《歷世真仙體道通鑑》Vol. 30

Kou Qianzhi, courtesy name Fuzhen, was a native of Pingchang in Shanggu, and a younger brother of Kou Zan, the Governor of Wei.

Kou Qianzhi's distant ancestor Kou Ren lived in seclusion on Mount Wangwu during the reign of Emperor Cheng of the Han. He later ascended to the heavens in broad daylight and was known as "Venerable Mingzhen" (Mingzhen Xiansheng). Kou Ren's grandson, Kou Jun, also departed by riding a dragon. Kou Qianzhi's father, Kou Pingyi, once served as Governor of Hedong. Kou Qianzhi was born on the seventh day of the seventh month of the yichou year of the Jianyuan era under the Former Qin ruler Fu Jian.

At the age of sixteen, Kou Qianzhi already stood over eight chi tall. At eighteen, he devoted his whole heart to the pursuit of the Dao, and his sincerity moved the spirits. The immortal Gong Xing had once been hired to reside in the household of Kou Qianzhi's maternal grandmother; later, he changed his name and identity, and taught Kou Qianzhi to clear and cultivate the fields. One day, while Kou Qianzhi was calculating the Zhoubi (an ancient astronomical and mathematical work) beneath a grove of trees, he could not work out the answer. Gong Xing then instructed him, and Kou Qianzhi mastered it quickly. He was greatly astonished and admired it.

Some time later, Gong Xing said to him, "Master, do you have the heart to study the Dao? Would you be willing to retreat into seclusion together with me?" The two then set out together to travel through Mount Hua, often gathering herbs to stave off hunger. From that time on, Kou Qianzhi no longer felt hungry. They later lived in seclusion on Mount Song for several years.

One day, Gong Xing said to Kou Qianzhi, "After I go out, someone will bring medicine. You should simply take it." Sure enough, someone later delivered medicinal substances. When Kou Qianzhi saw that they were entirely made up of poisonous insects and foul-smelling things, he grew frightened and left. When Gong Xing returned, Kou Qianzhi told him what had happened. Gong Xing sighed and said, "Master, it is not easy for you to become an immortal, but you may serve as a teacher to emperors and kings."

Gong Xing went on, "I will not stay much longer; I am to depart at noon tomorrow. After I die, please bathe my body, and someone will naturally come to receive me." Gong Xing then entered the third stone chamber, where he passed away. Kou Qianzhi personally bathed his body. At midday the next day, someone knocked at the door of the stone chamber. Kou Qianzhi went out to look and saw two boys: one carrying a Daoist robe, the other carrying a bowl and staff. Kou Qianzhi led them into the stone chamber, where Gong Xing suddenly rose, put on the robe, took up the bowl and staff, and immediately departed. Thereafter, Kou Qianzhi remained on Mount Song to devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivation and no longer went out.

Later, on the first day of the fourth month of summer in the second year of the Shenrui era under the Northern Wei emperor Mingyuan, two people suddenly arrived. They wore robes of azure green and feathered garments, and wore the Dongyun crown. They came riding a dragon, bearing banners, and declared, "Lord Lao has arrived." Then Kou Qianzhi heard the sound of music rising. Before long, the Supreme Lord Lao rode in a jade-white chariot drawn by nine dragons, with a grand procession, and numerous immortals went before and behind him, gathering on the mountain.

Kou Qianzhi bowed reverently and saw the gate towers and halls of the Five Palaces rising high. Taishang Laojun (Lord Lao the Most High) sat beneath the silver-white Hualin trees and ordered the immortal elder Wang Fangping to bring Kou Qianzhi forward and have him stand in place. He said:

"I have received a memorial from the Lord of the Zhongyue Jixian Palace, which states that since Zhang Daoling attained the Way and became a perfected being, those who cultivate the Real have had no master to transmit to them. Now Kou Qianzhi, a Daoist of Zhongyue, conducts himself in accordance with nature and is fit to hold the position of teacher. I therefore confer upon you the office of Celestial Master (Tianshi), and I transmit to you the Scripture and Precepts of the New Liturgies of Chanting in the Clouds (Yunzhong Yinsong Xinke Jingjie). These scriptures and precepts have never been passed down to the world since heaven and earth were first opened. Now the time has come for you to practice them, so that they may assist the state, protect the sovereign's mandate, and transform the common people."

When he had finished speaking, Taishang Laojun took out nine volumes of the New Scriptures and Precepts. After Kou Qianzhi received them, the Five Cloud Terrace Hall vanished all at once.

On the fifteenth day of the first month of the second year of the Taichang era, Taishang Laojun descended again and bestowed upon Kou Qianzhi more than ten volumes of the New Fulu (Xinke Fulu), the talismans and registers used in Daoist rites for averting calamities and for transmitting arts. He warned him: "These talismans may be transmitted to those who are suitable. If they are passed to those who are not suitable, the blame will fall upon you." Kou Qianzhi kowtowed and accepted this charge. From then on, his resolve and his cultivation grew ever firmer.

In the Shiguang reign period of Emperor Taiwu, the court dispatched Liang Gong, Prefect of Luozhou, who led more than a thousand officials into the mountains to invite Kou Qianzhi. When Kou Qianzhi arrived at the capital, the court, both within and without, still did not believe in him wholeheartedly. Only the Minister of Works, Cui Hao, took him as his teacher. Cui Hao submitted a memorial that said:

"Your servant has heard that when a sage ruler receives the Mandate of Heaven, Heaven responds with auspicious signs. The omens of the River Chart and the Luo Writing have all conveyed the will of Heaven through creatures such as insects and beasts. Now, however, spirit beings meet with humans face to face, which is far more manifest than such omens. In the past, Emperor Gaozu of the Han, though he may be called wise, still could not bring the Four Worthies of Shangshan to submit to him. Later, when he followed advice, he sent envoys bearing jade and silk to report to Mount Song. Now Your Majesty should also bestow a palace and lodgings upon Kou Qianzhi, personally seek instruction in the Way from him, and treat him with the greater ceremony he deserves."

The emperor then intended to confer upon Kou Qianzhi the position of chief minister and assistant, but Kou Qianzhi firmly declined, saying: "Now I am a holy teacher. Taishang Laojun has descended four times, and immortals have descended six times, and they have bestowed upon me the celestial scriptures and the liturgical methods. Judging from these responses, what I have encountered is truly a genuine sage."

Accordingly, the court established a central altar, built the Jinglun Heavenly Palace, and set up ritual protocols and ceremonial processions, all carried out in accordance with the scriptures and precepts. From this time on, the people of the realm turned toward Kou Qianzhi and admired him.

In the year Gengchen, Kou Qianzhi requested to go to Zhongyue to offer prayers for the emperor. His sincerity moved Taishang Laojun, who secretly bestowed upon the emperor the honorific title "Taiping Zhenjun" (True Lord of Great Peace), together with ceremonial robes and talismans. After Kou Qianzhi returned to the court, he reported each of these events in detail. That year the reign era was changed to the first year of Taiping Zhenjun.

In the second year of Taiping Zhenjun, Kou Qianzhi memorialized the throne, saying: "Now Your Majesty governs the realm under the title 'True Lord,' and you have built the Jinglun Heavenly Palace, which has never been done since antiquity. Your Majesty should accept..."

(The original text ends here.)

Kou Qianzhi used talismans to demonstrate the virtue of the sage. The emperor accepted this claim and ascended the altar to receive the talismans. On the seventh day of the first month of the ninth year, Kou told the disciples, "Yesterday I dreamed that Cheng Gongxing summoned me to the Immortal Palace on Mount Zhongyue." On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, Kou did indeed ascend to immortality (yuhua, a Daoist term for attaining the Way and becoming an immortal, or for passing away as an immortal). At that time, a green qi like smoke rose from Kou's mouth, climbed straight into the sky, and dispersed. Kou's body gradually shrank. Those who understood this path held that it was shijie (corpse liberation, the Daoist term for shedding the physical form to become an immortal). Kou Qianzhi lived to the age of eighty-four.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Shen You of Dong Commandery was gathering herbs on the summit of Songyue and saw a silver light shining from Kou Qianzhi's body, as bright as the sun. From then on, people knew that Kou Qianzhi had become an immortal.

Li Jiao

Li Jiao was a disciple of Kou Qianzhi. Li Jiao practiced fuqi (breath-ingestion, nourishing life through controlled breathing), went without eating grain for many years, and lived in seclusion at Changshan. In his nineties, Li Jiao's appearance was still that of a youth. One day Li Jiao bathed, changed clothes, and put on a cap and hat, which the family found very unusual. Soon afterward, Li Jiao sat upright and died. The Daoists all said that Li Jiao had attained the Way and become an immortal through corpse liberation.

Wei Jie

Dharma Master Wei Jie, courtesy name Chuyuan, was a native of Duling in Jingzhao. Wei Jie came from a distinguished family that owned more than ten thousand scrolls. From youth, Wei Jie loved ancient learning and mastered the classics, commentaries, the works of the masters, and histories, while also studying divination by celestial and atmospheric signs (zhanhou) in depth. After the age of fourteen, Wei Jie was promoted by Emperor Wu of the Later Wei to serve as a secretary in the Eastern Palace. In the early years of Emperor Xiaoming's reign, when the Empress Dowager held court, Wei Jie was appointed Administrator of Lu Commandery. After Emperor Zhuang ascended the throne, Wei Jie was made Administrator of Yangxia.

Because Mount Song was relatively close to Wei Jie's post, Wei Jie went to visit the Daoist master Zhao Jingtong, who lived in seclusion and cultivated the Way. On arriving there, Wei Jie resigned from court office, paid respects to Master Zhao, and studied the Sandong lingwen (numinous writings of the Three Caverns), secret formulas, and oral transmissions. Zhao Jingtong said, "Mount Song is a blessed land where immortals dwell. Recently, Buddhist monks have settled here. They do not practice transcending the mundane world but only wish to gain fame from a famous mountain. As a result, corpses have piled up and spirits have lingered, polluting this sacred mountain. Lately the celestial and atmospheric patterns have also been erratic and out of order, and I fear that calamity will spread here. Is it still suitable for you to stay? You may go to Shangluo, Mount Min, or the Yi region. As for me, I will travel to Mount Tai or cross the sea by boat."

Wei Jie then chose to live on the south side of Mount Hua, and so people called Wei Jie "Huayangzi." Wei Jie took huangjing (Solomon's seal), baizhu (white atractylodes), sesame, fuling (poria), cinnabar, and realgar as medicines, and practiced methods of the Three Ones, the Female One, the Eight Paths, and the Nine Perfections, as well as the Huangting Neijing Jing (Scripture of the Inner Landscape of the Yellow Court), the Zhihui Xiaomo Jing (Scripture of Wisdom That Dispels Demons), and other Daoist teachings. Wei Jie wrote the Sandong Yixu (Ritual Protocols of the Three Caverns), annotated scriptures such as the Miaozhen Jing and the Xisheng Jing, and also annotated the Zhuangzi, Liezi, Zhongyong, Xiaojing, and Analects. Only the Laozi and the Book of Changes had separate, dedicated commentaries.

Taihe Zhenren Louguan Xiansheng Neizhuan (Inner Biography of Master Louguan, the Perfected of Great Harmony) runs to more than eighty fascicles, and one further fascicle records that Emperor Wu of the Zhou once invited Master Louguan to transmit the Lingbao Wufu Chishu Zhenwen (Lingbao Five Talismans Red Writ True Text), a scripture of the Fulu (talismans and registers) tradition. During the ceremony, a white crane flew down over the altar, circled for a while, and then departed. The emperor greatly admired this and bestowed many gifts on him. He also issued an edict asking Master Louguan to compose music for cultivating perfection. Master Louguan then wrote the Jingsi Fa (Method of Focused Contemplation). The emperor praised it repeatedly and bestowed on him the title "Master of Focused Contemplation."

At that time, Zhou Hongzheng, an envoy from the state of Chen, heard of Master Louguan's reputation and wished to consult him, so the emperor summoned the two men to meet. Master Louguan expounded on profound principles, analyzing them with great subtlety, and when he discussed the Three Teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, he brought out their essential meanings. Zhou Hongzheng exclaimed, "He is an outstanding figure among the Three Realms! Surely one worthy of admiration is not merely a person of two states!"

The emperor then conferred on Master Louguan the special title "Great Master of the Mystery Within Mystery" (Xuanzhong Da Fashi). Later, Master Louguan lived on the eastern ridge of the mountain, withdrawing from the clamor of the world and dwelling in a quiet, open place. When the emperor learned of this, he gave him a residence called the Taiyuan Jingshe (Taiyuan Retreat Hall).

It is said that in the fourth year of the Taihe era of Emperor Wu (another account places it in the Tiankang era), colored clouds suddenly gathered over his dwelling like a parasol. He said, "I shall ride this cloud and depart." He then remained inside for twelve days and finally passed away peacefully at the age of seventy-three.

Tian Shiwen

Master Tian, whose personal name was Shiwen, was a native of Youhu. In the seventh year of the Kaihuang era under Emperor Wen of the Sui, he passed the examination for entry into the Dao and became a disciple of Master Wei Jie. Under Wei Jie he studied and received the transmission of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, Dongshen) scriptural system and the secret methods of the talismans. He also recited the two scriptures of the Lingbao Shengshen Zhang (Chapters on the Generation of Spirits). In his daily life he took white atractylodes and poria, and over time he felt that they were beneficial.

He often practiced refining qi in a quiet chamber, sometimes remaining there for ten days or half a month before coming out, and his complexion grew even more lustrous. On each of the Eight Solar Nodes, the Ten Zhi days, and the Gengshen days, he observed fasting and practice without ever becoming lax. When he prayed for blessings on behalf of others, his prayers often received a response, and when he treated illness, his patients were always cured.

Once, Chen Gangchang invited him to conduct a jiao (offering ritual) for prayer. During the ceremony, Master Tian suddenly took several dates from his sleeve and placed them on the altar. After eating them, the guests felt that the dates tasted unlike any found in the human world. On another occasion, the Daoist Yin Qi asked him to wear a talisman case. The case suddenly fell into the water with a loud splash, yet Yin Qi was already on the shore. These events are all examples of the efficacy of the true registers and spirit talismans that Master Tian carried.

Master Tian often told people, "Those in the world who suffer hardship, I will certainly find a way to help." At that time, a fellow villager named He Lan Kai received precepts from him. One night, He Lan Kai suddenly died and was taken by ghostly officials to a courtyard that resembled a government office. The officials consulted their registers and said to him, "You have received the precepts, so you may return." He Lan Kai then revived. It is said that many similar accounts attest to Master Tian's efficacy in communicating with the netherworld and restoring the dead to life.

Therefore many people in the four quarters revered him, and the blessings he bestowed were too numerous to record one by one.

On the nineteenth day of the sixth month of the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang, he ascended and departed. Everyone saw banners, flowers, and feathered insignia coming to welcome him, and he followed them away. He also said, "I am now ascending to the Hall of Blessings in the Southern Palace." He was seventy-five years old. Among his disciples, only Yin Wencao was his inner disciple, one who formally received his methods.

Xu Ze

The Daoist Xu Ze was a native of Ceng County in Donghai. He was quiet of temperament, had few desires, and always held an aspiration to live in seclusion and cultivate the Dao. He entered Jinyun Mountain to cultivate the Way for many years. The Perfected Xu of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), a celestial immortal of Daoist legend, descended and told him, "When you reach eighty years of age, you will become a teacher to a king, and then you will attain the Dao." Thereupon Xu Ze lived on Mount Tiantai, abstained from the five grains (cultivating through bigu, the practice of grain abstention), nourished his body and mind, and subsisted only on pine and water.

Sui Yangdi, then still the Prince of Jin, was stationed at Yangzhou and wrote to summon Xu Ze. Xu Ze said to his disciples, "I am eighty-one years old this year. The Prince of Jin is summoning me, and the words of the Perfected Xu have come true." When he arrived at the Prince's court, the Prince asked him to transmit his methods, but Xu Ze declined on the grounds that the day was inauspicious. That night he burned incense and paid reverence as he always did, and at the fifth watch he quietly returned to the Real (a Daoist expression for a cultivator's death or return to perfection).

The Prince had Xu Ze's body sent back to Tiantai. Some people saw him walking on foot on the road from Jiangdu, and said that he had gone back. Upon reaching his former hermitage, he passed his scriptures and methods on to his disciples, then swept a room and said, "A guest is coming, and he should be invited here." After a while he crossed a stone bridge and departed, and from then on no one knew where he had gone. On the following day, the messenger sent by the Prince indeed arrived. Xu Ze was eighty-two years old at the time.

Moved by grief and admiration, the Prince sent envoys three times to have Xu Ze's portrait painted, and ordered Liu Shi to compose a eulogy:

"The Dao that can be spoken of is not the constant Dao; the constant Dao has no name. The man of highest De does not regard himself as virtuous, and the supreme virtue does not strive to act. The true Daoist wind has arisen. Here was a man who in his early years refined and nourished himself, with bones like gold and stone, and whose spirit rested in the Jade Clarity (a realm of the immortals in Daoist belief). He rinsed his mouth with stone marrow and took spirit elixirs until his refinement was nearly complete. Thinking of Ge Chuanjing (Ge Hong, a Daoist scholar of the Eastern Jin) who would follow Mao Ying to immortality, my lord reached out to him from afar, and at last was moved by his sincere and empty mind. The Historian of the Pillar (a title of Laozi) briefly opened the gate of the Dao, and the Lord of the River Bank (Heshang Gong) devoted himself to cultivation. He left behind talismanic tokens, and his transformed staff was as light as a dragon. Pursuing and longing for the traces of the immortals, why should one be bound to outward appearances?"

Qi Hui

The Dharma Master Qi Hui, courtesy name Pingding, was a native of Jingzhao. In the fifth year of the Taihe era of Emperor Wu of Zhou, he entered the Dao and began to cultivate it. Not long after, Emperor Wu of Zhou set about reforming Buddhism and Daoism, purging monks and Daoists, and Qi Hui therefore returned to secular life. When the Sui dynasty flourished and promoted the Daoist teachings, he, then twenty-six years old, grew even firmer in his aspiration toward the Dao, and so he studied under Dharma Master Su of the Tongdao Abbey. After many years, Dharma Master Su transmitted to him the scriptures of the Three Caverns...

Fa Xiu never grew lax in his practice. Inwardly, he pursued quiet stillness and non-action (wuwei) and preserved his innate nature. Outwardly, he lived at ease and freedom, following what pleased him. After many years of cultivation, his mind was settled, and he was content and at peace.

In the seventh year of the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, Emperor Yang of Sui personally led an army on a campaign against Liaodong. Fa Xiu said to his disciples, "The Way of Heaven is about to change, and I will still witness this change with my own eyes, probably within a few years." When someone asked him what would happen afterward, he replied, "A descendant of Lord Lao will govern the realm. From then on, our teaching will flourish greatly."

A few years later, the Sui dynasty indeed fell into great chaos. Emperor Gaozu of Tang, who respected Fa Xiu's virtue, sent an envoy bearing silk embroidered with dragon patterns to hold a jiao (a Daoist ritual of worship and petition for blessings) and pray for good fortune. On the night the jiao was held, white clouds enveloped the altar, and two deer gently came to rest beside the steps, a sign of the depth of his sincere response.

Emperor Gaozu praised Fa Xiu and issued an edict to rebuild the altars, halls, and statues of Louguan. He allocated income from Lantian to cover the costs of burning incense and cultivation, and he appointed Fa Xiu to oversee the affairs of the monastery. One day, Emperor Gaozu personally visited the shrine and said to those around him, "Lord Lao is the sacred ancestor of our imperial house. Now he is the guardian deity of the state. How could we not vigorously build his shrines?" Accordingly, Louguan was renamed Zongsheng Guan (Temple of the Ancestral Sage), and he ordered that grain and cloth be granted for use in zhaijiao (purification rituals).

Besides often praying for blessings and giving thanks on behalf of the state, Fa Xiu also practiced cun san shou yi (visualizing the Three and guarding the One) and wo dou (lying in the Dipper). These are Daoist methods of visualization and guarding the spirit, and their specific contents were each transmitted within their own lineages. He once heard from an immortal scripture that to become an immortal, one must enter Mount Taibai, so he selected disciples with a true aspiration for the Way to go there with him. When the group returned, the room would often be filled with the sounds of immortals conversing and laughing.

On the eighteenth day of the seventh month of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Fa Xiu suddenly said to his disciples, "Tomorrow at the hour of si (roughly 9 to 11 a.m.), I will leave this human world." At the appointed time, he indeed ascended through yuhua (literally "transformation into feathers," the Daoist term for a practitioner's departure from the mortal world as an immortal). He was seventy-three years old.

Sun Simiao

Sun Simiao was a native of Huayuan in Jingzhao. He entered school at the age of seven and could recite a thousand characters a day. Du Gu Xin, the military governor of Luozhou, saw his precocious talent and praised him, saying, "This is a child prodigy, but his capacity is too great, which makes him difficult to employ." As he grew up, he delighted in discussing the Zhuangzi, the Laozi, and the teachings of the various masters of the Hundred Schools.

During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou, court politics shifted constantly, so Sun Simiao retreated to live as a hermit on Mount Taibai. There he studied the Dao, refined qi (vital energy), and nurtured his body, seeking methods of cultivation that would transcend the mundane world. He understood astronomy, excelled at calculating the calendar, and studied medicine in depth. He was skilled at observing people's voices and expressions, held a benevolent heart, and always strove to accumulate good deeds that went unseen, regarding the rescue of others as his greatest merit.

On one occasion, while travelling, he saw a herd boy who had injured a small snake, whose body was already bleeding. Sun Simiao pleaded with the boy, took off his own clothing to ransom the little snake, applied medicine to wrap its wound, and then returned it to the grass. More than a month later, when he went out again, he saw a young man in white clothes riding a horse, with attendants at his side……

A young man dismounted and bowed to Sun Simiao (Sun Simiao, a Tang dynasty physician and Daoist), saying, "I, your humble younger brother, am grateful for the Daoist master's rescue." Sun Simiao heard this and paid it no mind. The young man bowed again in thanks and invited Sun to travel on with him. He had Sun mount the horse, and the two rode together at a swift pace.

Before long they arrived at a walled city. It was spring, and the flowers and trees were lush and the scenery bright. The gates were grand and many people came and went, so the place seemed fit to be the residence of a king. The young man asked Sun to enter and meet a man of upright bearing and handsome features. That man wore a jiaxia (a kind of folded cap) and a crimson robe, and he was attended by a great many servants. Delighted to greet Sun, he thanked him, saying, "I have long thought of the Daoist master, and I specially sent my son to welcome you. Earlier my boy went out alone and was suddenly injured by a fool. Fortunately, the Daoist master took off his own clothing as compensation and so preserved the boy's life. Our whole family is grateful for your saving grace. To be able to see the Daoist master in person today is a great honor indeed."

After a short while, the man invited Sun to enter an inner chamber, which resembled the innermost part of a palace. A young woman led out a child in green clothing, and she bowed and thanked Sun again and again, saying, "This child is simple-minded and was once harmed by someone. Thanks to the Daoist master's aid, he was spared from disaster."

Sun Simiao recalled that he had once saved a green snake, and he wondered in his heart what sort of place this could be. He then noticed that the attendants around him were all eunuchs and palace musicians. The people there called the man in the jiaxia "the Sovereign" and the woman "the Consort." Puzzled, Sun quietly asked one of the men beside him, and learned that this was the Water Palace of Jingyang, the palace of the waters within the Jingyang domain.

The Sovereign then ordered his guests and officials to prepare wine, food, song, and dance to entertain Sun. Sun explained that he practiced biguan (abstention from grains) and fuqi (the cultivation of breath), so he would drink only wine. The host and guest gathered together for three days. The Sovereign asked what he wished for. Sun replied, "I love to live in the mountains, pursue the Dao and seek truth, and nourish my mind and spirit. Though my eyes can see external things, my heart holds no desires." The Sovereign then offered him light silk, pearls, and gold as parting gifts, but Sun firmly declined, saying, "Those who cultivate the Dao do not value such things. Why should you repay me with them?" The Sovereign then had his son bring thirty prescriptions from the Dragon Palace and gave them to Sun, saying, "These are true arts of the Dao, which may be used to heal the people of the world." He then ordered a servant and a horse to escort Sun back to the mountains.

After returning, Sun Simiao reflected deeply on how extraordinary the affair had been. He tested each of the prescriptions one by one and found that all of them were remarkably effective. Later he compiled the Qianjin Fang (Thousand Gold Prescriptions) in thirty fascicles, which included the Dragon Palace prescriptions. He also diagnosed illnesses by examining a person's voice and complexion, and he wrote one fascicle titled Maijing (Classic of the Pulse), a work that circulated widely.

When Emperor Wen of Sui was assisting in governance, he once appointed Sun Simiao as Erudite of the National University, but Sun did not take up the post. He told others, "In another fifty years a sage will appear, and I will assist him in saving the common people." When Emperor Taizong of Tang came to the throne, the emperor summoned him to the court...

People in the capital, seeing how youthful he looked, were astonished and said, "Now we see that a person of the Dao (Dao, the Way) truly deserves respect. Could the tales of immortals such as Xianmenzi (Xianmen Zi, a legendary immortal) be false?" The court intended to confer an official title on him, but he firmly declined and did not accept it.

When Emperor Gaozong of Tang first ascended the throne, he appointed Sun as Remonstrance Counselor (Jianyi Daifu, an official responsible for remonstrating with the emperor), and again he firmly declined. By then he was ninety-nine years old, yet his eyesight and hearing had not yet declined.

Lu Zhaolin of Fanyang, who was then highly renowned, had fallen seriously ill. Lamenting that human endowments differ and not understanding why some people live long while others die young, he asked Sun Simiao (a famous Tang-dynasty physician and Daoist adept), "On what principle does a great physician cure illness?"

Sun replied, "I have heard that one who speaks well of the Heavenly Dao (Tiandao, the Way of Heaven) must verify it through human conditions, and one who speaks well of human affairs must also take the Heavenly Dao as the foundation. Heaven has the four seasons and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and cold and heat alternate. When Heaven operates in harmony, it becomes rain; when it is angered, it becomes wind; when it congeals, it becomes frost and snow; when it unfolds, it becomes rainbows. This is the constant pattern of how Heaven and Earth operate.

"Humans have four limbs and five viscera. The body wakes and sleeps, and it breathes and exhales. In activity, it forms a continual movement back and forth, and qi (Qi, vital energy) and blood circulate to nourish the body. When this shows outwardly, it becomes complexion; when it is expressed, it becomes sound. This is the constant pattern of how the human body operates.

"Yang qi performs the subtle and refined functions, while yin qi bears the concrete form. This is what humans share with Heaven and Earth. Once the human body falls out of balance, rising qi produces heat, and blockage produces cold. Stagnation grows warts and growths, and congested qi and blood form carbuncles (suppurative sores). Qi rushing in reverse causes panting, and exhaustion of qi and blood leaves the body withered. Illness shows on the face and also alters the form.

"Reasoning from the human body to Heaven and Earth, the principle is the same. When the five planets (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth) move with irregular advance and retreat, when the stars are disordered, when the sun and moon depart from their courses, and when comets stream past, these are like the illnesses of Heaven and Earth. When cold and heat arrive out of season, it is like the qi of Heaven and Earth rising in heat or being blocked. When stones stand upright and earth surges up, it is like Heaven and Earth growing warts. When mountains collapse and the land sinks, it is like Heaven and Earth developing carbuncles. When violent winds and storms come, it is like the qi of Heaven and Earth rushing and quickly exhausting itself. When rain falls out of season and rivers and springs dry up, it is like Heaven and Earth withering.

"The good physician follows these principles, treating with medicines, regulating with needles, stones, and preparations, and assisting further with De (Virtue/Power) and human affairs. Thus human illnesses may be cured, and the calamities of Heaven and Earth may be dispelled."

Lu asked, "How should one act in human affairs?"

Sun said, "The heart is the sovereign. A sovereign should be humble, so the heart should desire to be small. The Book of Songs says, 'As if approaching a deep abyss, as if treading on thin ice,' which speaks of the heart's need for caution. The gallbladder is the general, and what matters in a general is decisiveness, so the gallbladder should desire to be large. The Book of Songs says, 'The valiant warriors are the screens of dukes and lords,' which speaks of the gallbladder's need for resolve. The benevolent person is calm, like the earth……" The original text breaks off here.

The ancient texts say that one who symbolizes uprightness "does not change his principles for private gain, and does not shrink back from guilt before what is right." This is what is meant by "square" (fang).

The wise person acts in accordance with the seasons, like the smooth and flexible motion of the heavens. The Book of Changes says: "Recognize the first signs of a development and act at once, without waiting for the day to end." This is what is meant by "round" (yuan). For this reason, his learning was outstanding, and the arts of the Dao (the Way) he mastered were too many to record.

Someone then asked: "What are the essentials of cultivating one's nature and conduct?" He answered: "Heaven has fullness and waning, and people also meet with hardship and danger. Without caution and self-restraint, one cannot get through these difficulties. Therefore, in cultivating one's nature, the first thing is to understand the need for careful self-restraint. This caution is rooted in reverence. If a scholar has no reverence, he will treat benevolence and righteousness lightly. If a farmer has no reverence, he will neglect his plowing. If an artisan has no reverence, he will be careless with his standards. If a merchant has no reverence, he will find it hard to accumulate goods. If a child has no reverence, he will forget filial duty. If a father has no reverence, he will abandon kindness. If a minister has no reverence, he cannot establish merit. If a ruler has no reverence, the state will fall into disorder and cannot be governed.

"Therefore, the most enlightened person reveres the Dao, next reveres Heaven, then reveres all things and other people, and finally reveres himself. One who is concerned with himself is not controlled by others. One who is cautious in small matters does not fear great ones. One who guards against what is near will have no regrets about what is far. When these things are accomplished, the responsibilities one owes to the human world are also fulfilled."

Not long after, Emperor Gaozong issued an edict conferring on him the official rank of Gentleman of Service (Chengwu Lang) and assigning him to the Imperial Pharmacy Bureau (Shangyao Ju), but he declined to accept. On the fifteenth day of the second month of the third year of the Yonghui era (652 CE), he was already over one hundred years old. At dawn, he bathed, solemnly donned his robes and cap, and sat upright while speaking to his descendants: "I have been driven by the world to retreat into a cave dwelling to cultivate myself, intending to ascend to the 'Land of Non-Being' (a realm of void described in Daoist thought). I have held office in the Golden Gate (the residence of the Heavenly Emperor), yet I have been unable to answer the summons." Before long, he passed away.

He left instructions that he be buried simply, without grave goods (mingqi, objects placed in tombs for use in the afterlife) and without sacrificial animals. More than a month later, his complexion had still not changed. When people lifted his body to place it in the coffin, they found it so light that it seemed to be nothing but an empty garment. They therefore concluded that he had undergone shijie (corpse liberation), the Daoist notion of the body's transformation and release, by which an adept attains the Dao and ascends to immortality.

Note: The interlinear annotation points out that the year and month of this account's shijie agree with the Book of Tang. The Book of Tang states that Sun Simiao died at over one hundred years of age, while the Comprehensive Mirror of Buddhism records that he died in the first year of the Yongchun era of Tang (682 CE). Calculating from the date of shijie given here, his death would fall more than thirty years later, which would make his age over one hundred and twenty. For this reason, the annotation concludes that the record in the Comprehensive Mirror of Buddhism is not reliable.

When Emperor Minghuang fled to Shu, he dreamed that Sun Simiao asked him for realgar (xiongbuang). He then ordered an imperial envoy (zhongshi) to carry ten jin of realgar to the summit of Mount Emei. After the envoy climbed the mountain, he saw an old man wearing a cloth headband……

Two green-robed boys in coarse cloth stood beside him and said, "A memorial for the August Emperor on High has been prepared and will be carried by a palace envoy."

The envoy saw more than a hundred vermilion characters on the stone and copied them down. As he copied, the characters gradually faded, and before long a white vapor rose and spread, and the characters suddenly vanished.

Later, a monk in Chengdu devoted himself to reciting the Lotus Sutra (Fahua Jing). Even when war broke out, he was never harmed. One day a servant from the mountains came to him and said, "The Master invites you to recite the scripture." The servant then led him across several streams and ridges, through clouds and mist, to a mountain dwelling. The servant said, "The Master is old and often ill, and he rises late. Please recite the 'Treasure Tower' chapter (Baota Pin) of the Lotus Sutra so that he may hear it."

When the monk reached that passage, the Master indeed came out. He wore plain, rough robes and leaned on a staff of wolfberry wood, and his earlobes hung down to his shoulders. He burned incense and listened to the scripture. When the reading was finished, he returned to his room and did not come out again. The Master offered the monk a meal: a rattan tray, bamboo chopsticks, a bowl of millet rice, and several dishes of wolfberry and chrysanthemum. The monk found that there was no salt or cheese in it, yet its flavor was as sweet as the sweet dew. The Master also gave him a coin ring. When the servant escorted the monk to the crossroads, the monk asked, "What is the Master's surname?" The servant said it was Sun. The monk then asked his given name, and the servant wrote the two characters "Simiao" on the monk's palm. The monk was greatly astonished. He turned to look back, but the servant had vanished. He searched the mountains but lost his way and could not find the road by which he had come. When he returned to examine the offering, he discovered that the coin ring was worth one hundred strings of gold coin.

From the time of that meal onward, the monk's body was light and vigorous, and he suffered no illness. In the Tianxi era of the Zhenzong reign of the Song dynasty, he was already over a hundred years old. Later he withdrew into seclusion and disappeared, and no one knew where he went.

Chen Daoyi comments: Sun Simiao refined qi and nourished the spirit, and he was thoroughly versed in medicine. He was single-minded in doing good and accumulating virtue, always held a compassionate heart, and diligently performed acts of kindness. Even when it came to an injured little snake or a tiny insect, he would apply medicine to heal it and then release it. His virtue extended even to insects, which is something ordinary people find difficult to do. As for the stories of his receiving the Dragon Palace's repayment and his responding to spiritual signs, these are of the same kind. The Daodejing (Dao De Jing) says, "He who is always good at saving things leaves nothing discarded." Sun Simiao truly lived this principle.

Hu Yinyao

Hu Yinyao was a Daoist of Dongting Mountain, and he claimed to be a grandson of Master Luli. On that mountain there is a Luli village and a Luli temple, and for generations many people there have attained the Dao. Hu Yinyao lived on Jiao Mountain and studied the Taiyin Lianxing (a Daoist cultivation method that aims to continue refining the physical form even after death). He died inside a mountain cave, and he instructed his disciples, "Check on my body often and do not let external things harm it. In six years, if I am revived, dress me in my robes and cap."

When the disciples checked, they found that his flesh had decayed, but his five viscera remained unchanged.

He then sealed up the body. When the appointed time came, he did indeed come back to life, so they prepared hot water to bathe him and dressed him in new clothes. His hair was thick and black, and his beard was stiff and straight. He lived another sixteen years before dying as before, and after another seven years he came back to life again. This happened three times in all. By about the age of eighty, his appearance was still that of a man in his thirties.

When Emperor Yang of Sui heard of this, he summoned him and received him with great ceremony. In the Zhenguan era (627–649) of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the emperor issued an edict calling him into the inner palace to ask about the way of nourishing life. He replied: "What your servant has cultivated is only the private aspiration of a common man, and its efficacy cannot benefit the world. When a ruler cultivates the Dao, a single beneficial word can bring blessings to the people of all the realms, and the results of his cultivation are especially swift. My own shallow learning is not something fit for one like Your Majesty, who dwells deep within the nine gates and commands ten thousand chariots." He then asked to retire to the mountains, and from that time no one knew where he went.

Liu Daohe

Liu Daohe, also known as Liu Aidao, was a native of Wanqiu in the Chen region. From youth he aspired to seclusion, and he lived on Anyang Mountain in Shouchun. At the end of the Sui dynasty he moved to Mount Su, where he studied Daoist methods under the Daoist priest Meng Shen of the Xiantang Abbey. Later he entered Mount Huo.

On the day of the Spring Equinox, he read an oath aloud in a mountain valley. After he had walked a few li, thunder and lightning suddenly erupted and heavy rain began to fall, so he took shelter in a cave. That night he dreamed that someone summoned him. On waking, he dimly saw a flash of light, and then a divine being appeared, more than ten feet tall, wearing official robes and cap, with a sword at his waist and a fulu (talismans and registers) in hand, followed by six or seven armored attendants.

The divine being said to Liu Daohe: "I am the Envoy of the Great Majesty of the Yellow Spirit. Now the foul and evil kinds among the Six Heavens are harming the people and all creatures. I hear that you love the arts of the Dao and that your resolve is firm, and so you may be able to subdue the myriad demons. Therefore I bring you the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) method of the Three Heavens, the Oath of Covenant of Majesty, and the summoning tallies." Liu Daohe accepted the tallies and swallowed them. From then on, whenever he performed Daoist methods, they were never without effect.

In the Wude era of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, he entered Mount Song and lived together with Pan Shizheng. When Emperor Gaozong of Tang heard of this, he issued an edict to have the Taiyi Guan (Temple of the Great One) built at his place of seclusion and had him live there. At that time the court was preparing to hold the fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai, but a long rain would not stop, so the emperor sent Liu Daohe to pray for clear weather. Before long the rain ceased. The gifts the emperor bestowed on him he often gave to the poor.

When locusts plagued the region around Luoyang, Liu Daohe gave talismans to officials and had them posted throughout the territory, and the locusts soon receded. In the Xianheng era of Emperor Gaozong, the emperor summoned him to the palace and asked him to make talismans. Before the talismans were finished and presented, he suddenly began to put his books in order in a hurried manner, as if preparing for a long journey. When his disciples asked the reason, he said, "The Lord of Fates of Mount Lu has summoned me." After a while he bathed, changed his clothes, put on his crown, donned a brown Daoist robe, and then passed away. In the Tiaolu era, when the court began building the Fengtian Palace, his body was moved to……

Upon opening the tomb of Dao He, people found only a skeleton in the coffin, scattered loosely like the shell a cicada leaves behind when it sheds its skin. (Another account holds that only an empty skin remained, with the back still intact.)

(An earlier version of this passage reads "scattered like a cicada's shed skin.") The emperor, on hearing of this, said: "He refined the elixir on my behalf, and then took it himself and departed."

Historical Immortals' Comprehensive Mirror of the Daoist Way, Scroll 29