《歷世真仙體道通鑑》Vol. 51

This account of Master Hou recounts the story of a mysterious Daoist during the Qingli era of the Song Dynasty. Appearing to be in his forties, Master Hou had no beard or eyebrows, and his body was covered with tumor-like growths resembling a skin condition. He often sold medicines in the capital but had few customers, frequently appearing half-drunk and sleeping among beggars at night.

A man named Ma Yuan, who was devoted to Daoist cultivation and life-nourishing practices, sensed something extraordinary about Master Hou. During an exceptionally hot summer, he followed Master Hou out of the city gates. After bribing the gatekeeper, Master Hou stripped off his clothes at the northwest corner of a pond and plunged into the water, swimming with remarkable ease. When Ma Yuan drew closer to observe, a toad as large as a mat suddenly surfaced, its eyes blazing like fire, startling him into retreat. After Master Hou emerged and dressed, Ma Yuan approached and bowed. With a laugh, Master Hou asked, "Did you see me just now?" When Ma Yuan admitted he had, Master Hou took him to a tavern and revealed that he was actually an immortal who practiced the art of Qi absorption (a Daoist breathing technique for cultivation). He had remained in the mortal world only because he was fond of the capital's fine wine. From a gourd, he poured out a single immortal elixir and gave it to Ma Yuan, claiming it would grant him a hundred years of life. After finishing their drinks, they parted ways, and no one ever saw Master Hou again. Later, a visitor from Shu claimed to have spotted him selling medicine in the marketplace.

Zhang Jiuge was another extraordinary figure who appeared in the capital during Emperor Renzong's Qingli era. By day, he wandered the streets, sometimes begging for money—only to distribute it when he had too much. At night, he often slept in abandoned houses or dung heaps, wearing only thin robes even in winter, with his hair covering his face. Many believed he had attained the Dao. One day, Prince Yan spotted a group of children following Zhang Jiuge from his tower and summoned him, asking, "Have you attained the Dao?" Zhang Jiuge replied that he had not. When the prince pressed him about his abilities, he said he had only learned the "art of joyfulness." Amused, Prince Yan offered him a cup of wine. On a later meeting, he gave him a whole jug. Over a year later, Zhang Jiuge suddenly appeared at the palace gates, announcing his farewell to Prince Yan. When the guards refused to announce him, he forced his way in. Hearing the commotion, Prince Yan inquired and learned it was Zhang Jiuge.

He said to the immortal of Dao, “I once received wine from you. Now I am about to travel far, so I have come especially to bid you farewell.” The king ordered someone nearby to pour wine and offer it to him.

The immortal said, “I know a small trick that might amuse Your Majesty. May I perform it?” The king asked, “What kind of trick?” He replied, “I’ll need a length of silk and a pair of gold scissors.” The king had a length of yellow gauze silk and a pair of scissors brought in. The immortal folded the silk and cut it into the shapes of bees and butterflies. The cutout bees and butterflies immediately flew away. Before long, the entire length of silk had vanished, and countless bees and butterflies filled the room. Some settled on the king’s sleeves, some gathered in the hair and on the hairpins of the palace ladies, and the rest scattered through the courtyard. The king was astonished and delighted.

After a while, the immortal said, “I’m afraid I’ve lost Your Majesty’s silk.” He called to the bees and butterflies. One by one they flew back and became a single length of silk again. But a piece was missing from its middle, leaving a mark shaped like a butterfly’s wing: one of the palace attendants had caught a butterfly. The king asked, “Can this butterfly still come back?” The immortal replied, “No. If it had heard the call and returned, it might have been possible. But too much time has passed; now it cannot. Let it remain as a keepsake of this marvel.”

The king asked, “How much longer will I live?” The immortal said, “Your Majesty will live as long as the Buddhist pagoda at Kaibao Temple.” They drank together again, and then the immortal departed. Later, the pagoda was destroyed in a fire, and the king also died. The immortal had foreseen these events, and so his prediction proved true. From then on, people in the Hunan and Hubei region sometimes saw him, still with the same bearing and appearance as before.

An Changqi

An Changqi was from Gongcheng in Zhaozhou. As a young man, he passed the jinshi examination. During the Huangyou era of Emperor Renzong of the Song, after the court put down Nong Zhigao’s rebellion, it granted favors to the people of the two Guang provinces. All jinshi candidates who had previously taken the Ministry of Rites examination were specially permitted to sit the palace examination. An Changqi thereby received an official post and became an assistant military officer in Yongding, Hengzhou. Later, for personal reasons, he left his post and never served again. Taking only a young attendant with him, he traveled through Guangdong, visiting its mountains and waters and wandering wherever he pleased.

His fellow examination candidate Hu Jun was from Qujiang and served as magistrate of Haifeng County in Huizhou during the Jiayou era. An Changqi once went to visit him and stayed for a long time. When the two drank together, An Changqi would often perform little tricks to amuse everyone. He rolled paper into several balls, covered them, and recited an incantation. The vessel began to move. When they slowly lifted the cover, the paper balls had all become mice, gnawing and moving just like real ones. Covered again, they were once more only the original paper balls.

Sometimes he gathered Chinese yam, chewed it, and spat it out for people to see; it looked just like malt syrup. He also sometimes stayed awake all night. Pointing to the young attendant, he told people, “Don’t look down on this child. One day he will live in seclusion with me.”

In the second year of the Zhiping era of Emperor Yingzong of the Song, he again traveled with the young attendant, this time to Xiashan Temple in Qingyuan County, Guangzhou.

He said to the monk, “I have long heard that Mount Xia has a Cave of Harmonious Light, so I have come especially to visit it.” With that, he set off with the boy and did not return for several days. The monk feared that a tiger had eaten him, and took several monk attendants to search everywhere, but found nothing. On the stone wall before the cave, however, they saw a poem inscribed:

“I left behind my tent of fragrant orchids; even the apes could not bear to cry out. The zither and books have joys of their own, but what friend could keep me company? The furnace for refining elixirs is not without its medicines; another stairway leads to the blue clouds. For a while I shall dwell in seclusion on Mount Xia. Let no one in the world compare me to Boyi and Shuqi.”

After the poem was written: “Written by An Changqi, formerly county commandant of Yongding County, Hengzhou.”

Chen Jingyuan, whose courtesy name was Taixu and whose master’s title was Zhenjing, called himself Master Azure Void. He was from Nancheng, Jianchang. He once took the Daoist Han Zhizhi of Gaoyou as his teacher. Later, he left his teacher and traveled to Mount Tiantai, where he met Master Hongmeng, Zhang Wumeng, and learned secret arts from him. Chen Jingyuan read books from childhood and remained diligent into old age. He personally collated and copied all kinds of Daoist books, working at it day after day, without pause throughout the year.

At first, he traveled to the capital and stayed at Liquan Abbey. People asked him to establish a teaching altar and give lectures. When Emperor Shenzong of Song heard of his reputation, he issued an edict ordering him to hold a Universal Great Jiao at Liquan Abbey—a large Daoist purification and offering ritual praying for blessings throughout the realm—and to compose and present a blue petition, a prayer offered to the heavenly deities during a Daoist ritual. After reading the petition submitted to him, the emperor praised its fine writing and summoned Chen Jingyuan to an audience at the Tianzhang Pavilion. He then bestowed on him the master’s title “Zhenjing.” Later, Chen changed into official robes and was repeatedly promoted to deputy Daoist registrar for the Left and Right Streets, an official post overseeing Daoist affairs in the capital.

In the year Jimao, he requested permission to return to Mount Lu to bury his parents. The emperor issued an edict granting him silver to help with the journey. He took no other belongings; the hundred loads of baggage he brought were filled entirely with scriptures and histories.

At his residence, he set up separate studies for Daoist, Confucian, and medical books, storing them in categories. Scholars from various places who wished to study with him were assigned to the study suited to their field. There they collated and organized books together, so that each person could pursue their own learning fully. His two servants were named “Yellow Essence” and “Goji Berry.” They were obedient and free of guile—truly attendants suited to serve a man of the Dao.

The ministers Wang Anshi and Wang Gui both enjoyed his company. When Chen Jingyuan had just returned to Mount Lu, he took leave of Wang Anshi. Wang asked why he had requested permission to retire, and Chen replied, “I was originally a man of the mountains and fields, but now I hold an official post. I am entangled in government affairs, and whatever I do is liable to arouse suspicion. It is better for me to return to Mount Lu.”

Wang Anshi wrote a poem at Chen’s request and inscribed it on a table:

“An official’s post brings duties to discharge;

at every turn, suspicion and resentment arise.

My untamed nature can scarcely bear this;

I shall return to Mount Lu.”

He later added, “Zhenjing himself said this.” Chen Jingyuan enjoyed writing regular script, taking Wang Xizhi’s Treatise on Yue Yi and Scripture of the Yellow Court as his models, tracing the tradition back to them and carrying it forward to Ouyang Xun…

When Yang Xun was seventy years old, he bathed, changed into fresh clothes, gave a long cry, and died sitting upright beside the Stele of Huadu Temple. He left behind a few lines of verse: “My former body has now been shed. This is neither transformation nor new birth; I have returned to my true home.” Only then did people understand that he had left the world by the method of shijie, or “liberation from the corpse.” Yang Xun wrote two volumes of the Daoist Scripture, two volumes of Collected Subtle Teachings from Laozi’s Library, and a ten-volume commentary on the Zhuangzi. Also preserved are his hundred-volume Biographies of Worthy Recluses, a thirty-volume collection of writings, and works including Collected Annotations on the Pronunciation and Meaning of the Great Cavern Scripture and Commentary on the Scripture of Deliverance by Lingbao.

Liu Xuanying, courtesy name Zongcheng and sobriquet Haichanzi, was originally named Cao, with the courtesy name Zhaoyuan. After attaining the Dao, he took the name Liu Xuanying. He was from Guangling in the region of Yan, though some accounts say he was from the Great Liao. Well versed in the classics, Liu Xuanying passed the civil service examinations and served the Yan ruler Liu Shouguang, rising to the rank of prime minister. He had long been drawn to discussions of the cultivation of nature and life, and revered the teachings of Huangdi and Laozi.

One day, a Daoist suddenly came to visit. Liu Xuanying invited him to sit in the main hall and treated him as an honored guest. When asked his surname and given name, the Daoist did not answer, but called himself “Zhengyangzi.” Liu Xuanying respectfully asked him to teach. The Daoist then explained the principles of clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), along with the essential methods of returning the elixir through liquid gold. In Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), this refers to cultivating oneself so that body and mind return to their original nature.

Afterward, the Daoist asked for ten eggs and ten copper coins. He placed one coin on the table, then stacked the ten eggs on top of it, one above another, like a tower. Liu Xuanying exclaimed, “How dangerous!” The Daoist replied, “To live amid glory and generous stipends, while surrounded by troubles and dangers, is far more perilous than this.” He then broke all the remaining coins in half, tossed them to the ground, and took his leave.

Liu Xuanying later attained the Dao. In portraits of him, he wears a cloth headwrap and a yellow robe, carries a wine gourd over his right shoulder and a cloth sack over his left, and has patches sewn over the tears in his clothes. His manner and bearing are calm and untroubled; anyone who saw him could tell he was a man of the Dao.

He also once used his brush to write the four characters “Longevity Mountain, Sea of Blessings” at Qingyang Palace in Chengdu. It is said that the two locations were far apart: Shouning was only two stages from Laiyi, while western Shu and the region of Dai lay thousands of miles apart. Yet he could write these words in different places at the same moment, displaying the supernatural power to divide his form and scatter his presence, transforming without limit.

After his elixir was complete, Liu Xuanying left the world by the method of shijie: a stream of white vapor rose from the crown of his head and transformed into a crane that flew into the sky. The Records of the Quanzhen Tradition states that he was born on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month and ascended to heaven on the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month; the exact years are unknown. In the first month of the sixth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan dynasty…

Bestowed the Title of Perfected Lord of the Sea Toad, Illumined in Understanding and Vast in the Dao

Zhang Yongcheng

Zhang Boduan was from Tiantai. In his youth, he studied almost everything and traveled widely. In his later years, he taught the Way of Primordial Unity, the fundamental Great Dao in Daoist teaching. Feeling that he had not yet fully understood it, he diligently sought instruction and journeyed throughout the land.

In 1069, during the Xining era of Emperor Shenzong of the Song, Lu Shen was appointed to guard Yidu. Zhang Boduan accompanied him and traveled through Shu. On the way, he met Liu Haichan, who taught him the oral formulas for the timing of the Fire Phases in refining the Golden Elixir through the Returning Elixir of Golden Liquor. Zhang Boduan then changed his name to Yongcheng, took Ping Shu as his courtesy name, and adopted the title Ziyang. After completing his cultivation, he wrote the Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality), which was passed down to later generations.

There was a monk who practiced precepts, meditation, and wisdom, and believed he had grasped the highest vehicle of Chan. He could enter meditation and travel in spirit, reaching places hundreds of miles away in the blink of an eye. One day, he met Perfected Ziyang, and the two shared similar interests. Ziyang asked, “Can you travel far with me today, Master?” The monk replied, “I can.” Ziyang said, “Then let Heaven’s will decide,” and went on to remark that among the stars of the Five Phases, only the Earth Lodge—Saturn—remained. The text also describes Ziyang’s portrait: he wears a square headcloth and a yellow robe, carries a wine gourd over his right shoulder, and has a cloth bag hanging from his left. His clothes are torn and patched. His expression and bearing are calm and detached; anyone who sees him knows he has attained the Dao.

Ziyang also once splashed ink to write the four characters “Mount Longevity, Sea of Blessings” at Qingyang Palace in Chengdu. The two places were far apart: Shouning and Laiyi were only two she apart, while western Shu and the land of Dai lay thousands of miles from each other. Yet he wrote the characters at both places at the same time, demonstrating the wondrous power of manifesting himself in multiple forms and extending his spiritual transformations everywhere.

After refining the Golden Elixir, he ascended to Heaven through corpse liberation, the Daoist transformation in which an adept leaves behind a physical form while the spirit rises and is transfigured. A stream of white vapor emerged from the crown of his head, transformed into a crane, and soared into the sky.

The Quanzhen Tradition records that he was born on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month and ascended to Heaven on the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month, though the years are unknown. In the first month of 1269, during the Zhiyuan era of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan, the court bestowed on him the title “Perfected Lord of the Sea Toad, Illumined in Understanding and Vast in the Dao.”

There was a monk who practiced a superior form of Chan meditation and could enter meditative absorption and send his spirit forth, traveling several hundred miles in an instant. One day he met Ziyang (Zhang Boduan, who used the courtesy name Ziyang and was a founding patriarch of the Southern School of Daoism, renowned for Neidan cultivation). They shared similar interests. Ziyang asked, “Chan Master, would you travel with me to a distant place today?” The monk agreed. Ziyang said, “I’ll leave it to you to decide.” The monk replied, “I’d like us to visit Yangzhou and see the Qionghua blossoms.” Ziyang agreed.

The two sat facing each other, cross-legged with their eyes closed, in a clean room, and both sent their spirits traveling. When Ziyang arrived in Yangzhou, the monk was already there, having circled the Qionghua blossoms three times. Ziyang said, “Since we have come here today, let’s each pick a blossom as proof.” They each picked one and returned. Before long, they stretched and awoke. Ziyang asked, “Chan Master, where is your Qionghua blossom?” The monk reached into his sleeve and found his hand empty. Ziyang, however, took a Qionghua blossom from his hand, and the two smiled as they admired it. Ziyang said, “Even today, people like us, who study both Chan and the immortals’ arts, can occasionally be found.” From then on, Ziyang and the monk became close friends.

Later, a disciple asked Ziyang, “That Chan Master traveled in spirit just as you did. Why was the result different when you picked the blossoms?” Ziyang replied, “I cultivate the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir (the Daoist method of Neidan, in which Jing, Qi, and Shen serve as the ingredients for refinement), practicing the dual cultivation of nature and life. Thus, when spirit and Qi gather, they form a body; when they disperse, they become Qi. Wherever I go, my true spirit can manifest a body. This is called the Yang spirit. He cultivates with the aim of seeing results quickly. He no longer cultivates life, but works directly on nature. So when he reaches a place, others cannot see his form or shadow. This is called the Yin spirit.”

The disciple said, “You often say that Daoism established its teachings through the cultivation of life, and so speaks in detail about life while saying less about nature; Buddhism established its teachings through the cultivation of nature, and so speaks in detail about nature while saying less about life. In truth, nature and life cannot be separated, and the Dao and Buddhism are no different at their root. Shakyamuni was born in the West and, too, attained the Dao of the Golden Elixir, cultivating nature and life together. This is the highest teaching, which is why he is called the ‘Golden Immortal.’ Fu Dashi (Fu Xi, a lay Buddhist of the Southern Liang dynasty) wrote in a poem: ‘Why spend six years in the snowy mountains? To harmonize Qi and spirit. A hundred moments make one breath; only then do we know the Great Dao is the whole body.’ Zhongli Zhengyang (Zhongli Quan, one of the Eight Immortals of Daoism) also said: ‘Bodhidharma faced a wall for nine years before rising beyond the inner court; the World-Honored One stilled his mind for six years before escaping the ordinary.’ From this we can clearly see that Shakyamuni cultivated both nature and life. That he could send out only a Yin spirit while in meditation reflects the aim of the Two Vehicles (the Lesser Vehicle’s path, which emphasizes personal liberation) in seated meditation, and differs from the highest teaching of cultivating nature and life together.”

What can sorcery accomplish? Its consciousness belongs to the Yin realm, and the dwelling that houses it is difficult to keep secure, so it must continually move from place to place. A single mistaken thought may pierce the spirit body and enter another body or a womb. How could this lead to Buddhahood? This is the fifth rank, called “Ghost Immortal,” in our teaching.

Among the five kinds of immortals, Ghost Immortals rank lowest. They escape the Yin realm but fail to understand the foundation of the spirit way: they have no name among the ghost passes, nor any title in the immortal realms of the Three Mountains. Though they no longer enter the cycle of rebirth, they cannot easily return to Penglai and Yingzhou, the legendary immortal islands. In the end, they have nowhere to go and can only be reborn or seize another person’s body.

Some practitioners have not yet grasped the Great Dao but want quick results. They make the body like a withered tree and the mind like dead ashes, gather their consciousness within, and keep it single and undispersed. Then, in meditation, they let the Yin spirit leave the body. This state is merely that of a lucid ghost, not a pure Yang immortal. Because the focused Yin spirit has not dispersed, it is called a “Ghost Immortal.” Though called an immortal, it is in truth still a ghost; therefore, the way of the immortals does not accept this state.

Shakyamuni also said that only the Buddha Vehicle can bring people to ultimate liberation, and no other vehicle can do so. He further said that no other vehicle in the world can ferry people across; there is only the One Buddha Vehicle. Just as Shakyamuni did not accept the two lesser vehicles, our teaching does not accept Ghost Immortals.

Yet people differ in their capacities and abilities. Thus Buddhism teaches the three vehicles, while Daoism distinguishes five ranks of immortals. Among the 3,600 methods of the byways, each student clings to one and treats it as fundamental. Perfected Zhongli said, “There are 3,600 gates to wondrous methods, and students each cling to one as their foundation. How could they know that the single secret of immortality lies outside those 3,600 gates?” This is precisely what Shakyamuni meant when he said, “Only the One Buddha Vehicle can ferry people across.”

There is also a record that during the Zhiping era of Emperor Yingzong of the Song, Academician Lu, a Longtu scholar, was appointed commander in Guilin and brought with him a man who had served under Ziyang (Zhang Boduan) as keeper of confidential affairs. Later, when Lu was transferred elsewhere, he continued to take the man with him. Lu eventually died in Chengdu. Ziyang traveled through the Qinling and Long regions and, much later, served Ma Mo of Fufeng, whose courtesy name was Chuhou, in Hedong. When Chuhou was summoned to take up an appointment, Ziyang gave him the Wuzhen Pian and said, “Everything I have studied throughout my life is in this book. I hope you will spread it. In time, someone will read it and grasp its meaning.”

Later, Chuhou became Commissioner of Grain Transport for Guangnan, and Ziyang again traveled with him. On the fifteenth day of the third month in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, Ziyang sat cross-legged and transformed. He was ninety-nine years old. He left behind a “Song on Corpse Liberation,” which says: “The Four Great Elements are about to disperse, already empty like floating clouds; one numinous presence, wondrously existent, pervades the entire Dharma Realm.”

After Hao Chan’s disciples cremated his body, they found hundreds, even thousands, of relics—crystalline remains left after a practitioner’s cremation. The largest were as big as fox nuts. All the relics were a deep blue-green. When his disciples gathered at the site, he pointed to the relics and said, “These are what the Daoist books call ‘relics that gleam with a golden sheen.’”

Seven years later, Liu Fengzhen met Ziyang (his Daoist name) on Mount Wangwu. Ziyang left a poem and departed. During the Zhenghe reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song, Ziyang one day sent in his calling card to pay a visit to Huang Mianzhong, who was serving as a minister in Yanping. Huang had long studied and transmitted the Way of Rongcheng—the methods of cultivation and nourishing life said to have been passed down by the legendary Rongcheng—and had a particular passion for alchemy. He was already very old. Their conversation did not go well, so Ziyang left. Later, Ziyang sent Huang a letter recounting extraordinary events. Huang’s grandson, Huang Quan, saw the letter and kept it safe, without making its full contents public. In essence, the letter said that Ziyang claimed he and Huang Mianzhong had once both been the Nine Sovereign Perfected Ones in the Purple Tenuity Palace, celestial immortals who had been banished to the human world for mistakenly revising the registers of the cosmic tribulations, which recorded calamities and the decrees of Heaven. Now only six stars could be seen in the celestial enclosure, while three others had hidden their light. These three stars corresponded to Yongcheng, Mianzhong, and Master Weiyangzi. Yongcheng was Perfected Ziyang, Mianzhong was Ziyuan, and Master Weiyangzi was Zihua.

The officials who had been banished at that time had all returned to the Pure Capital, the abode of the Celestial Emperor. Yongcheng had now again been certified among the ranks of immortals, while Mianzhong alone remained mired in official life. He was supposed to pass through ten lifetimes in the human world and had now completed nine. If in his next life he remained deluded and indistinguishable from the common world, he would fall again into another condition and lose any further chance of rising to immortality. Ziyang therefore recalled their former immortal bond and did all he could to guide Huang Mianzhong. But Huang never understood, and eventually died, leaving behind only the title “Elder Ziyuan.” The Nine Sovereigns were not counted among the celestial palace’s ranks, but belonged to the dimmer stars. Ziyang guided more than one disciple. Among them was the Daoist Liu of White Dragon Cave, named Fengzhen, who later ascended in broad daylight. He was Liu Douzi of Jiankang Prefecture.

Ma Ziran

No one knows where Ma Ziran came from. From a young age, he studied methods of cultivating the Dao and refining Qi. In his sixty-fourth year, he came to a wine shop in Jianchang and saw four Daoists dressed in heavily patched clothes, yet with an extraordinary bearing. A young attendant was with them. When Ma Ziran asked their names, they replied, “Master Zhongli, Master Lü, Liu Haichan, and Chen Qizi.” Ma Ziran was greatly astonished and hurriedly bowed to them.

Perfected Zhongli said to him, “Your bones and bearing are unlike those of ordinary people. For decades I have been searching for someone to whom I could transmit my teachings, and no one has been your equal.” Before long, Perfected Zhongli departed together with the two immortal masters Lü and Chen, saying, “You already have a master.” Only Liu Haichan remained, and he began to teach Ma Ziran … The original text breaks off here.

The secret of cultivating the Golden Elixir lies in containing essence amid deep obscurity and mystery, and in holding something within what is indistinct and elusive. The “something” spoken of here is no ordinary thing, and the “essence” is no ordinary essence. When Heaven receives it, Heaven becomes clear and bright; when Earth receives it, Earth becomes tranquil; when a person receives it, that person becomes spiritually aware.

If a person can hold fast to primordial Qi (the vital energy at the root of life), keeping it focused and undispersed, then the Celestial Pass turns and the Earth’s axis revolves. Yin and Yang meet, and Heaven and Earth join. The gates of Kan and Li then open—Kan and Li are the trigrams that represent Water and Fire, Yin and Yang, in Neidan practice—and the Dragon and Tiger unite. Next comes the transformation of the central palace, represented by Wu and Ji. This is a spiritual treasure bestowed by Heaven, and the most subtle and exquisite part of the wondrous method.

Everyone has the foundation needed to practice this method. Yet some are dull in understanding and weak in spirit, sinking into sensual desire; others have heard of it but never truly grasped it. Some hold their breath, sit alone, and visualize the spirit, only to fall into deluded thoughts. Some rinse their mouths with saliva and swallow it; others practice guiding and massage, only to deplete their bodies. Some abstain from grain and leave themselves hungry; others practice breathing exercises and invite harmful winds. Some pursue things solely outside themselves, smelting lead and mercury; others recklessly cultivate Yin Elixir within. In this way, true cultivation makes no progress, and the spirit cannot be nurtured. People pass from their prime to old age, and from old age to death, as swiftly as six fine horses racing past a crack in the gate. It is truly lamentable.

You should seek essence in deep obscurity and mystery, and seek that “something” in the indistinct and elusive. Let body and spirit move freely without obstruction, and unite with the Dao as one reality. Later, having heard these words, he bowed and sought the Dao, and at last attained it.

After attaining the Dao, he once traveled to Mount Lu and slept soundly on a rock for more than sixty days. A woodcutter passing by finally woke him. Soon afterward, he left and went to Mount Gezhao, climbing Mount Zifang to visit the Perfected One Qingxu. At times he also wandered among the townsfolk, wearing a straw rain cape and a bamboo hat, carrying a large iron ladle, and begging for money to buy wine. When drunk, he would stroll at ease among the mountains and waters. Later, no one knew where he went.

Shi Tai

Shi Tai was from Changzhou. His courtesy name was Dezhi, and he was known as Xinglin and also as Cuixuanzi. After meeting Zhang Ziyang, he received the Way of cultivating the Golden Elixir.

Earlier, Zhang Ziyang had attained the Dao from Liu Haichan. Liu Haichan told him, “If, in the future, someone can free you from your bonds and remove your shackles, pass this method on to that person. Do not pass it on to anyone else.” Later, Zhang Ziyang passed the method on three times to unsuitable people and suffered calamities each time. He then vowed never again to transmit it indiscriminately. He wrote the Wuzhen Pian and allowed it to circulate in the world, saying, “If someone with the bearing of an immortal from a former life reads this book and can understand it on their own, then Heaven has bestowed it upon them; it does not count as my passing it on without authorization.”

Later, Zhang Ziyang angered the prefect in Fengzhou and was tried for the matter, sentenced to tattooing and exile. While passing through the Binzhou area, he encountered a heavy snowfall and went with the guards escorting him to drink at a village inn. Xinglin happened to be there too. When they met, they exchanged bows and took their seats, and the people at the inn invited them to join one another. Xinglin smiled…

The guests on one side were enjoying their conversation, while those on the other had not yet finished drinking. They invited him over to drink with them. When everyone had drunk their fill, they asked what had happened, and he recounted the whole story in detail. After listening, Xinglin thought: “The Prefect of Binzhou is an old friend of mine. He is glad to do good and does not value power or status. Though he has come from a thousand li away, he is still willing to humble himself and come in person. Perhaps I can help you avoid this journey.”

Ziyang implored the people escorting him to let him go, and they agreed. So the group set out together for Binzhou. Xinglin introduced Ziyang to the prefect, and at their first meeting, Ziyang was granted exemption from the journey. Grateful to Xinglin, Ziyang said, “How could I still call myself a human being if I failed to repay such kindness? I have studied the Dao all my life, but gained little. I hear that you are now about to teach the methods of the Elixir. I would like to pass them on to you.” Xinglin bowed in thanks and respectfully received the teaching, resolving to cultivate it. Later, he attained success in the Dao and wrote the Treatise on Returning to the Origin, which was passed down through the generations.

Xinglin lived to the age of 137. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the twenty-eighth year of the Shaoxing era under Emperor Gaozong of the Song (1158), he departed by “corpse liberation”—a Daoist term for an adept leaving behind the body while the spirit departs—and left this verse:

“The thunderclap split open the Niwan cavity;

my true body rode away on a fire dragon.

I do not know who brought this about,

but the Great Void was shattered.”

Two years later, Yi Jie saw Xinglin again on Mount Luofu.

Xue Daoguang

Xue Daoguang, whose personal name was Shi and who was also known as Daoyuan, came from Mount Jizu in Shanzhou. Another account says he was from Langzhou and had the courtesy name Taiyuan. He had once been a monk, with the Dharma name Zixian, and was also known as Chan Master Pilings. He traveled to Chang’an and stayed at Kaifu Temple, where he studied with the elder monk Xiuyan.

Xiuyan once tested his understanding with a question: “Before the golden rooster crows, what is there that has no sound?” Later, Xue also visited the monk Ruhuan and asked, “What words can surpass the Buddha and the patriarchs?” Ruhuan replied, “A round, solid sesame cake, sitting right there.” When Xue saw a water-lifting lever, he suddenly awakened to something and composed this verse:

“When the water lever creaks and turns, answering itself,

I seek no answer from another and suddenly understand its meaning.

The lever has fully told the song of non-arising;

the mud snake in the well, too, leaps into the Zhe branch dance.”

Both Chan masters affirmed his realization. From then on, he awakened to the supreme, perfect, and true essentials of the Dharma. His responses were quick and keen, and he could understand Chan doctrine and teaching in all their depth. He had also long been fond of the Golden Elixir and practices for guiding and nourishing the body.

In the winter of 1106, the fifth year of the Chongning era under Emperor Huizong of the Song, Xue Daoguang was staying at a Buddhist temple in Qingzhen, Mei County, listening to a lecture on the scriptures. There he happened to meet the Daoist Shi Tai, courtesy name Dezhi, from Xinglin Station in Fufeng County, Fengxiang Prefecture. Shi Tai was then eighty-five years old, with black hair, a ruddy complexion, and an extraordinary presence. One night, while Shi Tai was mending his clothes, Zixian sensed that he was no ordinary person and casually quoted a line by Zhang Ping-shu. Shi Tai exclaimed in surprise, “Do you know this man? He is my teacher.” The original text continues beyond this point.

Zixian bowed before and took refuge in Ziyang (Zhang Boduan, a Daoist Neidan practitioner), asking to become his disciple. Ziyang accepted him and taught him the method of returning the Elixir, the practice of refining and cultivating the Neidan, along with its essential instructions and key principles. Ziyang also advised him to go to a large town with good transport links and rely on people of influence if he wished to accomplish his aims.

Zixian later went to the capital, took off his monk’s robes, put on a headscarf and the wide-sleeved robes of a Confucian scholar, and concealed himself among ordinary people. After learning of this, Yi Liao wrote a commentary on the Wuzhen Pian and composed the Fuming Pian and the Dansui Ge. These works have all been passed down. Zixian succeeded in his Daoist cultivation and lived to the age of 140. On the ninth day of the ninth month in the second year of the Shaoxi era under Emperor Guangzong, he left this world through “corpse liberation”—the Daoist practice of abandoning the physical body and transforming away—and composed this verse: “The iron horse charges into the sea; the clay serpent flies up to heaven. The road to the three isles of Penglai was never in the west.” The following year, Sha Daozhao saw Zixian again on Mount Huotong.

Chen Nan, courtesy name Nanmu and sobriquet Cuixu, was from Baishui Rock in Boluo County, Huizhou. He earned his living making trays and frames and binding buckets with hoops, mingling with ordinary people in his daily life. No one knew where he came from. He wrote the Panlong Gushu Song. The Panlong Song says: “Coiling around all day, round upon round; at the center sits one who holds the place of honor. Ground and ground, through who knows how many turns; yet within there is no trace of axe or chisel.” The Gushu Song says: “How can a leaky vessel be made watertight? How can its water be made to stop escaping? When inside and out are perfectly joined and sealed, that is true emptiness.” These words show that he had exceptional insight and extraordinary natural aptitude.

Later, Chen Nan received the instructions for the Taiyi Knife-and-Cinnabar Golden Elixir method from Chan Master Piling. On Mount Limu, he also received the Jingxiao Great Thunder Lang Scripture from a divine being. When people asked him for talismanic water, he made a hand sign and gave it to them. Many sick people recovered, and people therefore called him “Chen Mudball.”

During the Zhenghe era of Emperor Huizong’s reign in the Song dynasty, Chen Nan was appointed Director of the Daoist Register Office. He later returned to Mount Luofu and practiced Daoist arts among the people. Wherever he went, he often drove out and treated ghosts and spirits on people’s behalf. In Chaoyang, a household’s daughter was plagued by a fox spirit and had become delirious and erratic. Chen Nan fumigated her with a thunder talisman and killed the fox spirit.

At the time, he often went about with his hair loose and never stopped moving, walking four or five hundred li in a day. His clothes were ragged, and he was covered in dirt. Sometimes he ate dog meat and spent whole days dead drunk, making his whereabouts hard to predict. Yet the remarkable results of his efforts to help the people and benefit the community could not be concealed.

Once, in Cangwu, Chen Nan came upon local people praying for rain. A drought had set in, and they feared they would die from the heat. Holding an iron whip, Chen Nan descended into a deep pool to drive out the dragon. Before long, dark clouds gathered, thunder and rain swept across the sky, and at last enough rain fell to nourish the whole region.

As a result, the local harvests were abundant. When he passed through Sanshan, he encountered a flood. The current was swift and violent, and no boat dared to proceed. Cui Xu (Chen Cuixu) crossed the water floating on the surface with a bamboo hat on his head. Later, while traveling, he encountered a band of robbers, who dragged him off, killed him, and buried him. Three days later, after the robbers had left, he came back to life.

He traveled to Changsha, where the commander had him arrested and sent under guard to Yongzhou. After only a few nights, he was back in Changsha. One night, as he sat, someone saw him hold mercury in his mouth. When he spat it out the next day, it had turned into white metal. He gave the metal to his disciples but showed no concern for it himself.

Cui Xu often said that he had lived among people for forty-three years, though some claimed to have seen him in four different eras. People in the Huguang region often asked him to compose poems. He would recite them aloud, and the verses flowed one after another, coherent in both language and structure. Yet he refused to write them down by hand, and the reason remains unknown. The Complete Collection of Cui Xu’s Subtle Realizations has circulated among the public; it includes the Chant of Cui Xu of Luofu. He transmitted the methods of elixir cultivation to Bai Yuchan of Qiongshan. Bai Yuchan was often at Cui Xu’s side and accompanied him wherever he went.

On the fourteenth day of the fourth month in the sixth year of the Jiading era under Emperor Ningzong of the Song (some accounts give the fourth year of Jiading), Cui Xu attended a Crane Gathering in Zhangzhou, a Daoist assembly. After the gathering ended, he told the presiding host, “In time, I will undergo corpse liberation at this gathering.” The host did not take his words seriously. Cui Xu then left four lines of verse for Yuzhan to inscribe:

“Thunder cracks above my head with a mighty flash;

Chaos falls to earth and leaves no trace.

Today I have found the way, so I set out;

I ride a hornless fire dragon.”

At the time, Yuchan was serving Cui Xu at Liangshan in Zhangzhou. Cui Xu joined with an old man who made barrel hoops; after they entered the water, Cui Xu died. The old man had earlier left an axe on the ground, but when people went to look for it later, it too had disappeared. Yuchan exclaimed, “This is water liberation.”

On that same day, a deputy magistrate named Ge in Ningxiang County, Tanzhou, saw Cui Xu. Cui Xu had been close friends with the deputy magistrate’s father, and asked him to carry a letter back to Chaozhou for his father. It was only later that people learned that Cui Xu had undergone corpse liberation here, while also being seen elsewhere. Three disciples whom Cui Xu guided to spiritual transformation were Ju Jiusi, Sha Zhexu, and Bai Yuchan.

Bai Yuchan

The master’s surname was Bai. His mother named him “Yuchan” after a dream. His courtesy name was “Yuezhongfu,” and he also used the courtesy name “Ruhui.” His family had lived in Fujian for generations. Since his grandfather held office in Qiongzhou when he was born in Hainan, he styled himself “Master of the Sea of Qiong,” and was also known as “Old Man of Hainan,” “Daoist of Qiongshan,” “Hermitage of Burial,” “Recluse of Wuyi,” and “Unassigned Clerk of the Divine Empyrean.” As a child, he sat the examination for boys. When he grew older, he traveled beyond the ordinary world, and later received the teachings of Chen…

At the time of Mr. Niewan (a Daoist title; his specific identity is unclear here), scholar-officials wanted to recommend him for office under the category of “special appointment,” but he declined. After attaining the Dao, he ate a vegetarian diet and abstained from grains for nine years. Those who came from all directions to study with him were as numerous as hairs on an ox.

Other books give detailed accounts of the broad outline of his life, his writings, and the extraordinary and miraculous deeds he performed. At first, the master studied under Cuixu, and only after nine years did he attain the Dao. Whenever Cuixu traveled abroad, the master was always with him. After Cuixu “transformed and dissolved” at Linzhang—a Daoist term for the passing of someone who has attained the Dao—the master traveled alone among Mount Luofu, Mount Huotong, Mount Wuyi, Mount Longhu, Mount Tiantai, Mount Jinhua, Mount Jiuri, and other mountains.

He went about with his hair loose and barefoot, wearing only a tattered monk’s robe. Yet his spirit was clear and his complexion vigorous, so that he looked no different from a young man of about twenty. He enjoyed drinking wine but never appeared drunk. He had read widely in the Confucian classics and had a deep understanding of Chan Buddhist teachings. He could speak in finished prose, and his writing needed no revision. He carried no paper, yet when he put brush to paper, he could write large characters in every direction. His cursive script seemed to dance like dragons and snakes. He was also skilled in seal and clerical scripts, and especially adept at painting plum blossoms and bamboo, though he did not paint readily. Sometimes he would casually sketch his own face, completing it in just a few strokes; even skilled painters could not match him.

He had received the Shangqing registers, the ritual documents and registers conferred on Daoist priests by the Shangqing tradition, and practiced various liturgies and esoteric arts. He was especially skilled in the Great Thunder Rite of the Celestial Capital. He often wore a thunder seal, used in the performance of thunder rites, beside his elbow. Wherever he went, he prayed for blessings and warded off disasters, and his rites often proved efficacious. He could also foretell good and ill fortune, using his words to warn the foolish. His reputation reached the imperial court, which praised his purity and self-discipline, but he laughed and declined its offer. Many wanted to follow him in Daoist cultivation, but none succeeded.

Once, while visiting West Lake in the capital, he fell into the water at dusk. The boatman was terrified and searched around the lake, but could not find him. At daybreak, the master was still on the water, his drunkenness not yet gone. One day, a man chased after him with a knife and threatened him. The master shouted, and the knife fell from the man’s hand to the ground; the man turned and ran. The master called after him, “Come here. There’s no need to be afraid.” He then returned the knife to him. People in the capital said that the master’s clothes never got wet when he entered water, and that weapons could not harm him. Later, he traveled among famous mountains, and his whereabouts after that are unknown.

The preface by Liu Houcun and the account by Wang Yinliu known as “Nine Books of Learning” both claim that Chan You died young, but this is incorrect. Some also say that he became an immortal through “corpse liberation” in Haifeng County, a Daoist term for a cultivator’s spirit departing while the body is left behind.

Peng Si

Peng Si, courtesy name Jiyi, came from a family that had lived for generations in Sanshan, in the area of present-day Fuzhou, Fujian. Many of his ancestors had held high office. He became known for his literary talent while still young. After entering government service through the selection examination, he grew indifferent to official affairs. He took Master Haiqiong, Bai Yuchan, as his teacher, and received the transmission of the Taiyi Knife and Cup, Fire Talisman, and the Nine Cauldrons’ Golden Lead…

He brought together The Book of Sand and Quicksilver, The Call to Life from Purple Clouds, and The Writings on Wind and Thunder, and composed Rhapsody of Crane Forest.

He also wrote a poem:

“I bought a small boat on the Luo River. Fame and office are like wax, unworthy of attachment. I would not be like the turtle in Zhuangzi’s story, dragging its tail to beg for pity; I made up my mind long ago to leave official service behind. I have learned from Zhuang Zhou, the official of the lacquer garden, who worked the fields with his own hands, and am willing, like Yin Xi, Keeper of the Pass, to await Laozi’s arrival on a blue ox. Who can understand the work of refining elixirs and cultivating the Dao? Only the bright moon and the clear breeze seem to know what is in my heart.”

A Crane Forest Jing, a Daoist retreat, was built where he lived. He cultivated his character through the teachings of Confucius and Laozi, and also treated illnesses with Fulu, healing many people. For this, he was deeply loved by the local community. For a time he lodged in the home of a nobleman, who repeatedly urged him to enter government service, but he never wavered in his resolve.

He was widely learned, with lofty and far-reaching aspirations. By the standards of the ancient recommendation system for worthy and filial men, he was fully qualified. Those in power wanted to recommend him to the court as a “recluse.” When he heard of this, he modestly declined. Afterward, he kept his doors shut all day and cut off contact with the world. He never concerned himself with his property or household affairs. His wife, Pan Ruizhu, shared his aspirations and devoted herself solely to cultivation, morning and evening.

When inspiration struck, he wrote poetry; at times he also drank wine. Each time, he drank until he was thoroughly drunk, stopping only when his mind grew hazy. When ghosts or spirits caused harm, he treated the afflicted with cinnabar talismans—Fulu drawn with cinnabar and other materials for Daoist rites—and they often recovered. Immersed in Daoist arts, he could summon wind and thunder, inspiring both reverence and affection. Later, he became an immortal through corpse liberation, a Daoist method of ascending to immortality by leaving behind the body as a husk, and died in Fuzhou. Today, the Crane Forest Daoist Abbey still stands on Fengqiu Mountain, east of the city of Fuzhou.

Zhu Ju

Zhu Ju of the Song dynasty, whose courtesy name was Cuiyang, came from a family that had lived for generations in Wangjiang County, Anqing Prefecture, in western Huai. None of his ancestors had been particularly renowned. Before Zhu Ju was born, his mother, Lady Yan, dreamed that she swallowed a star. It shone brightly and was as large as the Big Dipper. She became pregnant soon afterward, but even after fifteen months she had not given birth, and she remained anxious.

One day, she met a Daoist priest at her gate. He held something that looked like an orange and said to her, “Eat this, and the child will be born.” Delighted, she accepted it and asked the priest his name. He took a fan from his sleeve and showed it to her. On it were the three characters “Ju Junzi.” “That is my name,” he said, and then vanished. A little while later, Zhu Ju was born. It was the twenty-sixth day of the eleventh month in winter, in the year Renxu. His father thought the event extraordinary and named him “Ju,” meaning “orange.”

Zhu Ju was six when both his parents died. Naturally intelligent, he aspired to Confucian learning and was especially well versed in the principles of the Yi and in numerology. He also believed that the Way of the Elixir, the practice of Neidan, and the mysteries of creation and transformation all lay within the bounds of the Yi. Twice he placed among the successful candidates in the provincial examinations, but he never fulfilled his wish to enter office through the examination system. He enjoyed reading Buddhist and Daoist texts. Later, on one occasion, he saw his reflection in the water…

He suddenly came to his senses and began to despise fame and wealth, turning instead to the cultivation of the Way. Whenever he heard of a famous mountain or scenic place, he made a point of visiting it, hoping to find a teacher who could confirm whether he had truly entered the Way.

In the year Wuzi, he went to Boluo in Huizhou. One day, he encountered a Daoist in the marketplace. The Daoist held an orange and looked somewhat mad. As he walked, he sang, laughed, and chanted: “Orange, orange, orange! No one recognizes you; only someone surnamed Song knows the truth of this matter.” Everyone was astonished and could not understand what he meant. Only the orange seemed to sense something. It followed the Daoist to an uninhabited place outside the town, bowed, and asked, “Perfected One, could you be Master Ju?”

The Daoist asked in surprise, “Who are you?” The orange gave its name, and only then did the Daoist recognize it and recall what had happened years before.

The Daoist asked, “What do you most wish for in life? Whether it is wealth, status, or something else, choose for yourself, and I will grant your wish.” The orange replied with a smile, “The wealth and status of human life are like foam on the sea and clouds in the sky, gathering and dispersing without end. How can they be relied upon? I have only heard that the immortals uphold the aim of long life without death, and possess marvelous methods for transforming the body and restoring Yang energy. May I hear of them?”

The Daoist remained silent. The orange wept and pleaded again: “The blessings I accumulated in a former life gave me the good fortune to meet you, Immortal Lord. I dare not presume to be wise; I only ask you to guide and teach me.”

The Daoist then told him, “What is called ‘breath’ is the mind itself, the primordial Qi: the foundation of emptiness and the master of transformation. Rising and descending, separating and joining—all arise from the mind. Living beings lose their original nature and wander through the Six Paths and the Four Births because they fail to understand this mind. The immortals of ancient times hoped only that people might understand it. Understand the mind, and you can see your own nature; see your own nature, and you are not far from the state of a sage. If you fail to understand this mind, you cannot attain true awakening or grasp the wondrous Dao of supreme truth.”

Hearing these words, the orange was suddenly struck by a sense of loss. The Daoist pointed to a large rock before the mountain and arranged to meet him there early the next morning, saying he would guide him to the Way. When the orange arrived as agreed, the Daoist was already seated on the rock. “You have come too late,” he said. Ashamed, the orange apologized and withdrew.

At midnight, the orange returned. “This time, you have come at just the right moment,” the Daoist said. The two then swore an oath beneath the heavens. The Daoist immediately transmitted to him by mind-to-mind instruction and oral formulas the methods of the Nine Tripods, the Knife and Measure, and the Fire Talismans; the talismanic texts of the Five Thunders Golden Books and Jade Registers; and the arts of the Ninety-Eight Flying Spirits and the Yang Path. He then instructed him to go to …

While cultivating himself on Mount Wan’gong, Ju received this instruction: “After you have practiced according to the Daoist methods, a child will come here. You should pass the methods on to him and let him carry on your work; refuse everyone else. When your cultivation is complete, I will recommend you for ascent into the heavens.” Ju bowed in gratitude, and the Daoist rode away slowly on a cloud.

This Daoist was Master Ju, whom Ju’s mother had once met and whose title was Nine Rosy Clouds (Jiuxia). Jiuxia’s teacher was Chen Niniwan of Emerald Void. Ju respectfully followed the instructions and built a hut on Mount Wan’gong to practice. Later, some people climbing the mountain saw a child, white as jade, washing his hands in the Wan River in front of the hermitage. The child moved as swiftly as a shooting star. They followed him into the hermitage, but could not tell where he had gone; they saw only Ju sitting upright. Everyone said that this was the infant form Ju had manifested.

Later, Ju was driven by the turmoil of banditry to Fujian, reaching Boluo in Huizhou. A local man named Chen Liu lived there, and Ju lodged with him. He spent his days drinking and making merry with Chen, eating meat and other rich foods without restraint. Someone found this strange and asked him, “You usually observe vegetarian discipline and fasting. Why have you come to enjoy these foods?”

Ju replied, “I do this to blend in with ordinary people and keep my abilities concealed, rather than appear different from them. Have you not heard the lesson of the fish and the tiger? If a fish leaves its school and leaps onto the shore, it will die; if a tiger leaves the forest and enters the marketplace, people will capture it. I simply unite inwardly with the Dao and transcend all manner of illusions. The marvel of the highest principle is that beyond this body there is another body. These things are beyond the understanding of ordinary people.”

Ju lived in Huizhou for three years. One very cold day, he suddenly said to Chen Liu, “I’m leaving. Why don’t you make arrangements for me?” Chen Liu did not understand what he meant. The next day, Ju died while sitting in an inn. Chen Liu and the innkeeper discussed what to do, then carried Ju to the entrance to solicit alms. They collected more than ten strings of cash to cover the cost of his burial.

The following day, however, Ju came back to life. A few days later, he entered the town and said to Chen Liu, “Now I’m going to die standing in front of the county yamen.” Chen Liu did as he asked. After Ju had “transformed,” people made a clay figure of him, drawing a crowd of more than a thousand onlookers. Suddenly, the local yamen clerk of Boluo County, drunk with wine, came forward and shouted, “A few days ago you pretended to die sitting down, and now you’re pretending to die standing up!” As he spoke, he struck Ju with a stool. The crowd saw only the clay figure collapse into pieces on the ground, and then understood that Ju had been displaying miraculous transformations.

The event of corpse liberation (shijie)—the Daoist notion of a practitioner leaving the physical body and transcending it—is said to have taken place on the thirteenth day of the eleventh month in the second year of the Chunyou era under Emperor Lizong of the Song dynasty.

There was also Ju, who had a younger brother surnamed Zheng, named Ruzi and styled Cuifang.

Comprehensive Mirror of the Dao and the Bodies of True Immortals Throughout the Ages, volume 49.