Daoist Cultivation, Book 18: Seven Daoist Masters: Lives and Teachings of the Seven Perfected — The First Complete Translation of the Daoist Classic

The Seven Daoist Masters — presented here for the first time in English as a complete and faithful translation of the classic Biographies of the Causes and Effects of the Seven Perfected (七真因果传, Qī zhēn yīnguǒ chuán).While the work has appeared before—most notably in Eva Wong’s The Seven Taoist Masters—her version has omitted passages, condensed or paraphrased sections, and altered details, often softening or reshaping the Daoist concepts and instructions found in the original. This edition restores every chapter in full, preserving the voice, tone, and structure intended by its author, and ensuring that no doctrinal or narrative nuance is lost.In addition to the complete text, this edition includes:The Preface to the New Edition of Biographies of the Causes and Effects of the Seven Perfected by Longmen lineage disciple Huang Yongliang (1893).The Preface to the Re-engraved Biographies of the Immortal Patriarchs of the Seven Perfected (七真祖師列仙傳, Qī zhēn zǔshī liè xiān chuán).Original illustrations from the historic edition, placed at the beginning of each chapter.The complete Appendix from the earlier woodblock printing.Beyond its literary and historical value, the text offers a genuine record of Daoist thought and cultivation. Beneath tales of supernatural encounters, celestial banquets, and trials from immortals and Buddhas lie authentic teachings—faithfully transmitted within the Quanzhen tradition—on the inner and outer aspects of cultivation. Some are openly stated; others are conveyed through layered symbolism.This translation restores the work’s full richness, allowing it to be appreciated both as a timeless classic of Daoist literature and as a living repository of authentic spiritual instruction. Read more