《太上灵宝元阳妙经》Vol. 1

Volume One of the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang of the Most High’s Numinous Treasure, Part One: The Conduct of the Sage.

At this time, the Perfected One of Primordial Yang, Guangmiaoyin, heard that the Celestial Worthy was in the Hall of the Mysterious Capital, the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, the Land of Wondrous Music, and the World of Primordial Yang, expounding the teachings of the Mahayana scriptures to the great sages and Flying Heavenly Spirit Kings of the heavens. He was clarifying profound principles for his retinue of immortals, and the scriptures he taught were subtle and wondrous, while his miraculous powers and transformations were beyond comprehension.

On hearing this, Guangmiaoyin was overjoyed. He led eighty-four thousand disciples and said, “I have heard that there is a holy and venerable one, whose majestic bearing and virtuous conduct are magnificent beyond compare. Prepare fine incense, precious treasures, banners, canopies, carriages, music, and other offerings. We shall set out tomorrow at noon to seek a wise teacher.”

The disciples were astonished and praised this as an unprecedented event. They immediately prepared for the journey, bringing coral, amber, luminous pearls, jeweled standards, fragrant flowers and incense, and other rare treasures of the world. Riding clouds and driving dragons, they soared through the air toward the place where the Celestial Worthy was staying.

When they arrived, Guangmiaoyin and his party felt both awe and nervousness, and were uneasy in their bearing. Among them, a Perfected One named Xianzhi spoke loudly: “Disciples, arrange your robes and headwear, compose your bodies and minds, and focus your eyes and ears. We have prepared various blended incenses and fine offerings, set up an altar in the air, displayed banners and jeweled canopies, arranged music, and stationed attendants around us.”

Dressed in a neat ritual robe and holding an incense burner, Xianzhi lowered his gaze and bent his knees. He spoke softly with reverence, bowed his head in greeting, then stepped forward to pay his respects to the Celestial Worthy. He asked whether the Celestial Worthy was in good health and whether the teaching was proceeding smoothly. Then he said, “Through the causes and conditions of my past, I, Xianzhi, have been fortunate enough to join the ranks of the High Perfected. After many cycles of rebirth and karmic ties, I have at last encountered the advent of the Dao’s good fortune. I am deeply grateful for the Celestial Worthy’s compassionate mercy and am filled with boundless joy. Yet I still bear attachments accumulated long ago, and deep doubts remain in my heart. I have been confused for a long time, unable to understand.

“Now I have heard that the Celestial Worthy widely bestows grace and reveals the path of compassion, becoming a great vessel to ferry the people, ordinary beings, and all living creatures across; a ladder by which they may ascend to heaven; and a wise teacher and guide who points the way to the great Dao. I venture to draw upon the Celestial Worthy’s radiant authority and wondrous power to ask about the questions troubling my heart. I humbly beg the great master to pity the ignorant and grant me an answer.”

The Celestial Worthy remained silent for a long time. Then his face shone with the radiance of five colors, while the sun, moon, and stars gleamed brightly. He possessed all seventy-two distinguishing features and eighty marks of beauty. His light illuminated the countless worlds of the ten directions, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. His majestic voice of the Dharma resounded, shaking the lands in every direction.

The Celestial Worthy said, “Good, good! Your question is profound. I will explain it to you in detail, in keeping with what you have asked.”

Worthy Wisdom addressed the Celestial Worthy: “Now that you have granted us your instruction and enabled beings to understand and awaken, I would still like to ask: What conduct should one cultivate, and what vows should one make, to attain the fruit of the Dao?”

The Celestial Worthy replied: “To cultivate the wondrous Dao of Nature, one must eliminate six harmful behaviors.” The Worthy and Wise Perfected One asked, “Why are they called the six harmful behaviors?” The Celestial Worthy said, “The first is stinginess and greed; the second is breaking the precepts; the third is anger; the fourth is laziness; the fifth is distraction; and the sixth is ignorance. Perfected Ones who cultivate the Dao of Nature must eliminate these six harmful behaviors before they can attain the true Dao.

“One must also cultivate five forms of contemplation. First, contemplate that the body is impure. Second, contemplate that the body is filled with suffering. Third, contemplate that the body is impermanent. Fourth, contemplate that nothing has an independent, unchanging self. Fifth, contemplate that the body is empty and still, without any enduring, unchanging substance. Good men, Perfected Ones who are Daoist adepts should regularly practice these five contemplations.

“There is another form of practice, taught in the Celestial Worthy’s Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang, Upper Grade. After hearing this Great Sacred Scripture, a Perfected Daoist adept should give rise to reverence and faith. Having placed faith in the scripture, he should reflect in this way: There is the supreme Dao, the great Correct Dharma, and the Scripture of Primordial Yang. I constantly think of its essential teachings and delight in seeking them. Therefore, I should leave behind the people and things I love, including my wife, parents, brothers, and other relatives, as well as my home, gold, silver, and precious treasures, servants, and enslaved attendants.

“Next he should consider: Life at home is cramped, like being bound; it is the source of many kinds of wrongdoing. Life as a renunciant is calm and still, like empty space, and can support the growth of many kinds of goodness. If I remain at home, it will be difficult to recite the Scripture of Primordial Yang and cultivate wisdom. So I should leave behind the ties of family affection, renounce household life, and study the Dao. I resolve to cut off attachment and cultivate the supreme, true, and natural fruition.

“When a Perfected Daoist adept is preparing to renounce the world, heavenly demons and ghosts may come to disturb him and stir up distress in his heart. How should a true cultivator respond? He goes to the Palace of Primordial Yang. If he sees that the Celestial Worthy and his disciples are dignified in bearing, pure in body and mind, gentle in nature, and still in Wuwei, he approaches and asks to renounce the world. He takes off his worldly clothes and puts on the ritual robe. After entering religious life, he upholds the precepts, maintains proper conduct, behaves with composure, and commits no transgressions. He would not knowingly commit even a minor offense. He guards the precepts with care, as one would protect an infant.

“This is like someone crossing the sea with a floating gourd, a vessel that can stay afloat. The sea spirit demands the gourd. The traveler thinks, ‘If I give it to you, I will surely sink,’ and replies, ‘You may kill me, but you cannot take my gourd.’ The sea spirit then asks for half, a third, even a piece as large as a palm or as fine as a thread, but the traveler refuses each time. He says, ‘I have only just begun crossing the sea. I do not know how wide it is or how far the shore lies. How could I give you my gourd? If I die because of it, regret will come too late.’

“Good men, Perfected Daoist adepts should guard the precepts in the same way, like travelers crossing the sea who cherish their floating gourds. Afflictions and evil thoughts are like the sea spirit. They will urge him: ‘Trust me; I will never deceive you. It does no harm to break a few prohibitions. Then you can safely enter the immortal ranks of Primordial Yang.’ The Perfected One should reply: ‘I would rather keep the precepts and fall into the Hell of Dark Sand than break them and violate the law just to seek rebirth in heaven.’

“Afflictions will tempt him step by step: if he does not violate the five prohibitions, he should eat human flesh; if he will not eat human flesh, he should steal; if he will not steal, he should commit the five grave offenses; if he will not commit those, he should enter a house of sexual misconduct; if he will not enter such a house, he should break the Four Covenants. The Perfected One should heed none of this. He should reflect: If I break the Four Covenants and fail to confess and repent, I will not cross the river of birth and death or attain the immortal ranks of Primordial Yang. Therefore, I must guard even the finest precepts as firmly as adamant. Perfected Daoist adepts should likewise honor and uphold the One Hundred and Eighty Precepts and the Upper Grade Precepts of Wisdom. Those who persevere in this way are complete in the true Dao, and direct their observance of the precepts toward the true and correct Dao of the Primordial Beginning.

“The Worthy and Wise Perfected One also said that Perfected Ones should uphold the Five Registers’ Precepts: first, do not kill living beings; second, do not steal another’s property; third, do not engage in illicit sex with another person’s wife; fourth, do not speak falsely or deceive; fifth, do not drink alcohol or eat meat. Those who practice these five precepts and ultimately refrain from evil will enter the peaceful realm of Wuwei, truth, and permanence.

“Moreover, there are two kinds of precepts. The first are the precepts for purifying the mind: one’s actions remain unstained, and one’s intentions commit no transgression. The second are the precepts for avoiding worldly entanglements and criticism. These mean not engaging in trade for wealth in order to seek blessings and pleasure; not using another person’s power to elevate oneself; not pursuing meat to gratify the appetite; and not craving fine clothes or grand houses, beds, curtains, blankets, brocade, and embroidery. To eliminate these desires is called ‘the precepts for avoiding worldly entanglements and criticism.’ Perfected Daoist adepts should guard these precepts with fairness and resolve.

“When receiving the precepts, a Perfected Daoist adept should make this vow: ‘I would rather throw my body into a pit of blazing fire than violate the precepts established by the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning and engage in impure acts with ordinary people.’

“He should also vow: ‘I would rather have molten iron poured over my body than violate the precepts by accepting clothes offered by devoted believers; rather swallow boiling iron than violate the precepts by accepting their food and drink; rather lie on a bed of hot iron than violate the precepts by accepting their bedding; rather suffer a grave illness than violate the precepts by accepting their medicine; rather be thrown into a cauldron of boiling iron than violate the precepts by accepting a dwelling they provide; rather have my body shattered by iron rods than violate the precepts by accepting their respectful worship.

“He should also vow: ‘I would rather have an iron hook pull out my eyes than look greedily at beauty with impure thoughts; rather have an iron awl pierce my ears than listen greedily to pleasing sounds with a defiled mind; rather have my nose cut off with a sharp knife than crave fragrances; rather have my tongue cut out than become attached to the many flavors; rather have my body struck down with a sharp axe than become attached to forms and sensations of touch.’ Such vows are made in the hope that all beings will guard their senses, remain unattached to desire, observe the precepts, and attain the Dharma of purity.

“By cultivating this pure Dharma in this way, a Perfected Daoist adept can abide in the ‘Ground of Immovability.’ ‘Immovable’ means not wavering, falling, retreating, or scattering. Just as the Jade Capital Mountain is not stirred by fierce winds, a Perfected One abiding in this state is not shaken by desire for beauty, sound, or taste, nor scattered by the winds of wrong views and lust.

“‘Unshaken’ means not disturbed by greed or anger; ‘not falling’ means not falling into the three evil paths; ‘not retreating’ means not abandoning the Dao and returning to lay life; ‘not scattering’ means not losing one’s cultivation by violating the Scripture of Primordial Yang. Perfected Daoist adepts are not shaken by the Demon King of Affliction or overturned by evil ghosts. Even while cultivating beneath the Qianlin tree at a Daoist sanctuary, they cannot be made by the Demon King to abandon the supreme, true, and correct Great Dao, nor can the threat of death disturb them. This is what it means for a Perfected One to cultivate true practice.

“Why is it called ‘true practice’? Because it is the path cultivated by the Celestial Worthies and the immortals. Why are the Celestial Worthies and Perfected Ones called sages? Because they possess the sacred Dharma and constantly observe the still nature of all things. Perfected Ones are called Perfected Ones because they possess sacred Dharma, meditative concentration, and wisdom, and because they have the ‘seven treasures of truth’: faith, Dharma, moral shame, reverent caution, extensive learning, wisdom, and renunciation.

“In cultivating true practice, a Perfected Daoist adept should also contemplate that the body is impure and formed through the convergence of various conditions. What enables the body to sit, rise, walk, stand, bend, stretch, bow, look upward, blink, breathe, weep, and laugh? There is no master within it.

“After reflecting in this way, the Perfected One may think: Perhaps consciousness is what I am, and that is why the sages have not revealed an ‘I’ to me. So he observes consciousness and finds that it arises and ceases from moment to moment, like flowing water; it, too, is not ‘I.’ He then wonders whether the outward and inward breath might be ‘I.’ But breathing is simply the action of wind, and wind is one of the Four Great Elements that compose the body and all things: earth, water, fire, and wind. Which of these four is the true self? Earth, water, fire, and wind are all not the true self. Nothing in the body has a real, unchanging self-nature. The mind, wind, and other conditions merely converge and change, giving rise to various activities, just as magic can conjure appearances and the sound of a bell arises when it is struck.

“Thus, the body is impure, a mixture formed from various conditions. What is there to crave in it? When someone insults me, what is there to be angry about? The body’s joints and limbs are impure, and its six faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are defiled. Where is the fixed ‘I’ that receives an insult? If I hear an insult, I should ask: What is the insulting sound made of? No single sound can constitute an insult, and neither can many sounds taken together. Understanding this, I should not become angry.

“If someone touches me, I should also ask where this sensation of touch comes from. Touch arises through the activity of the mind and body. Since it is caused by my own body, why should I blame someone else without cause? The body has the five aggregates, which is why there is sensation of touch. If I cannot endure it, my mind will become confused. When the mind is confused, right mindfulness is lost; when right mindfulness is lost, I can no longer distinguish truth from falsehood. I will then commit evil acts and, through evil karma, ultimately fall into the three paths and the Ten Evil Hells.

“After contemplating in this way, the Perfected One attains the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four ways of contemplating body and mind, and then abides in the ‘Ground of Endurance.’ Abiding there, he can endure greed and anger, heat and cold, hunger and thirst, discomfort of every kind, illness, abusive words, whippings and beatings, and suffering of body and mind. To endure all things is to abide in the Ground of Endurance.”

The Worthy and Wise Perfected One asked the Celestial Worthy, “Before immortal Daoist adepts have settled in the Ground of Immovability, might certain circumstances lead them to commit offenses that violate the Dharma while they are guarding the precepts in purity?” The Celestial Worthy replied, “Before a Perfected One has settled in the Ground of Immovability, certain circumstances can indeed lead him to break a precept.” The Perfected One asked again, “What circumstances are these?”

The Heavenly Worthy tells the perfected and wise adepts: If perfected practitioners or Daoist masters who cultivate the Dao understand why one should willingly endure hardship to protect the Correct Teaching, they should encourage people to receive and cherish the Yuan-Yang Classic, and to keep reciting it until they know its words and meaning thoroughly. They should copy the scripture, teach it widely, and pursue the supreme, true, natural Great Dao with steadfast resolve. To accomplish this, even if the perfected adept thereby incurs the offense of damaging the Teaching, they should think: “I would rather fall into the Dark Sand Hell and endure every kind of suffering than let these people lose faith in the supreme, true, natural Great Dao.”

At this, the Yuan-Yang perfected adepts Xianfu, Zilin, and the others report to the Heavenly Worthy: If a perfected adept guides and protects such people so that they do not lose faith in the supreme, true, natural Great Dao, then even if that adept is condemned for damaging the Teaching and falls into the Dark Sand Hell, such a thing will never happen.

At this time, the Celestial Worthy praised the Perfected One of Worthy Wisdom, saying, “Good, good! Just as you have said, I recall that in the past I was a great king in Jambudvīpa, a world among the human realms, and was named Shoujian. I cherished and honored the Scripture of Primordial Yang. My heart was pure and kind, free of defilement, evil, jealousy, and greed. I often spoke gently and kindly, and regularly cared for the poor and those without support. I diligently practiced giving and cultivation, never growing weary.

“At that time, there were no sages in the world. I loved the Supreme Mahayana Scripture of Primordial Yang and studied under a Daoist master for nine years, providing him with everything he needed to the best of my ability. When the nine years of service were complete, I said to the Daoists, ‘Masters, you should now bring forth the aspiration to seek the supreme, true, and natural Dao.’ The Daoists replied, ‘Great King, the nature of the natural is originally free of attachment, and the teachings of the Scripture of Primordial Yang are the same. Why do you wish to make people like empty space?’

“Good men, at that time I wholeheartedly loved the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang. I read and recited it with reverence, and thereby gained immeasurable merit.

“Furthermore, good men, those who cultivate the practice of sages should understand that conditioned dharmas, which remain entangled in afflictions, have both causes and results; unconditioned dharmas, which are no longer entangled in afflictions, also have causes and results. The result of conditioned dharmas is called ‘suffering,’ and their cause is called ‘accumulation.’ The result of unconditioned dharmas is called ‘cessation,’ and their cause is called ‘the Way.’

“Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners encounter eight kinds of suffering: birth, aging, illness, death, separation from what one loves, meeting what one hates, not obtaining what one seeks, and the suffering of the Five Aggregates. The causes that bring about these sufferings are called ‘accumulation’; the state in which these sufferings are absent is called ‘cessation.’

“What is birth? Birth means being born and coming into existence. It takes five forms: first birth, the process from birth to its end, growth, emergence from the womb, and the birth of the various kinds of living beings.

“What is aging? Aging has two forms: the gradual aging of the body and the aging that unfolds over a lifetime. It may also be divided into the gradual increase of age and the final decline and decay of old age.

“What is illness? When factors within the body, such as water, wind, and heat, become imbalanced, the body suffers discomfort. Illness is therefore divided into illness of the body and illness of the mind. Bodily illness has five kinds: illness caused by water, wind, heat, various harmful factors, and external causes. Illness from external causes has four kinds: injury from forcing oneself to do what one should not; slipping and falling; injury from tools, weapons, tiles, or stones; and affliction by malevolent spirits. Mental illness also has four kinds: agitated thoughts that have gone astray, fear, worry, and dullness and delusion of mind.

“Good men, illness of the mind and nature among Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners can also be divided into three kinds: committing wrongs through body and mind and receiving karmic retribution; being unable to keep clear of evil conduct and wrongdoing; and the changes brought by the turning of the seasons. All these belong to the categories of illness. A confused mind is also called illness.

“What is death? Death is the departure from the body one has received. There are two ways of departing from the body: death when one’s lifespan is exhausted, and death caused by external conditions. Death when one’s lifespan is exhausted has two forms: the lifespan is spent but the blessings remain, or the blessings are spent but the lifespan remains. Death caused by external conditions also has two forms: accidental self-harm, or being killed by another. There are also three kinds of death: death through heedlessness, death through destruction of the true Dharma, and death through the ruin of one’s life. To slander the Supreme Mahayana Scripture of Primordial Yang is called death through heedlessness. To slander the precepts and rules established by the sages of the past, present, and future is called death through destruction of the Dharma. Abandoning the Five Aggregates, the five kinds of elements that make up body and mind, is called death through the ruin of one’s life. All these deaths are great sufferings.

“What is the suffering of separation from what one loves? It is the destruction or dispersal of the people or things one loves. The bodily and mental elements experienced in the human and heavenly realms also break down and disperse in countless ways and forms; this is the suffering of separation from what one loves.

“What is the suffering of meeting what one hates? It is being brought together with people or things one loathes. The beings in the three evil destinies—the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—undergo countless different conditions, all of which are also forms of the suffering of meeting what one hates.

“What is the suffering of not obtaining what one seeks? It has two forms: hoping for something but finding it difficult to obtain, or expending great effort yet receiving no blessings. This is the suffering of not obtaining what one seeks.

“What is the suffering of the Five Aggregates? The suffering of the Five Aggregates is bound up with afflictions such as birth, aging, illness, death, separation from what one loves, and meeting what one hates; it is the root of affliction. Good men, understand that these eight kinds of suffering are great afflictions of body and mind. If you can restrain your impulses, curb your desires, gather your thoughts single-mindedly, cultivate the Way, and make offerings to the Supreme Mahayana Scripture of Primordial Yang, you can be freed from these eight afflictions and the suffering of distress.”

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning said to the Perfected One of Worthy Wisdom: “The thoughts of ordinary beings are inverted. They crave birth and life and loathe aging and illness. I am not like that. When I see someone just born, I already see the suffering of illness and all that follows.

“Perfected One, suppose a woman named Good Faith comes to the home of an elder in the world of Pulín. She is graceful and beautiful, dressed in splendid brocade and fully adorned. The elder asks her name and where she has come from. She replies, ‘I am the mistress who brings good fortune, virtue, and wealth to this world. Wherever I go, there will be all kinds of delicious fruits and food, as well as gold, silver, copper, and iron; brocade and fine clothing; oxen, horses, and carriages; and servants and attendants.’ The elder is delighted to hear this. He thinks that, thanks to causes and conditions from a past life, he has met a good spiritual guide and can gain great benefit. He respectfully bows, burns incense, scatters flowers, and sincerely begs her to protect him with compassion.

“At that moment, another woman arrives outside the gate. She is ugly, and her clothes are filthy and foul-smelling. The elder asks who she is. She answers, ‘My name is Black Karma.’ The elder asks why she is called that. She says, ‘Wherever I go, I cause people’s possessions to decline and dwindle.’ Hearing this, the elder takes up a sharp knife, chases her away, and threatens to kill her if she stays. Black Karma says, ‘Do not be foolish or lacking in compassion.’ The elder asks why she says this. She replies, ‘Good Faith, who is in your house, is my elder sister. We sisters always travel together and have never been apart. If you drive me away, you must drive my sister away too.’

“The elder returns and asks Good Faith, ‘Is that woman outside your younger sister?’ Good Faith says, ‘Indeed she is. Wherever we go, we are together. I always do good, and she always does evil; I create good karma, and she creates evil karma. Since you love me, you should also have pity on her.’ The elder replies, ‘If that is so, I want neither of you. Go quickly; do not linger.’ The sisters leave together and come to a poor household. The poor man is delighted to see them and invites them both to stay in his home from then on. They ask, ‘We have just been driven away by someone. Why do you want us both to stay?’ The poor man replies, ‘You care for me, and I care for you. That is why I have invited you both to stay.’

“Perfected One of Worthy Wisdom, cultivators of the Dao are like this too. They do not crave rebirth in heaven, because even there they remain subject to aging, illness, and death. So they give up those heavenly pleasures as well and do not become attached to them. Ordinary beings do not understand the suffering of aging, illness, and death, and so they are always enamored of the many circumstances of birth and death.

“Again, a perfected Daoist is like a clever child driven by hunger who sees fruit among the dung and reaches for it. A worthy man reproaches him: ‘You were born pure and intelligent. Why are you picking up fruit from the dung?’ The child says in shame, ‘I do not intend to eat it. I only want to pick it up, wash it clean, and then throw it away.’ The worthy man says, ‘How foolish you are. If you intend to throw it away, why pick it up first?’ A perfected Daoist treats this life as the worthy man describes: he neither grasps at it nor insists on rejecting it. Ordinary people both cling to life and seek to escape birth and death, like the child who picks up the fruit only to throw it away.

“Again, suppose someone sets out a bowl of fine food for sale at a crossroads. A traveler, hungry and thirsty after a long journey, sees it and asks what it is. The seller says, ‘This food is fragrant and delicious. Eating it will relieve hunger and thirst and let you see immortals. It has only one flaw: whoever eats it will eventually die.’ The traveler thinks, ‘I neither wish to see immortals nor to die,’ and asks, ‘If eating it brings death, why do you sell it?’ The seller replies, ‘Those who understand do not buy it. Only the foolish, who do not understand, are willing to pay a high price for the pleasure of eating it.’ A perfected Daoist is like this: he does not crave rebirth in heaven, but seeks only to leave affliction behind, because rebirth in heaven still cannot free one from every torment. Ordinary people become attached to all kinds of sensations wherever they are born because they cannot see the consequences of aging, illness, and death.

“Again, the sap of a poisonous tree can kill a person. In the same way, the five aggregates body that beings receive at birth—the body and mind made up of form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—is like a poisonous tree and will eventually bring harm. Dung stinks however much there is. So it is with a human life: whether one lives a thousand years or only ten, one cannot escape suffering.

“Again, on the edge of a steep cliff, grass conceals a deep pit. On the grass lies sweet dew that, once eaten, lets one live a thousand years, free of illness and secure in happiness. Ordinary people crave the taste of the dew and cannot see the pit beneath it. They reach for it, fall into the pit, and die. The wise see what lies below and leave it behind. A perfected Daoist does not crave even the finest food in heaven, much less food in the human world. Ordinary people even swallow molten iron in hell; how could they not crave delicacies in the human and heavenly realms? From these countless parables, perfected Daoists should understand that birth itself is great suffering.

“This is what it means for sages in the Primordial Yang World to recite the subtle and wondrous Mahayana scriptures and contemplate the suffering of birth.

“How does a perfected Daoist contemplate the suffering of aging? Aging brings coughing and labored breathing, and weakens strength and memory. In youth, one is vigorous, joyful, and at ease; in old age, the body grows thin and the appearance deteriorates, and others often look down on one.

“Aging is like a lotus in a pond, once bright and fragrant, suddenly struck by hail and withered. It is like a loyal minister sent on a campaign who captures the enemy and brings them before the ruler: old age captures the appearance of youth and carries it away. It is like a broken wheel that can no longer be used. A wealthy household may possess fine clothing and treasures, yet thieves can rob it of everything; likewise, the ‘thief’ of old age often steals the beauty of youth. A poor person longs for clothing but cannot obtain it. An old person may crave wealth and comfort but find them hard to attain. A land tortoise yearns for water; an old person can only recall the pleasures of youth. People once admired the lotus in autumn, but after it withers, no one wants to look at it. People are admired in their prime, but in old age they may be treated with contempt.

“Once sugarcane has been pressed, it has no sweetness left. When youth is pressed down by old age, there is little strength left for leaving home to cultivate, reciting scriptures, or pursuing the Dao with diligence. The full moon shines brightly, but its light cannot be seen in the daytime. A young person’s appearance is upright and fresh, but when old age comes, the body grows haggard and gaunt. A ruler who governs by the True Law may be driven from his kingdom by a rival state and reduced to wandering in a foreign land, often recalling his former undertakings. Likewise, when old age lays waste to a person, he often reminisces about what he did in youth.

“A lamp shines by means of its oil; when the oil is spent, it cannot keep shining for long. A person too depends on the strength of the body, and when that strength is exhausted, life cannot last. A dried-up pond cannot sustain people or animals. Old age likewise makes it difficult for a person to do what he once could. A tree on a riverbank will topple when struck by wind and waves. As life approaches old age, it can no longer stand firm for long. A cart without wheels cannot carry a load. An old person, too, finds it difficult to cultivate and receive the natural Dao. People often look down on infants, and they often scorn the old. From these and countless other parables, we can see that the suffering of aging is indeed a great affliction. This is what it means for a perfected Daoist to cultivate the highest Mahayana scripture of Primordial Yang and contemplate the suffering of aging.

“How does a perfected Daoist contemplate the suffering of illness? Illness can ruin every pleasure, just as hail destroys crops and damages grain. Someone with an enemy is often anxious and afraid; ordinary beings are likewise constantly worried about illness and troubled in heart. Again, suppose a person of fine appearance, favored by the king’s consort, arouses the king’s anger through a secret affair. One eye is gouged out, one ear cut off, one hand severed, and one foot chopped away. With his appearance altered, people hold him in contempt. Illness too can damage a person’s appearance and body. It causes suffering to someone who once had all six faculties intact, and others may look down on him.

“Banana trees and mules are said to die soon after bearing offspring. Illness, too, often brings death. Illness is like a general who goes before the king while the king follows behind; it never leaves him. It is also like the guide at the head of a caravan, followed by everyone else. When death comes, illness often precedes it, and beings are frequently pursued closely by death. Illness brings pain, distress, worry, and fear. It disrupts body and mind, damages the body, makes people lose right mindfulness, spoils their appearance, and leaves body and mind burning with anguish and the skin weakened. Therefore, illness should be recognized as a great thief. This is what it means for a perfected Daoist to cultivate the subtle and wondrous Mahayana scripture of Primordial Yang and contemplate the suffering of illness.

“How does a perfected Daoist contemplate the suffering of death? When the fire of a kalpa breaks out, it can burn everything. The fire of death is the same: it can burn everything up. Only perfected beings who dwell in the Primordial Yang World and rely on the Celestial Worthy’s power escape its harm. When a great flood rises, it can drown all things; only those beyond its reach escape being swept away. The waters of death can drown everything too, and only perfected beings who dwell in the Mahayana World of the Primordial Yang Land are spared. When a wind calamity arises, it can shake and destroy all things. The wind of death can blow beings to ruin as well, and only perfected beings who dwell in the Mahayana World of the Primordial Yang Land are unharmed.

“The Perfected One of Worthy Wisdom asked the Celestial Worthy, ‘By what power can the four immortals escape being burned by fire, drowned by water, or shaken by wind?’ The Celestial Worthy said, ‘Because they are free of these inner and outer afflictions. The First Immortal has contemplation within and a fire calamity without. The Second Immortal has joy within and a water calamity without. The Third Immortal has breathlessness within and a wind calamity without. Perfected Daoists dwell in the Mahayana World of the Primordial Yang Land, where all inner and outer afflictions have been removed. Therefore, death cannot harm them.’

“Death is also like a Garuda, able to devour all kinds of birds, fish, gold, silver, and other things, but unable to devour adamantine. It is like a flood that sweeps away trees on a treacherous bank, but cannot carry off a supple poplar. It is like a strongman who can subdue many demons. It is like an enemy who watches from the dark, waiting to strike when a person lets his guard down. It is also like a violent storm that destroys forests, trees, sand, and stones, but cannot destroy adamantine. Death can likewise destroy ordinary beings, but cannot destroy perfected Daoists who dwell in the Mahayana World of the Primordial Yang Land. Again, a Garuda can devour dragons and fish, but cannot devour masters of the Three Caverns. The Three Caverns mean the aspect of emptiness. Death is like the poison released by a venomous snake, which ordinary medicines and incantations cannot dispel. Only the wondrous elixir of the sages can eliminate it. The poison wrought by death is the same: only perfected beings who dwell in the Mahayana World of the Primordial Yang Land can escape it.

“If someone is punished by the authorities, he may sometimes apologize humbly, offer precious treasures as recompense, and be pardoned. But death is like a stern official: neither soft words nor precious gifts can help one escape. The dead travel through dangerous places without provisions, far from other people and without companions. Their hearts are troubled; they do not know where they are going, and all around them is dark. There is no door, yet there is a destination. Even when they feel pain, no one can treat it, hold it back, or flee from it. Those who see what is happening are troubled too. It is terrifying, yet no one can foresee it, and in the end it cannot be reversed. From these parables, we should understand that death is indeed immense suffering. This is what it means for a perfected Daoist to cultivate the highest Mahayana scripture of Primordial Yang and contemplate the suffering of death.

“How does a perfected Daoist contemplate the suffering of separation from those one loves? Separation from those one loves is the root of ordinary beings’ many sufferings and gives rise to grief; grief in turn makes beings age. Such separation includes the end of one’s life span as well as parting from those one loves. Separation brings all kinds of suffering and subtle distress. The following account explains this in detail.

“In the past there was a king named Receiving Sight, who lived for forty thousand years. A soft tuft of flesh, fine as cotton, grew on the crown of his head. It gradually grew larger without troubling him. A year later it split open of its own accord, and a boy of handsome appearance, unmatched in the world, was born from it. He was named Splendor. The king loved him greatly and later entrusted the affairs of state to him.

“Splendor renounced the treasures of his kingdom, his wife, and his retinue, and went to Mount Wondrous Joy in the world of Pulín to study the highest Mahayana scripture of Primordial Yang. He did so for a full thousand years. He bathed on a high terrace, dressed himself in fine clothes, and observed a month-long fast. At that time, a golden wheel treasure chariot came in response from the world of Receiving Goodness in the Great Hall of Fortune in the east. Its wheel and axle were complete; it appeared naturally, splendid beyond compare. Splendor recalled that the sages of the six supernatural powers had said, ‘If someone bathes and fasts for a month, the golden wheel treasure chariot will come in response. That person will become a holy king of humans and gods.’ He held the wheel treasure in his hands, took up an incense burner, knelt, and vowed that the wheel treasure would follow the path traveled by the holy kings of old. After he made his vow, the wheel treasure rose into the air, traveled throughout the ten directions, and returned to his left hand. Splendor was overjoyed and became certain that he would be a holy king of humans and gods.

“Soon afterward, a golden treasure elephant and a silver-white horse appeared. Following his earlier procedure, Splendor made a vow that the elephant and horse would travel the path of the holy kings of old. They journeyed throughout the ten directions and finally returned to their starting place. Then a beautiful queen treasure appeared, able to discern Splendor’s thoughts and foresee good and ill fortune. A precious luminous pearl also appeared naturally in the palace, shining through the darkness. Then came a worthy minister who managed the treasury and could fill the royal storehouses with treasures, as well as a brave and wise general, skilled in the art of war and capable of defending the realm. Splendor became even more certain that he was a holy king of humans and gods.

“Splendor first ruled the Jambudvipa world. Then he went to the Great Hall of Fortune in the east, the World of Flourishing in the west, the Pure World in the north, and the World of Abandoning the Worthy in the south, bringing each realm under his rule. Later, accompanied by the seven treasures and his attendants, he flew to the world of the Thirty-Two Heavens. There he saw a tree with dense branches and leaves and an abundance of fruit, and asked the heavenly king, Divine Treasure, what it was. Divine Treasure told him, ‘This is the Qian tree. The heavenly spirits and immortals often rejoice beneath it. Beyond, where the clouds are purple, is the Hall of Good Fortune. Heavenly immortals and sages often gather there to discuss the affairs of humans and gods.’

“Knowing that Splendor possessed great virtue and power, Divine Treasure invited him to sit beside him in the Hall of Good Fortune. The two kings looked alike. Splendor wondered whether he could seize the heavenly king’s position and remain there as king of the gods. Yet Divine Treasure had gained his authority and power precisely because he upheld and recited the highest subtle scripture of Primordial Yang, understood its hidden meanings, and could explain them to others. Splendor conceived evil intent toward the heavenly king and immediately fell from his exalted state, returning to the Jambudvipa world. There he was separated from those he loved and plunged into immense suffering. Then he suddenly fell ill and eventually died. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning said, ‘That holy king of humans and gods was I. You should understand that the suffering of separation from those one loves is a great calamity. Since you still remember what happened in the past, how could perfected beings who dwell in the Mahayana World of the Primordial Yang Land fail to contemplate the separations of this present life?’

“How does a perfected Daoist contemplate the suffering of meeting those one resents? In heaven, among humans, in hell, among animals, and among hungry ghosts, beings suffer from encountering those they resent. It is like seeing someone imprisoned in a jail and bound in stocks and chains: one understands that this is a state of grief and suffering. Perfected Daoists observe the beings of the six realms and understand that none can avoid meeting those they resent. This causes them great distress. Again, suppose someone fears an enemy and abandons parents, wife and children, property, and daily necessities to flee far away. Perfected Daoists too, fearing birth and death, practice the six perfections with diligence and seek the supreme fruit of the Dao. This is what it means to contemplate the suffering of meeting those one resents.

“How does a perfected Daoist contemplate the suffering of not getting what one seeks? All beings suffer when they seek and fail to obtain. There are two kinds of things they seek: first, they may seek good teachings and fail to obtain them; second, they may seek what is unwholesome and have not yet obtained it. Even when they have not obtained what is unwholesome, they still worry about the suffering it will bring. In general, all of this belongs to the suffering of the five aggregates burning intensely.

“The Perfected One of Worthy Wisdom said to the Celestial Worthy, ‘Your teaching about the suffering of the five aggregates seems incorrect. Why? In the past, you told Fu Ziyuan that if the body of form were suffering, ordinary people would not seek it. If someone does seek it, how can the body of form be called suffering? You also told the Daoists that there are painful feelings, pleasurable feelings, and feelings that are neither painful nor pleasurable. If feeling were suffering, ordinary people would not seek it. Yet you also say that cultivating good teachings brings happiness. You have also said that in the good realms the six faculties can experience pleasure: the eyes delight in beautiful forms, the ears in sounds, the nose in fragrances, the tongue in flavors, the body in soft and smooth sensations, and the mind in honor and glory. These are all called pleasures. Yet the objects coveted by the six faculties also bring suffering.’

“The Celestial Worthy then spoke this verse:”

Observing the precepts brings peace and well-being, and the body no longer suffers from various afflictions. Reciting and chanting the “Chapter of Primordial Yang” allows one’s name to enter the “Gate of Immortality,” that is, to attain a level of cultivation beyond death. Even those who harbor resentment and hatred will find their illnesses heal on their own after hearing this Jing. Contemplating its teachings can dissolve attachment to fleeting things, and demons will be unable to harm or corrupt oneself.

To teach the people through the Jing and its teachings is like a sage king governing the world. One should also treat others with compassion, caring for them like a loving father. Never give rise to evil thoughts, for they invite punishment from the Lord of Heaven. If you pity living beings, then take the Jing and its teachings as your support and refuge. Remain reverent day and night, hoping to leave the offices of the Three Officials—the celestial, terrestrial, and aquatic officials who, in Daoism, govern human merit and transgression, life and death, and fortune and calamity.

Realized Ones and Daoist practitioners should devote themselves to cultivation, striking the ritual drum to awaken people’s hearts and proclaim the teachings. They should help beings in the Six Paths—six kinds of life caught in the cycle of birth and death—understand and awaken, and remain constantly in the company of the Jing and its teachings. The Mahayana teaching can extend throughout the world, and Heaven is a pure refuge. When the roots of living beings’ transgressions are wholly removed, this is all accomplished by following the rules I have established.

After the Celestial Worthy finished speaking the verse, the meaning of the various matters and principles described in the scripture was just as stated here. The Worthy and Wise Realized Ones and the others heard these teachings, understood them clearly, bowed in reverence, and took their leave.

End of Volume One of the Supreme Lord’s Wondrous Jing of Numinous Treasure and Primordial Yang.

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of the Jade Dawn, Lofty and Supreme—a revered Daoist deity—said to the Perfected One of Determinate Light, Yuan Yang, an honorific title for a cultivator of the Dao:

“I observe all things, and none has a nature that remains constant and unchanging. Their essence and forms are not fixed. Whatever comes into being through the gathering of various conditions is impermanent. Everything seen by the immortals, too, arises through causes and conditions.

“Good man, the nature of the Dao neither disappears nor appears; it is neither born nor extinguished, and neither comes nor goes. It belongs neither to the present, the future, nor the past. It is not made by any cause, nor does it arise through the gathering of conditions. For this reason it is called ‘eternal.’ The nature of the Dao is the Celestial Worthy, and the Celestial Worthy is the Dharma; the Dharma is eternal. What is called eternal is the Celestial Worthy. The Celestial Worthy is the Perfected One, and both the Perfected One and the nature of the Dao are eternal. From this we know that things arising through causes and conditions cannot be called eternal. Everything seen by lesser immortals—those of shallower cultivation—also arises through causes and conditions.

“Lesser immortals cannot see the nature of the Dao or the Celestial Worthy’s wondrous Dharma, so the principles they speak of are false and have no true foundation. Beings first see such things as clothing, bedding, carts and horses, cities, and villages; later they see similar things again and suppose that these things remain constant and unchanging. In truth, they are not truly eternal.

“All conditioned phenomena—things brought about by causes and conditions and subject to change—are impermanent. Space is not subject to making or change, and so it is eternal. The nature of the Dao is not subject to making or change, and so it too is eternal. Space is the nature of the Dao; the nature of the Dao is the Celestial Worthy; the Celestial Worthy is Wuwei (non-action), that which is not brought about by deliberate making; Wuwei is eternal bliss. Eternal bliss is the Dharma, the Dharma is Wuwei, and Wuwei is eternal bliss.

“Conditioned phenomena fall into two kinds. One is form: material things made up of earth, water, fire, and wind. The other is the formless: the mind and the mental activities that accompany it. The mind is impermanent because it reaches out to external objects and makes distinctions among things. Eye consciousness through mental consciousness each differ, and each has different objects. The way a sense faculty corresponds with consciousness also changes constantly; all are therefore impermanent. If the mind were permanent and unchanging, the eye faculty alone would be able to know all things. But eye consciousness and mental consciousness are distinct, which shows that the mind is not permanent. Things appear one after another in similar form, arising and ceasing moment by moment, yet ordinary people mistakenly regard them as eternal.

“All conditions are subject to destruction, and are therefore impermanent. Eye consciousness arises in dependence on conditions such as the eye faculty, visible forms, light, brightness and darkness, and thought. Ear consciousness and the other forms of consciousness each arise from their own conditions; they do not arise from the conditions of eye consciousness. The mind changes according to what one cultivates: the mind that contemplates impermanence is not the same as the mind that contemplates suffering, emptiness, or no-self. If the mind were permanent, it would contemplate impermanence continually and could not turn to contemplate suffering, emptiness, and no-self, much less experience the bliss of true eternity. The Dharma of lesser immortals, then, cannot receive the bliss of true eternity. You should understand that mental phenomena must be impermanent.

“The mind’s qualities differ, and so it too is impermanent. Those with wrong views and doubts do not believe in the true Dharma, do not revere the Perfected Ones, and do not honor people who have realized the Dao; all manner of evil thoughts arise in their minds. There are three kinds of intention: the intention of those who leave home, the intention of those who remain in the household, and the intention of those who remain in the household but are free from worldly desires. The mind differs when it is associated with pleasure, pain, or neither pain nor pleasure; it also differs when associated with greed, anger, or delusion. The thoughts that accompany doubt, wrong views, and the ordinary actions of daily life likewise differ.

“If the mind were truly eternal, it would make no distinctions among blue, yellow, vermilion, purple, red, and white. Nor would it forget past events, and what one recites would never increase. If the mind were permanent, one would not speak of ‘having done’ something in the past or ‘doing’ something now. Since things are indeed done and are being done, we know that the mind must be impermanent. If the mind were permanent, there would be no distinction between enemies, friends, and those who are neither; if it were truly eternal, it would make no distinction between ‘mine’ and ‘another’s,’ nor speak of arising and ceasing. From this we know that the mind’s qualities vary and that the mind cannot be regarded as truly eternal and unchanging.

“I have explained that the formless is not truly eternal. Now I will speak of form. Form has no fixed, unchanging nature. It arises and then disappears, so we know that it is not truly eternal. Yet ignorant ordinary people regard it as real and everlasting. Understand this, and you will know that impermanent form is not truly eternal; you will not mistake it for true suffering or for something pure and unchanging.

“Good man, all phenomena are without self. This includes everything, whether form or the formless: nothing possesses a self that is permanent and independent. Form can be destroyed, extinguished, and increased, so it is not the self. What is called the self ought to be incapable of destruction, damage, or increase. The formless, too, is not the self, because it arises through reaching out to objects.

“People with wrong views sometimes infer the existence of a self from concentration or recollection, but neither concentration nor recollection is the self. Past events are forgotten; since they can be forgotten, we know that memory is not a permanent self. If one concludes that there is a self because of recollection, then there should be no self when there is no recollection.

“Someone sees another person with six fingers on one hand and asks, ‘Where have I seen this person before?’ If there were a permanent, unchanging self, there would be no need to ask whether one had seen that person before. The very fact that doubt arises shows that there is no permanent self. Others think that the ability to restrain or exclude something proves that there is a self. But if the self too can be restrained, it cannot be a permanent self.

“Some infer a self from the distinction between companions and those without companions. Yet some beings have no companions, such as the Celestial Worthy, space, and the nature of the Dao. If having no companion meant having no self, these too would have no self. This shows that the existence of companions cannot prove the existence of a self. Some also think that anything with a name must have a self. But things without a self can have names, just as someone poor and lowly might be named ‘Wealth and Honor.’ When people say, ‘I have died,’ it sounds as though the self has killed itself. This is only a use of words; it does not mean there is a real, unchanging self.

“Some say that a baby’s search for milk after birth proves the existence of a self. But babies also grasp at unclean things. Beings are much the same in three matters—sexual desire, food, and fear—so these cannot prove that an independent, permanent self exists. If someone uses physical features to prove the existence of a self, the features themselves have no fixed self; and without a fixed appearance, there can be no fixed self.

“When people are asleep, they cannot act of their own accord and do not know pleasure or pain. If action, bowing and bending, or blinking could prove the existence of a self, then mechanical puppets should have a self as well. The true Dao does not depend on distinctions such as acting or not acting, pleasure or pain, or greed, anger, and delusion. Some see another person eating sour fruit and find their own mouths watering, then think this is the self. In truth, it is a response brought about by recollection. Salivation is not the self, and neither are delight or pleasure.

“Beings are like ignorant children, lacking wisdom and skillful means. They cannot distinguish eternal from impermanent, suffering from the absence of suffering, pleasure from the absence of pleasure, purity from impurity, self from no-self, living from nonliving, or beings from non-beings. They take only a partial meaning from the Dharma of the Dao and presume that they understand the bliss of true eternity, though in fact they do not.

“This is like a person born blind who does not know the color of milk and asks someone else what color it is. The other person says it is as white as a conch shell, and the blind person asks whether it sounds like a conch shell. The other person then says it is like the taste of rice, and the blind person asks whether milk is as soft as rice. The other person next says it is like snow, and the blind person asks whether rice tastes as cold as snow. Finally, the other person says it is like a white crane, yet the blind person still cannot know the true color of milk from these comparisons. Beings with wrong views are the same: in the end, they cannot know the bliss of true eternity. Thus, my Dharma of the Dao teaches the meaning of true eternity, while wrong views contain no such teaching.”

At that time, the Perfected One of Determinate Light said to the Celestial Worthy, “Great Master, you are truly rare. Through skillful means you have given instruction and turned the unsurpassed Dharma Wheel—the proclamation of the true Dharma through which beings can receive its teaching.”

The Celestial Worthy of True Eternity said to the Perfected One of Determinate Light, “Why do you regard the Great Master as someone who existed only in the past? The Great Master is truly eternal and unchanging. If someone clings to the claim, ‘I am the Dharma, the Dharma is me; I am the Dao, the Dao is me; I am the Great Master, the Great Master is me; I am a True Immortal, the True Immortal is me,’ and also says that the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind; visible forms; earth, water, fire, and wind; speech, learning, giving, keeping the precepts, patience, meditative stillness, diligence, and wisdom are all ‘me,’ then this is deluded attachment. The six bases of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five pure practices, and the Noble Eightfold Path must not be clung to as ‘self’ either. The Great Master does not make such attachments, and so does not speak from a sense of self, saying, ‘I am turning the Dharma Wheel.’

“If one says the Great Master is eternal and unchanging, how can one also say that the Great Master is turning the Dharma Wheel? Therefore, one should not say that the Great Master has only now begun to turn a higher Dharma Wheel.

“Good man, eye consciousness arises when conditions come together, depending on the eye faculty, visible forms, light, and thought. The eye faculty does not say, ‘I can produce eye consciousness’; neither do light or thought say this, and eye consciousness does not say, ‘I can produce myself.’ When these conditions come together, this is called seeing. The Celestial Worthy is the same: by understanding all phenomena through the six perfections—giving, keeping the precepts, patience, diligence, meditative stillness, and wisdom—and other paths of cultivation, and then beginning to teach through the throat, lips, teeth, mouth, tongue, words, and voice, this is called turning the Dharma Wheel. Since teaching depends on causes and conditions, the Celestial Worthy does not cling to the thought, ‘I am turning the Dharma Wheel.’ To teach without a self is to truly turn the Wheel of the True Dharma; this turning of the Dharma Wheel is itself the Celestial Worthy, the Great Master.

“This is like making fire by drilling wood: it depends on a fire striker, a wooden drill, a hand, and dry grass. The fire striker does not say that it can produce fire by itself; neither do the wooden drill, the hand, or the dry grass, and the fire does not say that it arose by itself. Or it is like extracting butter from curds, which depends on the curds, water, a churn, a vessel, a rope, and a person. The curds, the tools, the person’s hands, and the butter do not say, ‘I alone produced this.’ The result arises when causes and conditions come together. A seed depends on soil, water, fire, wind, fertile earth, the seasons, and human labor to sprout. The sound of a drum likewise depends on the drum, its hollow interior, the drum skin, and the person striking it. None of these things supposes that it acts alone. The Celestial Worthy’s teaching is the same: there is no attachment to the thought, ‘I am turning the Dharma Wheel.’ Precisely because there is no such self-attachment, this is called turning the Wheel of the True Dharma. Turning the Dharma Wheel is the Celestial Worthy.

“Turning the Dharma Wheel is the realm of the Great Masters among the immortals; those with wrong views cannot understand it. Space is not born, made, or fashioned, nor is it a conditioned phenomenon. The Celestial Worthy, the nature of the Great Master, and the nature of the Dao are the same.

“The words spoken by the Great Masters among the immortals have two meanings: worldly speech and supramundane speech. The Celestial Worthy speaks in worldly terms to ordinary disciples and in supramundane terms to the Perfected Ones. There are also two kinds of listeners: those who seek the Lesser Vehicle, a more limited goal of cultivation, and those who seek the Great Vehicle, a broader and more complete goal. In the past, I turned the Dharma Wheel for immortal disciples in the world of Yuan Yang; now, in the City of Nectar, I proclaim the Great Dharma for the Perfected Ones. Listeners also differ in their capacities: some have middling capacities, others superior ones. In the past, I taught those of middling capacity in the world of Yuan Yang; now, in the City of Nectar, I open the teachings widely for those of superior capacity, such as the Perfected One of Determinate Light. Those of the very lowest capacity—the foolish, deluded followers of demons—are not taught by the Celestial Worthy through the turning of the Dharma Wheel. Among those who seek the unsurpassed Dao, some apply moderate effort and others exceptional effort. In the past, I taught those who were diligent in the Scripture of Yuan Yang; now, here in this city, I proclaim the Great Dharma to those whose diligence is deeper still.

“Long ago, when I first turned the Dharma Wheel in the City of Nectar, eighty thousand Perfected Ones attained the fruition of the Natural Dao. Now, here in this city, eight hundred million million beings have become steadfast in heart and have all attained purity within the true and correct Dao. In the past, the Perfected One of Yuan Yang in the City of Nectar bowed and asked me to teach the Dharma; now the Perfected One of Determinate Light also bows and asks me to turn the Dharma Wheel once more.

“Long ago, in the City of Nectar, I taught impermanence, suffering, emptiness, eternity, and bliss. Now, here in this city, I truly expound the bliss of true eternity. In the past, the sound of my teaching reached the Great Luo Heaven; now it spreads throughout the lands of Empty Song and the Ganges worlds of the Nine Heavens, and it can be heard in the east, west, south, and north, in the four intermediate directions, above, and below. The true Dharma spoken by the gods and the Perfected Ones may all be called the turning of the Dharma Wheel.

“This is like a king who subdues the disrespectful, and leads those already subdued to trust and follow the law, thereby gaining peace. When the gods and the Perfected Ones teach, it is the same: they subdue afflictions that have not yet been subdued and inspire those whose afflictions have been subdued to develop faith and cultivate various roots of goodness. The Celestial Worthy’s teaching can purify afflictions and bring beings peace. It can also transform beings in lowly circumstances, leading them to be reborn among humans or in the heavens, and even to turn toward the true Dao. Therefore, you should not speak of the turning of the Dharma Wheel as something the Celestial Worthy has only now begun.”

The Perfected One of Yuan Yang and Determinate Light replied, “It is not that I do not understand this principle. I asked in this way for the benefit of beings. I already know that turning the Dharma Wheel is indeed the realm of the gods and the Perfected Ones, beyond comparison with those who hold wrong views.”

The Celestial Worthy said to the Perfected One of Yuan Yang, “This is the sacred practice followed by Perfected Ones who abide in the Great Vehicle and have attained the Dao. Those with wrong views cannot understand it.”

The Perfected One of Yuan Yang then asked the Celestial Worthy, “Why is this sacred practice called the sacred practice?”

The Celestial Worthy said, “Good man, what is called ‘sacred practice’ is the Way practiced by the Celestial Worthies. Since this is the Way practiced by the Celestial Worthies and the Perfected Ones, those with wrong views cannot cultivate it. The Celestial Worthies dwell in the Palace of Primordial Yang, where they reveal and explain its principles; for this reason it is called ‘sacred practice.’ When beings who originally held wrong views hear it, they too can follow its teachings and put them into practice, so it is likewise called ‘sacred practice.’

“When Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners complete this practice, they can abide in a state free from fear. They are no longer afraid of afflictions such as greed and anger, nor of birth, aging, sickness, and death, or of falling into the evil realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. There are three kinds of evil conduct: indulging in illicit sexual behavior and showing contempt for the scriptures and Dharma treasures; slandering good people and refusing to believe that there are those who have attained the Way; and committing the five acts of grave rebellion and the four major transgressions of the precepts. Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners who abide in a state free from fear are not afraid of falling into these evil realms. Nor do they fear heavenly demons, evil ghosts, or other malign spirits. They are also unafraid of defilement, suffering, and sorrow. This is why the state is called ‘fearlessness.’

“Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners, as well as the sons of the people, can all abide in this state. They can attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect Great Dao and arrive at a place of naturalness, blessed joy, and peace. Receiving the transmission of the true Dao dispels the sufferings of hell. Cultivating the Dao without retreating dispels the sufferings of the animal realm. Finding peace of mind through the true Dao dispels the sufferings of hungry ghosts. Being fulfilled by the true Dao subdues heavenly demons. Bringing body and mind into alignment through the true Dao ends darkness. Attaining illumination through the true Dao dispels the frozen Night Court. Receiving warmth through the true Dao allows one to leave the borderlands. Being born in China, the Central Land of ancient usage, allows one to leave Jambudvipa, the human world. Attaining the true Dao of a pure land free from sorrow subdues all heavenly demon kings and brings them to faith in the scriptures and teachings.

“From this we can understand that the true Dao becomes for all beings a great Dharma eye, a great Dharma banner, a great Dharma vessel, and a great Dharma torch: it guides, supports, and leads them. The true Dao is the Dharma King, the Celestial Worthy, who enables beings to obtain whatever they seek according to their wishes. If one wishes to know what beings throughout the three thousand great thousand worlds—the vast cosmos of Buddhist cosmology—are thinking, one can know it all. If one wishes to gather all beings inside a single pore, one can do so at will without making them feel cramped. If one wishes to manifest countless beings filling the three thousand great thousand worlds, one can do so at will as well. A practitioner can divide one body into many bodies or combine many bodies into one. Though capable of such transformations, the mind remains unattached, like a jeweled flower.

“When Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners enter this realm of the true Dao and Dharma King, they can abide in a place of freedom and attain the power of freedom. Wherever they wish to be reborn, they can go there as they will. It is like a sage king who rules the Four Continents: no one can prevent him from going where he wishes. So it is with Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners: they can be reborn wherever they choose. If they see beings in hell who can be taught and led to develop good roots, they go there. Though born in hell, they are not there because of the karmic retribution of their own past deeds; they go there to teach and guide beings. Though present in hell, they do not undergo its sufferings. The good roots cultivated by Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners are limitless and boundless, beyond measure even with the sands of the Ganges. How much more impossible to fathom are the Celestial Worthy’s power, merit, and blessed karmic conditions!”

At that moment, among the assembly was a Perfected One named Worthy Wisdom. His majestic virtue was vast; he had attained spiritual powers, possessed complete retention—the capacity to preserve and recall the Dharma—and understood the characteristics of things. His mind was without fear. He rose from his seat, came forward, bowed, and knelt upright, holding his tablet. He said to the Celestial Worthy, “As the Celestial Worthy has said, the merit and wisdom attained by Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners are limitless and boundless, numbering in the hundreds of millions and billions, truly beyond words. Yet I still believe that they cannot compare with the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang. Why? Because it is through the power of this Great Vehicle scripture of Primordial Yang that the unsurpassed, true, and perfect Great Dao of the Celestial Worthies comes forth.”

The Celestial Worthy praised him: “Profoundly spoken—truly beyond comprehension. Good man, as you have said, these subtle and wondrous scriptures of the great sages can bring forth limitless merit, yet compared with this scripture, even merit a hundredfold, a thousandfold, or immeasurable and boundless as the sands of the Ganges cannot compare.

“It is like milk made into curds, curds made into butter, and butter made into a sweet Dharma flavor. Whoever consumes it is cured of every illness, and it contains the efficacy of many medicines. The Celestial Worthy is like this as well: the Celestial Worthy proclaims the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang; from this scripture comes the teaching of the Great Dao; from the teaching of the Great Dao comes the practice of diligence; from diligent practice comes the practice of patience and observance of the precepts; and from the practice of patience and observance of the precepts comes the fruit of the Natural Way. The fruit of the Natural Way is the sweet Dharma flavor. This sweet flavor is a metaphor for the nature of the Dao, and the nature of the Dao is the Celestial Worthy. Thus the good roots possessed by the Celestial Worthy are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and cannot be counted.”

The Perfected One Worthy Wisdom said to the Celestial Worthy, “As the Celestial Worthy has said, the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang is like the sweet Dharma flavor: most subtle and wondrous. If ordinary beings can receive and cultivate it, their illnesses will naturally disappear, and it contains the efficacy of many medicines. Hearing these words, I thought: if someone cannot receive this scripture, that person must be profoundly ignorant and lacking in goodness. Celestial Worthy, I now wish to devote all my strength to copying this Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang, upholding and reciting it, and circulating it, then explaining its principles widely to the people.

“If beings are attached to wealth, I will first give them wealth, then encourage them to read and recite this scripture. If they are of high status, I will first speak gently and accommodate their wishes, then gradually encourage them to read it. If they are dull-witted, I will use authority to compel them to read it. If they are arrogant, I am willing to serve them, pleasing them by accommodating their wishes, then teaching them with this scripture. If someone slanders the Great Vehicle scriptures, I will use my power to make that person submit, then encourage them to read and recite the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang. If someone wishes to cultivate the scriptures of the true Dao, I will go to them in person, respectfully make offerings, honor and bow to them, and praise them with a snap of my fingers.”

The Celestial Worthy praised the Perfected One Worthy Wisdom, saying, “Good! Good! You cherish the scriptures of the true Dao, delight in studying them, receive and uphold them with faith and reverence, and make offerings and bow to them. Through the karmic conditions of this good intention, you will surpass limitless and boundless Perfected Ones and Daoist practitioners, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect fruit of naturalness. Before long, you too will explain this Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Yang to the assembly as I do—the secret treasury of the Dharma proclaimed by the Celestial Worthy.

“Before the Celestial Worthy appeared in the world in a former age, I practiced diligently. I cultivated the conduct of Heavenly Kings and Perfected Ones, and mastered all the scriptures and treatises of the immortals. I practiced the Way of true constancy, maintained complete bearing and conduct, and kept my mind pure. I was not corrupted by wrong views or desires, and I extinguished the fires of anger and delusion. I upheld deeds that bring blessings and enjoyed the bliss of true constancy. I searched everywhere for the wondrous scriptures of the Great Vehicle, yet had not even heard the name of the Scripture of Primordial Yang.

“At that time I lived on Wondrous Joy Mountain. The mountain was pure, with flowing springs and pools, trees and sweet fruit everywhere. Clear water ran among its cliffs and rocks, fragrant flowers bloomed all around, and birds and beasts were plentiful. Sweet fruit grew in abundance and filled the air with fragrance, along with countless fragrant roots. I lived there alone, eating only fruit and fragrant roots. After eating, I devoted myself to contemplation and diligently cultivated the practice of patience. Though countless years passed, I still had not heard of the Celestial Worthy’s appearance in the world, or even the name of this subtle and wondrous scripture.

“When I undertook such arduous ascetic practices, the heavenly beings were greatly astonished. They gathered together and said to one another,”

The Heavenly Worthy proclaims the most profound scriptures, transmits the Daoist teachings, and illuminates their fundamental principles. Revered as the father of all beings, he is a king whose merit and virtue are complete and whose majesty is without compare.

Through cultivation, one can sever greed and delusion and dispel ignorance and confusion. The pure and joyful realm is like Wonderful Bliss Mountain; the place of freedom and ease is like the Nectar Altar.

At that moment, some among the assembly spoke to one another and recited these verses:

The Heavenly Worthy proclaims the most profound scriptures, transmits the Daoist teachings, and illuminates their fundamental principles. Revered as the father of all beings, he is a king whose merit and virtue are complete and whose majesty is without compare.

Through cultivation, one can sever greed and delusion and dispel ignorance and confusion. The pure and joyful realm is like Wonderful Bliss Mountain; the place of freedom and ease is like the Nectar Altar.

Then a Heavenly King among the assembly, named Universal Wisdom, recited these verses:

These perfected beings all make purity their first priority. They are skilled at understanding the meaning of the Great Vehicle, the broad path of cultivation, and know its mysteries well.

Those who seek the highest Dao should cast off scattered and unruly thoughts, realize the truth of suffering and emptiness, and cultivate accordingly, thereby leaving affliction behind forever.

Then an immortal named Settled Light recited these verses:

The highest Dao is subtle and profound in its essential nature, still and far-reaching, and its principles are difficult to discern. Without mastery of the comprehensive teachings—the wisdom that gathers and upholds all methods—who could understand the rites of the Primordial Beginning?

Now, fortunate to have heard these teachings, we can establish fitting principles by which to act, put an end to all manner of evil karma, and move serenely in and out of the realm of Wuwei (non-action).

After finishing this verse, the Realized Ones and Heavenly Kings said, “I will now praise this verse and ask the Heavenly Worthy for guidance. That worthy person undertook all manner of immeasurable austerities for the sake of living beings, not for himself, but in the hope of benefiting all beings in the world.

“Seeing the many dangers of birth and death and the cycle of rebirth, such a person would not covet precious treasures even if they covered the earth and filled the mountains and seas. He would regard them as filth. He gives up his treasures, his beloved wife, children, and relatives, even his own flesh, marrow, brain, limbs, and hands and feet. He gives up his home, cattle, horses, and chariots. He does not even seek rebirth in the heavens. He wishes only for all living beings to find happiness, just as he understands it for himself. This worthy person is pure and unstained, forever free of every bond of affliction, and single-mindedly seeks the natural fruit of the supreme, true Dao.

“Others say, ‘If someone is as you describe, then he can protect the Way Tree on which all who cultivate the Dao in this world rely, and dispel afflictions and slander. When living beings dwell beneath the shade of this Way Tree, their afflictions and karmic hindrances can be destroyed. If, in the future, someone attains the state of the Well-Gone One, the fully awakened one, then we too can thereby be freed from immeasurable afflictions.’

“Such a claim is truly hard to believe. Why? When living beings first set their minds on seeking the natural Dao, the slightest circumstance can unsettle them, like the moon’s reflection in water: when the water trembles, the reflection trembles too. A painting is difficult to complete but easy to ruin. The mind that seeks the natural Dao is the same: difficult to arouse, yet easy to abandon.

“Suppose many people put on sturdy armor and set out to defeat bandits, but when they reach the battlefield, fear seizes them and they turn back. Living beings are like this too. Though they set their minds on seeking the Dao and think their resolve is firm, when they see the dangers of birth and death, anxiety and fear arise in their hearts, and they waver and turn back.

“I have often seen living beings abandon their resolve after first setting it. So although I now see this person devoted to austerities, free of affliction and distress, dwelling in the Dao and conducting himself purely, I still cannot be certain. I must go and test him myself, to see whether he can truly bear the responsibility of the supreme, true, natural Dao.

“A cart needs two wheels to carry a load and travel; a bird needs two wings to fly. It is the same for one who practices austerities. Though I see that he strictly observes the precepts, I do not yet know whether he has wisdom. Only if he has wisdom is he fit to bear the responsibility of the supreme, true, natural Dao.

“Fish lay many eggs at a time, yet few grow to maturity. Fruit trees blossom in abundance, yet bear little fruit. Many living beings set their minds on seeking the Dao, but those who persevere from beginning to end are too few to count.

“Realized One, I will go with you to test him. It is like testing pure gold: only after it has been heated, struck, and polished can we know whether it will withstand the trial. The same principle applies to testing one who practices austerities.”

Then the Realized One of Primordial Yang transformed himself into a terrifying beast and came to the foot of Mount Miaole, stopping not far from the mountain. The beast was utterly fearless, fierce and powerful, and without rival. It was eloquent, with a clear and graceful voice. It proclaimed the teachings given by the Heavenly Worthy in ages past and expressed them in verse.

All actions are originally Wuwei (non-action), yet the phenomena of arising and passing away still appear. Sentient beings flow through the cycle of rebirth, relying on causes and conditions. Though they may be separated for a time, in the end those causes and conditions will bring them together again.

One should be wholly focused and cultivate purity in the three actions of body, speech, and mind—that is, one’s conduct, words, and thoughts. By practicing the right path, one may hope to attain liberation soon and escape the hardship of poverty and want.

After speaking this verse—a teaching composed in rhyme—the figure kept the fearsome form it had shown before, glancing to the left and right and surveying its surroundings. When the ascetic heard the verse, he was overjoyed, as if someone trapped in a dangerous place and traveling alone at night had suddenly met a companion; as if a person long ill had suddenly found a good physician and wondrous medicine, and been freed from pain; as if someone drowning had found a boat and crossed to the far shore; as if a thirsty person had found a spring and quenched their thirst with a long drink; as if someone pursued by enemies had suddenly escaped; as if a prisoner awaiting execution had suddenly heard of a pardon; as if a farmer struck by drought had suddenly seen welcome rain, his crops growing and his harvest abundant; or as if a traveler on a distant journey had suddenly returned home. Every one of these situations brought him the same leaping joy he felt on hearing the verse.

Good man, when I heard this verse at that time, I too was filled with joy. I immediately stood up, looked around, and asked, “Who spoke the verse I just heard?” I looked in every direction, but saw nothing else—only a fierce beast. So I said, “Who has opened for me such a profound and wondrous gateway to the Dao? Who has uttered a subtle sound like thunder? Who can awaken sentient beings asleep in the midst of life and death? Who can show hungry beings the flavor of the supreme Dao? As sentient beings sink in the sea of suffering, who can be their great boatmaster? As they are constantly entangled in afflictions and illness, who can be their good physician?”

After I said these words, my mind seemed to awaken, like the moon gradually revealing its light as it waxes from a half moon. Yet at that moment I saw nothing but the fierce beast. I wondered again, “Could this beast have spoken the verse? I still doubt that it was the one who recited it. Why? Its appearance is so fearsome. Shouldn’t fear and ugliness disappear in anyone who hears this verse? How could it look like this? Such a person should not bring a luminous night fungus to life in the midst of fire.”

Good man, I thought further, “I have no wisdom now. Perhaps this beast once encountered an immortal of the past and heard this verse from a Heavenly Worthy. I should ask it.” So I went up to the beast and said, “How wonderful, how wonderful! Where did you hear this verse? Is it a teaching spoken by the one of old who frees people from fear? Where did you come to understand the verse’s meaning, radiant as a jewel?”

The true and upright Dao taught by the Primordial Heavenly Worthies of the past, future, and present is vast and boundless in the world. Ordinary sentient beings are often veiled by nets of doubt, and may go their whole lives without hearing the wondrous teachings spoken by the Heavenly Worthies of the ten directions.

Good man, after hearing these words, I replied, “Great true man, you should not ask me about these teachings. Why? I have gone many days without food or drink. I searched everywhere for something to eat but found nothing. Hunger and hardship have left my mind confused; what I said just now did not come from anything I truly know. Though I can fly through the air and search far and wide for food, I have found none. That is why I spoke those words.”