《太上太清天童护命妙经》

The Supreme One (Taishang, the honorific title Daoism gives the highest deity) says: Heaven above gives birth to me and nourishes me; the earth bears me; the sun and moon shine upon me; the stars and constellations make me flourish. The host of immortals assists me; the Controller of Destiny (Siming, the deity who governs human lifespan) bestows blessings upon me; the Great One (Taiyi, a venerable celestial deity) employs me; Jade Chen (Yuchen, a revered deity of the heavenly realm) summons me; the Three Officials (Sanguan—the Official of Heaven, the Official of Earth, and the Official of Water) protect me; the Five Emperors guard me; and stellar deities such as the North Star, the Southern Pole, and the Northern Dipper aid and shelter me. Golden Lads and Jade Maidens attend me; the Six Jia and the Six Ding (Liujia and Liuding, protective divine generals in Daoism) obey my command. The Gate of Heaven opens for me, and the Door of Earth is made passable for me; mountains, rivers, and marshes receive me; wind, rain, thunder, and lightning escort and accompany me. The Eight Trigrams (Bagua) honor me; the Nine Palaces help me withdraw into concealment; Yin-Yang takes me as its basis; the Five Phases accord with me; the four seasons proceed because of me; and my nature and life are in my own hands.

I possess the mysterious celestial register of Great Clarity (Taiqing, the pure heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism), and I can ascend and descend, coming and going without cease, among the Three Palaces of the celestial realm. When I pray for golden fare and jade nectar, whatever I seek is obtained. I take the Void Brahma and the sun and moon as witnesses, and I swear an oath with Heaven above. As for the stellar deities listed in the scripture (in the original, the written forms of these star names are damaged), all that I seek can be realized; wherever I go, the way is smooth; whatever I do is fitting; whatever I wish succeeds. Every kind of transformation accords with the true reality of the Great Dao (Dao, the Way). Which spirit cannot be commanded, and which order cannot be carried out?

Before me is the Vermilion Bird; behind me, the Dark Warrior; on my left, the Azure Dragon; on my right, the White Tiger. Above is the Flowery Canopy (Huagai, the celestial insignia that protects the person); beneath my feet I tread Kui and Gang (Kuigang, stellar deities among the asterisms of the Northern Dipper). Divine majesty is illustrious and solemn, overawing the four quarters. Those who cherish me live; those who detest me meet with calamity; those who plot to harm me die; those who hate me perish. Numinous lads and divine maidens, together with vajra-warriors who shatter evil—three thousand six hundred guardians in all—are ever at my side, holding credentials and bearing talismans and registers (Fulu), traveling in company with me. “The Supreme One seizes the capital” (the wording of the original); Heaven’s fortune is greatly auspicious and flourishing. Twenty-four talismans are matched with the calendrical reckoning of the stars. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances, let it be carried out!

The numinous talisman of the Supreme One for expelling evil and curing illness.

The Numinous Text of the Heavenly Lad of Supreme Great Clarity for Protecting Life (Taishang Taiqing Tiantong Huming Lingwen) is said to have been transmitted by the Perfected of the Golden Portal (Jinque Shangzhen), a revered deity of Daoism, to cultivators of the Dao (the Way) and to men and women of the world. If one can recite this Jing (scripture/classic) three to seven times, or even a hundred times, every morning at dawn, the unsurpassed immortal hosts of the Numinous Treasure of the ten directions, the Generals of the Three Primordials, the Perfected Lords of the Four Masters Who Assist Heaven, the Divine Kings Who Fly through the Heavens, the Mighty Warriors Who Break Evil, and other spirits will lead multitudes of divine generals and soldiers to guard the reciter, so that this person constantly enjoys peace and security. Golden essences, fierce beasts, and the like will also protect from without; the hundred ghosts cannot harass, and deviant demons dare not do harm. Reciting the scripture can also dispel baleful influences, drive away deviant Qi (vital energy), and be used to cure illness and avert calamity.

Reciting and upholding this scripture morning and evening is said to make the hearing keen and the sight clear, the body strong and light, to lengthen one’s years and benefit longevity, and to preserve life for a long time. One may also draw the numinous talismans spoken of in the scripture—Fulu (talismans and registers)—as twenty-four slips, wear them on the body to expel evil, or swallow them to treat illness. They are usually written on a jiazi day or a gengshen day, in cinnabar; what matters is sincerity of mind, and carrying them on one’s person as one goes about.

In the thirteenth year of the Daye era of the Sui, Laojun (one of the highest deities venerated in Daoism, that is, Taishang Laojun) sent the god of Mount Huo to announce in advance that the Duke of Tang would receive the Mandate of Heaven. On the twenty-third day of the second month of the first year of Wude under Tang Gaozu, an old man with snow-white hair and beard appeared on Yangjiao Mountain in Jinzhou. He wore white robes and a black cap and rode a white horse whose mane, tail, and four hooves were all red. The old man said to Ji Shanxing of Jiangzhou, “Tell the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang for me that sagely and enlightened rule has now been attained, and the state will long flourish.” With that, he soared into the air and departed.

On the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month of the same year, the old man appeared again just as before. Ji Shanxing did not know what he should take as proof, and the old man said, “When you reach the capital, if someone presents a stone turtle, that will be the proof.” With that, he vanished.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, Ji Shanxing met He Xiaoyi, the area commander of Jinzhou, and reported the matter in full. He Xiaoyi took him to see the Prince of Qin, Li Shimin. At the time the Prince of Qin was in Jinzhou campaigning against rebel forces, and he sent the commander Du Ang together with Ji Shanxing to make offerings and an announcement at the place where the old man had appeared. The old man did indeed appear once more, and what occurred matched what Ji Shanxing had said. The Prince of Qin then ordered Du Ang and Ji Shanxing to ride post horses to the capital and report.

On the nineteenth day of the fifth month, as the two arrived at the capital, they happened to meet Zhang Da, the assistant administrator of Qiongzhou, at the gate of the court hall, presenting a stone turtle. Carved on the turtle were the words: “The realm is at peace, descendants prosper, for ten million generations, for ten million years.” They entered court together to report, and the matter indeed fulfilled the earlier prophecy. Gaozu was greatly pleased and ordered a temple built at the place where the old man had appeared.

Later, Ji Shanxing saw the old man again. The old man asked, “What does the Son of Heaven still doubt about me?” Ji Shanxing replied, “It is because he does not know the sage’s name and title.” The old man said, “I am a supreme immortal, titled Laojun, the sacred ancestor venerated by the emperor. In Bozhou there is a juniper that has already withered and died; it will grow again, and this shall serve as a sign that all under Heaven is at peace.”

Ji Shanxing then told He Xiaoyi and reported the matter to the court. On the seventh day of the twelfth month of the same year, Laojun appeared again in the temple and said to Ji Shanxing, “The withered juniper in my temple at Bozhou has already sprouted anew. The Tang has attained sagely and enlightened rule, and its descendants will long enjoy the fortunes of the state. I have already dispatched a million divine troops, who will wait until the fourth month of the coming year to help the state campaign against Liu Heita.”

Ji Shanxing immediately entered court to report. On the twenty-first day of the fourth month of the following year, Liu Heita was indeed pacified. Thereafter the realm was at peace, and the withered juniper did in fact grow again. The court then renamed Yangjiao Mountain Longjiao Mountain and renamed the temple Qingtang Guan (the Abbey Celebrating the Tang). By the Longshuo years of Gaozu, Laojun appeared once more. People painted an image according to his appearance and called it the “Ruixiang” (an image of an auspicious omen).

Present-day Maoshan is known as the foremost Dilu blessed land under heaven (a blessed place where spiritual Qi (vital energy) gathers and where cultivation is well suited). In the age of Gaoxin, Zhan Shanggong attained the Dao (the Way) here and became an immortal. In the Jin dynasty, Chief Clerk Xu sought out this place, built a residence, and practiced cultivation; he and his father later both attained the Dao and became immortals, and the elixir well remains to this day. In the Liang dynasty, Tao Yinju followed the traces of those who had come before, built the Zhaozhen Terrace here, and compiled the Daoist scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) and the Four Supplements.

During the Kaiyuan era of the Tang, Master Li Xuanjing served as Emperor Xuanzong’s initiation master (a Daoist priest who guided the emperor into the Dao). After petitioning the court, he was granted gold and silk. On the former site of the Zhaozhen Terrace he built the Hall of the Auspicious Image. Nearly five hundred years have passed to the present, and the hall and the auspicious image are still those made in the Tang. This is an ancient sacred site, and it ranks first among the sacred sites of Maoshan.

On the thirteenth day of the fourth month of the third year of Daguan in the present dynasty, the Daoist priest Liang Wuzhen, who tended the fire and cooked the meals, went at dawn to draw water from the Dragon-Nurturing Pool in front of the hall. Suddenly purple clouds enveloped the edge of the pool. A moment later he saw an elder in feathered robes, with thick, long eyebrows, snow-white hair, and a beard white as snow, riding a white horse and descending from the sky. Liang Wuzhen looked on in astonishment and found that the elder’s appearance was exactly the same as that of the sacred image enshrined in the hall, so he hastily paid his respects and prostrated himself on the ground.

The Most High (Taishang) said, “I dwell above in the Realm of Great Clarity (Taiqing), and have chanced to descend upon this numinous altar. I pity you for the toil of your service, and for your heart that seeks the Dao, though you have never yet met with the opportunity. I now bestow upon you the Wondrous Scripture (Jing) of the Heavenly Youths Who Protect Life, with Added Phrases. You should recite it with single-minded devotion, accumulate merit and good deeds in the world, and the Dao will naturally become yours.”

Liang Wuzhen kowtowed and received the teaching, then raised his head and gazed up at this holy perfected one. The Most High then rode his horse, which gave a long neigh, and soared away into the sky. That year numinous mushrooms grew there, a single plant putting forth several stalks. From then on Liang Wuzhen no longer ate grain, and his bearing and complexion changed greatly. In the past he had been ordinary and dull and had never learned to read; from this time on he could write and recite the scriptures, and he understood their meaning as well. When he foretold fortune and misfortune for others, the predictions often came true as if by divine power.

Three days before Liang Wuzhen departed as an immortal, he wrote twenty-four talismans (fu) and cast them into the pool. Many who were ill came into the mountain to obtain the pool water and recovered after drinking it, in numbers too great to count. Those who believe in Daoism venerate this scripture morning and evening; so long as they pray with a devout heart, there is nothing they seek that fails to receive a response.

I, Fu Xiao, once read the Holy Chronicle of Primordial Chaos (Hunyuan Shengji), and therefore record the origin of the Hall of the Auspicious Image and the events of its numinous manifestations and verified responses, to leave for those who come later. Respectfully recorded in the jiazi year of Shaoxing by Fu Xiao, Chief Daoist Registrar of Maoshan and Great Master of Illumined Perfection and Penetrating Subtlety.