The Treatise on Fortune and Longevity 福寿论

Originally entitled Treatise on Blessings and Longevity by the Immortal Sun, the Supreme Wonderful Response of the Great Antiquity of the Tang Dynasty.

The Immortal Sun refers to Sun Simiao, the celebrated physician of the The Tang Dynasty.

This text is recorded as A Secret Biography: Treatise on Blessings and Longevity in one scroll in the Bibliographic Treatise of the New Book of Tang, which is exactly the present work.

The extant version is incorporated into the Zhengyi Section of The Daozang.

This treatise analyzes the karmic causes of misfortune, blessings, longevity and premature death, asserting that blessings and longevity result from the accumulation of good deeds, and can never be obtained through undue craving or presumptuous pursuit; misfortune and premature death stem from the accumulation of evil deeds, a fate of perishing young brought about by one’s own transgressions. It further states: "The poor are mostly long-lived, for they are constrained by poverty and always in want, and thus there is no reason to deduct their lifespan. The wealthy are mostly short-lived, for they indulge in extravagance and have an overabundance of worldly possessions, which is why their life spans are shortened." The core tenet of the entire text exhortes people to perform good deeds and bestow alms to attain blessings and longevity, embodying the core moral philosophy of The Dao in its emphasis on virtuous conduct and retribution.