《雲笈七籤》Vol. 115

The Yongcheng Jixian Lu (Record of Collected Immortals of Yongcheng) records the deeds of women from ancient times to the present who attained the Dao and became immortals.

When people leave worldly life and ascend as immortals, transcend the ordinary and realize the Great Dao, they can escape a life as brief as a horse glimpsed through a crack or a lamp in the wind, and enjoy a lifespan as long as Zhuangzi’s chun tree or the toad and cassia of the moon; their bodies, too, can change from a foam-like fragility into something as firm as metal and stone. In every age there have been people of this kind who attained long life and transcended the world; through long kalpas their deeds have been recorded in scriptures, proclamations, mysterious charts, and secret registers, rich in content and worthy of contemplation.

The grades and offices of immortals after attaining the Dao differ: some are ranked among the Supreme Sages, some among the ranks of High Perfected immortals; some govern the heavens, some oversee famous mountains; some ride the Winnowing Basket constellation and roam the Milky Way, some dwell hidden in the moon palace and race through the morning light; some gather at court and feast in the realm of the Nine Clarities, some fly to and fro through the farthest reaches of the eight directions.

Prior to the kalpa of Kaihuang, the precious books of the Three Caverns (Sandong), the classification system of Daoist scriptures, already recorded these deeds in considerable detail. After the Nine Sovereigns and the Three Ancient Eras, from the time people began to tame oxen and ride horses, immortals again descended repeatedly from the heavenly bureaus into the human world to save living beings; they left their posts in the immortal realm and temporarily administered human affairs, revealing norms and establishing teachings, assisting the state and supporting the governance of the times. Confucian classics and the writings of official historians also fully recorded these deeds.

Some immortals concealed their radiance and mingled with the dust of the world, then ascended on the light of the sun and moon; some established merit and accumulated virtue in mountains and forests, and rode the mist and rosy clouds to rise lightly; some left the clamorous and polluted human world and ascended into the void riding phoenixes and cranes; some personally assisted emperors and kings, while others took delight in living among ordinary people. They secretly accumulated merit, and their mysterious De (virtue/power) reached the hearing of Heaven, so that even the chickens and dogs in their households ascended with them, and the plants in their courtyards were uprooted and rose along with them. Such deeds are recorded in the classics and documents of every age.

In former times, the Qin grandee Ruan Cang and the Han colonel Liu Xiang successively wrote books that circulated in the world. Later there were more than ten works—such as the Dongming Shu (Book of Penetrating the Mysterious), Shenxian Zhuan (Biographies of Immortals), Daoxue Zhuan (Biographies of Daoist Learning), Jixian Zhuan (Collected Biographies of Immortals), Xu Shenxian Zhuan (Continued Biographies of Immortals), Hou Xian Zhuan (Later Biographies of Immortals), Dongxian Zhuan (Biographies of Cavern Immortals), and Shangzhen Ji (Record of High Perfected)—that compiled accounts of immortals. In addition, there were chapters recording famous mountains and blessed lands, works outlining geography and mountains and rivers, books that searched out spirits and broadly documented things, and records of immortal formulas and medicines. Drawing widely on many sources, they involve the names and deeds of various figures, too many to recount in full. Thus it is clear that the affairs of immortals are richly recorded in classical texts and are not something unknowable.

People in the world often believe that only after the physical body dies and the soul becomes perfected can one count as an immortal; if the physical body has not ascended, one has not become an immortal. This view is not correct.

Ignorant and shallow-minded people truly do not understand the principles involved. Why is this said? The Zhenjing (True Scripture) says: those who attain the Dao (the Way) and leave the dusty world—some dwell in hiding, some appear openly; although the Dao they realize is the same, the methods they cultivate differ. Thus, the ways of immortals number in the hundreds; they are not confined to a single path, nor restricted to one method.

Some become friends of Zhenren (Perfected) or guests of the Heavenly Emperor; suddenly dragon carriages come to welcome them, and then they ride the clouds away. Gu Xichang, Li Qingguang, Chisongzi, and others are examples of this. Some receive immortal books and are endowed with Fulu (talismans and registers); they refine their forms by the Yinjing method, causing Shen (spirit) and the physical body to be reborn; their former cultivation and merits were already complete. The Five Old Supreme Emperors, the True Kings of the Four Extremes, and others are examples of this.

Still others maintain unchanging sincerity from beginning to end and remain unshaken when they meet tests and hardships; with their eyes gazing toward Kunqiu and their hearts bowing to the Great Emperor, they thereby attain the Dao. Huang Guan, Wei Daowei, Fu Jun, and others are examples of this.

Moreover, there are methods such as the Great Cavern Seven Transformations, Eight Endowments, Three Diagrams, Embryonic Jing (essence), Mottled Talisman, Hidden Zhi, Curved Silk, Jade Jing, Golden Liquid, Yellow Water, Secret Talisman, Red Tree, Green Bloom, Ringed Steel, Crimson Fruit, White Feather, Imperial Image, Nine Turns, and Eight Jades. By taking the immortal medicines among them, one can transform into a phoenix or into a dragon; after ingesting them, one can also transform into gold or into jade.

In addition, there are oral formulas for golden ornaments and jade pendants, the scriptures of the Three Sovereigns and Eight Scenes, methods such as Huadan and Suzou, and the essential formulas of Lingshen, Hujin, and the Zhenren; there is also the feather method of flight, which enables one to travel through the air, and the light of flowing gold, which enables one to capture spirits and subdue rebellious evils. In flight there are kingfisher feathers and black wings; in driving there are flying canopies and Qu Chen. The cultivation methods of the seventy-four directions leave nothing out; the transmissions of the thirty-seven hues will also gradually become complete, furnishing one with the insignia of an immortal.

Some are even granted the Nine Bestowals and can soar into the sky and ascend; having passed through seven trials, they remain steadfast and unshaken. Cultivation depends on secret formulas transmitted by teachers, while verification must be obtained from one’s own heart. The movements of the sun, moon, and stars cannot alter their resolve; thunder cannot startle their will; wealth and honor cannot delude them; sounds and sights cannot entice their hearts. This is precisely the meaning of “My fate lies in my own hands; long life can be cultivated by oneself.” Therefore, how could all those who have attained the Dao from ancient times to the present be recounted one by one?

Nan Zhen said: “When merits and virtues are complete to three thousand, one can ascend to heaven in broad daylight; in spreading the great Dao there is no limit, and naturally one can cultivate immortality.” This is what is meant.

The highest level among immortals is to ride cloud carriages and drive feather canopies, with body and Shen ascending together; the next is to dwell in deep valleys and secluded forests, conceal one’s traces, and undergo transformation in secret; the next lower is to shed the physical form and lodge in another image, ascending like a snake sloughing its skin or a cicada casting off its shell. However, those who directly soar into the sky are considered superior, while shijie (corpse liberation, becoming an immortal by leaving the body) is considered a lower grade.

There are also some whose cultivation and merits are not yet complete and whose virtue is not yet clearly manifest; among them there may be those who have fulfilled filial piety, loyalty, chastity, and steadfastness to the utmost, or...

If one never forgets the Great Dao in one’s heart, then even though one’s cultivation efforts may not yet equal those of others, one can still cultivate oneself alone in a quiet place. Even if one’s good deeds are not made known before people or in the hidden realms, Taishang still values such aspiration, and the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) also commends such sincerity. When one’s lifespan ends, one’s hun-soul and shen-spirit can still receive blessings and become a virtuous, bright, and numinous ghost; the Earth Bureau, the divine bureau in charge of underworld affairs, will not restrain him, and the ghost register will not enroll him. He may roam freely in blessed lands, peacefully enjoy happiness, and fulfill his aspirations. When his allotted lifespan is complete, he can become a ghost immortal and afterward ascend to Yinjing (Yin Radiance, the hidden immortal realm), enjoying royal rank. If he continues to accumulate merit and virtue, he can also enter the ranks of immortals.

Thus, good deeds are not given in vain; becoming an immortal can indeed be sought through cultivation. Merit and virtue, whether great or small, and good deeds, whether many or few—the key lies in never ceasing to establish merit and never growing weary of doing good. How can cultivators of the Dao not strive diligently in practice?

The union of Yin-Yang is the wondrous function of the Great Dao; Heaven and Earth fashion the ten thousand things, gestating various forms, causing life to multiply without cease and the old and new to continue in succession. Therefore, Heaven covers the ten thousand things and Earth bears them; clear Qi and turbid Qi act together; the sun and moon shine down, and day and night each have their function. These two pairs—Heaven and Earth, and the sun and moon—help constitute the Three Talents (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity).

Therefore, Lord Wood (Dongwang Gong, the King Father of the East) governs the Zhen position of the east, while the Golden Mother (Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West) is honored in the Dui marsh of the west. Male and female immortals each have their place, clearly recorded. When one examines Daoist proclamation registers, charts, and biographies, these accounts are all included together, without deletion or alteration.

Now, in examining the scriptures of the Seven Sections of Shangqing (Highest Clarity), cultivation methods are preserved and annotated therein; in the texts related to the sun, moon, and Five Planets, there are also chapters on walking through the air. Titles such as Yuanfu and Xuanmu, along with Yin-Yang appellations, are all recorded together. The author has gathered the various accounts and compiled them into a single coherent work: honoring the Golden Mother as the foremost of female immortals, taking Yongcheng (the Walled City, the immortal realm where the Golden Mother resides) as the seat of governance, and compiling records of female immortals past and present who attained the Dao, entitled Records of the Assembled Immortals of Yongcheng.

The Upper Scripture says: “When men attain the Dao, the highest rank is Zhenjun (Perfected Lord); when women attain the Dao, the highest rank is Yuanjun (Primordial Lady).” In this biography, the Golden Mother is the principal honored figure, with the Yuanjun next in order; it comprises ten scrolls. It was written by Master Guangcheng, Du Guangting.

Biography of the Queen Mother of the West: The Way of Lower Immortals

The Queen Mother of the West is also called the Ninefold Numinous, Greatly Wondrous Golden Mother of Guishan; she is also called the Tailing Jiuguang Golden Mother of Guitai; and she is also called the Golden Mother Yuanjun. She is the spirit of the utmost wonder of Xihua and the most honored deity within Dongyin (Cavern Yin).

In remote antiquity, the Dao-Qi congealed in stillness, and the divine body was limpid and Wuwei (non-action). When the Great Dao was about to unfold its mysterious creative power and transform the ten thousand things, it first used the utmost true Qi of the east to transform and give birth to Lord Wood. Lord Wood was born above the jade-green sea, at Cangling...

Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West), the honored deity in legend who governs the Yin Qi of the West and the female immortals, dwells in the West and controls the harmonious Yin Qi between Heaven and Earth; Dongwanggong (King Father of the East), also called Wanggong, controls the harmonious Yang Qi. The Western King Father (Xiwanggong) transformed the utmost wondrous Qi of the West to give birth to Jinmu (Golden Mother). The Golden Mother was born at Yichuan in the Divine Continent and had the surname Gou. As soon as she was born she could fly; she governs the Qi of Yin spirits and rules the West, and is therefore also called Wangmu (Queen Mother).

Dongwanggong and Jinmu both received the Qi of the Great Void and were born, wondrous and profound. In the remote and vast West they each received a share of the pure, essential Qi of the Great Dao, coalesced into form, and together with Dongwanggong harmonized the two Qi of Yin and Yang, nurtured Heaven and Earth, and gave form to the myriad things. Jinmu embodies the root of yielding compliance and is the source of the utmost Yin Qi. Dwelling in the West, she bears the duty of mothering the myriad things. Throughout Heaven above, the world below, and the Three Realms and Ten Directions, all women who cultivate the Dao and become immortals are under her command.

The palace of Jinmu is said to be located at Guishan, Chunshan, the capital of Xina, the Xuangpu of Kunlun, and Langfeng Garden. There are tiered golden walls, twelve-storied jade towers, Qionghua palaces, Guangbi halls, a nine-level mysterious terrace, and purple-emerald elixir chambers. To the left is the Jade Pool (Yaochi); to the right it is encircled by the Emerald Water. Below the mountain lies the ninefold Weak Water, with waves ten thousand zhang high; without a wind-riding carriage or flying feathered wheels, one cannot reach it.

Her palace has jade gate-towers rising into Heaven, green terraces reaching the clouds, and interconnected Qinglin palaces and vermilion-purple halls. Colored curtains are clear as jade, and the surroundings are bright as the moon. Jinmu wears a huasheng (the ornate headdress of Daoist goddesses) and carries a numinous register; on her left are female immortal attendants, on her right feathered youths. Jeweled canopies reflect one another in layer upon layer, and feathered banners shade the courtyard. Below the steps grow white-ring trees and red-firm groves; their sky-blue branches are numberless, and their jade-like trunks rise a thousand xun. Even without wind the trees naturally emit pleasing sounds, as if playing the immortal music of the Nine Performances and Eight Assemblies.

The Divine Continent lies southeast of Kunlun Mountain; therefore the phrase in the Erya, “Xiwangmu and Rixia [the land beneath the sun],” refers to this region. Other records say that Wangmu wore her hair loose, wore a huasheng, had tiger teeth, and was skilled at long howling; but that is Wangmu’s messenger, the white tiger spirit representing the West, not Wangmu’s true form.

The Heavenly King of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianwang) once bestowed on Wangmu the “Register of the Nine Radiances of Guishan, Primal Governance of the Myriad Heavens” (a register governing the heavenly realm, Guishan, and the nine radiances), enabling her to bind and summon the myriad spirits, command the assembled perfected ones and sages, oversee oaths and bear witness to them, and lead the processions of the immortals of the various heavens. Whenever the Heavenly Worthies and supreme sages hold audiences, banquets, or examinations and verifications, Wangmu personally attends. She also participates in and presides over the transmission of scriptures and registers such as the Precious Scriptures of Shangqing and the Jade Books of the Three Caverns. In early times, when the Yellow Emperor campaigned against the cruel Chiyou, with military force he still could not subdue…

Chiyou was skilled in many transformations and illusions; he could summon wind and rain, blow smoke and exhale mist, throwing the army into confusion. The Yellow Emperor withdrew to the foot of Mount Tai to rest and, in gloomy distress, fell asleep. The Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wangmu) sent an envoy clad in a black fox-fur robe, who handed the Yellow Emperor a talisman (fu), saying: “Taiyi is in front, Tianyi behind. One who obtains this talisman will be victorious in battle.” The talisman was three cun wide and one chi long, blue-green and lustrous like jade; the red writing on it was a zhang long. After the Yellow Emperor had fastened on the talisman, Xi Wangmu again commanded a woman with a human head and bird’s body to tell him: “I am the Dark Maiden of the Nine Heavens.” She transmitted to him the Three Palaces and Five Intentions, Yin-Yang strategies, Taiyi Dunjia, Liuren, and the art of pacing the Dipper (a technique of walking according to the positions of the stars and Dipper), as well as the essentials of the Yinfu, the Lingbao Five Talismans, and the writings of the Five Victories. The Yellow Emperor then defeated Chiyou, eradicated Shennong’s descendants in Zhongji, and put Yukang to death at Banquan; from then on the world was at peace. He established his capital at Zhuolu in Shanggu.

Several years later, Xi Wangmu sent the spirit of the White Tiger, riding a white tiger, to the Yellow Emperor’s court and bestowed a map upon him. Later, when Yu Shun acted as regent, Xi Wangmu again sent envoys to give Shun a white jade ring and to give Boyi a map. Thus the nine provinces established by the Yellow Emperor were expanded to twelve provinces. Xi Wangmu also sent envoys to present Shun with the imperial jade flute (huangguan), an ancient jade musical instrument, which Shun played to harmonize the winds of the eight directions. The “Diyanqi” of the Shangshu records that Xi Wangmu’s realm lay in the distant wilds of the west.

In former times, Mao Ying (courtesy name Shushen), Wang Bao (courtesy name Zideng), Zhang Daoling (courtesy name Fuhan), and the Nine Sages and Seven Perfected—all those who had received immortal scriptures—went to the palace towers of Kunling to have audience with Xi Wangmu. At that time, Shushen and Daoling attended on the Supreme Lord of the Dao, riding nine-canopy carriages and driving flying dragon carriages; they crossed the Jishi Mountains, forded the Ruoshui, traversed the White Water and Black Waves, and in an instant reached the palace to pay their respects to Xi Wangmu.

After Zideng had fasted and purified himself for three months, Xi Wangmu transmitted to him the Qionghua Baoyao Qichen Su Jing (Jade Flower Precious Radiance Seven Luminaries Plain Scripture). Mao Jun followed Lord Wang of the Western City to the White Jade Turtle Terrace to have audience with Xi Wangmu and earnestly requested the way of long life, saying: “My capacities are ordinary, yet I admire the long lifespan of dragons and phoenixes; with a life as brief as a creature born at dawn and dead by dusk, I wish to seek long years.” Xi Wangmu pitied his diligent seeking of the Dao and told him: “I formerly took the Celestial King Yuanshi and the Emperor Lord of Imperial Heaven and Fusang as my teachers, and they transmitted to me the Way of Jade Pendants and Gold Ornaments and the Intertwining Refinement of the Two Luminaries. This way of cultivation can, above, circulate through the Taiji and, below, reach the ten directions; by inhaling lunar radiance and chewing solar essence, one can then enter heaven…”

There is a scripture called the Xuanzhen Jing (Classic of Mysterious Truth). “Now that it has been transmitted to you, you should cultivate it diligently.” Thereupon he also ordered Lord Wang of the Western City to explain this scripture passage by passage, and transmitted to him both the precious book and the formula for the Four Youths Powder.

Later, King Mu of Zhou, Ji Man, ordered a journey with the eight fine horses and seven companies of elite troops. The steeds Hualiu, Chiji, and the others galloped, and the carriages were fitted with flying curtained-carriage wheels; Bo Yao drove, and Zao Fu served as the right-hand attendant. The convoy sped like wind and lightning, traveled three thousand li, and passed through the region of Puli, the land of Wufu, and the Dark Pool of Rhinoceros-Jade. On the auspicious jiazi day, the company made a bridge of soft-shell turtles, alligators, fish, and turtles, crossed the Weak Water, and ascended to the Xuanpu and Langfeng regions of Mount Kunlun, where they paid their respects to the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu). The Son of Heaven Mu presented white jade gui tablets and heavy brocade to congratulate the Queen Mother of the West on her longevity, sang the “Song of the White Clouds,” and carved a stone inscription on Mount Yan recording the journey before returning to the Central Plains.

Those in the world who become immortals and ascend to Heaven are divided into nine ranks, and the ranks must not be confused. The first rank is the Supreme Immortal, called the True King of the Nine Heavens; the second is the Secondary Immortal, called the True Sovereign of the Three Heavens; the third is the Great Supreme Perfected Person; the fourth is the Flying-Heaven Perfected Person; the fifth is the Numinous Immortal; the sixth is the Perfected Person; the seventh is the Numinous Person; the eighth is the Flying Immortal; and the ninth is the Immortal. All who ascend to Heaven must first pay respects to Lord Mu, the Wood Lord, and then pay homage to the Golden Mother—that is, the Queen Mother of the West. Only after receiving their assignments can they ascend into the Nine Heavens, enter the realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and pay respects to and serve the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun).

Thus, in the early years of the Han dynasty, four or five children were playing by the roadside, and one of them sang: “Wearing a blue skirt, I enter the Gate of Heaven; I bow to the Golden Mother and pay respects to Lord Mu.” People at the time did not understand what this meant; only Zhang Zifang (Zhang Liang) understood, and he went to pay his respects. He said: “This is a jade youth of the King Father of the East. When immortals attain the Dao and ascend to Heaven, they should first bow to the Golden Mother and then pay respects to Lord Mu.” Unless one is empty-minded and transcendent and has attained Perfection and become an immortal, one cannot understand this path.

Emperor Xiaowu of Han, Liu Che, was devoted to the way of long life. In the first year of Yuanfeng, he climbed Mount Songgao, built the Terrace for Seeking Perfection, and fasted and practiced quiet contemplation. On the wuchen day of the fourth month, the Queen Mother of the West sent the Jade Maiden Wang Zideng of Yongcheng to say to him: “I have heard that you are willing to renounce the revenues of the four seas and set aside the dignity of the Son of Heaven in order to seek long life—is this true? You are truly diligent. On the seventh day of the seventh month, I will pay you a brief visit.” Emperor Wu asked Dongfang Shuo, wishing to confirm whether the descent of spirits was credible, and then began a hundred-day pure fast and burned incense…

After the second night watch had been sounded in the palace, a white cloud rose in the southwest, surging densely and heading straight for the palace courtyard. As the cloud drew nearer, its rosy radiance revealed nine colors, and the sound of flutes and drums filled the sky. There were many dragons and phoenixes, people and horses; some rode qilin and drove deer before them. Carriages, heavenly horses, colored banners, and feather-decorated processional regalia continued without break—a thousand carriages and ten thousand riders, their radiance illuminating the palace. The attendants of the great immortal stood arrayed like a forest, too numerous to count, each more than ten chi tall. After the procession arrived, the attendants vanished without a trace.

The Queen Mother (Xi Wangmu, a female immortal in Daoist legend) rode in a purple-cloud chariot drawn by nine-colored mottled dragons. She carried the staff of Heavenly Perfection, wore a diamond numinous seal, and was dressed in a yellow brocade robe whose patterns were vivid and whose golden light shone brilliantly. At her waist hung the Fenjing Sword, tied with a great flying-cloud ribbon; her hair was arranged in an ornate coiffure, and she wore the Taizhen crown with morning tassels, with square-toed shoes of fine jade embroidered with phoenix patterns. She appeared about twenty years old, her ethereal beauty peerless in the world—truly a true immortal. After alighting from the chariot, she was supported by two maidservants onto a couch seat and sat facing east. The Emperor bowed and knelt in greeting, then stood in attendance for a long while. The Queen Mother gestured for the Emperor to sit, and heavenly kitchen delicacies, fragrant flowers and fruits, purple zhi, and other immortal foods were set out in abundance—rare and wondrous things not found in the world, whose names even the Emperor could not say.

The Queen Mother then ordered a maidservant to bring peaches, held on a jade plate, seven in all, each the size of a bird’s egg. Four were given to the Emperor, and the Queen Mother herself ate three. Each time the Emperor finished one, he kept the peach pit. The Queen Mother asked why, and the Emperor replied that he wished to plant the pits. The Queen Mother said, “These peaches bear fruit only once every three thousand years. The soil of the Central Plains is barren; even if planted, they will not grow.”

Thereupon the Queen Mother ordered her maidservants to perform music: Wang Zideng played the eight-treasure ao, Dong Shuangcheng blew the Yunhe sheng, Shi Gongzi struck the Kunting jade, Xu Feiqiong blew the Zhenling reed-organ, Wan Linghua struck the Wuling stone, Fan Chengjun beat the Dongyin chime-stone, Duan Anxiang played the Jiutian jun, and Fa Ying sang the Xuanling melody. The music rose stirring and resplendent, its clear tones shaking the sky.

When the song and music ended, the Emperor left his seat, bowed his head, and asked about the Way of longevity. The Queen Mother said, “If you can regard glory as light and be content with simplicity, sink your mind into emptiness and stillness, and comprehend the great Dao (the Way), then naturally you are still somewhat acceptable. But by nature you indulge your desires, lust excessively, and wantonly kill innocents while giving yourself over to extravagance. Extravagance is the carriage that ruins a person; lust is the axe that injures the body. Killing brings retribution, and extravagance corrupts the heart; when desires accumulate, the spirit perishes; when impurity accumulates, lifespan is cut off. With one as slight as you…” The original text breaks off here.

Within the body dwell thieves that injure the bodily form; even something merely a foot or so in size is subjected to a hundred blades. To wish thereby to escape the Three Corpses (Sanshi, the three malign deities said in Daoism to lurk in the human body and harm the person), preserve the body, and survive long is impossible. It is like a tiny quail wanting to flap its wings and fly to the ocean, or like a mushroom that lives from dawn to dusk hoping to enjoy a lifespan as long as spring and autumn.

If one can sweep away these disordered thoughts, cleanse defilement and transform the heart-mind, nurture Shen and Qi in the Crimson Mansion (Jiangfu, a Neidan term for the bodily locus associated with the mind and Shen), close the Palace of Lust (Yingong, the place of indulging desires, so that desire does not stray outward), renounce extravagance in a quiet chamber, cherish sentient beings and do them no harm, hold fast to compassion and strive to give, refine and nourish the breath, and treasure Jing and Qi—if one can do these things, how could one fail to approach immortality? If one cannot, it is like clutching a stone while crossing a great river.

The Emperor knelt and received the Queen Mother’s admonition, saying: “I am utterly without capacity and sunk in the mundane world; I have inherited an old patrimony passed down through abdication, yet I am bound by worldly affairs, and in punishments and administrative decrees I have often erred, so that my transgressions pile up like a mountain. From today on, permit me to carry out your instruction.”

The Queen Mother said: “The way of nurturing one’s nature and the essentials of regulating the body—you already know them; simply practice diligently and do not slacken. My teacher, the Primordial Heavenly King (Yuanshi Tianwang, a revered Daoist deity), once transmitted to me an essential oral formula at the Terrace of Yanxiao:

‘If you wish for long life, begin by cultivating yourself. Firmly guard the Three Ones (Sanyi, the practice of visualization and protection of the three vital Qi centers in the body) and preserve the Spirit Root (Linggen); cause the Mysterious Valley (Xuangu, the bodily locus where Jing and Qi are stored and nourished) to be full, and let the flourishing body (huati) be nourished. Infuse it with Chenzhen; wash it with Changqing. Jing and Qi enter the Heavenly Gate (Tianmen) and circulate within the Golden Chamber (Jinshi), moving through the body’s passes and apertures. The Qi of green and white become distinct and gather at the Niwan (Mud Pill, an important Neidan locus in the head). Nourish the bodily fluids, close and store Jing and Qi, and make the body’s Shen complete; let the Three Palaces (San Gong, the three bodily palaces where Shen is stored) each have their guardians. Visualize the Crimson Palace (Jianggong) and Yellow Court (Huangting), the internal cultivation loci, so that the Qi of Wu and Ji (a Five Phases term here denoting the central-earth Qi associated with the spleen and stomach) is not dispersed. Let the Qi mechanism penetrate the five viscera and twelve meridians, harmonize the Six Fu (Liu Fu), and bring peace to the Hun and Po souls; drive out the hundred diseases, avoid cold and heat, preserve Jing and Qi, retain life, and endure long.

‘This is what is called breathing the Qi of Great Harmony and preserving the natural original truth; it is an important method of Daoist cultivation. If ordinary people practice it accordingly, they can all attain long life; they can also command ghosts and spirits and roam the Five Peaks, though they cannot ascend into the void. If you can cultivate this method, it is enough to transcend the dusty world. There is no one who learns immortality who does not begin here.

‘As for the Supreme’s numinous medicines, the Supreme Deity’s wondrous substances, things born of Yin beneath the earth, and marvelous herbs of the layered clouds—all are medicines of immortals. Those who obtain the superior grade can be longer-lived than Heaven and Earth; these are what the Supreme (Taishang) takes, not what middle immortals treasure. Middle-grade medicines, when taken, can make one longer-lived than Heaven and Earth; these are what the Heavenly Perfected (Tianzhen) take, not what lower immortals can obtain. The next grade of medicines includes the Nine Elixirs (Jiudan), Golden Liquid (Jinye), Purple Flower (Zihua), Rainbow Essence (Hongying), Taiqing Nine Turns (Taiqing Jiuzhuan), Five-Cloud Nectar (Wuyun Zhijiang), Xuan…’”

Frost Crimson (the frost-colored crimson grass), Snow Leaping, Three Yellows, Eastern Sea White Fragrance, Mystic Continent Flying Life, Eight Minerals, Thousand Mushrooms, Awe-Joy, Nine Lights, Western Flowing Stone Gall, Eastern Blue Coin, High Mound Surplus Grain, Piled Stone Jade Field, and Great Void Return Elixir are all numinous medicines used by immortals. The Great Void Return Elixir is kept in a golden orchid vessel; when taken, it makes the body radiant. Medicines such as Crimson Grass, Cloud Youth, and Flying Thousand, when taken, allow one to ascend to heaven in broad daylight; these are drugs taken by flying immortals, beyond the reach of earth immortals.

The next grade of medicines includes pine and cypress paste, mountain ginger, Chenjing, chrysanthemum, Alisma, goji, Poria, calamus, Ophiopogon, black sesame, Polygonatum, Lingfei, red board, peach gum, wood flower, Cimicifuga, Dipsacus, Weirui, Coptis, and so on. These are only a few examples; herbal medicines of this kind are extremely numerous, with over a thousand names. If one obtains and takes them, one can prolong life. Though one may not necessarily become deathless and ascend to the blue sky, one can still make the body lustrous, restore a youthful face, command ghosts and spirits, and become an earth immortal. Those seeking the Dao should first use these as a ladder and cultivate gradually; only then can they go farther.

If one can regulate the breath, master Jing and Qi, preserve Shen and Qi, and keep Jing and Qi from scattering, one can live long; if the breath endures, one will not die. In this way one need not spend money seeking medicines and minerals, nor weary the mind with management; one need only seek it through self-cultivation. The common people employ these principles every day but do not know why they are so. Therefore, nourishing Shen and stabilizing Qi is the essential key of the highest natural Dao.

The human body receives Shen from Heaven, form from Earth, and Qi from the Dao. When Qi remains, the person lives; when Qi departs, the person dies. Plants and all things are likewise. Since the human body takes the Dao as its root, how can one fail to cultivate spirit and guard original Qi in order to preserve the form? That both form and spirit be preserved is what the highest sages value. If the form perishes and the spirit scatters, is that not lamentable? Once this body is lost, it is difficult to recover for ten thousand kalpas; you must cherish it. What I have said here is what my master, Yuanshi Tianwang, transmitted.

Thereupon the Queen Mother ordered the Jade Girl Li Qingsun to record these words, give them to the Heavenly Emperor, and instruct him to practice them well. Just as the Queen Mother was about to board her carriage and leave, the Heavenly Emperor left his seat, bowed his head to the ground, and asked her to stay. The Queen Mother then ordered an attendant girl to summon Lady Shangyuan, and together they descended to the Heavenly Emperor’s palace. After a while, Lady Shangyuan arrived and sat down again. A heavenly kitchen was set up in the palace. After another interval, the Queen Mother had Lady Shangyuan bring out the Book of the Eight Assemblies, the True Form Charts of the Five Peaks, and the Numinous Flying Talismans of the Five Emperors and Six Jia, twelve items in all. The Queen Mother said: “These books and talismans are transmitted in Heaven only once every forty thousand kalpas; if they were in the human world…”

Only after forty years had passed could the Queen Mother of the West transmit it to a person who possessed the Dao (the Way). The Queen Mother therefore ordered her maidservant Song Lingbin to open the cloud-brocade sack and take out a scroll of documents to give to Emperor Wu. Holding the book, she rose to her feet, handed it to Emperor Wu, and recited:

“Heaven is high and Earth is low; the Five Peaks guard the bodily form. The Qi (vital energy) of primordial truth surges, and the vast marshes contain mysterious Jing (essence) and Qi. Heaven moves through the nine paths, and Yin-Yang and the six directions are peaceful and stable. The Supreme Eight Assemblies (celestial divine writings) transform into flying-heaven texts, transmitting the rules for becoming an immortal. With this token, one can communicate with the spirits; evil and impurity will be eliminated, treasures will be preserved, and lifespan will be extended. Be sure to treat it with caution. Respectfully inform Master Liu.”

Emperor Wu bowed and accepted the document. The Queen Mother said: “Those who first study the Dao and receive Fulu (talismans and registers) should separately sacrifice to the rivers, mountains, and various true spirits, and after purification and fasting, wear it. After forty years, if you wish to transmit it to others, the documents you possess can be verified by Dong Zhongjun and Li Shaojun. As an emperor, you should be even more diligent in sacrificing to the rivers and mountains in order to stabilize the state; bestow the talisman slips upon the true spirits, and thereby protect the common people.”

After saying this, the Queen Mother and Lady Shangyuan (a celestial goddess) ordered their carriage to be prepared and departed. Their attendants gathered and prepared to ascend to heaven. The Queen Mother smiled, pointed at Dongfang Shuo, and said: “This is a child from my neighborhood; he is very witty and once came three times to steal peaches. He was formerly an immortal official of Mount Tai, but because he became addicted to drinking and neglected his duties, he was demoted to assist you. He is not an ordinary person of the world.”

Later, Emperor Wu did not heed the Queen Mother’s warning; he indulged in wine and women and continued killing and waging war. He also campaigned against Liaodong, attacked Korea, opened up the regions of the southwestern Yi, built towers and terraces, and undertook large-scale construction, causing the people throughout the realm to suffer and resent him. From then on, he lost the Dao. Later he went to Huizhong and approached the Eastern Sea, sacrificing to the Queen Mother many times, but she never descended again. The books he had received were placed on the Bailiang Terrace and were later destroyed by heavenly fire. Li Shaojun freed himself from his bodily form and departed; Dongfang Shuo ascended to heaven and did not return. After the Witchcraft and Gu Poison Calamity occurred, Emperor Wu regretted it even more. In the second year of Yuanshi, Emperor Wu died at Wuzuo Palace and was buried at Maoling.

Later, the more than fifty scrolls of Daoist books stored in Maoling, packed in a golden box, appeared one day in Mount Baodu; the jade box and jade staff appeared in the market of Fufeng. Maoling remained intact as before, yet the box and staff appeared in the human world. The author uses this as evidence of shijie by borrowing a form (the Daoist practice of becoming an immortal by shedding the physical body).

It is also said that the Great Lord Mao (an immortal perfected one revered in Maoshan Daoism), Mao Ying, traveled south to govern Mount Juqu. On the jiyou day of the eighth month in the second year of Yuanshou, the Perfected One of the Southern Peak, Lord Chi, and Xicheng...

Lord Wang (Wang Jun of Xicheng) and Qingtong of Fangzhu accompanied the Queen Mother of the West as she descended to Mao Ying’s residence. After a short while, the Great Emperor of Heaven sent the Embroidered-Clad Envoy Ling Guang Ziqi to present Mao Ying with a divine seal and a jade tablet. The Emperor Lord of Taiwei sent Guan Zhantiao, Censor of the Left Palace of the Three Heavens, to present Mao Ying with a brocade carriage of eight dragons and a splendid robe of purple feathers. The Lord of the Great Dao of the Most High sent Grand Master Xiechen, Shi Shumen, to present Mao Ying with the True Talisman of the Golden Tiger and a bell of flowing gold. The Holy Lord of the Golden Citadel further commanded the Taiji Perfected to send Wang Zhong, Bao Qiu, and others, Jade Lords of Highest Mystery of Zhengyi, to present Mao Ying with four kinds of numinous mushrooms (lingzhi): the Four-Jointed Swallow Embryo, the Flowing-Bright Numinous Mushroom, and others.

After the four envoys had bestowed the numinous mushrooms, they had Mao Ying eat them, wear the divine seal, put on the splendid robe, arrange his cap and sash, and stand holding the talisman and bell. The envoys told Mao Ying: “By eating the Four-Jointed Hidden Mushroom, one may rank among the Perfected Ministers; by eating the Golden Citadel Jade Mushroom, one may serve as Controller of Destiny; by eating the Flowing-Bright Golden Essence, one may serve as Controller of Emoluments; by eating the Long-Radiance Twin Flight, one may rank among the Perfected Earls; by eating the Night-Luminous Cave Herb, one may oversee the offices of the Left and Right Censors. You have now eaten all these numinous mushrooms; your lifespan will be as long as Heaven and Earth, your rank will be that of Controller of Destiny, and you are appointed Upper Minister of the Eastern Peak, governing the immortals of the Wu-Yue region and administering the mountain-and-river spirit realms throughout Jiangzuo.”

When these words were finished, the envoys all departed together. The Emperor Lords of the Five Directions, each riding a carriage and wearing garments corresponding to his direction, descended into Mao Ying’s courtyard, conveyed the command of the Heavenly Emperor, presented Mao Ying with a purple jade tablet, a gold-engraved document, and the rites of the Nine Bestowals, and invested him as Upper Minister of the Eastern Peak and Perfected Lord Controller of Destiny.

After the Taiji Perfected had completed the conferral, he too departed together with the others. The Queen Mother and Mao Ying’s teacher, Lord Wang of Xicheng, prepared a heavenly-kitchen banquet for Mao Ying; they drank and rejoiced together and sang the “Xuanling” song. When the banquet was over, the Queen Mother, accompanied by Lord Wang and Mao Ying, went to visit Mao Ying’s two younger brothers and separately transmitted to them the essential methods of the Dao.

The Queen Mother then ordered Lady Shangyuan to transmit four precious scriptures, including the Taixiao Yinshu (Hidden Book of the Great Empyrean) and the Danjing Daojing (Scripture of the Essence of the Dao of Cinnabar Radiance), to Mao Gu and Mao Zhong. Holding the Taixiao Yinshu in her hand, the Queen Mother ordered her maid Zhang Lingzi to preside over the covenant of exchanged pledges and bestowed the scriptures upon Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong. When the matter was concluded, the Queen Mother of the West ascended to Heaven and departed.

Later, Lady Wei Huacun, the Perfected Lady of Purple Void, observed precepts and practiced pure cultivation at Yinyuan Terrace in Yangluo. The Queen Mother of the West and the Holy Lord of the Golden Citadel descended to the terrace, rode the Eight-Spectacle Carriage, proceeded together to the Upper Palace of Pure Emptiness, and transmitted the four scrolls of the Yuqing Yinshu (Hidden Book of Jade Purity) to Wei Huacun. At that time, the Three Primal Ladies…

The Perfected (Zhenren) Feng Shuangli, Ziyang Left Immortal Duke, Shi Lucheng, Taiji High Immortal, Payan Gai Gongzi, Xicheng Zhenren, Wang Fangping, Taixu Zhenren, Chisongzi of the Southern Peak, Wang Ziqiao the Zhenren of Tongbai, and more than thirty other Perfected each sang the “Taiji Yin Song” and the “Yang Song.” The Mother sang for them:

“I drive my Eight-Scenery Carriage and in an instant enter the Jade Clarity (Yuqing) realm. Dragon banners sweep the high heavens; tiger banners command the vermilion troops. I roam freely beside the Mystic Ford; the myriad things turn and flow without a moment’s rest. I grieve over this parting: will those who remain in the world meet again hereafter? When the kalpa’s end arrives, heaven and earth too will overturn. At that time one should seek the scene within No-Within; it is neither deathlessness nor birth and extinction. Comprehend the Dao of Nature, observe in stillness, and merge with the Great Darkness. The Southern Peak rears up as a pillar of the true Dao; jade light shines forth, and essence becomes manifest. Let the mind follow nature and do not act arbitrarily; with an empty heart one can receive the numinous and wondrous. We gather joyfully by the Crimson River and together enjoy inexhaustible bliss.”

When the song ended, the Lady of the Three Primes also sang a reply. After the singing, the Queen Mother, the Lady of the Three Primes, Ziyang Left Immortal Duke, the Taiji Immortal Lord, and Lord Wang of Pure Emptiness departed with Wei Huacun of the Southern Peak, traveling southeast together to Mount Tiantai and Mount Huo. Passing the golden altar of Mount Juqu, they held a feast for Taiyuan Mao Zhenren in the Huayang Cave Heaven and left Wei Huacun beneath the jade mansions of the Huo Mountain cave palace. The assembled Perfected followed the Queen Mother as she ascended and returned to the Turtle Terrace.

The Great Perfected Golden Mother—that is, the Queen Mother—is the teacher of the myriad things. She governs the ranks and sacred stations of all the Perfected and also oversees the spirits of the underworld and the human realm. For example, Bian Dongxuan went in person to pay homage and receive the Dao, while Xie Ziran served her and thereby ascended to immortality. Therefore, in the biographies of Dongxuan and Ziran she is called “the Golden Mother Teacher,” referring to the Queen Mother. There are many other such deeds recorded in the Mystic Scriptures, but they are not all noted here.

Biography of Jiutian Xuannü

Jiutian Xuannü was the teacher of the Yellow Emperor and a disciple of the Holy Mother Yuanjun. In former times, the Yellow Emperor was the ruler of Youxiong and assisted Yugang, grandson of Shennong. After Yugang grew weak, the various feudal lords warred against one another without cease, each taking his position by direction and color and calling himself by a Five Phases title: the descendants of Taihao called themselves the Blue Emperor; Yugang, descendant of Shennong, called himself the Red Emperor; the descendants of Gonggong called themselves the White Emperor; and the descendants of the Getian clan called themselves the Black Emperor. The Yellow Emperor arose from Youxiong and called himself the Yellow Emperor. He was respectful and humble, honored the worthy, and cultivated virtue. After twenty-one years on the throne, Chiyou rebelled.

The Yellow Emperor had eighty-one brothers, all with beast bodies and human speech, bronze heads and iron foreheads. They ate sand and swallowed stones, and did not eat the five grains. They transformed into the forms of five tigers, harmed the common people, cast weapons at Gelu Mountain, and disobeyed the Yellow Emperor’s commands. Wishing to campaign against them, the Yellow Emperor widely sought worthy and capable men to assist him. He obtained Feng Hou by the seaside and Limu in the great marsh; he appointed Dahong as his assistant and Tianlao as his teacher, and he also established the Three Excellencies to correspond to the Three Terrace stars in Heaven: Feng Hou held the Upper Terrace, Tianlao the Middle Terrace, and Wusheng the Lower Terrace.

At first, when the Yellow Emperor obtained a precious tripod, it could cook food without lighting a fire. He observed the sun’s shadows and calculated the calendar, appointed Fenghu as general, and established the son of his wife Feixiu as crown prince. He employed such ministers as Zhang Ruo, Xi Peng, Limu, Rong Guang, Long Xing, Cangjie, Rong Cheng, Danao, and She Long to assist him.

The Yellow Emperor fought Chiyou at Zhuolu, and at first his army could not prevail. Chiyou used magic to create a great fog, and for three days all within and without were thrown into confusion. Feng Hou, basing himself on the movement of the Northern Dipper, made a south-pointing chariot, using the “ladle” on the chariot to indicate south and thereby distinguish the four directions. The Yellow Emperor, deeply grieved and indignant, fasted and purified himself at the foot of Mount Tai. The Queen Mother of the West sent an envoy wearing a black fox-fur coat, who presented a talismanic mandate to the Yellow Emperor and said: “Concentrate your thoughts, pray to Heaven, and you will surely receive a response from the Supreme Lord.”

Several days later, dense fog spread and the sky grew dark, so that even writing could not be clearly seen. Xuannü, the Dark Woman, a goddess in legend, descended. Riding a red phoenix and driving colored clouds, dressed in nine-colored, brilliantly patterned garments, she came before the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor bowed twice and received her instruction. Xuannü said: “I have come by the teaching of the Supreme Lord. If you have doubts, you may ask.”

The Yellow Emperor kowtowed and said: “Chiyou is cruel and runs rampant, poisoning the people. Within the four seas, cries of grief rise on every side, and people cannot preserve their lives. I wish to obtain a method for winning every battle and eliminating harm for the people. May I?” Xuannü then bestowed on the Yellow Emperor the military talismans of Liujia and Liuren; the Five Talismans of Lingbao, the Numinous Treasure; the book for commanding ghosts and spirits; the Five Brightness Seal for subduing malevolent spirits and communicating with the divine; the Five Yin and Five Yang Dunjia methods; the Diagram of Grasping the Mechanism of Victory and Defeat by Taiyi, the Ten Essences, and the Four Spirits; the River Chart of the Five Peaks; and oral formulas for calculating the essential points. She also bestowed such immortal implements as the Nine-Light Jade Tally, the Ten Ultimate Numinous Banners, the Demon-Commanding Sword, the Cloud-Glow Crown, the Fire Pendant, the Dragon Halberd, the Rainbow Banner, the Emerald Carriage, the Green Curtained Carriage, a carriage drawn by horned dragons, tiger cavalry, the Thousand-Flower Canopy, the Eight-Luan Carriage, the Feathered Flute, the Dark Pole, the Rainbow Pennant, and the Jade Battle-Axe, as well as the Five Dragon Seal, the Nine Bright Pearls, and the Nine Heavens Tally. She also gave five-colored banners for identifying the five directions.

Thereupon, the Yellow Emperor again led the feudal lords into battle with Chiyou…

Chiyou drove demons and specters (legendary ghosts and monsters) and all kinds of malevolent beings into battle formations, and had Yushi and Fengbo (the deities in charge of rain and wind) guard him. Chiyou summoned a host of dragons to gather water with which to attack the Yellow Emperor; the Yellow Emperor subdued each of these forces one by one and finally destroyed Chiyou in the wilderness of Juepei and the land of Zhongji, burying his four limbs separately.

Later, Yuwang disobeyed orders and was likewise put to death by the Yellow Emperor in the wilderness of Banquan. The Yellow Emperor also drove the Xunyu (a northern tribe) northward, pacified the four quarters, and inspected the four frontiers, traveling a total of twenty-eight thousand li. He then cast cauldrons, divided the realm into the Nine Provinces, and appointed ministers of the Nine Conducts and Nine Virtues (officials endowed with the corresponding conduct and virtue), employing them to examine Heaven and Earth and to sacrifice to the myriad spirits.

The Yellow Emperor further established laws and regulations and instituted moral instruction. Afterward, he collected copper from Mount Shou and cast a cauldron at the foot of Mount Jing. A Yellow Dragon descended to receive him, and the Yellow Emperor mounted the dragon and ascended to Heaven. All these deeds were brought about by Xuannü (the Mysterious Woman, a legendary goddess) transmitting to him Fulu (talismans and registers), strategies, and diagrams.

Yunji Qiqian, fascicle 114