《道教靈驗記》Vol. 6

The sixth volume of Daoist Records of Miraculous Responses contains two accounts of manifestations by Lord Lao (Laojun), compiled by the Tang dynasty Daoist priest Du Guangting (known by his religious name Master Guangcheng).

The first story recounts an ancient portrait of Lord Lao in the eastern corridor of Ziji Palace in Shuzhou. Though weathered by time, its colors remained miraculously vibrant. Local devotees frequently prayed before it with many attested miracles. During a military encampment in the palace led by Regional Inspector Ren Conghai, some soldiers from Zizhou were amusing themselves with archery. One officer jokingly proposed shooting at the golden bar placed before the portrait, promising to treat everyone to wine if he hit the mark. Others warned that this was Lord Lao's sacred implement and shouldn't be profaned. Before they finished speaking, the arrow was released—only to be deflected by an invisible force and embedded deep into a nanmu tree in the courtyard. The impact sounded like a powerful crossbow firing, and the officer immediately collapsed dead, blood gushing from his chest.

The second account describes a black-bearded statue of Lord Lao in Guangtian Abbey of Chang'an. This sacred image, crafted through the ancient lacquerware technique of jiazhu, stood about five meters tall with exquisite artistry. It was flanked by twelve jade attendants, eight perfected beings (Zhenren), four vajra guardians, and four divine kings, while the side walls featured murals of sixteen golden-armored deities and celestial musicians. The black-bearded Lord Lao, draped in a phoenix-patterned golden cape with mountain-and-water motifs, sat solemnly within a sacred canopy. Though its origins were unknown, Emperor Daizong of Tang once dreamed of two azure-robed youths leading him to meet Lord Lao. In the dream, the emperor—wearing crimson gauze robes and a flat-topped crown while holding a jade scepter—stood behind Lord Lao as they toured the Ten Continents and Three Islands (Daoist celestial realms). Upon awakening, he ordered painters to recreate his vision, which matched the Guangtian Abbey statue's arrangement perfectly. The emperor thus commissioned his own imperial image to be sculpted standing beside Lord Lao upon five-colored clouds.

This account documents two miraculous manifestations involving a jade statue of Laozi (Lord Lao).

The first incident occurred in Louguan Valley of Mount Zhongnan, where a three-foot-five-inch white jade statue of Laozi had been concealed, its exact age unknown. During the Kaiyuan era, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang dreamed of Laozi descending on clouds, informing him that he had long resided in Zhongnan and would soon meet at Xingqing Palace. Though imperial envoys initially failed to locate the statue, after setting up an altar for prayers, purple auspicious clouds suddenly rose from the valley, leading to the statue's discovery. The emperor held grand ceremonies at Xingqing Palace to welcome the sacred image, enshrining it in the Great Harmony Hall. Later, two divine lights appeared before the statue's pedestal at night, condensing into two four-inch-long jade zhi mushrooms (Daoist symbols of auspiciousness). When Mount Taibai simultaneously manifested further omens, the court proclaimed a general amnesty, renamed localities, established Daoist temples, and commissioned Liu Tongsheng to compose a commemorative stele inscription.

The second event took place at Yuju Temple in Chengdu (one of the Twenty-Four Daoist Parishes). During the Tianbao era, mysterious seven-to-eight-foot lights frequently appeared over the river before the temple at night. Though locals suspected hidden treasures, searches proved futile. Later, when Emperor Xuanzong took refuge in Shu during the An Lushan Rebellion, he dreamed of Laozi manifesting over the river—soon after, the jade statue was discovered precisely where the lights had appeared. Both incidents were regarded as vital testimonies of Laozi's numinous manifestations, exemplifying the Daoist tradition of verifying spiritual efficacy (lingyan).

Laozi (manifested as the Supreme Venerable Lord Taishang Laojun, the highest deity in Daoism) left behind a sacred statue over one chi tall, entirely translucent white with a countenance of perfect radiance, appearing completely unworked by human hands. This statue was later enshrined in the Taiqing Palace, where its luminous manifestations occurred at a site called "Sage Visage Dam," connected to other historic sites like Jade Maiden Dam and Golden Sand Spring. However, in recent years, this jade-carved Laozi statue has disappeared without a trace.

In Langzhou (modern Langzhong, Sichuan), there exists a naturally formed stone cliff whose veins miraculously depict Laozi's image. At that time, the Secretariat Drafter Gao Yuanyu was demoted to serve as Langzhou's governor. During a severe drought, he prayed at all the mountains, rivers, and temples to no avail. One day while gazing from the Jade Terrace Temple, he suddenly saw purple auspicious clouds rising from the eastern mountains. Pushing through brambles to investigate, he discovered a stone cave with hanging springs amid steep cliffs. Nearby stood an ancient tree beside a stone cliff naturally patterned with Laozi's likeness: before him stood a Jade Youth (Daoist immortal child) with rolled sleeves holding an incense burner, hair in a high topknot; behind appeared a Divine Guardian (protector deity) in reverent attendance. Gao Yuanyu burned incense and knelt in worship, vowing to restore the site. Before returning to the prefecture, heavy rains fell for two consecutive nights, ending the drought. Later he cleared weeds to build a purification hall, constructed square ponds beneath the hanging springs with winding watercourse pavilions, and planted flowers, fruits, pines, and bamboos, creating a scenic wonder. During the Guangqi era when the emperor returned to the capital, Gao petitioned to establish the Mysterious Origin Temple, which remains efficacious for rain prayers and blessings to this day.

Shuzhou (modern Chongzhou, Sichuan)'s Purple Pole Palace housed an iron-cast Laozi statue over five chi tall, its casting date unknown. During wartime chaos when the main hall burned down with beams collapsing, this Laozi statue remained completely unharmed, its golden colors fresh as new, earning widespread reverence for its spiritual power. Before the temple's restoration, people moved the statue to an old altar, sheltering it only with bamboo tiles without doors or windows. When Daoist priest Hu Shiqian came to inspect, he discovered someone had inscribed defamatory words on Laozi's chest. Though he washed them with water, faint traces remained. Suddenly a Buddhist monk arrived carrying fragrant oil to bow in repentance before the statue, but after tossing divination blocks twenty or thirty times, no auspicious sign appeared. The monk wept, saying...

A young novice monk, ignorant and foolish, dared to inscribe slanderous words upon the sacred statue of Lord Lao (Laojun). As punishment, he fell gravely ill—each day tormented thrice by divine retribution, his bones and flesh shattered in agony until his life hung by a thread. Though he confessed his sins in detail and pleaded for mercy, no reprieve came. Even incense offerings and prayers proved futile; that very night, he returned [to his dwelling] and died.

Manifestation of the Black Water Lord Lao at Sanquan County:

During Emperor Xuanzong’s Tianbao era of the Tang dynasty, while fleeing to Shu (Sichuan) for refuge, the emperor witnessed Lord Lao manifesting upon a cliff at Black Water. Dismounting to prostrate in reverence, he ordered artisans to sculpt an image matching the divine vision. For years, the statue answered prayers, though its pavilion later fell into ruin. When Emperor Xizong returned to the capital, the renowned Daoist priest Du Guangting petitioned to restore it, naming the site "Zhongxing Palace." War again left it abandoned.

At the time, Yu Jun served as magistrate of Sanquan County, a devout Daoist who frequented the temple with offerings. Once, a dozen bandits occupied Lord Lao’s hall to rob travelers. Their victims, hiding in nearby grass, suddenly saw a massive serpent emerge beneath the altar—eyes flashing like lightning, tongue blood-red—killing three bandits on the spot. The rest fled in terror, abandoning their weapons; two or three fell to their deaths. The witnesses, awestruck by this miracle, only emerged after the bandits scattered, finding all stolen goods untouched within the hall. Thereafter, the road remained free of thieves, and the serpent never reappeared.

The Iron-Cast Statue of Lord Lao at Changming County’s Lingji Temple:

Standing over ten feet tall outside the city walls, the temple gates were loosely secured. A greedy father-son pair of blacksmiths from Xingjiao Market plotted to steal it...

One night, someone entered a Daoist temple intending to destroy the iron statues to melt them down for casting. Two attendant boy statues had already been smashed with hammers and were ready to be carried away. That same night, the statue of Lao Jun (Taishang Laojun, the supreme deity of Daoism) miraculously moved itself to the third gate of the Anqi Temple, over four or five li away. When the Daoist priests opened the temple gates and discovered this, it took more than sixty people working together to carry the statue back to the main hall. People from both temples and the entire city were astonished, with no explanation for how the statue had moved. Ten days later, a blacksmith came to the temple and revealed the truth: he and his son had stolen the ancient iron attendant statues to melt in their furnace. As they pumped the bellows, two streams of molten iron suddenly shot out from the furnace like lightning bolts, each over ten feet long, burning the father and son to death. Later, when examining the fragments, they realized they had melted statues of Lao Jun’s attendants from the White Horse Temple. To this day, Lao Jun’s statue remains enshrined in the main hall of the Anqi Temple.

During the chaos when Huang Chao's forces breached the capital, Luo Quansi, the official in charge of Kunming Pond, found the palace city in disarray with widespread panic. That day, he happened to be at home when suddenly an official summons arrived, commanding all officials to report to the palace immediately. He rode to Xing'an Gate only to find it sealed shut, then turned toward Wangxian Gate but was unable to advance due to the stampeding crowd. Hearing that the emperor had fled west, he returned home to discover his entire household—over a hundred people—had already scattered. Thinking his family would manage on their own and that as a loyal subject he should follow the emperor, he mounted his horse and charged toward Kaiyuan Gate. In the chaos, he seized another horse and injured people in his path before finally breaking through the less crowded Jinguang Gate. By evening, he reached the shores of Kunming Pond, where refugees huddled with their families—some resting in the woods, others gathering along the roadside. Ten years earlier, Luo had dreamed of kneeling before Lao Jun while visiting Huaqing Palace. Upon waking, he obtained a small statue of the deity and had venerated it ever since, never failing to offer incense when coming or going. In his frantic escape that day, he had neglected this ritual. Now, he tied his horse to a pillar of a Buddhist hall by the pond (foreshadowing an impending divine manifestation).

When Cui Qizhi was carrying out official duties in Shannan Dongchuan, he chose the shortcut through Luogu Yangzhou for convenience. About five or six li south of the Luoyang Duke Temple, he noticed an old man sitting on a roadside rock. Cui found this strange—the elder showed no deference upon seeing an official—and scrutinized him repeatedly. The old man simply waved him over. Puzzled, Cui dismounted and approached directly.

The elder bowed slightly and invited him to sit, then solemnly warned: "This journey of yours will bring great calamity—the ominous signs are already manifest." Retrieving a gourd ladle from beside the rock, he poured wine and handed it to Cui: "Drinking this can mitigate half the disaster, at least preserving your life. But you must wait until autumn to return to the capital. By then, the one seated on the dragon throne will no longer be the current sovereign."

Startled by these prophecies, Cui grew even more reverent and pressed for details. The old man revealed: "This autumn, the emperor will pass away, and a child heir will ascend. Thereafter, chaos will engulf the realm—warfare will rage like wildfire, and the fate of the state will dangle as precariously as a bead on a banner tassel. Yet the Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) will descend personally to the palace, steadying the ancestral altars and quelling this tribulation."

(Note: The subsequent independent miraculous account will be sent separately per your request.)

This passage recounts two stories demonstrating the efficacy of Daoist spiritual insight.

The first story tells of Qi Zhi encountering a mysterious elder. The elder advised him: "You've served in official posts for twelve years—now is the time to attend to the young ruler. From here on, devote yourself to cultivating the Dao (the Way) without concern for rank or wealth. In three to five years, request a transfer to oversee a quiet post beyond the western capital pass—this will preserve you from calamity." When Qi Zhi asked how the elder knew the future, he replied it was because he recognized Qi Zhi's foundation for Daoist practice. With that, the elder vanished, leaving only an extraordinary fragrance lingering in the air. The prophecy came true: the emperor passed away that year, a new ruler ascended, and Qi Zhi was granted an honorary purple robe. Later, as chaos engulfed the land, he followed the elder's counsel by becoming a courier west of the capital, eventually resigning to practice Daoism in the sacred Five Peaks.

The second story involves the hermit-scholar Lai (a "chushi" denoting a reclusive Daoist practitioner) foretelling the fates of Cheng Junshang and two colleagues. Lai had been a guest in Yang Xuanmo's household for over a decade, deeply respected. He told Cheng: "Minister Liang will rise to wield imperial authority—cling closely to him. Minister Wang, though brilliant, will die young in a distant land. Thereafter, great turmoil will erupt." These predictions proved accurate: Liang became chancellor, Wang met an early death abroad, and soon after, the Huang Chao Rebellion erupted.

Both accounts exemplify the preternatural foresight of Daoist adepts and the wisdom of aligning with cosmic patterns (Tian Dao) to preserve oneself. Notably, the elder's counsel to Qi Zhi—urging withdrawal from power centers for self-preservation—embodies the Daoist principle of "guarding one's wholeness and avoiding harm" (quan shen yuan hai).

Laozi (revered in Daoism as "Lord Lao") once descended in human form to the royal palace, manifesting as a child sovereign to rescue the nation from crisis. At that time, Minister Liang controlled court affairs while Duke Yang commanded regional forces, yet true authority resided with this young ruler. Laozi admonished them to cherish self-cultivation before departing. Days later, a recluse named Scholar Lai also bade farewell to Duke Yang.

The prophecies soon manifested: Duke Yang was dismissed, the royal title abolished, and the exiled prince perished en route south. By the fourteenth autumn of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong era, Duke Liang ascended to Inner Privy Councilor while Duke Cheng became Military Commissioner. On the third dawn of Emperor Xizong's reign, as morning light illuminated the palace steps, Duke Liang suddenly recalled Scholar Lai's prediction and confided in Duke Cheng. Noticing their whispered exchange, Left Army Commissioner Han repeatedly pressed until they revealed the prophecy. Considering the new emperor's precarious position, Commissioner Han found this divine reassurance profoundly comforting.

Subsequent events unfolded exactly as foretold: Duke Cheng received imperial credentials to govern Cangzhou, and though the Central Plains endured years of warfare, the empire ultimately stabilized. The royal capital was rebuilt, the emperor returned triumphantly, and Emperor Xizong's mid-Tang restoration fulfilled the ancient prophecy.

(Note: This account illustrates the efficacy of Daoist prophecies during late Tang Dynasty through officials' experiences, emphasizing the Daoist belief in divine will transmitted through incarnations and recluses. "Holding the ceremonial staff" refers to ancient ministers' credentials for diplomatic missions or regional governance, while "temporary imperial residence" denotes emperors' stopovers during travels.)