Chapter Seven: The Origin of the Fairyland (2)
In the same year, the Tang Dynasty inscribed the location of "Shengping Ningyuan" upon an iron stele sealed with cinnabar, known only to each reigning emperor. Every year, emissaries from Shengping Ningyuan would journey to the imperial capital to pay homage to the emperor, presenting gifts of profound value, concealed from the outside world.
Not long after, just as Li Yuan had done before him, Tang Taizong Li Shimin—who had seized the realm through unscrupulous means—also faced karmic retribution. In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era (637 AD), in November, Li Shimin personally introduced the fifth-rank court lady Wu Mei into the annals of the Li Tang royal family; she would later become Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian, the only legitimate empress regnant in Chinese history, unleashed a reign marked by the ruthless slaughter of the Li Tang clan, ushering in an era of harsh officialdom. Although the common people’s lives improved under her rule, and her ultimate intention was to restore the throne to the Li family, the period of her governance saw a brutal purge of the Li clan, inflicting grievous suffering upon her descendants.
Like during Li Shimin’s reign, Wu Zetian, as the sovereign of the realm, maintained relations with Shengping Ning. Yet, in her later years, fearing that upon the restoration of the Li family she would be treated as she had treated the Li Tang—her own kin slaughtered, her tomb desecrated—she petitioned Shengping Ning for an elixir of immortality. Shengping Ning’s principle was to remain detached from the affairs of the Tang world, responding that if Wu Zetian wished for eternal life, she must relinquish the imperial throne and journey to Shengping Ning.
Unwilling to forsake the vast lands of the Tang, Wu Zetian’s demand for immortality sparked the first major rift between Shengping Ning and the Tang Dynasty. To coerce the custodians of Shengping Ning, she inscribed critical information about its geography and population, alongside her own imperial achievements, upon the Merit Stele of Qianling, located fifty kilometers northwest of present-day Xianyang in Shaanxi Province. This inscription stood in stark contrast to the “Shusheng Ji Stele,” which praised Emperor Gaozong of Tang.
“Wait a moment! Master, please stop. Wasn’t it said that Shengping Ning is contained within a single tear?” Hua Sheng interjected. “Why does it now sound like it’s an integral part of our ancient lands, inseparable from our nation?”
Master Ruokong replied, “Patience, benefactor. Allow me to explain.”
Ruokong continued: In 705 AD, the first year of the Shenlong era of the Zhou dynasty under Wu Zetian’s rule, which also marked the seventy-sixth year of the Shengjing calendar, Wu Zetian’s own son Li Xian, following his mother’s directive, engraved the entire text of this record—over three thousand three hundred characters—upon the sacred stele at Qianling. As this was an imperial command, ordinary spells could not erase the writing. Yet, should the existence of “Shengping Ningyuan” be revealed to the world, it would spell great misfortune for both mortals and immortals. Mortals would exploit immortal arts for selfish ends, and immortals would be perpetually disturbed by external interference.
Thus, the highest deities—Yu Qing Yuan Shi Tian Zun of the Jade Clarity, Shang Qing Ling Bao Tian Zun of the Supreme Clarity, and Tai Qing Dao De Tian Zun of the Great Clarity—united their powers to erase the inscriptions on the Qianling stele and all historical records of Shengping Ning, leaving behind the famed “Wordless Monument” of Qianling. Even now, one can see the neatly carved grid patterns—from top to bottom—each square measuring four by five centimeters, silently attesting to the vanished words once inscribed.
At its inception, Shengping Ning encompassed merely 999,999 acres, where immortals, humans, and spirit tribes coexisted without interference. Yet, due to occasional leaks of its location in the mortal realm, many seekers of immortality came year after year.
After nearly being exposed to the world, the rulers of Shengping Ning reached a consensus: the immortal realm must be concealed. No more elixirs from the sacred land should flow into the mortal world, lest mortals endlessly seek the realm.
At that time, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, moved by great sorrow and compassion, was establishing the Guanyin sanctuary on Mount Putuo, which resembled a blue dragon resting upon the sea. Upon learning Shengping Ning would soon vanish from the mortal realm, the Bodhisattva shed a single tear for the future suffering of sentient beings. This tear fell from Mount Putuo into the boundless East Sea. Thereupon, six immortal sages sealed Shengping Ning within this tear using the “Primordial Jade Void” technique, hiding it within the vast depths of the East Sea. In Shengping Ning’s history, this is recorded as the seventy-sixth year of the old sacred calendar and the first year of the new sacred era.
Hua Sheng interrupted again, asking, “Master, this is something I never considered before. So, although Shengping Ning is a Daoist immortal realm, it was founded by Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva?”
“That is correct,” Ruokong replied.
“But that doesn’t make sense. Shengping Ning was originally a Daoist immortal realm. Why, after moving it into the East Sea, was it established by Buddhist forces?”
“Because our Buddha is compassionate...” Ruokong began.
Hua Sheng cut in, “Master, you sound like a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What’s the real reason?”
“The real reason is compassion.”
“What does that mean?”
Ruokong said, “Benefactor, as a practitioner of the arts of magic and Dao, you should understand the meaning of ‘Heaven and Earth are indifferent.’”
“Yes, I know that. Heaven and Earth’s indifference doesn’t mean they lack kindness. It means good and evil are the same to them. They do not deliberately pursue benevolence.”
“Then you must understand. Because Heaven and Earth are indifferent, Shengping Ning’s existence or nonexistence makes no difference to the Dao. The Daoist school will not act specifically for Shengping Ning’s sake, even if all immortals forsake the mortal world or its mortal residents suffer calamities, the Dao will make no deliberate intervention.”
“That...” Hua Sheng was momentarily at a loss.
“However, our Buddha is compassionate.”
Only then did Hua Sheng understand Ruokong’s meaning. “Master, you mean that while Daoism practices non-action, Buddhism performed the benevolent act of preserving Shengping Ning?”
Ruokong clasped his hands and said, “You are correct. Buddhism should not have intervened in the fate of residents within a Daoist immortal realm. But Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who vowed to save all suffering beings, overstepped boundaries.”
Hua Sheng pondered. “That can’t be right. If others wished to save Shengping Ning, why didn’t the Daoist immortals do it themselves? It’s not a difficult task... or rather, even if somewhat challenging, it should be within their power.”
“So, there were divisions among the immortals,” Ruokong explained. “You must have heard of the Seven Saints who founded Shengping Ning.”
“I have,” Hua Sheng replied.
“Since you belong to the Academy of Arts and Dao, you should know of Dao Ling Xingjun.”
At the mention of this name, Hua Sheng immediately said, “I know him. Dao Ling Xingjun is the head of the Academy of Arts and Dao, over eighteen thousand years old, and one of the Seven Saints of Shengping Ning.”
Ruokong continued, “Do you know why, despite being one of the Seven Saints, Dao Ling Xingjun only governs the small Academy of Arts and Dao within Shengping Ning?”
“That’s because... of the recent upheaval?”
“Correct. Dao Ling Xingjun advocated preserving Shengping Ning as an immortal realm. If abolished, immortals would return to the celestial realm, and spirit tribes—capable of cultivating magic—would be second only to immortals. The remaining residents, if returned to the mortal world, would be stripped of their magical abilities to prevent chaos, inevitably suffering subsequent wars.”
“Wouldn’t that mean Dao Ling Xingjun...” Hua Sheng hesitated.
“Because his views aligned with Buddhism, he was branded a heretic.”
“But in the end, Shengping Ning was preserved. Did Daoism not reflect on this?”
“The Daoist stance is not unconcerned with sentient beings, but rather non-action. Letting Shengping Ning follow the natural course.”
“In such times, non-action amounts to abandonment, doesn’t it?”
Ruokong said, “Daoism calls it non-action. Non-action means nothing is left undone. Let nature decide.”
“But no compassion?”
“Daoism has no benevolence, yet no malevolence either.”
“Thus, after Shengping Ning moved into the East Sea within Avalokitesvara’s tear, it was divided into five provinces: Lingwei Yang in the east, Chitou Nu in the south, Hanshu Niu at the center, Baizhao Ju in the west, and Yeguang Ji in the north. These are abbreviated as Lingzhou, Chizhou, Hanzhou, Baizhou, and Yezhou, all still governed by Daoist immortals. However, Dao Ling Xingjun’s original position was abolished, leaving him in charge solely of the Academy of Arts and Dao. Perhaps this was also his intention, for he is a man who shuns worldly contention.”
Hua Sheng mused that this might explain why Dao Ling Xingjun secluded himself for long years, only emerging during the annual Xuanwu festival. Perhaps beyond tending the Academy, he wished to project an image of detachment from worldly affairs.
Ruokong went on: At the time of Shengping Ning’s transformation, six immortal sages expanded the land from 999,999 acres (about 6,600 square kilometers) to 9,999,999,999,999 acres (approximately 6.66 million square kilometers), crafting wondrous mountains, rivers, and seas. A magical barrier enveloped the realm, allowing its inhabitants to observe the sun, moon, and stars through the sky as though living in the mortal world, experiencing daily dawns and dusks.
Buddhism employed its power to infuse the outer shell of the tear with the vastness of 84,000 times 1,000 million kilometers, corresponding to the 84,000 Dharma gates. Even if one were to locate Avalokitesvara’s tear, the immense distance would prevent any external intrusion into Shengping Ning.
Ultimately, Shengping Ning did not sever ties completely with the mortal realm. The seven founding sages preserved an interactive passage known as the “Primordial Dao.” Setting foot upon this path allows swift passage to Shengping Ning. In the past century, this Primordial Dao was further modified with certain textual information, enabling rapid communication to all corners of the mortal world.
The Primordial Dao remains a closely guarded secret within Shengping Ning and is inaccessible to mortals, who cannot enter the realm.
“It is now the 1,316th year of the new sacred era. After over a millennium of development, the relationship among Shengping Ning’s immortals, humans, and spirits has evolved from initial estrangement to cooperative coexistence, forming the Shengping Ning immortal realm as you see it today.”
Upon hearing Ruokong’s account, Hua Sheng exhaled deeply and said, “I never imagined the story behind Shengping Ning to be so intricate.”
Ruokong added, “Since Shengping Ning is a Daoist domain, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva decreed that all monks must remain within the Great Thousand Zen Temple, which may only open its gates three days every hundred days.”
“Then why build the Great Thousand Zen Temple here?”
“Because Buddha’s light shines everywhere, and Buddha’s law is boundless.”
“Master, why do you choose to remain here? In this Shengping Ning immortal realm, you cannot venture freely. Isn’t that a lack of freedom?”
“Without the sovereign’s consent, religious rites cannot be established. Wherever in this world, there must be a passage left by Buddha’s compassion for sentient beings.”
Ruokong continued, “I am but a humble candle, offering a little light and warmth. Perhaps I am insignificant to this world and cannot change much. Yet burning is my duty. Whether a hundred years or a thousand, even if I create karma and endure its consequences, I must traverse this river of time to mend the errors left by the years.”
He sat upright, palms joined.
“If I do not turn to ash, who will? What is the significance of this fleeting life?”
Thus concluded the tale.