Ancient Cultivation Stories: Luu Miao-Dien

Luu Miao-Dien was a female deity who lived on Mount JiouYi. She was born intelligent and with a high moral standard. As a child, she did not eat meat and she never touched alcohol. When she was in her teens, she said to her mother: “The smell of food makes me feel very uncomfortable, it gives me headaches. I do not wish to eat any more food.”

One day, a Taoist practitioner named Zhu-Lu visited her, giving her the “Huang-Ting Scripture”. He said to her; “[The Huang-Ting Scripture] comes from a heavenly palace. If someone were to chant it ten thousand times, he or she would become an immortal. It was said on the Scripture: ‘For those who chanted this scripture ten thousand times, they shall transcend three levels of heaven. Chanting it for one thousand times, all illnesses shall be cured, and one shall be able to live for much longer, and will never be bothered by wild, vicious animals such as tigers and wolves.’ If you decide to move to the mountains to cultivate by yourself, reading the scripture once a day will make you feel as if there are ten people accompanying you, and there would not be any fear. Why is that so? It is because this scripture can summon up all the divine beings in your body, thereby clarifying and rectifying your mind and spirit. When your mind and spirit are rectified, the evils from the surroundings would be unable to interfere with you; and when all the divine beings are summoned, fear would no longer trouble you. If you’re then able to focus your mind, with a clear and righteous composition, you will be able to see clearly things which are more than one thousand Li [one Li is approximately half a kilometre] away, without hindrance.”

The Taoist practitioner continued, “However, the issue I am concerned about is that people usually can not see how invaluable this scripture is. But even if they do, they are unable to cultivate; and even if they are able to cultivate, they may not be diligent. Some may be diligent, but they are unable to maintain it. Further, if one stopped half-way through this method of cultivation, not only will he or she be punished by the law of this school of practice, but there will be endless painful retribution awaiting the person.” Miao-Dien accepted the precepts and the scripture from this school, she then moved to Mount JiouYi and lived in a cave to practice cultivation on her own.

On several occasions, demons came to test her. Miao-Dien was strong-willed and resolute in her practice - her heart for attaining the Tao was unmoved. After she practiced for more than ten years, a divine being spoke to her: “ This mountain is under the jurisdiction of Da Shun, the deity in charge of the Nine States. In ancient times, there was a highly accomplished Taoist practitioner who created bamboo beds at three different locations. These bamboo beds were able to protect a person from wind and rain, thus protecting the physical body; it can also help to strengthen one’s heart for the Tao. However, it had been many years, and the bamboo beds have already worn away. I will therefore create one for you, so that you can practice in peace.” Another ten years passed and an immortal came down from heaven and gave her some medicine to transform her body.

After this, Miao-Dien levitated in broad daylight and became an immortal.

In the beginning, when Miao-Dien first went to the top of the mountain to cultivate, there was no supply of water. An immortal manifested a stone tub measuring three inches in width and four inches in length, and there would always be water in the stone tub for her to use. There was a large iron mortar, also a gift from an immortal, but what the iron mortar was for is not known. Today, these still remained at the top of the mountain. There was also a large flat stone, on top of which, the imprints of the shoes worn by immortals are still clearly visible. There was also an old mirror, about three inches in length, and a bell in the shape of the crescent moon. These were also given by immortals. All these heavenly objects described above and the things left behind by Miao-Dien after she became an immortal, are all presently kept in the Wu Wei Taoist temple.

Source: Tai Ping Guang Ji
Edited by Liu Sin-Yu

Translated from Chinese at
http://yuanming.net/articles/200212/14865.html