《太上清静元洞真文玉字妙经》

The Wondrous Scripture of Jade Characters of the True Writ of the Primordial Cavern of Supreme Clarity and Stillness

The Most High Lord-Ruler of August Heaven and the Limitless Most High Primordial Lord are the Lord of the Dao (the Way), and are also the King Father of the East. They represent the Qi (vital energy) of azure yang and stand as the forerunners of the host of gods. The Queen Mother of the West, in Wuwei (non-action), represents the Qi of Great Yin and is born of spontaneity.

The Primordial Lord of Great Unity, Supreme Thearch of August Heaven, is the sovereign of the stars at the center of heaven. The scripture then lists the titles of many immortals, Perfected, and immortal officials, such as Hanchang, Li Jian, Piaorongzi, Chichengzi, Shouzi, Guoliangqiangzi, Xuanzi, Wang Shenzu, and Taizengzi. These names belong to the genealogy of divine Perfected in the scripture, and some of the titles appear repeatedly in the text.

The scripture next lists such titles as Yin Ziqiao, Zhenzi, Xishe, Youyi Kencheng, Zhongbo, Jing’er, Wencheng, and Wuyi, and mentions phrases including “Wuwei,” “the ancient calendar,” “the Eastern Mountain,” “still perfection,” and “joining with primordial Qi.” It then continues to enumerate the titles of numinous gods, Perfected, youth marquises, and immortal officials, describing them as dwelling in the celestial realms and presiding over the stars and numinous destinies.

The scripture further states that the divine Perfected can penetrate the mysterious and subtle principle, so that the body receives the protection of purple Qi, blazing light, and yellow Qi. They can also increase blessings and good fortune, spread the Jing (essence) and Qi of life, nourish the bodily form with lunar essence, clear away poison and harm, and warmly nurture the body, so that a life grown dry is moistened once more. Practicing elixir methods upon the earth, they prolong life and alter one’s allotted fate. Statements of this kind belong to the ideas of nurturing body and mind within Daoist cultivation and the faith in immortality.

At the end, the scripture mentions “true secret names” (the hidden titles of the divine Perfected), “mysterious stars,” “lodging and nurturing,” “clouds arising from the roots of grasses,” and “the Jade Grove receiving the mandate.” With phrases such as “what issues from the mouth is not myself,” it conveys the sense of esoteric transmission: one cannot attain immortality or complete the cultivation merely by speaking of it. Finally it says that by turning back the numinous light and inhaling and exhaling its radiance, one may achieve a body of jade florescence; the lordly gods descend upon the sands and the cinnabar waters, and all of this originates in the Primordial Three Heavens.

This passage comprises three hundred and ninety characters in all. It is the explanatory text of the Sanyuan Jianzhen Yinshu (Hidden Book of the Three Origins for Inspecting the True), meant for examining and identifying concealed talismanic graphs.

“天文合符命元六乙参知木解兆形一一分”

The foregoing is the oral formula placed after the talisman in the Jiutian Pulu (Register of the Nine Heavens), seventeen characters in all.

“制屯天安心明师心三身名心合九子太方凶无上人然刀凶天亦前天爱火鸟束心元世阴光”

The foregoing is the Longfei Chisu Yinjue (Hidden Formula on Dragon-Flight Silk), a secret oral formula carried on a length of plain silk, thirty-seven characters in all.

“混洞开明导沌卒喘兰罗勒罗庆特越梓泓渊拔览造基简平宁怜知齐耀爓渊谷盈法综通桐景游昌澄珠映师庆翁京云延罂寂范戏飞上婆生羽影明延兰莽桩述映艳候度高仙昌冻度玄景度生勃崇云普仙波乡诣扇扈造基简平宁怜知齐耀爓渊谷盈法综通桐景游昌澄珠映师庆翁京云延罂寂范戏飞上婆生羽影明延兰莽桩述映艳候度高仙昌冻度玄景度生勃崇云普仙波乡诣扇扈迅碧钦霞泰羽留甥升通灵虏紫英松云恭静遂兰芝”

Of these, thirty-two characters belong to the Zhengtian Ming (True Names of Heaven). The remainder concern the zhenghui, the formal taboo-names of deities or stars, for the ten directions, the four quarters, the nine stars, the seven stars, and the five stars, together with such headings as “the True Heaven’s Three, the Twenty-four Perfected, and the Eight Births and Eight Deaths.”

The foregoing are the taboo-names of the one hundred and ten Dao-lords of Shangqing (Highest Clarity).

Tianxuan of the Eastern Marchmount has the taboo-name “Shifeng” and the courtesy name “Yuchang Yiguang.”

The Azure Emperor of the East is the son of the Xuhuang (Void Sovereign) of the Year Star (Jupiter). He dwells in the Azure Emperor’s Mansion of Mysterious Light and Enduring Mystery. The practitioner ingests the Jing (essence) of the Azure Emperor and recites the true writ three times.

Tian□ of the Southern Marchmount has the taboo-name “Kaiming” and the courtesy name “Yuhuandai.”

The Red Emperor of the South is the son of the Xuhuang of the Dazzling Deluder (Mars). He dwells in the Red Emperor’s Mansion of Celestial Origin and Long Life. The practitioner ingests the Jing of the Red Emperor and recites the true writ three times.

Tianxu of the Western Marchmount has the taboo-name “Minghuang” and the courtesy name “Roulin.” This taboo-name belongs to the talisman below.

The White Emperor of the West is the son of Baicang of the Great White Star (Venus). He dwells in the White Emperor’s Mansion of Primal Radiance and Longevity. The practitioner ingests the Jing of the White Emperor and recites the true writ three times.

In many places the text is formed by strings of characters that make up hidden formulas, divine names, and taboo-names. These belong to the secret writings of Daoist Fulu (talismans and registers). The original offers no character-by-character explanation, so the original wording is retained and no interpretation is forced upon it.

The Yuanzhen of the Northern Peak, the primordial true Shen (spirit) of the Northern Peak, bears the taboo-name Jiqi and the courtesy name Menggui Binglang.

The Black Emperor of the North, the black emperor who governs the North, and Lord Yuqiang of the star Chenxing, the Shen-lord associated with Chenxing, dwell in the Black Emperor’s Yuanming Mysterious Palace Bureau. He ingests the Jing (essence) of the Black Emperor and intones the True Writ three times.

The intonation is complete.

The Yuanzhen of the Northern Peak bears the taboo-name Jiqi and the courtesy name Menggui Binglang.

The Black Emperor of the North, Lord Yuqiang of the star Chenxing, dwells in the Black Emperor’s Yuanming Mysterious Palace Bureau. He ingests the Jing of the Black Emperor and intones the True Writ three times.

Huayang of the Central Peak, the Shen-perfected of the Central Peak, bears the taboo-name Mengying and the courtesy name Linqiu.

The Most High Yellow Emperor of the Center, the Yellow Emperor who governs the center, and Lord Yangjing of the star Zhenxing, the yang-essence Shen-lord associated with Zhenxing, dwell in the Yellow Emperor’s Yuanyang Bureau. He ingests the Jing of the Yellow Emperor and intones the True Writ three times.

What has been set out above is the true formula of the Five Talismans within the staff; that is, it explains the talismanic characters on the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) directive talismans.

The characters are Yan, Ming, Ling, Weiyang, Dong, Fu, Ji, Yan, Chi, Piao, Nu, Tong, Ban, Yuan, Shi, Han, Shu, Niu, Shang, Jin, Chang, Kai, Yao, Po, Bao, Hei, Jie, Ling, Hui, Yin, Hou, Ju, Bao, Hui, Zhen, Jue, Jue, Jie, and Zi.

All of these characters are the orthodox precious taboo-names of the five directions, the venerable secret taboo-names of the Shen of the five directions.

These secret taboo-names may be used in any place. When one writes Fulu (talismans and registers), if the talisman is to take effect, one invokes the true taboo-name of the East when proceeding eastward, and invokes the true name of the precious taboo-name of the South when proceeding southward; both, it is said, can drive away every obstruction. What is spoken of here is the transmission of the rules for Lingbao talismanic characters to the Superior Perfected, lofty perfected ones who have attained the Dao. Those who receive it should be persons who have already attained the Dao; it is not transmitted to middling immortals, immortals of a lower level of cultivation. This method comes from the upper chapter of the Red Writ.

The above explains the Lingbao talismanic characters. When one proceeds eastward, one invokes the true taboo-name of the East; when one proceeds southward, one invokes the true name of the precious taboo-name of the South; both, it is said, can drive away every obstruction. This is the portion that transmits the rules for Lingbao talismanic characters to the Superior Perfected. Those who receive it should be persons who have attained the Dao; it is not transmitted to middling immortals. This passage comes from the upper chapter of the Red Writ.

The above explains the talismanic characters on the Lingbao directive talismans.

What follows explains the formula of the Eight Effulgences register talismans.

The taboo-name of Dai is Zongniu; the taboo-name of Ding is Gou; the taboo-name of Bei is Podong; the taboo-name of Huang is Zhanghu; and the taboo-name of Yougong is Xuanfeng.

In the original text, the characters listed after “the orthodox precious taboo-names of the five directions,” together with such phrases as “the taboo-name of Dai is Zongniu,” belong to the specialized terminology of Fulu taboo-names. What they specifically refer to is difficult to determine from this passage alone. The explanation above follows the original text and records it as written.

What is recorded here, in the three scriptures (Jing) of the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure), are the surnames and true names of the demon kings of the five directions, together with the related incantations for travel. Only a practitioner whose name has already been entered on the Azure Register—the immortal roster that records the names of those who cultivate the Dao (the Way)—of the Purple Palace of Eastern Florescence (a celestial palace in the Daoist pantheon) may receive this transmission; it must not be passed on to Daoist priests of the middle immortal rank who have not yet attained the Dao.

When setting out, one should silently recite, according to the direction, the name of the demon king of the corresponding quarter. Going east, one recites the name of the demon king of the azure heaven of the east, so as to avert calamity; going south, west, or north, one likewise recites the name of that direction’s demon king. When traveling in the months when the four seasons give way to one another, one recites the name of the center. If the taboo names of the five directions are written on talismanic documents, the method is the same. Carelessly divulging these contents brings the “examination of the wind-knives” (a punishment by the gods, as spoken of in Daoism).

“Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery) text, truth of the Nine Heavens, the Three and Five concealed, fourteen words, two-sevens removing six and eight” is esoteric language in the scripture; the original text gives no further explanation of its concrete meaning.

In a former life one underwent rebirth, transmigrating through the “Kingdom of Golden Origin”; in this life the body’s virtue and conduct are not yet manifest, yet one’s name was entered long ago on the register of immortals.

For a time one passes through the Court of the Five Sufferings (a place symbolizing the endurance of pain and trial), because a destined affinity from a former life is already present. In the empty pavilion a middle-plain offering (a pure and simple sacrificial arrangement) is set out, praying for the deliverance of body and mind afflicted by the Eight Difficulties, for the washing away of filth and turbid Qi (vital energy), and for the chance to roam together with the Superior Perfected (high-ranking immortals). Passing through six degrees of cultivation, one leaves the traces of the Brahma heavens; reaching the realm of the Utmost Perfected, one emerges from the empty mystery. Body and mind, hollow as a void, open toward the clouds; one looks up and draws near to the guests of the heavens of the ten directions. The bodily form receives the marks of the Celestial Worthies (Tianzun) and advances far toward the realm of the worthy and the sage.

“The Most High, Contract of the Three Heavens, Seven Treasures Stabilizing the Numinous” is the name of the talismanic formula. The verses repeated after it express the practitioner’s wish to purify body and mind and ascend into the realm of the lofty Perfected.

These three sets of talismans of the Eight Effulgences (Bajing), together with their true formulas, are transmitted only to those who already bear an immortal name from former lives. They must not be given casually to unbelievers, or one will suffer the examination of the wind-knives. The three Eight-Effulgence registers and the precious scriptures of the Thirty-Two Heavens should, according to the rites, be transmitted to those qualified to attain the Dao, and not to lower immortals. Only those who have passed through the turning of ten thousand kalpas and who in this life also possess good affinity have the chance to see these precious formulas; suitable persons should therefore be chosen for the transmission. The true formulas are recorded in the scriptural scrolls.

The three sets of Eight-Effulgence talismans above come to ninety-six in all; the related oral formulas are recorded in the Scroll of the Lesser Kalpa.

The ten characters “The Most High, Contract of the Three Heavens, Seven Treasures Stabilizing the Numinous” are the true formula of the great talisman that follows the Eight Effulgences. Their meaning is this: Great Brightness (the power of divinity) transforms a person into an immortal, returning one to the original source and releasing one from disaster; the hun and po souls become penetrating, firm, and upright, and the myriad evils all submit and obey; the deity who superintends destiny determines the springs of life, and the august deities settle the hun and po; if there are acts of malice or violations of taboo, all are handed over to Xuanhuo (a Daoist divine name or office; the original text does not explain it) for disposal.

Taiyi (the supreme deity, or god of the primordial source, in Daoism) transforms into the Six Harmonies (heaven, earth, and the four directions), while the five Shen (spirits) assist the Eight Effulgences (eight kinds of numinous, luminous scenes within the body or in the celestial realm). This is the true formula of the Great Talisman (Fulu).

When the light is vast and radiant, one can be transformed into an immortal; returning to the original source dissolves transgression. When the hun and po souls are unobstructed and upright, every kind of evil submits and complies. The Director of Destinies fixes the span of life, and the August Spirits settle the hun and po. If anyone commits a violent and wicked crime, the case is without exception handed over to Xuanhuo (the spirit, or divine realm, named in the scripture).

Taiyi transforms into the Six Harmonies, and the five Shen assist the Niwan (the upper Dantian, or energy center, in the head, as spoken of in Daoist internal cultivation). The seven kinds of accumulated karmic offenses are extinguished, and the sufferings of the Three Paths (the three destinations of hardship spoken of in Daoism) may also be remitted; the Blood Corpse (a malign entity associated with death and bloodshed) is blocked at the lower pass. The Three Jin (a term of the original text whose precise referent is unknown) face the Imperial Perfected (the celestial emperor and the true deities), uprooting and cutting off the root of the embryonic tree. The Elder (an honorific for a deity) is styled Shenzong, the Ancestral Spirit, and is of one mind with Yuansujun, the Lord of Primordial Elements (a divine name). The Celestial Sovereign enters Taiqing (a Daoist celestial realm), and the Five Elders (the deities of the five directions) carry out the talismanic writs. Generation after generation ascends to the Feathered Palace (an immortal palace), shining like Chonghua upon the Mid-Sun Pavilion (a celestial palace or high terrace). The Primordial King begins to manifest Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), consolidating the gate of my fundamental destiny; he blesses and supports the circulating green Qi, causing it to return to the Upper Valley and the Lower Mystery (orientations within the body, or between heaven and earth, as named in the scripture). The Mysterious Effulgence (a dark and profound numinous light) illuminates body and spirit, and in the morning ferries living beings across so that they may come into audience with the Most High (a venerated deity of Daoism). The sun and moon stand side by side with the Jade Jin (a term of the original text whose precise referent is unknown), and the years become distinct as the sun and moon proceed. The Cinnabar Writ (a sacred document inscribed in vermilion) is stored within the Jade Hall, and the one who occupies this station becomes the Unsurpassed Lord. On the left is inscribed Yutaizi (the name of a deity or immortal official); on the right is escorted Jinyanxian (the name of a deity or immortal).