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Laozi: Ancient Philosopher, Master of Immortality, and God

Livia Kohn

Traditionally Daoism is described as having developed in two major phases: there was first the so-called philosouhd Daoism, the quietistic and mystical philos- ophy of the ancient thinkers Laozi and Zhuangzi. This began around 500 B.c.E., was the dominant form of Daoism for several hundred years, and since then has continued, as one among many schools of Chinese thought, well into the present day. The second form of Daoism is known as religious Daoism. It began in the second century C.E. with the revelation of the Dao to Zhang Daoling, who became the first Celestial Master or representative of the Dao on Earth. This was an organized religion, with doctrines, rituals, gods, and the ultimate goal of ascension to the heavens of the immortals. It, too, has continued as one among many other
forms of Daoism until today.
While this picture is basically correct, the reality is slightly more complex. Not only are there various schools in both kinds of Daoism, but the transition between the two main streams, during the Han dynasty (202 B.C.E.-220 c.E.), also contains elements of religious doctrine and practice that influence both. These are notably the doctrines of the so-called Huang-Lao school and the practices of the immor-
tality seekers and magico-technicians (fnngshi-fortune-tellers, astrologers, med- ical practitioners), who were then wandering throughout the country.
Despite their differences, all these forms of Daoism have several things in common. The most obvious among these is their reverence for Laozi, the “Old Master.” In philosophical Daoism, he is venerated as the first thinker of the school, the author of the Classic on the Way and Its Power (Dao de jing), a text that has been translated into English well over a hundred times. Historically speaking, no single person wrote the text, nor does it go back to 500 B.c.E., the alleged lifetime of Laozi. Rather, the work was put together on the basis of aphorisms from various sources in the Warring States period, around 250 B.C.E. It definitely existed at the beginning of the Han dynasty, as two copies of the text in the tomb at Mawangdui of 168 B.C.E. show.
Laozi, the philosopher, is similarly elusive. The account of his life in the Records of the Historian (Shiji) of the year 104 B.C.E. includes information on four distinct people, none of whom is properly identified as the Daoist philosopher. There is first a person called Li from the south of China; then, there is a person by the name of Dan who served in the Zhou archives; third, there is ritual master who met and taught Confucius; and fourth, there is a saint by the name of Lolaizi who wrote a Daoist book in fifteen sections. Any one of these people might have been the Old Master of the Daoists, yet none of them is a truly historical figure.
In religious Daoism, in its first documents of the second century c.E., Laozi is worshiped as the personification of the eternal Dao, the “Way,” the ultimate power that makes the universe exist and causes beings to be alive. Known then as the god Taishang Laojun, the Most High Lord Lao, he is believed to reside in the center of Heaven and at the beginning of time. He is the origin and vital power
of all-that-is. Like the universe at large, he changes and transfoms in rhythmic harmony. As the original ancestor of yin and yang, he appears and disappears continually, serving in every age as the inspired divine adviser to the ruler and guiding the world to truer harmony with the Dao.
Laozi here is regarded as the savior of humanity who has appeared over and over again in the course of history, revealing the Dao to the sagely rulers of old as well as to the inspired religious leaders of the Han. Laozi is said to have made a pact with the first Celestial Master Zhang Daoling that allowed him and his descendants to represent the Dao on Earth and guaranteed the believers of this sect to survive all cosmic disasters and be saved as immortals.
The magico-technicians and Huang-Lao Daoists of the Han, finally, saw Laozi as an inspired leader of their own kinds of practices. He was a teacher of the right way to govern the country while at the same time cultivating oneself and extend- ing one’s life. He was, for them, not yet a god and yet no longer a mere thinker, reclusive official, or master of ritual. Laozi of the immortality seekers is himself a
practitioner of longevity techniques, one who has lived for several hundred years, maintained his vigor, and attained the magic of the immortals. He has full control over life and death, foresees the future, and knows all about the patterns of the heavenly bodies. He can order demons about at will, and he wields talismans and spells as if he were born to it.
The text translated below contains traces of all three visions of Laozi. It is his biography from the Biography of Spirit Immortals (Shenxian zhuan) writen by Ge Hong (283-343) an aristocrat and scholar of the early fourth century who had a lively interest in all things Daoist and researched then with great acumen. Ge Hong lived in South China, where he wandered around the country to find ancient manuscripts and learned masters, them came home to write down his findings. In his autobiography - the first of its kind in Chinese literature- he describes how he eschewed all official poisitions and even voided social interaction with his equals, because he one aim in life was to become immortal.
For Ge Hong, immortality was not to be reached through religious observances such as prayers and rituals, although he certainly believed in the magical efficacy of talismans and spells; he believed that the desired state could be attained first and foremost through the practice of longevity tecuues such as gymnastb, breathing exercises, special diets, meditations, and-most of all-alchemy.
Accordingly his main remaining work, He Who Embraces Simplicity (bopuzi), which he named after his pen name, is a vast compendium of the techniques and practices of the immortals. It details the protective measures one has to take to keep the demons and evil spirits at bay. It describes how to reach alignment with the yin and yang energies of the universe; how to absorb the energies of the sun and the moon; how to use various herbs and minerals to improve one’s health and extend one’s life; how to attain magical qualities such as being in several places at once, becoming invisible, and flying in the air; how to prepare various kinds of elixirs or “cinnabars” that will have the power of instantaneously transforming one into an immortal or at least bestow very long life on Earth and power over life and death; and many many more.
The Laozi that Ge Hong presents in his collection of immortals’ biographies is a Laozi in transition. The beginnings of Daoism as an organized religion under the Celestial Masters had taken place about 150 years earlier, but in an entirely different part of the country. Ge Hong himself was not familiar with the movement and had only heard rumors that some people claimed Laozi was the Dao itself, a kind of god and spiritual being who came to Earth again and again.
For him, Laozi was first of all a historical figure, an ancient philosopher who had had profound insights-insights based on his particular intellect or, as the Chinese of the time would say, on his inherent spirit, his nature-given energy. In addition to this, Ge Hong saw Laozi as a successful practitioner of immortality, as a famous and inspiring example for all practitioners. His own desire to prove that one could learn and practice to become immortallive very long, acquire magical powers, and eventually ascend to heaven in broad daylight-required that he cast Laozi in this role, He had no interest in stylizing him as the Dao, as the religious follower did, and explicitly counters any suggestions in this direction.
The text below is therefore a collection of notes on Laozi, interspersed with Ge Hong’s comments to guide the reader in the desired direction. It refers to many different sources, sometimes mentioned by title, sometimes just introduced as “some say.” The texts cited explicitly are all lost today, but we know that they were among the so-called apogrypha of the Han dynasty. The apocrypha or non- orthodox materials were a group of texts that interpreted the Classics of the Confucian elite in terms of the magico-technicians’ arts: astrology, fortune-telling, numerology, and other esoteric speculations.
These texts tended to stylize the emperors of ancient Chinese history-mythical rulers-assemisupernatural beings. The great culture heroes of old, like,Fu Xi,- who invented the eight trierams of the- of Changes (Yijing) and thereby made the order of the cosmos accessible to humanityyshennong, the Divine Agriculturist, who discovered farming and animal husbandry, in these texts were more than the powerful rulers of the historians. They had special powers and marvelous features to show their stature. Shun, for example, one of the five great Confucian rulers, had double pupils-a symbol of his extraordinary perception. Yao, another Confucian hero, was born after his mother had seen a shootingstar- an indication of his Heaven-inspired rule. Many mythical rulers also had the “sun horn” and the “moon crescent,” two specially shaped bones sticking out over the eyebrows. They are so named because, in Chinese body mythology, the left eye is the sun and the right eye is the moon. Some rulers also had more sense openings than ordinary people did, and others had strange signs in the lines on their hands and feet-all features that in due course were also attributed to Laozi.
In addition to Han dynasty apocrypha and “miscellaneous records,” some of which are obviously influenced by the religious movement, Ge Hong relied on historical sources. He cites the Laozi biography in the Records ojthe Historian and retells many stories contained in the Zhuangzi. In all these, Laozi appears as a philosopher-a reclusive and withdrawn person with uncanny powers of insight, who puts the great Confucius to shame. He immediately identifies Confucius’s disciple and tells him so; he stuns the master with his dragonlike mind; he advises him on the futility of his efforts to perfect benevolence and righteousness; and so on. This more historical Laozi, too, is a stylized figure. Used in polemics among the various philosophical schools, he appears as the superior contemporary and counterpart of Confucius. Expounding a philosophy of withdrawal and serenity, Laozi is depicted as the one who has all the answers but cannot teach them, since the Dao can only come to those who are ready to receive it.
The key episode of Laozi’s philosophical life is at the same time the pivot of the religion: his transmission of The Way and Its Power in five thousand words to Yin Xi, the guardian of the pass. The story goes back to the Records of the Historian. It says,

Laozi lived under the Zhou for a long time. When he saw that the dynasty was declining, he decided to leave. He reached the pass [on the western frontier]. There Yin Xi, the guardian of the pass, told him: “You are about to withdraw completely. Would you please write down your ideas for me?” Thereupon Laozi wrote a work in two sections toexplain the Dao and its Power. It had more than five thousand words. Then he left. Nobody knows what became of him. (chap. 63)

This is later taken up by all biographies and hagiographies of Laozi and becomes the standard motif of Laozi pictures: the old man sitting on his ox cheerfully leaving his homeland. Still, the story ends differently in different versions. While the historical account ends the description of Laozi‘s life with the transmission of The Way and Its Power, Ge Hong implies that he pursued his goal of immortality and ascended to Mount Kunlun, both a mountain range in Central Asia and an immortals’ paradise of Chinese mythology. He then emphasizes that Yin Xi, in- spired by Laozi and following the instructions of The Way and Its Power, became an immortal himself and in the following illustrates the power and efficacy of the
sacred scripture.

In later sources, on the other hand, Laozi is said to have continued his way over the pass and wandered through Central Asia until he reached India. Everywhere he went, he converted the local population, the ‘”Darbarians,” to Daoism. Adapting its ways to their primitive state, he set up particularly strict rules for them and called himself the Buddha. This version is known as the “conversion of the barbarians,” a theory that led to much debate with the Buddhists and caused, more than once, the prohibition and persecution of religious Daoism.
Ge Hong exploits the scene on the pass in a set different way. Describing how Laozi controlled the life and death of his servant Xu Jia with a special talisman, he shows the ancient philosopher effectively as a master of magic and the powers of the immortals. His suggestion, of course, is that by studying the words of this sagely person and following the methods he revealed-the list includes all the longevity, immortality, and demon-fighting techniques of the Dao-one can be- come such a master oneself. Indeed, the scripture Laozi revealed must contain some of his essence and therefore can bestow certain powers and benefits. No wonder, then, that the recluses and aspiring immortals of Ge Hong’s day all had the greatest veneration for the Old Master.

From Shenxian phuan (Biographies of Spirit Immortals), chap. 1, pp. lb-3b (ed. Daozangjinghua 5.1 1). Other editions: Taipingguangji 1; Hun Wei congshu 1; Yiwen leiju. For a complete translation of the entire Shemian zhuan, see Gertrud Guntsch, Das Shen-hsien-chuan und das Erscheinungsbild eines Hsien (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1988).

Biography of Laozi

Laozi was called Chong’er (Double Ear) or Boyang (Lord of Yang). He came from Quren Village in Hu County in the state of Chu (modem Luyi District in Henan Province). His mother had become pregnant when she was touched by a huge meteor. Although Laozi had therefore received his basic energy directly from Heaven, he yet appeared in the Li family and took Li as his surname.
Some say that Laozi has existed since before Heaven and Earth. Others say that he is the essential soul of Heaven, a spiritual and wonderful being. Then again some claim that his mother remained pregnant for seventy-two years and only then gave birth. At birth, he split open his mother’s left armpit and emerged. Being just born, he already had white hair-which is why he was called Laozi, “Old Child.” Others maintain that his mother had been unmamed [at the time of his birth] so that Laozi adopted her family name. Then there are those who insist that his mother had just come to stand under a plum tree when he was born. As soon as he was born, he was able to speak. He pointed to the plum tree (li) and said: “I shall take this [Li] to be my surname.”
Other sources, moreover, state that Laozi, in the time of the ancient Three Sovereigns (mythical rulers in the early stages of the universe), was [their teacher under the name] Preceptor of the Mysterious Center. In the time of the later Three Sovereigns, he was the Imperial Lord Goldtower. Under Fu Xi [the Prostrate Sacrificer and first ruler], he was the Master of Luxuriant Florescence. Under Shennong [the Divine Farmer], he was the Old Master of Ninefold Numen. Under Zhurong [the Lord Firedrill], he was the Master of Vast Longevity. Under Huangdi [the Yellow Emperor], he was the Master of Vast Perfection. Under Emperor Zhuanxu [a mythical ruler], he was the Master of Red Essence.Under Emperor Ku, he was the Master of Registers and Sacred Charts. Under Emperor Yao, he was the Master of Perfected Duty. Under Emperor Shun, he was the Master of Ruling Longevity. Under Yu, the founder of the Xia dynasty, he was the Master of True Practice. Under Tang, the founder of the Shang dynasty, he was the Master of Granting Rules. Under King Wen, the first ruler of the Zhou dynasty, he was the Master of Culture and Towns.
However, some also maintain that Laozi was a mere archivist, while others say that he was [the statesman] Fan Li in [the southern state of] Yue and accordingly appeared under the name of Chi Yizi in [the eastern state of] Qi and as Dao Zhugong in [the southeastern state ofl Wu.
All these are statements found in miscellaneous records but not in the authentic scriptures of divine immortals. Thus they cannot be considered reliable. I, Ge Hong, state: For my part, I think that if Laozi was a spiritual being of celestial origin, he should indeed have appeared in each successive generation, exchanging his honorable rank for a humble condition, sacrificing his ease and freedom in order to subject himself to toil. He should indeed have turned his back on the pure serenity [of the heavenly spheres] in order to immerse himself in the foulness and defilements [of the world], giving up his celestial position and accepting inferior rank in the world of humanity.
Most certainly, the arts of the Dao have existed ever since there were Heaven and Earth. The masters of these arts of the Dao-when would they not have been there, even for a short while? They have appeared and worked their arts from [the beginnings of culture under] Fu Xi to the time of the three dynasties [of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou]. They existed from generation to generation- yet why should they all have been only forms of [the single figure] Laozi? Adepts who pursue learning in their old age tend to love the marvelous and value the weird. Wishing to do great honor to Laozi, they produce such theories. In reality, as far as I am concerned, Laozi was a person who realized the deepest essence of the Dao. But he was not of an extraordinary or superhuman kind.
The Records of the Historian says: “The son of Laozi was named Zong. He served as a general in the army of the state of Wei and enfeoffed in Duan. Then came Zong’s son Wang, Wang’s son Yan, and Yank great-grandson Xia, an official in Han. Xia’s son Jie was grand tutor of the Prince of Jiaoxi and lived in ithe eastern state of Qi.”
Thus the theory that Laozi was originally a spiritual and wonderful being goes back to the efforts of inexperienced Daoists who wished to see the strange and supernatural in him. They hoped that scholars of later generations would follow their ideas and never realized that such strange tales would only increase the disbelief people already had about the feasibility of prolonging life. Why is this? Well, if one says that Laozi was a man who realized the Dao, then people will be encouraged intheir efforts to emulate his example. However, if one depicts him as a spiritual and wonderful being of a superhuman kind, then there is nothing to be learned.
In regard to his life, there is the following record Laozi wished to emigrate to the west. The guardian of the border pass, a man named Yin Xi, knew that he was not an ordinary man. He therefore requested instruction in the Dao. Laozi was surprised and thought this strange, thus he merely stuck out his tongue. It was soft and rimless [like the Dao]. Because of this Laozi was also called Lao Dan, “Old Rimless.”
This latter statement is not correct either. According to the Scripture of [Laozi's] Nine Transformations (Jiubian jing) and the Scripture on [Laozi’s Original Birth and Twelve Transformations (Yuansheng shier hua jing), Laozi had the name Dan already before he ever approached Yin Xi’s pass. In fact, Laozi changed his names and appellations several times-he was not just called Dan. The reason for this is that, as described in the [astrological texts] Scripture of the [Constellation] Nine Palaces Uiugong jind, Scripture of the Three [Powersl and Five /Phases] (Sanwu jing), and the Scripture of Primordial Planets (Yuanchen jing), all people must face difficult situations in their lives. When such a difficult time comes, one should change one’s name or appellation to accommodate the transformation of primordial cosmic energy that is taking place. Doing so, one can extend the span of one’s life and overcome the difficulty. Even today in our generation, there are Daoists who practice this with enthusiasm. Laozi himself lived for over three hundred years under the Zhou.

Living for so many years, he was bound to encounter many difficult situations.
Thus he has rather a lot of names.
To determine the exact dates of Laozi’s birth and departure, it is best to rely mainly on historical works and factual records, but one should also take into consideration esoteric scriptures like the Scripture of Lao the Immortal (Laoxian jing). Other materials, such as folklore and local stories, can be ignored as void and specious.
The Central Essence of [Laozi’s] Western Ascension (Xisheng zhongtai), the Diagrams on the Restoration of Life (Fuming bao), and the Esoteric Scripture in Chapters of Gold on the [Constellations] Pearl-Studded Bowcase and Jade Pivot (Zhutao yuji jinpian neijing) all give some indication of Laozi’s looks. He had a yellow-whitish complexion, beautiful eyebrows, and a broad forehead. He possessed long ears, big eyes, gaping teeth, a square mouth, and thick lips. On his forehead he had the signs of the three [powers] and five [phases]. He had the sun horn and the moon crescent sticking out above his eyebrows. His nose was broad and straight and had a double rim, while his ears had three openings. On the soles of his feet he had the signs of the two [forces yin and yang] and the five [phases]; his palms contained the character for the number ten.
Under King Wen of the Zhou (1150-1133 B.c.E.), he served as an archivist. Under King Wu (1133-1116). he was a historian. The common people of the time noticed that he lived very long and thus called him Laozi, “Old Master.” By destiny he was endowed with a penetrating spirit and far-reaching foresight. The energy he had received at birth was unlike that of ordinary people. All this caused him to become a master of the Dao. It was because of this unusual quality that the divine powers of Heaven supported him and the host of immortals followed him.

Thus he came to reveal various methods of going beyond the world:
the [alchemy of the] nine cinnabars and eight minerals;
the [dietetics of] metallic wine and the golden fluid;
the visualization of mysterious simplicity and of guarding the One;
the recollection of spirit and penetration of the hidden;
the guiding of energy and refinement of the body;
the dispelling of disasters and exorcism of evil;
the control over demons and the nourishing of inner nature;
the abstention from grain and the many ways of transforming the body;
the serenity of a life in accordance with the teaching and the precepts;
the overcoming and control of demons and malevolent specters.

These methods fill 930 scrolls of texts as well as 70 scrolls of talismans. They are all recorded in the Essential Chapters on Laozi’s Origins and Deeds (Laozi benqi zhongpian), as is already evident in the list of contents. But beware!
Anything not contained in these was only added by later Daoists, following their personal preferences. It cannot be considered part of the perfected scriptures.
Laozi was basically a man of calm and serenity. Free from desires, he pursued only the extension of life. Thus it was that he lived under the Zhou for a long time but never strove for high rank or fame. He only wished to keep his inner light in harmony with the world of dust and grime, to realize spontaneity within, and to leave once his Dao was perfected. He was indeed a true immortal.
Confucius once went to ask Laozi about the rites. But first he sent [his disciple] Zigong to see him. Zigong had hardly arrived when Laozi told him: “Your master’s name is Qiu (Confucius). After you have followed him for another three years, you can both be taught.”
Confucius eventually came to see Laozi himself. Laozi told him: “A good merchant fills his storehouses but appears to have nothing. A gentleman is overflowing with virtue but acts as if he was worthless. Give up your pride and haughtiness as well as your many desires and your lasciviousness. None of these is doing you any good!”
On another occasion, Confucius was studying a text. Laozi observed this and asked what he was reading.
“The Classic of Changes,” Confucius replied. “The sages of old studied it, too.”
“If the sages of old read it,” Laozi commented, “so be it. But why are you reading it? What are its essential ideas?”
“Its essential ideas are benevolence and righteousness.”
“Ah well,” Laozi said, [then explained.] “See, it’s like that. When mosquitoes and horseflies buzz around and bite your skin, you can’t catch a wink of sleep
the whole night long. Similarly, when benevolence and righteousness are around with their miserable nature, they only confuse people’s minds. There is no greater disorder than this.
“Now, the swan is white even without taking a bath every day; the raven is black even without being dyed every day. Heaven is naturally high; Earth is naturally thick. The sun and the moon are naturally luminant; stars and planets are naturally arranged. Even trees and grasses are naturally varied.
“You, if you cultivate the Dao without delay, you will certainly reach it! But what use can benevolence and righteousness have in that? Using them would be as if you tied on a drum to search for a lost sheep! With benevolence and righteousness you only create confusion in your inner nature!”
[Another time] Laozi asked Confucius, “Have you attained the Dao yet?”
“I have pursued it for twenty-seven years,’’ Confucius replied, “but so far I have not attained it.”
“Small wonder,” Laozi said, “If the Dao could be given to people, all would present it to their lord. If the Dao could be handed to people, all would hand it to their family. If the Dao could be told to people, all would tell it to their brothers. If the Dao could be passed down, all would pass it down to their sons. However, it cannot. And why? Because without a host on the inside, the Dao cannot come to reside.”
“I have mastered the Classic ofPoetry,” Confucius said again, “as well as the Classic of History, the Record of Rites, the Classic of Music, the Classic of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. I have recited the Dao of the ancient kings and explained the deeds of [the dukes of1 Shao and Zhou. 1 have taken my teaching to over seventy rulers, but I have never been employed. How hard it is to convince people!”
”Really,” Laozi countered, “the Six Classics are only the leftover traces of the ancient kings. How could they be their real teachings, the substance behind the leftovers? What you do today is merely following these old leftover traces! Still, even traces are made from actual steps-but what a big difference between them!”
Confucius returned and did not speak for three days. Zigong [his disciple] wondered at this and finally asked him.
‘When I see people using their intentions like flying birds,” Confucius replied slowly, “I adapt my intention to a bow and shoot them-and never once have I failed to hit and best them. When I see people using their intentions like deer, I adapt my intention to running dogs and chase them-and never once have I failed to bite and devour them. When I see people using their intentions like deep-sea fish, I adapt my intention to a hook and throw it for them-and never once have I failed to hook and control them.
“Except one. The one animal beyond me is the dragon-riding on the energy of the clouds, wandering freely through Great Clarity. I cannot follow him. When recently I saw Laozi I knew I had met my match. He is like a dragon!
“He made my mouth gape wide, leaving me unable to shut it. He made my tongue stick out, leaving me unable to pull it back. My spirit was, so amazed that I no longer knew where 1 was.”
On another occasion [the philosopher] Yangzi was received by Laozi.
“The patterns [in the furl of leopards and tigers,” Laozi told him, “and the nimbleness of apes and monkeys only cause them to be caught and killed!”
“May I dare,” Yangzi hesitated, “to ask about the rule of the enlightened kings?”
“The rule of the enlightened kings,” Laozi mused. “Their merit covered all under Heaven, yet they did not think of it as issuing from themselves. Their influence reached to the myriad beings, yet they took care to keep the people independent. They had virtue, yet did not boast of their fame and position. They were impossible to figure out, wandering as they were freely around nothingness.”
Laozi was about to leave [his homeland]. He therefore went westward to cross the pass, from there to ascend to Mount Kunlun. Yin Xi, the guardian of the pass, divined the winds and energies [of the world] and thus knew in advance that a divine personage would soon come past. He duly had the road swept for forty miles. When he saw Laozi approach, he knew that he was the one.
Laozi for his part had never handed down his teaching while he resided in the Middle Kingdom. However, he knew that Yin Xi was destined to realize the Dao and therefore willingly stopped on the pass.
He arrived in the company of a retainer called Xu Jia, whom he had hired as a child for a wage of one hundred [copper pieces of] cash per day. By now Laozi owed him 7,200,000 cash. When Jia saw that Laozi was about to go beyond the pass in his travels, he quickly demanded his money. Laozi did not pay him.
At this time, a servant [on the Hangu pass heard the story and] instigated Jia to file a complaint against Laozi with the guardian of the pass. But this instigator did not know that Jia had been with Laozi already for over two hundred years. He only calculated that Jia would come into a lot of money and proposed to give him his daughter in marriage. When Jia saw that the woman was fair he rejoiced.
They then went to file the complaint with Yin Xi, who was disturbed and greatly alarmed. They all went to see Laozi.
Laozi spoke to Xu Jia: ‘You should have died long ago! When I first hired you in the old days, you were a slave and a pauper, but I did not have a valet, so 1 took you on and gave you long life through the Pure Life Talisman of Great Mystery. Only thus were you able to see the present day. Why do you speak against me now? Also, I have told you that I would pay you the full amount in gold once we got to Parthia. Why can’t you be patient?”
Laozi then made Jia open his mouth and told them all to look at the ground: The perfected talisman of Great Mystery was sticking upright in the earth with its cinnabar characters as good as new. In the same instant Jia collapsed into a heap of withered bones.
Yin Xi knew that Laozi was a divine personage and had the ability to restore the man to life. He therefore touched his head to the ground and begged Laozi for Jia’s life. He also requested permission to provide the necessary funds to satisfy the retainer’s demands.
Laozi thereupon returned the Talisman of Great Mystery to the bony remains and, lo and behold, Xu Jia immediately rose alive and well. Yin Xi duly gave him two million in cash and sent him on his way.
Later on Yin Xi served Laozi with the proper pupil’s formality and received Laozi’s teachings of extending life. When Yin Xi further begged him to teach him formal precepts of the Dao, Laozi told him [the scripture in] five thousand words. Yin Xi withdrew to seclusion and wrote it down faithfully. It was named Dao de jing. Practicing its teaching of the Dao, Yin Xi also attained immortality.
Under the Han dynasty, the Empress Dou was a great believer in the words of Laozi, and through her influence Emperor Wen (179-156 B.C.E) and all the members of the Dou family could not help but read the scripture. Reading and reciting the text, they all gained tremendous benefits. Thus the whole empire was at peace under the emperors Wen and Jing, and the empresses of the Dou family preserved their power and glory for three generations.
Also, Shu Guang, the head tutor of the crown prince, and his son and colleague deeply penetrated the meaning of the scripture. Through it they understood the relative importance [and timeliness] of worldly merit and withdrawal to seclusion. One day they decided to give up their offices and return home. There they gave money to the needy and freely distributed goodwill, yet always remained noble and pure.
This attitude was continued by numerous later recluses following the arts of Laozi. They stripped off all glory and splendor on the outside and nourished their lives to high longevity within, without ever tumbling into the perilous world of human society. Instead they were with the vast spring of the Dao, which flows long and is ever creative. Being like this, how could they not be raised on the very principles of Heaven and Earth? How could they not be masters and models for ten thousand generations? Thus all those today who follow [the model of the recluse] Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi) honor Laozi as their original teacher.