THE EIGHT IMMORTALS OF THE TAOIST RELIGION 61 



been of commanding stature and dignified mien with an extra- 

 ordinary constitution. From his youth, he devoted himself 

 to the study of the Taoist lore, and to the acquisition of the 

 "Golden pills," without any regard for domestic affairs. 

 He was so saturated with the Taoist contempt of the vanitas 

 vanitatum and the ambitions of the world, that he deter- 

 mined to lead a life of aceticism, ( %. (R is the Taoist term). 

 He secluded himself in a mountain dale, in a cavern having 

 a door of stones. Another tradition says he was in a certain 

 mountain for 40 years learning the secret of immortality. 

 He sat on a mat of reeds and practised training his animus 

 BR M* §i ff£ for years, often forgetting food and sleep. One 

 day the thought struck him that he might consult Lao-tzu 

 ^ •?• , his namesake who was the supreme of the genii filj UL, 

 living in Hua Shan ^ Hi . He then placed himself under 

 the instruction of Lao-tzu who occasionally descended to 

 earth and at times used to summon his pupil to Interviews 

 with him in the celestial spheres. In one of his discourses 

 he said, "The essence of the Tao is unfathomable, the extre- 

 mity of the Tao is indescribable. Without Tao everything 

 is void. Preserve your spirit and quiet your form. Be pure, 

 be clean. Trouble not your form, disturb not your essence. 

 Abuse not your nature, and suspend all your anxieties. 

 In this manner can you attain to immortality." T'ieh-kuai 

 was highly enlightened by the teaching; all his mundane 

 thoughts dissolved like ice; and he bowed low in gratitude. 

 He also made obeisance to Wan-ch'iu $i ffB who was with 

 Lao-tzu, and who informed him that his name was already 

 registered in the roll of the Immortals and that he need only 

 keep up rigid training to reach the perfect state before long. 



One day, Lao-tzu, accompanied by Wan-ch'iu visited 

 Tieh-kai's cavern, and bade him to escort him on a journey 

 to the countries of Hsi-yii M $fc . At the time appointed, 

 Tieh-kuai committed his material body to the charge of his 

 disciple Yang ^ =61 while his spirit travelled with Lao-tzu 

 through the air. He left to Yang injunctions to cremate his 

 body in seven days in case his spirit did not return to it by 

 that time. 



Now it came to pass that after six days of faithful 

 watch Yang was obliged to quit his charge in the evening 

 of the sixth day, owing to the serious sickness of his mother. 

 Hurrying to the death-bed of his mother, he cremated his 

 master's body before the seventh day had expired. 



When Tieh-kuai returned on the seventh day, having 

 visited Feng-lai H M , Fang-chang J] $Z and the thirty-six 

 heavenly caves H "f* ^ vI"J ^ where dwell the genii, and 

 other places, he found that his body was gone and what was 



