《太平經復文序#》

This passage recounts the transmission history of the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) and stories of key figures associated with it:

In the highest celestial Golden Tower Palace resides the "Post-Sage Taiping Emperor Lord," a high-ranking celestial sovereign from the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji) Palace. As a descendant of the Earthly Sovereign, he possessed innate spiritual wisdom and comprehended the true essence of the Dao at an early age. His merits are recorded in the immortal realm's Cinnabar Terrace, and his divine rank is listed in the Supreme Purity realm of the Supreme Ultimate. Entrusted with governing all immortals and overseeing earthly affairs, his jurisdiction extends across mountains, rivers, seas, and all regions under heaven.

The Taiping Emperor Lord is attended by high-ranking celestial officials like the Grand Preceptor, Chief Minister, and Prime Minister—all perfected immortals from the upper realms. They established doctrinal teachings and prepared to transmit them downward, thus creating the Taiping Fuwen (Restored Script of Great Peace). This scripture was first transmitted to the Chief Minister Qingtong Jun (Azure Lad), then to Prime Minister Xicheng Wang Jun (Lord Wang of Western City), who passed it to his disciple Bo He, who in turn transmitted it to his disciple Gan Ji.

Gan Ji initially suffered from a severe, nearly fatal illness and sought Bo He for healing. Bo He instructed him: "I will transmit to you the Taiping Benwen (Original Text of Great Peace), which can be adapted into 170 scrolls with 360 chapters. Spread it widely to virtuous rulers to realize the Great Peace era. This will not only cure your illness but also liberate you from worldly existence." After receiving this transmission, Gan Ji studied it deeply and propagated the scripture extensively.

During the chaotic late Eastern Han period, Gan Ji carried the scripture south to the Wu-Yue region, residing near Gan Creek at Mount Taiping, about 130 li east of Yue territory—where traces of his presence remain today. Local people revered him profoundly. When Sun Ce was consolidating power in Jiangnan, his subordinates followed Gan Ji. Viewing Gan Ji as destabilizing his authority, Sun Ce fabricated charges to arrest him. Sun Ce declared he would release Gan Ji if rain fell—whereupon dark clouds suddenly gathered and heavy rain poured down. Enraged, Sun Ce ordered his execution and public display. However, a storm wind later carried away the body. Gan Ji had actually changed his name and gone to Shu. When Sun Ce later saw Gan Ji's head reflected in his mirror, he was terrified and died from facial sores—a punishment widely regarded as retribution for insulting an immortal.

After Sun Quan ascended to power, he became more devoted to Daoist practices, taking Ge Xian Gong (Ge Xuan) and Master Jie as teachers. During the Southern Dynasties turmoil, the Taiping Jing was lost until the Liang period, when Tao Hongjing's disciple Huan Fakai (from Dongyang Wushang County) rediscovered the Taiping Benwen in mountain streams. Upon bringing it back, he fell ill. Tao remarked: "This is the Taiping teaching..."

This passage recounts the transmission story of the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace): In ancient times, someone forcibly took the scripture away but fell ill afterward. Only when returning the text to its original place did the illness subside. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Chen dynasty in the Southern Dynasties period, fishermen on a coastal mountain discovered a radiant "plain book" (text written on white silk) whose light illuminated the sky. Emperor Xuan ordered Daoist priest Zhou Zhixiang to perform rituals and petition for the scripture, thus obtaining this vermilion-inked "cinnabar text" (scripture written with red pigment).

Zhou Zhixiang mastered the teachings of Taiping Jing, frequently lecturing and studying it, earning the title "Great Peace Master" (Taiping Fashi) in his time. Though Emperor Xuan grasped the text's essential principles, he failed to truly practice them. Among the five Chen dynasty rulers, Emperor Xuan was considered the most virtuous. Later, this scripture was lost in China until its rediscovery. While its teachings survived, few practitioners remained. Through the centuries, this classic never vanished entirely—people copied and preserved it, awaiting those with sufficient virtue (De).

When the cyclical Renchen year (a significant temporal marker in Daoism) arrives with its destined fortune, it shall welcome the advent of a sage monarch who will witness the truth of the Great Peace era. As immortals descend to govern affairs and common people receive divine grace, restoring the pristine simplicity of antiquity, all these manifestations stem from this scripture's accumulated merit.

The scripture comprises four sections with ninety-five chapters totaling 2,120 characters, all original content from Taiping Jing. Another 362 chapters were derived by Gan Ji (a renowned Eastern Han dynasty fangshi) through textual elaboration—both versions circulated simultaneously, complementing each other to form complete teachings. This transmission method ensured the classic's authenticity.