Èr xiān ān bēi jì 二仙菴碑記
Stele-Inscription of the Èrxiān Belvedere
stele-record narrating the founding of the 二仙菴 (Èr xiān ān, “Two-Immortals Belvedere”) in Chéngdū — the Sìchuān Lóngmén monastery that would become the editorial home of the Dào zàng jí yào
A foundational stele-record narrating the establishment of the Èr xiān ān in Chéngdū — the historic Lóngmén Daoist monastery built next to the Tang-Sòng Qīngyánggōng 青羊宮, in the wake of an encounter between the prefacer (an unnamed Sìchuān provincial official) and a Daoist zhēnrén of Qīngchéngshān origin styled “Chén dào wēng 陳道翁” of the Chǔ people. The encounter is dated 乙亥仲呂月之二十日 = c. 25 May 1695 (Kāngxī 34, second-month-equivalent zhònglǚ, 20th day). Per the inscription, the encounter took place at a small chán (rented building) at Yù xiān qiáo 遇仙橋 (“Immortal-Encounter Bridge”) west of the city — traditionally identified as the site where Lǎozǐ met Yǐn Xǐ of the Hángǔ pass on his post-departure journey, and where Lǎozǐ had transformed into the zhàngliù jīn shēn (sixteen-foot golden-body) before crossing the liú shā (drifting sand) into the West.
Prefaces
Stele-record (anonymous), undated but datable from the encounter. “The western suburbs of the prefecture, the Yùxiān bridge — to its left there is Lǎojūn’s having-encounter with Yǐn Xǐ by appointment at the Hángǔ pass; thereafter Lǎojūn transformed into the sixteen-foot golden-body and with Yǐn Xǐ together crossed the drifting-sand. The terrain there has dense-forest and tall-bamboo, mountain-streams flowing-flowing — truly with the wind of yǐnrén yìshì (recluses-and-untrammelled-gentlemen). I, though wind-and-dust scattered-scattered, with foot-tracks almost throughout all-under-Heaven, have felt the dànrán zhī xiǎng (calm-natural longing) but bitterly cannot strip off this dust-and-dirt. Every time on government-affairs at leisure, ascending-and-treading its境域, I deeply feel that dazzling glory is all illusory-flowers and bubble-shadows, nothing equal to the huángguān yě fú (yellow-cap and field-clothes) of those who in their fǔ yǎng (looking-up-and-down) all suit themselves. — In the yǐhài year zhònglǚ month, 20th day [≈ 25 May 1695], I passed by, and beside saw a small chán; going-up I knocked; saw an old-man cross-legged sitting still, face-and-features sage-restrained, truly a man-of-the-Way! Astonished-and-pleased I gazed for long, but did not ask his surname, address, or village — and immediately took him by the arm to ride together to my official-residence, lodging him at the Jīcuì xuān. He only sat erect-and-still, gathering-spirit and stilling-nature; whole day-and-night not uttering a word, not making a frown. I respectfully respect him; ask his origin — he says Qīngchéng (= the Daoist mountain of Qīngchéngshān in Sìchuān). Ask his fasting-provisions — as the conditions pass. Ask again his place-of-origin and surname — Chǔrén ér Chén Sú (= a Chǔ person, of Chén family). I cannot but sigh-and-rejoice: ‘Alas, it has long-been that scholar-officials, when their bodies are at the yàojīn (key-fording) and name-and-rank already-heavy, also command household-men in advance to set up quánshí (spring-and-stone) for the after-body’s plan. But there are gardens-and-pavilions long-established whose master never once arrived; or owners briefly-arrive then go — turning-around-not-equal-to-the-passing-traveler-whose lingers-and-attaches; or even pushed beyond into the fāngwài (outside-the-square = monastic). — All like this!”
Abstract
The foundational stele-record of the Èr xiān ān in Chéngdū — the Sìchuān monastery that, after Lǐ Xīyuè 李西月’s mid-19th-century editorial work and Hé Lóngxiāng’s 1906 Chóng kān Dào zàng jí yào expansion, became the principal late-imperial home of the DZJY engraving project. The stele’s date of the founding-encounter (≈ 25 May 1695) and the unnamed prefecture-official’s narrative of the encounter with the Qīngchéng Daoist Chén dào wēng set the foundational hagiography for the Èrxiānān, which thereby ranks as one of the principal Sìchuān Lóngmén establishments. The text is one of the more important institutional-historical sources for late-imperial Sìchuān Daoism.
Translations and research
- Olles, Volker. Ritual Words: Daoist Liturgy and the Confucian Liumen Tradition (Harrassowitz 2013) — touches on Sì-chuān Daoist institutional history.
- Esposito, Monica. Facets of Qing Daoism (2014).
- Mori Yuria, “Daozang jiyao and Quanzhen Daoism.” — fundamental on the Èr-xiān-ān as DZJY engraving site.