The Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms

Portraits, Volume 12

Page 22

Zhang Daoling

Zhang Daoling The foundational figure of organized religious Taoism and the first "Celestial Master.", whose courtesy name was Fuhan, was an eighth-generation descendant of Zifang Zifang is the courtesy name of Zhang Liang, the famous advisor to the founding emperor of the Han dynasty.. He was born at Mount Tianmu in the tenth year of the Jianwu era 34 CE during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Han dynasty.

By the age of seven, he had already mastered the Tao Te Ching original: "道德經" — The "Classic of the Way and Virtue," the central text of Taoism. as well as the mystical "He-Luo" charts and apocryphal texts original: "河洛圖緯" — Ancient cosmological diagrams and prophetic texts used to understand the divine order of the universe.. His heart was set on the arts of cultivation. Among his disciples was the elder Wang Chang; together, they refined the "Great Elixir of the Dragon and Tiger."

When the elixir was finally perfected, the Perfected OneZhenren (真人); a term for a high-level Taoist immortal who has transcended the physical world. was over sixty years old, but upon consuming it, he regained the appearance of a man of about thirty. He traveled to Northern Mount Song where he encountered an "Emissary in Embroidered Robes" A divine messenger or celestial official often sent by the heavens to deliver instructions to worthy seekers. who spoke to him, saying: "In the stone chamber of the central peak are hidden the Inner Script of the Three Sovereigns and the Yellow Emperor’s Nine-Tripod Great Clarity Elixir Scripture. Obtain them and practice their teachings, and you shall ascend to heaven."

Thereupon, the Perfected One fasted and purified himself for seven days. He obtained the alchemical scriptures and devoted his mind to their cultivation. He became capable of "dividing his form and scattering his shadow" The supernatural ability of bilocation—manifesting in several places simultaneously.. He was often seen rowing a boat in a pond, reciting scriptures in the hall, leaning against a table to receive guests, and walking with a goosefoot staff while chanting poetry—all occurring at the very same time. People could not fathom the depth of his power.

In the region between Xicheng and Fangling, there was a White Tiger God who craved human blood; every year, the locals would kill a person to sacrifice to it. The Perfected One summoned the spirit and admonished it, and the threat was finally eliminated. Furthermore, in Zizhou, there was a giant python that frequently spat out poisonous mists; any traveler who inhaled it would die instantly. The Perfected One used—