The Founder of Modern Taoism

Chang Tao-ling may rightly be considered as the true founder of modern Taoism.  The recipes for the pills of immortality contained in the mysterious books, and the invention of talismans for the cure of all sorts of maladies, not only exalted him to the high position he has since occupied in the minds of his numerous disciples, but enabled them in turn to exploit successfully this new source of power and wealth.  From that time the Taoist sect began to specialize in the art of healing.  Protecting or curing talismans bearing the Master’s seal were purchased for enormous sums.  It is thus seen that he was after all a deceiver of the people, and unbelievers or rival partisans of other sects have dubbed him a ’rice-thief’—­which perhaps he was.

He is generally represented as clothed in richly decorated garments, brandishing with his right hand his magic sword, holding in his left a cup containing the draught of immortality, and riding a tiger which in one paw grasps his magic seal and with the others tramples down the five venomous creatures:  lizard, snake, spider, toad, and centipede.  Pictures of him with these accessories are pasted up in houses on the fifth day of the fifth moon to forfend calamity and sickness.

The Peach-gathering

It is related of him that, not wishing to ascend to Heaven too soon, he partook of only half of the pill of immortality, dividing the other half among several of his admirers, and that he had at least two selves or personalities, one of which used to disport itself in a boat on a small lake in front of his house.  The other self would receive his visitors, entertaining them with food and drink and instructive conversation.  On one occasion this self said to them:  “You are unable to quit the world altogether as I can, but by imitating my example in the matter of family relations you could procure a medicine which would prolong your lives by several centuries.  I have given the crucible in which Huang Ti prepared the draught of immortality to my disciple Wang Ch’ang.  Later on, a man will come from the East, who also will make use of it.  He will arrive on the seventh day of the first moon.”

Exactly on that day there arrived from the East a man named Chao Sheng, who was the person indicated by Chang Tao-ling.  He was recognized by a manifestation of himself he had caused to appear in advance of his coming.  Chang then led all his disciples, to the number of three hundred, to the highest peak of the Yuen-t’ai.  Below them they saw a peach-tree growing near a pointed rock, stretching out its branches like arms above a fathomless abyss.  It was a large tree, covered with ripe fruit.  Chang said to his disciples:  “I will communicate a spiritual formula to the one among you who will dare to gather the fruit of that tree.”  They all leaned