《太上大道玉清经》

The Taishang Dadao Yuqing Jing (Scripture of the Most High Great Dao of Jade Purity) is a Daoist scripture included in the Zhonghua Daozang, in the Section of the Three Caverns Scriptures and Teachings. “Taishang” means supreme and unsurpassed; “Dadao” means the fundamental principle of all things in the universe; “Yuqing” is the highest heavenly realm among the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) realms in Daoism.

In “Benqi Pin Diyi,” the “pin” is a unit by which scriptures are divided into chapters; “benqi” refers to the root and beginning of things; “diyi” indicates that this is the first chapter of the entire scripture. Judging from the title, this chapter should narrate the origin of this scripture or of heaven, earth, and the myriad things; the specific content must be seen in the main text.

Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Heavenly Worthy), together with many worthies and sages and countless billions of believers, often traveled about everywhere, and finally looked down upon the “Qixian World” (the World of Discarded Worthies). At that time, the merits and blessings of all people throughout the four quarters of the world were about to come to an end. Soon afterward, a great kalpa descended, altering the course of Heaven; the people withered and died, the world lost order, and the Great Dao no longer prevailed. People valued only attack and warfare, abused punishment and killing, raised armies everywhere, and plotted against one another. Neighboring states severed moral bonds and were no longer friendly; the strong bullied the weak and seized the property of orphans and widows. Bandits rose on all sides, and Heaven sent down calamitous anomalies and portents: the sun and moon were eclipsed and diminished, the stars fell, and the Seven Luminaries moved out of their proper courses. Thunder and rain came without clouds, sometimes blood rained down, and all kinds of strange things appeared. Floods and droughts fell out of balance, all grains withered and scorched, the earth quaked and split open everywhere, mountains collapsed, gold and jade melted away, fierce beasts ate people, and malevolent deities appeared in bodily form, spreading poisons, diseases, and plagues. The earth grew hair, and the six domestic animals—cattle, horses, sheep, chickens, dogs, and pigs—opened their mouths and spoke, all with voices like humans. The people of the world were terrified and uneasy; rulers and ministers suspected one another, fathers and sons harmed one another, and people did not cultivate the good path but kept company only with evil. Over five hundred years the situation grew steadily worse, until even the desire to live could not be fulfilled. Some, unable to bear the suffering, threw themselves into abysses, cast themselves into fire, or hanged themselves. People were hungry and distressed, and even ate one another. The earth dried up, and springs no longer flowed. At this time, the Heavenly Worthy and the assembled sages, out of compassion for living beings, saw that their lifespans were about to end and that they had no refuge; people fled in terror, wept and wailed, and their pain was as if they were being burned by fierce fire. Thereupon the Heavenly Worthy, by the power of great compassion, sat together with the assembled sages in the mysterious void, one hundred zhang above the earth. At that moment Heaven and Earth shook violently for seven days and seven nights without ceasing; and in the void auspicious signs appeared: the sun and moon regained their radiant discs and shone brilliantly, the stars were bright, wind and rain fell in season, clouds and rosy mists spread across the sky, and the seasonal climates became harmonious and fitting.

Incense smoke curled through the void, and the chanting of scriptures blended with it. The golden bells rang clear and pure, the jade chimes resounded, and music like thunder rolled far and spread through the four quarters. All kinds of heavenly music, needing no human effort, sounded spontaneously in the air.

The dragon throne was fully arrayed, feathered canopies were raised high, the shadows of spirit standards fell into the clouds, long banners hung down from the horizon, immortal flowers covered the earth, and cloud curtains were spread through the air. Lions roared toward the sky, divine beasts lowered their heads and cried out, golden phoenixes sang in unison, horned dragons uttered wondrous notes, jade and stone instruments kept time, and the voices of all things murmured in low response.

Tianzun (the most revered deity in Daoism) and the assembled sages all emitted rays of bodily light, illuminating the worlds of the ten directions, so that no dark place remained unlit. The radiance underwent a thousand transformations and, in an instant, produced ten thousand changes. Within each ray appeared a Perfected Being (Zhenren), each with attendants of his own, whose clear voices rang out and proclaimed the subtle teachings of the Dao (the Way).

Beneath the four heavens, the kings and subjects of every country, and all beings human and nonhuman, saw Tianzun, the Great Sage, seated in the air. Together with the Perfected Lord of the Great Creation (Dazao Zhenjun) and the Giant Spirit Immortal (Juling Xianren), he deliberated on the cycles of kalpas, saved all beings, revised anew the Cangyuan Great Register (the sacred ledger recording the cycles of heaven and earth), and prolonged the destiny of heaven and earth.

Tianzun then issued the True Writs of the Five Emperors and the Cloud-and-Rainbow Chapters inscribed on golden slips, to safeguard the five directions. He further commanded the Five Emperors, the river gods, and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to clear the springs, send down sweet dew, and moisten the earth. He ordered the Wind Lord and Rain Master to harmonize Yin-Yang so that cold and heat would be seasonable. He commanded the Five Emperors and the earth deities to unite in harmony, so that the hundred grains would grow and medicinal herbs flourish. He commanded the envoys of the Five Emperors to subdue demons and evils. He ordered the heavenly dragons and thunder gods to overawe the treacherous and rebellious and to repel the Qi (vital energy) of yin evil. He ordered the wind-gathering immortals to harmonize the Qi of heaven and earth, so that popular customs would become honest and human relations harmonious: rulers and ministers in concord, fathers kind and sons filial, the violent and wicked reforming themselves and turning toward goodness, the hidden and the manifest each returning to its proper place, poisons and epidemics hidden away, and demons and evil spirits concealed.

Fragrant flowers, plants, and medicinal herbs flourished everywhere; the five grains set fruit, ripening in both winter and summer; flowing springs were sweet and clear and overflowed on every side. He also commanded the Five Dipper Immortal Lords (the immortal officials in charge of the stars of the Northern Dipper) to rectify the Xuanji (the turning mechanism of the Northern Dipper, by extension astronomy and calendrics), mark out the solar path, and array the stars so that each rested in its proper place.

Sweet, clear springs flowed everywhere, abundant and full. He also commanded the Five Dipper Immortal Lords (Wudou Xianjun; immortal officials who govern the star dippers of the five directions and regulate celestial phenomena) to circulate and turn the Xuanji (armillary instrument for measuring the heavens), to distinguish and set the courses of the sun and moon, and to arrange the positions of the stars. He further commanded the benevolent deities of the Four Heavens (Sitian Shanshen; benevolent deities guarding the four quarters of the heavens) to assist the Son of Heaven. He also dispatched immortal officials to take charge of state affairs in turn, so that the world was guided by Dao and De (the Way and Virtue/Power), the myriad people enjoyed peace and happiness, neighboring states exchanged friendly relations, and grudges and enmities dissolved. People promoted great righteousness, all walked the upright path, and each kept to his or her proper station. Thereupon Taishang Daojun (the Supreme Lord of the Dao, i.e., Taishang Laojun, one of the honored deities of Daoism and regarded as an incarnation of the Dao) took pity on the myriad things. Sentient beings were stirring with life yet fragile and endangered, so he stirred the mysterious wind, guiding sentient beings to ingest the harmonious Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth and to bathe in the teaching of the Great Dao, causing the decaying to regain flourishing and those on the verge of ruin to attain fulfillment.

At that time, the Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy)—that is, Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning of Jade Purity, one of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing))—together with all the great sages and countless billions of sentient beings, each riding heavenly treasure jade terraces, descended upon the various lands. The Son of Heaven, kings, ministers, and all the common people in those lands, men and women, old and young, made offerings everywhere, burned incense, presented flowers, played music, sang praises, and listened to the Dharma with admiration.

Then the Daojun of the Eight Man Peoples of the South, together with countless holy multitudes, each riding crimson-cloud carriages (immortal carriages made of red clouds), descended from the Nanchang Palace. The True Lords of the Five Di Peoples in the Dark Heaven (Xuantian) of the North, together with countless immortal officials, each riding dark-cloud treasure carriages, descended and, in the sky, assessed the disasters of water and fire and the cycles of destiny and kalpas. There were also the Daojun of the Six Rong Peoples of the West, together with countless immortal perfected, each riding treasure carriages of the three-pure flowing clouds, who descended from Haoyuan Heaven. There were also the Daojun of the Nine Yi Peoples of the East, together with countless multitudes, each riding carriages of azure-cloud flying wheels, who descended from Shiqing Heaven and, together with the Daojun of the Six Rong Peoples, assessed the disasters of war and pestilence and kept registers recording the good and evil, merits and demerits, of sentient beings.

Then the Central Xuhuang Taixuan Laojun (Laojun of the Grand Mystery, Emperor of Emptiness) rose and, accepting the petitions of the Jade Contracts on his left and right (immortal officials in charge of heavenly contracts), proclaimed the mysterious principles of creation and the profoundly hidden supreme Dharma-gate, in order to rectify the celestial origin, adjust the cycles of destiny, harmonize the Qi of the four seasons, and transform and give birth to the myriad things.

At that time, in the Qixian world there was a king named Dezheng. He was intelligent and upright, quick in response, skilled in debate, and an incarnation who came into the world in accord with heavenly destiny and bearing virtue and blessing. To save living beings, he took upon himself the responsibility of guiding the people and proclaimed to the male and female subjects throughout the country: Now the world is at peace, the realm is free of trouble, fires have been quelled, wars and plagues no longer arise, and the five grains are abundant. All this is due to the grace of the Great Dao (the Way), not something that came about naturally. How can we repay this boundless Daoist grace? Only with wholehearted reverence and offering: building temples, offering incense, flowers, lamps, and candles, bowing and reciting scriptures morning and evening, observing fasts and repenting, so as to seek blessings. Now is precisely the time when the Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy) is assessing human fortune and destiny. For myself and for you, I bow my head and take refuge in the Supreme True Dao, earnestly beseeching compassionate salvation and asking to be granted the highest essential teachings. I wish that all people in the realm may extend their years and each live out their allotted span. I also wish to respectfully invite the Supreme True Dao to descend upon our country, to express my humble intention and the sincerity of my offerings. Will you, the people, share this vow with me?

Then in the country there were six hundred thousand elders, led by Elder Shenxin, Elder Wutong, Elder Wenming, Elder Xuanhui, and others, who came from all directions over long distances to have audience with the king. When they heard the king’s decree, they did not dare to believe it completely. There were also eighty ministers, led by Minister Baoming. The remaining ministers and elders harbored doubts and discussed among themselves: Since we were born into this world, our grandparents and parents have passed down the saying that there is a true Dao, but we have never seen it with our own eyes. The Great Void is empty, vast, and remote—what proof is there? That the world is now at peace is Heaven’s arrangement; what does it have to do with the power of the Dao?

At this time, Minister Baoming was intelligent, eloquent, and upright; his words always had grounds, and all under Heaven trusted him. Seeing the crowd’s doubt and impure faith, he spoke in a loud voice before the king. What he sang was precisely a response to the crowd’s questions, and the final sentence of the original text once again repeats the crowd’s question: “Now this peace comes of itself from Heaven—what has it to do with the power of the Dao?”

Minister Baoming was intelligent and eloquent, upright in character; his words were always well grounded, and everyone under Heaven trusted him. Perceiving that the people harbored doubts and that their hearts were not pure, he said aloud before the king:

“I have heard that Taiji Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of the Supreme Ultimate) established Heaven and Earth, bears up and covers all things, brought forth the light of the sun and moon, set the stars in motion, circulates the true Qi (vital energy) of transformation and nurture, and nourishes all living beings. Though he dwells in the higher realm, he can respond to transformations and bring universal aid to the lower world. Today the world is at peace and the nation’s destiny endures, all through the power of the Great Dao. Yet sentient beings are foolish and ignorant, knowing only how to get through each day, feeling no shame in their hearts, and instead forgetting the root. They even say that today’s peace comes naturally from Heaven and has nothing to do with the Great Dao. How can you deceive yourselves like this? I have heard that the Great Dao gives birth to Heaven and Earth, and that Heaven and Earth honor the Great Dao, and so they can be stable and tranquil; all things value De (Virtue/Power), and so they can grow fully. You do not believe in the Great Dao—this is your great fault. It is like foolish people in the world who have no compassion in their hearts, defy their parents, abandon their brothers, and yet live at ease by themselves, saying that they grew up on their own and have nothing to do with their parents. You foolish people are exactly like this.”

When Baoming spoke these words, his De moved Heaven and Earth; in the void a rain of flowers descended, fragrant clouds spread, and all was dim. Then a voice was heard from the sky above: “The Dao and De do not display themselves; the Zhenren (Perfected) does not rely on merit. In the hidden depths and mysterious distance there is sincerity, and so compassion and grace can thereby be connected.”

The voice in the air had just ceased when, in a moment, wind, thunder, and lightning suddenly erupted in the northwest; clouds and mist covered the sky, and only around the Heavenly King and Baoming was there brilliant light, each illuminating a square zhang. Seeing these auspicious signs from afar, the people felt remorse in their hearts, kowtowed and begged for their lives, pledged allegiance to the Great King, sincerely gave their faith, and became attuned to the unseen Great Dao. After a short while, the wind and thunder stopped, the clouds and mist dispersed, and all the subjects throughout the kingdom bowed their heads to the king in homage and asked: “We do not know whether the teaching the Great King gave earlier means that he wishes to invite the Tianzhen (celestial true deities) to descend to the royal court. May the Great King issue his decree and tell us what is required. We only hope the Great King will pity all living beings and guide those who have not yet heard the Great Dao.”

Notes: Taiji Tianzun is a high deity of Daoism, dwelling in the higher realm and serving as creator and sovereign of Heaven, Earth, and all things. Tianzhen refers to deities or immortals who have attained the Dao, a general term for Zhenren of the higher realms. “De moves Heaven and Earth” reflects the Daoist belief that the virtue of cultivators or worthies can resonate with Heaven and Earth and give rise to miraculous phenomena.

The King said: The Dao (the Way) exists within the human heart. One need only serve it with reverence, build Daoist temples, prepare all necessary offerings, worship and pray morning and evening, repent of faults, and seek blessings. When the celestial true deities descended upon the King’s court, they asked the King to issue an edict: What are the required offerings? May the great King have compassion for sentient beings and guide those who have not yet heard the Great Dao.

(The King repeated the same words: The Dao is in the human heart; one need only serve it with reverence, build Daoist temples, prepare all necessities, worship and pray morning and evening, repent of faults, and seek blessings.) When the assembly heard this, they rejoiced and bowed in gratitude for the King’s grace of nurturing and sustaining them.

The King further instructed: “Each of you should first return home, withdraw and observe the fast, reflect on your faults, bathe body and mind, and relay this to those around you who have not yet heard, exactly as in my instruction.” Hearing this, they all took leave of the King and returned home.

Thereupon the King immediately ordered the minister Baoming to announce throughout the city and countryside: purify the palaces, sweep the city walls, burn incense everywhere, make reverent offerings, display all the rare and wondrous treasures of the world, and set up beds and seats.

On the day the fast was completed, the people of the whole country gathered from the four directions like clouds. The King, together with the inner and outer ministers and family members, sprinkled perfumed water upon the ground, set up canopies and beds, and prepared all utensils. All throughout the country, high and low, bowed from afar toward the ten directions and ceaselessly practiced rites and vows day and night for seven days and seven nights, praying that the Supreme Correct and True Dao descend into the human world. Sentient beings, tiny and crawling, are truly worthy of compassion.

At noon on the fifteenth day of the third month, in the northwest sky there suddenly appeared nine-colored auspicious clouds, brilliant and radiant; fragrant breezes were pure and gentle; sacred chanting was harmonious and elegant; heavenly music was bright and resonant. Sweet dew rained from the sky, the earth trembled, and hundred-jeweled heavenly flowers descended, astonishing the world. Cloud chariots and feathered canopies came floating through the air, and all the realized immortals and great sages each rode upon platforms of heavenly treasures, from within which emitted a faint, night-luminous radiance. Then five-colored divine light illuminated the void, its radiance surpassing the sun and moon, enveloping the royal city and lasting for seven days and seven nights.

Note: “The ten directions” refers to east, south, west, north, northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest, above, and below—ten directions in all, generally meaning all directions; “withdrawing from the fast” refers to the conclusion of the fast; “celestial true ones” refers to the true immortals and divine spirits of the heavens; “all the realized immortals and great sages” refers to advanced adepts who cultivated the Dao and became immortals.

By the power of compassion, the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) perfected the virtue of great compassion, rescuing and safeguarding living beings and showing pity for living beings. He causes the deaf to hear and the blind to see, heals all kinds of illness, acts as a guide for living beings and as a ferry across, protects and stabilizes the kalpa, and renews all things.

Thereupon the king, the ministers, and people of all kinds bowed once more and earnestly beseeched the Heavenly Worthy to unfold the great transformation, to compassionately bring forth and nurture the multitude of beings, to make their ears and eyes clear and discerning, to enable them to enter the right path, and to make them capable of receiving the teachings of the secret essentials.

Thereupon the Heavenly Worthy commanded the immortal Juling to tell the king: As ruler of a state, honored by all under Heaven, occupying the highest station in the world, you are the most noble among mortals. If you were not one who had first cultivated this Dao, who else could compare? So long as you govern and transform by the true Dharma and do not wrong the common people, that is enough to move Heaven above; why trouble yourself further to seek the secret essentials? The Dao of the secret essentials is difficult to hear in haste. The king and ministers are inherently bodies endowed with merit and virtue; only by relying on the power of skillful means do they wish to open the ears and eyes of living beings.

(Note: Juling is the name of an immortal in Daoist scriptures; “secret essentials” refers to the hidden essential instructions for cultivating the Dao; “guide” and “ferry” mean to lead and ferry living beings across.)

The Heavenly Worthy said: The entry into the secret essentials is none other than compassion and good deeds; the methods of beneficence cannot contravene the precepts and regulations. By the power of great compassion and great pity I bring the land to fulfillment. When the assembly heard these words, they were all filled with joy, and in their hearts they were willing to observe the precepts.

The Heavenly Worthy further said: The precepts are of many kinds, and people’s natures are also of many grades. People of the highest grade are themselves without the fault of breaking the precepts. Since they have no fault, they need not deliberately keep them. People of the middle grade have natures that are sometimes higher and sometimes lower; when they encounter the temptations of external conditions, they waver, and so they need the precepts to restrain themselves and keep the mind from indulgence. Such people may receive and uphold the Ten Precepts or the Five Precepts as protection for themselves. People of the lower grade have a profusion of evil thoughts, which are very difficult to control.

Among the lower grade there are again two types. The higher of them are willing to uphold the precepts—sometimes receiving and upholding the one hundred and ninety-nine precepts, sometimes the Three Hundred Great Precepts of Contemplating the Body, sometimes the one thousand two hundred precepts of dignified conduct—using them for protection and preservation so that they do not overstep or become self-indulgent. The lowest among the lower grade are no different in body from birds and beasts; though they have human form, they lack human nature. Even if they receive and uphold these precepts, in the end it is of no benefit.

Now I confer the second rank, the middle-grade Ten Precepts, as the initial gate regulations for entering the Dao. When the assembly heard this, their joy exceeded the ordinary; all prostrated themselves on the ground and respectfully uttered their vows to uphold the precepts.

Note: In the original, the paragraphs concerning “people of the lower and middle grades” and “people of the lower grade” contain repetition, which is suspected to be interpolated text from copying or printing; the translation here has merged them according to the meaning. “The one thousand two hundred dignified conduct [precepts]” refers to the numerous precepts of dignified conduct in Daoism; “the Three Hundred Great Precepts of Contemplating the Body” and “the one hundred and ninety-nine precepts,” etc., are all different numbers of precepts established by Daoism according to grade and belong to its divisions of cultivation levels.

The Heavenly Worthy said: The first precept is not to disobey or defy one’s parents and teachers, or to be rebellious and unfilial. The second is not to kill living beings, and not to slaughter or dismember any sentient creature. The third is not to rebel against the ruler or plot against the state. This one is most important. Why? The rulers of successive ages all follow the heavenly cycles and arise in accordance with the times, governing all under Heaven, and they are the foundation on which the common people depend for survival. Once the ruler is lost, the people cannot come to a good end. For this reason, you should understand this.

The fourth is not to engage in sexual misconduct with close blood relatives, aunts, sisters, or the wives and daughters of others. The fifth is not to slander the Dao and its teachings, or to treat the scriptures with contempt and divulge them carelessly. The sixth is not to defile the pure ritual altar by wearing thin clothing or exposing oneself indecently. The seventh is not to bully the orphaned, suffering, and impoverished, or to seize others’ property. The eighth is not to expose one’s body beneath the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—or to abuse the elderly and the sick and weak. The ninth is not to indulge in alcohol and act willfully, or to stir up discord with gossip and revile others with harsh words. The tenth is not to be fierce and violent, arrogant about one’s own abilities, or to falsely accuse others and abuse punishment. These ten precepts should be upheld throughout one’s life.

The Heavenly Worthy further said: Those who are unfilial to their parents and teachers will fall after death into hell, the place of underworld punishment, and pass through ten thousand kalpas without escape. Even if reborn as human beings, they will be orphaned and helpless, bullied by others, and remain long in lowly stations. Those who delight in killing living beings will, through five hundred lifetimes of rebirth, suffer the pain of having their limbs cut and severed. Those who rebel against the ruler will fall after death into hell and endure suffering for ten thousand kalpas. Even if reborn, they will be born in remote wastelands beyond a ruler’s jurisdiction, constantly subject to attack, raids, and plunder, fearful and uneasy morning and evening. The precept against sexual misconduct is the heaviest among the ten precepts.

If a man or woman directs even a single thought toward the six kinds of close blood kin—parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and the like—and gives rise to lustful sexual thoughts, that person must endure the suffering of hell for eighty thousand great kalpas: iron nails pierce the body, and there are all kinds of burning and boiling. After leaving hell, they must be reborn in the forms of the six domestic animals; after another eighty thousand kalpas, they are reborn as worms in latrines, and then another eighty thousand kalpas pass. Good man, you should now understand: the retribution for a single thought of sexual desire toward close blood kin is already like this. If one goes further and commits evil acts toward close blood kin, the offense is even more unspeakable. Such a person should not walk with others, sit with them, sleep with them, or live within the same li. I call such a person “a person of the ten evils.” Although such a person’s body may be strong, their hun and po souls have already been controlled by evil ghosts; good deities no longer protect them. Their body is not fit to remain in the Daoist sacred site and should be quickly driven away and made to leave; nor should they be allowed to serve as a teacher or instruct others. Those who become teachers or companions of such people will have conduct similar to theirs, and nine generations of ancestors will also be tortured because of it. Such a person is also called “a corrupter.” Good men and good women, you should know: sexual misconduct, killing, plunder, theft, bullying orphans and the weak, treating the poor and sick with contempt, slandering the good path, undermining people of virtue, and blaspheming the true Jing (scriptures)—these offenses are all extremely grave, and there is no need to list them one by one. If you only carefully uphold the precepts, the Great Dao will naturally descend upon you. Thereupon the king, ministers, and good men joyfully accepted and practiced it, not daring to violate it.

The Dao Lord (Daojun) then commanded Juling Zhenjun (True Lord Juling) to transmit to the king the upper, middle, and lower chapters of the King’s Cloud-Seal Heavenly Book—one thousand secret methods in all. These secret methods had soft jade for bamboo slips and purple gold for writing; after conferring them, he had the king recite and uphold them. The scripture says that this precious scripture is Heaven’s precious writing: one need only recite it single-mindedly, and the human body can fly and never perish. The way of the Six Penetrations (Liutong, the six supernatural powers in Daoism) lies entirely in the application of mind and intention.

The Dao Lord also told the king: “You should know that the conditions under the four heavens (between heaven and earth and the four directions) are no different from those of today; there is no other world. The awe-inspiring power of the Great Dao manifests everywhere and according to kind, using expedient methods to guide and receive sentient beings; it is profoundly mysterious and beyond conception. After a thousand days, you may transmit this method to sincere, trustworthy, worthy, and good people in the kingdom, so that together you may support the world, cause the Mysterious Gate (Xuanmen, Daoism) to open widely, and let the transformation of the Dao spread. All men and women throughout the country should carefully observe the precepts as if guarding a bright pearl. The king and his ministers should govern the country by the upright Dao and concentrate on recitation.” The king then ordered Daoist temples and abbeys to be established throughout the country, devoted solely to cultivating the Dao and seeking nothing else. The people of the kingdom bowed and each departed.

The king cultivated and recited the true text. When a full thousand days had passed, he abandoned the royal throne, abdicated the imperial position, and passed the kingship to his eldest son Shanxiu, who took sole charge of state affairs and inherited his father’s style of governance. After Shanxiu had ruled for more than ninety years, he in turn passed the throne to his younger brother Shanshan. Shanshan governed the country still following their father’s family tradition. The king’s descendants and disciples, more than six thousand in all, succeeded one another generation after generation; over thirty-six thousand years passed, and the world was at peace.

The father king and Shanxiu cultivated and guarded the most wondrous Dao for more than forty years and thereby attained the complete Six Penetrations. Because the two had long held state power and were entangled in worldly conventions, the Dao Lord first had them preside over state affairs in the rank of middle immortal (zhongxian, a grade in the immortal realm), but they had not yet advanced to Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), one of the highest realms in the Daoist immortal world.

From this day onward, because this disciple had distinguished merits and widespread renown, Taishang Daojun (Most High Lord of the Dao) transmitted the secret essentials to him and conferred upon the prince and others the office of Taizhen (a high celestial rank), having them attend the Tianzhen (Heavenly Perfected)—those who have attained the Dao and become Perfected—and go to various countries to teach living beings. According to different categories they manifested different forms, relieved people’s calamities and suffering, expounded scriptures and teachings, and converted the people of the world. Thereupon Taizhen and the assembled sages mutually revealed one another’s radiance, acted as teachers to one another, and supported one another in turn.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the first year of Kaiguang, they crossed the Mysterious Valley from the north, ascended the Terrace of Langfeng (a legendary immortal terrace in the Kunlun Mountains), paid homage to the Supreme Perfected Lord, and requested entry into Daluo Heaven (the highest heaven in Daoism) to have audience with the Ancestor of Primordial Qi and the Patriarch of the High Mystery.

The Perfected Lord said: “Although you have attained the six supernatural powers (liutong), your cultivation of the Dao is still insufficient. Why? You were not born naturally but became a Perfected through learning and cultivation. The Source of Primordial Qi is a natural body formed through the blended transformation of true Qi; the Ancestor of Primordial Qi is the sole sovereign among the ten thousand Daos, the Great Sage of Entrusted Qi, the Perfected of Emptiness and Nonbeing. Such Perfected are difficult to meet. They undergo billions of transformations while their essential body remains one; they are enduring and remote, tranquil and empty, vast and profound, and no words or forms can describe them. The various heterodox paths of the ten directions and the thirty-six thousand methods of cultivation all take the Perfected of Emptiness and Nonbeing as their root.

“Moreover, since I attained the Dao, the kalpas I have passed through cannot be calculated; I have manifested only twice to meet you. In addition, the Heavenly Emperor calculated the course of time and ordered me to convert living beings, attend the Heavenly Worthy, go to the four quarters of the world to teach the various countries, and spread Dao Qi. Why? To delay the fire Qi calamity of this kalpa, carry out Daoist teaching and conversion, suppress the Yang Nine calamity, and cause the fire essence to perish. When the later kalpa arrives, heaven and earth will collapse, the people’s blessings will end, and by the law there will be no way to save them. This is the cycle of destiny reaching its end; it is naturally so.

“At the beginning of the water kalpa, my Dao flourished greatly; for 370,000 years the people were simple and honest. After this, the Great Dao gradually fell into disuse, Yin Qi grew stronger, people became opportunistic and sought luck, built empty tombs on a large scale, and erected many temples, spreading them throughout the world.”

If men and women harbor heterodox thoughts, practice improper methods, and fail to follow orthodox ritual norms and regulations, but merely cry out and seek death—some leap into fire pits, some throw themselves into abysses, some mutilate their limbs. They gather crowds to practice their way, singing praises and also weeping and wailing. Some dwell in empty tombs and sit silently, some embrace corpses, some reverently venerate dry bones, some use feces and filth as ritual altars, some smear the ground with fragrant mud, and others fail to honor their parents and perform all sorts of bizarre austerities. Some eat polluted things and stop at nothing; in the end they cannot attain the true orthodox Dao. When human hearts are biased and depraved, and father and son lack moral obligation, the factions within heterodox cults grow ever more numerous.

Before the Great Water Kalpa (a great catastrophe between heaven and earth, chiefly a flood) arrives, a Lesser Water Kalpa will come first and last for ten years before ceasing. Within the four thousand years thereafter, wars will erupt among heterodox cults, and they will plot against one another. Some will proclaim themselves kings and enjoy success for ten or a hundred days, only to perish by their own doing. Propriety between fathers and sons will be lost; the strong will bully the weak; relatives of the same clan will commit sexual misconduct with one another. Though they have human form, they will lack human conscience, engaging in dangerous strife and mutual distrust.

If this time arrives, heterodox ways will gradually flourish, Yin Qi will reach its extreme, and before long the world will drift and sink; people will turn into fish, and flood dragons will devour human beings. At this time, according to the law, one should search for and select the Seed People (zhongmin, those who preserve the seed of humanity) and settle them in the Land of Blessing (fuxiang, a place of blessed reward and refuge). These people should be diligent and endure hardship, not slackening morning or evening. This is what is meant by the Great Dao being propagated through human beings themselves: my fate lies in my own hands, to be upheld by oneself. When the heart is upright, one resonates with the Dao; when one follows heterodoxy, disaster descends. Those who delight in killing only harm themselves; one should practice great compassion.

“Yuan Dui Pin, Chapter Two” is the chapter title of this scripture, indicating that this passage belongs to the second chapter.

At that time, Taizhen—the perfected immortals who have attained the Dao in Daoism—together with the thirty-six thousand who had newly attained the Dao in Taiqing Heaven, attended at the Heavenly Worthy’s side. The Heavenly Worthy taught in the realm of the highest heavens and also traveled through the lower realms among barbarian peoples, birds and beasts, and various alien lands. According to the inclinations of the sentient beings in each place, he established norms for them, made various manifestations, bestowed teachings and benefits, and used the skillful means of spiritual transformations to subdue their minds.

The Heavenly Worthy came to the right of the Black Water in the west—a black body of water in the west—and saw a world eight thousand li across. The sentient beings therein were of many mixed kinds; all lived in caves and holes and devoured one another. The land produced xingji—evil thorny trees—poisonous grasses, and various other trees. The springs were pitch-black and foul-smelling, unfit even for washing.

West of that world was a great river whose surface extended more than five thousand li. Its water was murky, and only many poisonous dragons dwelt within it. The wind and waves on the river were swift and perilous, so that no boat could cross. On the river’s eastern bank was a flat plain three thousand li wide, rising five hundred zhang above the water.

At the edge of that world there was another great river, similar to the one just described: its water was murky, poisonous dragons were numerous, and the wind and waves were dangerous and swift, so that boats could not navigate it. On its eastern bank there was likewise a flat plain three thousand li wide, rising five hundred zhang above the water.

The people of this world: half had no eyes and walked by leading one another; when hungry they devoured one another, and when thirsty they drank blood. Those who had eyes were all afflicted with foul diseases; their eyebrows and hair fell out, sores formed on their bodies and suppurated, and turbid blood flowed out. There were also many pythons that devoured the people. Here there was no ethical order of ruler and minister or father and son; people often fought one another. When the eyeless heard the sounds of weapons, they would naturally flee in panic; some fell into the river and were bitten and devoured by the poisonous dragons. Those who did not fall into the river were devoured by bands of robbers, crying out in terror, suffering and anguished.

There were also ditches and pits overflowing with foul, impure matter, and the stench billowed and spread. In the pits were many maggots and worms; their heads and faces resembled humans’, their bodies were one zhang long, and they could cry out. They had no hands or feet and writhed along on their bellies. There were also jue birds—legendary great birds resembling apes—that pecked at and ate them, leaving a scattered mess and a stench that filled the heavens. Again, in the pits were many maggots and worms, with human-like heads and faces, one zhang long, able to cry out, lacking hands and feet, writhing and crawling on their bellies.

This passage of scripture describes the various torments in the hells.

There is a bird called the jue bird (a bird of prey) that pecks at the bodies of sinners, leaving bones scattered in disarray and a stench filling the air. There are also malevolent ghosts whose body bristles are like needles; they exhale breath at people, and anyone touched by this breath feels as if burned by fire.

North of the level ground are six great hells. Their gates are one zhang square, but once inside they grow wider and wider, bottomlessly deep. Within the hells one hears only the roar of wind, thunder, and fire carts, wailing and screams, and the clashing sounds of knives, saws, mallets, and clubs. People cry out for rescue and beg for life. Smoke and flames rage fiercely, and fiery heat shoots straight into the sky.

In the first hell due west, the sounds of wind and water are also heard; the cold pierces the bone, making it impossible to approach, and from the darkness come panting, whistling sounds. The winds blowing from the six great hells all carry scorched, foul, rank, and filthy odors beyond imagination.

A li and a half north of the hell gate is a surging spring of boiling liquid, its surface six li around. In the boiling liquid churn yellow water, grease, rotten skin, shattered bones, and blood and flesh, surging up with the boiling water. From the spring come whimpering cries of grief, and billowing steam rushes straight into people’s faces.

On the northern bank of the boiling spring stand a mountain of knives and a forest of swords. The bones and flesh of the newly dead and the long dead are scattered at the foot of the mountain. Corpses hang thickly from the tips of the blades; tendons, skin, bones, and flesh are cut apart, and joints and meridians separate from one another. At the sight of such suffering, sinners cannot even see their own bodies clearly.

There is another hell, the Hell of Flaying Alive, which specifically punishes those who kill sheep. After death such people fall into this hell and endure this suffering; after five hundred years they are reborn as sheep. They must then repay through five hundred lifetimes in a sheep’s body, passing through one repayment after another with no end.

East of the boiling spring is another hell, the Hell of Wind and Blades, one li in extent. This hell punishes four kinds of people: those who destroy the good path and violate ritual codes, laws, and precepts; those who leak or neglect the True Texts; those who transmit scriptures and teachings to people who should not receive them; and those who sell Daoist teachings for personal profit. After death these people fall into this hell and must suffer for one kalpa (an extremely long unit of time). Fierce winds blow, and their bodies are cut and pierced by blades again and again; in a single day they undergo a thousand births and ten thousand deaths. After leaving this hell they are still reborn as humans, but are afflicted with malevolent diseases, dull in faculties and nature, long remain among the lowly, and never hear Daoist teachings.

The guilty souls released from hell were mostly reborn in remote, desolate places beyond the reach of civilizing instruction, where they were constantly harassed and plundered and lived in terror day and night. Their bodies were short and ugly, their breath foul, and throughout their lives they never heard the Jing (scriptures) or the Dharma. Daojun (the Supreme Honored Deity), together with Taizhen (the Perfected Immortals) and the whole holy assembly, took pity on these sinners whose suffering had no end, and so saved those guilty souls and also saved the deaf, the blind, and all in the world afflicted by such suffering, enabling them to transcend birth and death and to awaken to liberation.

Thereupon, in the mysterious void-realm above this world, a hundred zhang above the ground, they bowed from afar toward the primordial Qi. The Gaoxuan Wushang Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy of High Mystery and Supreme Heaven), by the divine power of the Dao, entered the state of the “Great Samadhi of the Six Voids” (Liuxu Dading), manifesting a hundred billion transformation bodies. From each body radiated a thousand rays of light, and within each ray a perfected immortal sat upright on a flying-dragon seat, proclaiming the wondrous Dharma. Jade-like tones resounded like thunder; on the left metal bells were struck, on the right jade chimes were beaten. Nine-colored flowing clouds covered this entire realm, and within the clouds holy assemblies gathered around and expounded the Dharma.

The earth trembled, sweet dew fell from heaven, and fragrant springs gushed forth; all things were shaken with awe, and the three lights of sun, moon, and stars shone at once. The earth brought forth the hundred grains, water became cool and pure, people’s hearts became simple and honest, and they no longer harmed one another. Evil dragons withdrew their poison, plague demons hid themselves, hell ceased its wailing, and the sword-trees (trees of blades in hell) broke off their blades. Guilty souls regained the opportunity to receive birth; chronic illnesses of many years were completely healed; the deaf recovered their hearing, the blind their sight, and the disabled, paralyzed, and those bent so they could not walk all regained complete bodily form. Such vast and mighty edification cannot be described in words.

At that time, among the assembly, cultivators who had recently attained the Dao and had not yet ascended to the mysterious and wondrous ultimate realm witnessed these divine and marvelous transformations and did not know their cause.

Among the assembly was a youth named Shanji who possessed the five supernatural powers. Together with the Jinji Youth, the Huazhi Youth, the Baoguang Youth, and eighty-four thousand youths in all, he rose from his seat, knelt upright with palms joined, and reported to the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun, the supreme honored deity): “Since I attained the Dao, I have passed through eighty thousand great kalpas (extremely long units of time), traveled throughout the eight directions, and reached everywhere, yet I have never seen the great Dao manifest its awe-inspiring, sovereign, self-existent power as it does today. Today I am fortunate to encounter this Great Transformation (the vast teaching of the Dao), and my heart rejoices. I only pray that the Heavenly Worthy, in true compassion, will open and reveal awakening to us who have not yet heard and whose capacities are shallow, and untie the various knots of doubt in our minds.”

The Heavenly Worthy at first remained silent and did not answer. The youth earnestly requested again and again; then the Heavenly Worthy concentrated his spirit in contemplation, his divine radiance clear and luminous. He snapped his fingers and gave a slight cough as a sign, and after a long while spoke: “Excellent, excellent! What you ask is both profound and subtle. The great Dao is still and empty; its principle transcends seeing and hearing. It is darkly silent, invisible and inaudible, profound and distant; only deep faith can comprehend it. Although you have passed through kalpas, your virtue still remains, but the realm you inhabit has drawn near Taiqing (one of the Three Pure Realms of Daoism, the realm of pure emptiness), yet is cut off from Chongxuan (the highest and most profound mystery realm). How can you merge and transform with the great Dao? Yet you are scattered among the thirty-six thousand kinds (the various realms of all things), not knowing to return to the source of Daluo (the highest heaven) and Gaoxuan (the Supreme Mystery), limited only to what you see and hear. If you can understand this subtle principle, you will roam without obstruction and endure long—this is certain. But if you forget and lose the master of primordial Qi (the fundamental vital energy of life), you cannot escape the disaster of premature death and collapse.”

When Shanji heard what the Heavenly Worthy said, his mind opened and his understanding was released. He and the youths deeply reflected: “I have deep blessings and virtue from past lives, and only thus have met this extraordinary opportunity; I rejoice in a teaching never heard before. Now that I have been awakened, I should make a vow to ascend to Daluo, pay homage to Gaoxuan Daojun, the source of prior Qi (the origin of primordial Qi), seek to receive secret methods, and advance in the great Dao.” Thereupon Shanji Youth, leading his retinue of eighty-four thousand people, came forward together and bowed: “Taishang Daojun (Supreme Lord of the Dao), by your grace you have revealed principles never before heard. We wish to lead the great assembly to ascend to Daluo and pay respects to the honored Gaoxuan. We only pray that the Daojun in compassion permit us to go.”

The Dao Lord replied: Those who wish to depart should cast aside what they see and hear; even if they bring a large retinue, their hearts must hold no attachment. They should focus their minds on stillness and regard the dusty world and purity as one; withdrawing their gaze and turning their hearing inward, the Great Dao will naturally unite with them in mystery. Thereupon Shanji (a person’s name) and all his family and followers obeyed the Dao Lord’s instruction: first they paid homage to the Upper Realm (the dwelling place of immortals above), then took leave of the Dao Lord, and afterward ascended into the Great Void Daluo Heaven (the highest heaven in Daoism) to visit the Lord of Primordial Qi (the source that transforms and gives birth to the myriad things) and the Ancestor of the High Mystery (the supreme root of the Dao).

At that time, the people of this realm all were able to breathe and regain peace. Rejoicing and leaping with delight, they raised their hands toward heaven and snapped their fingers, saying: “Our past sins…”

At that time, the people of this world all found respite and liberation. They rejoiced and leaped for joy, raised their hands together, and snapped their fingers toward Heaven, saying: “The karmic offenses of our former lives caused us to be born in this evil and turbid land. We lost right mindfulness and kept company only with evil deeds. Generation after generation this was passed down, and not one among us could awaken. Our sinful defilements accumulated day by day, and we were about to fall into hell, cycling back and forth in the bitter sea of the six paths of rebirth without being able to perceive it ourselves. If the karmic obstacles accumulated in former lives could be wiped away in a single morning, upon whom could we rely if not on the grace of the Dao (the Way)? We wish to repay the Great Dao, but do not know where to begin. We only hope that Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy) will descend into the human world, grant our request, and fulfill this small wish of ours.”

Thereupon, Daojun (Lord of the Dao), knowing their thoughts in advance, transformed himself into an ordinary person and traveled through their world, speaking and interacting with people and transmitting Dao teachings. Sometimes he begged people for food and lodged in their homes; he taught people to build houses and to turn raw food into cooked food. Sometimes he served as a teacher, expounding the Dao for people and guiding and embracing the multitude by adapting to circumstances. Sometimes he became a physician or shaman, healing people’s illnesses; sometimes a farmer, teaching people to plough and cultivate; sometimes a filial child, teaching people compassion and benevolence. According to the differences among people, he manifested different forms and complied with their inclinations. He established for them the way of ruler and minister and gradually introduced reforms, so that elders and juniors had proper order and male and female were distinguished. Through all these varied teachings, after fifteen years, a qi (vital energy) of harmony and goodness spread abroad. People gradually came to understand the Dao teachings, built Daoist temples and houses, copied scriptures and made divine images, provided zhai assemblies, offered incense, oil, lamps, and candles, took delight in giving away precious goods, devoted themselves to belief in the Great Dao, were filial in care and support, practiced benevolence and righteousness, and observed propriety between ruler and minister. The various kinds of living beings were able to survive, the underworld became peaceful, and the myriad things each settled in their proper place, no longer killing or harming one another.

Then Daojun assumed the role of a Great Master and lived in seclusion among mountains and forests. Some believers observed fasts and precepts and listened to him preach; sometimes he was alone, sitting silently in contemplation; sometimes he recited scriptures and explained the Dao to others; sometimes he predicted auspicious and inauspicious outcomes, and the things he said often came true. His divine powers and transformations were elusive and unfathomable: at times he appeared old, at times young, with no fixed form. The people of the whole land submitted their hearts to his transformative guidance and set up offerings one after another, exhausting all that the world contained. They burned incense and scattered flowers, each stating their wishes, hoping that Tianzun would descend into this dusty and impure world and open the awakening of sentient beings.

Bowing their heads toward Heaven, blood flowing over the ground, weeping and sobbing, for seven days and seven nights without a moment’s cessation in their hearts. At this time, the Dao Lord (Daojun), the supreme honored deity, by the power of great compassion, together with the assembled sages, rode carriages transformed from nine-colored flowing radiance and the Qi of true light, guided and accompanied by immortal youths. Immortal flowers scattered, famous incense burned, divine winds surged, heavenly beasts sang in harmony, qilin danced, and phoenixes sang, as they descended from the sky and halted in the air five zhang above the ground to rest.

At this time, the person whom the Dao Lord had previously taught, named Kongsheng (the lead chanter among sentient beings), asked upward on behalf of sentient beings: “The Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) teaches all things and toils without weariness; in compassionate creation and transformation, could he not grow weary? You condescend to ride a cloud carriage and personally descend to the lower world. We have accumulated kalpas, sunk and stagnant, unable to transform, bound by the bonds of karmic defilement. Today we have parted the mist and bathed in the mysterious nectar (the grace of the Dao); the greatness of this kindness is beyond our ability to repay. The source of the Great Dao is distant; the upper realms are pure, empty, and vast; yet we bodies of dust and defilement have suddenly encountered the Great Transformation, like morning-born, evening-dying fungi permitted to see the sun. Our withered and decayed bodies have thereby regained vitality. Today we wish to express a tiny vow and presumptuously draw near the Supreme. We only ask that Great Compassion bestow on us, lowly as insects and ants, a resolve that forgets advance and retreat. We truly have doubts, and our minds are not yet clear. We earnestly beg that Heavenly Compassion look down on us and let us hear the causes and conditions of past lives, understand the origin of this world and the root of sentient beings; may you, by the grace of mysterious mirror-like illumination, explain them to us in detail.”

At that time, all living beings, great and small, throughout the whole world together petitioned the Dao Lord, bowing until blood flowed and tears streamed down. The Dao Lord, with a heart of great compassion and great pity, pondered for a long while, and then ordered the forty-nine immortal youths on his left to strike together the Dark Cloud ao (a musical instrument), sounding in unison and performing the melody of “Celestial Harmony and Great Elegance,” which harmonizes with the heavenly Dao and resonates with the spirits. He also ordered the thirty-six immortal youths on his right to blow the Nine Harmonies xiao (a harmonious flute), responding to the calls of phoenixes and scattering the ethereal sounds of the Eight Assemblies of the Jade Capital (a wonderland).

The Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) ordered the Jade Youth who attended the incense table to burn “Hundred-Harmony Soul-Returning Incense” (a compound made from many fragrances, said in legend to bring the soul back), and ordered the Long-Toothed Left Officer to strike the golden bell and the Right Directing Officer to strike the jade chime. After a long while, the various sounds blended and converged; auspicious clouds curled around the Great Void, colored rosy clouds spread on all sides, a divine wind blew toward the eight directions, and the celestial music also ceased.

Thereupon the Heavenly Worthy emitted fragrant light from his mouth and gave forth a thunderous, mighty sound, telling Kongsheng (the disciple in the scripture who questions the Heavenly Worthy): “You should now understand that the Great Dao, through the power of compassion, transforms and gives birth to the myriad things; therefore it sets forth all these sounds, causing the myriad things to turn and transform, harmonizing the vital Qi of life, and by this dispelling afflictions. You and the sentient beings of this world originally come forth from affliction, create all kinds of evil karma, undergo retribution in the cycle of rebirth, fall into these remote borderlands, do not hear the good path, and lose their original minds.”

The Heavenly Worthy continued: This world is called “the World of Requital and Recompense” and also “the Hell of Birth and Death.” This hell exists everywhere; sentient beings are within it yet do not know it, and day and night they are as if being burned, sitting and waiting to be worn away completely. There is also a river called “the Ford of Death, Where the Waves of Birth-and-Death Karmic Retribution Drift”—meaning a crossing where one drifts and sinks because of karmic retribution, leading to death. The six great hells are established according to the sins created through people’s six roots (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind); after death people fall into them.

The “Hell of Boiling Broth” is established for those who kill living beings with hot broth; after death they fall into this hell and cannot escape even after billions of kalpas. The bitter retribution of “Knife Mountains and Sword Trees” falls upon foolish people who delight in hacking and piercing livestock. The punishment of flaying skin and flesh alive is directed at those who plunder others’ property and cut out fish flesh alive; after death they too must suffer this kind of pain. “Poisonous Dragons and Pythons” is established for evil people who destroy merit and virtue and oppress good people; what they receive after death is precisely this kind of retribution.

The “worms in the latrine pit” in this passage of the Jing (scripture/classic) are a metaphor. The scripture says that foolish people in the world who give rise to thoughts of killing toward their parents, paternal uncles, paternal aunts, maternal aunts, sisters, and flesh-and-blood kin of the same surname, and who also give rise to thoughts of sexual misconduct toward paternal uncles, paternal aunts, maternal aunts, sisters, the six relations, parents, and teachers and elders, will after death fall into hell and, even after ten thousand kalpas, be unable to escape. In this life they again receive bodies of mixed kinds, are transformed into this kind of worm, constantly dwell in latrines, and feed on filth.

From this one should understand that people in the world who defy human relations, commit sexual violation with flesh-and-blood kin, and harbor thoughts of killing—their offenses within the cycle of birth and death cannot be fully described even over ten thousand kalpas. Such people certainly cannot attain the Dao; the divine spirits will not descend, and life-giving Qi cannot circulate within their bodies.

Therefore, toward such evil people, whose bodies and minds are already corrupted, one need not expend effort to teach them; one should keep far away. Do not accept their offerings, do not sit with them on the same bed or seat, and do not enter their doors. To enter is to break the precepts and to incur the jealousy and hatred of evil spirits. Among the thirty-six thousand rules of dignified conduct in Daoism, this precept is the most important. Hence the Jing earnestly and repeatedly instructs that this scripture be widely circulated, recited, received, and upheld.

In the world there are people who are deaf, mute, blind, or unable to recite; if they merely burn incense regularly, bow in worship, and make offerings to scripture scrolls, their merit is likewise immeasurable. If poor people lack the means to copy scripture scrolls, they may go to households where scriptures are kept to practice the Dao and bow in worship.

Kongsheng (the scripture’s way of addressing the disciple who hears the teaching) should know that according to the Taizhen Kejie (a Daoist code of precepts), for all good men and faithful women who delight in releasing living beings, giving charity to the poor, healing the sick, filially supporting their parents, providing help to those who cultivate the Dao in cold mountain forests, and reciting the true scriptures, these five kinds of merit are not distinguished as higher or lower. Cultivating in this way, one may attain liberation in this very life and will certainly realize the true Dao. Kongsheng should reveal the principles that people have not yet heard, causing them to understand with every thought and to become clear in mind.

At that time, after the assembly heard the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun), the supreme deity of Daoism, expound the teaching, their bodies and minds were suddenly opened to understanding. In that moment they received the blessing of liberation, reverently accepted these essential teachings, bowed, and each departed.

Chapter Three: The World

At that time, the Heavenly Worthy led his retinue, the assembled Perfected Beings, and the great sages, soaring through the air to the south of Yanzhou (the fiery southern continent). They entered the Pool of Luminous Refinement and recited the True Writ of the Black Emperor (a Daoist talismanic text used to subdue fire Qi), subduing the fire essence, and then returned. Afterward, traveling east, they passed southeast of Fusang (the mythical tree of sunrise, here denoting the far eastern reaches) and went nine hundred million li, arriving at a land of the worthy and good. This land was over eighty thousand li in circumference, bordered on all four sides by the vast sea, and was named the World of Ultimate Bliss.

In the land was a king named Hua Xiu, with eight hundred ministers, thirty-eight thousand dependents, sixty-four great cities, and six thousand four hundred small cities. The king and his ministers governed by the right Dao and never wronged or oppressed the people. The land was rich and peaceful, abundant in treasures, with a mild climate, favorable weather, ample stores of grain and cloth, and freedom from all kinds of suffering.

In the northwest of the land was another city, two thousand five hundred forty li in circumference, with walls seven thousand ren high (an ancient unit of length; one ren is about eight chi). The city had four great gates, each six thousand ren high and one li wide. Its towers and pavilions rose high and were exceedingly magnificent. Within the city were another seven thousand jeweled terraces, each shining with the radiance of the night-luminous moon, illuminating without cease morning and evening. Its inhabitants were all immortals and Daoist adepts, with forms like gold and jade; their clothing and food were supplied by celestial kitchens. The king, the royal ministers, and all the dependents here were divine beings born in accordance with heavenly cycles, who descended to oversee the affairs of the state.

Three times each day a fragrant wind passed through this city, carrying away fine dust; heaven sent down sweet dew to moisten the earth. The ground had many springs and pools, all secretly connected with the Jade Fluid (Yujin), a spring of divine liquid in the immortal realm; through the springs flowed stone marrow and flowing yellow (the immortal essences spoken of in Daoism). Those who drank this water would also have their forms become like gold and jade. Three times each day phoenixes cried, and all sounds resonated together; fragrant clouds gathered in the air, and the sounds spread in all directions—Brahma-like chanting, harmonious and elegant, clear, subtle, and melodious.

Another day passed, and the cry of the phoenix sounded three times. All the sounds between heaven and earth fell into silence, leaving only a faint, low hum. Fragrant clouds gathered in the air, flowing and spreading, unfolding on all sides. The chanting of scriptures and praises was harmonious and refined, its subtle tones clear and bright. These were not spontaneous natural occurrences but auspicious omens brought forth in response to accumulated merit and virtue.

At this time, Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy, the Supreme Deity) and ninety billion holy beings all remained within this city, seated together on thrones adorned with a hundred treasures and shaped like flying dragons. The thrones rose ten thousand ren high (an ancient unit of length, about eight chi to one ren), above the city walls, and beneath them were spread cushions woven of cloud brocade and fine jade. The jeweled canopies had curtains of nine-colored flowing rosy clouds, and in each canopy hung bright divine pearls (wondrous jewels). In the empty space at the four corners of the canopies, dragon-shaped candle flames gave forth light; spirit phoenixes danced in the air, celestial music rang out clearly high above, the fragrance was rich, and heavenly incense drifted on the wind.

At this moment, Tianzhen Gaozun (the Highest Perfected of the heavenly realm) commanded the immortal attendant youth on his left to strike the Bell of the Golden Spirit, and the immortal attendant youth on his right to strike the chime stone of spiritual light; then he commanded the jade incense-attendant youth to burn Baihe incense (a famous incense compounded from many fragrant ingredients) in the nine-dragon-shaped censer. The ranks of immortals arranged themselves in order, and the rites and music of the heavenly realm were fully set out. Then Tianzun emitted fragrant light from his body, illumining the entire world; the radiance changed endlessly and could not be described in words. The sound of a finger-snap was like thunder.

When the men and women of the kingdom heard this sound, they all felt alerted and awakened, and said to one another: What cause or condition is there today that such auspicious signs should appear? The fragrant light is transparent and clear, wind and thunder are harmonious and smooth, and creatures that rise and descend, fly, and walk all leap and rejoice. This surely is no ordinary matter; we should hurry there and see what the cause may be.

Thereupon the king, princes, great ministers, consorts and queens, and their attendants and kin looked at one another and said: The merit and virtue of our land are complete, and great sages often descend here; this is no chance conjunction but surely an auspicious omen. Let each of you prepare your traveling gear and make ready what is needed; tomorrow I will go with all of you to the Jeweled City.

This passage of scripture describes the men and women of a kingdom arriving together before a city. Seen from afar, the city's radiance was bright and resplendent, and within that light Perfected Immortals were chanting numinous scriptures. The king and the people all kowtowed and paid their respects, giving thanks to Heaven: today they were fortunate enough to witness with their own eyes the Heavenly Worthy descending to this place and bestowing this precious city upon them, and their joy and awe were intertwined beyond words. Each of them burned incense and declared the wishes of their hearts. The king and the people prostrated themselves at the south gate of the city, not daring to rise for a long while. In their hearts they asked themselves: what karmic causes do we possess, what blessings have we received, that today we should encounter such a gathering as this? Not daring to raise their heads to gaze upon the countenance of the Heavenly Worthy, they only besought the High Perfected Ones, in their great compassion, to take pity on them, to open for them teachings they had never heard, and to resolve the doubts in their hearts.

Notes:

• Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun): An honorific title for venerated Daoist deities; here it refers to the deity who descends.
• Perfected Immortals (Zhenxian): Those who have attained the Dao and become immortals; here it refers to the immortals chanting scriptures within the city.
• Numinous Scriptures (Lingzhang): Scriptures or talismanic writs possessing sacred power in Daoism.
• High Perfected Ones (Gaozhen): Refers to exalted immortal beings of high station, namely the deities descending from on high.

The Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) was silent for a long while, gave a light cough, and snapped his fingers; the music of the assembly stopped. He said to the king: The world in which you dwell is a land of blessed virtue. The high worthies of the upper realms often come and go on tour, but the kalpas—the long cycles experienced by the cosmos—are too remote for you to comprehend.

In former times, before heaven and earth had manifested light and before chaos had divided, a Heavenly Worthy descended from the upper realm into this city; to now, nine hundred million great kalpas have passed. In those years I once verified the cycles of kalpas together with the Dao Lord of Creation (Zaohua Daojun), and I was also in this place. Now that I look upon this world again, it is also a matter of affinity; according to the Dao Dharma, I should have come again. The immortals and junior disciples in this city have already matured in cultivation; although the Great Sage has arrived, there is no need for much explanation. The men and women of the kingdom have also reached the first ground—the initial stage of cultivation—and have been born here through the affinity of cultivating the Dao. Before long, the Heavenly Perfected of the Dao will convene a great Dharma assembly; the Dao Dharma is vast and universally saving, and its grace will reach you. You should concentrate on cultivation, reverently make offerings to the Precious City—the place of the Dao or the site of the Dharma—observe the precepts, practice giving widely, and let your resolve not retreat; the Great Dao will naturally descend upon you.

At this time, among the assembly a youth named Zhenxing rose from his seat, stepped forward, made obeisance, and reported to the Heavenly Worthy: Since I received the blessing of the heavenly court, I have often followed the immortal assembly and received profound and wondrous instruction, and I have passed through a hundred kalpas. I have traveled through the ten directions, and there is almost nowhere I have not been, yet I have seldom seen a city as majestic and splendid as this: the people are abundant and happy, the immortals numerous, jeweled forests and jade trees, heavenly music echoing through the void, simple customs returning to original truth, true Qi harmonizing and arising, and blessed virtue lofty and towering, beyond measure. I only pray that the Heavenly Worthy will illuminate us ignorant ones with the light of compassion, so that everyone present may suddenly awaken.

The Heavenly Worthy said: Your seeing this city accords with your heart’s wish, and seeing this world, you praised it as never before. Although this realm is called Ultimate Bliss, it still retains traces of old habitual tendencies.

The common people, immortals, and Daoists here are all people who have come from various places to cultivate the Dao (the Way). Their merit and practice are not yet complete, and so they are born here; they have not yet reached “Chongxuan Mingji” (the realm of profound mystery, deep profundity, and silent Wuwei [non-action]). Occasionally a sage descends to this place to be their teacher, but does not remain long. Zhenxing, you should understand this: it is just as the Youth Xiangji (Xiangji Tongzi) himself said. When he had cultivated the Dao to an extremely high level, he came to me, holding a canopy and serving me. Over the course of half a kalpa (an extremely long unit of time, half of a kalpa), he asked me to expound the subtle Daoist teachings for him, and only then did he suddenly become enlightened. I then told him about “Daluo Gaoxuan” (the name of the highest realm in Daoism). The Youth thereupon went to pay his respects and seek instruction, inquiring into the wondrous principles therein, and to this day he has not returned. What you see now is also the same. Profound and secret principles must not be spoken of lightly. If the measure of your cultivation naturally reaches its utmost, you should be able to see them with your own eyes.

Zhenxing, together with the king and subjects of the Kingdom of Worthy Goodness, still had doubts in their hearts, and so they again addressed Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy): “We do not know what merits and deeds the immortals, Daoists, and the king and subjects in the City of Ultimate Bliss cultivated since former lives that they were born here?” Tianzun replied: “There are many paths and methods of cultivation; there is not only one. You should listen carefully, and I will explain it for you in order to guide the people of that country.”

Heavenly beings have four grades. Those of the first grade filially support their parents, serve their teachers and elders, relieve people in distress, transmit Daoist teachings, observe precepts and recite scriptures, and are tireless from morning to night. They practice the Daoist teachings, bow in worship and make vows, repent their faults and seek blessings, and seek to behold Tianzun and obtain deliverance. When their merit and practice are complete, they move Heaven above; their names are recorded in heavenly contracts, inscribed in golden slips as a register. Their bodies attain freedom; they can fly to Shangqing (Highest Clarity; one of the highest Daoist paradises), become invisible and transform without limit, and their Daoist attainment equals that of the Zhenren (Perfected). They are long-lived and deathless, ascend to become immortals in broad daylight, are ranked among the Upper Perfected (the high grades of immortals), and serve as attendants at the side of Daojun (the Lord of the Dao, an honored deity who has attained the Dao). They temporarily pass through this place; some stay for one kalpa or half a kalpa, and then return to heaven. Such people are called the upper grade.

People such as these are called the upper grade. People of the second grade, while in the world, are intelligent and pure, assist the state and edify the people, speak words beneficial to others, bestow broad benefits, promote the true Dharma, and support the good path. After death they attain “shijie” (corpse liberation, a Daoist term for a cultivator shedding the physical form, leaving the world like a snake sloughing its skin and attaining the Dao to become an immortal), and in the next life they are still born herein. Such people are also called “xianshen shengdu” (manifest-body ascension and deliverance), meaning that the physical body does not die but is delivered and ascends.

Among the second grade there is another type: some encounter the Supreme Lord (Shangdi) bestowing grace and opening deliverance from life and death for them; withered bones and dead corpses, through cultivation, transform into human form and, by resonating with “true Qi” (zhenqi, what Daoism calls the primordial Qi of heaven and earth), naturally become immortals. There is also another type: in a former incarnation they formed a karmic connection with the Dao, and the blessings and felicity of this life continue from it; in the next life they are still born herein.

People of the third grade, while in the world, uphold the precepts, do good, and refrain from unlawful acts; they build Daoist temples (gongguan), offer incense and lamps, establish purification fasts and expound scriptures, copy scriptures and fashion divine images, and recite scriptures morning and evening. Such people can likewise attain shijie, and in the next life they are born herein.

People of the fourth grade inherit the blessings and surplus felicity accumulated by their ancestors; after death, even if their surname changes, they still descend to be born herein.

Zhenxing Tongzi (the Youth of True Practice) and the assembly still had doubts about this and again asked the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun, a title of honored Daoist deities): People of the fourth grade inherit the blessings and surplus felicity of their ancestors and come to be born herein. By what kind of merit was this surplus felicity accumulated so that it can shelter their descendants? We hope the Heavenly Worthy will further distinguish and explain it, so that the minds of the assembly may awaken to understanding.

The Heavenly Worthy replied: The so-called “cause of blessings and felicity” refers to the grandfather generation in former lives giving away wealth, distributing food and drink, releasing living beings and saving lives, relieving those in hardship for food and clothing, supporting orphans and the weak, succoring the aged and sick, and making offerings to hermits cultivating in the mountains. Although these merits were not perfected and stopped midway, and the grandfather himself was not delivered, they still benefited his descendants: some are born into powerful and noble families, intelligent and wise; some, whose seeking of the Dao was not yet complete and who were due to pass into extinction, are instead born herein because of this. The blessings and merit of such people can extend for as long as nine generations.

Such people, even if their ancestors accumulated virtue, can have their blessings extend only nine generations. Cultivators should understand that the principles of good and evil are interconnected; when transgressions accumulate to a certain point, they likewise bring calamity upon descendants for nine generations. This is like foolish people in the world: some, enjoying ancestral blessings, are born wealthy and noble, and so rely on their power and arrogance, refusing to believe in the retribution of karma created in past lives (former karma), and commit evil recklessly. They kill living beings, seize others’ property, abuse punishments, destroy the path of goodness, slander cultivators, envy those superior to themselves, bully the orphaned and weak, and whip those of low status; they hunt and kill, boil and cook crawling insects and small creatures, harming sentient beings; they are unfilial to parents and betray rulers and elders; they indulge in wine and lust, commit incest with blood relatives, violate other men’s wives or married women; they revile elders and blaspheme the Three Luminaries—sun, moon, and stars; they disrespect those who possess the Dao, occupy high positions while doing evil; they treat the quiet altar (the Daoist altar of pure cultivation) with contempt, divulge the precious scriptures (the precious Jing), break the fast and violate the precepts, often act as leaders of disorder, kick people when they are down, plot against one another, kill living beings to preserve their own lives, and forsake morality.

The calamity of such people extends through nine generations, and their descendants (called in the scripture the “nine grades of descendants,” meaning posterity in general) will also decline with them, be made to serve others, often be bound in chains and shackles, and be driven about without limit. After death they fall into hell and are reborn as the six domestic animals (cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, and the like), to be cooked and roasted by people. All kinds of suffering gather upon them, and they revolve through the evil paths. While alive they have no fixed form; they drown in birth and death and wander amid suffering.

Cultivators should understand that, as I see the suffering and joy of sentient beings in the lower realms, there is actually not much difference between them. Why do I say this? You say that the cities, terraces, towers, and pavilions of the Land of Ultimate Bliss are not naturally generated but are made by employing the power of spiritual penetration; they are unlike the palaces manifested in the higher realms, which do not borrow divine power and are naturally so from the beginning. This is like the Youth Xiangji (Xiangji Tongzi), who believed he had already realized the ultimate fruit but had not seen the Daluo Dao realm within the Great Void (the highest realm of the Dao), and so thought that the supreme karmic reward he had obtained had reached the utmost limit of Citu (the Pure Land of Bliss). I see your mind as no different from his.

Cultivators should also understand that the thirty-six thousand methods all arise in response to people’s karmic opportunities; only through cultivating meritorious practice can one see the Dao realm of Daluo in the Great Void. If one merely thinks that the superior reward one has obtained is the utmost of Citu, then one’s understanding is the same as that of the Youth Xiangji.

Those who cultivate the Dao should understand that there are thirty-six thousand methods of practice. Because each person’s karmic conditions differ and the transformative influences they receive differ, their ways of cultivation also vary. Although all can attain the Dao, the speed of attaining it is not the same.

Just as when Baoguang Tongzi was in the world, he followed the Ancient Master and received Miedu (the cultivation that transcends birth and death and the cycle of rebirth). He practiced with diligence and hardship for eighty thousand great kalpas, yet still did not attain the Dao. Only in his final lifetime, when he encountered the “Yanlong First Assembly” (the occasion when the Dao teachings first manifested and the great assembly was convened), and the heavenly Dao was widely bestowed, did he enter the rank of the Dao—yet he was still above the lower grade of the seventh ground (a level of cultivation in Daoism).

From this we can see, had he not encountered the Perfected One of Yuanhuang (the Primordial Sovereign), how could he have ascended into the formless realm?

Then Zhenxing Lingzi and the great assembly present, having heard what the Celestial Worthy said, had their minds opened and understood. They bowed their heads in salute and each returned to their original seat. The king, princes, subjects, and men and women, having heard this story of causal origins, all rejoiced greatly. Each brought forth a bright-moon jewel and offered it to the Celestial Worthy. After the Celestial Worthy accepted them, he placed the jewels within the city. The king and the assembly leaped for joy, bowed, and departed.

At this time, the Celestial Worthy and the great sages each withdrew their spiritual powers, ascended into the formless realm, and suddenly vanished without a trace.

(“The Fourth Chapter, ‘Preface on Compassion and Precepts’ is the title of this fascicle, meaning that this chapter takes compassion as its foundation and the precepts as its ordering principle.)

The Later Sage Celestial Worthy, Golden Perfection of the Jeweled Palace in the Jade Clarity Heaven, once descended to be born into the Ji family in the World of Much Joy. At the age of six he could already understand profound and mysterious scriptures, penetrate subtle principles, and comprehend hidden and minute matters. He then left the household, sought the Dao (the Way) everywhere, entered Changming Mountain, and devoted himself to visualization meditation (cunsi) and cultivation for ten years. His sincerity moved the Celestial Worthy of the Western Numinous Void, one of the highest deities in Daoism, and he thus received the essential instructions for cultivating the Dao. At twenty-seven he obtained the six supernatural powers—the six powers taught in both Buddhism and Daoism; in Daoism they refer to the divine eye, divine ear, knowledge of others’ minds, recollection of past lives, spirit travel, and exhaustion of outflows.

Since attaining the Dao, he passed through countless dusty kalpas—an extremely long unit of time, with one kalpa being a cosmic cycle—and always saved living beings by the power of his vows. He traveled through the worlds of the ten directions, revolving and shining like the sun. According to the different kinds of beings, he manifested different forms; with the same voice he communicated with them; and with expedient methods he guided and received them, so that all beings might benefit. He treated all living beings equally, without discrimination, with impartial benevolence.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the gengzi year, the eighth year of Yuanhua, he descended together with thirty-six thousand sages to the Mysterious Heaven and came into the void of the Northern Pole World of Eternal Darkness. They all sat upon rosy clouds and gazed far into the four directions and above and below. After a hundred small kalpas, their bodies and minds were utterly motionless, firm as a precious mountain. The accompanying sages also maintained bodily and mental stillness through the cultivation of a hundred kalpas.

At this moment the world suddenly became bright, as if it were spring. Harmonious Qi (vital energy) circulated; wind and rain were temperate; clouds and rosy vapors curled; thunder sounded clear and resonant; medicinal herbs flourished; the hundred grains could grow even in winter; the earth welled up with sweet springs; and fragrances were subtle and lovely. Dragons and qilin leaped joyfully; luan and phoenixes danced; all kinds of living beings gathered, drawing close to and relying on one another. Whether human or non-human, their bodies and minds became good, as though this were the fruition of past-life cultivation and edification.

A Vernacular Reading of the Taishang Dadao Yuqing Jing (Scripture of the Supreme Great Dao of Jade Purity)

Thereupon the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) and the assembled saints sat upright in empty stillness, silent and without speech, and solely through the power of compassion allowed heaven and earth and the myriad things to transform and be nurtured naturally. At that time no sound could be heard and no light or shadow could be seen; the obscure and the luminous realms merged mysteriously, and divine intelligence and the myriad things resonated with one another. All this was brought about by the “Dao of Wuwei (non-action),” and I too do not know why it was so.

Although the Great Dao does not speak, its De (Virtue/Power) transformation spreads and flows everywhere; true Qi resonates with true Qi, and the mysterious principle naturally accords, without any need for deliberate operation. The people there are likewise unaware of it; in their minds there is no discrimination and no thought of cleverness. Each is content in his dwelling, each keeps to his proper station, and they simply pass their lives in peace. This too is brought about by the “Dao of Wuwei,” and I also do not know why it is so.

At that time, on the fifteenth day of the third month, in the Snowy Mountains there was a youth named Faxi, who called himself an immortal. He came together with a retinue of one thousand two hundred and fifty people. Among them eleven youths served as leaders of the assembly: Jinji, Jinsu, Baoding, Diaoyu, Shizhu, Haihui, Qijue, Tongwang, Zizai, Shancai, and Faxi himself. Each of them called himself an immortal; riding white elephants, they descended from on high into the mortal world, circumambulated the Heavenly Worthy in praise, bowed in homage from afar, burned incense and scattered flowers, made offerings of various kinds, each stated his original vow, greeted the Heavenly Worthy, and said:

“We are fortunate to have received the blessings of former lives. In the past, during the Huangchu kalpa, we encountered the Ancient Master, who with a heart of compassion saved and instructed us, so that we were able to enter the Dao and realize our stations, and we were graciously granted the eye of wisdom. Thus we saw from afar the Heavenly Worthy descending into this world, and our hearts were filled with joy and gratitude. Therefore we have come to pay our respects, wishing to ask a few questions. We only hope the Heavenly Worthy will take pity and reveal the teaching.”

The Heavenly Worthy knew their minds but remained silent and gave no answer. Then the immortals entreated him again and again without stopping; each prostrated himself on the ground for a long while, bowing low and knocking his head, and said: “We only hope the Heavenly Worthy will exercise the power of compassion, take pity and instruct us, and reveal to us the principle we have never heard.”

The Heavenly Worthy, sympathizing with their earnest sincerity, commanded the True Youth Attendant on the Right, named Baoxiang, to say to them: “What wish have you people come here to seek?”

Faxi and the assembly bowed again and said: “We see that the Heavenly Worthy and all the holy assembly are majestic and weighty in virtue and dignity beyond anything that has ever been. The Heavenly Worthy causes this world to attain blessings and virtue: without speech, the myriad things naturally transform and are nurtured; heaven and earth are transformed, the climate is harmonized, the sun and moon are bright, the stars and constellations move in due order, wind and rain are bestowed at the proper seasons, the hundred grains ripen, medicinal herbs flourish, sweet springs flow forth, the hundred beasts dance with joy, different species dwell in mutual affection, and the people are abundant, peaceful, and happy—all these are things never seen before. We do not know what merit the Heavenly Worthy cultivated that enables him to create and transform the myriad things and attain the secret essential way of freedom. May the Heavenly Worthy condescend to bestow instruction.” Having spoken, they again prostrated themselves on the ground in homage and for a long time would not rise.

Notes: Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy) is a general title for revered Daoist deities; here it refers to the supreme deity who is the main speaker in the scripture. The Dao of Wuwei (non-action) is a core Daoist concept, meaning not to act recklessly or force things, but to accord with nature and allow the myriad things to transform themselves. The Huangchu kalpa is one of the kalpa epochs in Daoist cosmology, referring to the period at the very beginning of the opening of the cosmos. Xian (immortal) is a term for one who has succeeded in Daoist cultivation and transcended the ordinary world; here it refers to the youths who have cultivated the Dao and attained it. The True Youth Attendant on the Right is a divine youth who serves the Heavenly Worthy and stands at his right side, responsible for conveying messages and responding.

Thereupon Baoxiang (referring to Supreme Lord Lao in his manifestation as Baoxiang) fully stated his intention to the Heavenly Worthy. At that time, the Heavenly Worthy said to the assembly: The Supreme Great Dao, solely through the power of compassion, generates the myriad things and shelters and protects sentient beings; it does not itself require words to be proclaimed. Once there is speech, it falls into traces. To expound teachings through traces and words may bring one closer to the Great Dao, but it does not yet exhaust its subtle principles. Why is this? Because one cannot create heaven and earth or generate the myriad things by means of traces and words. Why is this? Because the principle of traces and words is not constant. If the principle is not constant, how can it create the myriad things? Therefore, the law of the Great Dao is without speech, and yet it creates heaven and earth and generates the myriad things.

Good man, when you say, “It is because I have practiced that I am able to transform and deliver,” you now also practice and should likewise be able to attain transformation and deliverance. Good man, holding this view shows that you have not yet escaped affliction and are still bound. The Supreme Great Dao has long been free of such views; in its mind there is no hindrance, no action, no arising and no ceasing, no form and no marks, and it cannot be reached by words. What you see—that “I have majestic spiritual powers, merit, and a solemn appearance, and can create heaven and earth and generate the myriad things”—is your false view, your deluded thoughts and discriminating mind. The Supreme Great Dao has already transcended false views and deluded, discriminating views. Good man, when you speak of “meeting the Ancient Master and thereby being transformed and delivered,” the so-called Ancient Master is my disciple. I sent him to teach in remote borderlands, to proclaim the method of liberation of the Three Vehicles, and to encourage sentient beings to practice in pursuit of karmic rewards in later lives. Because the people there were difficult to teach, and among them there was a lack of harmonious qi; because the various kinds of people living mixed together had incomplete natures, drank blood and ate raw flesh, competed in strength, loved fighting, and each made himself master—therefore the Ancient Master displayed various extraordinary transformations and made extensive use of analogies in order to guide those of shallow capacities. This method did not exhaust the ultimate principle; it only expediently displayed traces. After the Ancient Master departed, the traces were withdrawn and returned to the source, and gradually disappeared.

Even if there are methods of cultivation, many are erroneous. Some call themselves immortals, some call themselves Brahma (an Indian deity); some sit quietly in empty rooms, some burn themselves seeking nirvana, some throw themselves from high cliffs, some worship water and fire; some fashion images of heavenly beings with three faces and a thousand hands and various deity statues, perform bloody sacrifices, gather crowds to practice the Way, shout aloud seeking nirvana, or concentrate the Shen (spirit) and visualize light-forms. Such practices are called “errors.” Although there are scriptures, they lack the true essential Dharma; heterodox and orthodox are mixed together, and one cannot attain the Dao (the Way).

Thereupon Dharma-joy (disciples who rejoice upon hearing the Dharma) and the assembly, having heard what the Heavenly Worthy said, were suddenly enlightened in their minds and realized that their former cultivation had not yet reached the essential purport of the Great Dao. They bowed again and reported to the Heavenly Worthy: “What is practiced in our land is no different from what the Heavenly Worthy, in great compassion and clear discernment, has seen. We only fear that we, this great assembly, are heavy with the filth of transgressions and hard to deliver. We pray only that the Heavenly Worthy grant us Dharma-water to gradually clarify and wash away impurity, open the gate of skillful means, and reveal the power of skillful means, so that we may enter the Dao. Now that we have first heard the methods of dignified demeanor, fasting, and precepts, we wish to practice them step by step, thereby disciplining body and mind and giving them something on which to rely.”

The Heavenly Worthy told them: “The Qi (vital energy) of the land on your side is yin and malign, and the people born there are likewise so. Why is this? The mixed beings of what is called the Metal Direction (the West) are born in remote borderlands and do not hear the true Dharma; they hear only the simile-based teachings of the Three Vehicles (Voice-Hearers, Solitary Realizers, and Bodhisattvas) and do not know the secret treasure of the Great Dao. The celestial writings and cloud-seals (mysterious celestial scripts), the dragon-chapters and phoenix-colors (marvelous talismanic scripts patterned like dragons and phoenixes), are the Dharma-gate of the sudden teaching that attains truth and enters the wondrous in this very body.”

Then Dharma-joy and the assembly, hearing what the Heavenly Worthy said, feared that their own nature and life were not in accord with the true meaning of the Dao. The assembly wept bitterly, knocked their heads until they bled, and again reported to the Heavenly Worthy: “The seal-scripts of that land, the dragon-chapters and phoenix-colors, and the Dharma of attaining truth through sudden teaching and entering the wondrous in this very body . . .”

Vernacular Interpretation: Excerpt from The Supreme Great Dao Jade Purity Scripture

After the great assembly of Dharma Joy (Faxǐ) heard what the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) had said, they worried that their bodies and lives might not accord with the true purport of the Great Dao. They wept without ceasing, knocked their heads until they bled, and again addressed the Heavenly Worthy, saying:

“The place where we dwell is one of turbid, restless, filthy, and foul-smelling beings. How would we dare think that this body could be saved and raised up, and form a good affinity with the Great Dao? We only hope that after death we may be reborn in a land endowed with the Dao, such as the Central Land. We only pray that the Heavenly Worthy, in great compassion, bestow upon us all the majestic regulations of fasting and precepts.”

The Heavenly Worthy then, by the power of great compassion, complied with their wishes and told them: “The people in your region differ in their native dispositions; they should receive many precepts in order to restrain body and mind. They are not like the people of that virtuous and good world, whose minds are simple and honest. They need only receive the precepts with an unconstrained mind; the precepts they receive are broadly of five kinds: first, the Five Precepts; second, the Ten Precepts; third, the One Hundred and Ninety-Nine Precepts; fourth, the Three Hundred Great Precepts of Contemplating the Body. These are called the ‘Four Categories’ (sike).

“There are also thirty-six thousand precepts of ceremonial deportment. By receiving and upholding these precepts, one can resonate with thirty-six thousand majestic deities. They also comprehensively encompass thirty-six thousand kinds of Dao methods. Within these are thirty-six thousand life deities, and without are thirty-six thousand precept deities, which guard and support one both inside and out.

“Those who receive the precepts: the superior grade can become Perfected; the middle grade can become immortals; the lower grade can prolong life and increase longevity. These precepts belong to the prohibitive precepts of the Highest Perfected recorded in the Jade Casket Golden Regulations. If, after receiving the precepts, one lightly violates them, after death one will be judged by the underworld officials, and even the nine generations of ancestors will be implicated and subjected to interrogation.

“Now I will briefly explain one category for you, and within this one category divide it into three grades—upper, middle, and lower—and within each grade again divide it into three levels—upper, middle, and lower—making nine grades in total, to accord with the yang number (nine is the culmination of yang numbers). In these nine grades of regulations, fasting and precepts must be applied in conjunction; one may not practice them alone or transmit them alone.

“Wherever you hold fasting assemblies, lecture on scriptures, or establish Dharma gatherings, and on the days when kings, princes, great ministers, officials, and men and women who study the Dao assemble for fasting and precepts, you should select one person with a clear voice, rectify his majestic deportment, and have him recite once facing north, in order to proclaim them to the assembly. The common people should bow to the ground and reverently listen to these precepts.”

Notes: Faxǐ, in the scripture, refers to the assembly who heard the Dharma and gave rise to joy, that is, the listeners participating in the Dharma gathering. Tianzun is a general title for honored Daoist deities; here it refers to the sacred sovereign who expounds the scripture. Majestic deportment (weiyi) means the ceremonial norms governing the speech, conduct, and behavior of cultivators. Majestic deities (weishen) are deities who protect the precepts and guard practitioners. Life deities (shengshen) are, in Daoist understanding, deities residing within the human body and connected to a person’s vitality. The Jade Casket Golden Regulations (Yukui Jinke) is a type of Daoist scripture and broadly refers to precious precepts and regulations. Underworld officials (mingguan) are officials in the underworld who oversee the judgment of souls. The yang number: in ancient times odd numbers were yang, and nine is the culmination of yang numbers, hence the number “nine grades” is adopted here.

On the first night of the formal fast and precept observance, it must be recited once more so that the assembly may witness it. This is the rule for a one-day fast; it should be done in this way. If it is a two-, three-, or seven-day fast, it must be recited once every day.

If someone is newly entering the Dao, the precepts are transmitted first, and only after a full one thousand days are the remaining methods gradually transmitted. If a person already has good conduct and has not previously violated the precepts, the precepts may be conferred within three days; there is no need to wait until a full thousand days before transmitting methods.

After receiving the precepts, if one commits the Ten Evils or the Five Rebellious Sins (the gravest offenses listed in Daoism), the Daoist master should burn incense and repent before the Three Treasures (Dao, Jing, Shi), and annul the precepts one has received.

If one has not yet received the precepts, or after receiving them commits a minor offense (not among the Ten Evils), and the disciple earnestly seeks repentance and requests to receive the methods, the master should observe the fast together with the disciple, bowing and repenting at the six periods of the day (a day and night divided into six periods), vowing not to commit the offense again, and then, after considering the circumstances, transmit the methods.

Be careful, be careful; do not violate my precepts, otherwise you will bring rebellious sin upon yourself, and the celestial deities will not protect you. Then Faxi (the disciple’s name) and the whole assembly prostrated themselves on the ground, took up brushes to record, and listened to the Celestial Worthy proclaim the precepts.

“Expounding the Precepts: Sectional Categories, Chapter Five”: this is the title of the fifth chapter of this scripture, meaning the itemized categories for expounding the precepts.

The Ten Evils and Five Rebellions (Shi'e Wuni) are the most serious set of prohibitions in Daoist precepts. One must not kill living beings: whether killing for greed, for amusement, because of something witnessed, for accumulating wealth, or through deception, all are forbidden. Nor may one crave meat and fish out of gluttony or in hope of curing illness; those who cultivate the Dao must eliminate meat and fish from both medicine and diet. One must not betray one’s parents or ruler and thereby ruin family and state. One must not rob, must not steal as revenge out of resentment, and must not slander others; slander includes spreading oral rumors, written defamation, and framing others through legal complaints, and those who commit this should be punished by death. One must not expose one’s body, profane the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—or revile heaven and earth. One must not commit sexual misconduct with close blood relatives, thereby bringing about punishment and harm.

One must not destroy the good Dao, separate others from their flesh and blood, or exterminate the bloodline of another’s clan. One must not indulge in drinking wine, including creating disorder by means such as poisoned wine, using wine as a go-between, or using wine to lure people into sexual misconduct. One must not secretly do evil to harm others, whether by personal action, spoken word, or writing. One must not bully good people or seize the property of orphans and the poor. One must not rob graves or take the corpses of the dead, or break open another person’s coffin. One must not strip clothing from the dead on the battlefield or cut off the hair of the dead.

One must not bully the elderly, the weak, or the sick, or seize their property without compassion in one’s heart. One must not destroy bird nests or animal dens, harm embryos or eggs, or kill nestlings. One must not traffic in human beings for profit. One must not deliberately provoke armed conflict or deliberately join with other states to launch war.

In summary, those who commit these Ten Evils and Five Rebellions will endure all kinds of suffering in their bodies; after death, they will be judged together with their ancestors of nine generations and will not be pardoned throughout ten thousand kalpas. (Nine Ancestors refers to the ancestors of nine generations; “kao” means interrogation and trial; “buyuan” means not to be forgiven.)

The Ancestor of the Dao says: The rules for paying homage are as follows: one must not worship from a high place down toward a low place; one must not bow while glancing to the left and right; one must not pay homage while in an unclean state; one must not spit or blow one’s nose in the presence of a venerable person; one must not look at others with sidelong glances, evil looks, or arrogance; one must not speak loudly or domineer over others; one must not speak wrongly, utter depraved words, break off halfway through a sentence, or engage in irrelevant idle chatter; one must not treat a venerable person with gesticulation, head-scratching, or frivolous laughter and levity.

The rules for entering the fasting and purification ritual ground (daochang)—the place where Daoist cultivators observe fasting and purification, practice quiet cultivation, and hold ritual assemblies—are first to harbor a mind of compassion and to abstain from seven kinds of thoughts: first, not to give rise to sinister and malicious thoughts; second, not to think of sexual desire between men and women; third, not to think of lewd and improper matters; fourth, not to think of killing living beings; fifth, not to think of eating meat; sixth, not to think of competing for superiority; seventh, not to think of deceit. Then one bathes with five-fragrance water (a decoction made from various fragrant herbs) to wash away dust, defilement, and weariness, straightens one’s appearance and demeanor, and proceeds to the ritual ground. Outside the ritual ground, two rooms—one for fragrant water and one for bathing—are set up, with men and women separated. Two screened-off areas are also provided, where incense is burned and clothes racks are set up. A person undresses in the screened area, hangs up his ordinary clothes, comes out, and enters the bathing room; hand towels, bean powder (a bean-based powder used for washing in ancient times), and all necessities are fully prepared. One must not boil insects or maggots to death; water must be filtered through silk cloth before being boiled to make broth or soup. One must not use worm-eaten or rotten firewood to heat the fire for the fasting offerings. One must not let women who have just given birth, people who are ritually polluted, people suffering from foul sores discharging pus and blood, licentious people, or people who have committed the Ten Evils and Five Treasons (major offenses listed in Daoism) come near the fasting kitchen. After arrangements are properly made, the Daoist master puts on clean ritual vestments and takes clean brazier charcoal to burn incense. After paying homage, one sits in order by rank, solemn and upright, with body and mind concentrated, and upholds the supreme precepts: first, kindness; second, compassion; third, goodness; fourth, faith.

Good men and faithful women, you should know that I attained the Dao through these four practices. These four are the gateways and foundational cornerstone of all paths of goodness and the key to the Great Dao. Apart from these four, there is no other Dao. Therefore I establish these four stages of the path of goodness, in order to protect heaven and earth, transform and generate the myriad things, harmonize the seasonal qi, govern the hidden and manifest realms, avert disasters and misfortunes, and relieve hardship and adversity. If anyone turns away from these four, that person may not enter the ritual ground, may not accept wealth and goods offered by kings, princes, ministers, and common people, may not receive reverent worship from kings, princes, and all men and women, and may not pray to the deities for blessings or make vows on behalf of himself or others. I judge such a person to be a “thief” within the Daoist Dharma; one must not associate with such a person. Humans and ghosts will resent him, and the heavens will not rescue him.

Good man, when entering the Daoist cultivation site to practice, you should also cultivate three principles: first, the contemplation of filial piety (si xiao); second, the contemplation of patience (si ren); and third, the contemplation of bearing humiliation (si ru).

Good man, when entering the Daoist cultivation site to practice, you should also cultivate seven contemplations. First, when you see any man or woman, give rise to the contemplation that they are your father or mother. Second, when you see Dharma masters and virtuous people, give rise to the contemplation that the gods and immortals of the heavens have come. Third, when you see scriptures, canonical texts, and wondrous writings, give rise to the contemplation of how extremely difficult they are to encounter. Fourth, when you hear the sound of Dharma teaching, give rise to the contemplation of how extremely difficult it is to hear. Fifth, when you see people afflicted by various illnesses, poverty, or orphaned helplessness, give rise to the contemplation that it is as if it were happening to yourself. Sixth, when you see the aged and frail, give rise to the contemplation of life’s impermanence. Seventh, when you see all living beings, give rise to the contemplation of the equality of all beings.

Good man, you should now understand that whether entering or leaving the Daoist cultivation site, you must not abandon the mind of great compassion, and in your mind you should not discriminate between self and other. Because when there is no discrimination, various evil thoughts will not arise. If seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing, as well as all actions such as walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, deviate from these precepts, yet you hope to attain peace and happiness, that is absolutely impossible.

Good man, if you wish to seek the Great Dao and attain transcendence and ascent for yourself, it is also absolutely impossible to attain the Dao apart from these precepts.

Good man, if you wish to eliminate illness and save yourself from the cycle of birth and death, it is also absolutely impossible to fulfill that wish apart from these precepts.

Good man, if you violate the precepts and act perversely, you will incur the hatred of evil demons and be punished by the royal law; you will die and meet an untimely end, and the gods and spirits of the heavens will not save you.

Note: The Daoist cultivation site (daochang) refers to the place where cultivators practice and perform Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and Keyi (liturgy). “Si xiao,” “si ren,” and “si ru” are basic virtuous practices in Daoist cultivation. “Sheng moumou xiang” means using contemplation to adjust one’s mind and cultivate compassion, humility, and a cherishing of life.

When practitioners of Dao cultivation enter a Daoist practice site (a place for cultivation), they do not eat meat or strong-smelling foods, do not let their bodies or dwellings become filthy, do not talk much, do not glance sideways with improper eyes, do not make noise among the crowd, do not eavesdrop on others’ private conversations, do not spit phlegm or mucus anywhere, do not wear thin or improper clothing, do not wear dirty clothes, do not sleep deeply while snoring loudly, do not sit in improper or askew postures, do not sit with their backs to others, do not tilt their heads upward and stare around, and do not laugh loudly or speak loudly.

When eating, one must not smack the lips or make smacking noises, must not conceal food, must not carry food away, must not talk while eating, must not laugh while eating, must not look around while eating, must not eat with the head tilted back, must not rinse the mouth and then eat, must not strike dishes or utensils to make noise while eating, must not pick through food with the hands, must not show aversion to food, must not repeatedly count the food while eating, and must not eat at improper times; one should eat at the prescribed times and take food with a compassionate mind.

When walking, one must not hurry, must not shuffle the feet noisily, must not walk on tiptoe or on the heels, must not sway the head or hands while walking, must not glance left and right, and must not walk while looking upward; one should walk steadily and uprightly.

If those who study the Dao receive favors or alms from others, they should accept them with a compassionate mind and must not thank repeatedly, decline repeatedly, or look back. After receiving them, they should make offerings in accordance with ritual norms and act according to the rules.

Men and women who study the Dao must not frequently enter the homes of kings, princes, ministers, officials, or laypeople. If for some reason they must enter, they should compose their appearance, stand outside the gate, and state the matter clearly; they should not enter the house or sit on the beds or couches. When those who study the Dao inquire after the daily well-being of parents, uncles, aunts, and brothers, they should be doubly respectful, and even more so toward others.

Without a major reason, those who study the Dao must not enter military camps, bustling markets, or other noisy and disturbing places.

Men and women who study the Dao must not enter slaughterhouses, brothels (places of sexual license), or song-and-dance entertainment venues, nor may they enter the homes of corrupt people who commit the Ten Evils (the ten grave offenses listed in Buddhist and Daoist traditions) and the Five Heinous Offenses (five grave acts of rebellion) and the like.

Men and women who study the Dao must not share a room with those not of the same path, sit with them on the same bed, or eat with them at the same bed, and their clothing should also be distinguished from theirs.

The precepts repeated later in the text are the same as those above and will not be interpreted separately again.

Male and female Daoist officials who study the Dao must not share a room, bed, seat, or meal with persons of the opposite sex, nor may they mix their clothing and utensils.

They must not keep attendants given to excessive desires, nor store impure documents. They must not contend for profit with laypeople; when profit is to be gained, it should be yielded to laypeople and to the ignorant and weak. They must not privately store weapons or musical instruments, nor burn foul-smelling items such as skins, furs, horns, and bones. They must not urinate or defecate on living grass or on insects and ants. When urinating or defecating, they must not face north, look upward, pollute mountain springs and pure places, enter cluttered places, or dwell in low-lying, damp, wind-exposed places; they should also carefully guard their minds at all times.

Male and female Daoist officials who study the Dao, together with Daoist adherents, should make the daochang (the place where Daoists cultivate and perform rituals) solemn, repair and maintain its halls and quiet chambers, guard them securely, sweep and wash inside and out, and keep them constantly clean. They must not go to bed early and rise late, delaying the hour of morning rites, nor handle matters great or small without order or fail to respect one another. They must not open the door of the quiet chamber without cause, nor casually display scriptures and teachings; after returning from the secular world, they must wash and bathe. Within the daochang, they must not lodge persons who are close blood relatives of women, unless there is a serious reason, and they must not live mixed together with ordinary Daoist adherents. They must not borrow or divert permanent communal ritual objects (objects long enshrined and communally used in Daoist temples) for other uses. The permanent ritual objects, incense oil, lamps and candles, and valuables in the daochang must all have fixed uses and must not be diverted to other purposes.

Within the boundaries of the guarded pure dwelling, miscellaneous livestock and impure things must not be allowed to enter; one must not buy or sell slaves and servants or the six domestic animals; one must not acquire goods for profit in order to build quiet chambers; one must not use property obtained through grave sins such as the Ten Evils and Five Heinous Offenses to build quiet chambers; one must not establish quiet chambers on defiled land. Those who violate these precepts will suffer the punishment of illness; the Dao they study will not be accomplished; if the goods they have misappropriated are not returned, retribution will extend to three generations. Be sure to take great care!

The Dao Ancestor said: All you devout men and women should uphold the laws and regulations within and without, and regard them as the city walls and moats that guard the Daoist gate. You must not intrude upon or damage pure abodes (quiet dwellings for Daoist cultivators), must not tear down protective fences, and must not secretly cut down the trees of precept-holders. Those who violate this will themselves suffer the trial of illness and suffering, and the Dao methods they study will not be accomplished; if they take others’ property and do not return it, they will also bring punishment upon three generations. Be sure to be cautious!

The Dao Ancestor said: All you devout men and women should observe the law within and without, making it the city walls and moats that protect the Dao. You must not intrude upon or damage pure abodes, must not tear down fences, must not secretly cut down fruit orchards (the trees of orchards), must not steal the master’s fruit, must not seize or occupy the master’s fields, must not waste or consume the master’s grain and cloth, must not damage the master’s ritual implements, must not borrow the master’s possessions and fail to return them for a long time, must not privately misappropriate Dharma wealth (property offered for Daoist affairs), must not privately exchange Dharma wealth, and must not privately press into service anything kept by the Dharma master. You must not gather people at Dharma grounds to speak words contrary to the laws and regulations, must not gather people at Dharma grounds for archery and gambling, must not gather people at Daoist ritual sites to collect wealth, eat meat, or drink alcohol, and must not allow women to stay overnight at Dharma grounds.

The Dao Ancestor said: If Daoist men and women violate the above precepts, the Dharma-protecting benevolent deities and the Earthly Officials will investigate and punish them, and the punishment will extend to three generations. Be sure to be cautious.

The Dao Ancestor said: When men and women who study the Dao copy precious scriptures, they must not place them in unclean places, must not let unclean people see the scriptures, must not let people who do not believe in the Dao hear the scriptures, must not let people who corrupt Dao methods know the contents of the scriptures, nor let them see the paper being copied, and must certainly not use unclean money to buy paper for copying scriptures. The method of copying scriptures is: the scriptures should be placed in another room, and incense should be burned on the desk throughout the year, once each day. The copyist should wash hands and body with five-fragrance water (water steeped with various fragrant materials), change clothes after urinating or defecating before going in or out, and ordinarily maintain fasting and purity. The copyist must not privately disclose secret words, nor publicize or sing them. Those who violate this precept will immediately be visited by illness and suffering; after death they will further undergo the punishment of wind-knives, and for a long time they will not hear the Great Dao. Be sure to be cautious!

The Great Dao reveals: all who study the Dao and cultivate themselves should first extensively consult the scriptures, verify the formats of Keyi (liturgy, the procedures of Daoist Zhaijiao purification rituals), seek out and inquire of an enlightened teacher for instruction and judgment, and carefully guard the scriptures and methods they have received. They should not display themselves or use these things to seek worldly fame and profit. If they wish to form bonds of shared intention, men should not exceed three and women should not exceed four; in a concealed place they should carefully practice Cunsi (visualization), hoping in secret to unite with the Dao. They should not let others know what they see and hear, lest it bring slander or praise; they should go secretly to mountains and forests and dwell apart from the human world. Those who violate this precept will no longer be protected by good spirits, and all manner of evils will come to disturb and interrogate them. Be sure to be cautious!

The Great Dao also says: if a virtuous man wishes to heal the sick, he should first broadly prepare Daoist methods, know prescriptions well, clearly distinguish medicinal properties, carefully act according to Zhaijiao Keyi, observe the precepts, willingly endure humiliation, and not contravene the nature of all things. He should not fear hardship, not refuse the toil of day and night, and regardless of distance, treat enemies and relatives alike. He should not covet wealth or beauty, not discriminate between noble and base, male and female, and not demand from others any repayment in gratitude or personal loyalty. If he occasionally receives payment, he should use it to perform meritorious deeds and must not devote it solely to his own private benefit. In action he should not shrink back because of difficulty; his heart should be free of deceit and always hold great compassion. Healing illness in this way, his merit can move all the heavens, and the sick person will readily recover. If he violates the Keyi, transgresses the precepts, or acts falsely and deceptively, divine beings will immediately examine and call him to account, and after death he will fall into hell. Be cautious, be cautious!

The Supreme Dao Jade Purity Scripture is a Daoist classic that admonishes cultivators in the voice of the Dao. The following is the general meaning of each passage.

The Dao says: If good men and faithful women whose hearts are set on the Dao encounter the opportunity to cultivate, they should not travel far to famous mountains. Instead, at home they should uphold the precepts and build a pure abode (a quiet room devoted exclusively to cultivation). They should construct double walls so that sounds inside and outside are not heard by one another. As long as they maintain purity, guard carefully, and are meticulous and strict in every matter, there is no difference from cultivating deep in the mountains. When their meritorious practice is complete, the Great Dao will descend into the secluded chamber, and the cultivator’s body can obtain the true Dao. If they violate the precepts, treat them with disrespect and leak them, allow impurities to become mixed in, and expose the true writings, then even many years of cultivation are wasted; my Great Dao cannot be heard, the body will be ruined, they will be harmed by all kinds of malevolent influences, they cannot attain the Dao, and their hun and po souls will also be interrogated and tormented. Be sure to be cautious!

The Dao says: If those who study the Dao have personally received a master’s instruction and have received and worn the numinous writings (sacred Daoist scriptural talismans), yet treat them lightly and leak them, violating the precepts, then even many years of cultivation are wasted; my Great Dao cannot be heard, the body will be ruined, they will be harmed by all kinds of malevolent influences, they cannot attain the Dao, and their hun and po souls will also be interrogated and tormented. Be sure to be cautious!

The Dao says: If those who study the Dao have personally received a master’s instruction and received and worn the numinous writings, and if the times and the heavenly mandate accord, they should assist the state. Or, if they first hold official office and later meet a teacher and personally receive the supreme Dharma but have not yet realized the realm of pure emptiness, then when assisting the state, governing the people, and supporting the world, they should inwardly uphold the precepts, carefully preserve the Dharma they have received, not leak the celestial writings, and not lightly violate the prohibitions. If in their hearts there is no compassion or filial piety, if they freely use punishment, are greedy for wealth, and exploit the people, causing all the myriad people under heaven to harbor grievances and suffer, such people have only the empty name of “supporting and assisting” and lack the virtue of integrity and loyalty. Such people will receive three punishments: first, the monitoring spirits within the body (deities that inspect one’s faults) will disturb their minds and cause all their undertakings to fail; second, the spirits that govern the state will cause them to break the law and suffer execution; third, the Earth Bureau (the divine office in charge of examination, reward, and punishment) will interrogate them, and calamity will extend to their descendants for seven generations. You must be cautious. When all the immortals had finished receiving the precepts, they were joyful and leaped up, deeply rejoicing; each rose and bowed, faithfully accepted them, and put them into practice.

Here ends scroll one of The Supreme Dao Jade Purity Scripture.

The last two lines are the title of scroll two; there is no main text, so no further interpretation can be made.

In order to liberate sentient beings through expedient means (provisional methods of teaching), the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) and the great sages employed the power of great compassion, ascended into the formless Great Void (Taixu), and entered profound meditative concentration (the Great Samadhi of the Great Void). Although the immortals present possessed spiritual powers, they could not see the Heavenly Worthy and did not know where he had gone; they therefore assumed that he had returned to the higher realms. The immortals were grief-stricken and anguished, unable to compose themselves: each saw his own body lose its dignified bearing, as if it were a corpse; the divine elephants they rode also turned into foul-smelling flesh. The minds of the assembly became confused and benighted, and they did not know what to do; with no ground for advancing or retreating, they could only each settle their minds and carefully observe the causes and conditions of things, but their consciousness was dull and they could not awaken by themselves, as if they were in a dream, where all the scenes before their eyes had no real basis.

At that time, the presiding immortals (the immortals who lead and guide the assembled immortals) said to everyone: “Our blessings and virtue are shallow, our power of the Dao is weak; we have not yet exhausted the subtle ultimate principle. We have only just entered the Dao, and our stages of cultivation (daoshu) are not yet sufficient. Even with spiritual powers, we cannot see through all this. Therefore we should abandon the views we previously clung to and single-mindedly take refuge in the Great Dao of Nothingness (guiming); perhaps we can move the Heavenly Worthy and see him again.”

When the immortals heard these words, they gained a little awakening. Each concentrated on visualization, took refuge in the Great Void, bowed their heads in worship, and made a vow for seven days and seven nights, keeping their thoughts ceaseless throughout. Before long, their minds suddenly opened in awakening, as if waking from a dream. Looking up at the sky, they suddenly saw the Heavenly Worthy and the assembled sages still seated in solemn dignity, utterly motionless, no different from before.

Then the immortals bowed their heads in worship, repented, blamed themselves, and apologized to the Heavenly Worthy, saying: “We, this whole assembly, since immeasurable kalpas ago, have practiced only narrow views and limited knowledge, clung to discrimination and deluded imagination, been confused and held false views, and been deeply entangled in the bonds of affliction, with grave defilement and sin. Therefore we saw ourselves as corpses, deprived of light; the divine elephants we rode became rotting flesh, and the jewel in our topknots (symbolizing the luminous original nature attained through cultivation) turned into broken tiles. Worldly affairs change impermanently; we were confused and dazed, as if seeing various scenes in a dream, unable to distinguish true from false. We did not know what to do, and we thought: we should abandon what we previously knew and saw, take refuge in the Great Dao, rely on the realm of Nothingness, and repent and blame ourselves. Thus for seven days and seven nights, our minds suddenly became calm, as if waking from a dream, and we rejoiced immeasurably. We only pray that the Heavenly Worthy will especially extend compassion and pity, so that the minds of us all may be awakened.”

Thereupon, before the assembled immortals had finished speaking, the Heavenly Worthy again entered the “Great Samādhi of Radiant Light” (a profound state of meditative concentration). His whole body blazed with radiant light, like the bright sun, utterly unobstructed. The Heavenly Worthy caused all the holy assembly each to mount a feather-adorned canopy and sit upon a flying-dragon seat, appearing at the tip of a single hair on the Heavenly Worthy’s left eyebrow. He then caused the assembled immortals, together with the lands of the ten directions—mountains and ridges, rivers and seas, cities and towns, and their peoples—all to be contained within a single hair on the Heavenly Worthy’s right eyebrow, without any sensation of crowding or narrowness. Each person saw the Heavenly Worthy directly before them, proclaiming subtle Dharma principles. In this state, the immortals saw everything with perfect clarity, and their minds were entirely free of obstruction. They also saw that the numinous mountain where they had previously dwelled was right before the sun, and although six kalpas (an immensely long unit of time) had passed, they still could not truly comprehend the unimpeded freedom of the Heavenly Worthy’s spiritual power.

At that moment, the Heavenly Worthy addressed all beings with a single sound, and each person understood and comprehended according to their kind. The Heavenly Worthy asked the assembled immortals, “When you see the power of this Great Dao, what do you feel in your hearts?” The assembled immortals replied, “We in this great assembly know only that we have heard the wondrous Dharma; we count ourselves fortunate, but we do not perceive anything in our minds.” The Heavenly Worthy said further, “The compassionate power of the Great Dao is neither true nor false, neither arising nor perishing, neither empty nor existent, neither that nor this, neither going nor coming. This is what is called the unimpeded power of the Middle Way (the principle that does not cling to either of the two extremes of existence and nonexistence), the power of great compassion, the power of non-obstruction.” The Heavenly Worthy made the minds of the assembled immortals secure and stable, so that without awareness or knowing, they simply heard the wondrous Dharma and knew nothing else.

After the assembled immortals heard the Heavenly Worthy’s words, their minds began to awaken. Together they snapped their fingers and praised this state that had never before existed. The Heavenly Worthy then told the immortals, “You should now know that the power of the Great Dao cannot be compared, measured, or described by analogy. Compared with other dharmas, it is like the light of a firefly compared with the sun and moon, or like a handful of water compared with the great ocean.”

Faxi, you should know: those of you who have taken a master, studied the ancients, and only recently entered the Daoist gate—the Three Vehicles you have learned (the three modes of practice of Sravaka, Pratyekabuddha, and Bodhisattva) have only names and no definite, substantial content. These teachings make much use of parables in order to instruct people of shallow capacity; they cannot enable people to transcend birth and death, to endure forever, or even to transform the physical body into an immortal and ascend, with bones and flesh rising together, to become forever a Zhenren (True Person) whose body is like true gold, unchanging, and like diamond, indestructible.

Good man, the method of parables is used to teach ignorant beings in remote regions; those of middle and superior faculties should not cultivate it. Even after a thousand lives and ten thousand generations, such people still revolve in suffering and cannot escape the river of love-desire that is birth and death. This is like sowing barnyard grass in a fertile field: in the end it will not produce polished rice, sorghum, or the other five grains. The method of parables is likewise: it cannot cause people to realize the true great Dao (the Way).

Good man, I know your mind is confined to lesser teachings, deluded and perverse, having strayed from the right path; therefore I have drawn your body here to awaken you. Good man, even if you had cultivated in the snowy mountains for hundreds of years, if you do not cultivate the great Dao, in the end you cannot escape death and will surely fall into hell; even if you call yourself an immortal, in reality you have no foundation for becoming immortal.

You, favored by blessings from former lives, have today been able to see me and again receive salvation; this is your karmic condition, and by rights you should receive birth once again. Good man, although you came here after passing through six kalpas, by the power of the great Dao I have shortened those six kalpas into six days. Moreover, in my view, the time of six kalpas is also like a single instant. Good man, the power of the great Dao is inconceivable; even if one exhausted kalpas in speaking of it, one could not finish.

Thereupon Faxi and the assembled immortals, their doubts in their hearts unresolved, again addressed Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy): “By your compassionate power, O Tianzun, you have awakened us, and we have heard teachings we had never heard before. We rejoice in our hearts and do not know how to express our thanks. We are ignorant and of limited sight and hearing, and so we thought that what we knew was the ultimate, and could not understand broadly. The supreme great Dao is profound and subtle, hidden and unfathomable; its power is vast, free and unobstructed, inconceivable.”

Notes: The Three Vehicles is a Buddhist term referring to the Sravaka Vehicle, Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and Bodhisattva Vehicle; here it is borrowed to refer to several levels of practice. Faxi is the name of a disciple in the scripture, who together with the assembled immortals seeks instruction from Tianzun. Tianzun is a Daoist title for the supreme deity; here it refers to the spirit who is expounding the scripture. Jingliang and the Five Grains refers to major grain crops such as rice, proso millet, broomcorn millet, wheat, and beans.

We people are entangled by worldly burdens and have not yet been liberated; our accumulated habits are deep. Fortunately, we have encountered this great ritual assembly and come upon such a good opportunity. We wish to cast off impure and perverse thoughts and to look up and attend beneath the immortal carriage of the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun—a title for honored Daoist deities; here it refers to the supreme deity presiding over the ritual assembly). We only beg the Heavenly Worthy to take pity and accept our lives, which are like those of the already dead, so that we may once again revive this impure mortal body and bathe in the mysterious teachings (referring to the transformative influence and nourishment of the Dao). Thereupon everyone present knocked their heads until they bled and lay prostrate on the ground for a long time, not daring to rise.

The Heavenly Worthy, by the power of great compassion, admonished the assembly: You should treat yourselves with six kinds of compassionate hearts. Accept this life that is already dead, and you may obtain rebirth anew, causing this impure mortal body to revive and bathe in the mysterious teachings. Thereupon everyone knocked their heads until they bled and lay prostrate on the ground for a long time without rising.

Because the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) was possessed of immense compassionate power, he admonished them: “You have heard my teaching throughout six kalpas and still have not awakened; this is because your ‘defilements’ are too heavy. Why is this so? Beings in remote border regions live solely by drinking blood and eating meat, eating sheep and horses raw. When they encounter the Ancient Master (referring to ancient sages who had attained the Dao, the Way), he sifts out the dregs and impurities among them, yet their residual habitual tendencies are not fully exhausted; that is why they are like this.”

At that time, by the skillful means of great compassion, the Celestial Worthy suddenly caused one thousand two hundred fifty white elephants to merge into a single great elephant; again he caused one thousand two hundred fifty immortals (xian) to merge into one immortal, seated upon that elephant; and again he caused the lands of the ten directions to merge into one land, the size of a mote of dust, with the people and all the multitudes within them merged into one person, placed within a fine hair inside that mote of dust.

After a while, two people within the hairs saw a Perfected One (Zhenren), a thousand chi tall, with an extraordinary appearance, who together with eighty-four thousand great sages was led into the hair. These two emerged from the tip of a hair and then entered through the tip of a hair of the left eyebrow into the place where the Celestial Worthy had previously been. Another thirty-six thousand members of the assembly entered through the tip of a hair on the right; everywhere inside and outside there was no obstruction, nor did they feel crowded or confined.

They stayed therein for nine days and nine nights, without fatigue or boredom in their minds, as though in the time it takes to eat one meal; they did not perceive or know that time had passed, and there was no difference from their original state. At that time, because those two had heard the wondrous Dharma, both body and mind felt joyful and at ease.

The Celestial Worthy again said: “Good sons, in the past you formed good karmic ties with the Dao, but your meritorious practice is meager and your karmic force is still shallow; the spiritual powers you have obtained are not genuine. Fine jade is produced in the mountains, and in the south there is also a kind of stone likewise called ‘jade.’ The two names are confused, and ordinary people cannot distinguish them or know which is true jade. You call yourselves ‘immortals,’ but you are like that stone, not true jade; only those with wisdom can clearly distinguish this.”

Good man, you are like that precious pearl in the topknot: in fact it is only a fish eye, not a true bright pearl. So it is with you; you are not yet a true immortal. Good man, from today onward you must bathe in the transformative teaching of the Great Dao (the Way), remove the worldly fatigue and afflictions from your person; only then is it true cultivation, and only then do you enter the Dharma-stream of the Great Dao.

When the two men heard the words of the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun, one of the highest deities in Daoism), they exclaimed that they had never had such a realization, and said: Today we are fortunate to meet the Exalted Worthy, who transmits the true Dao and enables us to awaken; all afflictions are completely dissolved, and we are light and buoyant as a snake shedding its old skin.

At this time, the Heavenly Worthy, by the power of great compassion, asked: Where are all the followers who came with you now? The two did not know how to answer, and could only look around. They saw that the true men and great sages from before were still each seated upright on their dragon thrones, yet before their eyes only a single great elephant remained. They also saw the lands of the ten directions as though right before their eyes, and in their hearts they vaguely understood that this was a scene manifested by the Heavenly Worthy’s sovereign spiritual power.

The Heavenly Worthy knew their minds and said: Out of compassion for you beings sunk in sin and suffering, I use the power of the Great Dao and skillful means to guide you, displaying spiritual transformations to awaken your minds. In an instant the scene returned to as it had been. Everyone present also understood the coming and going of the vision. From this it can be known that the sovereign spiritual power of the Great Dao is inconceivable; it cannot be distinguished or known by the Five Superknowledges (the five spiritual powers), the Three Vehicles (the paths of the shravaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva), the Seven Factors of Awakening (seven kinds of awakening), the Eight Gates (eight methods of practice), or the Three Realms (the desire realm, form realm, and formless realm). The Great Dao transcends mental constructs; it is not within seeing, hearing, perception, or knowing; neither existent nor nonexistent; neither arising nor ceasing; neither cause nor effect; ineffable and inconceivable; beyond all language and cut off from all seeing and hearing. Only the power of the Great Dao is ultimate; all dharmas are penetrated through it, with nothing ultimately omitted.

Good man, you should know that although I manifest these transformations, from beginning to end in my mind I do not consider myself to be producing any transformation; I simply, with a heart of great compassion, universally save beings as a loving mother remembers her child. Good man, although I save and transform beings, I never have the thought, “I am saving and transforming beings.”

Good man, the Great Dao’s power, wondrousness, teaching, responsiveness to circumstance, subtlety, empty stillness, and namelessness are all inconceivable; liberation, knowing and seeing, skillful means, creative transformation, generation, and operation are also all inconceivable. Good man, you should arouse a mind that finds this rare and hard to obtain, a mind of rejoicing, a mind that cherishes the hard-to-encounter, and cultivate a mind of shame and self-reproach, because the Great Dao is inconceivable.

All the immortals rejoiced and praised, saying: “We have received the compassionate grace of the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun, the supreme deity of Daoism), which descended upon us like sweet rain, granting us new life. This joy is difficult to put into words: it is like parting heavy dark clouds and seeing the sun and moon again; like a blind person regaining sight of the forms and colors of all things; like a bird in a cage able to spread its wings and soar; like a small fish returning from shallow water to rivers and seas to swim freely; and like dry bones becoming living people once more. The joy of passing through hardship and calamity to reach unimpeded peace is so sublime and vast that it truly cannot be described in words.”

At this time, the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun), out of compassion for sentient beings, earnestly instructed and conferred upon one thousand two hundred fifty “True Youths” (Zhentong)—attendant spirit youths around the Heavenly Worthy—the office of overseeing the registers of merit and transgression of all newly entered Daoists in the world, recording their life and death. Because of this causal condition, thirty-seven thousand two hundred fifty members of the assembled sages simultaneously emitted body light, illuminating the immeasurable worlds in the ten directions. Incense and flowers, ceremonial banners and canopies, and myriad kinds of celestial music all resounded together, and the great earth quaked.

The Heavenly Worthy and the assembled sages each sat upright on jeweled thrones of nine-colored cloud dragons and rose into the air. The king, princes, ministers, and common people in the Changming World saw them from afar, watching as they ascended toward the southeast. In an instant, flowing rosy clouds filled the four quarters, and the assembled deities were nowhere to be found. Only then did the men and women of the kingdom awaken; facing one another, they wept bitterly, repented their faults, and reproached themselves.

In this world there was a king named Zhenhui, intelligent and eloquent. He said to the assembly: “For now, do not grieve; listen to me. I have previously heard that there is a True One of Void and Nonbeing (Xuwu zhi Zhen), who creates heaven and earth, generates the myriad things, and whose divine power is free and unobstructed, profoundly silent and still, carrying out transformation and nurture through the wordless Dao. Now that such auspicious signs have appeared among us, it must be that the True One of Void and Nonbeing is bestowing blessings upon this land. We should repay this kindness by choosing the highest and most excellent place in the garden, building a palace there, and making offerings of incense and flowers.”

When the people of the kingdom heard the king’s words, they answered with one voice and all declared it good. Each took the priceless jewels from their persons and filled in the ground to level it; they cut various fragrant woods to build a palace, tall, great, and solemn, adorned with a hundred treasures. They arranged all kinds of seats and offered flowers, incense, lamps, and candles, exhausting the utmost of offerings and pouring out all that the world contained.

At that time, the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun), knowing from afar the minds of sentient beings, emitted ten-colored true light from the palm of his left hand, illuminating this palace so that morning and evening were as bright as day, while fragrance circulated ceaselessly throughout the world. The people of that land, because they saw the Heavenly Worthy in dreams and received his expounding of the Dao teachings, became clear and penetrating in body and mind. After waking, they recorded in writing what they had obtained in dreams. The whole nation collated and verified it together; the text matched completely, without the slightest discrepancy, and so they wrote it as the “Natural Dao Scripture” (a Daoist scripture not produced by human effort but naturally generated).

After this the people cultivated with even greater diligence; the country was peaceful, the populace was abundant, secure, and happy, and none had their lifespans cut short midway. The people felt this extraordinary efficacy, and the hidden realms and the human world responded to one another, so all became even more diligent. Even without a teacher’s guidance, they could cultivate their own minds and nature, and all were able to enter the ranks of immortals, gradually harmonizing with the subtle and wondrous Great Dao; their states were inconceivable.

At that time, the Heavenly Worthy, by means of the power of three great vows, brought sentient beings to accomplishment, arranging instruction and salvation, without partiality in his heart.

The Heavenly Worthy, together with the great virtuous ones, traveled downward and arrived at the realm of the Earth Gate (a subterranean passage) and the Ultimate Spring (the deepest spring source underground), entered a small heaven, and settled in the void. This small heaven measured six thousand seven hundred fifty-four li in circumference and one hundred ninety-nine li in height. The lord of teaching in that heaven was named Immeasurable Life (Wuliangshou, a divine title symbolizing inexhaustible lifespan). He had three great ministers: the first was named King of De (Dewang), the second Abandoning Evil (Shexie), and the third Cloud Sound (Yunyin). All taught the world by the true Dharma and did not distort the law to harm the people. The men and women in this heaven were seven cun tall; everyone was clear about matters and principles, intelligent and wise, filial to parents, and served the lord of teaching.

In this heaven, in the past, when the kalpa first began and the dragons and heavens first assembled, the Heavenly Worthy of Emptiness (Xuwu Tianzun) commanded the Perfected One of Creation (Zaohua Zhenren) and the Great Spirit Immortal (Juling Xianren) to descend into this heaven, spread throughout all places, establish boundless quiet altars, and inscribe jade-slip scriptures to guard this heaven. From that time on, the people of that country began to practice the Dao teachings. Receiving this merit, some were reborn in the Middle Kingdom, changed their surnames and clan names, and were called “divine youths,” intelligent and quick, with wisdom surpassing others. Some, with one body, two bodies, or at most three bodies, encountered the Heavenly Worthy and obtained salvation, and from then on lived long without death.

At that time, Faxi and one thousand two hundred fifty true youths (zhentong) still had doubts in their minds and had not resolved them. They rose from their seats, stepped forward, made obeisance, and addressed Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy), saying: “It is not only those who have cultivated the Three Bodies (sanshen)—the three bodily forms or incarnations spoken of in Daoism—who, upon meeting Tianzun, can attain deliverance and deathless longevity.”

Then they asked further: “May we ask Tianzun, when you speak of the Longchu Hui (the first great assembly at the initial opening of the cosmos in Daoist scriptures), how many kalpas (jie, extremely long units of time) had this scripture already passed through? Xuwu Tianzun (Tianzun of Void and Nothingness) commanded Dazao Zhenren (Great Creator Perfected Person), a divine being who assists in opening heaven and earth and transforming all things, to disperse original Qi (yuanqi, the most primordial life energy of the universe) and bring forth all things. What is the root of the subtle and wondrous principle therein, such that one can instantly reach such a state of freedom and unimpededness? We earnestly beseech Tianzun to take pity on our ignorance and lack of understanding, and to teach us the wondrous Dharma that we have never heard and that has never previously been revealed.”

Tianzun perceived their earnestness and said: “Good men, this assembly is extremely ancient; the time it has passed is equal to the number of motes of dust in a hundred billion great earths, incalculable. Only the Dao can know the Dao. The Wutong divine beings (wutong shenren, immortals endowed with the five supernatural penetrations) all regard this as long-lasting. Yet what I see today is less than the briefest instant of bowing and raising the head, or of a blink. The principle you wish to know is precisely like this. The Dao of original Qi is not something you are able to hear and understand.”

Faxi and the assembly bowed their heads again and addressed Tianzun, saying: “Your disciples were born in a defiled world; our cultivation is not sufficiently pure, and we are benighted and deluded. We have not met a good teacher to guide us, but cling only to narrow, minor methods; our views are cramped and limited. Therefore we cannot comprehend these profound principles.”

At this time, Faxi (the disciple named in the scripture) and everyone present bowed again and reported to the Tianzun (the honorific title for the supreme deity in Daoism): “We disciples were born in the impure and polluted land (the ordinary world), and our cultivation has not been pure; we are benighted and deluded. Though we have met a good teacher, what we have learned has been one-sided, our views are narrow, and our minds grow darker day by day. We never expected that today the mist would be parted, as the sun shines impartially and a bright mirror illumines the dark places. The Dao shows no partial favor; may you elucidate the principles transmitted at the Longchu Assembly (the assembly at the first manifestation of the great Dao), and resolve for us our doubts concerning the source of original Qi (the source Qi of heaven, earth, and the myriad things). We earnestly beg you to condescend to reveal and instruct us, so that we may taste the wondrous Dharma like sweet dew, moisten these withered bodies and minds, and bestow a spiritual talisman, so that dry bones may regain life.

We disciples and all present rejoiced endlessly, our joy almost beyond containment. We never expected to ride the cloud-glow immortal carriage, ascend the mysterious heavenly gate, and bathe in your grace and instruction. Yet in our hearts we forgot contentment and proper measure, and instead erred through impatient striving. We earnestly beg you to pardon and forgive us.

As these words were spoken, all present wept without cease; the earth shook, and the sunlight dimmed. From the sky above came a sound like the chant of dragons. All people, along with tiny flying insects and wriggling creatures, lamented together. Plants and trees withered, metal and stone lost their luster, fragrant clouds hovered and congealed in the air, divine winds blew vast and mighty, and the harmonious Qi between heaven and earth was obstructed.

Thereupon the Zhen Tong (the immortal youths who serve the Tianzun) were moved, heaven and earth were stirred, and beings of different kinds lamented in one voice. Men and women of the whole country came to lend their support and join in the plea, willing to draw near and hear the wondrous Dharma.

At this time, the Tianzun, compassionate toward the emotion of the assembly, emitted a thousand rays of light from his mouth, illuminating all the heavens, so that everywhere became bright and transparent. Fragrant flowers descended from the heavens, and various wondrous sounds arose spontaneously in the air. The sun and moon became bright again, gentle winds brushed away the dust, immortal flowers blanketed the earth, and cloud canopies in the sky spread like nets over all the heavens. Divine bells sounded clear and resonant, the processions of Zhenren (Perfected beings) were arrayed in the four directions, dragon scales gleamed with light, lions chanted in low tones, precious incense was burned in jade censers, and the Zhen Tong scattered the incense smoke. Heaven and earth both displayed auspicious signs, and beings of different kinds rejoiced with one heart. The lands of the ten directions all appeared clearly; the great sages of all the heavens came through the air, and gods and humans of the lower realms surged forth from the earth, all gathering in this place. All the heavenly deities, earth deities (gods of the earth), kings of the mountains and seas, and kings of the hundred beasts also came to the place of the Dharma assembly to hear the Tianzun preach.

The Heavenly Venerable (Tianzun, the supreme deity of Daoism) cleared his throat, snapped his fingers, and said to the assembled people: “Good man, regarding the Way of Primordial Qi (Yuanqi)—the fundamental principle of the original Qi of Heaven, Earth, and all things—what does it take as its root? Listen carefully now, and I will explain it to you. Good man, you should know that the root of the Way of Primordial Qi lies in emptiness (xuwu, the formless and imageless state of original being) and issues from the Heavenly Venerable. From emptiness arises naturalness (ziran, the state in which things come to be according to their own nature), continuing without interruption and enduring for long.”