《一切道经音义妙门由起》

The Great Dao is hidden, profound, and far-reaching; the path of cultivating the True lies in emptiness, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action). The writings transmitted from Guishan are difficult to fathom, and the intent of the Longhan era is likewise hard to investigate. Moreover, scriptures have been copied and recopied, accumulating errors over time. With the passage of many years, they have become still harder to decipher. Even in the subtle and profound scriptures, such as the Scripture of the Yellow Court, one sometimes encounters doubtful characters whose similar forms make them difficult to distinguish. The true words in Daoism’s secret repositories, too, often contain copying errors involving characters with similar shapes, such as “Lu” and “Yu.” Thus later students at Yujing, the immortal realm of Daoist tradition, may read secret canons without understanding them, while cultivators at the Golden Gate, the palace of the immortals, may make mistakes in learning sacred talismans.

The Dao of Laozi is the state’s foundational tradition, and reverently expounding the profound scriptures has long been my own aspiration. Having carefully examined their errors and corruptions, I found them deeply regrettable. I therefore ordered eminent Daoist masters from the monasteries and scholars from the Two Palaces to discuss the meanings of the scriptures and investigate their hidden depths. They were also to consult widely across the written tradition, comparing the texts with reference works such as the Zilin and the Shuowen, and to examine them closely, selecting what was essential.

A phonetic and lexical commentary has now been compiled for all the Daoist scriptures, in 140 volumes; the catalog of the commentary and the catalog of scriptures are not included in this count. May this work clarify the meaning of the Daoist scriptures and aid in educating and guiding the people, so that they may set their minds on seeking Xiyi, the subtle and imperceptible state of the Dao, and forever dispel the confusion of Taoyin. May they turn their hearts toward the refined and mysterious Dao, and long sweep away the perplexity caused by textual errors of the kind represented by “Jin” and “Hai.”

Attribution of the Preface on the Origins of the Mysterious Gate: Written by imperial command by Shi Chong, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness in Gold and Purple, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Duke Who Founded a State of Henei Commandery, Pillar of the State, and Abbot of the Taiqing Monastery, and others.

The Great Dao (the highest principle) is profound and difficult to fathom; the Void Sovereign, referring to the supreme Dao, is beyond measure. Though it is Wuwei (non-action) and formless, it has feeling and reliability. That it is nonacting and formless means it does not rely on deliberate exertion, yet can awaken people’s sight and hearing. That it has feeling and reliability means it nurtures all living beings and sets the cycles of cold and heat in motion. Heaven and Earth were opened through it, and it sustains the radiance of the sun and moon. The Son of Heaven governs the realm through it, and the state is thereby brought to peace. It is the source of all things and the parent of the myriad beings.

Within the natural expanse of the void, transformations appear and the impulse of life begins to stir. As numinous Qi gathers, it gives rise to sages; this is the origin of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, a revered Daoist deity. Thus the scripture says, “The shape of what has no shape, the image of what is not a thing: this is called the elusive and indistinct.” It also says, “Within the elusive and indistinct there is substance and image; within the deep and dark there is Jing (essence). This Jing is real, and within it lies reliability.” The scripture further says that Primordial Beginning is the form in which the Great Dao manifests through transformation: Jing formed by the gathering of the One, born through the resonance of Qi and transformed in accordance with the natural Dao.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was not born through gestation in a womb, so his surname and lineage cannot be traced in the ordinary worldly way. Humanity came after the emergence of Heaven and Earth, and clans arose only after humanity. The Celestial Worthy was born at the dawn of primordial chaos—how could there have been ancestors or a clan lineage then? Later, he changed his titles to manifest in different forms, appearing in response to circumstances and saving people in the world. Thus he took form in the womb of the Hong family and later appeared from beneath the arm of Mother Li; each manifestation had its own conditions.

After this, the Celestial Worthy further divided into five forms—the names of the three and five forms refer to different ways sacred beings manifest—and established teachings for different generations. He aided people according to their capacities and the circumstances of the age, rescuing those in danger, guiding the deluded, and bringing beings of every kind to fulfillment, while extending boundless compassionate protection. The “true body” is the essence of the Supreme Dao. The “responsive body” is the form in which the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and the Lord of the Dao manifest in response to circumstances. The “Dharma body” is the real Jing and Qi dispersed to bring forth the myriad things. The “transformation body” refers to such beings as the Heavenly Treasure Lord, who arise through spontaneous transformation alone. The “reward body” refers to beings such as Lejingxin, who attain fulfillment through long and diligent cultivation, accumulating De and widely sowing fields of merit. Though the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Lord of the Dao, and the Most High Old Lord have different titles, their source is one and the same.

At times, the Sage entrusted masters and disciples with teaching and transforming all beings. At other times, he sent Yin Xi to Tianzhu—the ancient name for the region around India—to teach the Hu people by taking on a responsive form. Such acts arose from long and diligent cultivation, the accumulation of De (Virtue), the broad planting of fields of merit through good deeds, and a joyful commitment to quietude and faith.

Although the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, the Most High Lord of the Dao, and the High and Exalted Laozi bore different titles, their source was one. At times they taught all beings through the transmission from master to disciple; at times they sent Yin Xi to Tianzhu to teach the Hu people; and at times they joined the immortals of Guigu—said to be an ancient place of secluded cultivation—to transmit the sacred teaching at Kunlun. The principle of compassionately saving and aiding all beings knows no distance; it reaches everywhere.

Square and round, movement and stillness, black and white, dry and wet are all qualities and patterns of nature, and cannot be changed at will. Playing wind instruments and plucked strings, studying the civil arts and martial skills, by contrast, are customs and uses formed through particular conditions and cannot simply be discarded. “Nature” is the substance inherent in one’s original nature; “conditions” are the functions of that nature. By cultivating oneself through conditions, one ultimately fulfills one’s natural original nature.

Thus, to accord with the Great Dao and return to the true, exalted immortals and supreme sages must continually broaden their good conditions and advance diligently in cultivation without turning back. They transform others while cultivating themselves; they can communicate with the unseen realm and perceive what lies in darkness, refine what is coarse and turbid, and cultivate the ordinary mortal body until it becomes sacred. Yet the deluded claim that immortals are born with immortal bones, and that anyone whose bone structure fits the pattern can attain the Dao without study. This claim is truly absurd.

The Dharma realm, however, is vast and profound, and the heavenly palaces stretch across immense distances. Five hundred and fifty million regions are distributed throughout it; each of the three thousand great thousand worlds has its own lands, among them the wondrous realm of Xuandu. Yujing is where the most sacred beings roam and dwell, while Wanli is where immortals make their home. Baotai carries out the instruction of the divine lords, and Zhen Ting is remote and mysterious. The heavens of Yanghe and the Seven Luminaries, and the observatories of Taiwei and the Nine Spirits, are also found there. Across the vast aeons, ages and countless traces have accumulated, too numerous to record in full.

To establish a ford by which all beings may be saved—a path guiding people to cultivate the Dao and attain deliverance—the first step is to open the way to teaching and salvation. When a realm is unsettled and Yin-Yang is out of balance, calamities and decline follow one after another, and epidemics spread. At such a time, what merit could surpass protecting the sovereign and bringing peace to the people?

Daoists have seven titles: first, Heavenly Perfect Ones; second, Immortals; third, Recluses; fourth, Mountain Dwellers; fifth, Monastics; sixth, Lay Daoists; and seventh, Libationers. Heavenly Perfect Ones, Immortals, Recluses, Mountain Dwellers, and Monastics stay far from worldly turmoil. They uphold Daoist teachings and preserve their true nature. Though they live among people, worldly affairs do not entangle them. Lay Daoists and Libationers, by contrast, are willing to relinquish desires for fame and profit and hope to enter the mysterious gate of the Dao. They remain among the people, making it their duty to heal and help others. Today this Daoist tradition is flourishing in the regions of Jiannan and Jiangbiao.

Daoists are called “people of the Dao” because they devote themselves to cultivating the constant Dao. Their ritual vestments, too, have different ranks and distinctions. Yellow garments and deep red robes are the attire favored in Zhengyi ritual practice. Vestments patterned with phoenix imagery and flying clouds mark the prescribed dress for the scriptures and methods of the Dongxuan Cavern. All this is recorded in Daoist scriptures and need not be described here one item at a time.

The origins of the true scriptures reveal teachings of profound depth. Some texts gathered the Qi of the void and took shape spontaneously. Others arose when Fuli—the heavenly realm in Daoist accounts—responded to the morning radiance, after which sages expounded their subtle principles. Some descended from heaven and were handed down in jade characters. In other cases, holy masters appeared in successive ages, composing the texts and transmitting their numinous, wondrous teachings. Later generations passed the scriptures on in turn, allowing them to circulate widely. At times they were proclaimed from a jeweled throne, with living beings from the ten directions gathering to hear and receive them.

Daoist scriptures can protect rulers and bring peace to the state. They can also deliver lost spirits from suffering and raise their souls to a higher realm. They benefit others and help oneself, enabling people to accord with the Great Dao and silently unite with the true realm. Their power is subtle and far-reaching, beyond words. Those who believe in and revere them receive blessings; those who slander them invite calamity, just as a shadow follows the body and an echo answers a sound.

For this reason, Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, and the Xia rulers revered the Daoist teachings, gained the path to immortality, and achieved the work of bringing peace to the world. Emperor Wu of Liang and King Xuan of Qi slandered the teachings, inviting disaster and disgrace, and in the end suffered the consequences of their downfall.

Our dynasty inherited the traditions of the Li clan and its long-standing family teachings. We have always yearned for the perfected and the numinous, and continually aspired to the Dao and De. The court governs the realm through Wuwei (non-action) and noninterference, fostering a tranquil and settled atmosphere in which the ruler sits with robes hanging loose and hands folded. Its sagely and wondrous instruction has also further spread the principle of teaching without words.

Later, as affairs within the palace grew fewer and the court had more leisure, it opened its treasured collections of immortal texts and secret writings. Yet the Daoist scriptures contain many hidden expressions and taboo characters, and their written forms also differ from those commonly used in the secular world.

To enable people throughout the realm to learn widely how the characters in the Daoist scriptures are pronounced, the court therefore appointed Shi Chong, Grand Master of the Golden-Purple Luminaries, Minister of Court Ceremonies, and abbot of the Taiqing Abbey, as chief commissioner; Lu Zizhen, Grand Master of the Silver-Green Luminaries and Acting Vice Director of the Heir Apparent’s Household, as deputy commissioner; and Shi Gao, Provisional Senior Secretary of the Right Guard Corps, as adjudicator. They were joined by scholars from the Zhaowen and Chongwen Institutes, as well as Daoist priests and ritual masters from abbeys in the capital and throughout the regions. Together they collected the Daoist scriptures then in circulation, examined their origins and contents, and compiled the Yinyi (a work explaining character pronunciations and meanings).

Those who took part included court officials Cui Ti, Xue Ji, Xu Yanbo, Jia Yingfu, Zhu Yi, Qiu Yue, Lu Cangyong, Wei Liqi, Shen Quanqi, Li You, Zhang Qixian, Zheng Xi, Hu Hao, Zhu Qinming, Xu Jian, Wang Ju, Yuan Banqian, Hu Xiong, Chu Wuliang, Liu Zixuan, Jia Zeng, and Su Jin, as well as Daoist priests and abbey ritual masters Zhang Wanfu, Liu Jingyan, Tian Junkai, Ruan Xiaobo, Yin Jingchong, Kou Yidai, Sun Wenmin, Sheng Juzhen, Shan Dayi, Gao Zhenyi, Zhang Fan, Tian Keqin, Fan Xianxia, Hou Yuanshuang, Hou Baoxu, Zhang Zhixu, Liu Yuanliang, and Xi Baozhou.

Yet the workings of the world extend across long ages, and the years continually change. Times may be peaceful or troubled, and Daoist scriptures are at times concealed and at times revealed. Some scriptures were transmitted at the beginning of a kalpa, only to emerge again at its end. Others were cast into fire and reduced to ashes by rulers who had abandoned the Dao; still others were treasured by people devoted to Daoist learning and hidden in mountain crags and caves. As a result, the scriptures gradually became incomplete, and the order of their chapters and volumes fell into disarray. Judging by the catalogues, fewer than one percent of the originals have survived.

I have now compiled notes on the pronunciations and meanings of the more than two thousand Daoist scripture volumes preserved in the capital’s collection; their contents are listed in the catalogue. I have not recorded in detail the readily understood passages in other scriptures, ritual manuals, biographies, treatises, commentaries, and records. I will continue to seek out the lost scriptural texts in the future, in the hope of gradually restoring them and filling in what is missing.

These scriptures have been transmitted for a long time, and their words are said to have come from numinous sages. The ancient liturgical pronunciations within them are difficult to investigate, and the Daoist seal script known as cloud script is hard to decipher. In some places, people who did not understand the texts added words on their own; elsewhere, errors crept in through copying. Some people secretly inserted vague and fanciful claims into the genuine scriptures, while others selected essential phrases to explain the classics. Since each person’s understanding differs, this is no reason to condemn the scriptures’ numinous mysteries.

In my annotations, there may be points I have not yet understood. I therefore leave them unresolved for now, so that people of discernment may correct them. This work is titled Pronunciations and Meanings of All Daoist Scriptures. I have also compiled six sections of The Origins of the Mysterious Gate, whose titles are listed below. The scriptures annotated in this work, together with those in the old scripture catalogue, comprise one hundred and thirteen volumes.

Our learning is shallow; we do not understand the precious Daoist books and have not grasped their treasured secrets. Only through Heaven’s revelation have we dared to set down all that we know. We are deeply ashamed before the profound meanings hidden within the scriptures, and when we read their subtle and mysterious words, we are left bewildered.

Part One: Clarifying the Transformation of the Dao

The Dao Jing of the Laozi says: “There is a being whole and undivided that existed before Heaven and Earth took shape. Silent and vast, it stands alone and does not change; it cycles endlessly and never ceases. It may be regarded as the mother of all things under Heaven. I do not know its name, so I reluctantly call it ‘Dao.’” It also says: “Dao seems empty, yet its workings are profound and far-reaching. It is so deep that it seems to be the source of all things. I do not know where it came from; it seems to have existed before the Lord of Heaven.” It further says: “Look for it and you cannot see it; listen for it and you cannot hear it; try to grasp it and you cannot hold it. Face it, and you cannot see its beginning; follow it, and you cannot see its end.” The De Jing says: “Dao is the hidden root of all things, a treasure to the good, and something those who have not yet done good may also cherish.”

The Jing of the Great Precepts of Original Vows says that the Perfected of Taiji, a revered Daoist deity, taught: “Dao is inherently without form or appearance. It reaches everywhere and encompasses without limit. If you seek it, it is in your own being; yet it is not confined to the body with form.”

The Taishang Taizhen Code says: “Dao has a silent, numinous intelligence, a wondrous power that sets things in motion, and a harmonizing Qi. Qi transforms and gives rise to images; spirit transforms and gives rise to bodies; intelligence transforms and reveals itself as sound. The essence of Dao is so subtle it cannot be touched; its appearance is so plain it cannot be seen; its sound is so faint it cannot be heard.”

The Shengxuan Jing says: “The Great Dao is mysterious and wondrous, arising from the natural order. It comes into being before birth, exists before any beginning, and stands forth from the void. It transforms and nourishes Heaven and Earth, and is called the ‘Supreme, Correct, and True Dao.’ Its numinous mystery reaches beyond the farthest distance and cannot be confined by a name. It is the ancestor of Qi without form and the root of Heaven and Earth.”

The Taiping Jing says: “Dao is the constant order followed by Heaven and Earth, and the source from which all things receive life and grow.”

The Jing of the Inner Teaching on the Mysterious and Wondrous says: “The primordial Dao arose from a beginningless source. It is the ancestor of the myriad Qi and the origin of the myriad ways. It precedes all that exists and all that things depend upon; it is supremely honored, beyond all comparison.”

The Jing of the Inner Explanation of the Three Heavens says: “The root of the Great Dao arose before any beginning, in a state of undivided chaos, without any external cause. The void changes according to its own nature and brings forth all things.”

The Code of Regulations for Pure and Solitary Precepts says: “Dao is the progenitor of Heaven and Earth and the father and mother of all things.”

The Nanhua Jing says: “The Dao has genuine feeling and signs that attest to it, yet it is inactive and formless. It can be experienced, but not seen; it can be transmitted, but not handed to another like a physical object. Before Heaven and Earth took shape, the Dao had existed since ancient times. It gives spirits and the Heavenly Emperor their wondrous powers, and brings forth Heaven and Earth.”

The Second Illumination of the Celestial Worthy

The Laozi Dao Jing says: “The shape of what has no shape, the image of what has no concrete form—this is called the elusive and indistinct.” It also says: “Within the elusive and indistinct there are images; within the deep and shadowy there is vital energy. This vital energy is real and not empty; within it are signs that attest to its truth.”

The Taishang Taizhen Ke says: “The Jade Emperor of the Golden Gate of the Void Sovereign (a revered Daoist deity) is supremely exalted. He is without birth or death, tranquil and serene, and endures forever.”

The Taixuandu Yujingshan Jing says that the Most High spoke: “Mount Jade Capital in the Mysterious Metropolis has a city of seven treasures. Within the city is a palace of seven treasures, and within the palace is a mysterious terrace of seven treasures. This is the dwelling of the Great Lord of the Dao, the Most High Limitless Void Sovereign (a revered Daoist deity). The great sages, Celestial Worthies, emperors, and perfected high immortals of all the heavens observe purification fasts and uphold the Dharma here, honoring the Most High Void Sovereign as their head.”

The Taixuan Zhenyi Benji Jing says that the Lord of the Dao, the Most High, spoke: “Through the blessings and merits I accumulated in the past, I was able to hear the Dharma King (a venerable teacher who transmits the orthodox teachings) expound the scriptures and precepts. Now I have also received an honored position, presiding over the Three Realms and commanding the myriad spirits. This favor is truly profound.”

The Taixuan Zhenyi Benji Jing also says that the Lord of the Dao, the Most High, spoke: “This favor is so profound that nothing can compare with it. Yet to ascend the ranks of the Dao, one must rely on a teacher. In my former practice, I, the Great Lord of the Dao, the Most High Void Sovereign, followed the Five Lingbao Texts and the Inner Teachings of Shengxuan. The kalpas I passed through were countless; even if I spoke until the end of Heaven, I could not finish telling of them.”

The Lingbao jing shu says, “‘The Most High Sovereign of Emptiness’ is the teacher of the Celestial Worthy. ‘Emptiness’ refers to something that seems to exist but has no material form; ‘Sovereign’ refers to radiance and splendor. One may also say that ‘quiescent emptiness’ describes his essential nature, while ‘radiant splendor’ embodies his De. He also bears titles such as ‘Emptiness and Nonbeing,’ ‘Sovereign of Emptiness,’ ‘Sovereign One,’ and ‘Imperial One.’ ‘Emptiness and Nonbeing’ means tranquil stillness and detachment, without physical form. ‘Imperial’ conveys discernment and exact fulfillment, signifying subtlety and precision. ‘One’ refers to the source of all things and also signifies unmatched eminence. These expressions show that the Celestial Worthy takes quiescent emptiness as his teacher, possesses unobstructed wisdom, and shines upon all things. Though these titles differ, they refer to the same essential nature.

The Celestial Worthy’s disciple is the Most High Lord of the Dao. The Celestial Worthy traveled throughout the ten directions, teaching and transforming living beings. Later, he bestowed the honorific title “Most High” upon the Lord of the Dao, signifying that he was unmatched in eminence and would become the sovereign who carried on the work of teaching. Both the earlier and later figures are called “Most High” because each is a teacher and progenitor of all things.

The Lingbao Wuliang Jing says: At the primordial kalpa of the Origin, when the cosmos first opened, the Qi of the Origin gave rise to the various heavens and brought forth the brightness of the three luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars. This is the foundation of Heaven and Earth. Beyond this, there is no earlier source or ancestor; only the Dao exists as the fundamental reality.

The Zhengyi Jing says: The Great Dao carries out its teaching, nurturing and sheltering everything. It generates the myriad things, establishes Heaven and Earth, and sets the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the mountains, rivers, and streams, in their places. Between Heaven and Earth are spirit officials—divine officers who oversee the affairs of spirits—administrators, perfected beings, and Daoists, who receive and convey the teaching and govern its affairs. Heaven and Earth join, and the myriad things are thereby generated and transformed; all of this is governed by the Celestial Worthy of the Great One. The various levels of celestial offices carry out the teaching and bring forth and sustain life. Their overall direction is entrusted to the Celestial Worthy of the Great One of the Northern Pole, also known as the Lord of Heaven of the Northern Pole in the Taiping Jing.

The Scripture of Questions to the Celestial Master says: The Perfected One of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), a revered Daoist deity, asked the Lord of the Dao: “I do not understand: before the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning attained the Dao, who were his ancestors, and what was his origin? How did this come about? I beg you to instruct me, so that everyone may understand.”

The Lord of the Dao replied: “The Dao is originally nothing. It has no ancestors or lineage, no origin or substance. It is spoken of as having the aspect of Oneness, yet in truth it has no aspect; this is its foundation. Since it is called ‘Primordial Beginning,’ how could it have some other ancestral source? Though the Dao transforms and guides all things, it is supremely revered and always dwells among the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), above all the heavens. Hence it is called the Heavenly Worthy, and also the Jade Emperor and the High Sovereign. These titles were all established in response to the needs of sentient beings.”

The Scripture of the Cavern of Spirits says: The Great Dao sends forth divine beings to respond to and guide all sentient beings. Some deities have a title but no courtesy name; some have a courtesy name but no surname; and some have a title of divine office but no personal name. These differences arise through response and resonance, and vary from one another. Such beings are orthodox deities, all manifestations of the Great Dao.

The Scripture of the Numinous Treasure on Opening Heaven says: The Lord on High, the Dao, a revered Daoist deity, expounded the Dao. Before Heaven and Earth had separated, there was no light or form within the chaos, and no ancestors or lineage. Only the Dao existed, clear and still, abiding of itself, deep and indistinct, with only the true, refined Qi remaining alone. When the Qi divided and flowed downward, its response gave rise to the “One Origin.” From that point, transformation began, and the Three Qi were able to endure. What is called Primordial Beginning is a manifestation of the Dao: the refined Qi of the “One” gathered and took form. It is pure and unadulterated, clear within and without, and comes into being through the response of Qi. It changes in accordance with nature and appears when the time is right. With the substance of jade and a golden countenance, it is the root of all things; therefore it is called Primordial Beginning.

The Ritual Manual of Numinous Treasure Purification says: In the past there was the Heavenly Worthy of the High Jade Emperor; in the future there will be the Heavenly Worthy of the Supreme Ultimate; and in the present there is the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

The Scripture on Karmic Retribution and Causal Conditions of the Most High says: “At the beginning of the Dragon-Han kalpa, when Heaven and Earth first opened, my name was ‘Formless.’ I manifested in the Jade Clarity realm, transmitted the Scripture of the Great Cavern of the True (Dadong Zhenjing), and came into the world to teach and transform living beings. I became the Mysterious Master of the Myriad Heavens and the unsurpassed King of the Law. In the era of Yan-kang, my name was ‘Nameless.’ I manifested in the Highest Clarity realm, transmitted the Precious Scripture of the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan Baojing), and came into the world to teach and transform living beings. I became the King of Physicians of the Three Realms and the Most High True Venerable. When the cycle of the Red Brightness era began, my name was ‘Brahma Form.’ I manifested in the Great Clarity realm, transmitted the Immortal Scripture of the Cavern Spirit (Dongshen Xianjing), and came into the world to teach and transform living beings. I became the Guide of the Ten Directions.” The scripture also says: “When the Supreme Heavenly Worthy changed the cosmic cycle in the Kaihuang era, he was named ‘Sovereign of Emptiness.’ He manifested in the Palace of Origin Yang, expounded the Three Caverns—the three great categories of Daoist scriptures—and taught humanity. He was called the Most High Dao Lord.”

The Scripture of the Great Cavern of the True says: “The Most High Great Dao Lord, the High Sage of Highest Clarity, was formed from the essence of Jade Dawn and the purple mists of auspicious clouds. His radiance shone like jade, his brilliance gleamed like gold, and he spread forth true Qi. Gathering the essences, he gave birth to spirit and took form in his mother’s womb. After his mother had carried him for three thousand seven hundred years, he was born at the Red Mysterious Ridge on Mount Fuluo, in Yucha of the Western Naxi Heavens. Thereafter, he received a register from the Purple Emperor—a record of a practitioner’s name and proof of Daoist office—and took his place among the High Immortals. Waving the wind of vermilion and white silk, he summoned the myriad spirits to pay homage. At the land of Dark Abyss and Lofty Peaks, he proclaimed the vast sound of the Dao, and his fame spread far and wide. Longing for Jade True Emptiness and Rosy Clouds, and for the numinous dawn of Highest Clarity, he again ascended the purple steps, flew three times to the Jade Tower, received the honors of Great Simplicity four times, and five times feasted in the Chamber of Jade, accompanied by the Five Elders. He penetrated to the utmost depths of the Dao’s hidden source. Thus, he received scriptures from Jade Emptiness and gazed afar upon the visions of Highest Clarity, ultimately taking his place as the Most High Great Dao Lord, the High Sage of Jade Dawn, and governing the Seven Radiant Purple Chambers within the Hall of the Jade Tower of Pistils and Pearls.”

The Scripture of Great Peace says: “All who can accord with the heart of the Most High can attain the state of the Formless and the Natural. Only the Celestial Immortals, the Great Ones, who possess the true Dao can accord with the heart of the Most High.”

The Taiping Jing says: Those who can grasp the mind of the Most High—the supreme Dao deity—are all beings who transcend bodily form and follow the course of nature. The great Celestial Immortals possess the true Dao and can therefore understand the Most High’s mind. By what means could anyone else meet him in the realm of the Dragon Chariot?

The Jiu Wen Zi Feng Chi Shu Jing says: The Lord of the Dao, the Most High, rides in a Dragon Chariot, drawn by a green carriage through the realm of emptiness, while the assembled immortals attend in ordered ranks. Magnificent immortal music resounds in the empty court. The thoughts of the gods unfold in subtle awakening, and their songs echo through books of gold and chapters of jade.

The Benxing Jing says: The Lord of the Dao, the Most High, declared, “I received the enduring fragrance of Zichen, the realm of immortals, and am descended from the imperial lineage. I have passed through the cycles of fate, experiencing life and death, without interruption from one generation to the next. I have often encountered Lingbao, a revered Daoist deity, and descended into the world together with him. After seven hundred billion kalpas, as the kalpa governed by the Azure Emperor drew to a close and the Nine Qi changed, I entered the womb of the Hong family. My spirit coalesced in the palace of the jade womb, where I was nurtured for three thousand seven hundred years. When the era of Chiming began, in the year jiazi, I was born on Mount Fuluo in the Jade Kingdom of Fudao Gaitianxi. Once again, I descended into the world with Lingbao to save living beings.”

The Zhengao says: The Most High is descended from the Dao, sees into the Dao’s foundation, and is also the source of the Dao. Thus, he became a Perfected One of Shangqing and the teacher of Lord Lao.

The Santian Neijie Jing says: In the profound stillness, emptiness arises; within emptiness, the Great Nonbeing arises. The Great Nonbeing transforms and gives rise to the Three Qi—Mystery, Origin, and Beginning. The Three Qi intermingle, and from them the wondrous Jade Maiden comes into being. After the Wondrous Jade Maiden is born, the blended Qi gathers and gives rise to Laozi. Laozi is Lord Lao.

The Laozi Jindai Jing says: Laozi declared, “I was born before formlessness, arose before the Great Beginning, moved at the outset of the Great Simplicity, and stood at the edge of the Utmost Subtlety. I roamed in profound emptiness, entering and leaving the gate of darkness and distance.”

The Prefatory Instructions to the Dao De Jing say that Laozi was originally one with Nature. He was born at the beginning of the primordial Qi of “Great Simplicity,” established himself in a place of utmost remoteness, roamed through the profound realm of emptiness, and passed in and out through the gates of darkness and mystery.

The Prefatory Instructions to the Dao De Jing also say that Laozi was one with Nature and had existed even before “Great Nonbeing.” He came into being without cause and passed through countless cycles in which Heaven and Earth were created and brought to an end. He cannot be described in words or writing. People in the world believe that Laozi descended once more during the Zhou dynasty. In truth, his name had existed countless kalpas—vast stretches of time—ago, in an age beyond imagining. Before Heaven and Earth were formed, he had also descended to serve as a teacher to the state. He did so in every generation without interruption, though ordinary people had no way of knowing.

The Record of the Louguan says that after Yin Xi—the frontier official who, according to legend, met Laozi—encountered the Lord Lao, the Lord Lao honored him as the Supreme Perfected and named him Master Wenshi. Master Wenshi gazed from on high across the four seas and the farthest reaches of the eight directions. Later, he ascended to the nine heavens and paid his respects to the Great Lord of the Dao, the Jade Morning One, a revered Daoist deity. The Great Lord of the Dao ordered him to descend to teach the people of the Western Regions, including the kingdoms of Tiaozhi, Anxi, Kunwu, Daqin, Jibin, and Tianzhu. He traveled through eighty-one kingdoms and founded the teachings of the Futu—the Buddhist path of practice—to teach the Hu peoples.

The True Teachings say that Laozi was a disciple of the Most High. By the age of seven, he understood the Dao of long life, and so became a Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate, an honorific for a Daoist immortal.

The Scripture of the Mysterious and Wondrous Inner Chapter says that the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden was formed from a mixture of Mysterious Qi, Primordial Qi, and Original Qi. After eight hundred and ten thousand billion years, she came into being as the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden. After her birth, the three Qi transformed, taking on the five colors of dark and yellow. They condensed into a form the size of a pellet and entered the Jade Maiden’s mouth, where she swallowed it. Eighty-one years later, this form was born from beneath her left arm. It emerged as an old man with white hair and was therefore called Laozi. Laozi is the Lord Lao. He took on the great charge of the Most High, created Heaven and Earth, and descended in the eras of successive emperors to serve as a teacher to the state.

The Record of the Dao Lord’s Lives states that the Later Sage Lao Jun was born into the Li family beneath Mount Tian’gang Lingjing in this country, on a day when De and Heaven were in harmony, in the third month of the seventh year of the Gonghe era. At five, he delighted in the Dao and truth, and his words often accorded with reason. At twenty, handsome in appearance, he left his family and kin and set out on a journey, wandering among famous mountains. He understood the Three Qi—the three fundamental energies that constitute all things between Heaven and Earth—and knew how to accord with change. He also brought his mind and spirit into harmony with profound mysteries, attaining a state of unity with the true Dao. His aspirations were lofty and tranquil; he maintained a sincere heart with subtle care and depth. His spirit dwelt beyond the clouds, sun, and moon; embracing the simple Dao, he concealed himself within a spacious robe. His inner De was complete and abundant, and he kept free of external entanglements. On earth, he put aside the distractions of the immortals and went to the Purple Palace, where he sought the Highest Perfected Ones.

Then the Celestial Emperor issued a sacred command and sent down radiant light. He bestowed on Lao Jun the Great Chapter of Yuyi and the True Scripture of the Great Cavern, had him ride the Curved Dawn Flying Canopy, and gave him the Jade Essence of Huixuan to drink. He also presented him with plain feathers and dark plumes—immortal feather ornaments or aids to ascent—and sent him up to the celestial realms of the eight directions.

The Inner Chapters on the Mysterious and Wondrous and the Inner Biography of Laozi, the High and Supreme One both say that Lao Jun was born from beneath Li Mother’s left armpit. At first, Li Mother fell asleep during the day and dreamed that sunlight shone into her mouth. She swallowed it and became pregnant. After seventy-two years, she gave birth to Lao Jun beneath a plum tree. Pointing to the tree, Lao Jun said, “This is the source of my surname.” In the time of King You, Lao Jun rode a white deer out through the western pass with twelve Jade Maidens, twenty-four immortals, and Guigu and the others, heading north toward Kunlun.

The Laozi Scripture says: “He is called Laozi because the Dao takes human form. When form appears, a name arises with it.” Laozi was complete in talent and virtue, and capable of saving the world and guiding people to deliverance. None could match his achievements, and he never tired of teaching living beings. For this reason, he was generally called “the Supreme Laozi, Great Master of the Mysterious Center.”

The Inner Biography of the Supreme Perfected One records that Yin Xi asked, “May I ask the name of the Venerable One?” Laozi replied, “My name is exceedingly subtle. From one kalpa to another, it cannot all be told.” Thus, Laozi never disclosed his complete name to Yin Xi, either earlier or later.

The Inner Biography of the Supreme Perfected One says that Yin Xi asked Laozi, “May I ask your honored family name and personal name?” Laozi replied, “My family name and personal name are profound and mysterious. I have passed through countless kalpas, and it would be difficult to recount them all. The names used in the past and the future cannot fully tell the world my family name and personal name. In this life my family name is Li, my personal name is Er, and my courtesy name is Boyang. I also have another name: Lao Dan.”

The scripture also says that the three sages—the Most High, Laozi, and the Primordial Lord Taiyi, a revered Daoist deity—may be regarded as the same deity. The Most High wears his hair in a natural topknot, has heavenly light shining behind his neck, wears a sash embroidered with patterns in nine colors, and is clad in celestial robes. The other two sages wear sashes in seven colors and each sits upon a lotus flower. The Most High is their teacher.

The Scripture of the Mysterious Treasure says that the same deity has ten titles: first “The Natural,” second “The Limitless,” third “The Great Dao,” fourth “The Utmost Perfected,” fifth “The Most High,” sixth “Lord Lao,” seventh “The Lofty Sovereign,” eighth “The Celestial Worthy,” ninth “The Jade Emperor,” and tenth “Your Majesty.”

Texts such as the Basic Annals of the Most High Laozi say that Laozi once served as teacher to twelve emperors. Other books say he taught thirteen sages.

During Fuxi’s reign, Laozi appeared in the world as a teacher known as Yuhuazi. In the time of Shennong, he was called Dachengzi; in the time of Zhurong, Guangchengzi; in the time of Cangjie, Heijingzi; in the time of Di Ku, Chijingzi; and in the time of the Yellow Emperor, Limuzi, also known as Dachengzi. During the reign of Emperor Yao, he was called Wuchengzi; under Emperor Shun, Yinshouzi; in the time of Yu the Great of the Xia, Jixuzi; and in the time of Tang of the Shang, Xishouzi. During the reign of King Wen of Zhou, he was called Xieyizi and served as Keeper of the Archives, an official responsible for the classics. In the time of King Wu of Zhou, he was known as Yuchengzi; under King Cheng, Jingchengzi; and under King Kang, Guoshuzi. When King Zhao of Zhou came to the throne, Laozi resigned from office and traveled west to teach the Hu peoples. During Confucius’s lifetime, Laozi appeared again in the role of a teacher, known as Laozi.

These accounts, using different names, describe Laozi appearing in each successive age and assisting its rulers.

The Third Chapter on Expounding the Principles of the Dharma Realm (the third chapter, which clarifies the principles of the Dharma).

The Jing of Karmic Retribution and Causal Conditions says that the Most High—a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity—spoke as follows: In the worlds of the ten directions, there are countless heavens in every direction. The celestial realms are divided into territories according to their orientation, and heavenly palaces are established there. Above and below, between earth and heaven, the sun, moon, and stars, the mountains and rivers gather primordial Qi and transform it into flying clouds. From this arise towers of gold and jade, halls filled with treasures, dwellings of fine jade, chambers wreathed in rosy light, and Daoist temples of purple hue. Gardens lie scattered like stars; forests are wrapped in mist and cloud; courtyards house dragons, and gardens shelter phoenixes. These palaces and gardens are built high in the air, as though held aloft in the void, near the sun and moon. Cities are distributed across the realms, with inner and outer walls set in rows, each with many names and forms.

The Jing of the Immortal Lord’s Questions says that, at that time, within the Jade Capital and Mysterious Metropolis where the Most High dwelt, the heavens of the eight directions, and the three thousand great thousand worlds, there were in the east the Township of An Daitang, called “the Great Thousand World that Receives Goodness”; in the southeast the Field of Yuanfu, called “the Great Thousand World that Employs the Worthy”; in the south the domain of the City of Wanli, called “the Great Thousand World that Abandons the Worthy”; in the southwest the Township of Yanfu, called “the Great Thousand World of Benevolence and Tranquility”; in the west the Province of Futang, called “the Great Thousand World of Flourishing Practice”; in the northwest the Wilds of Fude, called “the Great Thousand World that Extends the Worthy”; in the north the Wilds of Yudan, called “the Great Thousand World of Purity and Tranquility”; and in the northeast the Capital of Fuji, called “the Great Thousand World of Lasting Peace.” The places where the assembled sages dwell extend throughout Mount Jade Capital of the Most High, the Mysterious Metropolis of the Void, the heavens of the eight boundless directions, and the worlds in every quarter.

The Scripture of the Middle Chapter of the Numinous Book of the Primordial Beginning says: “Tuoluo Putai, the green net of the great thousand.” Lu Jianji explains that “the great thousand” refers to a division of the world’s expanse. The scripture lists the levels and numbers of small-thousand, middle-thousand, and great-thousand worlds. Here, “great-thousand world” means the vast cosmic expanse formed by many worlds arranged in successive layers.

The Abodes, Chapter Four

The Scripture of Mount Jade Capital in the Great Mysterious Metropolis says that the Most High preached the Dao: Mount Jade Capital in the Mysterious Metropolis stands above the heavens in the eight directions. It is the highest place in the world and lies at its center. Within the mountain is a city of the Seven Treasures; within the city is a palace of the Seven Treasures; and within the palace is a mysterious terrace of the Seven Treasures. Seven-Treasure trees grow naturally on the mountain. The branches and leaves of one tree cover a tier of heaven, while eight trees cover the heavens in all eight directions. In each direction there are five hundred and fifty-five billion, five hundred and fifty-five million, five hundred and fifty-five thousand, five hundred and fifty-five tiers of heaven; the number of earthly worlds is the same.

The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High, Cavern-Mysterious Numinous Treasure: The True Text on Delivering People Through One’s Original Practice likewise says that in each of the eight directions where the Lord of the Dao, the Most High, resides, there are five hundred and fifty-five billion, five hundred and fifty-five million, five hundred and fifty-five thousand, five hundred and fifty-five tiers of heaven, and the number of earthly worlds is equal to it.

This scripture also says that the Lord of the Dao, the Most High, once sat beneath a Seven-Treasure Qian tree on Mount Yucha, at Fuluo Peak in the Western Naxian Heaven. There, in the mountain’s stillness and emptiness, he fasted for a long time, quieting his mind to contemplate the divine and perfected beings.

The Scripture of the Inner Chapters of Mystery and Wonder says that within the domain of Wanli City lies Mount Tianshou. The mountain has Seven Treasures, Nine Treasures, and a high terrace with ninety thousand levels. The Old Lord manifested within the terrace and sent forth light in nine colors, illuminating the heavens and the world.

The Great Cavern True Scripture says that above the nine heavens is the Hall of Golden Ramparts.

The Scripture on the Roots of Sin says that the Celestial Worthy once proclaimed the true text at the Cypress Mound Lodge, at the Upper Belvedere of the Southern Cinnabar Cavern-Yang, to deliver the people of heaven and all beings of the world.

The Scripture of the Numinous Writings says: The Celestial Worthy inscribed texts in gold at Yujie Dongling Abbey, a Daoist monastery, and carved its name into the walls on all four sides.

The Scripture of the Pure Lands says: The Celestial Worthy taught the Dao. In each of the Pure Lands of the Ten Directions stood many Daoist abbeys, named Floating Cloud Abbey, Great Dao Abbey, Longevity Offering Abbey, Ten Thousand Years Abbey, Flourishing Joy Abbey, Broadening the Dao Abbey, Utmost Truth Abbey, Flourishing State Abbey, Sage-Inspiring Abbey, Gathering Numinous Beings Abbey, Merit-Bestowing Abbey, and Dao and De Abbey.

The Scripture on Resolving Doubts of the Most High says: At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning stood on the Towering Terrace of Xiechen Numinous Lodge, a Daoist immortal’s residence, and together with the Lord of the Dao of the Most High expounded the wondrous, mysterious teachings.

The Scripture of the Transformations Through the Ages of Primordial Beginning says: At the command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial Worthy of the Most High descended into the worlds of the Ten Directions and came to the Seven Treasures Hall of Zhuyang Upper Lodge in the Land of Crimson Radiance, where he widely bestowed compassion.

The Scripture of the Jade Characters, Part Two says: The Great Numinous Lodge is in Brahmā’s Crossing Heaven; the Lodge of Directing Numinous Beings is in Primordial Cavern Heaven; the Cavern Sun Lodge is in Harmony Sun Heaven; the Strong Numinous Lodge is in Northern Radiance Heaven; and the Purple Sun Lodge is in Literary Exemplar Heaven.

The Scripture of the True Writings, Part Two says: The Primordial Yang Lodge stands high in the south, where the Numinous Sovereign Elixir resides. Laozi often visits this lodge on the twenty-third day of each month, gathering the gods and determining the length of the allotted lifespans of celestial beings and all living creatures.

The Cavern Truth Scripture says: The Nine Numinous Lodge is on Mount Kunlun, where the Queen Mother of the West and female perfected immortals dwell and wander. The Great Subtlety Lodge is the residence of the Celestial Emperor of Great Subtlety. The Pure Numinous Lodge is where the Nine Numinous Golden Mother and the Three Primordial Ladies of Great Simplicity reside. The Clear Subtlety Lodge is where the King of Primordial Beginning gathers the flying, mysterious Qi and recites the calendrical laws of the Three Heavens. The Lodge Above the Moon is where the King of Primordial Beginning issues the Registers of the Sovereign Immortal.

The Scripture on the Causes and Conditions for Leaving Home in the Lingbao Tradition says: The Dao teaches that when the workings of Heaven and Earth and the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars undergo change, one should establish Daoist temples and guide people toward salvation. The same should be done when the seasons fall out of their proper course and Yin-Yang lose their balance. It should also be done when floods, fires, or wars bring harm to the people throughout the land, and when epidemics spread and people die.

When a ruler encounters calamity or misfortune, this should be done. It should also be done when the fate of the state is in danger and war breaks out on all sides. When a new ruler takes the throne and governs the people, or when one rules the realm while the territory remains unsettled, Daoist temples should likewise be established and people guided toward salvation. The same applies when illness and calamity strike during the birth of children. In every calamity, strange upheaval, and hardship, Daoist temples should be established and people guided toward salvation.

Whether this is done for one’s parents, oneself, one’s wife and children, ministers and subjects, or ancestors; for the living or the dead; or for the Three Paths of suffering as understood in Daoism, Daoist temples should be established and people guided toward salvation.

Establishing Daoist temples and guiding people toward salvation can dispel natural disasters, stabilize and protect the fate of the state, and safeguard the emperor. It can also avert harm, guide and rescue the people, and bring blessings to both the living and the dead. Such merit and virtue are vast, and provide refuge for all sentient beings.

The Basic Account of the Louguan says that Louguan was originally the residence of Bujū, a minister under King Kang of Zhou. His surname was Yin, his given name Xi, and his courtesy name Gongzhang; his ancestral home was Tianshui. He was refined and elegant in temperament, and did not cling to worldly conventions. He valued this place, knowing it must be suited to cultivating the Dao. So he built a thatched tower from which to observe the stars and watch the seasons and weather. When King Kang heard of this, he ordered the courtyards and buildings to be repaired. Because people climbed the tower there to look out over the distance, the place came to be called “Louguan,” or “Tower Observatory.”

The Precepts and Regulations for Serving the Dao in the Three Caverns says that in the upper realms of the Three Pure Ones—the heavens of Qingwei, Yuyu, and Dachì—as well as in the Ten Continents, the Five Sacred Mountains, and other famous mountains, sages dwell and govern in some grotto-heavens and in the spaces of the sky. In some places, primordial Qi gathers and forms towers and pavilions; in others, there are well-built and orderly courtyards and residences. Because people climb towers there to look out over the distance, these places are called “Louguan.”

The Regulations and Precepts for Following the Dao in the Three Caverns say: In the highest heaven of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—the supreme celestial realm in Daoist teaching—as well as among the Ten Continents, on the Five Sacred Peaks and other famous mountains, and within the grotto-heavens and the vast reaches of space, there are places where sages govern and reside. Some of these places have halls and pavilions formed from condensed Qi; others have terraces and palaces gathered from clouds. Some lie among the stars, sun, and moon; others are within mist, clouds, and rosy skies. Some came into being naturally, some were built through divine power, some were constructed over a long period, and others were raised in an instant.

Among them are the immortal realms of Penglai, Fangzhang, Yuanjiao, Yingzhou, Pingpu, Langfeng, Kunlun, and Xuanpu, as well as twelve Jade Towers and three thousand Golden Gates. Their names are many, beyond counting. These are traces left by the Celestial Worthies and the Most High through their manifestations, and they are governed by sages, perfected beings, and immortals. Accounts of them are arranged across the various scriptural collections and need not be detailed here one by one.

These sacred monasteries were established so that both Heaven and the human world might honor the Dao and its teachings, and so that the worthy might be distinguished from ordinary people. For this reason, they were built in imitation of celestial palaces and monasteries. A Daoist monastery is both a blessed place and a dwelling for immortals, and its location and layout follow particular rules. Broadly, there are six types: those built in the mountains, within city walls, inside palaces, in villages, in remote and isolated places, and alongside human settlements. All Daoist monasteries should be built and protected by rulers, constructed by chancellors and high officials, and placed in the care of resident Daoist priests and women Daoists, who are to be supported there.

The Zhengyi Jing says: In realms above the Four Brahma Heavens, all things are formed from drifting clouds and subtle Qi that arises naturally. Clothing bears the precious radiance of nine colors, and all things come into being through it. Their shapes and sizes appear according to the realm in which they are found.

At times, light shines in all eight directions, and a perfect form appears clear and luminous, its radiance visible near and far, changing naturally. At times, nine-colored splendor gathers, and each thing reveals its own radiance. At times, dragons and phoenixes condense into colored patterns, while mountains, rivers, and flowing waters take shape. These transformations are endless, too numerous to be fully described in words.

Whether towns and city walls, palaces and halls, towers and terraces, or plants, trees, birds, beasts, carriages, utensils, banners, canopies, seats, and various ritual implements, all arise naturally and appear in response to conditions. Originally they are without obstruction; their appearance, disappearance, and transformation have no fixed pattern.

In the Formless Heavens, the garments of immortals, perfected beings, and sages; the crowns of the emperors of the heavens; flying-cloud jeweled crowns; seamless robes in nine colors; splendid skirts patterned with emerald dragons; and auspicious phoenix shoes woven from five-colored brocade all arise naturally and come in response to thought. Palaces, terraces, carriages, utensils, objects for enjoyment, clothing and ornaments, gardens, flowers and fruit, music, ritual implements, and everything else needed are all the same.

The Scripture on the Circumstances of Leaving the Household in the Lingbao Tradition says: “The Lord of the Dao expounded the Dao and recalled that on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the first year of the Kaihuang era, at the Three Luminaries Treasure Altar in the Upper Vermilion Sun Observatory of the Red Bright Kingdom, he went to pay his respects to the Heavenly Worthy Without Name. There he received 13,500 wondrous scriptures of the unsurpassed Three Caverns Great Vehicle, along with 7,000 chapters of talismans and diagrams.

“At that time, among the assembled were the kings of twenty thousand kingdoms, their consorts, ministers, and people, both men and women. All resolved together to cultivate the Dao. They bowed before the Heavenly Worthy, renounced their kingdoms and cities, wives and children, and family homes, and chose to leave the household. They vowed to receive and uphold the Three Caverns scriptures, dedicating themselves as offerings and accumulating blessings for their future lives across three generations.

“The Heavenly Worthy then ordered the True Officials of the Nine Earths to lay out seats to welcome the perfected beings, the kings of the Four Heavens to set forth the registers of those to be saved and made immortal, and the True Kings of the Three Heavens to descend and bear witness to the event. The assembly scattered flowers and burned incense, unfurled banners, rang bells and struck chimes, and arranged themselves on either side as various heavenly music was played. The Heavenly Worthy instructed me and the Lofty Sage of Jade Clarity to transmit to the kings and others the precepts, rites, and rules of conduct for entering the Dao. The Kings of the Four Heavens and others then bestowed ritual robes upon them.”

The scripture also says that halls and buildings, terraces and towers, as well as incense oil, lamps, candles, bells, chimes, and ritual implements may all be used as offerings to those who leave the household to cultivate the Dao, according to what each person possesses. Men and women from the heavens and the people of the kingdom presented flowers, fruits, precious treasures, and fine foods of every kind, setting them out in turn as offerings. Afterward, they brought forth from the storehouses the seven treasures of pearls and jade; silk gauzes and brocades; clothing and bedding; objects for display; incense burners; tables; feather fans; wish-granting scepters; shoes; staffs; dining vessels; cushions; rope beds; knee rests; banners and standards; bathing vessels; towels; and various other things, including servants, carriages and horses, gardens and residences, fields, bamboo and trees, orchards, flowers, medicinal plants, and ponds. All were given to those newly entering the monastic life.

Here, “precepts, rites, and rules of conduct” refers to the disciplines, ceremonies, and standards of behavior to be observed when entering the Dao. “Ritual robes” are the ceremonial garments worn by practitioners. Through this ceremony of leaving the household, the scripture depicts people renouncing worldly possessions and supporting new monastics in their cultivation through offerings.

A Daoist is someone who makes cultivating the Dao their foremost concern in every aspect of daily life—walking, standing, sitting, lying down, and every arising thought. They observe fasting, bow in reverence, keep the precepts, and recite scriptures. They also burn incense, scatter flowers, light lamps, repent, give alms, make vows, expound the Mahayana path, teach living beings, awaken the aspiration to seek the Dao, and perform good works widely. In all matters, they consider others first and themselves second. They do not become absorbed in worldly work, but devote themselves wholeheartedly to cultivation.

A scripture also says: Whether you are a man or a woman, you would do better to strip the skin from five hundred people than to remove the Dharma robes of one monastic; better to kill ten thousand ordinary people than to harm the Dharma body of one monastic; better to offend three thousand fierce beasts than to offend one monastic; better to humiliate five thousand strongmen than to humiliate one monastic; better to slight and deceive ten thousand evil spirits than to slight and deceive one monastic. Better to sit amid a great fire than to share a seat with a monastic; better to lie on a bed of heated iron than to sleep beside one. Better to touch fifty thousand venomous snakes than to touch a monastic’s Dharma robes; better to blow a great mountain into dust than to speak of a monastic’s faults; better to swallow ten thousand measures of raging fire than to eat a monastic’s food; better to sink into filth ten thousand fathoms deep than to violate a monastic sexually; better to make a hundred people bleed than to pry into or discuss a monastic’s conduct.

Why should monastics be shown such reverence? Because they are disciples of the Celestial Worthies, charged with carrying on and spreading the teachings of the scriptures. They are also bridges that help living beings cross the bitter sea of birth and death.

A scripture further says that if emperors, kings, ministers, high officials, or ordinary people, whether men or women, form the aspiration to leave home and cultivate the Dao, their parents and ancestors going back nine generations can ascend to the heavenly palaces, and their descendants for seven generations will not fall into hell. Whenever a Daoist broadly encourages someone with the right affinity to leave home, each person they persuade adds fifteen hundred years to their allotted lifespan. If they persuade three or more people, their names are entered in the registers of the immortals. The scripture says that such a person will enjoy ease in this life, with clothing and food provided naturally; after death, they can ascend to heaven and enjoy its blessings, while their descendants for seven generations will not fall into hell.

When three or more people cultivate the Dao, they are said to have attained the level of “ascending to immortality.” In this world, they enjoy peace and comfort, with ample food and clothing. After death, they are reborn in the heavenly realm, where their blessings are inexhaustible.

It is also said that the word shi in daoshi (“Daoist”) means to serve or to undertake a practice. The work of cultivation varies in difficulty and scope, and the states attained through learning the Dao differ accordingly. Daoists are generally divided into seven levels.

The first is the Heavenly Perfected: those whose body and mind accord with nature and whose inner and outer selves are pure. The second is the Immortal: one capable of unfathomable transformations and transcending the ordinary world. The third is the Reclusive Adept: one who conceals their radiance, keeps their talents and virtues hidden, and remains free from entanglement in worldly affairs. The fourth is the Mountain Dweller: one who retreats to the mountains and forests, quietly avoids the world, and finds peace through benevolence and wisdom. The fifth is the Renunciant: one who abandons all forms of attachment and leaves behind the noisy world. The sixth is the Householder: one who lives amid worldly society without being changed by it, and keeps virtue in their heart. The seventh is the Ritual Libationer: one who humbles themselves and enters the world to help beings in suffering.

For this reason, all kinds of beings on earth and in heaven, as well as beings in the six realms of rebirth and the four modes of birth, pay them homage and take refuge in them. Their standing is supremely honored. They need not attend upon the Son of Heaven or bow to princes and nobles. They accumulate merit for humanity and the heavenly realm, and receive offerings from the Three Realms. This is because they receive and follow the Daoist teachings, wear Daoist ritual vestments, uphold the scriptures and precepts, and guide living beings, so that beings of the past, present, and future may forever leave suffering behind and enter the gate of lasting joy.

The Regulations and Precepts for Revering the Dao in the Three Caverns (Sandong fengdao kejie) says that Daoists are divided into six levels. The text then repeats that Daoists receive and follow the Daoist teachings, wear ritual vestments, uphold the scriptures and precepts, and guide living beings, enabling beings of the past, present, and future to leave suffering behind and enter the gate of lasting joy.

The Precepts and Regulations for Serving the Dao in the Three Caverns (San dong feng dao ke jie) says that Daoists fall into six ranks, all of them people who have transcended worldly life: first, the Heavenly Perfected Daoist; second, the Immortal Daoist; third, the Mountain-Dwelling Daoist; fourth, the Daoist who has left home; fifth, the Daoist who remains at home; and sixth, the libationer Daoist.

Heavenly Perfected Daoists can transform themselves and unite with the Great Dao, abiding in a state of undifferentiated naturalness. Their cultivation approaches that of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and their wisdom reaches through all things. The High and Mysterious Emperor among the Immortals is an example. Immortal Daoists have cultivated over many lifetimes and brought their merit and virtue to completion. Their benevolence extends to all living beings, their supernatural transformations know no bounds, and they can ascend freely through the air. Du Chong and Yin Gui are examples.

Mountain-Dwelling Daoists are free of striving and desire. They devote themselves to guarding the Dao and nurturing their Jing, their presence is lofty, and their hearts are tranquil and detached. Xu You and Chao Fu are examples. Daoists who have left home reject the turmoil of worldly life and no longer pursue fame or desire. Their hearts are attached to nothing, their spirits rise beyond the Nine Heavens, and they keep clear of worldly constraints. They remain unmarried and have no children throughout their lives. Song Lun and Peng Chen are examples.

Daoists who remain at home conceal their reputations and adapt to ordinary society without showing off their abilities. They are inwardly devoted to the Dao while outwardly living among ordinary people. Through breathing practices, they cultivate themselves and attain ease and freedom. Huang Qiong and Jian Keng are examples. Libationer Daoists conduct themselves with lofty purpose and cultivate a calm, generous disposition. They help others with compassion and bring harmony to all things. They seek no gain, do not indulge their desires, keep away from sensual pleasures, and devote themselves to maintaining an upright heart and sincerely turning toward the Great Dao. Here, “libation” means restraint, and “wine” means harmonizing: restraining forceful energy and reconciling divisions between people. Li Dong and Gan Shi are examples of libationer Daoists.

They are called “Daoists” because they do not set their minds on worldly affairs but devote themselves to cultivating the constant Dao. They all accept Daoist ritual rules, and their aims and conduct differ from those of ordinary society. They make it their responsibility to spread the mysterious teachings and uphold the dignity of the Great Dao. For this reason, they do not kneel in obeisance to princes and lords; they offer the emperor a formal greeting with joined hands. The “formal greeting” described here is a salutation made by clasping the hands.

Today, the term “Daoist” refers to Daoists who have left home. They should show loyalty and respect to the ruler. They should also pay their respects to chief ministers, high officials, nobles, and local governors, but must not curry favor with them for the sake of power or profit. Violating this precept reduces one’s lifespan by three hundred and sixty years.

The Record of the Louguan Tradition says: King Mu of Zhou admired and honored the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. When he heard that the immortal master Du Chong was a man of lofty virtue, he took him as his teacher. King Mu sought out the traces Du Chong had left behind, built a splendid sacred altar, and summoned worthy recluses from across the land to carry on the mysterious work of the Dao. Their virtue was like that of Chaofu and Xu You, and people held them up as examples. Thus, the Son of Heaven bowed to them without treating them as subjects, and the feudal lords honored them without granting them titles. Both court and common people saw that they devoted themselves to promoting the work of the Dao, and so called them “Daoist masters.”

After King Ping of Zhou moved east to Luoyi (present-day Luoyang), he selected and recognized seven Daoist masters. Kings Zhaoxiang and Zhuangxiang of Qin each selected and recognized seven as well. Emperor Wen of Han especially honored Dao and virtue. He repeatedly summoned worthy recluses and selected them as Daoist masters, keeping their number at fourteen. Emperor Wu of Han also admired the way of the immortals and established a group of twenty-one Daoist masters. Emperor Wu of Jin held Daoist masters in particular esteem and selected forty-nine.

Here, “selecting and recognizing Daoist masters” means choosing people and acknowledging them as Daoist masters. The numbers given in the text refer to the Daoist masters established or selected by rulers of each period.

The Rules and Precepts for Devotees of the Three Caverns records: A Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) master wears a black cap, a yellow lower robe, and a deep red ritual robe marked with twenty-four stripes. A Gaoxuan master wears a black cap, a yellow lower robe, and a ritual robe marked with twenty-eight stripes. A Dongshen master wears a black cap, a yellow lower robe, and a blue-green ritual robe marked with thirty-two stripes. A Dongxuan master wears a hibiscus crown and a yellow ritual robe marked with thirty-two stripes. A Dongzhen master wears a Yuanshi crown, a blue-green skirt, and a purple ritual robe with a blue-green lining; the outer layer bears twenty-four stripes and the inner layer fifteen. A Dadong master wears a Yuanshi crown, a yellow skirt, and a purple ritual robe, following Shangqing regulations, and also drapes over the shoulders a cape embroidered with clouds in five colors. A master who teaches the Three Caverns wears a Yuanshi crown, a yellow ritual robe, and a cape embroidered with clouds in nine colors.

Daoist men and women (female Daoists) who have not prepared the appropriate ritual robes may not handle or recite the precious scriptures on their own authority. Once fully dressed, they will be guarded by divine youths. When wearing the Zhengyi ritual robe, they are guarded by five generals and eight strongmen. When wearing the Gaoxuan robe, two divine boys and two divine girls guard them. When wearing the Dongshen robe, five heavenly boys and five heavenly girls guard them. When wearing the Dongxuan robe, eight jade boys and eight jade girls guard them. When wearing the Dongzhen, Dadong, or Three Caverns robe, twelve jade boys and twelve jade girls guard them. These garments are collectively called “ritual vestments.” Anyone who violates the regulations will drive away the guarding immortal youths; the Four Offices, divine bureaus that assess merit and fault, will examine the person’s soul and spirit and deduct 2,400 years from their allotted lifespan.

The rules and precepts also state: Whenever Daoist men and women are to study scriptures and ritual methods, they should prepare their ritual robes in advance. After completing the purification rite and receiving their ritual rank, they must put on the ritual vestments, hold a tablet, state their name and rank, pay respects to their own teacher, and then make an audience with the Most High, the supreme deity venerated in Daoism. Those who violate this rule will not be possessed and protected by the numinous officials; the Five Emperors will examine their soul and spirit and deduct 1,200 years from their allotted lifespan.

The Zhengyi Scripture records that the Most High said, “There are seven kinds of ritual vestments for Daoist practitioners. The first is…”

The Zhengyi Jing says: The Most High (a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity) declared that Daoist ritual clothing comes in seven kinds.

First, those newly entering the Daoist path wear a plain cap and a yellow mantle, a garment worn over the Daoist robe.

Second, those who practice the Zhengyi method wear a dark cap shaped like a hibiscus flower, a yellow skirt, and a deep red-brown robe.

Third, those who practice the methods of the Dao De Jing wear a yellow-brown robe and a black headscarf.

Fourth, those who practice the methods of the Dongshen scriptures wear a black cap and a blue-green robe.

Fifth, those who practice the methods of the Dongxuan scriptures wear a yellow-brown robe, a black cap, and a yellow skirt. The cap is shaped like a lotus flower.

Sixth, those who practice the methods of the Dongzhen scriptures wear purple-brown robes and mantles lined in blue-green, along with a jeweled lotus crown. Women wear purple gauze robes and a Flying Cloud Phoenix-Qi crown.

Seventh, masters who lecture on the Three Caverns—the Dongshen, Dongxuan, and Dongzhen scriptural traditions—wear the ritual clothing of the Shangqing tradition, with an additional outer mantle embroidered with nine-colored clouds and mountain-and-water patterns. They wear a jeweled crown of the Primordial Beginning. All wear pendants and hold ceremonial tablets, and their shoes are embroidered with lions. These garments are collectively called ritual clothing.

The sixth section of Mingjing Fa.

The Scripture of the Numinous Writings of the Heavens says that the Celestial Worthy spoke to the Lord on High of the Dao:

“In the Longhan era, I had no form, yet I held the wish to descend into the world and teach living beings. At that time, Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, and the three cosmic forms—the images of the cosmos, including Heaven, Earth, the sun, and the moon—already existed, as did men and women, life and death. Although Yin-Yang was already divided, there were no rites or institutions, no five flavors, and no clothing. All things came into being naturally amid primordial chaos. I used the Dao to teach and guide them, so that they gradually awakened, learned to practice benevolence and righteousness, and turned their hearts toward faith in the Dao. People then lived very long lives; those who did not follow the Dao’s teachings had shorter lives.

“After I departed from the world, Heaven and Earth were destroyed, and the world fell into boundless darkness. Even after countless kalpas, there was no light: all was dim and chaotic, and no one knew when it would end. This period was called Yanchang. In the Chiming era, light opened again, and Heaven and Earth returned to their proper places. I descended once more, under the title ‘The Nameless Lord,’ and used the teachings of Lingbao to save living beings throughout the heavens. At that time, men and women who sincerely followed the scriptures and precepts could attain the Dao and become perfected, ascending with both body and physical form. Even those who had not yet attained the Dao could live long lives and, after death, ascend to Heaven. They would no longer sink into the cycle of rebirth, and in the end all could become immortals.

“After I departed from the world, one kalpa passed, and Heaven and Earth were destroyed once again, returning to darkness. For five kalpas the world remained dim and without light. The Three Qi—the three primordial energies that constitute Heaven and Earth—blended in chaos and arose through the transformations of the cosmic cycle. In the Kaihuang era, the Numinous Treasure True Writings, the sacred true texts of the Lingbao scriptures, opened the three cosmic forms, and Heaven and Earth returned to their proper places. In the Primal Azure, I was known as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. I established the teachings of the Dao, enabling the heavens to attain fulfillment. I widely transmitted the scriptures and admonished the ignorant, so that they might turn their hearts toward faith in the Dao and gradually enter the Dharma gate.

“It is also said that at that time the Celestial Worthy breathed five-colored light from his mouth, illuminating all the heavens. Even the distant regions in the four directions saw the light.”

The Celestial Worthy manifested a million forms, appearing in many places at once. Men and women alike saw the Celestial Worthy appear amid five-colored light, as though everyone were gathered in one place. In keeping with the circumstances of each country, the Celestial Worthy proclaimed the Five True Writings of the Numinous Treasure (five foundational writings in the Numinous Treasure teachings), taught the Ten Subtle Scriptures, transmitted prohibitions and precepts, and explained the teachings to men and women. All turned to the teachings with faith and devotion. In great numbers, they brought offerings of gold and silver, brocade and silk, brightly colored woven cloth, pearls, jade, and other precious treasures, bowing as they received the precepts of the Way. The treasures offered by each country filled its land.

The Celestial Worthy then provided relief to the poor: the poor had enough to eat and wear, while the rich suffered no lack. Rich and poor were made equal, and no one harbored resentment. Those who had previously performed good deeds and whose names were recorded in the registers could transcend the world and ascend through the heavens. Those who had only just begun practicing the Way could live for thirty-six thousand years.

In the first year of the August Sovereign era, men and women throughout the heavens whose names were recorded in the registers could transcend the world and ascend through the heavens; those who had only just entered the Dharma could also live for thirty-six thousand years. Later, the hearts of men and women in the heavens gradually grew slack and corrupt, and the orthodox teachings were no longer complete. I therefore manifested in the various countries to fulfill the wishes of the people. After I depart, in the latter half of the kalpa, men and women in the future world will have corrupt intentions and will not believe in the scriptures and teachings. They will invent teachings of their own, show no reverence for Heaven and Earth, and slight the spirits. Men and women alike will give free rein to their desires and thereby bring harm upon themselves, falling into evil paths and enduring suffering as they wander through the Three Paths of suffering (hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) and the Five Destinies (the five realms into which beings are reborn). This scripture is now being proclaimed to save those among living beings who have kind hearts.

The Kuo Di Zhi records: Laozi traveled west across the moving sands to teach the Hu people. He first arrived in Khotan, where the king asked, “Who is this old man?” Laozi replied, “I am the Buddha King.” The king then asked, “Since you call yourself a Buddha, what virtue do you possess?” Laozi thereupon expounded the Sutra of the Buddha to him and taught the Hu people.

Huangfu Mi’s Biographies of Recluses records: Yin Xi departed with Laozi and traveled west to the Rong lands, crossing the moving sands and reaching a remote region. There they used the Dao to transform local customs and composed the Sutra of the Buddha. After that, no one knew where the two had gone.

The Scripture of the Golden Mystery Feathered Writings records: The Later Sage of the Nine Mysteries, the Golden One, taught the Hu people.

The Biographies of Eminent Recluses by Huangfu Mi says: Yin Xi and Laozi departed together, heading for the Western Rong lands. They crossed the frontier beyond the Flowing Sands and used the Dao to transform local customs. They wrote the Scripture of the Buddha, and afterward no one knew where they went.

The Scripture of the Golden Mystery, Feathered Chapters says: The Later Sage, the Lord Emperor of the Ninefold Mystery and Golden Palace, descended to serve as a teacher in the Zhou dynasty and changed his name to Laozi. He transmitted the Eight Hidden Writings of Heaven to King You of Zhou. The king believed that he was living in a time governed by the natural cycles and had inherited the destiny of the Five Emperors, yet he disrupted the order of Yin-Yang and failed to honor the celestial signs and calendar. Laozi knew that the Zhou dynasty was about to decline, so he put away the scriptures and departed, establishing a teaching. On the way, he met Yin Xi, the Guardian of the Pass, and wrote for him the two parts, upper and lower, of the Scripture of the Dao and De in the land of Green Na. Laozi opened his mouth, and the hidden writings appeared from within it; he then transmitted them to Yin Xi. After Yin Xi respectfully received them in accordance with his oath, Laozi summoned the Cloud Carriage of the Eight Radiances, the vehicle ridden by immortals, and traveled with him in the eight directions. He then cultivated his bodily form in the Great Void, the vast and boundless emptiness. A precious luminous radiance shone from his neck, and seventy-two auspicious features illuminated his body. Transforming in accord with the cycles of time, he ascended into the Eight Heavens. His Dao was so wondrous and profound that it could not be described in words. Later generations who study the Dao, if they cannot obtain this scripture, should abandon thoughts of seeking it from afar and need not exhaust their spirits searching for it in the deep mountains.

The Scripture of the Qu Su Instructions says: What is called the Phoenix Writings of the Nine Heavens was formed entirely from the natural Qi of the Nine Heavens. These numinous and wondrous scriptures appeared in the mystery of the void in extraordinary forms. After ninety thousand kalpas, the Venerable of the Mysterious Capital, a revered deity who dwells there, obtained them from the great void and transmitted them to the Lord of the Great Dao, the Most High, a Daoist deity.

The Scripture of the Numinous Treasure, Numinous Writings says: The Celestial Worthy said, “I have surveyed all the heavens. From time immemorial until the present day, the great high sages and deities who attained the Dao in heaven, as well as the perfected beings of the heavens, the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Nine Palaces, and the flying immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks, have all received transmission and deliverance through the Numinous Treasure, and thus attained the Dao and became perfected beings.”

The Lingbao Golden Register, Concise Text of the Three Origins, Majestic Rites, and Natural Truth Scripture records that on the first day of the ninth month in the first year of the Shanghuang era, the Lord of the Great Dao, Taishang Daojun, traveled west to Dragon Peak Mountain in the Jade Kingdom. At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning suddenly descended, riding floating clouds wreathed in blue-green mists. Phoenixes sang ahead to clear the way, while the Heavenly Jun followed behind. The Five Elders opened the way for him, immortals of the Taiji accompanied his carriage, and the assembled Perfected Ones also descended to Dragon Peak Mountain.

The sky was clear and the air fresh; the sun and moon ceased their courses. The many sufferings of the world were relieved, and souls long sunk in slumber were awakened. Within a single day and night, mountains and rivers, streams and gullies all became level.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning said to Taishang Daojun, “Now we have together passed through a kalpa, and the joy is beyond words. This has all come from the blessings and De you accumulated in the past: you devoted yourself to the Great Dao and at last attained the true Dao. You are now invested as the August Sovereign and hold the office of Taishang. Today, everyone celebrates together, filled with boundless joy. Yet I pity the beings of later generations, and must tell them these truths.”

Taishang Daojun then left his seat, bowed with his forehead to the ground, and addressed the Celestial Worthy: “May you show compassion and teach me the Dao that I have not yet heard.”

The Celestial Worthy replied, “The Great Cavern Scripture of Truth describes the way of ascent through the hidden realms. It can deliver seven generations of ancestors and extend blessings to the whole family. The Lingbao Great Vehicle saves beings throughout heaven and the human world, bringing them grace amid life and death. The Imperial Writ in Great Characters enables communication with the spirits and summons numinous responses. The precious scriptures of the Three Caverns and the natural writings of heaven are all methods for delivering people and ascending into the mysterious realm. Those who cultivate these scriptures can ride dragon chariots and ascend to the immortal realms in broad daylight. Those who put them into practice can escape hardship and enable seven generations of ancestors to ascend to heaven. Those who read and encounter them need only devote themselves to them in faith to form wholesome bonds, life after life.

“In the future, you should instruct beings of the three ages, seek out and select the Perfected Ones, act in accordance with the rites of the celestial realm, and guide practitioners of the Three Vehicles, so that all who aspire to the Dao may cultivate themselves into immortals. Now I transmit to you the Lingbao Golden Register, Concise Text of the Three Origins, Majestic Rites, and Natural Truth Scripture. This canon is lofty and profound; it must not be transmitted lightly.”

Taishang Daojun bowed with his forehead to the ground and accepted the instruction. Then the Celestial Worthy ordered the Jade Attendant of the Scriptures to stand on the left and the Sima Supervisor of Initiation to stand on the right. The True King of the Nine Heavens waved a nine-colored insignia and circled the sky three times, while the gods of the heavens jointly witnessed the rite of transmission. Daojun turned to his left and stood facing south; the Celestial Worthy turned to his left and stood facing north. The Jade Attendant of the Scriptures invoked the spirits according to the true method, while the Sima Supervisor of Initiation held the scripture and stood before them. Daojun performed nine bows, rising and prostrating himself three times, and reverently received the Majestic Rites and Natural Truth Scripture.

At that time, the Jade Officer Attendant to the Scriptures, an immortal official who served the classics, conveyed the spirits’ commands in accordance with the True Dao, while Sima, the Inspector and Deliverer, an immortal official who oversaw examination and spiritual deliverance, walked ahead holding the scripture. The Dao Lord performed the nine prostrations: rising three times and bowing three times. With reverence, he received the True Scripture of Natural Awe-Inspiring Rites.

The Upper Scripture of the True Writings in Red Script of Primordial Beginning says: At that time, the Supreme Great Dao Lord, the Most High Jade Emperor, the Perfected Ones of the Ten Directions, the Great Sages of the heavens, the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice, and the accompanying Five Emperors, immortals, and the thousand Perfected Ones of Sanglin all set out together. Lions, white cranes, tigers, leopards, dragons, and qilin attended them on either side. The numinous consorts scattered flowers, golden lads raised clouds of incense, the Five Elders cleared the way, and the crossings between the Three Realms stood open. They wandered along the cloud roads, summoning the spirits of the Ten Directions to travel with them to the Cold Numinous Elixir Hall in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, at the Jade Capital of Great Mystery in Shangqing. Wearing heavenly-treasure feather robes, they came before the golden gates of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and asked to receive the True Writings of Five Chapters in Red Script of the Primordial Beginning Lingbao.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning ordered attendants to lead the Perfected Ones into the Nine-Luminous Flower Chamber of the Hall of Jade Treasures on the Golden Terrace of the Great Void. Numinous lads and jade maidens stood at either side; ninety million beings, flying dragons, and venomous beasts guarded the eight gates. Rushing serpents struck their swords, long tusks knocked against bells, divine tigers raised their heads and roared toward the sky, and lions gave low growls. Qilin danced and phoenixes sang in response, their cries and songs echoing without end. The Heavenly Jun, a celestial musical instrument, played music for the banners and canopies of the ceremonial procession, while jade-toned notes resounded through the cloud court.

The Five Elders, the Supreme Sages, and the Supreme Great Dao Lord bowed and said: “We have heard that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning has opened a new cycle of Heaven; mysterious celestial signs have revealed the patterns of the Heavenly Dao, numinous scriptures shine forth, and sacred portents have appeared in the Five Directions. By means of them, Heaven and Earth distinguish above from below and establish order, while the sun, moon, and stars follow them in shining. This is a great undertaking of the Dao tradition. Might we briefly view the numinous writings preserved among its treasures? Might the Jade Writings of the Five Lingbao Chapters be bestowed upon us, so that we may pass their teachings on to those who have not yet heard them?”

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sat in solemn contemplation, resting his hand on a table. He summoned the Five Emperors to discuss the principles of Yin-Yang, but did not grant the assembly’s request, as though closing off the path to seeking the True Dao. The Supreme Great Dao Lord continued to petition him. After a long while, the Celestial Worthy turned his face slightly and sighed: “What you ask today concerns matters of truly far-reaching consequence. I can now entrust the scriptures to you, but they must be kept in the upper realm’s library halls and cannot yet be transmitted to the lower realm. Those who are just beginning to study the Dao must be taught in accordance with the Mysterious Regulations, the secret Daoist precepts and rules; the teachings must not be passed on indiscriminately. You may go to the Upper Palace of the Numinous Capital and ask the Spirit King how they should be handled.”

Thereupon, the Supreme Great Dao Lord and the Perfected Ones withdrew together and observed purification for three months. They then appeared before the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning once more to ask which prohibitions and rites must be observed when transmitting the scriptures. They offered humble apologies, saying that their learning was inadequate. Moved with compassion, the Celestial Worthy instructed them, opened the Numinous Gate, and ordered the Five Elders, the Supreme Perfected Ones, to take from their storage place the Upper Scripture of the Primordial Beginning Red Script’s Five True Writings of Lingbao, kept within numinous layers of nine lights and eight colors and in a brocade cloud pouch. He entrusted it to the Supreme Great Dao Lord, the Most High Jade Emperor, the Perfected Ones of the Ten Directions, the Great Sages of the heavens, and the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice, instructing them to transmit it according to the Mysterious Regulations and in keeping with the proper rites.

The Scripture of Mount Yujing, the Great Mystery Capital records that Zheng Siyuan once relayed the words of his late master, the Immortal Lord: “The Upper Clarity Three Caverns Scripture of the Great Perfect Dao that I received—a major classic in the Upper Clarity scriptural tradition—must, when I die, be divided into three copies. One is to be sealed away in a grotto on a famous mountain, one is to be passed on to a disciple, and one entrusted to a member of my family, to be handed down through the generations to someone truly virtuous. Anyone who concerns themselves only with studying my scriptures while busily pursuing worldly affairs is unfit to take responsibility for transmitting them. If you encounter such a person, the scriptures should all be sent to the famous mountains and Five Sacred Peaks, Daoist holy sites, for safekeeping. They must not be casually passed on to someone unsuitable. But if you encounter a suitable person, you should transmit them; do not keep the secret methods of the Great Dao sealed away.”

The Scripture of the Original Deeds for Delivering Humanity through the True Writ of Lingbao says that the Five Elders of Yuanshi, the five directional deities revered in Daoism, did not attain the true Dao through later study. They entered wombs and were conceived, descended into the human world, or underwent refinement through water and fire in order to accord with worldly changes and conditions. Through experiences that progressed from the shallow to the profound, they encouraged those who study the Dao, teaching them to cultivate with caution and diligence, and to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their practice.

The sages of later generations, the Perfected Ones of the Four Extremities, the Immortal Lords and Immortal Kings, and the flying immortals, divine immortals, and earthly immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks and Nine Palaces are countless in number; they too attained their status through later study and cultivation. Some were steadfast believers in and lovers of the Dao from birth. They personally established great merit, showed kindness and cultivated De (Virtue/Power), observed the scriptural precepts, and earned a reputation that reached Heaven; thus they became Perfected Ones. Others had accumulated blessings and good fortune in previous lives, and these benefits extended into the present life, enabling them to become immortals through the conditions established in former lives. Those who study the Dao may receive teachings from many scriptures and methods and make offerings to the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the master. Some may ascend to Heaven in this life and travel through the air; others may not receive the corresponding fruits until a future life. Some are born into wealthy families or royal households; others undergo corpse liberation, the Daoist mode of attaining immortality through the transformation of the body and its departure from the corpse, and continue cultivating through successive lives before becoming immortals. Whatever the extent of their merit, each receives results in proportion to the depth of their cultivation, without the slightest discrepancy. All such attainments come through study and practice.

The Scripture of the Three Caverns (Dongshen Jing) says: Those who resolve to study the Daoist arts may not yet have sufficient talent or ability. If they greedily seek to master everything at once, they are more likely to suffer setbacks; if they grow idle and neglectful, they invite misfortune. A good teacher first understands what each student is capable of learning, then arranges instruction to suit that person’s level, progressing step by step. Accordingly, the essential methods in the various scriptures emphasize practicing in proper sequence: begin with the basics and build gradually. When one’s merits and virtue are complete, understanding will naturally become integrated. The many key methods of cultivation all arise from this.

There are three essential principles. The first is “cause”: the source from which things take shape. From time without beginning, people have possessed the nature of awareness; this spiritual nature does not perish. Yet people still suffer the pain of death and enjoy little of life’s happiness because they do not understand the causes of things. Those who understand cause do not resent Heaven, blame other people or external things, or lay everything at their own door. They accept both suffering and joy with composure and are not misled by illusions.

The second is “conditions”: the circumstances that bring things about. One should act in harmony with cause and effect, balancing matters both within and without: do not harm others for one’s own gain, do not lead oneself into wrongdoing, and do not inadvertently harm external things. Let there be loss without injury, and gain without misfortune. When one understands both the root and the outcome, false and deluded doubts will not arise.

The third is “diligence”: assiduous cultivation. Be watchful over thoughts and speech, and keep body and mind under strict discipline. When you hear the Way of the sages, seek them out and ask for guidance; once taught, put the teaching into practice. Continually increase wholesome conditions and sever harmful causes, making right understanding clear and advancing without retreat. Help others while cultivating yourself; understand the true Dao and spiritual nature. Pass from the ordinary to the sage, transform the coarse and impure into the refined and pure, accumulate merits and virtue, and in the end become a perfected sage.

The Laozi’s Scripture of De (De Jing) says: Those of the highest capacity who hear of the Dao diligently put it into practice. Cultivate the Dao in yourself, and De becomes genuine; cultivate it in your family, and De will abound; cultivate it in your village, and De will endure; cultivate it in your state, and De will flourish; extend your cultivation throughout the world, and De will be widely put into practice.

The Scripture of Jade Capital Mountain says: All cultivation begins with purification and fasting. Only by accumulating merit and forming lasting bonds of goodness can one ascend through the heavens and accompany the exalted Immortals. The scripture also says: Through continual study, one can become a perfected person. Keep the mind tranquil and the body and mind in harmony. In this way, one may enjoy immeasurable longevity; a thousand years would count for little.

The Scripture on Settling the Will says: In cultivating the Way of becoming an Immortal, the most important thing is to act in time, observe the precepts, and restrain one’s feelings and desires. The scripture also says: People of virtue take delight in the scriptures and precepts, treasuring them as their own. When they begin to study, they often feel they have started too late; when they cultivate themselves and observe the precepts, they regret not having begun sooner. By the time they wish to probe the subtle and profound principles, the years have passed in an instant and they are already old. They pick up a book only to find that little time remains, and may later suffer and grieve at the thought of dying before their work is complete. For this reason, I left secular life while still young and devoted myself to studying the Dao.

In the Scripture of Lord Lao’s Western Ascension, Lord Lao says: You should uphold the highest source of wisdom. Yet wisdom does not arise by itself from nothing; it always depends on the causes and conditions particular to each person. Everyone has a foundation built through cultivation in past lives, and this is connected to one’s allotted destiny and blessings. Those who cultivate the Dao alike have the opportunity to attain the Dao; those who share virtue have corresponding roots of virtue. If one did not study and seek instruction in a former life, it is easy to miss the Dao in this life. And if one has no enlightened teacher to guide one in study, how can one resolve one’s doubts? My teachings are subtler than the finest hair. Who can discern them clearly? Since ancient times, the generations have been as numerous as grains of sand. One’s actions and circumstances, too, depend on one’s own causes and conditions. To endure so many kalpas is truly arduous and demanding. The Dao I studied ultimately reached a state of having nothing to cling to and nothing left to learn; only then could I understand the Dao of Nature. You should neither constrain one another nor be bound by relationships of form.

The Lower Scripture of Jade Characters says that the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) received a respectful bow from the Celestial Perfected Sovereign (Tianzhen Huangren), who reported:

“Since receiving life, I have followed the movements of the sun and moon and the passage of time, coming and going through the cycle of birth and death. At times I have seen the light; at others, I have fallen into darkness. I have undergone repeated endings and renewals, death and rebirth, while my body suffered decay again and again. Through the ages of Heaven and Earth, the world’s appearance has changed along with them. These transformations are profound and subtle, beyond the full grasp of thought.

Since the Dragon-Han era, that ancient cosmic cycle spoken of in Daoism, ninety-nine million nine hundred thousand kalpas have passed. Causes and conditions have intertwined and carried on from one generation to the next, never ceasing, down to the present day. I have been born into the households of nobles and rulers, and into families of poverty and low status. I have lived in wealth and endured want and hardship. I have been honored by others and served as a servant; I have suffered many illnesses and at other times been clear in body and mind. I have been wise, and I have been foolish and deaf.

Through all manner of conduct and worldly experience, I relied on the karmic ties of Dao and De (Virtue/Power), made offerings to the scriptures and teachings, and, with the Seven Treasures, presented my petitions to the spirits. I gave rise to good intentions and established worthy vows, ultimately preserving my meritorious deeds and reputation. Thus I was recommended by the Three Realms—the Desire, Form, and Formless Realms—and recognized by the Five Emperors, the celestial rulers of the five directions. Heaven sent down a cloud chariot and an Eightfold Radiant Jade Wheel, the splendid conveyance of immortals, so that I could ride through the skies and travel on clouds.

I was able to ascend by day into the Dawn Heaven and receive the Celestial Worthy’s grace and exceptionally profound favor. The dust-stained, decaying body of my former life was cleansed and renewed; at last I saw the light, transcended the Three Realms, and took my place among the Celestial Perfected, those who have attained the Dao and become perfected immortals. Now I can serve before the Celestial Worthy’s seat. My joy is beyond words.”

The Scripture on Karmic Retribution and Causal Connections, the Most High says: “At the beginning of the Red Radiance kalpa, an ancient cosmic era spoken of in Daoist traditions, I met the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning beside the Fire Refining Pool at the Upper Temple of Kaiyang, floating above the Southern Cinnabar Cavern. We expounded the teachings and widely instructed and delivered the beings of the heavens. At that time, the Four Brahma Kings, rulers who dwell in the Four Brahma Heavens, led countless attendants and people from many lands. Reverently bearing incense and flowers, they came to make offerings and hear the teachings, and stood around the assembly.

“Because of these circumstances, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sent forth ten forms of light from between his eyebrows. The radiance illuminated boundless lands in the ten directions, so that the teachings could be heard and known everywhere. Ten teaching seats were arranged on each of the assembly’s four sides: those in the east were adorned with a hundred treasures, those in the south with ten thousand kinds of precious stones, those in the west with the Seven Treasures, and those in the north with five-colored gems. The seats in the northeast were adorned with blue-green jade, those in the southeast with red gems, those in the southwest with pale-blue jade, and those in the northwest with an assortment of treasures. In the worlds above, ten teaching seats were adorned with ten thousand treasures; in the worlds below, ten seats were adorned with yellow jade. Ten thousand golden lamps and a thousand branches of lamps and candles made of fine jade shone brightly before the eyes. The heavens of the ten directions stood in array, and a hundred magnificent teaching seats filled the scene. Light shone within and without, illuminating heaven and earth.”

The Scripture on the Causal Circumstances of Leaving Home in the Numinous Treasure tradition says: “Reciting the revered scriptures, bowing, burning incense, observing purification and keeping the precepts, and establishing teaching seats adorned with a hundred treasures to invite the expounding of Mahayana scriptures can continually accumulate blessings across the past, present, and future lives for rulers, emperors, and ministers.”

The Jing of the Numinous Treasure’s Numinous Writings says: Within the Vermilion Palace of Southern Mound is the Hall of Ninefold Numinous Blessings, where places are set aside for honoring and reciting the Jing of the Numinous Treasure. People there observe purification and fasting and uphold the precepts. This scripture is exalted and mysterious, and can save beings far and wide. When a Great Kalpa turns from one cycle to another, heaven will collapse and earth sink, and the four seas will merge into one. Gold and jade will melt, and the fortunes of all things will come to an end. Only this scripture will remain, its transmission and methods unbroken.

The spells and arts of transformation found in various miscellaneous traditions, along with medical formulas from the Jing and scattered folk customs, all belong to the Six Heavens—the heavens within the desire realm—and lie within that realm. When the cycles of a Minor Kalpa turn, these methods will perish without leaving a trace. Miscellaneous hybrid talismanic diagrams, transformative formulas, and scattered customs of the Great Clarity tradition likewise belong to the Six Heavens and the desire realm; when a Minor Kalpa turns, they too will all perish. Texts such as the Jing of the Way of Great Peace circulate throughout the eighteen heavens above and below, within the form realm, the domain of heavens with visible form. When a Great Kalpa turns and heaven and earth are renewed, these scriptures too will vanish without a trace.

The Divine Scriptures of the Three Caverns, the Tiger Writings of the Divine and Perfected, the Golden Books and Jade Characters, and the True Jing of the Numinous Treasure, belonging to the Supreme Way of Jade Clarity, all originate with the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. They lie above the twenty-eight heavens, beyond the formless realm. At the end of a Great Kalpa, these scriptures return to Seven-Treasure Mysterious Terrace on Jade Capital Mountain, within the Unbounded Great Luo Heaven, where they are beyond the reach of calamity.

The Jing of Original Practice says: The ten wondrous scriptures of the True Writings of the Numinous Treasure are texts kept in secret by the Most High; they have not all been transmitted to the world. The scriptures stored on the Five Sacred Peaks are also mostly incomplete. Only the celestial scriptures stored in the Western Chamber of Turtle Mountain and the Southern Shrine of Wangwu Mountain are complete. Yet these scriptures open only once in ten thousand kalpas, to be revealed to later generations. There is still a chance to obtain them: with sincere prayers and prolonged observance of purification and fasting, one may hope to reach communion with the True Dao. When the great cycle of destiny comes to an end, it may then be possible to receive the complete celestial rites and ordinances.

The Catalogue of Scriptures Kept in Perpetuity says: The Three Caverns, the three main divisions of Daoist scriptures, contain thirty-six groups of revealed scriptures, totaling 2,622,820 scrolls. These scriptures are stored in secret in the realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), above the Mysterious Terrace, and within the three palaces of Dayou, Ziwei, and Taiji. Their light shines brilliantly. In each place dwell thirty million immortal youths and jade maidens, who burn incense and scatter flowers throughout the year.

The Chart of the Dunjia Opening of Mountains records: In the stone chambers of famous mountains, Daoist scriptures are stored in thirty-two locations. Nineteen chambers hold 1,695,831 scrolls; six chambers hold 15,203 texts; another six list only the titles of the scriptures, without stating how many scrolls they contain. One further chamber holds wondrous scriptures and mysterious diagrams, as well as teachings on destiny passed down by the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and writings such as the Chart of the Yellow River and the Writings of the Luo River. Their number cannot be calculated. In the immortal realms, people also frequently offer incense and scatter flowers before the scriptures.

The Scripture of the Shangqing Cangyuan Register says: Daoist methods are divided into three vehicles—upper, middle, and lower, each representing a different level of practice—and comprise twelve categories of teachings. The scriptures and precepts of the upper, middle, and lower grades each have twelve categories, making thirty-six groups in all.

The Scripture on the Origins of Leaving the Household in the Lingbao Tradition says: Dao declared, “Long ago, in the first year of Kaihuang, I went to the Nameless Celestial Worthy, whose title is unknown, and received 13,500 chapters of the unsurpassed, wondrous Great Vehicle scriptures of the Three Caverns, along with 7,000 chapters of talisman diagrams.”

The Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Heavens says: “A scroll of heavenly writing suddenly appeared. Each character in it was ten feet square. It manifested spontaneously amid empty stillness and profound mystery, its patterns brilliant. Light streamed down from its eight corners, shining so brightly that no one could look directly at it.”

The Scripture of Taiwei says: “The Three Heavenly Sovereigns, the perfected ones of Heaven, concealed the writing of the Eight Assemblies, sacred script written in eight forms, on Mount Weiyu. The Taiwei Heavenly Emperor stored a copy of it on Mount Gui.”

The Three Sovereigns Scripture says: The natural writings handed down by the Three Sovereigns were all made of gold and jade. The scripture obtained by the Celestial Sovereign was written on slips of dark jade, with characters carved in blue jade; the scripture obtained by the Earth Sovereign was written on slips of yellow jade, with characters carved in white jade; and the scripture obtained by the Human Sovereign was written on slips of red jade, with characters carved in yellow jade. Gold hooks threaded the slips together, and gold locks joined them. They were placed on a jade table, covered with a beaded cloth, scented with five kinds of incense, and offered ten kinds of flowers. Jade boys and jade girls stood on either side holding feather dusters, while True Officials and other celestial functionaries guarded and transmitted these mysterious scriptures. Auspicious birds and sacred beasts—including evil-averting spirits, lions, qilin, phoenixes, Azure Dragons, White Tigers, Black Tortoises, and Vermilion Birds—were present to protect them, along with countless musicians and performers. Divine generals such as the Six Jia and Six Ding, together with their three-and-five retinues, also stood guard and served these scriptures with reverence.

The Wondrous Scripture of the Jade Book of the Great Empyrean of the Cavern of Truth says: The Scripture of the Divine Mystery and Transformation of Purple Transcendence and Blazing Radiance was not compiled from an earlier book bearing the title “Purple Transcendence and Blazing Radiance.” It is a wondrous scripture in its own right. It arose spontaneously from the void: Qi condensed into its chapters, and it shone with a subtle, mysterious radiance. Only after seven thousand years did the scripture become manifest. The Great Emperor of Taiwei, a revered deity of the heavens, arranged its contents on purple slips and then transcribed the scripture in full on golden slips. He therefore named it the Scripture of the Divine Mystery and Transformation of Purple Transcendence and Blazing Radiance.

The Scripture on the Regulations of the Most High, the Supreme Truth says that understanding the essentials of attaining the Dao depends on the scriptures. Scriptures, talismans and registers, liturgies, and precepts must all be free of error. Copies must be checked five times, then studied and practiced repeatedly.

From the beginning to the end of the celestial cycles, each age has its corresponding scriptures. Their total number is beyond calculation; here, only one example will be given. Important writings from every region under Heaven, especially those urgently needed, are likewise too numerous to count. From the creation of Heaven and Earth to the end of the cosmic kalpa, the Central Plains had 123,000 scrolls of scripture. The Yi, Man, Rong, and Di peoples in the four directions each had 84,000 scrolls, in addition to scriptures whose number cannot be determined.

From the age of the Three Sovereigns through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the revered Laozi served as a teacher, appearing in the world to transform living beings. The methods of inner learning he transmitted comprised 13,000 scrolls. The various true scriptures condensed into written characters in empty space; sage teachers appeared in the world to transmit and transform through them, after which they were written down and circulated for practice. Early scriptures were inscribed on jade tablets and in books of gold, with slips made from the seven treasures. Later generations replaced these traditional scripture slips with bamboo and wood, silk, and paper.

The original catalogue of all the scriptures is preserved in full in the Purple Tenuity Palace on Jade Capital Mountain, the Great Mysterious Metropolis. Other places received portions of it according to their needs for teaching and transformation. Even with an incomplete catalogue, one may still attain the Dao; but when the canonical texts are incomplete, attaining the Dao is more difficult, and when they are complete, it is easier.