I Seeking Signs of Proof:

Visions and Other Trance Phenomena in

Early Quanzhen Taoism

STEPHEN EsKILDSEN
University of Tcnnessce at Chattanooga

Introduction
The leading figures of the Quanzhc~ iE .. School during the latc twelfth and mtrly thirteenth
centuries ea cultivated meditative trances and hoped to gain visions, locutions, and other
scnsorylphyfiical signs indicating that they were making progress in their training. 'They, aiong
with other internal alchemists of their times. referred to these tbings as "signs of proof'
llhengyan in.t}. "signs of response" {yingyan ffi!~}, or "news" [xiaoxi -m
,~J They
regarded the "signs" as "proof' of their spiritual progress and the vera<:ity of their belJcfs in
eternal life and immortal beings. The Quanzhcn masters also found comfort in their belief that
friendly bnmorta1s guide, aid, and Protect diligent adepts. l
In what follows I will examine the testimony of the early Quanzhen masters regarding
"s.:igns of proof." By dOlng so I hope to shed light upon how the Quafl711en mast(rs viewed the
nature and significance of these phenomena, I will begin by looking at ooe very unique
testimony regarding a trance vision that was brought on spontaneously and inadvertently, 1
will then proceed to examine some testimonies regarding communications from immortals of
past and presenL r will then examine some of the other sensory and physical trance
phenomena that Were cited as "signs of proof' -both auspicious and baleful-in the
testimonies of the Quanzhen mahiers and in the larger intema1 alchemical literature of the

n
1The internal alchemical [neidan i*1 J meditation of the QlIanz.bel1 and other Taoist schools of its
time was more subtle in its procedu.re.'i and somewhat less resplendenl in its imagery compared to many
of the earlier Taoist meditation methods {those vf the Shnngqing 1.l1i moveme.nl particularly come to
mind here). Also, the doctrines on immortality had evolved into It belief in an internal "true nature"
[zhcnxing _111 or "yang spirit" l,ylmg.shen ~ffMll tbat would Sllrvive the death of the mortal body.
However, these changes in practice and belief cannot be descnbed as Q\tanthen innovatiol1s, since Ihey
began to come about two hundred years or IllQfe prior 10 the founding of the Quanzhen SchooL
Internal alchenUcal meditation primarily involves the stilling of the mind. one~pointed
concentration, and control of breathing. The frequency, duration. and intensity of these procedures are
thought to largely dictate the results. Pn)tcdure~ such as chanting, knocking of teeth, air swal1owing,
saJiva-swaUQwing, or visualizatkm of itltemal deiticy -procedure" common in Tang and pre-Tang
Taoist me<iitalion --are much less emphasized in internal alchemical texts. For all exceller.t study on
Shangqmg medltation, see Robinct, TaOIst Meditation.

Journal afChilU!st! Religions 29 (2001) 139

14fl Jounlal of Chinese Religions
time. FjnaUy. t shall examine some testimonje~ and aneCdoles uttered by Quam:hen masters
regarding some of the struggles and frustrations involved in seeking "signs of proof"
A Remarkable Incident from the Childhood of Yin Zhiping
Yin Zhiping Jt i& !1" (1169-1251), tbe eminent monk woo succetxled Qiu Cbuji liBtll
(1148-1227) as the leader of the Quanzheil School. bad a rather extraordinary Chlldbood
experience. The incident occurred wben he was only five years old, during the Cold Food
festival. 2 The little boy Yin. jn keeping with the custom of his clan. went with a group of over
one hundred people before sunrise to offer sacrifices and pay respects at the dan cemetery.
When the {:eremony ended everybody dispersed and went home-except for the tittle boy
Yin, who felJ into a deep reverie. Roughly sixty years later, Yin Zhiping would describe the
experience to his disciples in the foi1owing way:
I alone had something that I felt. I privately thought about my allcesto(S of the
remote pasl and of how I knew not where they went. People die, but I did not
know where they returned to. Rapt in my thought.". I sat under a large mulberry
tree. Gazing above and below I inquired as to why heaven and earth were
cstahliilioo and why the myriad things came to life. Above heaven and below
earth, what thing is there that covers and carries (them]? What object sustains
them? As my ponderings and observations callle 10 their limits, I anived at
non-thinking. No longer did I know of tbe vastness of heaven and earth. nor of
the numerous.ness of the mynad things. All I saw was a watery vapor that
pervaded above and below in the snape of an eggshell. Darkly and murkily.
while unaware. my mind and body were both lust. Some of my relatives
eventually came lookin~ for me, and called and wakened me [from my trance.1_
It was alrcady evening:
The little boy Yin thus unintentionally e.ntered a trance state of self..Qblivion. What
exactly was this "watery vapor" that he saw? Was it perhaps the creative, 1ife~giving energy
[qi ji.} of the ineffable Tao? Unfortunately, Yin himself does not offer an interpretation,
However, he goes 011 to stale, "I at first did not yet MOW why it (the vision} was 50. Later,
after I had entered the Tao and encQuntered the Masters rand thej Authcntics [shizhen OffiIl1;'
lThis traditional three-day celebration took place in the spring, 105 days after the winter solstice,
Cooking used to be f(j(hidden during the feJitival, thus it was called the "Cold Food" festivaL
JQirlghe :henren be/you yuill 2.i5a-b. This text, compiled by a disciple named Dunn 7Jlijian
9:;'6~~. preserves various diSCQUrses uttered by Ym Zhiping in 1133 during ajoumcy from Shandnng
to Beijing and parts of present-day ulKming Ptuvim:e. All translations iLre my own,
4An "Authentic" lzheFlrenl is a TlIoist who is thoughr to have gained spiritual perfectIon ami etem.. j
life. At the time of death, the "true nature" !zhenxingl or "yang spirie [yallgshenl of the Authentic is
believed to fret: itself of the morial body and proceed to a divine. immDrtal eAistel~ee. Here Yin Zbiping
ik- probably referring very respeclfully 10 his te"uciJers. However it is also p(lssiMe that he is ailUfling ill
part to trance visions and auditiolL<;. of immortal beings.
Seeking Signs ofProof 141
I came 10 understand the significance of this oblivion of mind,'-s Thus, Vin Zhiping regarded
this childhood experience as a foreta"te of what he later came to experience and know as a
Quanzhen monk.
The above episode is unique because Yin Zniping was so young, and also bec-anse his
trance vision was brought on completely unintentionally and spuntaneousty. Yin Zhiping
St::ems to have been precociuusly gifted with a propensity for mystical experience-a
propensity tbat would manifest itself intermittently later in life. However, his trances in his
adult years would be induced througn rigorous self-discipline and seated meditation, thus
falling into a pattern much more typical of the Quanzhen and larger jnternal akhemical
tradition,
Communications from Autbentics of Past and Present
Yin Zhjping in his reminjscences goes on to state that at the age of sevCfi he met "Grand
Master Wang ftom the west of the Pass" and immediately felt an affinity to him. Initially this
would seem to refer to Wang Zbe . 16 (tIl 3-1170), the founder of tbe QUI'Jlzhen School
who indeed hailed from "west of the Pass" (Shaanxl). However, this would be an
anachronism since Wang Zhe died the year after Yin Zhiping was born. The jdentity of this
Taoist master, and his c(mnection (if any) with Wang Zhc's movement remains a mystery,6
Yin Zhiping's entry into the Quanzhen School Came about through the influence of Wang
Zbe's disciples. At age fourteen he met Ma Yu ~ itt (1123-1184) and became a Quanzhen
monk: despite the disapproval of his father, At the age of nineteen he was forced to return to
lay life (apparently due to pressure from his father), and was locked up inside bis family
home, wbere he took to the nightly habit of bowing a thousand times in prayer beneath the
Pule Star. One day, from outside the central gate he overheard the voice of Liu Chuxuan
5Qinghe z/lenren beiyOil yulu 2.15b
t.Anmher conceivable jrrt~rprola(jon might be thai Yin Zhillillg saw a vision of Wang Zhe; but
could Ii(!: have had a vision of a man whom he had presumably never me! and al beSt had only heard of?
lIagiogruphi(.:al sources mostly ignore the iru::iiJcnl, with !he exception of one source which stales, "At
age seven he mel Grand Master Wang of Shaanxl and wished ;0 follow him." The text quite apparently
does nOl mean to say that this "Grand Master" was Wang Zhe, sinc Wang 7Jle is referred to as "the
Patriarch Master, Authentic Mal'! Chongyang" when he is allLured to later in the narrative. See
"Xuannu::n zha!tgjiao Qinghe miaooao guanghlla zhenren Yin zongshi beiming"l::r~ :$$lti1f flJMtJiIl
{r.Jt,A J3';j; f.H!i!et (1264), by Yi Gou -ttl (dates unknown), Daujiajinshi ltic. 567~570. I had aJso
considered tile possihility thal "Orand Master Wang" was Wang Zhe':,; disciple Wang Chuyi (1142~
12 i 7). who in fael did bear the title of "Grand Master" (Tixuan dashi -II:Y: *11ti, or "Grand Master
Who Embodies the Mysteries." to be exacl), which was given to him in 1197 by the lutchcn ~Ii.
Ernperor. However, since Wang Chuyi hailed from Shaooong and spent most of his life there. "from the
west of the Pass" would not &rem to be an apt de$(".nplion of him. Furthermore, I~ was in training at the
Cloud Light Grotto [YungllaJ.g don.gl on Mt elm (Wendcng cOllnty in present-day Shandong) during
the timt~ of the incident Set> "Yllyang tixuan g\langdll zhenrtn Wang zortgshi daoxing bet 3i. ~.2.:JJ
~~]~Aff~ fiiliill fr~ (1307), by Yao Sui tit~ (1238-1313), Daojia jiflshi liie. 718720.
 142 Journal of Chinese Religions
\f1iJ~ jr (1147-1203) conversing with a guest about the :rao. Yin Zhiping knelt and listened,
rapt in attention and oblivious even to the rocks and sand that wounded and penetrated his
knees. On fhree different occasions Yin escaped from his home before finally gaining
permission 10 join the Qual17.hen orueL'
Later, while residing at a hermitage west of Changyi County ~Ii?i,* (in presenf-day
Shandong Province), Yin Zhipitlg- -new it disciple of Liu Chuxuan-took to the practice of
sitting in meditation at night under n peach tree. Yin 7:tl1pmg reminisces as follows:
One night during the fourth watch,a a man suddenly came fbefore me}. He
had the booes of the Tao unu the wind of immortaJity li.e., bore the imprt'.ssive
appearance of an immortal]; [heJ was not a mao of the dusty world. He bore a
golden radiance and jade-like lustre that together glowed forth. I took one look
at him and thereupon rectified my mind and made it motionless. I knew that he
was the AuthentiC Man Changsheng .tit4.J!CA.9 When he arrived (before me)
he wielded a sword and cut off my head~ still my mind remained motionless,
The rooster then cheerfully placed it lIne headl back fon my bodyJ. When I
awoke (from my trance1 my mind had an enlightenment; I understood that the
master had replaced my worldly head and visage.
Ten days later be came again and (,"Ut Qut my heart. and l understood fuat
he had removed my worldly heart.
Another ten days later he came agam> holding a plate of deep~fried cakes.
He offered them aU to me to eat. and I over~ate until IJ:felt Jikej I was going to
die, TIte master then cut open my belly and emptied all its contents. The fa<;t of
the matter is that [ by my nature lend to put myself too high [and consequently
over-indul.ge]. When r put myself too high, [ do damage lto myself]. Thus
[Authentic Man Changshcngj removed that which bad been damaged {in melle
Here Yin Zhiping describes a different sort of trance vision from what he had
experienced at age five. He encounters his teacher, whose strange and drastic actions provide
him w:ith verification that he is successfully undergoing the transfonnation from secular to
spiritual man. The visions occur intermittently during the course of his diligent daily practice
of merillation. Yin Zhiping probably aJso means to imply here that Uu Cbuxuan possessed the
power to manifesJ himself in the trance visiollS of others. II He (hus, it seems, attribules much
of his own spiritual progress to the compassionate power of uu Chuxuan at work in him.
Regarding his experiences while locked up in his family horne, Yin>s account does not make
It entirety clear that Lin Chuxuan was physically present outside the gate. The discUSSion of
the Tao he overheard may have been an audition induced through his strenous daily worship
7Qinghe zheJlren beiyou yuJu 2, 15b~ 16a.
~e "fourth watch" corresponds to approxImately 24 a.m.
9"Authelltic Man Changshcng" refers 10 Liu Chux\lan,
l1 Qing he z/tenren beiyou yuJu 2.16b.
!f)Qinghe zhenren beiyou yulu 2. I 6a-b. This episode has also been translated into French and
l~'he "Patriarch-Master" refers to Wang Zhe, who had passed away several years prior to this,
discussed in Goossae:rt, "Ln creation ou taoYsme moderne," 384-385.
11The idea here lS that a perfected Taoist master can Nend hi:". immortal yang spirit O\lt of his body
and appear before people in remote locations or even in their Irance viSions and dreams.
Seeking Signs ofProof 143
regimen. But if so, Yin's interpretation would again be that Liu Chuxuan had- -out of
kindJleSS-- -used his miraculous powers to manifest hi.. voice outside the gate.
Yin Zhiping S\IIUS up bis reminiscences with the following words:
Ah. utmost sincerity moves the deities; this truly is not empty talk! If you are
able to practice the Tao with your whole heart, the Holy Sages will not be far
from you. I have never before SpokCllOf these things to poople. Now that I have
openly confessed Ithese things] to this. gathering, [you] in this gathering must
oot take these as empty words and carelessly fall lax in your practice!ll
It would appear that Yin believed sincerely in the reality of hjs experiences, which were
of deep personal significance. He understood such experiences as the workings nf divine
beiIlgS--whosC' ranles include Quan7iten masters of past and present-~who sympathetically
aid and guide those who arc sincere and diligent in their religious quests.
Experiences similar to those of Yin Zhiping were also had by his predecessors. Qiu
Chuji, in a ::.'tatement quoted by Yin Zhiping, claims to have had visions of his deceased
teacher Wang Zbe that served a function similar to Yin's visions of Liu Chuxuan:
1J
One evening in my surroundings I saw the Paman::h-Master with a child
approximately 100 days old seated on his knee. When I woke up, my mind had
14
an enltghtenment; I realized that my Tao nature was sUIL shal1ow. Half a year
later, I again saw surroundings similar to tbe prev.ious one. The child had
already reached about two years in age. [ awoke with the reall1'.ation that my
Tao oature was gradually growiog, and later became awal'e that I no longer had
any evil thoughts, One year [later}, I saw the same surroundings again.. The
child was now three or four years old and was able tn walk and stand by itself.
After this I no longer saw this.l"isionj. Thereby I realized that [divine) aid had
come directly to me and that I myself had the means by which I could stand on
my nwn.1S
The child thus: represented Qiu Chuji, who under the fatherly gaze of hi~ deceased mentor
was daily making spiritual progress.
Similar didactic po..t;thuU}ous visions of Wang Zhe were also enjoyed by Ma Yu; such at
least seems to be the daim made by Ma Y\t in his poetry collection Dongxuan jinyu ji
jjrii:l'; jj;; 35 jI[:
14The meaning of !he p!lI1.Ise "woke up" here is undear. Was Qiu Chuji sleeping, ill' was he in a
meditative trance? I'rom the evidence provided here, one cannot !;ooclude either way,
I'Qinghe zhenren beiyem }'ulu 4.5a-b.

L44 .Iout1U11 o/Chinese ReligiOllS
Coming out of my shack on the luwer origin
For Ma Yu, such communications practicaIly became routine affairs-or so it would
dingyou Ti'l year [1l77l-"
appear from the foUowing incident related by Qiu Chujj:
Dancing I acquired the true cxhortations that came before me.
1 have corne to know my original true countenancc.
(Qiu Chuji} also talked about the time when the Ma~ler~Father Ma was stHI
My MasterFather and Master-Uncle came to the lower realm,
present [living) and there was a person who came to talk about matters of
JoyfuUy I anticipate rurect instructions in the northwest. 11
staying in the world and extending one's years. Suddenly out of empty space a
While confined in his smaU meditation shack [huanqiang $I)1f; huandu. J:llf], 18 he had
apparently seen a vision or heard the voices of his "Master-Father" and "Master-Uncle" and
this had enabled him 10 know his "original true face" (innate true nature). He anticipated
another encounter and waH inspired to travel In the northwest. The "'~ry next poem in the
collection tells us that the anticipated encounter took place, and tbe comments added along
with the title reveal the identity of the "MastcrwFather" and "Master~Uncle'"
Meeting Again-[with) Master-Father Chongyang mM/9 the Authentic Man
of Merciful Transformations and MarvelQus Deeds, and Master~Uocle Yuchan
:IJ!$, lhe Authentic Man of Universal Light and Clear Calmness-
Just as 1 was going by Fufeng !:k:JJ.'Ulj received instructions to tum my bead.
And especially visit Qiyang l* ~ ,21 to flaunl my blind eyes.
Again 1 met my true master and acquired the Great Elixir.
The [Quanzhenl school shall be established jn the easl, west. south, and nQrth,22
Thus the "Master-Uncle" who appeared together with Wang Zhe (sobriquet. Chongyang)
waS He Dejin 'ftlf1!:j (sobriquet, uchan), one of Wang Zhe's very fit'st disciples from his
23
nays in Shaanxi prior to his ministry in Shandong. Apparently, when Ma was going through
Fufeng on his northwestern mis.<;ion, he had another encounter in which Wang Zbe and He
Dejin told him that he must cnange his direction and go eastward to Qiyang.
l~'be "iowf'.l origin day" is the fifteenth day of the tenth month.
liDongxuanjinyuji 1.9a-b.
"[t was standard pr.K:ti<:e foc Quanzhen monks and nUlls to confine themselves to small meditation
hUIS known as: huarulu for designated periods., most typtcaUy for 100 days, bot sometimes for lip to three
to five years. The first preeedent for this practice within the Quanzhen tradition was set by Wang Zhe
himself. who. starting from the first day of the lenth lunar month in 1167, bad himself lockOO in!<idc his
hut (located on the property of Ma Yu) for tOO days. For a masterful diSC1Jssion of this praclic~ ~ee
Goossaert, "La <:reation du laoi'sme moderne," 171 -219.
l"This refers to Wang Zhc,
i~ Io;:atcd east of Xianyang, Shaamu Province.
21Qiyang is located in northeastern Shaanxi.
1JDongxuanjinyuji L9b.
11J1c Dejin began to study the Tao with Wang 7he some time between) 161 and 1163. tll 1167
Wang Zhe set off eastward to will discipl~ in Sl1andollg, leaving He Dejin and a few nther diSCiples
behind in Shaanxi.
SeekingSignsojProoj 145
persOil said, "You are nothing but sma!) vessels,24 The Ch'an (Buddhistj school
says that the two ~haracters, 'pure' and 'still' are the two chariots,~5 The body
which has a fonn and is but manure and dirt has always had ils limit. Emotions
and desires arc vast and limitless, Confused people are like the bees that wvet
honey. Deluded people are like butterflies that Jove flowers,"
Authentic Man Danyang ft!tl [Ma Yu1 said, "In other words, the roots of
karma are deep and heavy. If the karma is so limitlessly deep, can the Tao be
hoped for? Furthermore there are tile technique... of joming battle in the
bedroom. These onJy expend and (.'Onfuse the spirit, injuring virtue and
confusing the mac;ses. It causes onc's name to be recorded on the 'demon
registers so that one falls into the [purgatory of] Ftmgdu. A sCripture
[HUl11tgling neijingjing liiJ'iJ~1U!l] says. 'To live long you must be careful
of the dangers of the bedroom, Why engage in the doings of death and cause
your spirit to weep?",2t;
The basic message conveyed by the mysterious yoke (Wang Zbe?) is that one must focus
on m~intaining inner purity and stillness idther than becoming engrossed in longevity
techniques To this admonishment Ma Yu adds his own injunctions aimed spedfically against
sexual yoga. 1lle seeming mmcbalance with which Ma Yu responds to the voice that came out
of empty space would make it seem as though such auditions were commonpJace for him.
What is even more unusual here is that the voice was suppo....edly audible to others present.
Of course, Quanzhen hagiography teUs: us that tbe founder Wang Z.he turned {(l the
religious life as a result of encoLinters with famous immortals surh as LU Yan g If ,27 Zhongli
J4A "srmllt vessel" is a penon of limited ability.
~he voice here appantly means to say that the words "pure:" and "stdJ" should be taken as the
guidelines for proper training.
26"Cbangchun Qlu zhenren ji Xizhou daoyou shu" ~~fi:JL\' *i1!HIH~p: IAuthentic Man
Qiu Changclnm's Letter to Friends of the Tao in the Western Province], Zitel'Uian zhizhi }ulu 1.16b,
:t"Ltl Yao js probably the most revered Taoist immortal from the Song period onward. While his
rustoricily is IIncertain, hagiograptncal ret.ords indicate that he Was born at the eoo of the eighth century,
Various internal aicltemicru writings are supposed to have come through hi:; hands, and hagiographies
are full of his mirru;uluu$ feats. He is aJso an important deity among popular spirit-writing CullS.
ellunyang dijun. shenhua tniuolong }i, an early fourteenth-century text, records in detlltl his conversion
and tutelage under Zhongli Quan, and pt<;.'loonts OVer a hurn:lred stories of his subsequent miracles and
exploits, Accounts of his life are also given in Lishi Vteruian tidao tongjum, Jinlian zhengrong ji, and
linlian zhengzong xianyw:m xingUiuan. See also B<l1drian-Hussein, "La 'f\lng~pill ill Nortbern Sung
Literature"; and Katz, 1mlgf''S of me lmmQrtal, 5293.
 146 Journal o/Chinese Religions
Quan ilU#.,2ll and Liu Cao 111$! Z9 rIllese .:u:cording to hagiographical accQunts, were not
trance visions or locuti{ms; we are told that he encountered them in the flesh, in normal
waking consciousness,'o It is very difficult to detemtine whether Wang Zhe himself actually
believed and claimed that he had had such experiences-and if he did, maybe the encounters
were actuaHy trance vi!~ions or locntions. This issue deserves a more thorough examinaJion
than is possible here. However, Cfumgyang!enli shihuaji ~1$:7t~ !'1t~ (a oollection of
poems exchIDlged between Wang Zllt! and Ma Yu) records comments by Wang Zlte in which
be explicitly refers to a persnnal encounter with Lli Yan. 31 Yet oddly, as Kubo Noritada
flU!~, poilUs out, ill some poems written earlier in his life he mentions a momentous
:l$.-L.hongti Quan is saki to have been the teacher of Li.i Van. Although he almost certainly is a
nctionaicharacter. he is said 10 bave been a government official and mi.lilary gf!Oeral during the end of
the Han Dynasty and the begtnning of tbe Western lin Dynasty (i.e., third Cetlmry c.!!.). At;counts of his
life can be foulld in lishi z/:rrnxian tit/flO tongjian, Jmlian 1hengzong ji. and Jinlian z!rengz(mg xianyuan:
xiangzhuan.
]'1Liu Ow js said to imve been n wealthy government official under the Khitan Uno Dynasty (931.
1135) before undergomg a religious cOllvel'siOJ't at the bands of Zbongli Quan. Aer..'fx.1nts of 11j~ life can
be found in Lishi ?henxian. tidao /Ollf(jicn, Jiniian zhengzaf/g ii, and Jinlian ;jIengl'png xianyual1
x:iangdm4n
.lQizhen nianpu, compiled by U Daoqian ill 1271, tells w thaI in the summer of 1159 Wang Zhe
met LU Van (who appeared hefore him as two identical looking y<mng Ilt\.'!Il ill white robes) while
drinking in a tavern at Ganhe Township, and received special irutructions from him. In the fall of the
next year he erK-1Jl.illtered Ui Yan 'Igain in Liquan County and was given nve "secret verses." In 1164 he
mel Uu Cao while en roule from Ganhe back to his he.rmit dwelling in Uujiang Village. Lilt Coo asked
Wang Zhe to give him a drink of liquor from the drinking gourd he was carrying. After imbibing all of
its contents, tiu Coo made Wang Zhe fetch rome over water in the gourd and drink it -where:ufXln he
found lha( the water had miraculously trangfomIed into the "liquor of the immnrtals," From this time on
Wang Zhe quit drinking alcohol. Various extant accounts of Wang Zhe's life give similar accounts, but
Wilh certain variat.ions. One s.ource indicates that in the summer of 1159 in the tavern at Ganhe
Township, he met Ul 'Inn and Zhongli Quan. See "Huxian Qindu zhen chongxiu Zhidao guan hei"
~~~"il!!~,'i5:}!IHi. (sornelill'loe between 1232 and t289), by Yu ingmno Jf.JF!.~n (dates
unknown). Danjiajinshi lile, 418~479.
The Quanu.eD S(;hool~along with other schools of intellial alchemy-believed in the immortality
of the lnner yang spirit or true nature. rather than the immortality of the entire physical body. However,
the Y(.Ing spirit, after its libetarion frutn the mort~i body. was deemed capable at will of assuming a
dearly visible fonn with solid, L"(trporeal pri~pertie!i, This in fad was thought to be wbat made the
accomplished Tauist $uperiO( to the accompl~bed Buddhist, who upon death be<:omes nothing mQre
than a yin spirli. that is entirely invisible to ordinary vision and devoid of solidity. This belief IS clearly
reflC1:ted in Chullyang Jijun shenhua miaolflng ji 3.11<1~ 12a (eighteenth episode), where LU Yan and the
spirlt of a prominent dccea.w.d Buddbist monk visit a borne where a vegetanan feast is being held" Lil
Yan 1S fed immediately by tile hoots but has 10 ask for another servmg fl)f the Buddhist spirit, whom the
hOMiS are unable to see. Lti Van ends up eating both servings himself. since the Buddhist spirit is
incapable of eating his (he can ooly suck on .air).
3J'Tbe passage in que."tion reads as foilows: "Dunyang {Ma Yuj would constaully ask me why I
drank nothing but cold walt'.(. I answered. 'Ever since I got to meet Authentic Man Chunyang (t.il YUIl)
at Ganhe J have been drinkmg water'" (Chongyangfenli sitihut! ji 2.60).
Seek.ing Signs af Proof 147
encounter with a certain teacher, but does not 5:1y nor slXm to imply that the teadler was 1,0
Yan or any other iuunortal. The hagiographica1 accQUnts of his miraculous encounters appear
to have been at lea..t in part based on his own claims, although it still bears questioning
whether his claims were made sincerely Of sjmply concocted by him long after the time of the
aUeged events n
One must note that the Quanzhcn masters did not drum My exclusive privilege to having
encounterS with the famous immortals. For example, a passage in Dongxuan jinyu ji tells US
that Ma Yu rejoiced greatly when a cenain Mr. Liu received secret lessons from Liu Cao in a
dream?3 Ma appears to have entertained 00 doubts that the famous Liao Dynasty immortal
had truly manifested himself. In Qinghe zhenren beiyou yulu nt m A A -it l:!f a1f ~, Yin
Zbiping describes an occasion where Qiu C"huji was visited by a stl'anger wbo claimed to have
undergone conyers ion through a direct encounter with Zhongli Quan, Qiu Cbuji (and Yin
Zhiping) in no way seems to have disdained the visitor's claims_ However, Qiu Chuji was
apprehensive that the extraordinary privilege of encountering the famous Han i":llnortal might
make the visitor wmplacent and boastful, and advised him simply to train diligently. perfonn
virtuous deeds. and refrain from "flaunting" (boasting of his encounter with. 'lllongli
Quan1).l4
Uu (,llUxuan went as far as to say that aU diHgent practitioners, whether they know it or
not, have encountered Lli Van and Zhongli Quan:
Master-Father Changsheng us.ed to frequently say, "People witllin the ~hool
today who advance upon the Way [Tao) with utmost sincerity aU met the
Authentic Men Zbengyang J:Em
and Chunyang ~I' in their previous lives:,15
UFor a good olSt'USsion of this issue see Kubo. Chugv/cu. no shUAyo kaikaku. 87-103.
3'nu:: passage in question reads as follows: "Mr. Uu of Yaozhou dreamed of Haichao [Uu Coo]
and studied how to train himself. Thu,$ I presented him with this poem: Hai-ch'an entered a dream to
exhort Immortal LiulHe sent you {Mr, LillI to study what i$ marvelous and profound" (Doltgxuan jinyu
ji3.na).
~ passage in questiOlI reads as follows: "In the past at the hall in ShaOOollg there was a guesi
who came to inquire {from Qiu ChujiJ. He wa.~ originally a wenlthy merchant of XUu. lk bad
encountered Authentic Man Zhengyang (Zllortgli (ruan) uud had been conferred subtle le!\Sons. That
very day [of his encounter] he abandoned <Ill his wealth. He calmly and 1Y.tlW7lily lost al! his worldly
desires, The Masler-Fathct {Qil) Chuji] simply taught him to accumulate merit while being careful not to
flaunt ihis virtues] on the DulSide. When other people know [of yOl.lr virtuesl they inevitably heap their
reverence upon you. After a long while there will be harm done [by this reverence paid tn yoo), and it
will be difficult for you to accomplish the Tao. Thus you should understand that even if you hllVe met
with a nue transmission you should accumulate even more merits and deeds in order to supplement your
blessings. You s.halllhen accomplish something" (Qfnghe dumrefl beiyou yulu 3.8a).
11"Master-Father Changsheng" refers to. Liu Chuxuan, and "Authentics Zhengyang and Chunyang"
refer to Zhonp;li Quan and Lii Yan. respectively. Oinght: zhcnren beiyou yulu 2.14a,
J48 Journal ojChine.r Religioffs
Thus while most pril(ctitioners may be under the impression thai they have never
encountered the immortals, this-Liu Chuxuan c1aimed---;;;ould ~'imply be because they lack
the ability to remember their past lives.
Miscellaneous "Signs ofProor'-8ights, Sounds, Tastes, and Sensations
NonetheJess, the reality remained that in their con.scious experience most practitioners
never had beheld the countenance or heard the voice uf a LU Yan, Zhongli Quan, Liu Cal), or
Wang Zhc. However, in the <:OtlTSC of their regimens of harsh self-discipline and meditation,
practitioners would experience extraordinary s.ights, sounds, tastes, and sensations that were
interpreted as resulting from the aid of kind immortals:
Liu Daojian lijili~ asked [Qiu ChujiJ about training, "When the kidneys
arc hot and the heart is cool, and a fever arises throughout the body, what am 1
to make oflhi'!.?"
Qiu [Chujij said, "'The holy sages [sheng.xian ~ tfl have given theIr aid.
Afterwards, what you see in your eyes and hear in your ears you must not
become attached to." [Qiu Chujil also said. "Amid empty space you win only
see a human head fall down (~rp H Ji.!.AWi:;& j. Thus the golden cli:drwiU be
completed.,1/;
[Qiu ChujiJ also said, "Wilat you hear in your ears and what you see in
your eyes, an of tbis you must not become attached ro. If you train
conscienLiously the holy sages will aid you from Ule dark.37 For example,
whenever a person arrives at a state where his spirit is stable and his energy is
harmonious. he feeJs his kidneys become hot. {'The heat from the kidneys]
sleams his four ex.tremities and dissipates jn one or two houts. There then
appear the forms of mountains, streams, Ihe sun, and the moon."
[Qiu Chuji] alsu said. "I wait until I have thrust into the gate of beaven
three times. With the sun and moon right beiow me, I see the myriad forms33
spread out before me." After saying this he regretted lthat he had said it] and
[thus] said, "You must not look at it."~~
Qiu Chuji was thus deeply familiar with certain strange phenomena that would set in
during the course of meditation, In the midst of a deep meditative calm the adept feels
unusual body sensations which will be followed by various vislons and auditions. These
phenomena are gifts from the "hoJy sages" that provide the practitioner with verificatiun of
his progress. AR the adept continues his efforts he win progress {m toward the highest
mystical experit:nce~-an encounter with his immortal true nature (which is what the above
!\&'Changchull Qiu znenren ji Xizhou daoyou shu," Zhenxian zluzhi yulll 1, 14b,
by Qiu Cbuji and refers to him as "Changchun Yandao Zbujiao Zhenren" [Change-hun, the Authentic
~7This sentence seems to intend to say that the ho!y sages will lend their aid without 11irectly
Man who Preaches the Tao and Leads the ReJigionJ, a title that was bestowed upon him posthumously
mmlifesting themselves,
~B.l1le "myriad (orms" refers to' the hr<lvcnly bodies,
}!J"L'hangchun Qitl lhenren ji Xi71l00 daoyou shu." Z/leluian zhizhi yulu 1, 15b- tEa
SeningSigltS ojPro(if 149
mentioned "human bead" seems to represent). Yet Qiu Chuji is at the same tIme apprehensive
of the vjsions. auditions, and sensations; they also can be harmful distractions that can prevent
the adept from gaining the highest enlightened vision.
In the above quoted passages we find Qiu Chuji aL'ting as a guide to disciples who are
beginning to explore the mystical realm for themselves. WhlIe perhaps aware that the
experiences of individual adepts may differ s{}mewhat in their details, Qiu dnes expeet a
certain conformity in their experiences, and thus feels qualified to guide them based on his
own knowledge. However, his knowledge of these strange phenomena was probably not
founded solely on his penmnal experiences. Rather, within the internal alcllentical tradition
there seems to have been certain established theories concerning the phenomena that an adept
could expect in rhe advanced stages of meditation, This becOines particularly apparent when
one reads tenth- or eJeventh-eentury "Zhong-Lii school" texts such as 7.hong-LU chuandaQ ji
I!Hl 1$ll! ilL" Lingbao hi!a 1I'1f IIH! ," and Xishan q""xiato huizlren ji i!'l~ 1M fUlt,r;\i(!a,42
Als() instructive in this regard are three essays, "Jmdan zbengyan" 1fi:J'}:ffM. "Lun
haguanjie" ~)\Uftfj (which replicales a portion of "lindan zhengyan"), and "Lun liutong
joe" N3f\im~ included in Zhuzlicll neidatt jiyao 5tDll~Jj#;~. a collection of
miscellaneous internal alchemical writings compiled by a ce.rtain Xuanquan1.1 :t-:E~-.4l We
also have in our hand~ Dadan zhizm J\.J!J i!1r:m, an internal alchemical meditation manual
compiled between 1269 and 1310 that bears the undeniable influence of the Zhong-La
litentttJre, and which purports to record the teachings of Qiu Chuji,44 In it we find the
following passage under a heading that reads "Signs of Respon'iC during the Practice of the
Exercise" (xinggong yinRyan ft r.h JJ1t.~]:
~hj-s text is found in the internal alchemical anthology XiUZMI1 shishu ~ Pt +-$. in juan 14-16.
It was putatively authored by Zhong!i Quan, compiled by LU Van, and ttansrnitw-d by the ninth--cenlury
internal alchemist Shi Jinnwu ~~ tf, It takes the format of a cOllversation between the: master Zhongli
Quan and his disdple Ui Yan.
4111te full title is Bicluum Zhen8ycmg mellWl iingbao bi/a. h was pUMlvely authored by ZhongJi
Quan and transmitted by LU Yan. Fau.een Baldrian~nussein has ~nUislated this important text into
French and has aualy?.ed it in depth. See Baldrian-Hussein. PEoc/des secrets.
4lPutativeJy authored by the ninLh cenlury internal alchemist Shi Jianwu. However, allusicms to Llu
Can, atenth~ or eleverih-century figure, suggest that this ascnptiofi is spurious.
'*Jynterestingly enough. this is the !h1me Xuuflquau:;:i who compiled lJJemitlll z/lizhi .'1ulu, an
anthology of yutu ["collected sayings"] of Ute QUMznen rnasters.
-MAs is pointed out ill Ren Jiyu's Daozang tiyao, the heading of this lext slales that it was preached
by the emperor in 1269, In l310 the emperor bestowed all of the QlIa!lzhen Seven Authentics (Wang
Zhe's seven top disciples-Ma Yu, Tan Chuduan, tiu Chux;uan. Qiu Chuji. Wang ChUYl, Haa 1)atong,
and Sun Bu -er) with the higher hOilQri.fic title of Authentic Lord rzhenjunl
150 Joumai oj Chinese Religions
AI first you will gradually feel as though there is something in your Elixir
Field~YeHow Court that is sof1 and warm. 45 You; true energy [zhenqi ~~1
will rise up and yoor cars will hear the sounds of wind and rain. Gradually
inside your head then,: will be the sounds of harps and of gold and jade. Within
the gate of your jaws- -which is called the Heavenly Pond~the Metal Liquid
will gush out like a rooi stream ancJ flow down. Some of it will flow onto the
f~cc. some of it will flow up into the brain, some of it will be in a pearly dew~
like form, and some of it will entcr tile mouth through the upper gums. Tts
flavor will be sweet and detectable.
After a long while. illside tile head there will be the sounds of sheng
lutes. St! ;t! and 'lin ~ harps. and bamhno chimes. Also there will be sounds
such as a crane's .;aU, a mrmkey's cry, and a cicada's chiming. These various
sounds of nature bave nothing that is comparable to them.
However. when you first practice this, amid your dreams46 you will hear
the noise of ferocrous thunder. This is your true energy thrusting open the
head's yang bone and then penetrating the Nine Palaces [inside the skullJ.
When [your internal] spirit[sJ first enter the room.41 they will after a short while
jump upwards. You will rullurally be frightened. While you are sitting with
your eyes closed, sometimes a single big nbject will jump up in fright. But
when you get np and open your eyes, it is gone. This [happens because your]
yang spirit is not yet mature. When it is not yet mature it is essential that you do
not become frigh1ened and give rise to thoughts. After a long while the spirit
will become mature, and there will naturally be no more [frightenmg
experiCflccs]. [Your yang lipirit will] conceal and manifest in unfathomable
ways. Its changes and transfonnations will be limitless. The future will
spontaneously be known, and you will have no attachments to anything you see
or hear. Only give heed to the self.so-ness. If you become attached to
appearances, these are but lllusinns,4B
As is indicated in the passage's heading, the strange phenomena described here are
regarded as "signs" that the adept is prog~'iSing nearer to his goal of recoveritlg his innate
immortal self. described here as a yang spirit that emerges from the true energy mobilized
within the body. The delightful sensations. tastes, and sounds are to be taken as encouragi.ng
signs that the true energy has begun to be mobilized properly, However, the adept also
sometimes experiences visions or sensations that will frighten him. If he fails 10 maintain his
composure, this is due to the immaturity of his yang spirit.
Later on, the same text describes a procedure for producing true energy and yang spirits
out of the five viscera. Here be draws attention also to the internal demons and the harmful
visions they create~
4~i!l refers to the lower dtullian p:} FE iu the lower abdomen.
deaUl and bodily decay, the hun. disperse into the skies and the po seep and dis$ipate into the roil. In
4('It i~ unclear whether Ihis refers ttl dreams seen during sleep, or to meditalive visions.
Taoist texts lite po are smnetimes-as in this cnse--seen as maliclous beings Ihat tempt and corrupt
,u''"tne room" nere tefm t(t the Lower EliXIr Field in the belly.
humans.
{s[)adan zhizhi l.lTh18a.
~3Dadafl1;hirhi 2.4h.
Seeking Signs of Proof 151
In accordance with the proper day and time. refine the five vi~cera. The
lrotlness of ellefgy win spontaneously appear, and the trueness of spirit will
come out on its own. Illuminate both of them {visualize and concentrate on
them 1. and they will ascend and enter the Heavenly Palace" Defend yourself
against the yin dernoos and external devils who confuse the truth by means of
what is false. At Ihis time, the energy wiU follow the spirit and rise; and the
fipirir. adhering to the energy will rise from the Central Field into the Upper
49
Ficld. Yin demons wish for people to age quickly and external devils do not
rejoice when people are at p~e. lThus) they falsclt Creale [jlJusions: of]
m annies and deceitfully give rise to floating flowers. They also disguise
themselves as yang spirits. mingling and rising up together wilb them, It will
thus be oonfusing and hard tQ distinguish between who is a real form and wbo
is a false form. The sound of flutes wiJI surround you, and chariots and horses
will together arise.
If you wish to ten them apart, n01hing is better than to arousc the perfect
fire [conce.ntrate the mind] inl)jde the vermilion ltbe heaJtJ. Otte rtype of
burning] is called "burning the body," a second is called "subduing the
demons~" a third is called "expeJ1ing the Three Corpses" l':::::'F'),31 a fourth is
called "chasing away the seven po ~:,n and a fifth is called "gathering the
yang spirits."
Amidst stillness. visualize inside and naturally [the distinction} be wm
clear. Just look allhe people mingling with each other amidst the fire. In a short
while. the ones who rise up singing music win he your yang spirits. and the
one:;; wailing and sobbing and going away will be the yin demons in your
body.S)
Thus. mud! of what the adept can expect to see in his trance vision is an illusory creation
of demons who seek to undennine his training. The text therefore prescribes a method for
arousing one's inner "fires" to bum away the demoNC phantoms.
However, ultjmate victory and dominance over evil is not attained until the "external
devi1s" are also overcome" Dadan zhk;hi tells us that after the yang spirits have prevailed over
the internal demons and have ascended into the bruin, a vast panorama of mountains and
49Here, "Heavenly Palace" and "Upper Field" refer 10 the brain, while "Central Fjeld" refers to the
beart.
!JQ'''Floating flowers" refers to visions of wealth and grandeur.
slThe Three Corpse.~-alSt1 known as the Three Worms-art; evil spirits that were believed to dwell
in the three elixir fleWs !dantianJ located in the head, chest. and lowet abdomen. A detailed study of the
development of this concept can be found in Kubo. }(JJ.thin shinkO f1D k!mkyil See also Eskildsen,
Asceticism in Early Tuci.n Religion, 46, 61
51A traditio.nal Ch.ine~ view held that every body possessed three hun sools and seven po souls.
TIlJ;: f(lrn~er are yang and ethereal in character, while the latter are yin and chthooic in character. Uptm
151 JournaJ of Chinese ReligioftS
rivers appears before the eyes of the adepfa.<; the "fire" (mental concentration) is cltinguished
and a "clean and cool" sensation IS experiencoo. Aside from thjs vast natural scenery, the
adept must make sure that he ignores everything else because "(en devils" from outside the
body will try to deceive him by creating ten tempting visions or sensations. The temptations
by the ten devifs;---whicb are virtually jdenticlll to those described in Zhong~Lii chuanJao j i
are as foHows (here f paraphrase from the text}:
I. The de.viI of the six desires: flute music, beautiful flowers, sweet flavors,
excellent fragrances, and good feeiings.
2. The devil of the seven emotions; nice breezes, pleasant sunshine, violenf
thunder and Hghtning stonos, nice tousie, and pathetic wailing vuJces.
J. The devil of wealth: sights of various luxuries.
4. The devil of nobility: sights of royal and military pomp and gallanlry.
5. The devil of love: sights of family and relatives undergoing severe
difficulties and tragedie."i.
6. The devil of calamities: sights of one's own body facing various hazards.
7. The devil of swords and soldiers: sights of aI'mies engaging in battles.
8. 'The devil of the Holy Sages: tbe &~t of tht: Three Pure Ones, the Jade
Emperor, and other supreme deities,.
9. The devil of female entertainment enjoyment sights of Imroortal13eauties
and Jade Gids dancing and performing music.
10. The devil of women and sex: sights of gorgeous women trying to seduce
you.
So how tmthfuHy does Dadan zhizhi repreHem the ideas tlf Qiu Chuji? Some skepticism
seems to be in order here, since the text is not cited in any other Quanzben soon;e. Since
hardly any other text attributed to a first gtmeration Qllanzhen master gives such detailed
descriptions of meditation tcchnlqucs,S5 it is very difficuJt to venfy whether the teachmgs of
Dadan zhithi are consistent with what Qiu Changchun would have taught However, as we
have already seen from evidence in Zhenxian zhizhi yulu a
fw!l!f t~ Mf~ ,,6 Qiu Chuji did
indeed know and speak enthusiastically---albeit cautiously-of special trance experiences, If
be ever spoke in further detail on such matters, he perhaps uttered something similar In what
we find in Dadan zhizhi. S7
~he idea here seems to be that the devious devils disguise themselves ~ holy deities to distroct
the pious adept and lead him into a state of misguided pride and complacency"
S.~A very noteworthy excepti<m here l!I WmlgZhe's CllOngyang zhenrenjinguan yusuo jue.
~'Changchtm Qiu zhenren ji Xizhou daQyou shu," Zhenxian z.hizhi yulu L14b, tSb-Jfia. See
above, page I. 48.
)i Duda.n <.hithi deals at coll&iderable length with physiological theories and te\:hniques concerned
with gaioulg good hea!ti1 and longe-vllY. whereas otht"x Quanzhen wrilings tend tn put a much stronger
emphasis on the cultivation of mind (keeping it dear alld pure), However, J helieve Inal a thorough
reading of Quanzhen literature indicates that !he Quanzhen masters did possess eon~iderablc interest and
insight on matters of physiology and good health. See Es.kildsen, "Beliefs and Practices," 64-131, and
Seeking Signs of Proof 153
It is relevatlt here to mention some other types of special phenomena known to interna.l
alchemists. The aforementioned "Jindan zhengyan" f\.roJden b1ixit Signs OfProof]511 describes
phenomena that will occur during u lOO~day period of solitary meditation coo.fined lo a "quiet
room," perhaps a practice similar or identical to the solitary huandu meditation of the
Quanzhen school that was also typicaUy carried out for ]00 days. The teKt states that within
three to five days of practice the adetn wilt gain a stability of mind and bamlony of energy.
From this point un, various auspicious phenomena can be expected to appear as "proof' of his
progress. S.uddenly his heart-nre will descend and his kidney-water will a,'lCend (an intemal
alchemical phenomenon frequently alluded to by the Quanzhen masters; apparently he feels a
certain inner sensation that he interprets in this way) ..w He will smell strange odors and his
longue will produce a sweet fluid. He will become able to go without food and drink. and will
have no need for sleep. He will feeJ harmonious energy flow throughout the channels of his
body and his seminal ~sseru::e wiU flow backward (thus nourishing the body rather than being
emitted). He will obtain extraordinary yision that sees things clearly in the dark and can even
sce through solid objects. He will foresee future events and be able to look into the "heavenly
pavilions above" and "the infemal pris.ons below." A red mist will wrap around the top of his
head. and he win emil a circular light from between his eyebrows.
At the same time. however, "Jindan zhengyan" warns of hazards. temptations. and
diseases that can afflict tbe adept and which need to be overcome before the aoovementioned
benefits can .come about. At times, the adept may feel his "wise spirit leap and dance," and
this will cause him, to dance and sing spontaneously, utter crazy words from his mouth, or
write poem.<J incessantly without being able to control himself, This disorder, the text tells us,
is caused by the evil Three Corpses and can completely undermine the fruits of all previous
cffort if not prevented or brought under controL6\} TIle Three Corpses can also cause the adept
to be prone to excessive moods of joy or sorrow and compel him to constantly engage people
in jovial conversations and discussions of the Tao. The adept may experience variQus physical
disorders such as excessive or insufficient' appetite, vomiting, had breath. endless flow of foul
mucus from the nose, rumbling in the belly, "leakage in bat.:k and front" (involuntary seminal
ejaculation, howellbladder excretion. or flatulence?), foul smelling excrelions. discolQred
urine, weakness, lethargy, doubts, anxiety, nightmares, evil visions, and fever,61
"Early Quanzhen Daoist Views," 5370. Perhaps a deeper understanding of the more obscure Quanzhen
writing.... in the future may reveal more correspondences to the melhods described in Dadun z/lizhi.
SiZhuzhen lIeidull jiyao 19-1Ja.
~a Yu staled: "To study tbl:. Tao involves llolhing else; just concentrate 00 nuurishing your
energy. Ine liquid of the heart will descend. and the energy of the kidneys wil! ascend, [bothl arriving af
the spleen, The primal energy [yuanqiJ will be vigorously hamtoniow; and will not scatter-thereby the
eUxir wiU be gathered, As fOf the liver and the lungs. they are (he routes of the commg and going lof
liquid and energy]. If you practice stillness for a long time, you will on your own get to know of trus"
(Danyang Utcnrefl yulu 4a-b).
wUn the Three Corpses. see o. 51 above.
61 Asimilar cataloguing of spedal phenomena both aUSpiciolls and hazardous is carried OUt also in
Zlumg-Lu chlltJndao jl, 111 a section cntilled "Llin zhengyan" IOn Signs of Proofj, and in Zhuz/len lU'idan
jiyao, "Lun liutongjuc" [Lesson Qll\be Six Penetrations].
154 Joumal oj'Chinese Religions Seeking Signs ofProof 1S5
In Chortgyang quanthen ji Ii Ila ~ A ~. one can find poems by Ql.larlZhen founder Before noon and after midnight you should join the spears in (;ombat.

Wang Zhe that pertain to "signs of proof' such as those described in "Jiruian zhengyan" and Seize tbe golden essence and manifest your merit in battle.

Dadan zhizhi. In one poem he states, "When you have thoroughly nurtured your spirit and A single human bead win come down.

energy, you will no ionger feel cold, get hungry. nor sle.ep:~ Thus he affinns the assertion Hold it up joyfully and present it tQ Sir Ding [Ti;-j.(,$

made in "linda lhengyan" that an adept can become invulnerable to hunger, thirst, and The ten thousand stalwart spirits vanquish the devilisb troops.

fatigue. 'The Quanzhen masters were indeed renowned for feats of fasting and sleep They defeat tbe thousaud evils in battle without employing a guest.

avoidance,61 While the hagiographies may ex.aggerate these feats, 1t is undoubtedly true that Alone manifest it radiance as brilliant as the sunshine.

Quanlhen adepts made conscious efforts to decrease their food intake and sleep. Naturally Hereby know that there is a precious pearl in this place. &6

they would have cherished the notion that the body can-theoretically at least -overcome an Can forth your origins and observe in detail,

need for nourishment and rest. Various other poems by Wang Zhc seem to attest to various Glowing and complete is tbe purple-gold elixir.

trance phenomena akin to what is described in lexts such as Dadan zhizhi and "lindan Clearly brilliant, complete and wondrous. it is without compare.

l.hengyan": Five rays of misty radiance convt.'lrge into one.~\7

Dwelling in a realm of refreshing coolness, It would appear that Wang Zhe himself in bis meditative tranl;es witnessed--or expected
Remotely I open up a new school. to witncss--a conflict between inner spirits and inner demons similar to that described in
I attain serenity, Dadan z/lizhi, He also mentions the coming down of a "human head," the phenomenon that
And in this serenity is the true sweetness. his disciple Qiu Chuji would later describe as a sign of the completion of the "golden clixir.,,68
The sweet dew of delectable tas.te cnmes forth, Also noteworthy is the description of the "elixir" (the immortal true nature, yang spirit) as
Cleansing my three burners, six bowels. and five viscera,
being formed of the convergence of five rays, which seem to represent the five spirits of the
They aU become resplendent.
five viscera. whictr~~according to Dadan zhizhi-merge to formlhe ;'\ingular immortal self.
Flowing and circulating with no Qbstructionfi,
Overturning and a1l inlerpenelrdting. TIlCfe is alsQ some reason to wonder whether Wang Zhe may have been afflicted with
some of the problems mentioned in "lindan zhengyan." As noted previously, that ted warns
White energy fills the intestines compietely, that inner demons (the Three Corpses) can cause the adept to dance and sing spontaneously,
me give rise to my original being. utter L't'aZy words from his m.outh. or write poems incessantly, It also says thnt mood swings
You SImply must plumb deeply.
and talkativeness can also be symptoms of such demonic influence. Thnk what one may of
And await from time to time.
the notion of the Three Cmpses. one wonders whether Wang 7.he's eccentricifies were caused
Clearly in the coming and going djscern east and w.:-.st
Thereby you get to know your wise countenanc~ by mental disorders brought on by the rigors (If self..denial and meditation.tIS Hagiogmphic
And this form emerges upon the arch of the heavens. records ten us that Wang Zhe answered to the nickname "Lunatic" (haifeng 1! Jl.l. which he
Manife<oted completely, it emits its radiance that br)lJianily illuminates, had earned as a result of his drunken, erratic depot.t:ment (this was particularly market! during
As il eternally dwens in the clear sky.64 the first few years after his conversion in I J59). He frequently danced and sang like n crazy
man io public, and uttered strange words which people usually took merely as mad ravings.
Here Wang Zhe speaks of a cool sensation. profound peace, sweet flavors, and the He once set fire to his meditalion hut and was found singing and dancing wildly by the fire, to
activity of fluids and energies that cleanse, circulate, and nourish the body. This all culminates.
in the emergence o.f his original true self which radiates brilliantly and mounts the skies. !rlChtmgyang ql.W.ll.Zhenji 2.14a. 1m-. meaning or identity of "Sir Ding" is unclear. It perhaps cotlJd
be something related 10 the beart or mind, since ding, as om: of the len "stems," is said to correlate 1.0 the
agent fire (as does the heart).
{,6Chongyang quanznen ji 2.14a.
6'Chongyang 'If..ll.Ul.Zhenji 2.16a.
<i8See above. page 148.
fflWang Zhe's poetry occasionally alludes to the "Three Corpses and Nine Worms" as evil entities
<llChvngyang quallzhen)i 4.6a.
that can be ex.terminated through proper self-c.ultiv.ation_ A few examples would be as fonows, "To my
61s.ee Es.kJidsen. "Beliefs and Practices:' 36~63. and "Asceticism in Ch'iian-cnen Taoism," 153 contentment !he marvelous [lJ11tlS follow, completely eliminating tile Three Corpses and Nine W{!rtnS"
191. (Clrongyallg quanz/lcn ji 12.2Gb); "Let your mind go freely in joyous serenity. You sboold make the
ti4('''hongyang quanzhell ji 3.6b7a, Worms dIsappear and the Cmp!ieS leave" (Chongyang quonwnji 13.19a).
J 56 Journal vf Chinese Religions
the bewiJderment of those who had come 10 his rescue. Later, after he had begun to attract a
significant following, he took to frequently physically and verbally abusing his disciples (to
test their sincerity and will power). On one occasion he relieved himself in front of Ihe county
government offices, right after an admirer had extolled him for being "witbout outflowings"
fwulou M,if.;;J-'o InLerestingly, there is one poem in Chongyang quanzhen ji in which Wang
Zhe says, H, always must J':Qmpose poetry, and my brush does. not stop," It However. it is not
made clear as to what compelled him to write and whether this compulsion in any way eluded
tbe control of his rational will. Whatever the case, it should be duly noted that neither Wang
Zhe nor his hagiographers admit to anything pathological or demon~influenced in his conduct
mmcuIties and J<'rustrations Involved in Gaining "Signs of proor'
Apparently "signs of proof' did come easy-not even for the Quam'11en masters.
not
Even for the precociously gtfted YIn Zhiping the "signs" came hut rarely, at least during his
early years of discipJe-ship;
This fool72 one day whHe in stillncss73 felt a stage of energy. l6nergyJ
spurted up to my head, making a noise as my head split open. Sweet liquid
cascaded down. Afte-,r this there was no particular news [signs of proof} to
speak: of, and thus I gave rise to dounts, [ went to the residence of the Mastl.'r
rather [Qiu Chuji] for coosultation, Whenever any of the residents there
consulted him regarding their doubts. they would be angrily scoklcd by the
Master-Father. What be meant to say was that in studying tbe Tao, how can
there be any further doubL~'? However, the Master-F"'ther knew that this person
(I, Yin Zhiping) was sincere, thus he entertained his inquiries ...
After this the Master-Father inquired [of me] from time to time as to
whether there had been any more news. When he found out that there had been
no ruore news, he made [mel live In the monastery and accumulate merits and
7"Thc most vivjd account of these eceenmcaties is found in 'Zhongnan shan shenxian ChongyaJigzi
Wang zhenrcn Quanzhen jiaozu bei" ~ iH1!~ftJl filWJJ- _En
A it J!i~ifii\1 (1275), by Wanyan
Shu 7t~JI (1172 1232), Daojia jinshi liie. 450454" "The term "without Qutflowlngs" ha... its origins ill
Buddhist Iilerature, woo-e it denotes the absence of the three outflowings: the r3viug for senslJal
p1ea.<:ures, the craving for existence. and igt1Otance. However, in this. context it perhaps refers La the
cessation of the discharge of bodily wastes. A cleur example of such a ut:.age of the wOId "outflowilig"
lloul in a ThOi!<l context is found ill a story t1<tt probably in the Northern Song period) recmrled iii Lishi
zhenxian tidao umgjian 52,16b"ISb, There we are told about Zhang Gong, whO' :received instructions on
fasting from an itinerant Taoist master, Acmillg to the story, the Taoist master told him, 'W!\en you
eliminate grains you have no wasle-fil{h, and wtIeli you have no waste-filth you do not have oULtlowlngs
[bu/ouJ." Within two yean;, Zhang Gong (who had ingested \\even jujubes given to tum by lire m:urer
anti remained celibrue as in:$1nK.1ed) no longer atf;', anrlllo longer excreted any feces or urine.
7lChongytlng quam:.henji 3.7a,
the two texts come from a common author.
12Yin Zhiping, referring (0 himself,
~iuChuji.
Th'StHlness" here refers to meditation.
71 Qmg~ zhenren beiyou yuiu 2, 14a~b.
SeekingSignsujProoj 157
deeds 19ongxing IhfIl by (performing the duty of] welcoming and waiting on
[gue.'its and visitorsJ, From this we can know that even if one engages in bitter
training, without merits and deeds one cannot snccced,"14
interesting here is how Qiu Chuji takes great interest i.n the trance sensations of Yin
7l:tiping and anxiously awaits to sec if he has any more "news," When it becomes apparent
that no further "news" is forthcoming, he assigns Yin Zhiping to menial chores !II) that he can
15
accumulate "merits and <)eeds" [gongxing1. The moral of the anecdote is that harsh self
discipline and meditation must be C(imbined with vlrtuouS behavior before one call be blessed
with "signs (if proof:' Qiu Otuji felt that Yin Zhiping might move nearer toward eaming such
blessings by providing humble service to monastery guests,
Another episode related by Yin Zhiping indicates thal Qiu Chuji abo bad great difficulty
at trying to receive "news":
Ma~1er-Fathcr Changcbun16 wa<; at Panx) m1:l
and Longmen fm r~ for dose to
twenty years. HIs will and energy pervaded Heaven and EaTlh and moved the
holy sages, He was pennitted (to partake In) the Tao. But tater aU news became
distant (fronl him]. The Master-Father persevered harder tMn ever, and only
then fre)gained it (the "news" from the Tao}. Not lung thereafter, it was taken
away from him again, This was all because bis merit<; and deeds were
insufficient The Masters and Authcnlics are (thus) also hke this, MU(;h more is
it the case with everyone else! Students must simply train and make progress ill
their merits and deeds without seeking for manifest signs, Do not give rise to
dQubts. When your actions bav\!' been suftlcient. you will spontaneously have
an opening up of insight,17
14Qinghe zhenrm bciyou yulu 3.1 lb.
15[n Quan:dlen parlance "merits" (gong] refers to the diligence and intensity of one's personal
training, while "det:d~" [xing] refers 1.0 virtuous acts of humility aud compassion. Wang Zhe, in
preaching on merits and deeds" drew uPQn the teachings of an obscure Taoist predecessor known as
Authentic Man lin, and in une discourse quoted him 3S follows: "Authentic Man lin said, 'If you want
true merit~, you must clear your mind and stabiH",e your will. disciplining your spirit and emotions.
WtthotH movement and without action, in true clarity and true purity, embrace the origin and guard !.he
One, preserve your lip!!it and solidify your energy. This is uue merit. If you wanl true deeds, you should
cultivate benevolence and accumulate virtue. by reli.eviJlg the poor and rescuing !hose who suffer. When
you see people jn strife. always put to actiell your mind [that desires] to help them, At times {you
snouldl persuade goud people to enter the Tao and engage in Ira.ini.ng. In whatever you do, put others
first and yourself last. Be selfless fin your interactions with] the myrIad things. This is tnu'J deeds'"
(Clwngyang quanzhen) 1O.21a ). This passage is ..Iso found in Jilt zhenren Yl.l1u 3a. 11 appeat"$ thal
Authentic Man lin's full name was lin Daocheng "1t;J;'U&; (sobriquet Chongzhcn ~_) and that he
flourisbed during the eleventh ur eady twelfth t.-entury. The nincteenlhjuan of Daoshu. a large 1'acis!
anthology compiled in 1136, conlains a very short treatise by lin Daocheng entilJed ''ChOl\gzhen piat.."
"file beginning part of the treatise is nearly identical to a portion in lin zhenren yulu, which suggests that

158 Journal ojChinest' Religions
Apparently Qiu Chuj} alternated between phases where he frequently enjoyed special
trance phenomena and phases where he received no "news" at aU, The "news" was
considered to be a blessing that the holy sages (immortals) wuuld beslow upon those they
deemed worthy based 00 their merits (intensity and duration of self-discipline and ffiC".ditation)
and deeds (number of virtuous acljons), The blessing could be bestowed or withdrawn at their
will, ami Qiu Chu,jj's me:its and deeds were as of yet insufficient to sustain their favor.
Of particular interest is an episode related by Yin 7..hiping in which a cert,aiu disciple of
Qiu Chuji witnessed in trance the coming down of a buman head. This. as we have seen, L'i a
vision that Qiu Chuji himself mentioned as being a sign that the "golden elixir" W(lS
complcte:1S Naturally. then, the disciple sought out the master for validation of his experien.:e:
]n Sharnlong there was a Mister Zhang '11:9t ~ who had sat [in meditation]
in his enclosure for several years. When sitting he would see a single shorn
hemp stem faU down jn front of him. He took notice of tbis about three or five
times: and then stepped paying attention to it. Suddenly one day a human face
came faning down from the ceiling. It slOod on the ground before Dim and
emitted a long mouthful of breath. Mr. Zhang wondered whether it was his
body outside the body.1'i He thus carne out of his enclosure and came to the
residence of Mastcc~Father ChangChlll\SI} in order to consult him on these
ponderings. When he saw the Master-Father he bowed in respect, knelt before
him, and wa~ about to speak of the visions he bad had in his enclosure.
[However]. the Master~Father already knew. and said, "When a pmctitioner
does his work {meditates], he must not acknowJedgc and look at anything he
sees with his eyes. Even fit he sees} a Mastet~Fatber, no. Even [if he sees) a
Duddhs, no. Even [if he sees] a god, no. Even [iflre seesJ a demon, DO. Even lif
he seesl a human. no. Even (ifhe seesJ 11 dragon, no. Even [if he sees] a tiger,
00, Even [if be seesl all the stars and planets in the heavens above. no, Even [if
he sees] all the birdsantl beasts on the earth below, no."
Mr. Zhang sun had doubts, and could not help but think [that he had seen
81
his] body outside the body. TIlUs be went to see Ma<iter-Father Changsheng
and told him about the visions he had seen. Master~fiather Cbangsheng asked,
"What brother Qiu told you is correct. As for the visions that practitioners have.
if you become attached to them they rue evil. Amidst a111Ypes of visions, you
should not become influenced or attached. Wben your efforts have been
sufficient, the Too will naturally respond and you will have no doubts [as to the
veracity of the Tao's response}." Zhang bowed and thanked him.12
The passage thus tells us that Qlll Chuji-who with his clairvoyant powers already knew
what Mr, Zhang had sce~id not deem his Vision to be an authentic manifestation of the
7HSee above, page 148,
19"Rody outside 1I1e body" is it phrase comtn01tly used to refer t{) the true natllre or yang spi.rit.
interpreted the passage), he must have had the foorth yeal' (If the Taibe reign era (1204) in mind.
SClQiu Chuji
However, hagiography reports that be passed away in the second lunar month of the previous year. So
SIUU Chuxuan,
he perhaps f1}Cant to say figurntive1y bere thut a new seKegcnary cycle was about 10 commence,
31"Qinghe Yin zhCllrea yu." Zhenxian zhizhi yutu 2.5a-h.
MQinKhe menren beiYf)u yuJu U2b.
Seeking SigltS of Proof 159
true nature/yang spirit Quite to the contrary, he admonished him smctly to heed no vision,
however marvelous and auspicious it may seem t() be. Asked for a second opinion, Liu
Chuxuan confirmed the view of Qiu Chuji. But he also offered him the kind assurance that an
authentk experience will ,orne some day when his efforts have proved sufficient. When this
tme enlightenment experience happens, Mr. Zhang will simply know beyond a doubt. The
lack of certainty that compelled Mr, Zhang to seek validation from Masters Qiu and Liu was
thus to th~m a tell~tale sign ofilie falSIty of his vision and his spiritual immaturity_
AU of the above episodes bear as a common mora1 the notion that diligent training and
virtuous behavior are eventllally rewarded, and that the "signs of proof' in meditative trance
are among the rewards. However, one rather exceptional passage in the collected sayings of
Yin Zhiping takes inlO account a factor that is quite beyond the control of even the most
diligent and virtuous:
This is wrncthlng that Master-Father Changsheng used to speak of often. I
once persnnally heard this [from bim]. [Liu Chuxuanl said, "Training needs to
correspond with the proper time. ]t is now the auspicious autumn of the jiazi
Etf T year of the heavenly plane lI2(4). a:l Once this lime passes, training will
become very difticidt"
When r first heard this. I did not really believe it This is because my
understanding was not yet deep. It has now heen a long Lime since I entered the
Tao,. and I believe that the signifjcance of the times is great Looking back on
the early years of Master-rather Changshellg's leadership. tf recall that] when
adepts dwelled ill siJer1Ce and did their ex.ercises [meditationl. they woul<i have
news upon their heart not long after beginning their practice. Cases such as this
were frequent and numeroux. But in the.~ later years, why do we never see
anybody attain this? It is because the times an::: wrong. 34
The above passage attests to an apparent decline in the Quanzhen School. This 1S not, of
course, a decline in the size of the movement: the movement was in fact at tbe height of its
influence and popularity, The perceived decline. rather, is tn the frequency of "news" among
Quanzhen adepts. But rather than blame his followers here fur any lack of effort and virtue,
Yin Zhiping despairs that the "times" are bad, While the urulerlying theory is not explained
here. Yin Zhiping bad come to believe that progress in self-cultivation could be hJndered by
cosmic processes altogether beyond human contro1. But jf he understood the cosmic process
as being cyclical (which seems to be implied by the apparent reference to the sexegenary
cycle), he may have upheJd hope that the "times" would eventually improve-although
perhaps not during his own lifetime.
831f he was referring 10 the jiazi year of the sexegenary cycle (this is how I have tentaHvely
 \
160 Journal of Chinese Religions

Conclusion
I
In early Quanzhen Taoism visions and other special trance experiences were vaJued as
"signs of proof," or evidence that one's merits and deeds were .sufficient to move the "holy
sages"-the immortal TO\oist brethren who benevolently walch. aid, and guide adepts, The
holy sages were thought to then either manifest their countenances to the adept, or make their
presence and power apparent in sOme oUler marvelous way. However, the "signs of proof'
were also seen as hazards and dist:ractions-~in fact some were thought to be caused by
demons, By and large one needed to avoid being overly anxious to experience them, and
necdr.d to ignore them when they occurred. So how was one to distinguish demonic trance
phenomena from the work of the holy sages? What "signs of proof' truly signified the
completion of one's immortal true nature? These, according, to the Quanzhen maSlen;:. were
superfluous questions. When the "signs" are authentic one simply knows, and this inner
certainty is the best proof of their veracity. Thus one need not worry about these things but
simply strive to accumulate "merits" and "deeds." The central message of Quarrzhen is
extremely simple: k('.cp the mind clear and pure (qingjing m~; this confers "merits"), and
practice humility and compa..",-~on (this confers "deeds"). "Signs of proof' should eventually
come as a result of this endeavor, but sh(~uh.l not be consciously anticipated or sought for in
and uf themselves,
The fact of the matter is, however, that the Quanzhen masters were deeply concerned and
troubled when "signs of proof' failed to appear to them or their disciples. Ultimately they
recognized that no noble human endeavor-whether it be scLf-disclipline. mor.1lity, or
medi1ation-can be fulJy guaranteed to hring the desired "signs of proof." Thus, the "'signs of
proof' had to be interpreted as something conditioned by forces beyond human control, such
as the will oftbe holy sages orthe "'rimes,"