《歷世真仙體道通鑑》Vol. 26

The Daoist Wang Yuanzhi’s courtesy name is unknown. He was from Langya. His father, Wang Tanshou, once served as governor of Yangzhou under the Chen dynasty, and his maternal grandfather, Ding Chao, once served as a gentleman of the carriage bureau under the Liang dynasty. His mother became pregnant after dreaming of a numinous phoenix. The monk Baozhi said, “This child will one day become a leader among the immortals.”

At seven, Wang Yuanzhi could read more than ten thousand characters a day. He became widely versed in many texts and inwardly comprehended the Great Dao. At fifteen, he entered Huayang and became a student of Master Tao Zhenbai, learning the Three Caverns methods, a system for classifying Daoist scriptures and methods of cultivation. Later, he studied under Master Zongdao, Zang Jin, and mastered various secret instructions. Emperor Houzhu of Chen summoned him to Chongyang Hall, treated him with particular respect, gave him gifts, and sent someone to escort him back to Maoshan.

Afterward, Wang Yuanzhi built a quiet room on a ridge northwest of the cave and devoted himself to studying the mysteries of the Daoist arts. At the end of the Dajian era under Emperor Xuandi of Chen, a divine being suddenly appeared in the quiet room, drunk and lying there vomiting. Wang Yuanzhi lit incense and candles, then attended to him with reverence. The divine being said, “I am going to Mount Tiantai. Will you come with me?” Wang Yuanzhi followed him and climbed the eastern ridge. Halfway up, he suddenly remembered that he had not entrusted the scriptures to two or three disciples, so he retraced his steps for more than ten paces. When he looked back, the divine being had transformed into a crane and flown away.

When Yang Guang, later Emperor Yang of Sui, was stationed in Yangzhou, Wang Zixiang and Liu Guyan each invited Wang Yuanzhi to come. Soon after he arrived, his beard and hair suddenly turned white. Yang Guang was frightened and sent him back to the mountain; before long, Wang Yuanzhi’s hair returned to its former color. After Yang Guang took the throne, he sent Cui Fengju to invite Wang Yuanzhi and personally treated him with the respect due a teacher. He ordered the construction of the Jade Clarity Mysterious Altar in Jiangdu as Wang Yuanzhi’s residence, and had Yang You, the Prince of Dai, become his student.

Before Li Yuan, later Emperor Gaozu of Tang, launched his uprising, Wang Yuanzhi privately told him that he would receive the Mandate of Heaven. The Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, came to visit in plain clothes with Fang Xuanling. Wang Yuanzhi went out to greet them and said, “There is a sage here.” Li Shimin asked him to be more explicit. Wang Yuanzhi replied, “You will become an emperor who brings peace to the realm. Take good care of yourself.” Li Shimin became Wang Yuanzhi’s student and learned the Three Caverns methods. After ascending the throne, Li Shimin wanted to grant him a high position, but Wang Yuanzhi firmly declined and returned to the mountain.

In the ninth year of the Zhenguan era under Emperor Taizong of Tang, the emperor ordered Runzhou to establish the Temple of Great Peace at Maoshan and authorized seven people to receive ordination as Daoist priests. He also issued an edict saying, “Before I ascended the throne, I was fortunate enough to seek the Dao from you. I still remember your bearing, and think of you day and night. Recently, I saw your memorial requesting to return to your former mountain. I have issued another edict and will not go against your wishes. I ordered the temple to be built to express the feelings I have held for you over many years.”

The Perfected Man Wang Fashi (Wang Yuanzhi, a Daoist Perfected One) was broad-minded and possessed a noble, expansive bearing. He knew when to speak and when to keep silent. He observed things as clearly as a bright mirror reflects them, and treated all beings without partiality.

Once, Dou Dexuan was passing through Yangzhou when he met an emissary of the Director of Destinies, a divine official who governs human lifespans. The emissary told him that Dou Dexuan was destined for great prosperity, but that his allotted years had run out; according to the “nine times nine” reckoning, he was due to die. Dou Dexuan begged for an exemption. The emissary told him, “The Perfected Man Wang Fashi is an Immortal Earl of Mount Shaoshi, responsible for recording the affairs of the living and the dead. When he submits a petition to the Celestial Bureau, whatever he asks for is granted at once.” Dou Dexuan then earnestly asked Master Wang for help. Reluctantly, the Master petitioned on his behalf for a longer life. The emissary later conveyed the reply: “His life will be extended by thirteen years.”

Later, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Dou Dexuan became Left Chancellor. When he died, his conduct and words matched the prediction exactly. For this reason, people came to call Master Wang “Fashi,” the Dharma Master.

After learning that he had been granted an immortal office, the Master told Pan Shizheng, “Yesterday I saw the register of immortals. Because, as a child, I accidentally injured a child’s lip, I cannot ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.” He was appointed Immortal Earl of Mount Shaoshi. On the day before he was to depart this life, he bathed, changed his clothes, put on his cap, and, after burning incense, fell peacefully asleep. He then passed away in the Daoist sense of attaining the Dao, at the age of 121.

Pan Shizheng and Xu Daomiao received his secret transmission and became disciples admitted to his inner chamber; Chen Yu and Wang Gui ranked after them. His other disciples each lived in their own grotto dwelling and practiced diligently throughout their lives.

In the second year of Tiaolu, during Emperor Gaozong’s reign, the court posthumously conferred on him the title Grand Master of the Palace, with the posthumous name “Master of Ascending to the Mystery.” It also ordered the establishment of the Taiping Abbey and the ordination of forty-nine people as Daoist priests. In the early years of the Tianshou era under Empress Wu, he was posthumously granted the title Grand Master of Golden and Purple Radiance, and his posthumous name was changed to “Master of Ascending to Immortality.” During the Tianbao era under Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang, the court ordered Li Hanguang to build a portrait hall at Taiping Abbey and paint an image of the Master, to commemorate his traces as an immortal.

Another account says that the Master was well versed in the Classic of Changes and could foresee people’s death, life, fortune, and misfortune. He also wrote a fifteen-volume work called Comprehensive Essentials of the Changes. One day, amid thunder, torrential rain, clouds, and mist, an old man rebuked him: “Where is the book in which you have revealed the secrets of Heaven? The Lord on High has ordered me to command the Six Ding, divine generals who oversee military service and the expulsion of evil, and to pursue it with thunder and lightning.” The Master was terrified and prostrated himself. Beside him stood six figures in blue, holding the book. The old man demanded, “Documents forbidden by Heaven are guarded by flying immortals; they are secreted in the Golden Statutes of the Mysterious Capital. How dare you hide them among your books?”

The Master replied, “The Old Man of Qingxi taught them to me.” The old man said, “The Lord on High has issued an edict. Your rank among the immortals has already been determined, but the time of your deliverance is postponed by four years, calculated according to the cycle of twelve years.”

After the Master died, someone crossing the sea was buffeted by the wind and waves. Suddenly, he saw a small boat sailing from the horizon, with the Master aboard. The Master said, “…”

“You actually dared to venture this far? This place lies a hundred thousand li beyond the eastern edge of the sea.” With the help of a swift wind, he could reach Dengzhou in a single night. After setting out, the boat sped like a feather in flight, while the wind seemed to brush gently past. The next day, sure enough, they arrived at Dengzhou.

Wang Gui

The Daoist Wang Gui, courtesy name Hongfan, was from Linyi. His great-grandfather, Wang Yun, served under the Liang dynasty as Palace Attendant of the Scattered Cavaliers, Minister of the Treasury, and Director of the Revenue Bureau. His grandfather, Wang Xian, served under Liang as Attendant to Crown Prince Jianwen and General Who Conquers Afar. His father, Wang Yu, served under the Chen dynasty as Gentleman of the Palace Library and Attendant to the Prince of Poyang.

At the age of twenty, Wang Gui became a disciple of the ritual master Wang Yuanzhi. He served him by holding his towel and carrying his water flask, for sixteen years. He often listened at Wang Yuanzhi’s side as he lectured on the Dao De Jing, the Xi Sheng Jing, the Lingbao Jing, the Nan Hua Jing, and other works. Afterward, Wang Gui would explain them in detail to others. He also copied revered arts, talismanic diagrams, and secret treasures from Daoist scriptures such as those of the Shangqing, Dongxuan, and Dongshen traditions. He sealed them in a stone chamber to guard and protect the mountains. For many years, he had taken such substances as medicinal arts and pine. Whenever he performed purification rites, lectured on scriptures, or transmitted Daoist teachings, he always made creating sacred images and relieving urgent hardship his first priorities.

Emperor Taizong of Tang knew of Wang Gui’s reputation and often asked him about the essentials of Daoist teachings. On the first day of the eleventh month in the second year of the Qianfeng era under Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Wang Gui said to his disciples, “Last night I dreamed of three people dressed in feathered robes and holding tablets. They told me: ‘The Celestial Officials of Huayang have appointed you chief among the immortals, with additional responsibility for overseeing and inspecting the provincial offices.’ When I was at Mount Tongbai, I also dreamed of this. At the time, I could not refuse, and now it is happening again. It seems I am about to depart.”

He instructed his disciples in the essentials of cultivating the Dao, and entrusted scriptures and secret oral formulas to the appropriate people. On the eighth day, he bathed and changed his clothes. The following day, he sat upright holding a tablet and passed away. When his body was placed in the coffin, only his empty clothes remained, still fastened with a belt. He was eighty-eight years old. Yu Xin of Henan had a biography of him inscribed on a stone at Huayang Cave.

Pan Shizheng

Pan Shizheng, courtesy name Zizhen, was from Zongcheng in Beizhou. His grandfather, Juchang, served as governor of Chuzhou under the Zhou dynasty, and his father, Pan Mo, served as governor of Tongzhou under the Sui dynasty. His mother, Lady Lu, was skilled at discussing and explaining the principles of the classics.

When Pan Shizheng was born, a neighbor saw a bright light. The neighbor’s mother was skilled at reading people’s features and bone structure. She said, “If this child does not become an immortal, he will surely attain high rank.” Once Pan Shizheng could speak, his mother taught him to read the Six Classics, all of which he mastered. He asked her, “Are there books more profound than these?” His mother replied, “There is only the five-thousand-character Dao De Jing.” So he began reciting the Dao De Jing.

Later, his mother fell gravely ill. As she lay dying, she said to him, “Death is one of life’s great events. When my allotted time comes, I will depart. What regrets could I have? It is only that you are still young, and I cannot help worrying about you.” Pan Shizheng was so grief-stricken that he wept blood, holding…

Shi Zheng’s mother said, “If Heaven takes away my dear son’s face, I will not be able to go on living.” Shi Zheng replied, “To injure one’s body or even bring one’s life to an end for that reason does not count as fulfilling one’s filial duty.” Long after Shi Zheng’s teacher had died, he said, “I would rather endure my grief and keep living, abstain from food, and cultivate the Dao. Perhaps I can still rely on the true teaching as a bridge leading to the true Dao.” His mother stroked his head and encouraged him to do so.

After his mother died, Shi Zheng built a thatched hut beside her grave and observed mourning there. He became known for his filial conduct. During the Daye era of Emperor Yang of Sui, the Daoist Liu Aidao met him and thought he possessed the bones of a Daoist immortal. “The noble steed ridden by the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest divinities revered in Daoism)—if not you, who could possibly rein it in?” he said.

At the time, Wang Yuanzhi, a Daoist of Mount Mao, was highly esteemed by Emperor Yang of Sui. He was often summoned to the palace, where he personally presented pine water and prayed for the emperor’s blessing. Liu Aidao said to Shi Zheng, “It is not that I do not want you to follow me; it is just that, to accomplish the Dao, there is no one like Wang Yuanzhi.” When Wang Yuanzhi met Shi Zheng, he was delighted. “Today we have another Pan immortal—a man surnamed Pan with the makings of an immortal. This is a blessing for our religious community,” he said to Liu Aidao. Shi Zheng was then registered as a Daoist and received the Three Caverns’ secret instructions and true texts.

Not long afterward, Wang Yuanzhi asked to return to Mount Mao, and Shi Zheng accompanied him. While crossing the Yangtze River, Shi Zheng drank polluted water and came down with dysentery. His stool was like coagulated fat. He dreamed that a figure dressed in splendid white robes and a headdress descended from the sky and gave him a white pill. When he woke, he took it, and his illness was cured.

When they reached Mount Mao, Wang Yuanzhi said to him, “Though I would like to keep you here, Songyang is where you should cultivate the true. You ought to return there as soon as possible.” Shi Zheng then lived with Liu Aidao at the summit of Shuangquan for more than twenty years. Later, he built a thatched hut in Xiaoyao Valley and cultivated the Dao there, eating only pine nuts and drinking clear water from mountain streams. He cleansed his thoughts and forgot his body, keeping company with plants and trees. The scriptures and methods he studied included three teachings of the Great Clarity, six of the Middle Truth, and eight of the Lower Truth.

When Emperor Gaozong of Tang visited the eastern capital, he summoned Shi Zheng and asked him to make Fulu. Shi Zheng declined, saying that he did not know how to make them. The emperor then asked what he needed in the mountains. Shi Zheng replied, “Dense pine trees and clear springs are all your servant needs. The mountains lack none of these.” The emperor was astonished. He did not keep Shi Zheng at his side, but built Chongtang Abbey and Fengtian Palace where Shi Zheng lived. He also ordered two gates to be built in Xiaoyao Valley: the southern gate was named “Immortal’s Journey,” and the northern one “Seeking the True.”

At the time, the Court of the Imperial Sacrifices presented new music, and the emperor renamed some of its melodies “Praying for Immortals,” “Gazing Toward Immortals,” and “Longing for Immortals.” In the early years of the Diaolu era, Emperor Gaozong of Tang went to Mount Song to make offerings. He had Shi Zheng brought by carriage to Songyang Abbey, where he asked him about the Dao, then sent him back to Xiaoyao Valley. The emperor saw that the rope bed woven from creeping fig vines in the valley was nearly rotten. There were no utensils for making a fire or cooking, only two large gourds. He asked what they were used for. Shi Zheng replied, “Your servant…”

He had once received green xun rice, a Daoist food of cultivation made from the southern candle tree. After Lord Wang of the Western City attained the Dao, he returned to the capital and had green xun rice prepared in Jiangdong and bestowed upon him. Whenever the emperor personally issued an edict to inquire after him, it named his disciples and asked how they were faring. Gifts of ritual robes, incense, candles, gold, and silk arrived without cease. Such was the great favor shown to him.

He said to his disciples, “I am truly of no use, yet the emperor’s favor has been heaped upon me excessively. The Daoist robes we wear have all been bestowed by the emperor. Now they also mean to build a lofty residence, breaking ground and starting construction, damaging plants and trees and disturbing birds and beasts. I am a guilty man, and will surely incur punishment from the unseen realm. You young people who study the Dao should go to deep mountains and secluded valleys, where few people tread. Only then can you avoid being implicated.”

When the emperor was in Luoyang, he again issued an edict summoning him to court. Unable to refuse, he took up residence in the Imperial Park. When he later returned to the mountains, the emperor composed a poem to see him off.

On the first day of the first month in the first year of Yongchun, the sound of flutes and pipes and singing in the air suddenly came from the rocks east of the valley. When his disciples reported this, he said, “I heard nothing. Do not use this to make a name for yourselves or mislead the world.” Later, he suddenly said to his disciple Han Wenli, “Build me a stone chamber beneath the northern cliff. At the end of summer I will move there.” Wenli could not bring himself to begin the work, so the master urged him repeatedly. Wenli said, “The northern cliff connects to the numinous peak. Is it all right to do this?” He replied, “I have lived here for more than fifty years. Three perfected beings have descended, and seven have transmitted essential instructions. If each of you applies yourself wholeheartedly, you will understand in time.”

On the fourteenth day of the sixth month, he asked for hot water to bathe and wrote a green talisman, placing it in the water. “This will cleanse me for the rest of my life,” he said. At dawn the next day, everyone heard monkeys and cranes crying mournfully, lingering for a long time before they went away. In the evening, he learned that the stone chamber was still unfinished and said, “It seems this will not be accomplished after all. I will have to leave in haste.” Wenli asked where he was going. “To Mount Tai, to have my merits and virtues examined,” he replied.

On the sixteenth day, he said again, “The stone chamber is still not complete. For now, build a small tiled house to shelter me. Do not change my clothes; after a hundred days, move me into the stone chamber.” That day, clouds and mist covered the courtyard, and the room filled with an extraordinary fragrance. Soon afterward, he underwent dissolution—the Daoist term for a practitioner’s departure from this life—at the age of ninety-eight. The emperor posthumously bestowed upon him the title Grand Master of the Palace, with the honorific name “Master Who Embodies the Mystery.”

The master’s appearance was exceptional, his immortal bones outstanding, and his bearing much like that of a recluse. Perhaps he was one of those who attained the Dao and became perfected, concealed their true form, cultivated Jing, Qi, and Shen, and roamed freely through transformation? He had eight disciples, all remarkable in their own right. Among them, Wei Fazhao, Sima Ziwei, and Guo Chongzhen received instruction in the Jade Court and secretly received transmissions in the Immortal Chamber, devoting themselves exclusively to the Way of Jade Clarity…

…His moral excellence was enough to make him a model for figures among the lesser immortals. At the time, Chen Ziang composed a eulogy in his honor.

Sima Chengzhen

Sima Chengzhen was a great-grandson of Sima Yi, a native of Langya who served under the Later Zhou. His courtesy name was Ziwei, and he was from Wen County in Luo Prefecture. He studied under Pan Shizheng, mastering both bigu (a cultivation practice of abstaining from grains) and daoyin (health practices involving regulated breathing and bodily movements). Pan Shizheng considered him exceptional and said, “I received the Zhengyi teachings from Tao the Recluse (Tao Hongjing). Having passed them on to you, they have now reached the fourth generation.”

Some time later, Sima Chengzhen took leave of his teacher and traveled among famous mountains. He settled on Mount Tiantai, where he built a tall pavilion on the ritual platform and named it the Terrace of the Myriad Mysteries. Empress Wu once summoned him, but he soon departed. Along with Chen Ziang, Lu Cangyong, Song Zhiwen, Wang Shi, Bi Gou, Li Bai, Meng Haoran, Wang Wei, and He Zhizhang, he was known as one of the “Ten Friends of the Immortal Lineage.”

Emperor Ruizong later sent Sima Chengzhen’s elder brother, Sima Chengyi, to summon him, and issued an edict that said: “The Master of Refinement, whose virtue surpasses that of the Lord of the River and whose freedom resembles that of Lord Fuqiu, soars high in the courts of the azure heavens and walks alone in the realm of purity. I have only recently ascended the throne, yet for a long time I have admired your noble bearing. Even Emperor Yao, who bore the world in his heart, sought instruction from Nie Que; and when the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan was on the throne, he traveled far to Mount Kongtong to visit Master Guangcheng. I often recall these events, and why should I not attend to what lies before me now? Morning and evening I await you. Though I cannot come in person, my heart has already flown to you. I had hoped to send a special envoy to welcome you, but feared you preferred a life of seclusion. So I have first sent Chengyi, in the hope that you will come with him. Once you arrive, I will receive you. Do not be concerned.”

When Sima Chengzhen reached the capital, the emperor ushered him into the inner palace and asked him about the Daoist arts. He replied, “Cultivating the Dao means diminishing day by day, diminishing again and again, until one reaches Wuwei (non-action). Even what the mind and eyes can know and see must continually be reduced, and still it is hard to stop. How much more so when one studies heterodox arts, which only increase cleverness and deliberation?”

The emperor asked, “If this is how one cultivates oneself, what about governing the state?” He replied, “The state is like the human body. Let the mind and spirit rest in quietude, let the breath return to stillness, and allow all things to follow their nature without introducing private desires. Then the realm can be governed well.”

The emperor exclaimed, “How could Master Guangcheng’s words surpass these?” He then bestowed on Sima Chengzhen a precious zither and a rosy cloud mantle, a Daoist garment, and sent him back. The ministers and nobles composed poems to see him off. Chang Heng and Xu Yantan gathered the poems and compiled them, adding a preface.

After Records of the White Clouds was completed, the emperor again sent an envoy to bring him to the capital. He personally conferred Fulu (talismans and registers), rewarding him generously. Sima Chengzhen repeatedly declined and asked to return.

Lu Cangyong had secluded himself on Mount Zhongnan in his youth, but later entered the court and attained high office. When he saw that Sima Chengzhen was about to return to Mount Tiantai, he pointed to Mount Zhongnan and said, “There are many fine places here. Why insist on going to Mount Tiantai?” Sima Chengzhen replied, “In my view, this is merely a shortcut to becoming an official.” Lu Cangyong’s face showed his shame.

Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict ordering him to go to Mount Wangwu…

The emperor arranged an altar chamber for Sima Chengzhen to live in. Sima excelled at seal and clerical script, and when writing, he could cut paper into characters with golden scissors, developing a style of his own. The emperor ordered him to copy the Laozi in three scripts and to establish the definitive wording of its text. Sima once cast the Hanxiang Mirror and the Zhenjing Sword and presented them to the emperor. The emperor sent Wei Tao, Minister of Imperial Sacrifices, to Sima’s residence to set up an altar and pray for blessings according to the Golden Registers (documents used in Daoist purification rituals), and gave him generous rewards.

After returning from the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai, the emperor asked Sima Chengzhen, “Which spirits govern the Five Sacred Peaks?” Sima replied, “The Five Sacred Peaks are great strongholds among the mountains. They can summon clouds and bring rain, and the state looks to them for protection. But the places where numinous immortals dwell are governed by other immortal officials.” The emperor then issued an edict ordering that temples for immortal officials be built at each of the Five Sacred Peaks.

At that time, the Daoist nun Jiao Jingzhen crossed the sea to Penglai in search of a teacher. On a mountain, she met a cultivator who told her, “Sima Chengzhen of Mount Tiantai is listed on the Cinnabar Terrace and lives at Chicheng. He is truly an excellent teacher.” When Jiao Jingzhen returned, she went to see Sima and asked to receive ordination. Before long, she ascended to Heaven. She once descended to the human world and said to Xue Jichang, “Your attainment of the Way surpasses that of Tao Dushui. You should be appointed a Perfected of Donghua Shangqing.”

During the Kaiyuan era, Celestial Master Wenjing and Sima Chengzhen went together to the Hall of Longevity. During the purification observance for the Thousand Autumns Festival, they kept vigil and performed the rites. When the ceremony was over, they each went to sleep behind a cloud screen. Before long, they suddenly heard a child chanting scripture, its voice clear and bright, like gold and jade striking together. The Celestial Master lifted his robe and crept closer to look. He saw a tiny sun, about the size of a coin, on Sima Chengzhen’s forehead, its light illuminating the entire bed. Leaning in to listen, the Celestial Master realized that the chanting came from inside Sima’s head.

The Celestial Master withdrew and said to his disciples, “The Huangting Jing says that nine Perfected Spirits dwell in the Muddy Pellet Palace, each with its own abode within a space one inch across. It also says that the Left Divine Lord speaks with a spirit voice. These words describe Master Sima exactly.”

Sima Chengzhen had more than seventy disciples. One day he suddenly said, “Looking east, I see Jade Firmament Peak and Penglai, and numinous Perfected Ones are arriving. The Little Youth of the Eastern Sea has now summoned me on the orders of the Lord of Donghua. I must go.” A short while later, he passed away, leaving the world like a cicada shedding its shell. His disciples buried his robes and headgear. He was eighty-nine years old. The emperor issued an edict posthumously bestowing on him the title Grand Master of the Silver-Green Luster, gave him the posthumous title “Master of Orthodox Unity,” and personally composed an inscription for his stele. Wei Qumou wrote his biography. His works, including Secret Principles of Cultivating Perfection, Illustrated Map of the Palaces and Offices of Heaven and Earth, Treatise on Sitting in Oblivion, and Register of Ascending to Perfection, have been handed down.

Your servant Daoyi says: Sima Chengzhen cared little for official rank or fine robes and made his home in mountain caves. His vision was lofty and his learning profound; he was truly difficult to equal. His replies…

Emperor Ruizong of Tang asked about the Dao: “The state is like the human body. Therefore, a ruler should keep his mind detached, letting his Qi accord with the vast and subtle realm. If he follows the natural course of all things and has no private motives, the world will be at peace.”

He had indeed grasped the profound meaning of the Most High Lord Lao, the honorific title for Laozi in Daoism. The Dao De Jing says: “When I practice Wuwei (non-action), the people transform themselves naturally. When I love stillness, the people set themselves right naturally. When I refrain from meddling, the people grow prosperous naturally. When I have no greed, the people become simple and sincere naturally.” This is precisely the principle at issue.

Li Hanguang was from Jinling. His father, Hong Xiaowei, came from a family of simple, upright Confucian scholars, and people in their home district called him “Master of Chaste Seclusion.” Later, to avoid the personal name of Emperor Jingzong of Tang, the family changed its surname to Li. At thirteen, Li Hanguang devoted himself to the study of the Dao. Even alone in a dark room, he behaved with the same caution he would show before a ruler or his father. People would compose themselves when they saw him. He was skilled in seal script and clerical script. When someone told him that his calligraphy surpassed his father’s, he stopped writing for the rest of his life.

Later, Li Hanguang became a disciple of Master Zhengyi. The master transmitted to him the complete collection of precious cloud-seal scriptures and told him: “You are truly a visitor from the Jade Clarity realm, one of the heavens in Daoist teaching. If you cultivate with a heart that embraces emptiness, your practice will have no end. But if you withdraw into remote mountains and forests and conceal your presence, your De will seem shallow. Though the teachings you have received came from afar, you should first help the people of the world.”

After receiving this instruction, Li Hanguang no longer concerned himself only with his own cultivation; he often helped others through their difficulties. Whenever he submitted memorials to the gods, he observed fasting and purification and never slackened in his discipline.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned him and asked how to govern the state. Li Hanguang replied: “The Dao De Jing is a teacher to rulers. In the past, Emperor Wen of Han put its principles into practice, allowing the people to live in a time of benevolence and longevity.” The emperor then asked about refining gold into an elixir. Li Hanguang said: “Cultivating De is a public duty; shedding the body and ascending to the heavens, as Daoists describe the attainment of the Dao, is a personal aspiration within that public duty. Even this personal aspiration is mentioned because sages left such teachings to preserve the tradition. To seek long life single-mindedly while indulging one’s desires is like trying to seize the wind. Is that not difficult?”

The emperor praised him and treated him with great generosity. Before long, Li Hanguang took his leave on the grounds of illness and returned east to Mount Jugu. The emperor issued an edict to build Ziyang Abbey for him to live in. Later, the emperor obtained the true scriptures of the Perfected Ones Yang and Xu and invited Li Hanguang to serve as their teacher. Li Hanguang again declined on the grounds of illness. The emperor then prepared the documents at Datong Hall and invited him from afar, bestowing on him the title “Master Wenjing.” The emperor repeatedly issued edicts in his own hand and continued to provide him with a stipend.

Li Hanguang once wrote the Biographies of Immortal Studies, essays on the similarities and differences among the “Three Profound Teachings,” and the Sounds and Meanings of the Materia Medica. Emperor Daizong of Tang later issued an edict asking him to add several pages to the handwritten work of Perfected Yang. In the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Dali era, he said to his disciples Wei Jingzhao and Meng Zhanran: “I am about to follow the transformations and depart.” Soon afterward, he passed away peacefully, his expression serene. At that time, auspicious clouds appeared and lingzhi mushrooms grew. He was eighty-seven years old.

Comprehensive Mirror of Perfected Immortals Throughout the Ages, juan 25