《茅山誌》Vol. 11

Pan Shizheng (courtesy name Zizhen, posthumous title "Master Embodiment of the Mysterious") was a native of Zongcheng in Beizhou. His father Pan Zhi served as governor of Tongzhou during the Sui dynasty, while his mother Madame Lu was well-versed in mystical philosophy and personally taught him the Daode Jing (Classic of the Way and Virtue). After his mother's passing, he built a hut by her grave to observe mourning rites, earning renown for his filial piety.

During the Daye era of Emperor Yang of Sui, the Daoist priest Liu Aidao encountered him and exclaimed, "Who but you could be the thousand-mile steed destined to inherit the Daoist lineage of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)?" At that time, Master Wang Fazu (a prominent figure in the Shangqing tradition) enjoyed imperial favor and frequently entered the palace to present pine-infused water for blessings. Liu told Pan: "Though I deeply wish to take you as my disciple, to achieve the Daoist path you must study under Master Wang." Thus Pan became Wang's disciple and accompanied him to practice at Mount Mao.

Later, Master Wang advised Pan: "The southern slopes of Mount Song are your blessed land for cultivation—you must go there immediately." Pan subsequently secluded himself at Twin Springs' Middle Ridge for over a decade before moving deeper into the remote Carefree Valley, cutting off nearly all worldly contact.

In the third year of Emperor Gaozong's Shangyuan era (676 CE), when the imperial procession visited Luoyang, the emperor summoned Pan to Mount Song. Asked to write talismanic registers (fulu), Pan declined claiming inability; questioned about his mountain needs, he replied: "With luxuriant pines and clear springs, I lack nothing." The astonished emperor later ordered the construction of Chongtang Abbey there.

The following spring, Gaozong dispatched a palanquin to bring Pan to Luoyang's Western Palace, renaming Songyang Abbey as Fengtian Palace. The emperor frequently corresponded as a disciple and visited multiple times. During another Luoyang audience, Gaozong composed farewell poems. Pan told disciples: "As a useless man, my imperial audiences have disturbed the mountain's spiritual energy (qi). Pursue profound mystery in your cultivation lest worldly affairs entangle you."

On the fourteenth day of the sixth month in 683 CE, Pan requested bathing water. Placing blue talismans in it, he declared: "Now my life's purification is complete." His stone chamber beneath North Cliff neared completion. On the sixteenth, he suddenly announced: "The time has come." When disciple Han Wenli asked his destination, Pan replied: "To inspect merits at Mount Tai." As the words faded, mist enveloped the courtyard—moments later, he achieved feathered ascent at age ninety.

This passage records the life of the renowned Tang dynasty Daoist master Sima Chengzhen (courtesy name Ziwei, sobriquet Daoyin), the twelfth patriarch of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) lineage who was honored as National Preceptor by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Born into an eminent family as a descendant of Sima Quan, Prince of Pengcheng from the Jin dynasty, Sima displayed extraordinary gifts from birth—he could speak immediately after being born. At twenty, he began studying Daoist scriptures including the Jingen Shangjing (Upper Scripture of Golden Roots) under a master at Mount Song. Legend tells of a phoenix-like divine bird that descended, leaving claw marks forming the characters "Donghua Shangqing Zhenren" (Perfected Being of Highest Clarity of Eastern Florescence) on an incense table, foretelling his future achievements.

Emperor Xuanzong held him in such high esteem that he commissioned the construction of Yangtai Abbey on Mount Wangwu for his residence. Later sensing the summons of the Celestial Emperor, Sima moved to Huayang Grotto-Heaven (one of Daoism's Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens), commemorating this transition with an inscribed stele. He particularly cherished the pristine environment of Mount Wangwu's Xiaoyou Grotto-Heaven (foremost among Daoism's Ten Great Grotto-Heavens), where he built Zhongyan Terrace for cultivation—daily nurturing dragons, observing cranes, and absorbing the Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth in secluded valleys.

Sima authored twelve essential Daoist cultivation texts including the Zuowang Lun (Treatise on Sitting in Oblivion). To avoid excessive imperial summons, he later retreated to Yuxiao Peak on Mount Tiantai. On the eighteenth day of the sixth month in the twenty-third year of the Kaiyuan era, anticipating his celestial ascension, crimson auspicious clouds descended with immortal music at dusk. While the astonished assembly watched, he achieved feathered ascent in his chamber. Emperor Xuanzong personally composed a memorial eulogy upon hearing the news.

The text mentions zuowang (sitting in oblivion)—a key Daoist practice of attaining self-transcendence through meditation—and chongju (soaring ascent), referring to celestial flight after achieving immortality. These accounts reflect both the Tang imperial court's veneration of Daoism and authentic details of monastic life during that period.

This passage records the life of Li Hanguang (Daoist name Master Xuanjing), a renowned Tang dynasty Daoist. As the thirteenth patriarch of the Maoshan lineage, he was originally surnamed Hong but changed to Li to avoid using Empress Wu Zetian's personal name. A native of Guangling Jiangdu (present-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu), he came from a scholarly family.

Li Hanguang's father, Li Xiaowei, was well-versed in Huang-Lao philosophy. In his youth, Li became a Daoist monk at Longxing Temple. In 729 CE (the 17th year of the Kaiyuan era), he took Sima Chengzhen (a patriarch of the Shangqing lineage) as his master. Upon their first meeting, Sima praised him as "a true visitor from the Jade Pure realm" and had him practice cultivation at Songyang for over twenty years.

When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned Li Hanguang, he exclaimed: "Seeing Hanguang is like having Master Sima still with us." When the emperor inquired about alchemical practices (Waidan), Li responded: "Cultivating the Dao (the Way) values De (Virtue) above all—ascension to immortality is merely personal pursuit. Seeking longevity while neglecting morality is like trying to grasp the wind." These words deeply moved the emperor.

In 745 CE (the 4th year of Tianbao era), the emperor sent envoys with an edict inviting him to the palace to transmit Daoist teachings, but Li declined due to illness. Later, Emperor Xuanzong permitted him to reside at Ziyang Temple on Maoshan (the historic cultivation site of Yang Xi and Xu Mi) and issued a ban on hunting and killing animals on the mountain. Li compiled scattered Daoist scriptures (Jing) by imperial decree and guided Daoist Wang Min in restoring thirteen precious pages of scripture.

In 748 CE, when Emperor Xuanzong received the highest-level Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) scriptures and registers (Fulu) at Datong Hall, he ceremonially honored Li Hanguang as his ordination master (Dushi) from afar, bestowing the title "Master Xuanjing" and ritual robes. On November 14, 769 CE, the eighty-seven-year-old Li achieved "feathered transformation" (the Daoist term for passing) at Ziyang Retreat. The court posthumously honored him as Grand Master for Proper Consultation.

The text mentions "golden cauldron" (referring to alchemy), "Three Caverns scriptures and registers" (Daoism's highest talismanic system), and "ordination master" (scripture-transmitting teacher). These records illustrate the close interaction between Tang royalty and Daoist adepts, showcasing Li Hanguang's cultivation philosophy that prioritized De (Virtue) over technical methods.

This passage records the life stories of the 14th and 15th patriarchs of the Maoshan lineage.

The 14th patriarch, Wei Jingzhao, was from Yanling in Danyang. Though born into an eminent family, he abandoned scholarly pursuits to devote himself to Daoist cultivation. He initially studied under Bao Shirong at Xunzhen Temple in Yanling, whose lineage could be traced back to the teachings of Wang Gui. Wei mastered the Lingbao scriptures and later practiced at Suming Temple in Chang'an. During the Tianbao era, he was summoned to accompany Master Xuanjing back to Maoshan, where he resided at the imperially established Ziyang Temple. In the early Dali era, he formally inherited Xuanjing's transmission of scriptures and talismans (Fulu). Amid the turmoil following the An Lushan Rebellion, he steadfastly upheld the Daoist tradition. In the first year of the Zhenyuan era, at age 92, he informed his disciples that he had been appointed as a Shangqing Immortal Elder (a high-ranking Daoist celestial post) before peacefully passing away. The text praises his ability to transcend life and death, coming and going with perfect freedom.

The 15th patriarch, Huang Dongyuan, hailed from Nanyue. In his early years, he shared a mentor-disciple friendship with Master Xuanjing, practicing the Zhonghuang Sun Visualization method (a meditation technique focusing on sunlight). Later, while at Taoyuan Temple in Wuling, a young boy named Qu Baiting came to study under him. The boy had once discovered a strangely mobile, multicolored turtle-shaped stone in a water cave at Taoyuan, which mysteriously vanished after ten days. When the boy bid farewell in the eighth year of Dali, he predicted they would meet again at Mount Juqu. The following year, Huang Dongyuan moved to Zixiao Peak on Mount Lu for a decade before returning to Xiabo Temple at Maoshan, where he devoted himself daily to scripture recitation and cultivation. This account brims with mystical elements, illustrating the wondrous encounters and prophecies characteristic of Daoist practice.

This passage records the biographies of several patriarchs from the Maoshan tradition:

After Patriarch Wei had transmitted the Great Cavern (Dongzhen) scriptures for eight years, a cultivator named Qu Tongzi came to visit. At the time, Patriarch Wei was leaving his residence leaning on a cane, not even glancing at the cypress trees in his courtyard. Upon returning and hearing Qu's name, he was profoundly astonished. Immediately changing into formal robes, he burned incense and prostrated toward heaven. After standing motionless for a long time, he achieved feathered ascension (yuhua), leaving only empty garments behind. Emperor Dezong of Tang, upon hearing this, marveled greatly and posthumously honored him with the title "Longevity of Ninety-Five."

The eulogy states: This perfected one (zhenren) attained the Dao as clearly as gazing at the sun, while spring colors from the Peach Blossom Spring graced his cypress courtyard. Witnessing the five-colored stone turtle with head and tail perfectly aligned, he suddenly vanished into the ineffable mystery.

The sixteenth-generation patriarch, Master Mingxuan (Sun Zhiqing), had obscure origins. Even in swaddling clothes, he detested the smell of meat, and upon growing older consumed only wine. After leaving household life, he became a disciple of Master Dongzhen. In the sixth year of the Taihe era, he assumed administrative duties at Maoshan, and the following year petitioned to prohibit hunting in the mountains, substituting vegetarian offerings instead. The emperor specially permitted the erection of a commemorative stele at Ziyang Temple. Chancellor Li Deyu once composed poetry praising him. In the first year of the Huichang era, Emperor Wuzong summoned him to preside over the Life-Spirit Purification Ritual (shengshen zhaijiao), commissioning a nine-tiered altar, for which he received an imperial title. During his ascension, witnesses saw a great fish with golden scales and jade fins emerge amid wind and rain, carrying him over Great Peak Mountain.

The eulogy states: Flesh nourishes the body, but pure qi nourishes the spirit (shen). Killing violates benevolence (ren), while the perfected value nurturing primordial qi. Ordinary people see only ritual forms—how could they comprehend the underlying mysteries?

The seventeenth-generation patriarch, Master Xiwei (Wu Fatong), hailed from Danyang in Zhenjiang. Originally a failed examination candidate, he became Mingxuan's disciple and received complete transmission of the scriptures. During Mingxuan's ascension amid violent storms, Wu experienced great awakening. In the second year of the Qianfu era, the emperor sent envoys to confer upon him the Great Cavern registers (falu), honoring him as a transmission master. At eighty-three in the fourth year of Tianyou, foreseeing coming chaos, he withdrew into a cavern and vanished without trace.

The eulogy states: In an age of crisis, the wise withdraw—yet this perfected one maintained compassionate concern. His hermit cave moistened lands a thousand li distant, with vegetation flourishing as seasonal rains arrived.

The eighteenth-generation patriarch, Master Dongwei (Liu Dechang), was from Nanjing. At seventeen, his composition "Song of the Great Dao" caught Patriarch Wu's attention due to his extraordinary qi quality...

This passage records the biographical accounts of the 19th and 20th patriarchs of the Maoshan lineage.

The 19th patriarch, Wang Qixia, known by his Daoist name Master Zhensu, was born in Shandong and displayed prodigious talent from the age of seven. During wartime turmoil, he traveled south to Shouchun (present-day Shou County, Anhui), where he first studied Daoist methods under Master Nie and later learned the essential teachings of the Dadong Jing (Great Cavern Scripture) from Deng Qixia. When Li Bian, the founding emperor of the Southern Tang, governed Jinling, he invited Wang to reside at the Xuanzhen Temple, bestowing upon him a golden seal and purple ribbon, along with the title "Master Xuanbo." Later, the imperial court further honored him with the titles "Master Zhensu" and "Dongwei Yuanjing." At the age of 62, in the fourth lunar month, he achieved yuhua (the Daoist term for passing away) at Xuanzhen Temple. The court granted 200,000 coins for his funeral arrangements, and he was buried at Leiping Mountain.

The text mentions a miraculous phenomenon: drinking water from Maoshan’s springs for one month could make a person ten times wiser, for one year could generate radiant wisdom, and for ten years could enable one to perceive the Dao of immortality. Patriarch Wang also composed Lengquan Yin (Ode to the Cold Spring), emphasizing that cultivation requires restraining external vanity and returning to inner truth—only then can one attain the state of unity between heaven and humanity.

The 20th patriarch, Cheng Yanzhao, known as Master Ziyang Chongxu, hailed from Runzhou Jintan (present-day Jintan, Jiangsu). Innately pure and untainted by worldly concerns, he initially studied under Wang Qixia. In the eighth year of the Kaibao era (975 CE), after the Song dynasty pacified the Jiangnan region, he was invited by Xingbu Langzhong Yang Kerang to assume the position of Maoshan patriarch.

The passage also records several auspicious omens: on Huamu Mountain, a child once sang a prophetic song, and that year, the mountain yielded abundant huangzhi (a type of lingzhi mushroom), only to wither within a month. These were regarded as signs foretelling Patriarch Wang’s impending yuhua.

Master Dongxu, the 21st patriarch of Maoshan (a sacred Daoist mountain), was born Jiang Yuanji with the courtesy name Jifu and the Daoist sobriquet Bixuzi, hailing from Yixing in Changzhou. Both his grandfather Jiang Lin and father Jiang Qi were honest medicinal herb merchants who also enjoyed high esteem as Confucian scholars in their community. This master possessed extraordinary bearing, disdained business ventures, and excelled particularly in poetry. Legends tell how he could summon cranes to accompany him by day, his entire being radiating the transcendent aura of an immortal destined for ascension. He once accompanied Master Chongxu to the imperial capital upon summons, later returning together to Ziyang Temple (a Daoist monastery) where they deeply studied the scriptures of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) tradition, an important Daoist school. Master Chongxu once remarked: "The Three Caverns scriptures (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen - the three foundational canons) can only be transmitted through you." Jiang Yuanji replied: "If only the texts are transmitted without the essential cultivation methods, I could never fulfill my master's expectations." Hearing this, Master Chongxu said: "What I transmit is the genuine tradition that delivers beings from suffering - and you are the perfect vessel." After attaining the Dao, people marveled that this was the karmic reward of the Jiang family's accumulated virtue through generations. While propagating Daoism, he frequently manifested auspicious signs. In the first year of the Xianping era (998 AD), during the third month, he transmitted scriptures and talismanic registers (fulu) to his disciple Wan Baochong, then achieved feathery transformation (death of an immortal) fifteen days later.

Master Chongsu, the 22nd patriarch, was born Wan Baochong with the courtesy name Yongxuan, from Wujin in Changzhou. Orphaned in childhood, he was raised by his elder brother. When dividing family property, he voluntarily renounced his inheritance, declaring: "Without my brother, I wouldn't exist today. I wish to leave household life and become a Daoist priest." Thus he took monastic vows at Tengxian Temple before becoming a disciple of Master Dongxu. In 998 AD he received the authentic Shangqing transmission, becoming particularly adept at solar radiance absorption techniques. At his immortal departure aged ninety-two, his face remained youthful. During the Jingde era (1004-1007), he was summoned to conduct rain prayers with miraculous efficacy, receiving an imperial honorific title before retiring to Black Tiger Valley.

The two eulogies essentially convey: The first describes an immortal's carefree existence - roaming precious groves by day, resting at jade pools by night, his chanting summoning celestial breezes of natural harmony. The second compares cultivation to refining sunlight in a divine cauldron; after drinking spiritual elixirs for a thousand days, one attains the Dao, ultimately soaring freely like the White Crane Youth.

The 23rd Patriarch, National Preceptor and Master Guanmiao (Observing the Mysterious), surnamed Zhu with the given name Ziying and courtesy name Yinzhi, was a native of Zhuyangli in Juqu. Born in the first year of the Taiping Xingguo era (976 CE), at eight or nine years old he followed the cowherd Guo Qiancun to learn flute playing and could actually summon cranes with his melodies. His parents considered this ominous and abandoned him. Later, he followed Zhu Yuanji and formally took monastic vows at twelve during the Duangong reign of Emperor Taizong of Song (988-989 CE).

He later resided atop Jijin Mountain with Master Zhang Mingzhen (a reverential title for eminent Daoists), practicing grain avoidance (a Daoist cultivation technique of abstaining from cereals). Gradually, followers gathered around him. When he wished to travel for cultivation, he encountered the extraordinary Chen Tiejiao in Xiangyang, who guided him to Qingcheng Mountain. Passing through Laixiang while collating ancient Daoist scriptures at Taiqing Palace, he met the Mercury Child Wu Baoyi. Later, while active around Hezhong Prefecture, miraculous transformations frequently manifested around him.

In the first year of the Jingde era (1004 CE), the twenty-nine-year-old Zhu Ziying inherited the Maoshan lineage. Four years later, Emperor Zhenzong sent envoys seeking his blessing for an heir, and the next year Emperor Renzong was born (recorded in the History of Song). The emperor appointed him abbot of Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, commissioning the construction of Qianyuan and Tiansheng temples at Maoshan, bestowing the title "National Preceptor." After Empress Dowager Mingsu completed studying the Great Cavern Completion Methods (a key Shangqing text), she further honored him as "Master Guanmiao."

Upon returning to the mountain, he received a letter from Wu Baoyi in Sichuan reproaching him for worldly fame and revealing celestial secrets. The master wept uncontrollably over the letter, puzzling his disciples. On the eleventh month of the seventh year of the Tiansheng era (1029 CE), he entered transformation while holding the jade ruyi scepter bestowed by the emperor during the Xiangfu period, his body exuding sweat with dewdrops forming on his forehead—departing through corpse liberation (a Daoist method of transcendence) at fifty-three.

The eulogy states: Pure as an uncarved block, innately wise, he left echoes in the void and walked on water without traces. In an era of enlightened governance, he brought springlike warmth, wielding jade and resonating golden tones as the court's transcendent minister.

The 24th Patriarch, Master Tongzhen Mingyuan (Penetrating Truth and Illuminating Origins), surnamed Mao with the given name Fengrou, hailed from Jiankang Jurong. As a child accompanying his father to Maoshan's Tianshi Altar, he encountered a black tiger invisible to others—the beast knelt before him. Astonished, Master Guanmiao told his father: "The Huayang Dao (Maoshan lineage) resides in your son." Thus he remained to study under Master Guanmiao.

Of simple, loyal character with elder's dignity, he dwelt in a thatched hut on Jijin Mountain, emulating Tao Hongjing's (revered as Master Seclusion) ancient cultivation site. His ascetic practice aimed at celestial ascent. In the twelfth month of the eighth year of the Jiayou era (1063 CE), during heavy snow, osmanthus blossoms suddenly bloomed before his hermitage. Puzzled, he soon encountered a Daoist named Liu Hunkang...

Master Lai of Changzhou's Taihe Temple was deeply moved by his sincerity and, witnessing auspicious signs during his cultivation practice, transmitted to him the Daoist methods. Not long after, Master Lai achieved feathered ascension to immortality. In the first year of the Chongning era (1102) of Emperor Huizong of Song, the imperial court posthumously conferred upon him an honorary Daoist title.

The eulogy reads: North of Jijin Mountain, divine majesty manifests. Through subtle resonance with auspicious signs, the celestial gates opened for me. Between the opening and closing of these twin gates, divine radiance shines forth. The golden light of the elixir illuminates the mountain forests, revealing the alchemical cauldron of an immortal adept.

The 25th Patriarch Liu Hunkang, honored with the Daoist title "Baozhen Guanmiao Chonghe Xiansheng," was posthumously granted the rank of Grand Master for Thorough Counsel and the posthumous name "Jingyi." Born in Jinling on the second day of the twelfth month in the second year of the Jingyou era (1035) of Emperor Renzong of Song, he began studying the Dao at age thirteen under Tang Hanxiang of Taihe Temple. In the fifth year of the Jiayou era (1060), he formally became a Daoist priest through examination. One night, a divine being appeared in his dream, saying: "If you wish to learn the immortal path, you must cultivate in famous mountains." He often lamented the lack of enlightened teachers in the world, and would ascend the altar at midnight with loosened hair and burning incense, revering the celestial Dao. Hearing of the profound methods of Patriarch Mao of Huayang, he sought him as teacher. During his cultivation in a thatched hut at Jijin Mountain, multicolored clouds frequently formed celestial towers and palaces, astonishing local observers.

One day, three Daoist masters visited his hermitage. Pointing to its eastern corner, they instructed: "This is where you should cultivate. By maintaining spiritual focus and extending virtuous deeds to benefit others, you will honor your predecessors." Observing the space between his eyebrows, they added: "This is the locus of Wuwei (non-action), most sacred to cultivators—it must remain flawless." After stroking his forehead, the blemish there vanished by next morning.

In the first year of the Yuanyou era (1086) of Emperor Zhezong of Song, Empress Meng accidentally swallowed a needle lodged in her throat, leaving imperial physicians helpless. Officials summoned Liu Hunkang upon hearing of his extraordinary abilities. After administering talisman-charged water, the needle emerged embedded in the paper talisman itself. The astonished court awarded him the title "Dongyuan Tongmiao Fashi" (Master of Mystical Penetration of the Cavernous Origin) and appointed him abbot of Shangqing Chuxiang Temple. In the fourth year of the Shaosheng era (1097), the court converted his Qianshen Hermitage into Yuanfu Temple, while elevating the Three Mao Mountains' scriptural altar in Jurong County to equal status with Longhu Mountain and Gezao Mountain as the "Three Sacred Peaks" supporting imperial governance. Emperor Huizong further honored him with the temple name "Yuanfu Wanning Palace," bestowing treasures including the Jade Seal of the Nine Elder Immortals and the Jingzhen Jade Sword, along with numerous imperial poems and paintings. Though his memorials accurately foretold disasters, the emperor admired without implementing his advice. In the second year of the Daguan era (1108), when deer blocked his imperial summons journey, they yielded after silent communion—another demonstration of his extraordinary powers.

On Mount Mao (a renowned Daoist mountain), a remarkable event occurred: a deer collided with a carriage and died, subsequently being buried by the roadside. Prior to this, the immortal crane raised by the Daoist master suddenly flew away upon hearing a summons. The Daoist master sighed, saying, "The crane has flown away, and the deer has died—it seems I shall not return." In the fourth month, he arrived in the capital and stayed at the newly built Yuanfu Retreat within the Chuxiang Palace.

One night, he dreamed that the Heavenly Emperor summoned him. The next day, the emperor happened to visit Chuxiang Palace, and the Daoist master seized the opportunity to present the Dadong Jing (Great Cavern Scripture), which he had cultivated through his practice. On the seventeenth day, at high noon, the master suddenly underwent yuhua (feathered transformation, a term for ascension to immortality), passing away at the age of seventy-two. The emperor ordered envoys to escort his coffin back to Mount Mao, where he was buried at Dieyu Peak. A special decree was issued to establish the Zangzhen Temple as a place of worship.

A eulogy reads:

"Jade blossoms (symbolizing Dao-Qi) fill the heavens,

Golden essence (the Golden Elixir) exudes rare fragrance.

Immortals open the celestial gates,

Receiving the talismanic mandate of the Purple Sovereign (Heavenly Emperor).

In this sacred land,

One attains the Great Dao, transmits the true essence,

And shares the longevity of Heaven and Earth."

The 26th-generation patriarch, Da Jingzhi, styled Qingyuan, was a native of Jinling and was honored with the title "Master Chongyin, Guardian of Serenity and Harmony, Attendant of the Divine Hall of Condensed Spirit." His father, Da Deyi, was fond of Daoist arts and was known in his village as "Old Sage Da." A reclusive Daoist named Du often visited Old Sage Da. In the first year of the Xining era (1068), just before Da Jingzhi was born, his father dreamed of Daoist Du entering their home and found it deeply mysterious.

As a child, Da Jingzhi would often draw images of Daoist deities on the ground while playing with other children. When his father took him up the mountain, Daoist Liu, upon seeing him, exclaimed, "This child will surely become a Tianshi (Celestial Master) in the future!" Young Jingzhi was so delighted that he leaped for joy and vowed never to return home—a decision his father gladly accepted. During the Yuanyou era (1086–1094), master and disciple entered the imperial court together. The master was appointed by decree to preside over the Shangqing Chuxiang Palace, while Da Jingzhi took charge of Yuanfu Palace.

In the fourth year of the Chongning era (1105), the court bestowed upon him the title of Fashi (Master of the Law) and entrusted him with overseeing Chongxi Temple. Whether it was supervising imperial temple construction or handling requests from mountain temples, he devoted himself wholeheartedly. He compiled liturgical texts (Keyi) and was especially dedicated to aiding the poor. On the third day of the seventh month in the third year of the Zhenghe era (1113), he gathered his disciples and said, "I am now forty-six years old. My master once foretold that I would receive great favor from the court but would not live beyond this age." He then took up a brush to write his final testament, bathed, changed his robes, and peacefully departed. The emperor mourned his passing, posthumously granting him the title "Master Chongyin" and extending honors to his parents. He was buried in the mountains where Zangzhen Temple stood.

Among his disciples, Yu Xiyin and Xu Xihe were the closest. Xu Xihe was entrusted with the lineage by imperial decree, inheriting the seal and sword, while Yu Xiyin traveled to Mount Qingcheng to cultivate the Dao. To this day, stories of Master Yu transmitting the Dongxuan Shangdao (Supreme Dao of the Mysterious Cavern) are still told in the Shu region.

This immortal (referring to Tao Hongjing) possessed elegant whiskers, a tall stature, and extraordinary bone structure, with an aura transcending worldly dust. Each time he entered the imperial palace for audience, he received exceptional courtesy and royal gifts. The emperor once praised him thus: "Like the immaculate clarity of an autumn sky, or spring waters breaking through ice with crystalline purity—such sublime demeanor of an immortal master is truly what a sagely ruler admires."

Yet people often marveled only at his dignified appearance, failing to comprehend the profound Daoist truths he cultivated. Not until his final moments did he reveal those genuine maxims concerning the essential principles of statecraft. This account originates from the eleventh volume of Records of Maoshan, documenting the significant interactions between the eminent Daoist master Tao Hongjing of Mount Mao (a sacred Daoist mountain) and imperial rulers.

(Supplementary context: Tao Hongjing was a renowned Daoist master of the Southern Dynasties who cultivated the Dao in seclusion at Mount Mao. Honored by Emperor Wu of Liang as "Chancellor of the Mountain," his deathbed admonitions were considered to contain wisdom for governing the nation.)