《道教靈驗記》Vol. 12

This account tells the story of the Buddhist monk Facheng who suffered divine retribution for arbitrarily altering Daoist scriptures. Originally surnamed Chen, Facheng was stubborn and extreme by nature. Though ordained as a Buddhist monk, he developed an interest in Daoist classics. While traveling at Mount Lu, he visited Jianji Temple (a Daoist monastery) and stole thirty or forty volumes of Daoist scriptures when unsupervised, taking them to Lingxi Temple for study.

Facheng deceived the Daoist priests at Lingxi Temple, falsely claiming that though he was a monk, his heart inclined toward Daoism and he wished to reside there to study the scriptures, eventually letting his hair grow to formally join the Daoist path. The priests believed him and provided over a hundred more volumes of Daoist texts for his study. Every few days, he would descend the mountain to beg for alms, and his eloquence earned him abundant offerings. Once his material needs were secured, he began altering the scriptures—changing Daoist titles into Buddhist ones, replacing "Celestial Worthy" (Tianzun) with "Buddha," and "Perfected Being" (Zhenren) with "Bodhisattva," while also tampering with the content. In total, he corrupted more than 160 volumes.

One day, as he descended the mountain to attend a vegetarian feast, he encountered a majestic procession along the way. Assuming it was a local governor traveling, he hid in the woods. Unexpectedly, a celestial official (Tian’guan, a Daoist deity) appeared and commanded the local spirits to seize him. The official publicly rebuked him: "How dare you defile the sacred scriptures of the Great Dao!" He was sentenced to a hundred strokes of the rod and ordered to restore all the altered texts to their original state. After the punishment, the procession suddenly vanished. Facheng, covered in wounds and barely alive, was carried back to the temple by his attendants and remained unconscious for days.

Upon awakening, Facheng retrieved all the corrupted scriptures and confessed to the priests. He then sold his monastic robes and alms bowl stored at a Jiangzhou temple to buy paper and ink, spending an entire year meticulously recopying the texts. Finally, he returned the restored scriptures to Jianji Temple and burned incense in repentance. This incident serves as a warning: sacred scriptures must not be profaned, and those who dare alter them will inevitably face divine punishment.

Xie Yu desired to enter the Daoist path, but the Daoist priests deemed his conduct unworthy and refused to accept him. That very night, he let out several agonized screams, as if being beaten, and died with blood flowing from his ears and nose.

The story of the monk Xingduan’s karmic retribution for tampering with the Five Stoves Scripture (Wuchu Jing): Xingduan was arrogant by nature. Upon seeing that the Daoist Five Stoves Scripture contained only five incantations, he presumptuously added content, renamed it The Buddha Speaks of the Threefold Stove Scripture, attributed the five incantations to five Tathagatas (Buddhas), and appended exaggerated claims about the scripture’s efficacy at the end. His additions spanned more than a page.

The Five Stoves Scripture belongs to the Taiqing (Great Clarity) section of Daoist scriptures. During Emperor Xuanzong’s reign in the Tang dynasty, the imperial advisor Yin Yin annotated it, explaining that it contained esoteric methods for cultivating the qi (vital energy) of the five viscera. Reciting it a hundred times could harmonize the five qi and enable bigu (abstention from grains). The first incantation states, "With qi harmonized in oneness, one attains the Dao and finds peace." During the Kaiyuan era, Celestial Master (Tianshi) Zhao Xianfu further elaborated, emphasizing the harmonization of qi and the nurturing of shen (spirit). Yet Xingduan distorted it, claiming that reciting it 120 times could empower water to sustain people without eating—a crude and shallow interpretation far removed from the original commentaries.

After altering the scripture, Xingduan copied five or six versions and distributed them. While transcribing it by the window, a divine figure suddenly appeared—eight or nine feet tall, wielding a sword—and rebuked him: "The sacred scriptures of the Supreme Venerable Sovereign (Taishang) are treasures passed down through generations—how dare you tamper with them?" Raising his sword to strike, the deity severed several of Xingduan’s fingers as he tried to block. Two fellow monks witnessed this and pleaded for mercy in terror. The deity declared, "How can such wickedness be lightly pardoned? His time is short!" He ordered Xingduan to retrieve the altered copies, restore the original scripture, and await judgment.

Xingduan and the monks searched everywhere for the distributed copies but recovered only half; the rest had been taken beyond the frontier by other monks. They copied ten new versions of the original scripture, burned incense in repentance, and incinerated the altered copies over the censer. The deity reappeared and said, "You slandered the sacred text and failed to retrieve all the corrupted copies—your crime is unforgivable." Xingduan immediately collapsed and died. His falsified scripture still circulates today, but discerning readers easily recognize its divergence from the authentic text.

The story of Du Wu (former prefect of Jianzhou) verifying the efficacy of the Scripture for Extracting from the Nine Darknesses (Jiuyou Bazui Jing): Du Wu of Jingzhao, while serving in Chengdu, was deeply admired for his integrity and uprightness.

(Note: "Five Stoves" refers to cultivation methods for the qi of the five viscera; "Extracting from the Nine Darknesses" is a keyi (liturgy) for redeeming the souls of the deceased; "Taiqing" is one of the classifications of Daoist scriptures.)

This passage recounts two miraculous tales demonstrating the efficacy of Daoist scriptures:

The first story concerns official Du Wu's extraordinary encounter. While recuperating at home from illness, his family secretly consulted a shaman who revealed a bloodstained youth was haunting them—the ghost of Du Wu's long-deceased younger brother. Resentful at receiving no ancestral offerings, the spirit claimed responsibility for Du Wu's stalled career. The description matched Du Wu's brother who had disappeared years ago without trace.

Heartbroken, Du Wu inquired through the shaman what offerings might appease the spirit. The ghost requested no material sacrifices, only that Daoist priests recite the Scripture of Golden Register's Marvelous Precepts for Extracting from the Nine Darknesses (Jinlu Miaojie Jiuyou Bazui Jing) nine times while burning ritual talismans (fulu). Du Wu engaged priest Gu Songhua to conduct a seven-day ritual with 120 scripture recitations, purification offerings (zhaijiao), and burnt paper offerings. Within a month, Du Wu was promoted to prefectural governor and later served two terms as provincial governor. In gratitude, he commissioned over a hundred copies of the Nine Darknesses Scripture for distribution among Daoist households.

The second incident involved Cao Jia of Xihe County, Fenzhou—a wealthy Buddhist devotee whose home housed numerous Buddhist statues and scriptures. After acquiring the Dao De Jing (Classic of the Way and Virtue), he copied two volumes to store alongside Buddhist texts. When a neighbor's fire spread to Cao's residence, his Buddhist shrine burned to ashes. Suddenly, amid wind and thunderous sounds, the two Dao De Jing scrolls flew unscathed onto a bed outside, emitting mystical fragrance. While over a hundred neighboring homes were destroyed, Cao's household lost only the Buddhist shrine and gatehouse, with all valuables preserved. This miracle converted his entire family to Daoism.

Both stories exemplify the numinous power of Daoist scriptures: the first through scripture recitation for ancestral salvation bringing worldly rewards, the second through the Dao De Jing's miraculous fire protection. The Scripture of Golden Register represents Daoist salvation rituals for the deceased, while the Dao De Jing stands as Daoism's foundational text—both holding unique sacred status in Daoist belief.

The Daoist Accounts of Spiritual Efficacy records a remarkable experience of Cui Gongfu. After passing the imperial examinations, Cui rose to the position of Prefect of Yazhou. One year into his tenure, he suddenly became mentally disoriented, prone to violent mood swings, alarming his entire household. One day, he abruptly passed away without apparent illness, yet his chest remained warm for three days—until he miraculously revived.

Upon awakening, Cui recounted to his colleagues: He had been taken by underworld emissaries and forced to walk thirty to fifty li until exhausted. Arriving at a city, he passed through several gates before being led to the entrance of an official compound. There, a red-robed official holding a ceremonial tablet emerged to greet him, even bowing in respect—an act that astonished Cui.

The red-robed official explained: He was Ju Jian, formerly a clerk in Huayin County, who had once received Cui’s kindness during his early career. Now, under orders from the underworld authorities, he informed Cui: During his tenure as Magistrate of Fengdu, Cui had taken four precious scriptures of the immortal Yin Zhenren (a Daoist deity) from Xiandu Temple without returning them. For this, the underworld had detained his living soul (shen), causing his recent erratic behavior.

The official escorted Cui into the hall, warning him not to consume underworld food—or he would never return to the living. He advised Cui to perform the Huanglu Zhai (a Daoist purification ritual) to repent and return the scriptures, which would secure his soul’s release. The underworld also revealed he still had three future prefectures to govern and twenty-three years of remaining lifespan.

After his return, Cui immediately organized Huanglu Zhai rituals in Chengdu, Yazhou’s Ziji Palace, and Xiandu Mountain in Zhongzhou, returning the scriptures to Xiandu Temple. Thereafter, he fully recovered, resumed office, and his career unfolded exactly as foretold. This story illustrates the Daoist reverence for scripture’s sanctity and the power of repentance rituals in resolving misfortune.

During the Kaicheng era of the Tang Dynasty, there was a man from Sizhou named Cao Kui (courtesy name Zaizhi). He lived in the capital between the Guangming and Qianfu reign periods. Frail and timid in his youth, he frequently suffered from nightmares and would fall into comatose slumbers. Later he met Daoist priest Liu Daguan from Mount Sumen, who transmitted to him the "Heavenly Peng Divine Incantation" (Tianpeng Shenzhou), instructing him to recite it a thousand times. With sincere devotion, Cao Kui abstained from meat and focused on cultivation, continuing his recitations even while lodging at inns—from then on, nightmares never troubled him again.

When Huang Chao's rebel army captured Chang'an, Cao Kui was seized for forced labor in Xuanyang Ward. His lifelong frailty made heavy labor impossible, and any delay invited threats of sword and blade. At this critical moment, he silently recited the Heavenly Peng Incantation for salvation. That night, a man in military attire appeared, saying: "I'll exempt you from servitude. Follow me—there's a hidden path to safety." Suspecting a rebel trap at first, Cao Kui was astonished when the man lifted him skyward. They landed beneath moonlit brilliance as bright as day, where rolling mountains and tinkling springs surrounded the massive boulder beneath his feet.

A village youth then guided him into a blessed grotto-heaven. Before them stretched magnificent palaces—golden towers and jade halls amidst exotic birds and magical beasts extending for miles. A receptionist in wide-sleeved official robes announced: "The Great Thearch (a Daoist deity referring to the Purple Tenuity Emperor) decrees your rest in the guest quarters." Soon celestial wine and delicacies arrived, served by two immortal officials. Cao Kui asked apprehensively: "Which realm does the Great Thearch govern? Having never paid homage, I'm overwhelmed by this sudden grace." The officials explained: "The Great Thearch is the Mysterious Lord Emperor of the Purple Tenuity Upper Palace in the Northern Dipper, governing both the stellar domains above and the Fengdu underworld below. You've devoted yourself to Northern Pole practices and revered divine incantations. Facing imminent slaughter during this rebellion, the Great Thearch checked your destiny records and specially intervened. He has petitioned heaven to commend your sincerity, extending your lifespan by thirty-six years before returning you home."

After paying ceremonial gratitude to the Great Thearch, Cao Kui was escorted back by two youths. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in Sizhou, astonishing all his friends. This miraculous account, recorded in the late Tang Daoist text "Records of Daoist Miracles" (Daojiao Lingyan Ji), testifies to the protective power of the Heavenly Peng Divine Incantation.

The Records of Daoist Miracles documents several verified accounts of miraculous events that demonstrate the power of Daoist deities and the efficacy of scriptures.

The first account describes how the Great Emperor (a supreme Daoist deity) and Marshal Tianpeng (a guardian general) perceive even the smallest virtuous deeds with perfect clarity, ensuring all good actions receive divine protection. This story was recorded by Xie Liang and continues to circulate in the Jiangnan region.

The second narrative recounts the extraordinary experience of an elderly man surnamed Deng from Changjiang County, Suizhou. Deng owned thousands of acres of land containing an abandoned Daoist temple. After his family fortunes declined during wartime turmoil and relatives fell ill, he discovered scattered scriptures in the temple ruins. While organizing them, a mysterious elder appeared and guided him to find the Laojun's Pillow Scripture. The elder explained that diligent recitation could dispel misfortune and bring blessings. Deng brought it home and recited it day and night. True to the prediction, his family enjoyed three to four years of health and prosperity, remaining unharmed throughout the conflicts. Later, he transmitted this scripture to the Kang family in Chengdu, who similarly received divine protection during a city siege.

The third record details Zhang Zhengyuan's experience. This native of Jingzhao studied the Great Brahma's Secret Words (esoteric Daoist scripture) under Yin Sixuan with strict adherence to precepts. When captured by bandits during an uprising, a cavalry unit suddenly appeared at his most desperate moment, rescuing him and placing him beneath a locust tree. Regaining awareness, he found himself safely home under that same tree, reunited with his family. After relocating to Jinzhou, he eventually recounted this miraculous event to Master Mingdao in Chengdu, after which his whole household devoted themselves to Daoist practice.

These accounts collectively illustrate how sincere recitation of Daoist scriptures and veneration of deities can bring inconceivable protection, enabling people to transform misfortune into good fortune during turbulent times.

Chen Taiqing was a Daoist priest at Tiantai Temple who left home in his fifties to pursue the Daoist path. Day and night, he devoted himself to reciting the Scripture of Salvation (an important Daoist classic). Originally possessing a violent and aggressive temperament, he had been despised by his fellow villagers. Yet after over a decade of spiritual practice, miraculous transformations occurred: his white hair turned black again, lost teeth regrew, and his physical strength surpassed even that of young men—when climbing mountains, youths couldn't keep pace with him.

Gan Mei, a native of Mianzhu, diligently practiced Daoist rituals (Fulu talismanic ceremonies). During a period when barbarian tribes were raiding the Chengdu frontier, a plague suddenly struck six to seven hundred garrisoned soldiers at Beisi Temple, leaving corpses piled upon corpses. Gan Mei invited Daoist priests to recite ten volumes of the Divine Incantation Scripture while sprinkling willow-branch-dipped water throughout the military camp. That very day, over two hundred soldiers recovered, and the entire garrison remained unharmed thereafter. Though the commander offered generous rewards, Gan Mei only accepted a Daoist robe and a few ounces of incense.

Zhang Rong, a Daoist priest from Suizhou, frequently earned money by drawing talismans (Fulu) but showed extreme irreverence toward sacred texts—carelessly tossing scriptures onto beds or storing them alongside meat-contaminated utensils. When fellow practitioners admonished him, he responded with vicious insults. Strangely, the more money he earned, the poorer his household became, with his wife and children perpetually sickly. After twenty-odd years, retribution manifested: every noon and midnight, he would suddenly catapult several feet into the air from his bed before crashing down violently, leaving his flesh torn and oozing pus and blood. This torment continued for half a year, his agonized wails never ceasing.

Tiantai Daoist Lu Shezhen heard of a local man suffering excruciating abdominal pain like being cut by knives after consuming unclean food. Visiting the afflicted, Lu admonished: "The Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) ritual texts and celestial scriptures demand reverence, yet you've repeatedly disrespected them. This is Heaven's punishment. You must sincerely repent your transgressions - even if no mercy comes in this life, at least you'll avoid torment after death. How can you endure such suffering?" Hearing this, the man wept bitterly and vowed aloud to seek the guardian deities' forgiveness, swearing eternal reverence for sacred texts. His tearful prostrations echoed beyond the house walls. Soon he calmed and slept, dreaming of three hundred golden-armored deities declaring: "Your sacrilege against the sacred law warranted two more years of punishment. Since you repent, we lift this penalty. But with only eight years of lifespan remaining, should you ever again commit the sin of trafficking scriptures, you'll descend to hell eternally." His pain gradually faded, with full recovery in half a month. He later posted this account publicly as a warning to fellow practitioners.

Another account tells of Huayuan native Yao Sheng, a lifelong Daoist devotee who regularly recited the Yellow Court Scripture (Huangting Jing). During the Guangqi era (Emperor Xizong of Tang), war forced him to flee until he accidentally fell into a dry well at night, injuring his leg. Discovering an adjacent cavern, he sheltered there chanting scriptures day and night without hunger or thirst, his leg miraculously healing. Later, soldiers camped by the well noticed its glow and rescued him. Upon hearing how scripture recitation saved him, Yao took monastic vows and resided in Huayuan's western Daoist temple.

(Note: "Divine retribution" refers to Daoist belief in celestial punishment for transgressions; the Yellow Court Scripture details internal cultivation methods.)