made by Taiji. Therefore this scripture describes the method of sword-making in the Taiji tradition, with the pattern fixed by the Four Perfected. It does not necessarily require Kunwu gold (a legendary metal) or metal capable of cutting jade. The point to stress is that success lies in faithfully following the pattern, not in using especially fine iron. The sword of Wang Ziqiao (Prince Ziqiao) was made of ordinary iron, not of Kunwu or any other miraculous metal, and the sword he used when he underwent shijie (liberation by corpse-release) on Mount Qiao was not made of Kunwu either. This passage was spoken to the Lord Wang by Ziyang Gong (Lord Purple Yang), the Perfected of Taiji. The circumstances in which Xuanyuan (the Yellow Emperor) rode the dragon to Xuanpu (the Hanging Garden) came after completing the bugang (the ritual of stepping the Dipper), and before his transformation and ascent. Accounts of the ancient Perfected often contain similar descriptions.

The earlier part of this text also describes several Taiji talismans. The Taiji Shanghua Fu (Taiji Talisman of Upper Transformation) is written on paper with feijing (flying essence) script, placed in a purple pouch, and tied to the right side of the sword-ring. Then, using quchen (curved dawn) script written with feijing, the text is inscribed on the left face of the sword, extending to the tip. The Taiji Cangjing Fu (Taiji Talisman of Hidden Scenery) is also written in feijing script on paper and placed in a crimson-colored bag. When one is about to depart, it is tied to the right side of the scabbard, and quchen script is written on the right face of the sword, down to the tip. The Taiji Lufu Fu (Taiji Talisman of Register Form) is written in feijing script on paper and swallowed on the day of departure. It is said that the body will then produce seven-colored clouds and emit lightning. At the same time, quchen script is written on the back of the sword so that the talisman's writing lies between the two edges of the blade.

The Taiji Jiehua Fu (Taiji Talisman of Liberation and Transformation) requires taking one talisman each day for seven years, after which one may undergo transformation and depart. It is a secret method, written with zhusha (cinnabar) on bamboo-strip silk. After the Quchen Dan (Quchen Elixir) is compounded, as the time of liberation approaches, the talisman's title should be written on the sword. After seven years, even merely writing the talisman's title on the sword in cinnabar is enough to bring about a person's transformation and liberation.

Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing, master of the Shangqing school of Daoism) said: During the Yongjia era of the Jin dynasty, Liu Zeng, called Humai Qie, possessed remarkable insight, and some said he was an extraordinary person. The sword he made bears Buddhist characters on its blade, their forms unusual and their strokes very fine. He also tempered it using the Lou-luo Ri Great Vehicle method, so the iron was exceedingly sharp. Since the Song dynasty, the sword has been kept and guarded by the court and is called the "Liu Zeng Bo Shang Qianniu Dao" (Liu Zeng's Hundred-Refined Thousand-Ox Blade). Its sword-ring and that of the Baonü have already been replaced, and the engraved marks are gradually wearing away. Later, four or five old sword-rings of similar pattern were found, but no one knew where their blades were.

Gu Jushang of Dongshan also made swords of this kind. Others made them together in the same period, and relics still survive. In general, these objects are varied and mixed, so they are difficult to describe one by one. Some were made by casting copper rings onto old blades. Similar cases may be understood by analogy.

The present ritual was carefully devised by Tao Yinju himself. He grasped its principles and considered it to have reached perfection, but whether it fully accords with the norms of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) cannot yet be determined.

The method for testing whether a blade is sharp is as follows. Take several reeds of medium thickness and quickly bind them together with a single hair. Then tie the hair to the top of a staff and have one person hold it. Next, strike down with the blade. If the reeds are cut while the hair remains intact, the blade's quality is judged by the number of reeds it cut.

The Liu Zeng Bo Shang Qianniu Dao formerly could cut through thirteen reeds. Another blade of hundred-times-refined steel could cut twelve, and at the time the whole country regarded it as a peerless fine blade. Recently forged divine swords can cut fifteen. Observing their iron color, one sees a blue light flickering, its luster distinct from all others. After cutting the reeds, the hair still remains connected. The quality of swords and blades is measured by the number of reeds they cut.

Liu Zengbo's qianniu blade once cut through thirteen stalks of awn grass in a single stroke. There was also a hundred-times-refined steel blade that could cut twelve stalks at once, and at the time the whole country regarded it as a peerless sword. Recently a divine sword was made that can cut fifteen stalks in one stroke. Its iron has a blue-green luster and a sheen unlike any other, so it is probably as Xue Zhu described, its edge clear as ice about to melt. Over the past decade or so, the weapons made by more than ten swordsmiths have none to match it.

The blanks were forged by Xie Ping of Shangyu, and the carving, ornamentation, and finishing were done by Huang Wenqing, a craftsman of Shifang. Both were the finest artisans in the land. On the nineteenth day of the eighth month of the first year of the Qi Jianwu era (494), workshops were begun at Mount Mao. By the fourth year of the Liang Tianjian era (505), the court ordered that sword models be made for imperial use. The craftsmanship reached extreme refinement, and the forms were remarkably beautiful. Among them was a horizontal-style steel sword. Because the government made its own hundred-refined steel swords, Huang Wenqing was exempted from corvée labor and became a Daoist of the mountain lodge.

The Zhouli records that a sword was three chi long, with a hilt of five cun, one-sixth of its total length, and its widest point was two and a half cun. By the ancient balance its weight was fourteen liang, roughly three jin and ten liang by modern measure. The swords the government now makes are four chi seven cun long, with a hilt of one chi five cun, about one-third of the total length, and a blade width of one cun six fen. Their weight is not fixed. This precious sword is three chi nine cun long and one cun four fen wide. The classics also give knives and swords separate names.

In the tenth year of the Taishi era of Emperor Wu of Jin (274), Xun Xu, Director of the Imperial Secretariat, together with Zhang Hua and others, revised the pitch standards and instruments and found that they did not match ancient sounds. They reasoned that since the Han dynasty the chi had gradually lengthened. Following the Zhouli, they therefore fixed the chi by accumulating grains of millet and made new instruments with it. They searched old vessels and found Zhou jade pitch-pipes. Measured against the new chi, their lengths were nearly exact to the hair's breadth. They struck ancient bells and checked them against the pitch standard, and the tones agreed. Checking against seven other ancient objects gave the same result. They also found bamboo slips from the Ji tomb, which were two chi four cun long. They adopted this measure and called it the "ancient chi."

Ruan Xian heard the tones set by Xun Xu and judged their pitch too high to be the sound of a flourishing state. Later, someone digging in the ground found a bronze chi four and a half fen shorter than the one Xun Xu had used. Because people believed Ruan Xian understood pitch, they readopted this chi and called it the "official chi." The Ministry of Agriculture then used it to set five kinds of measures, and it made dou, hu, and other capacity vessels by accumulating its cun.

In the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yikang, the Prince of Pengcheng and great general, made objects that he always wanted to be broad, so he lengthened the official chi by half a cun. Common people also followed this measure, and even now it is called the "Shangfang chi." The chi used by the Yufu, Shuidu, and Caiguan offices was again one fen longer than the common chi. If we reason from the variations among local measures, the ancient chi seems better suited to calibrating bell pitch, so that the gong, shang, and other tones naturally harmonize, as if they accorded with a subtle principle.

When the Zhou made swords, the craftsmanship was also exceptionally fine, and Xun Xu and Zhang Hua likewise pursued precision in fixing the pitch standards. At that time there were also scholars such as Shu Xi and Lei Huan, whose learning was subtle and nearly divine. Ruan Xian, though skilled in music, was unrestrained by nature and could not keep to rectitude and rigor, so he favored slow, relaxed tones. The bronze chi unearthed from the ground was probably still a relic of the Later Han.

In the fourth year of the Tianjian era of Liang (505), the chi system was revised again and used to adjust the bell pitches. In the end they adopted a measure slightly different from the ancient chi fixed by Zhang Xu, which was judged to be the most moderate. This measure was put into use at the time and called the "fa chi," or standard chi.

It is also said that one who wishes to withdraw into a famous mountain should follow the transformations of the myriad things.

In the fourth year of the Tianjian era of Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty, the standards of length were again corrected for tuning bells and pitch-pipes. The ancient rule of Zhang Xun was finally adopted. It was half a fen shorter than the common rule, and it was judged the most moderate. It was put into use afterward and called the "standard rule" (fachi).

It is also said that one who wishes to withdraw into a famous mountain, adapting to the times and observing change, and who seeks no office among the immortals but wishes only to dwell in secluded freedom, should cultivate the "way of sword corpse-liberation" (jian shijie zhi dao), a method of concealed withdrawal in which a sword stands in for the self and lets the body slip free of the mundane world. First, the "Qu Chen Feijing Shu" (Scripture of Flying Essence from Qu Chen) is written on both faces of the sword, and one feigns illness in advance. "First reversing and feigning sickness" means first pretending to be gravely ill. After lying outdoors for several days, one secretly unties the green bag that holds the sword and takes out the sword bearing the writing, together with the jifu (talisman used in ritual). When everything is ready, one embraces the sword and prays, asking that the heavenly horse come to receive him. Then one takes off one's clothes and departs, so that no one notices.

One must also quietly wipe the sword's ring with the flying-essence medicine and call the sword by name. When the prayer is complete, one will see Taiyi (the deity who governs transformations in the celestial realm) arrive on a heavenly horse outside the bedchamber to receive him, and then ride away. If the practitioner is a woman, a curtained carriage (ping) comes to receive her. Many ancient immortals used other objects to carry out this method of escape: some used bamboo staves, and some used headcloths and shoes. Only Bao Jing used the Taiqing blade method. These marvelous transformations come and go swiftly, and the form appears by means of similar objects. They cannot be explained by ordinary reasoning, and they are truly wondrous.

The heavenly horses are divine beasts such as Jiguang and Tenghuang. The divine beasts depicted in ancient paintings are said to be images of true beings who once appeared and were transmitted from generation to generation. Jiguang resembles a deer, and Tenghuang resembles a horse. A man rides alone, while a woman rides in a carriage. The Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji Zhenren) ordered Taiyi's messengers to prepare horses, to drive these divine beasts to come and receive the practitioner, and to bring a precious garment. They appear suddenly, and their comings and goings are impossible to trace.

Taiyi governs the transformations of the celestial realm. When one departs, even if many physicians attend at one's side and children and grandchildren surround one's bed, the practitioner changes clothes, girds on the sword, and departs as a streak of light, and no one nearby perceives it. The phrase "transforming and escaping among the three luminaries, wandering in the moon's essence, breathing through myriad changes, no longer the former form" means that one transforms and flees among the sun, moon, and stars, passes to and fro through the realm of lunar essence, and in an instant undergoes countless changes, no longer bearing the form one had before.

The highest grade of corpse-liberation (shijie) involves writing the Flying Essence Talisman (Feijing Fu) on paper and placing it in a purple sachet. When preparing to depart, the practitioner ties the sachet to the sword ring. There is also the Concealed Radiance Talisman (Cangjing Fu), which is written on paper, placed in a red sachet, and tied to the scabbard when departing. Many immortals used bamboo staffs, so not everyone had to master the methods of the sword. This may also be a technique of the Taiqing (Great Clarity) lineage, which relies on external objects to effect transformations, and one should not regard all these methods as the same system.

Those who cultivate the lower grades of corpse-liberation tie their talisman sachets to the scabbard when departing, without using a red sachet. Many immortals used bamboo staffs, so not everyone had to master the methods of the sword. This may also be a technique of the Taiqing lineage, which relies on external objects to effect transformations, and one should not regard all these methods as the same system.

Those who practice the lowest grade of corpse-liberation may not look back at their native place after departing. In the highest grade, the practitioner's name is entered in the purple registers, and the Three Offices (Sanguan), the Heavenly, Earthly, and Watery officials who govern the registers of life and death, cannot trace his whereabouts. The practitioner need only keep a divine sword and let it accompany his everyday life. After thirteen years, the body naturally changes form, and it is not necessary to take or copy medicinal formulas. If one does not know how to refine medicines, then after seven years, simply inscribing the cinnabar script on the sword will also complete the transformation in secret.

Practicing this method alone still seems not to allow one to return to one's native place. It is certainly inferior to the refined arts of Qu Chen, and it also falls short of the abilities of Jiguang and Tenghuang, which prolong life, enable soaring ascent, and grant free command of one's movements. Even practicing this method alone surpasses the miscellaneous methods of the Taiqing. If one also practices bodily transformation and refinement, one may roam and feast in the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the highest heaven in Daoist cosmology. If other medicines are used to achieve corpse-liberation, and the result is not transformed from numinous pills, one cannot return home, and returning will bring seizure by the Three Offices.

How could the Taiqing methods of corpse-liberation be compared with the transformations and hidden escapes of the realm of Taiji? Among the five talismans of the Taiqing methods is the Taixuan Yin-Sheng Talisman. Beyond this, there are only the two items of boiling tin pills in ox fat, and no other techniques. The methods for wearing talismans and making swords are recorded in detail in the Talisman Diagrams and Formulas. Later accounts of the way of transformation and release were not part of ordinary cultivation, and so they are not recorded here.

End of Section Seven

Section Eight: Daoist Priests

The Taixiao Jing (Scripture of the Great Heavenly Void) says: One who cultivates the Great Dao is called a Daoshi (Daoist priest), and one who takes the Dao as their life's work is therefore also called a Daoshi. King Mu of Zhou, because Master Yin Gui built the Lou Guan (Observatory Tower), gathered the reclusive practitioners who lived in the mountain forests and established the office of Daoshi. After King Ping of Zhou moved east to Luoyi, seven Daoshi were appointed. During the Yongping reign of Emperor Ming of the Han, twenty-one Daoshi were appointed. Emperor Wu of Wei established Dao altars in the Nine Provinces and conferred ordination on thirty-five people. When Emperor Wen of Wei went to Yongzhou and met the Dharma Master Chen Chi, he appointed fifty Daoshi. Emperor Hui of Jin conferred ordination on forty-nine people and allotted three hundred households to support them.

The Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected) says: Liu Xu, courtesy name Zixiang, was a man of the Eastern Han whose family had lived in Yingchuan for generations. His household was wealthy, yet he devoted himself to relieving the poor. He once served as Governor of Chenliu. Later he resigned his office, retired to the mountains, and became a Daoshi.

The Zhen Gao also says: Chunyu Zhen, courtesy name Shuyi, was a man of Kuaiji. During the reign of Emperor Huan of the Han he served as a county magistrate, and later he entered the mountains to cultivate the Dao.

The Zhen Gao also says: Liu Kuan, courtesy name Wenrao, was Governor of Nanyang in the Eastern Han. At the age of seventy-three he entered Mount Hua and took danzao (cinnabar dates), a food associated with the Daoist traditions of longevity and ingestive practice.

The Zhen Gao also says: Wang Lang, courtesy name Faming, was a man of Taiyuan. He entered Mao Mountain and took Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing's teacher-figure, the recluse Tao) as his master. He died on the fourteenth day of the first month of the third year of the Datong reign of the Liang. Tao Yinju wrote an inscription and epitaph for him, and held a memorial sacrifice, with the text reading: "The crowns of high office are no cause for glory, and jade pendants are not true treasures. Even if one travels ten thousand li in search of the true Dao, one must keep it hidden deep within the heart."

The Zhen Gao also says: Tao Hongjing's father, Tao Zhenbao, was clear-minded and skilled in debate, learned, and accomplished in cursive and clerical scripts. He was also versed in horsemanship, archery, and pharmacy. Tao Yinju was likewise skilled in clerical script. Though he took Wang Xizhi as his model, he developed a distinctive style of his own, and his essays and letters were highly valued by his contemporaries.

It is further recorded that Sun Tao, styled Wencang, was a native of Shan County in Kuaiji. He went into the mountains to become a disciple of Pan Siming, and there he studied and received the arts of cultivating perfection (xiuzhen). He also learned to copy calligraphy, and in time his skill became exquisitely refined. He then studied the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, reached considerable depth in it, and was highly praised in his day. The great stele of the Southern Grotto and the altar stele of Xu the Chief Scribe were both in Sun Tao's hand. Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing) personally inscribed the titles of the scriptures and held the esoteric methods and formulas, of which few of his disciples ever caught sight. Only Sun Tao and Huan Kai received his transmission.

It is further recorded that Zhu Zhong once sold pearls in Kuaiji and lived in the era of the Han dynasty. Zhu Zhong carried esoteric writings (sushu) to the home of Nü Ji and, taking advantage of a drink together, set them aside. Nü Ji secretly read and copied them, and studied the techniques they contained.

It is further recorded that Daoist adepts (daoshi) were unwilling to attend funerals because they feared that such grief would drain their spirit and injure their original qi (yuanqi). For this reason they avoided worldly affairs, refrained from seeking office, and preserved their bodies and minds in solitude. Yet they cared for their parents and teachers and did not hold their own lives dear, so they would certainly attend the funerals of those they loved in person. Even if they were harmed as a result, in the face of such devotion it could hardly be called harm.

The Master Who Embraces Simplicity (Baopuzi) says: Xue Lü, styled Jihe, was a native of the Yan and Dai regions. In the time of King Wu of Zhou, he studied the Way on the north bank of the Zhong Mountain river. He failed to pass the seven trials, because he indulged in pleasure, his conduct was base, and his mind was stagnant, and so he ruined the trials.

It also says: Guo Wenju was a native of Chao County in Henei. He entered Luhun Mountain to study the Way, and was able to attain a state in which no emotional attachments arose.

It also says: During the reign of Emperor Wu of Wu, there was a man named Li A in Shu, who lived in a cave and ate nothing. People in every generation claimed to have seen him, and called him the "Eight-Hundred-Year-Old Man." When people came to ask him about their affairs, Li A never answered. He only observed the faces of his visitors to judge fortune and misfortune. If their expression was joyful, the matter would prosper; if their expression was sorrowful, the matter would be perilous; if they wore a smile, great joy would follow; and if they sighed softly, deep sorrow lay ahead. Such omens were never wrong. Later, one day, he suddenly departed, and no one knew where he had gone.

Fan Lingzi (Fan Lingzi) was fond of the path of the immortals (xianDao) in his youth and cultivated it for many years. Later he met Sima Jizhu and entered Mount Changshan with him. After seven years they walked into the north side of a stone chamber (shishi). In the eastern corner stood a stone urn (shiweng), though some versions write "stone window" (shiyou). Sima Jizhu went out and solemnly warned Fan Lingzi, "Whatever you do, do not open it." Fan Lingzi suddenly opened it to look. When Sima Jizhu returned, he sent him away. Later Sima Jizhu summoned him again and had him guard a bronze chest (tongkui), again warning him not to open it. Fan Lingzi opened it once more. Sima Jizhu then dismissed him, and Fan Lingzi in the end did not attain the Dao.

It is also recorded that Feng Liang was a native of Nanyang. In his youth he served as a county clerk, and at thirty he became an assistant to the county commandant (weizuoshi), a subordinate official who helped the county commandant handle administrative affairs. Once he was ordered to receive a postal inspector (duyou), an official who toured the commanderies and counties. Feeling that he had no great ambition, he destroyed his carriage, slaughtered the ox, and tore his clothes. He then left home to follow a teacher, studying the Odes, the Commentaries, the Rites, and the Changes, as well as Daoist arts and divinatory techniques that read omens from celestial phenomena to judge fortune and misfortune. Fifteen years later he returned home. The prefecture and commandery summoned him with due ceremony, but he did not answer. The imperial court then issued a special edict recommending him as a worthy and outstanding scholar, but on the way he changed his mind and went home again. At the age of sixty-seven he passed away, traveling east across eight mountains into the Lujidong, the Cave of the Deer's Tracks.

It is also recorded that Anqiu Wangzhi, courtesy name Zhongdu, was a native of Changling in Jingzhao. He practiced and revered the learning of Huang-Lao (Huang-Lao xue), the Daoist teachings represented by the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. Emperor Cheng of Han valued his cultivation of De and often treated him as a teacher, yet Anqiu Wangzhi grew ever more modest and did not seek distinction. When the emperor summoned him and he happened to be performing a zhangjiao (a ritual petition for blessings and the averting of calamities), he would wait until the rite was finished before going. His teachings also appear in the Commentary on the Chapters of the Laozi. Later he suddenly fell gravely ill, and his disciple Gongsha Du carried him to the tree in the courtyard. Anqiu Wangzhi soon regained consciousness, and his condition improved. It was winter, yet he smelled the fragrance of plums. When he opened his eyes, he saw two red plums growing on a withered branch. He reached out, and the plums fell into his palm of their own accord. After eating them, his pains vanished completely, his body became light and vigorous, and his eyes grew bright. He then departed, and no one ever knew where he had gone.

The Record of Daoist Learning (Daoxue zhuan) says: Yan Ji, courtesy name Zhongwei, lived in the time of Emperor Ming of Han. In his youth he loved the learning of De and had no desire to hold office. The plums fell into his palm of their own accord, and after he ate them, his pains vanished completely, his body became light and vigorous, and his eyes grew bright. He then departed, and no one ever knew where he had gone.

The Biographies of Daoist Learning records that Yan Ji, courtesy name Zhongwei, lived during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han. In his youth he delighted in cultivating the Dao and De (Virtue), had no wish to take office, and traveled widely among famous mountains. Later he settled on Mount Wudang, where he had no fixed place to sleep. Sometimes he lay beside piles of stones, and sometimes he leaned against a large tree. Through the changing seasons he never changed his clothing. He often wore his hair loose, and at other times he wore a lianjin, a Daoist headcloth.

It is also recorded that Bao Jing, courtesy name Taixuan, was a native of Shangdang and a descendant of Bao Xuan, Han-dynasty Director of Retainers (Sili Xiaowei). Naturally clear and perceptive, he mastered the Confucian classics and histories and placed great weight on self-cultivation. His bearing was cautious and reverent, and he did not act rashly. When he heard of another's faults, he reacted as though he had heard words touching a taboo of his own household, and he would not discuss them. Many people followed him to study. He promoted moral transformation and guided the world, and for this he was called the "Forest of Scholars" (Rulin).

It is also recorded that Wang Jia, courtesy name Zinian, was a native of Longxi. He cut into a cliff at the mouth of the Dongyang Valley and lived in a cave, and his several hundred disciples each lived in caves as well. He was short and unremarkable in appearance, yet quick-witted and skilled in conversation and jest. When people asked about the fortunes of the world, he never answered directly, but most of what he said later came true.

It is also recorded that Yan Zun, courtesy name Junping, was a native of Shu Commandery. He cultivated the Dao and nurtured his nature to preserve himself. When he spoke with the sons of families, he discussed filial piety; with ministers, he spoke of loyalty; and with younger brothers, he spoke of compliance. He followed the topic the other person raised and guided them toward goodness.

It is also recorded that Wang Yuan, courtesy name Fangping, often descended upon the household of Cai Jing. Before long, Magu arrived, with a retinue about half the size of Wang Yuan's. Magu's fingernails were like birds' claws. Cai Jing privately thought, "If only she would scratch my back when it itches!" Wang Yuan, aware of this thought, said, "Magu is a divine being. How could you harbor such an idea toward her?" He then whipped Cai Jing. Cai Jing wished to follow Wang Yuan and study the Dao, so Wang Yuan had him turn his back, observed his heart-mind, and said, "Your intentions are crooked, and you are not suited to be taught the way of becoming an immortal (xian)." He therefore transmitted to him only the techniques of transcending the world, methods by which one escapes worldly distress and attains liberation.

Also, Yu Chengxian, styled Chongguang, was a native of Yingchuan. He was well versed in the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi and lived in seclusion at Baishui Terrace in Wenjiang County. There he built a dwelling and a lecture hall, and Confucian scholars, Buddhist monks, and Daoists alike came to study under him. He lived in reclusion in the Jiangnan region for many years and was summoned by the court several times, yet he never agreed to take office. Later he began to lecture on the Daodejing, dissecting in depth its most difficult principles.

Also, Xue Yubao, styled Yanshi, was a native of Pei. During the Liang dynasty he became a disciple of Master Xuanpu and was praised for the excellence of his writing. He was also skilled in calligraphy. Once he copied out a chapter on the wall of the Daozheng (Daoist Overseer) office at Chongling Monastery, and everyone who saw it was amazed.

Also, Dongxiang Zong, personal name Chao, styled Yilun, was a native of Qianzou in Gaomi. He once performed Dao practice (carrying out Daoist cultivation or ritual) on an open-air altar. When the incense in his fragrance box was used up, it refilled by itself. Though there was no fire in the incense burner, smoke arose from it on its own, filling the surroundings, and it lingered for a long time before dispersing.

Also, Zhang Yu was a twelfth-generation descendant of the Celestial Master (Tianshi, the transmitter of the Celestial Master lineage of Daoism). He established a monastery at Zhaozhen Temple, planted rare fruit trees, and fully savored the pleasures of the mountains. Emperor Jianwen of Liang composed a stele inscription for him.

Also, Qian Miaozhen, a native of Jinling, attained the Way at Wukou Cave on Mount Mao. Her disciples later erected a stele for her on Mount Mao, and Prince Shaoling wrote a preface for this monastery. These texts are preserved to this day.

Also, in the second year of the Tianjian era of Emperor Wu of Liang (503), the court established Daozheng (Daoist Overseers) at both the grand and lesser levels, officials in charge of Daoist affairs. Meng Jingyi, styled Daofu, a native of Pingchang, then serving as Grand Daozheng, lectured on Daoist scriptures for the state on many occasions. In the fourth year of Tianjian (505), Prince Xiao Wei of Jian'an asked him at a banquet: "The rules governing the transmission of Daoist scriptures and their prohibitions are extremely strict. The two parts of the Laozi may be transmitted only after an oath is sworn. Is this truly the intention of the ancient sages? Can ordinary people not expound it?" Meng Jingyi replied: "Strict secrecy and observance of precepts serve to uphold orthodoxy and to bring out the subtle transforming power of the teaching. Their principles complement one another and do not conflict."

Also, Liu Faxian was a native of Pengcheng. At one point someone discussed how strict the Daoist rules of transmission and prohibition were, noting that the two parts of the Laozi could be passed on only after an oath. He pressed the question of whether this accorded with the intent of the ancient sages, and whether ordinary people were truly unable to expound it. Meng Jingyi replied that reverence for secret transmission and strict observance of precepts are meant to uphold orthodoxy and bring out the subtle teaching. In principle the two complement each other and do not contradict.

Also recorded: Liu Faxian was a native of Pengcheng. At that time Gu Huan was composing the Daojing Yi (Meanings of the Daoist Classics), and Kong Dezhang had expressed both agreement and objection to much of it. Liu Faxian wrote to him to discuss their differing views. When Gu Huan found his position untenable, he declared: "I have always been an unrestrained man, unafraid even of water and fire. Only now, having received your admonition, have I begun to awaken. There is no need to wonder at the reckless words I spoke in the past." It is also said that Liu Faxian often saw the Daoists and Buddhists engaging in endless disputes over who was right and who was wrong, and so he wrote the Xi Zhenglun (On Ending Contention). Gu Huan later wrote the Yixia Bian (On the Barbarian and the Chinese), which discusses the "three categories" and examines the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Daoism.

Also recorded: Zhang Tan was a native of Jiaxing in Wu Commandery. Skilled in discourse on profound principles, he lectured many times on the Laozi, cultivated the supreme Way, and studied the important Daoist scriptures, so that people came from afar to hear his teachings. Zhang Tan sought out the profound lineage of transmission and thoroughly understood its essential principles.

Also recorded: Chen Jingshang was a native of the Wu region. Skilled in expounding and reciting the scriptures, he had no equal in either Daoism or Buddhism. He composed the Lingshu Jing (Scripture of the Numinous Writings), which circulated widely. The Prince of Shaoling of the Liang dynasty held him in high esteem and summoned him to accompany him to Ying. Chen Jingshang eventually died in Jiangxia.

Also recorded: Huan Kai, courtesy name Yinshu, was a native of Dan'gu in Donghai Commandery. Early in the Liang dynasty, three ancient lacquered bamboo shoots were discovered in a stretch of level sand beside water in the Kunlun Mountains. Inside them were three copies of the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) transmitted by Qian Jun, written on yellow silk. The villagers were astonished by the origin of these scriptures, and so they quietly enshrined them and first sent them to Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing) for examination. Tao Yinju said, "These are truly the ancient original copies of Qian Jun." When word came that the scriptures were to be sent to the capital, Huan Kai fell gravely ill with malaria, and no treatment brought relief. Tao Yinju, upon hearing of this, remarked, "This illness is likely no ordinary ailment. Perhaps it is a calamity brought on by removing the scriptures. Why not return them to their original place?" Huan Kai did so, and two days after the scriptures were returned, his illness soon healed.

Another account says that Cao Bao, courtesy name Shizhen (Shizhen), was a native of Danyang. He excelled at chanting the buxu (hymns of "pacing the void," melodies used in Daoist ritual), and his skill was unmatched in his day. Those who heard him sing while he traveled all praised and admired him.

Yan Zhiming, courtesy name Huishi, was from Jinling. He was born with a beautiful voice and was skilled at reciting and chanting even as a child. When Emperor Ming was ill, he often summoned the fazhong (participants in Daoist zhaijiao (purification rites) and scripture recitation) to the inner palace to hold a daochang (ritual assembly). The emperor was delighted when he heard Zhiming recite scriptures and said that his illness improved because of it. When the ritual ended, Zhiming returned outside. That night the emperor could not sleep well, so he hurriedly summoned Zhiming inside and had him recite scriptures face to face. After listening, the emperor felt refreshed and happy.

Xu Shizi, courtesy name Dewei, was a native of Donghai. After Emperor Wu of Chen established the Zongling Daguan (a major Daoist temple), he appointed Dewei as its guanzhu (abbot). Later, when Dewei died, Emperor Wen ordered that he be buried with miqi (coffins and burial objects reserved for emperors and nobles).

The Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) records that Yan Jizhi, courtesy name Jingchu, was a native of Jurong in Danyang. He was a Daoist priest, yet he was deeply devoted to his parents. He lived at the Shizhu Guan (Shizhu Abbey). When his mother grew old, he could not bear to be parted from her, so he brought her to the abbey and built a small hut beside it so that he could care for and attend to her morning and evening. After his mother died, his grief was so intense that he became emaciated, far beyond what the usual ritual standards required. Those who knew him all praised his filial conduct.

Another account says that Du Xi, courtesy name Fanghui, was a native of Jinxiang in Gaoping, and that he once served as General Who Guards the Army in the Jin dynasty. He admired Daoist methods and practiced them privately. Du Xi was skilled in lishu (clerical script), and his calligraphy could be compared with that of Wang Xizhi. He personally composed and copied Daoist scriptures, amounting to nearly a hundred scrolls, and many of them still circulate today.

Zhang Xiaoxiu thought the brushwork of Wang Yuangui was exquisite and repeatedly asked him respectfully to write something. Wang Yuangui, however, cared only for admiring springs and rocks. He spent his days playing the qin and chanting, and he never once agreed to pick up a brush. When he was about to leave, he finally wrote a few lines of xingshu (running script) on a whim. Zhang Xiaoxiu had always respected Wang Yuangui and did not dare press his request further. Even today, traces of his ink remain on the corridors of the Jianji Guan (Jianji Hall).

Xu Sixuan was the younger brother of Xu Yuanyou. He was born with a love of daoshu (Daoist arts and techniques), and he was refined and learned, which earned him considerable renown. Emperor Jianwen of Jin befriended him, and their exchanges went beyond the boundaries of their social ranks.

Ren Dunshang was a native of Bochang. During the Yongjia era (307-313), he went to Mount Mao (Maoshan) to lecture on the Dao, and many people gathered to hear him. In private, Ren sighed, "Though everyone says they admire the good Dao, their affection is only on the surface. I have yet to meet anyone who is sincere and able to work together with a single heart."

When Lu Na of the Jin dynasty served as Shangshu ling (Chief Secretary of the Department of State), he was forty years old and suffered from a boil. He told Du Gong, "My family has always had short lives, and every one of us has died of this kind of sore at the end." Du Gong presented a memorial on his behalf and gave him yunfei san (Cloud-Flying Powder), a medicinal powder. He told Lu Na, "You may be at ease. I will tell this only to someone who is truly sincere with you." The phrase duan jin (cutting metal) comes from the saying èr rén tóng xīn, qí lì duàn jīn ("two people with one heart, their sharpness can cut metal"), a figure of speech for a deep friendship and united effort. Du Gong also said that Lu Na would live to seventy, and this later proved true.

When Wang Xizhi (Wang Youjun, who once held the office of General of the Right Army) fell ill, he asked Du Gong to come and treat him. Du Gong said to his disciples, "Wang Youjun's illness cannot be cured. What use would it be for me to go?" More than ten days later, Wang Xizhi died, just as Du Gong had said.

Jiang Fucu was a native of Yixing, and his friendship with Xue Biao of Jinling was deeper than ordinary worldly ties. He often traveled to Mount Mao, intending to settle there. During the Yongming era of the Qi dynasty, he briefly left the mountain for the capital. Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing, a Daoist recluse who lived on Mount Mao) met him and at once became his close friend. Later, Tao Hongjing resigned from office and built a thatched hut on Mount Mao to live in. He then asked Jiang Fucu to cross the mountain ridges to meet him, and the two often studied the scriptures together, along with medicine and the arts and methods (fangshu), discussing their contents.

Yang Chao, courtesy name Chaoyuan, was a native of Donghai. He frequently visited Tao Hongjing, debating and questioning him repeatedly. Because of this, he was admitted to the inner chambers and became one of Tao Hongjing's most intimate disciples.

Zhu Huikai, courtesy name Zhiyuan, was a native of Wucheng in Wuxing. He took the upholding of precepts (jielü) and the cultivation of moral conduct as his standards, and he regarded aiding others as his duty. In the eighth year of the Daming era of the Qi dynasty, a famine struck the realm. Although Huikai had only a small store of grain, he gave all of it away to relieve the hungry, and the villagers were helped as a result. Later, three people who had been starving for a long time died after eating their fill. Their families brought a complaint to the county, falsely accusing Huikai of having fed the hungry to death. The magistrate laughed and said, "These people begged for food, ate their fill, and died. To blame the one who gave the food is something no law recognizes." He sent them away and pursued no charges.

It is also said that Puyang was of unknown origin. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Dao, and his petitions were often answered. The daughter of Zheng Xianyin, who was a daughter of the emperor, walked with a limp, and after Puyang treated her, she soon recovered. When Emperor Jianwen of the Jin dynasty deposed the crown prince and no heir had been established, he sent men to pray to Puyang. In the middle of the night, a yellow qi (vital energy) rose from the southwest and drifted far off into the palace halls. At that time, Empress Li was pregnant with the future Emperor Xiaowu.

It is also said that Xu Mai, courtesy name Shuxuan, was called Ying in his youth and later changed his name to Yuanyou. Resolved to seek the way of the immortals, he entered the western mountains of Lin'an, and when a month passed without his return, no one knew where he had gone. He had earlier taken as his wife the daughter of Sun Hong, a Regular Attendant Cavalier and a native of Wu Commandery. While living in the mountains of Lin'an, Xu Mai wrote to his wife to bid her farewell, saying: "I wish to hear the thunder hanging in the air and the cries of crows in the mountains, and to take them as the nine movements of the Xiao Shao (an ancient music, traditionally held to be a classical piece). I find this exceedingly beautiful. Sometimes I wander alone beneath the green shade of the trees and rest in the caves, and I feel that such places surpass grand halls and great mansions. I am willing to spend my life here, and my resolve is already fixed. I am now going away, and we will be parted for a long time."

It is also said that Chu Boyu, styled Yuanqu, was a native of Qiantang in Wu Commandery. Even in his youth he admired a life of quiet detachment. In the year he turned eighteen, his father arranged a marriage for him. As the bridal procession entered through the front gate, Chu Boyu left through the back gate and went to Kexi, where he lived on Pubu Mountain (Waterfall Mountain). He endured bitter cold and summer heat alike, and for more than thirty years he lived in the mountains, cut off from worldly affairs.

Another account holds that Chu Boyu first traveled to the Southern Marchmount (Nanyue), and later, on his way, entered Minzhong, where he encountered rapids and treacherous shoals. One evening he moored his boat beside a swift current when a violent wind suddenly rose and a mountain flood broke out. The water carried the boat up onto a mountain peak and then dropped it among precipitous cliffs. His companions, believing he had perished in the flood, searched everywhere, only to find him calm and composed, poling the boat with a small staff and crossing the unfathomable torrent. The people of Wu, witnessing this, were astonished and filled with admiration. Afterward he entered Huo Mountain and vanished from view. When Chu Boyu first lived in seclusion on Pubu Mountain, Emperor Gao of Qi admired his character and wished to meet him, but Chu Boyu feigned illness and left. The emperor deeply regretted this and issued an edict to establish the Taiping Guan (Abbey of Great Peace), a Daoist monastery, at the foot of Pubu Mountain. Kong Zhigui was commissioned to write the stele inscription for it.

It is also said that Zhang Ling had broad learning. He studied deeply the Hetu and Luoshu, the ancient arts of numerology and image-number learning, as well as astronomy, and he mastered their subtleties. He lived quietly in a humble dwelling, did not seek fame or distinction, played the qin and chanted poetry, and lived according to his own inclinations.

It is also said that the Longwei Zhangren was a person who attained the Dao in the mountains. At that time people did not know his personal name, so they called him "Mountain Recluse." He stood aloof and apart from others, unlike ordinary people, and kept far from worldly human ties.

Tao Hongjing, styled Daoming, was a native of Pingyang in Wei Commandery. He called himself the "Hermit of Huayang." He often said to others, "My mind is always like a hanging bright mirror: whatever comes before it is reflected, and nothing is missed." He liked to do good in secret and to aid the poor, and he also compounded medicines to give to others, so that people far and near all received his help. Throughout his life he never slept during the daytime, and he often read until midnight. He loved to listen to the wind in the pines, and in his youth he seldom ate fatty meat or any kind of meat. In his later years he ate only certain vegetables, laver, and ginger. Although he could drink a full dou (a traditional measure) of wine, he never became drunk.

The Record of the Sage Lao (Laoshi Shengji) also records that in his youth he seldom ate fatty meat or any kind of meat, and that in his later years he ate only certain vegetables, laver, and ginger. Although he could drink a full dou of wine, he never became drunk.

The Record of the Sage Lineage of Laozi (Laoshi Shengji) reports that Cheng Gongyu (Cheng Gongyu), the divine physician and immortal of Central Peak, attained the Dao and transformed into an immortal on the sixth day of the seventh month of the fifteenth year at Yaoshi Hong. His disciples prepared to bury him with generous funeral rites. Cheng Gongyu then suddenly sat up again and said: "A Daoist priest severs all entanglements, unlike ordinary people. Why weep and bury me lavishly? It is enough to hold a purification ritual (zhaijiao) for me and accumulate merit. This accords with the standards of the Perfected of high antiquity, who were simple and unadorned." After speaking, he died.

The next day at noon, someone knocked at the stone chamber outside. A disciple went out to look and saw two attendant boys leading Cheng Gongyu into the room. The disciples rose respectfully to greet him. Later, Cheng Gongyu was buried in Jiesu Village within Gong County.

The record also tells of Meng Daoyang (Meng Daoyang), whose courtesy name was Xiaoyuan and whose personal name was Meng Yuan, a native of Pingchang. When he was young, he heard of any place where a Dharma seat (faxi), a venue for teaching Daoist methods, had been established, and he would go to listen, regardless of the distance. As he grew older, he was quiet by temperament and devoted himself to study solely for the cultivation of his own self, not seeking fame or advancement. He would close his door, open his window, and read through scrolls, studying ancient texts. When he entered his room to recite, the words had barely left his mouth when Liu Huan and Dai Shuo came to visit and discussed profound principles with him. Both were deeply impressed after listening and considered his insight far beyond that of ordinary people.

Also said: Wu Meng, courtesy name Shiyun, was a native of Yuzhang. He was naturally sincere and devoted to his parents. On summer nights, when he sat beside them, he did not dare to swat or slap at mosquitoes, fearing that if the insects left him they would turn and bite his parents.

When Wu Meng was thirty, a fellow villager, the scholar Ding Yi, who believed in Daoism, passed its arts on to him. The villager Yin Tong once held a banquet to see him off, and after he left, the wine in the vessels was found not to have diminished. When the Daoist Shu Daoyun was suffering from malaria, Wu Meng gave him the Sanhuang Shi (a Daoist scripture) to recite, and his illness soon cleared up.

Wu Meng once returned to Yuzhang and used a white feather to draw a path across the surface of a river, and then crossed over it. East of the county seat stood a stone shoot that no one in past generations had ever opened. Wu Meng went to excavate it and found within many jiandie (bamboo and wooden slips used for writing in antiquity), whose ancient characters could not be deciphered. South of the county seat rose a steep boulder towering like a thousand ren, which even apes could not climb, yet Wu Meng ascended it leaning on a staff.

The magistrate Qian Qing, a native of Xincai, was fond of hunting, and though Wu Meng repeatedly advised him against it, he would not listen. Later Qian Qing organized a large-scale hunt, setting fires on all four sides until the flames reddened the sky. Wu Meng, however, sat calmly in the grass, birds and beasts gathered around him, and the fire could not come near. Qian Qing was greatly alarmed and, as a result, repented.

Wang Dun once had Wu Meng arrested at a banquet, but Wu Meng soon vanished, and Wang Dun was enraged. In the same year, Wang Dun was defeated in battle. Wu Meng ascended Mount Lu and saw an old man seated beneath a tree, who caught sweet dew in a jade vessel and handed it to him. He also beheld the Jade Chamber and Golden Hall (a fairyland of Daoist legend), where several people conversed with him as though they had long been acquainted, and each day they held banquets to entertain him, offering him jade paste (a beverage said to be drunk by immortals). Wu Meng also once rode the "Tiehong" up to the summit of Mount Lu.

It is further said: Qian Miaozhen was a native of Jinling. From childhood she loved Daoism and wished to leave the secular world to become a nun, but her kinsmen pressed her to marry. She wept and firmly refused, and afterward she lived on Greater and Lesser Mao Mountain. Later she went to the Wukou Cave and personally wrote a letter and seven poems, which she sent to Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing, a Daoist figure of the Southern Dynasties).

It is also said that Kong Lingchan was a native of Shanyin in Kuaiji. After their mother died, Kong became renowned for filial devotion. From then on, Kong no longer ate the rich delicacies served at banquets, eating only thin gruel and vegetables and wearing coarse cloth, and kept to this for life. Seeing that Kong's grief had become excessive, Kong's father was moved with pity and ordered food to be prepared. Kong reluctantly obeyed, but swallowing the food caused illness. Concluding that a person's innate nature could not be changed, Kong's father stopped forcing the matter. Kong studied the profound mysteries of the Dao (the Way) in depth and read widely in the texts of the immortal path. Emperor Ming of the Song built the Huaixian Guan (Temple of Cherished Immortals, a Daoist temple for worship and the practice of Daoist methods) beside the Yu Cave and issued an edict requiring Kong to reside there. Later, Kong was appointed Grand Court Gentleman and given the additional office of Attendant at the Palace. Emperor Gao bestowed on Kong a deerskin cap, a garment of ape skin, and implements made of bamboo, wood, and silk, and wrote in the emperor's own hand: "You have the bearing of the ancients, so I grant you the garments worn by those who dwell in the mountains. When you travel and sail on excursions in the future, we may still meet."

It is also said that Zhang Yi, styled Shihe, was a native of Wu Commandery. Zhang encouraged students, put Daoist ritual services in order, and lectured on the scriptures many times, explaining their subtle and profound meanings with clarity and elegance of expression. Skilled in debate, Zhang was respected by the people of the time. Emperor Wu of the Liang held Zhang in high esteem and appreciated their talents. At that time, Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing, a renowned Daoist scholar) wrote the Fajian Lun (Treatise on the Examination of Teachings), which clarified the doctrines of both Buddhism and Daoism. Zhang engaged in a back-and-forth discussion with Tao Yinju, and the argument was well ordered, earning Tao Yinju's high praise. Zhang devoted themselves to cultivating Daoist practice and remained content with simplicity despite living in poverty. Zhang was skilled in eight styles of calligraphy and invented the yunzhuan (cloud seal script, a Daoist seal script resembling wisps of cloud). Zhang also composed the Maoshan Nandong Stele (Stele of the South Cavern of Mount Mao), whose prose and calligraphy were both exquisitely crafted.

It is also said that Song Wentong, styled Wenming, was a native of Wu Commandery. During the reign of Emperor Jianwen of the Liang, Song Wentong held that the scriptures of all the Daoist divisions should be annotated. Song therefore wrote the Commentary on the Meaning of the Lingbao Scriptures, titled Tongmen (Gateway of Understanding), and also wrote the Great Meaning, called the Yiyuan (Abyss of Meaning). Scholars revered and relied on these works, and places across the realm invited Song to lecture. Song excelled at writing but was not fluent in speech.

It is also said that Wang Suiqi, a native of Taiyuan, served as abbot of the Jizhen Guan (Jizhen Daoist Temple). Wang was born with little need for sleep and could hear others clearly even amid noise. Whenever a conversation concerned Wang, Wang could grasp its meaning, so people praised Wang for a clear mind and quick perception.

Wang Suiqi was a native of Taiyuan who once served as abbot of the Jizhen Guan (Hall of Gathered Perfection). He had a naturally light need for sleep, and even when he dozed he could hear people talking. Whenever the conversation concerned him, he could follow what was said, so people praised his clear mind and quick awareness.

He also said that day and night were no longer distinct, and that the radiance of the sun and moon had merged into one.

Daoist Section Eight, Concluded

Daoist Section Nine

Fasting and Purification (Zhai Jie)

The Scripture of Supreme Purity (Taishang Jing) says that visualizing the spirits, gathering the breath, studying methods of arts, and cultivating step by step through the stages of practice together are called zhai (purification fast).

The Perfected of Supreme Ultimate (Taiji Zhenren) says that among purification methods, none is more numinous than the Lingbao Zhai (Numinous Treasure Fast). Its methods are profound and subtle, and it is not disclosed to the world. The oral formulas of immortals and sages are likewise transmitted only in secret and never committed to writing. The Taiyi Zhai (Supreme One Fast) is more subtle and profound still.

The Scripture of Instruction (Zhijiao Jing) says that one who believes in the Dao yet does not observe fasting is like someone walking at night without a lamp or candle. Such a person only loses the way and multiplies hardship.

The Taizhen Ke (Section on True Perfection) says that cultivating the "Three Guardings and One Fast" (san shou yi zhai), a purification practice centered on guarding body and mind and concentrating on the Way, is the root of cultivation. Those who begin to study the arts should likewise take fasting as their foundation. This is what the Most High (Taishang) valued, what Laozi advocated, and what the cultivation of immortal perfected beings relies upon.

It also says that if a Daoist can take only one meal at midday each day, avoid defiling foods, fast in accordance with the monthly ordinances (yueling), persist in this day and night, harm no living being, and rescue even tiny creatures such as maggots and flying insects, then he or she will attain the Great Dao.

It further says that a Daoist who studies the scriptures and undertakes daily practice should first learn the two parts of the Daode Jing (Scripture of the Way and Its Power). Through fasting, one receives its teachings, and by these means one aids others and also attains deliverance oneself.

Finally, it says that if one wishes to pray for the removal of a parent's illness, one should set up a fasting altar and perform rites in the open air during the fast, and within the fasting liturgy present memorials (zhang biao) at the zi hour and the wu hour. So long as the prayer is made with sincerity and earnestness, it will surely move the spirits to respond.

It is also said that the Dao of the Mysterious Clarity Jade Emperor (Xuanqing Yuhuang zhi Dao) was first transmitted by the Supreme Imperial Heavenly Sovereign (Shanghuang Tiandi) to the Lord of the Celestial Sovereign of Grand Tenuity (Taiwei Tiandi Jun), Lord Purple Essence of the Three Primes (Sanyuan Zijing Jun), and Venerable Lord True Yang (Zhenyang Yuanlao Jun). It was later passed to the Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun), who transmitted it to Lord Li of the Golden Gate (Jinque Li Jun). Lord Li then passed it to Perfected Tailing, the Red Lord of the Southern Peak (Nanyue Chijun). Lady Ziyuan (Ziyuan Furen) in turn gave the Dao to Lord Wang Qingling (Qingling Wang Jun). Lord Wang handed it to Lady Wei of the Southern Peak (Nanyue Wei Furen), who passed it to Lord Yang (Yang Jun) and instructed him to teach it to Clerk Xu (Xu Changshi) and to Yuan. Those who receive this transmission must observe a purification fast (zhai jie) of seven days.

It is also said that before the various perfected beings transmit the Dao, the recipient must first observe a purification fast of one hundred days, though some fast for thirty days or ten. Before the formal initiation, the recipient should also announce the fast (gao zhai) one day in advance, in order to cleanse and rectify the heart-mind. Even the superior scriptures, which are said to have been handed down over three thousand years through six generations, impose no stricter requirement for fasting than this. Those who cultivate in this way for fourteen years will be welcomed by the Supreme Lord in a jade carriage, who will lead them ascending to Shangqing as Perfected Immortals (shang zhen).

The Scripture of the Three Sovereigns (San Huang Jing) says that the purification fast involves three aspects of practice, which serve to restrain and settle the karmic actions of the mind, speech, and body, namely thought, words, and deeds.

It is also said that during the fast one should lecture on, recite, and study the Great Scripture of the Yuanpu (Yuanpu Dajing) and the Inner Writings for Ingestion (Fu Nei Wen), so as to accomplish the Dao.

It is also said that during the fast one should wear and recite the Inner Writings of the Three Sovereigns (San Huang Nei Wen), through which one accomplishes the Way of concealment and manifestation (yin xian zhi dao). Here, the "Way of concealment and manifestation" refers to the practices within the Dao arts concerned with becoming invisible and becoming visible.

The Secret Formulas for Ascending to Perfection (Deng Zhen Yin Jue) says that the Daoist fast is called "guarding stillness" (shou jing), meaning to settle the heart-mind and purify the body. The essential point lies in clarifying the spirit, clearing away worldly affairs, and restraining thoughts both inward and outward. This is what is called the "fasting of the heart-mind" (xin zhai).

It is also said that those who cultivate the Dao must observe the fast and, with reverence, repent and atone for the transgressions of their seven generations of ancestors.

It is further said that the Shangqing school (Shangqing pai) often convened the five perfected immortals on auspicious days. On such days, practitioners should keep in mind matters of good fortune, resolve to fly as immortals (fei xian), accumulate virtue and do good, bestow kindness upon others, and aid the poor and needy. All of these are practices the Supreme Lord advocated. For this reason, one should observe the fast, remove all distracting thoughts, and retire to a quiet inner chamber.

The Zhenggao says that during fasting one must not mix with other people, as this disturbs the proper Way (zheng dao). The days jiayin and gengshen are days when corpse demons (shigui, spirits in Daoist belief that harass people) contend to cause chaos, and when a person's spirit is easily agitated and clouded. On these days one should fast, stay awake, and dispel all desires. On each of the five mao days one should also fast: enter a quiet chamber, face east, devoutly worship the divinities, hold the breath in visualization (cun nian), and state one's wishes as the heart inclines.

It also says that in the Jian'an era of the Han dynasty, Zuo Ci heard that Mount Juqu (Juqu Shan), near Jinling, was connected with Mount Emei and Mount Luofu, so he crossed the river to seek it. After fasting for three months, he climbed the mountain and only then found its entrance. Lord Mao (Mao Jun), an immortal perfected of Mount Juqu, bestowed on him three kinds of divine fungus (shenzhi, legendary elixir plants akin to lingzhi) and carried out the suqi gongyi, a rite of fasting, petition, and practice, saying: "Fragrance-bearing immortal maidens will descend to guard those who fast."

The text further says that after the Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji Zhenren) received the oral formulas of the Most High (Taishang kouJue), they were transmitted over a thousand years through five successive teachers. Following the regulations of the secret writings (yinshu), the transmission and the making of oaths took place only after a five-day fast.

The Zhunang says that whoever enters the Five Sacred Peaks (Wuyue) must first bathe in the first ten-day period of the jiazi day, then fast for seven days before setting out. If famous mountains contain zhiying (fungal blossoms) or rare medicines, these should be offered, and a plain memorial of the cinnabar scripture (suzou danshu), a written petition to the divinities, should be composed, asking for ascension to immortality, deliverance from the world, flight, and entry into the Shangqing realm, with repeated bows to the Shangqing divinities. Afterward, one places a chicken and a dog on a stone, leaves that place, and then goes to seek the zhiying and rare medicines, and what one seeks will be obtained. Malevolent ghosts and old mountain demons (laomei, spirits that cause trouble in the mountains) will not dare to test the person. A student of the Way who does not know these protective methods will easily meet calamity when entering the mountains.

The Baopuzi says that if a household possesses the Sanhuang tu (Diagrams of the Three Sovereigns), one must first fast for a hundred days before summoning the spirits of heaven and earth, the Five Peaks, and the altars of soil and grain. The later sage-ruler ordered the Minor Having True Man of Qingxu (Qingxu Xiaoyou Zhenren) to compile the records of the superior immortals, collectively called the Shangzhen zhengfa (Correct Methods of the Superior Perfected), to subdue all kinds of evil spirits. This book is transmitted only once every hundred years, and whoever receives it must fast before being able to obtain it.

The Sanyuan Pin Jing (Scripture of the Three Primes and Ranks) says that one who begins to study the Daoist methods should first cultivate the Middle Primordial (Zhongyuan). During fasting, one should atone for faults before the Supreme Perfected (Taizhen, a high spirit deity), and only then can one's name be registered in the Mysterious Register (Xuantu, the Daoist roster of names).

The Lingbao Chishu (Scarlet Writings of the Numinous Treasure) says that the Five Elders of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Wulao) and the Emperors of the Heavens gather each year on the six fasting months at the Lingdu Palace (Palace of the Numinous Capital) and the Terrace of Yuanyang Ziwei in the Upper Three Heavens. There they count the number of celestial realms and calculate and verify the heavenly cycles of fate. It also says that the Palace of the Purple Subtlety (Ziwei Gong) has long had its regulations: the cinnabar writings must be copied onto white silk, and after a hundred days of fasting they are to be recited.

The Taisu Yujing (Jade Register Scripture of the Pure Substance) says that one who fasts, practices visualization (cun si, or quiet meditative contemplation), and recites and studies this scripture, if they persist diligently without slackening, will attain spiritual penetration and wisdom, and will be ranked among the Perfected of Pure Substance (Taisu Zhenren, a Daoist designation for a rank of immortal perfected).

The Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) records a perfected person saying that the human spirit normally dwells in a pure and empty place and will not remain in a foul one. To bring the spirit back into the body, one should meditate quietly in a fragrant chamber after fasting, and then the hundred illnesses will disappear on their own. Without fasting, the spirit will not wish to return to the person. For this reason, Heaven jointly brings forward the person's faults, so that illness accumulates and death follows without end.

The Basu Benchen Jue (Formula of the Pure Substance and Racing Stars) says that one must carefully distinguish the shapes and colors of the seven luminaries and the five planets (qi yao wu xing), observe the times when they appear, and wait for them in the courtyard. On a dark night without stars, one should quietly visualize in the bedchamber, practice fasting and cultivation, and refine oneself by the method of visualizing the movement of the sun and moon. The red vapor and purple radiance within the sun are the splendor of the nine spirits of the luminous numinous (Yaoling Jiushen). The yellow vapor, white light, and the radiance of the eight brightnesses within the moon are the nocturnal essences of the moon's splendor, which all cultivators of the Way should understand. By absorbing the vapors of sun and moon and by visualizing and drawing in the nine splendid numinous radiances, one can learn the Way of visualizing the sun and moon's movements. The two scrolls that An Fei (An Fei) transmitted to Yang Jun (Yang Jun) record wondrous methods. The ways of cultivating the sun and moon are many in kind and profound and subtle.

The Shangqing Jinque Lingshu (Numinous Writings of the Golden Gate of Shangqing) says that the Supreme Auspicious Gathering Day (Taishang Jihui Ri) is the day when the high perfected gather for feasting and celebration and offerings, and the Returning Origin Day (Huiyuan Ri) is the day when the Most High begins anew. The day of jiazi (jiazi ri)...

The Shangqing Jinque Lingshu (Numinous Writings of the Golden Gate of Shangqing) says that the "Day of Grand Auspicious Assembly" (Taishang jihui ri) is when the High Perfected gather to feast and offer congratulations, and the "Day of Returning to the Origin" (huiyuan ri) is when the Most High begins anew. The jiazi day marks the beginning of the interaction of Yin and Yang Qi, and at the end of each month the Qi-count changes. Because the new Qi has only just sprouted, this day is called the "New Day." Those who do not know this day cannot dissolve their transgressions or carve their registers on slips. The Perfected of the highest rank (shangzhen) should observe fasting and, on this day, contemplate auspicious matters. This is the Formula of Returning to the Origin (huiyuan jue).

The text also says that the Huangting Neijing Jing (Scripture of the Inner Landscape of the Yellow Court) is also called the Taishang Qinxin Wen (Text of the Most High's Qin-Heart) and the Dadi Jinshu Fuye (Leaves of the Golden Book of the Great Emperor). Those in the palace of the Great Emperor Lord all recite this scripture. Because it is inscribed on golden slips, it is called the "Golden Book," and it is also named the Donghua Yupian (Jade Tablets of the Eastern Florescence). "Donghua" is the name of the Fangzhu Palace, the abode of Lord Qingtong of the Eastern Sea. The immortal officials in that palace routinely fast, recite the scripture, and inscribe its text on jade.

It further says that the Taiji Zuo Zhenren Qusu Jueci (Words of Formula from the Left Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate) is also called the Jiutian Fengqi Xuanqiu Dazhen Shu (Great Perfected Book of the Mysterious Hill of Phoenix Qi of the Nine Heavens). The Most High transmitted it to the Left Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate, who in turn passed it on to the Fangzhu Palace in the Eastern Sea. The Great Lord Qingtong ordered that it be handed down to those among the Daoists whose destinies were recorded as predestined to become immortal Perfected. After wearing this book for twenty years, one may, having fasted and sworn the Green-Gold Oath, have an audience with the Lord of the Three Primes (Sanyuan Jun), the august deity who governs Heaven, Earth, and Water. This oath may take the place of a covenant.

The Bada Miyan (Secret Words of the Eight Paths) says that those who wish to cultivate the "Methods of the Nine Perfections" should fast in a quiet chamber, concentrate their prayers, and keep their minds and spirits still, seeking to ascend to immortality and to climb to the Purple Court (Ziting), the palace of the immortals.

It also says that the Jiutian Fengqi Xuanqiu Zhenshu (True Book of the Mysterious Hill of Phoenix Qi of the Nine Heavens) was conferred by the Elder of Xuandu (Xuandu Zhangren) to be worn according to the immortal regulations. One who wears this book after three days of fasting will attain the Dao and become an immortal.

The Daodejing Xu Jue (Preface and Formulae of the Dao and De Classic) says that Yin Xi, knowing that purple Qi was drifting westward, fasted and visualized, hoping to meet the true Dao. Later, when Laozi passed through the pass, he transmitted to Yin Xi the meaning of the two chapters of the scripture.

The Lingshu Jing says that the ten marvelous scriptures were written in gold characters on jade tablets. The true immortals of the heavenly realms must observe purification fasts (zhaijie) and travel to the Jade Capital (Yujing) on appointed days to recite the texts.

The Weiyi Jing says that fasting brings blessings. To deliver others, one should first cultivate oneself, attending to others before oneself, so that the mind-will accords with the profound Great Dao. Another scripture adds that before the Lingbao Chishu (Red Writings of the Numinous Treasure) is transmitted, one must first observe a fast.

The Dongqing Siming Jing says: "My former teacher, Lord Wang, once transmitted to me the Upper Scripture of the Mysterious Truth of the Taiming Brightness (Taishang Mingtang Xuanzhen Shang Jing). To practice this scripture, one must fast, clear the mind and body of impurities, visualize the sun and moon, and swallow the fluid (jinye) that they produce from their light. The practice must be kept secret and pursued without cease; this is the way of the highest perfected beings. Before practicing the Scripture of the Mysterious Truth (Taishang Xuanzhen Jing), one must first swear an oath, and only then may one act on it. Only after one has practiced it personally may one hear its contents. This is a precious and profound path of cultivation."

Ji Wei once fasted for three years, devoting utmost sincerity and concentrated contemplation, and only then obtained this scripture. He received the transmission only after divine light illuminated his body. This is a truly profound method of cultivation, concise rather than elaborate. I have long kept it near me as a precious secret, so I now transmit it only to those who are cautious and able to keep it confidential. Those who love the arts of the Dao and wish to seek out sacred mountains should first fast before climbing. In the past, Zuo Ci fasted for three months, paid homage to the numinous mountains, and then cultivated himself with sincerity for three years. Only afterward were the Two Lords Mao (the Mao immortals of Mount Mao, including Mao Ying and Mao Gu) willing to lead him there.

The Huangting Neijing Yujing (Jade Scripture of the Inner Landscape of the Yellow Court) further states that the Great Lord of Fusang commanded the Divine King of Yanggu to transmit the scripture to the Lady of the Southern Peak. When the scripture was passed on and received, both parties were required to observe a nine-day fast.

It is further said that the Sanyuan Zhenyi Jing (Scripture of the True One of the Three Primes) was kept by the Lord of the Golden Gate (a venerable deity dwelling at the Golden Gate). The Eastern Sea Youth transmitted it to Huazi, Huazi passed it to Juanzi, Juanzi transmitted it to Lord Su, and Lord Su passed it to Lord Zhou. Transmission required ritual fasting (zhaijie), which for some lasted one hundred days, for others fifty, thirty, or seven days. It was passed to one person every forty years, and only ten persons in total received it. Later, the Dao Lord of the Later Sage ordered the Qingling Xiaoyou Heavenly King to compile and collect the true registers (zhenlu) of the Superior Immortals, registers of perfected immortals or of cultivation methods, and to classify them together as a single scripture.

Lady Ziyuan transmitted it to Lord Wang, Lord Wang passed it to Lady Wei of the Southern Marchmount, Lady Wei transmitted it to Lord Yang, and Lord Yang passed it on to Xu Yuan. Transmission required three or seven days of fasting. The Writings of the Phoenix Perfected (Fengzhen zhi wen) were conferred by the Great Supreme upon the Left Perfected of Taiji (Taiji Zuo Zhenren), who passed them to Lord Fangzhu of the Eastern Sea and to the Azure Youth Lord. These, too, were scriptures passed down generation after generation among the perfected. Upon receiving the transmission, one must fast for three or seven days and carry the text on one's person for nine years, whereupon one may see the Lord of the Two Primes at the Golden Gate of Shangqing.

It is further said that the Taishang Zhihui Jing (Scripture of Supreme Wisdom) was entrusted by the Most High to the Supreme Minister. Another line of transmission runs from Lady Ziyuan to Lord Wang, from Lord Wang to Nan Zhen, and from Nan Zhen to Lord Yang. It is now being transmitted to Chief Clerk Xu Yuan, and transmission requires fifty days of fasting.

It is further said that the Taidan Yinshu Feizhen Zhi Dao (The Way of Flying Perfection in the Secret Writings of the Great Cinnabar) concerns the method of visualization (cunxiang), that is, cultivating through quiet contemplation. Lord Yang seems to have copied only a single passage from it, which he recited and then handed to the Chief Clerk. This scripture also belongs to the Jiuzhen Longshu (Dragon Writings of the Nine Perfected), but it records no fasting methods and therefore cannot be practiced on its basis. The Zhen Gao (Declarations of the Perfected) contains a "Method of Facing the Great Simplicity" (chao taisu fa), which mentions receiving and upholding the Dongyang Xuanxing and visualizing the "Three Primes Cavern Chamber" (sanyuan dongfang) described in the Taidan Yinshu. This is what is referred to here, though the record is incomplete. Texts recording how Lord Zhou studied and annotated the matter of the "Cavern Chamber" (dongfang) circulate in the world, but these too are only copies. He annotated the scripture and arranged it into methods that could be practiced; yet, since he never saw the true original, the aims and contents of the practice remain incomplete.

The Mingshan Ji (Record of Famous Mountains) says: "Great, indeed…" However, the relevant records are not complete. Texts recording how Lord Zhou studied and annotated the matter of the "Cavern Chamber" circulate in the world, but these too are only copies. He annotated the scripture and arranged it into methods that could be practiced; yet, since he never saw the true original, the aims and contents of the practice remain incomplete.

According to the Records of Famous Mountains (Mingshan Ji), Mount Mao has a small cave entrance blocked by stones. Anyone who fasts with a sincere heart may enter and tour the grotto. To the east of Mount Mao is another small cave, its opening shaped like a dog hole and barely large enough for one person to pass. The farther one goes in, the wider the cavern becomes. Outside the opening, large boulders block the way, leaving only a small hole about the size of a cup's rim, which is said to be guarded by the mountain's spirits. These boulders sometimes move aside. If one fasts sincerely and searches with focused attention, one can find the entrance and pass through it more easily than through ordinary cave openings. Those who seek immortality through the Dao should fast beforehand, so that they may meet the Three Mao Lords (Sanmao Jun), the immortal perfected worshipped on Mount Mao, on Jiqu Mountain (Jiqu Shan), and receive from them the essential formulas of the Dao. Jiqu has five cave gates in all. One who sets a firm resolve, fasts for three months, and then seeks the paths leading up to these gates may enter.

The Nine Heavens Scripture (Jiutian Jing) says that the Jade Assistant Supreme Minister (Yufu Shangzai), a Daoist celestial office, fasts and performs the rite of establishing the registers, and serves in Taiqing (Taiqing, the Heaven of Great Clarity).

The Falun Scripture (Falun Jing) says that the Lord of Immortals practiced fasting for less than a year, and then drew the true immortals of heaven down to the Cold Chamber (Lengshi), the quiet cell where practitioners cultivate in seclusion.

The scripture further says: think upon the true Dao, hold the body in fasting, and close the mouth to guard one's words.

The Lingbao Great Precepts Scripture (Lingbao Dajie Jing) says that without receiving the precepts of the Great Dao, merely eating vegetarian food for a long time brings no benefit.

The Scripture of the Four Poles' Bright Regulations (Sijí Mingke Jing) says that all who study the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) methods must serve their lineage masters and enter a quiet chamber to fast.

The Taishang Ke (Taishang Ke, Regulations of the Most High) says that whenever scriptures are received from a teacher, true officials (zhenguan), celestial attendants, are present to guard them. For this reason, one must fast before lecturing on or reciting them.

The Ciyi Wulao Scripture (Ciyi Wulao Jing) says that one who cultivates good deeds over a long period should eat only at midday. Only after fasting for a full year may one receive the Taidong Zhenjing (Taidong Zhen Jing, Scripture of the Great Cavern of True Perfection).

The Taishang Danjian Molu (Taishang Danjian Molu, Registers in Vermilion and Ink) says that the Dao has been transmitted down to the present, far removed from the ancient sages, so that copied precepts and ritual procedures contain many errors. When doubts arise and one's teacher cannot resolve them, one may fast for a month and pray for a numinous response to verify the matter. When the spirit immortals respond and descend, they will convey the answer to the petitioner.

The Chuanshou Jing (Chuanshou Jing, Scripture of Transmission) says that when fasting, simplicity and purity are the highest standards, for then the divine beings will first shine their light upon the self.

According to the Jixian Lu (Record of Gathered Immortals), when one visited the Xuanpu (Hanging Garden) of Kunlun, one saw the Perfected Zhengyi Zhenren (Zhengyi Zhenren, a perfected being revered in Daoism), who was diligently observing fasting, reciting scriptures, and venerating the Dao.

The Jixian Lu further states that fasting is best when it is simple and pure, and that one's spirit (shen) will first manifest within oneself.

The Taixiao Langshu (Scripture of the Great Void Jade Book) holds that three kinds of scriptures should be prepared: one to be kept for long-term preservation, one to be recited during fasting, and one for study. The scriptures should be carried on one's person and kept in one's living quarters, with other copies placed on a bookshelf. One should personally handle the scriptures when taking them out and putting them away, and must not allow them to be treated with disrespect. When copying scriptures, one must first fast. The diagrams in the scriptures are sometimes compiled into a separate scroll, each placed under the charge of an attendant official. When a Zhenli (true official) asked about the scriptures, the answer given was: "Without honoring the lineage of transmission, even if one fasts and recites, there will be no response."

The Yupei Jinzhu Jing (Scripture of the Jade Pendant and Golden Pearls) states that when the assembled perfected beings ascended the Taiqiong Terrace, they fasted for three months.

The Kongtong Jing (Scripture of Kongtong) states that the Supreme Lord Dao once fasted on Mount Luofu in the Xinayu Kingdom (Xinayu Guo).

The scripture further records that the Perfected Taiji (Taiji Zhenren, the Supreme Ultimate Perfected) transmitted the scriptural methods to Lord Wang (Wang Jun), and that the transmission was preceded by ten days of fasting. After two thousand six hundred years, the teaching had passed to ten people. Lord Wang had himself fasted on Mount Luofu in the Xinayu Kingdom.

The scripture also says that Lord Wang of the Leimaiya Yufang [two illegible characters in the source] transmitted the scriptural methods to Lady Wei of the Southern Peak, with five days of fasting before the transmission. Taking the related immortal medicines can end the need for grain and remove the corpse worms (shichong, parasitic insects said in Daoist belief to dwell within the body and hinder cultivation). Lord Wang travelled throughout the world and went to Guishan (Turtle Mountain) to fast for three months; after fasting for another three years, he went to Taisu. After returning to the Western City, he fasted for three more months. He then passed the scriptures to Lord Zhou. While young, Lord Zhou met the Central Yellow Lord (Huang Lao Jun) travelling at Dancheng, and he requested the Way of longevity and universal salvation. The Yellow Lord then taught him the Way of the Highest Perfection. After returning, Lord Zhou fasted and reflected in a stone chamber on Mount Changshan. Over many years he eventually attained immortality and departed.

The Biographies of Daoist Learning (Daoxue Zhuan) records that Zuo Dun, courtesy name Shangyin, was a native of Yang in Jurong. Mount Yunyang is Mount Mao. Fifteen li west of Zuo Dun's residence stood a stone chamber, and two li to the southwest stood another, each large enough to hold several dozen people. Elders of the region passed down that a bronze ox once appeared in the southwestern chamber, and that bronze insect-shaped objects and bronze scrolls were found inside the cave. For this reason the two stone chambers came to be called the "Copper Chambers" (Tong Shi). The cave passages wound deep and dark, leading north to Yanchi and connecting with Kunlun. Whenever the Three Primes (Sanyuan) fasting days arrived, Zuo Dun would go to these two stone chambers to pray and to cast ritual objects, and it is said that he was able to see the true forms of the divine beings.

Another record states that Lu Xiujing, courtesy name Yuande, was a native of Wuxing. In the seventh year of the Taishi era, he led a company of followers in establishing the Three Primes Dew Retreat (Sanyuan Lu Zhai). The Dew Retreat (lu zhai) was a form of purification ritual (zhaijiao); the "Three Primes" refer to the Upper Prime, the Middle Prime, and the Lower Prime.

The Scripture of the Upper Register of the Supreme Truth (Taizhen Shangcang Yuan Shang Lu Jing) states: Wherever there is life, all is clear...