1

Master Zhou’s Records of his Communications with the Unseen

The Zhoushi mingtong ji [Master Zhou’s Records of his Communications with the

Unseen] is a partial record of the visions of Zhou Ziliang during the years 515-516 C.E. Ziliang

was a young disciple of the prominent Daoist master Tao Hongjing (456-536) and had served as

Tao’s assistant during the collection, copying, and ordering of the Shangqing scriptures. Partially

as a result of his acquaintance with the visionary transcripts of Yang Xi (330-ca. 375 C.E.), the

original recipient of the Shangqing scriptures, Ziliang began to entertain visits from divinities

himself.

The first visitors were lower-level Transcendents and Perfected beings, officials of Mount

Mao [near present-day Nanjing], where he resided with his master, Tao. Later, some of the same

Perfected who had visited Tao began to visit Ziliang as well, calling him to a position in the

hierarchy of deities within the mountain. They informed the nineteen-year-old Ziliang that,

though his book of life indicated forty-six more years for him, the post to which he was called

would be far grander than anything he could otherwise hope for. His name would be stricken

from the ledgers of death held in Mount Tai [in modern Shandong Province] and entered in the

jade registers of the Transcendents in the Palace of the Grand Bourne, near the summit of the

highest heavens. The young visionary responded to this summons, committing suicide on 6

December, 516, so that he might take up the office promised him.

Tao Hongjing subsequently collected and annotated the diary of his disciple. He

appended a preface, translated below, and presented the collection to the emperor. It is not

difficult to see why Tao would want to do this. The reigning emperor, Liang Wudi–a fervent

patron of Buddhism–had only twelve years before begun to issue harsh proscriptions against

Daoism, mandating that Daoist monks and nuns return to lay life. Tao Hongjing, as a scholar,

master calligrapher, alchemist, and botanist, had managed to maintain good relations with the

emperor even as his fellow believers were oppressed. This was at least in part due to the fact that

the good “Buddhist” emperor hoped that Tao might complete the Daoist elixir of long life. Tao

took advantage of this imperial sponsorship to continue defending Daoism, as some of his notes

to this text translated below show.

In addition, the emperor had bestowed upon Tao Hongjing the favor of a state-supported

monastery on Mount Mao, hoping that Tao would on this holy mountain complete the divine

elixir which the emperor had commissioned. This was the “Hermitage of Scarlet Solarity,”

completed on imperial command in 515, just as Zhou Ziliang’s visions reached a climax. It is

clear that Ziliang’s visions represented on one level a celestial confirmation of the emperor’s

wisdom in continuing to support Tao Hongjing. On yet another level, they might have

constituted a warning to the emperor that even once the elixir was found a very real-seeming

death awaited anyone rash enough to attempt this method of immediate access to the world of the

spirits.

Besides revealing Tao Hongjing’s stake in this affair, the Records are of interest for what

they reveal concerning the life and motives of the young Daoist adept, Zhou Ziliang. The

passages of Ziliang’s Records translated below have been selected with a view to revealing a few

of this young man’s possible motives for opening himself to these visions and for preparing the

drug that would eventually translate him to the exalted post-mortem position promised him.

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Zhou Ziliang was born on 19 February, 497. His father died when he was six years old

and, for what economic or psychological reasons we can only imagine, Ziliang was sent to his

Daoist aunt, the younger sister of his mother, to be raised. Soon thereafter, as a result of Liang

Wudi’s suppression of Daoism in 504, his aunt was forced to leave the temple she served and

marry, returning to lay life. At this time, Ziliang was sent to another temple in the mountains.

Finally, as Tao Hongjing relates in his preface, Ziliang met Tao and accompanied him on the

master’s journey to the far south to visit the Southern Marchmount Huo (near present Nan’an

county in Fujian Province), where Yang Xi’s Perfected teacher, Lady Wei Huacun was believed

to have her otherworldly headquarters (see the Zhengao in this volume).

When Tao brought the young Ziliang back to Mount Mao, near the capital, he managed to

have his family summoned to live with him. Finally, after a separation of some ten years, Ziliang

was reunited with his mother and with his aunt.

After this separation there were, Ziliang’s Records show, certain stresses on the newly

united family. In particular, Ziliang’s practice of Daoism had advanced far beyond that of his

aunt, who was once his mentor and who still held considerable power over the details of his life.

Under her tutelage, he had been inducted as an ordinary novice in the Celestial Master order,

receiving the text of Laozi’s Daode jing and a protective talisman. Tao Hongjing, after their

return to Mount Mao, the most holy mountain of Shangqing belief in that it was here that Yang

Xi had practiced, had begun to induct Ziliang into the higher mysteries of these texts. Tao

records that he bestowed on Ziliang the Inner Texts of the Three Luminaries, an important text of

southern Daoism, as well as the Charts of the Five Marchmounts, which would give him access

to the higher Perfected. While none of the texts of Yang Xi are mentioned by name, it is clear

from his writings that at least some of these were made available to Ziliang. Even a brief

comparison of the way Ziliang describes the descent of the Perfected with the way similar events

are described by Yang Xi in the brief passages translated here will be enough to convince the

reader of this fact. (See Zhengao).

Ziliang is instructed by many of the same Perfected who had appeared to Yang Xi. There

is first a contact by a Deputy from the cavern-paradises of Mount Mao, but later such spirits as

the second of the three Mao brothers who ruled over the mountain known by their name and

Zhou Ziyang, whose surname matches Ziyang’s. The Mao brother appearing in this text is Mao

Gu, who held the title “Certifier of Registers,” revealing his control over the destinies of humans.

He appears as well at the wedding feast of Yang Xi translated above. Zhou Ziyang, or “the

Perfected (Zhou) of Purple Solarity,” we have also encountered at Yang Xi’s wedding. He is the

deity who provides Ziliang with the recipe for the elixir with which he is to end his mortal life.

We can only speculate on the influences the events of his life might have had on the

substance of Ziliang’s visions. One thing, though, is clear. Zhou Ziliang’s direct

communications with the unseen powers put him in a position of power. For once, he is the

director of his own destiny.

The “Five Marchmounts” (wuyue) were especially holy Taoist mountains roughly situated in the four directions and

the center of China. They were believed to house exalted deities with dominion over the gods of the mountains and

rivers in the surrounding area.

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Tao Hongjing’s preface [All notes in brackets are by Tao himself.]

In the seventh year of the reign-period “Celestial Confirmation” (508 C.E.), I was

roaming the mountains and seas of the eastern seaboard when I was persuaded to make for

Qingzhang Mountain of Yongning. [It happened in this way:]

When I came to the east, I first made for Yuyao, where I boarded an ocean-going

catamaran bound for Mount Huo of Jin’an. Just at dusk, we set sail on the Zhejiang [river], but

the ocean tides swept the boat straight for Tingshan Island at the mouth of the river with such

force that human strength could no longer guide it. As a result of this near catastrophe, I headed

instead up river to Dongyang, wishing to proceed from there to Yongkang. While in Dongyang, I

happened upon a person of Yongjia Commandery who described the mountain scenery of that

area as exceedingly beautiful. I thus changed my plans.

I accompanied this person through the mountain defiles to Yongjia Commandery, where I

took lodging with the Prefect of Yongning, Lu Hsiang. Lu personally accompanied me to stay

for awhile in the hall of the local Celestial Master parish where, by chance, Zhou Ziliang had just

entered as a novitiate. This is how we came to know one another. Contemplating now this

predestined meeting, it seems as if the gods had mandated that we be brought together. Were it

not so, there is no way to explain how we both happened to come to Qingzhang mountain.

At this time, Zhou Ziliang was still twelve years of age and was in the process of formally

requesting to “enter the mountain and submit to the discipline” as a disciple [of Celestial Master

Daoism]. He first received a register of personal Transcendent Powers, the 5,000-word text of

the Laozi [the Daode jing], and the “Talisman of the Elder of the Western Marchmount for

Interdicting Tigers and Leopards” and then devoted himself assiduously to the menial tasks

assigned him of tending the incense burners and lamps in the temple. Zhou loved to practice

calligraphy and paint as well as to practice other minor skills. Anything he applied himself to he

was able to accomplish.

After this, he accompanied me to the Southern Marchmount Huo and later on to Muliu

Island (modern Yuhuan Island), serving me day and night with the utmost respect. In the

eleventh year (512), he returned with me to Mount Mao. There I bestowed on him the Charts of

the Five Marchmounts and the Inner Texts of the Three Luminaries, formally accepting him as

my disciple. In the autumn of the next year, his family and close relations came to the mountain

to live, establishing themselves together with Zhou in a hut on the westernmost of the three

peaks.

On the day of the summer solstice of the fourteenth year (20 June 515), Zhou suddenly

retired to recline in his chamber before noon. He conferred with the spirits for a long time, and

then emerged. His Aunt did not know what he had been doing and questioned him closely about

his strange behaviour. Zhou told her a bit of what he had seen, as recorded in his transcripts.

This was his first encounter with the Perfected.

For the next forty or fifty days, Zhou was seen to act very strangely indeed. He would

habitually close the curtains and bar the door to his chamber, not letting anyone enter. He

remained alone and burnt incense. During the day, he allowed the servants to bring him only a

single cup-measure of honey-sweetened rice. [Other than that, he did not eat.]

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Now the Zhou family had originally served profane gods, so the family elders all feared

that Ziliang might have been bewitched by some of these deities taking on the guise of Daoist

spirits. Some family members even announced that they themselves were in danger of

contamination by these perverse energies. They thus interrogated Ziliang closely. He would only

answer: “It might after all be a false dream, you have no way of knowing for sure. If you are all

so worried about it, you can break relations with me.” At this, none of the family members could

decide what to do. They determined to let the matter go for the present and wait to see how

things would develop.

In the seventh month (August, 515), Ziliang received a mandate from the Perfected to

mingle in the affairs of the world so that people would no longer be suspicious. From this time

on, Ziliang was more active than ever before, bustling about and managing temple affairs.

Several months later, he moved to the Hermitage of Scarlet Solarity, where I was in

residence. When I later went in reclusion to the eastern mountain, Ziliang lived alone in the

Western hall of Scarlet Solarity, managing the affairs of the temple and contacts with outsiders.

He entertained both Daoists and laity, all of whom loved and respected him. He was the perfect

gentleman by nature, slow of speech and quick of action. It could truly be said that he aided

others wordlessly, with uprightness, impartiality, and not a trace of selfishness.

Last winter, in secret accord with the Perfected’s instructions, he suddenly required a

separate residence. On the pretext of convenience, he requested that he be allowed to build and

subsequently set up a rough, three-chambered hut. It took a long time for him to complete this

structure. It was not until the tenth month of this year (November 516) that he secretly

completed the door and window coverings, beds and curtains.

On the nineteenth (28 November 516) his uncle wished to come and see him to present

him with fruits [left over from the Lower Prime rites.] The uncle noticed that Ziliang stayed in

the shadows and averted his face during the visit. No one could explain the reasons for this

behaviour.

On the twenty-sixth (5 December), Ziliang sealed all of the doors to the western and

eastern halls (of Scarlet Solarity). In his hut, he bathed and massaged himself to circulate the

pneumas within his body in preparation for meditation. Then he entrusted his ledgers and ritual

implements to his assistant He Wenxing. During the evening, Ziliang carried his quilt and

pillows out of his hut, saying that he must perform purification rituals or, to others, that he was

going on a short trip.

On the morning of the next day, he came alone to the dwelling of his family and then

returned to the hermitage. In appearance and speech he was as normal. No one noticed anything

extraordinary. Again he bathed himself with scented water and put on clean clothes. Then he

played chess with Wenxing and read, repeatedly glancing out at the sundial. When die had

passed (about 3 PM.), he arose, saying “It is time.” He immediately fastened his belt, lit incense,

and went to the main hall of Scarlet Solarity where he did obeisance in turn to all of the powers

of the Dao. He then returned straight to his hut. Everyone thought that he was preparing to

perform the purification rituals he had mentioned.

About the bu hour (five PM), Ziliang’s younger brother, Ziping found him in his hut

burning incense. Ziliang came out to the door of the hut and asked Ziping why he had come.

Ziping said “Auntie has become ill. She wants you to come and fix a medicinal broth for her.”

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Ziliang replied: “I am also feeling a little ill. I was just about to take some medicine.

You should go back now. If she is not feeling better, you can come back again.” Ziping saw that

there was a half cup-measure of liquor heating in a kettle in Ziliang’s hut.

Ziping hastily returned to their aunt and repeated Ziliang’s message to her. She was

greatly alarmed. She immediately ordered Ziping to run back to Ziliang’s hut. When he reached

the hut, Ziping saw Ziliang lying prone on the floor and did not dare enter. Within a few

moments, Ziliang’s mother and aunt reached the hut as well and, seeing Ziliang prostrate on the

floor, began to wail mournfully: “What have you done? What have you done?”

Ziliang only closed his eyes, raising his hand to snap his fingers three times, and said:

“Don’t cry out. Don’t cry out. You will ruin everything.”

Ziliang’s mother, in trying to raise his head, stepped on his headcloth. He rolled over, his

hand still raised, and repeatedly fumbled with his headcloth, setting it straight. In a moment, his

breathing ceased.

Ziliang had ignited in his censer a sliver of frankincense about the size of a cowhage

bean. When he died, it had not yet stopped burning. Judging from this, we can estimate that

only about half the time it takes to eat a meal had elapsed since he took the elixir. He was only

twenty years old.

He had clothed himself only in his underwear, his sleeping robes and his Daoist ritual

robes, the sash of which was tightly tied. He had removed his everyday outer garments and

folded them. His face and body were fresh and unblemished, as if he were still alive. Everyone

who heard of the event or who saw him was shocked and dismayed.

On the twenty-ninth (8 December), Zhou Ziliang was prepared for burial and a mound

was readied on the easternmost ridge. At the die hour (around 3 PM.) on the third day of the

eleventh month (12 December 516), Ziliang’s coffin was lowered into the ground and earth was

carried to form his grave mound.

From this time forward Zhou Ziliang was remote from me in both voice and form–he

appeared to me in neither vision nor dream. Such is the gulf of separation between humans and

the spirits. But should I not await the proper moment to meet with him again?

The means by which Ziliang achieved the Dao as well as his present rank and style in the

spirit world are all laid out in his records. Here I have simply summarized some of his earthly

activities as well as what I observed of him to form a preface to his own records.

Four letters, their seals still damp, were found on the bookshelf in Ziliang’s lodgings.

One was addressed to me, the others to his Aunt and mother, to his uncle, and the lengthiest one,

of four sheets in length, to the Daoists of the Southern Hall and the eastern mountain. All were

farewell letters dated the twenty-seventh. Judging from these facts, Ziliang probably had written

them after his return from Scarlet Solarity and before he began to burn the incense. In addition,

the kettle was checked. It seemed to smell only of ordinary liquor. Ziliang’s earthenware basin

had been washed out and was odorless. No traces of drugs were found anywhere. There was

really no evidence as to which drug he had used to achieve the Dao. [note: In Ziliang’s Records

there was a recipe for the “Ninefold Perfected Jade-liquor Elixir.” Presumably this is what he

used.]

I am full of remorse about this affair. I regret that I did not earlier look into Ziliang’s

activities. His letter causes me to blame myself.

6

I sent people to inspect all of Ziliang’s chests and book boxes, hoping to find any records

he might have left behind, but not a scrap was ever found. He Wenxing said that on the sixteenth

(25 November) Ziliang had burnt two bundles of writings–over a hundred pages–and had not

heeded when Wenxing had tried to stop him. Hearing that so many of his writings had gone up

in smoke, I was even more aggrieved.

On the morning of the first day of the eleventh month (10 December), I personally went

to the cavern of Yankou peak to see what I could find. I saw a large sealed letter-case which had

been thrown inside. Climbing to an overhanging precipice, I was able to snag and retrieve it. I

then did obeisance, respectfully requesting permission [of the spirits to whom it had been

entrusted] and returned with it.

When I opened it, I saw that it was a record of the instructions Zhou Ziliang had received

from the Perfected. For the fifth month there were only four entries dating from the summer

solstice forward. The records for the sixth and seventh months were complete. From the eighth

month to the end of the seventh month of this year, there were only scattered entries, briefly

outlining what had occurred and what was said.

I could not fathom how Zhou Ziliang had experienced further events such as those of the

sixth and seventh months and still not recorded them. Why did he not continue keeping detailed

records? Why did he abbreviate things in this manner? As I think of these things now, I fear that

we will never know more. How could we?

During those weeks when the Perfected first began descending to him, Ziliang had both

leisure and quiet. Later, all was hustle and bustle for him and he was forever involved in various

duties so that he could not manage to get away by himself much. As a result, when he came to

write out his visions, he was only able to record brief entries. I do not think that the instructions

and admonitions he received from the Perfected during that period of over ten months could

really have been as sparse as this. It is a shame. Not looking into this properly was the fault of

his master–my fault.

Also, from the eighth to the tenth month of this year, there is not a single entry. I even

looked at the remains of those writings he had burnt, but there was nothing.

That which Ziliang confided to his aunt, his mother, or to me was in fact only a few items

from his records. These items were as follows: 1) On that day when everyone blamed him for

sleeping during the day on the summer solstice, he could not but tell something. 2) When he

was blamed for ceasing to eat meat, he was forced to state his reasons. 3). When he was

discussing with me incantations for summoning rain, the Perfected commanded him that we were

to write them out in black ink rather than red ink and he could not but tell me why he suggested

this. 4). When he was told of the order cancelling my summons to fill a celestial position, the

Perfected instructed Ziliang to tell me.

Other than these four occasions, even when questioned he would answer briefly or

evasively so as not to reveal the directives of the Perfected. Because of this, I simply stopped

asking after awhile.

After we moved to Scarlet Solarity temple, I would ask him to direct appropriate

questions to the Perfected. Later I would repeatedly inquire as to whether he had received an

answer and he would always say “not yet,” thus keeping the words of the Perfected secret.

Looking at his records now, I see that he did indeed receive answers. It must have been that he

was afraid to relay responses to such questions because people would give him thank-you

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presents and then everyone would come to rely on him for information. Then, if he did not ask

the Perfected, he would be blamed by people; but if he did ask, he would violate the instructions

of the Perfected. This is why he was so secretive about the whole thing.

[note: The Records contain many secret names of the Perfected and Transcendants as well as

their precepts and teachings, just like scripture. Just as with scripture, it is required that one

purify the scripture table on which the Records are placed and the cloth with which they are

touched. One must bathe oneself and burn incense before reading them. If one wants to copy

them, one must also make appropriate announcements to all of the gods and to the mysterious

possessors of these texts. It is not permissible to haphazardly write out their contents.]

from Zhou’s Records:

On the day of the summer solstice (20 June 515), slightly before noon, I was sleeping on

the bed on the south side of my residence. I awoke and ordered Shansheng [Tao note: his aunt’s

seven-year-old brother.] to lower the curtains of my bed. I had not quite fallen back asleep when

I suddenly saw a man about seven feet in height. His mouth and nose were small and he had

sternly-knit eyebrows and bushy sideburns which were speckled with white. He looked to be

about forty years old. He wore a scarlet robe and a red headcloth topped with cicada-wing

decorations and trailing extremely long ribbons. His purple leather belt was about seven inches

wide and carried a pouch decorated with a dragon’s head. On his feet were purple sandals that

made a whistling sound as he walked.

There were twelve persons in attendance. Two had their hair in double buns like those of

the old women of Yongjia. They wore purple blouses and green trousers under skirts which they

held aloft. The trousers restricted their legs so that they walked extremely slowly. Three others

wore purple trousers, tunics, and flat headcloths. Each bore a jade slip, but I could not make out

the writing. The final seven all had white cloth trousers and tunics and white leather boots. Each

carried something. One had a rolled mat under his arm, one carried a scepter and a five-colored

feather fan, one carried a large scroll, one carried paper, a writing brush and a large black

inkstone (the brush seemed to be a normal one), another one grasped an umbrella.

This umbrella was shaped like a feather, but it seemed to be made of various colors of

silk, so that it was wondrously variegated. It was round, deep, and the black handle was

extremely long. After they had entered the room, this person propped the umbrella under the

eaves.

The other two dressed in white both carried bags which seemed to be as big as small

columns and looked as if they were stuffed with writings. The person carrying the mat unrolled

it and put it on my reading couch. It was white and glowing and woven of a grass like a calamus

rush mat, though the weave was larger. Six of these servants first entered the room and leaned

against Ziping’s bed.

As soon as the head-man entered the room, he knitted his brows and said to them “He’s

living too close!”

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Then he sat down on the mat and leaned his forearm on my bookstand, where my brush

and ruler were laid out. He grabbed the brush and ruler, placed them in my brush-holder, and

moved the brush-holder to the north side of the stand. He turned to his attendants and said “Why

didn’t you bring my writing table?”

“When your lordship set out, he did not direct us to bring it.”

That person then addressed me, saying: “I am a Deputy in the administrative offices of

this mountain. I came to greet you because your conduct is without flaw.”

I rose and straightened my tunic, but did not answer. He continued: “Today is an

auspicious day. Have you performed the purification rituals?”

“I performed the normal morning obeisances and ate. I have not yet learned the

purification rites.”

“It is permissable to eat at noon on such days, but sleeping during the day in the

summertime is not beneficial. You should not always be such a sleepyhead,” he said.

“I seem to be coming down with something and feel fatigued. I was so tired I could not

help but sleep.”

“Well, there’s no real harm in a little rest,” he said. Just then a wind arose and was about

to blow over the umbrella, so he ordered his assistants to see to it.

The youngster Chidou was playing in the courtyard. He came running by and was about

to bump the umbrella, but an attendant moved him to the side with his hands. At the same time,

Langshan came to fetch a cup from the shelf and, in so doing, knocked into the attendant and

almost fell over, but other attendants caught him in time.

“Who was that youngster?” the Deputy asked.

“His family is from Qiantang and is surnamed Yu,” I said. “He was sent to this place [by

his Buddhist father] to stay for awhile.”

“Well, don’t allow him to run around naked like that or the spirits will see him,” said the

Director. “And who is Langshan?”

“His family is in Yongjia. He came to live with Master Tao.”

“Your Master Tao is a person of perfect aspirations. That is why others throw themselves

under his protection.” The Director then turned his attentions to me: “Your father was not

without minor transgressions during his life. He only resolved these matters some three years

ago. For the time being he is no longer troubled by his past misdeeds. He told me that his tomb

is in the state of Yue and, even if you were personally to urge him to move it, he would not be

willing. You should fill up that trench you have been digging south of here.

Your father wanted to come with me today, but could not because the proper documents

have not yet been filled out. In the spring of next year, he will be reborn into a prince’s family–

you see, he must re-emerge into the world since his former transgressions have not been entirely

redeemed.”

[Tao Note: In the jiawu year (514), Ziliang had wanted to fetch his father’s casket, but nothing

came of it…I went to look and there is indeed a pit which had been filled in.]

“Now your own past lives are a source of blessing for you, so you have come to know the

true doctrine. In this life as well you have lost faith with neither god nor man. According to your

registers of life, you have yet another forty-six years to live. It is said that `just as those born as

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humans cling to life, those who die and become spirits cherish the mysterious and dark,’ but,

speaking truthfully, the `mysterious and dark’ is by far superior.”

“At present, our bureau has an open position. We desire that you fill it. The protocols are

nearly settled so there is no need for me to say more about that. You are to be summoned in the

tenth month of next year. I came to notify you so that you may begin making preparations ahead

of time. If you choose to disobey this order, you will be charged over to the Three Officers. Do

not be imprudent!”

My face showed my fear. The Deputy continued: “Should you remain in this world,

sowing transgressions, how will you ever repay them all? On the other hand, by taking up an

office in my grotto, you will come face to face with heavenly Perfected and roam the bureaus of

the sages. Just consider! There is no better spot below the heavens!”

I said “I only desire to follow your instructions.”

“It is not,” he went on, “that you have been without your minor faults. You should

meditate on these and repent of them, for if you do not, they may obstruct your progress. Those

who practice the Dao do not go about naked or reveal their topknots. Nor are they reckless and

unrestrained toward the innocent. In all of your actions, as well as in what you eat and drink, you

should strictly adhere to the regulations. I will speak with you again, but this is all I want to tell

you now. I am returning to my post. If you have any doubts or desires, I will not be far. Guard

my words and do not reveal them to the uninvolved–this does not, of course, include your fellow

aspirants on this mountain.”

With that, he arose from his mat. He had not yet gone out the door when he saw beyond

the gate several children playing. At this, he turned and added: “Do not allow the children to

draw near to the ritual area or the meditation chamber. The meditation chamber contains

scriptures. It is positioned on the foundations of a former temple which burned down. There are

spirit soldiers still guarding the spot. Your residence is too near to this area. Do not enter it

lightly. Though these children are innocent, their actions will be the responsibility of the family

heads.”

“Further, the cause of your aunt’s illness is deep-rooted. Although it will not kill her, it

will be difficult to heal.”

I said “Once we seem to have healed her, the illness arises again in her stomach. How

can this be removed?”

“You cannot remove it immediately. I do not know if it can be done in months or even

years. If it is possible to determine the blockage in her stomach, I will tell you.” The children

departed and he descended the steps and disappeared.

Night of the sixth month, fourth day [30 June 515]:

The Huayang lad came and bestowed on me the following words:

If you wish to free your thoughts and join with the spirits, you must not mix in worldly

affairs. The person you consider in your heart now only desires to seek her own benefit. If you

are unable to aid her, she will be displeased. Though you now serve the honored ones, she

bitterly upbraids you. When you are scolded, you should envision the gods within your body.

Though you hear, your heart should not receive such words, nor should your mouth respond. It

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should be as if she were cursing an animal or a bird. After such incidents, you should

immediately bathe, since anger is a great defilement which robs the body. Once you are so

defiled, the Perfected spirits will not descend to you and perverse pneumas will enter into your

body.”

“Of old there was one named Liu Wenchang whose master, Li Shaolian, was violent and

abusive. Shaolian beat and cursed his disciple without restraint. Whenever this happened,

Wenchang would verbally respond. After eleven years, the mountain spirits invaded Wenchang

and put him to the test. He thereupon fell prey to perverse influences and became ill. Today he

is a common runner in the offices of the Guarantor of Human Destinies. He serves the spirits

solely due to his loyalty and simplicity. Li Shaolian is still in the world, where he suffers day and

night and may not even see the spirits. Let this be a lesson to you. You must be cautious.”

[Tao note: Last year I heard from members of Ziliang’s family that his aunt often practiced by

ingesting various talismans, (a common Celestial Master practice). She always ordered Ziliang

to write these talismans for her. Once Ziliang began to have communications with the spirits, he

would be late in writing the talismans or slack off in other ways. His aunt would then scold him

bitterly, saying such things as “when one raises a dog, it should bark and chase off rats–no one

would bother to raise sand! You only write talismans and copy texts! What good are you?!?”

Each time this happened, Ziliang would get angry. The instructions here probably are the result

of these incidents. Now his aunt feared that he was slacking off in his service to others and often

punished him during that period of time. After this, Ziliang, whenever he was scolded, would

always smile happily and then go to bathe. Everyone, young and old, thought this very strange.

As to his relationship to his master, I never had an angry word with him or scowled at

him. The comparison to Liu Wenchang and Li Shaolian must only be a metaphor (for his

relations with his aunt).]

Night of the ninth day, seventh month (4 August 515):

The Two Perfected Zhou and Wang of Ziyang and the Certifier of Registers, Lord Mao,

appeared. Their dress was as before. About a dozen attendants accompanied them, among

whom was the lad of Ziyang. They spoke together for a long time and then the Certifier of

Registers said to me: “We have been very busy lately. The affairs of heaven are many and

troublesome for us gods. On the sixth, I went to the Palace of Eastern Florescence and saw that

your name was already inscribed on the green tablets. Your position is “Overseer, Guarantor of

Dawn.” You are now my underling. Is this not an exalted position? It corresponds perfectly

with your hidden destiny. Though this is not your rank here in the world, you should begin to

comport yourself accordingly. (…)

Wang Ziyang said: “This is a great achievement, but I fear that the trials will be

difficult.”

I then made bold to ask: “How many trials will there be? If the trial is great, I fear that

this mortal may try to avoid it. How could I not be afraid?”

“There should be two small trials,” Wang responded. “Perhaps wolves and wild dogs, or

strange noises and shapes such as would frighten a mortal. When you see such things you should

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merely settle your emotions and act with determination. Do not quail with fear. If you do not

pass these trials, it will temporarily delay your progress.”

The Certifier of Registers went on: “All of the Directors of Destiny and the gods of

various localities, together with their scribes, were assembled at the Palace of Eastern

Florescence to check the registers of life. Of all people in the world, not one in fifty had a

praiseworthy record, not to mention achieving the status of divine Transcendent–those were only

two or three in a hundred million! There were also quite a few who had achieved Transcendence

and then been dropped from the ledgers. I am beginning to worry that there will be no names on

the registers of Transcendence. This is especially worrisome in that the era is fast drawing to a

close and the world is increasingly troubled by calamities. (…) Those whose names were

dropped from the registers this month must be reported to the Palace of the Grand Bourne at the

turn of the seasons and further have their registers of death reinstated at Mount Tai. Such as

these are really pitiable! All because they lacked diligence in their practice or because someone

who preceded them in death implicated them in the practice of perverse religion. Others were

diligent at first, but became lax and lost all they had achieved. What a pity!

“On the other hand, there are those who are about to ascend into the cloud-filled heavens;

those for whom the sun and moon do not shine in vain. The Perfected descend to such as these

and bestow the teachings upon them. Some dwell deep in the mountains; others have studied the

Dao for years. No one knows about them. We Perfected often descend to instruct such as you–

and who now knows about you?”

“Certifier of Registers Mao is only telling you this by way of exhortation,” added Lord

Zhou. “Do not slack off while you are here on earth. You are already approaching the status of a

lower Transcendent. You will eventually rise to the rank of middle-level Transcendent and will

be able to travel to the Grand Bourne, piloting a chariot drawn by dragons and kirin. Won’t that

be joy?”

Lord Wang said: “The exhortations of the Certifier of Registers Mao and of Zhou Ziyang

are profound indeed. You should take note of them. On this mountain there are three or four

people who have already reached the status of lower-level Transcendent. Do you want to know

who they are?”

I then inquired as to the status of my Master, Elder Tao. He responded: “If you only

model yourself on him, your pursuit of Transcendence will be easy. Tao long ago reached the

top rank of lower-level Transcendence.”

[Tao note: Originally Ziliang had written “middle of the middle-ranks of

Transcendence,” but this had been crossed out in dark ink and “top rank of lower-level

Transcendence” had been written in instead. I do not know the reason for this. Since it says

“long ago reached,” perhaps I have recently been dropped two ranks for negligence… Lord Wang

said that there were four people on this mountain who had already gained Transcendence, but

Ziliang did not ask who they were. I wish that he had.]

So then I asked about my aunt. He replied: “She has no major flaws, but she must be

more diligent. She might achieve Transcendence in a later life, but for this life there is nothing to

report.”

[Tao note: Ziliang’s aunt was originally from Qiantang and was surnamed Zhang. When

she was three, her father died and she returned with her mother to Yongjia. Her mother

remarried into the Xu family and the aunt took this surname. When she was ten, she left the

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family and began to study the Dao with a master in Yuyao, where they set up a meditation hall.

She was by nature extremely upright and so was eventually given charge over the son of her

younger sister, Ziliang. When she was thirty-five, Daoist officials, in response to governmental

restrictions, urged her to leave the order for the sake of convenience and to marry into the Zhu

family of Shangyu. With this, she fell into the ways of the world and, out of shame and remorse,

developed her stomach illness. After four years, she took her newborn son and returned to

Yongjia. Still, her illness has not been cured. Now, eleven years later, she tells me “since I was

young I have never harmed an ant or needlessly broken the stem of a flower. I eat only once each

day. Still I regret that my disposition is too stern and that I am harsh with those under me.” As

Lord Wang says, there is really no grave transgression here, but she is not without her minor

flaws. It is probably due to the fact that she was not able to follow the destiny she had given

herself to. She has been wronged by the spirits and demons, but since her studies were broken

off, how can she achieve Transcendence in this life? Perhaps in two or three more lifetimes she

will be more fortunate.]

Then Lord Zhou asked me my name. I was flustered and unable to respond with the

name that I had previously been bestowed. I only responded without thinking, “Zhou Ziliang.”

“How could you be so negligent?” Lord Zhou angrily shouted. “You are the Daoist Zhou

Taixuan (Grand Mystery), with the byname Xuling (Spirit of the Void)! Your worldly name is

Ziliang. As written on the jade slips of all the celestial records, your name is Taixuan! Do not

reveal this secret name to the profane.”

These two paragraphs are translated in Strickmann, “On the Alchemy of T’ao Hung-ching,” p. 160, n. 113.