《太上玄灵北斗本命延生真经注（徐道龄）》

The preface to the Beidou Jing was composed by Emperor Zitong, a deity revered in Daoism. It explains the profound mysteries of the Northern Dipper and its subtle principles in the central heavens. Anyone intent on spiritual cultivation and wishing to recite the Beidou Jing should read the preface first, to understand how the scripture begins and what it means as a whole. Do not overlook it.

“Beidou Tici” means that this scripture takes “Beidou” as its title. It is both the essential teaching of the truly profound Dao and an outline of methods for spiritual cultivation. “Bei” indicates a direction, while “dou” symbolizes the sovereign revered by all things. The scripture says it was transformed from the Beidou, and so the Most High named it “Beidou.” The various calamities people encounter each have their own names.

The Beidou is revered as a great sage. It dwells in the center of the heavens, governs the Three Realms, and moves day and night without rest. Since it oversees life, death, and transformation, it is called “Mysterious.” The Beidou moves by the turning of its handle, guided by that handle and following the instructions conveyed by the star talisman of the Celestial Dipper. The scripture also describes the Beidou as the “Primordial Qi of the Mysterious Origin,” the original vital energy spoken of in Daoism. Another account holds that the Beidou is the celestial manifestation of the North Pole and the North Star. It lies in the Kan direction—the north—and, moving with the motions of the heavenly bodies, connects with the central region of the sky.

Above the Beidou, the stars of the Three Terraces spread over it. They bring forth, nurture, and distinguish the myriad things, enabling them to flourish. The Beidou’s primal spirit gives life without end, and its benevolence is beyond measure, like the compassionate mother of all things. The teachings of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) are received and carried out by the Lady of Purple Radiance. Following the Dao of Yin-Yang, she brings forth the myriad things and connects the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). She is especially charged with prolonging life and is the foundation of longevity.

At that time, demonic teachings ran rampant, using sorcery to vie for power and undermine the mysteries of the true Dao. In such circumstances, who could devise the supreme method? The vast, wondrous Dao that encompasses all things seemed on the verge of decline.

The Old Lord then rose resolutely and flew to Shu, intending to save living beings and proclaim the true Dao. The Supreme Dao has more than one path. Among its teachings are detailed, profound instructions for praying to the Beidou according to one’s birth destiny, dispelling calamities, seeking blessings and longevity, and cultivating health. At that time, on the seventh day of the first month, the Earth Deity arrived at the Jade Bureau—a site for worship or teaching—with the help of those assembled there. Many perfected sages who had attained the Dao throughout the heavens stood in attendance on either side. The Old Lord was intent on saving the people. The Celestial Master understood the Most High’s intention, stepped forward from the ranks, and asked about matters concerning the Mysterious Spirit.

The Celestial Worthy leaned on the table and listened approvingly to the teaching. Few among the people of the world understand the role of the Northern Dipper. It governs the records of the stars’ courses in heaven and oversees the movements and stillness of the earth. It establishes the cycles of the year and sets the spring winds in motion, bringing harmony and flourishing to Heaven and Earth. It also presides over the close of the year’s seasons, ushering in the Three La festivals of winter. Ever since human society was established, the Northern Dipper’s movement has never ceased. For this reason, the Celestial Worthy revealed the Dao in words to guide people in later generations.

The Most High (a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity or the Dao) once said, “I would like to entrust these principles to words, but they would be conveyed more deeply and clearly if recorded in the true instructions.” The Dipper’s perfected beings (true deities associated with the Northern Dipper) then gathered with senior disciples and Celestial Master Zhang Daoling to resolve questions and explain difficulties. They also composed the teachings on one’s natal destiny themselves and compiled them into a single scripture. The scripture encompasses Heaven and Earth and weighs all things. It covers benevolence, righteousness, morality, and De, as well as nature and life, fortune and misfortune; nothing is left incomplete. If emperors and nobles follow it, they may seek longevity and accord with the Dao of Heaven. If ministers, officials, and scholars practice it, they may honor their rulers and fathers and preserve their lives. If people of aspiration and those of superior wisdom uphold it, they may cultivate the Way of the immortals and ascend through the clouds. Those with the affinity to practice this Way can bring the two Qi of Yin-Yang back into proper order. This scripture may be called a wondrous and efficacious Way that prolongs life, a great sacred teaching that encompasses the world.

After the Most High spread his teachings in Shu, the Orthodox Daoist scriptures and secret instructions each found their proper place. The scriptures were then divided into chapters and instructions to dispel calamities and extend life. The Northern Dipper later manifested divine light, embodying the Dao of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three highest deities revered in Daoism), and set down scriptures. This principle of eternal constancy, clarity, and purity has been passed down for thousands of years; the Most High’s teachings came to be revered as Lingbao. Lingbao is where the myriad gods assemble and the framework of the four quarters of Heaven and Earth. The Scripture of the Northern Dipper follows and embodies this tradition.

According to tradition, a Han dynasty Celestial Master transmitted the methods of the Northern Dipper to Lord Lao, who in turn passed on the wondrous practice of one’s natal destiny and the questions addressed to the Great Dao. Primordial Beginning Celestial Worthy answered with the purpose of saving people. Emperor Ming of Han met the Dipper’s perfected beings on Mount Zhongnan, where they personally transmitted the Way of mysterious numinosity. Emperor Taizong of Tang received the Way at Yangjiao, and Primordial Beginning Celestial Worthy said, “As Son of Heaven, what teaching could you not put into practice?” There are many other accounts in which the intention is said to have accorded in this way. The thousands of words in the Daode Jing contain profound principles; that is why the Scripture of the Northern Dipper is called a path of cultivation. Its wording is not deliberately grand or abstruse, nor is it like the numinous chapters. As a result, later generations copied and circulated it in their own words, guided by the Northern Dipper’s original truth, and errors inevitably arose.

If the wondrous and numinous Way of the Northern Dipper does not shine forth, the Great Dao will be blocked, no one will hear its subtle teachings, and the true path of cultivation will become confusing. The accounts passed down will then be prone to distortion, and the mysterious, numinous Way of the Northern Dipper will grow dim. This scripture is titled “Natal Destiny,” and so it was fortunate not to have been lost. The enlightened court sought worthy people, treated scholars with respect, and promoted morality. Thus an atmosphere of clarity and harmony gathered, allowing practitioners to expound the teachings, annotate the scriptures, transmit secret instructions, and guide the people, each according to their own lineage.

In ancient times, a distinguished scholar from Zhejiang, though responsible for administering the laws governing the five punishments, was still willing to explain this scripture through its meaning. He devoted a section of his commentary to clarifying matters concerning the Northern Dipper. His writing skillfully used events to illuminate principles; its meaning did not depart from the scripture’s intent, and he grasped the essentials of the Dao. He quoted these words: “When explaining the Book of Odes, do not let the written characters obstruct your understanding of the phrases, nor let the phrases obstruct your grasp of the underlying meaning. Seek the author’s intention through your own understanding; that is the proper approach.” This scripture was likely meant to let later generations understand its subtle principles directly. That is why the scripture is explained: the work was not composed solely for personal cultivation.

Worthies of earlier generations often selected passages from the scripture and explained them, leaving many interpretations, each reflecting a different understanding. Thousands of years have passed since the time in Shu, and many people have transmitted this scripture. Mr. Xu Daoling, the commentator on this scripture, practiced the Way with sincere devotion and had a lineage of transmission. He served his father, Su’an, and valued Daoism while studying Confucianism. Around the age of twenty, he resolved to study this scripture. Drawing on the strengths of different schools, gathering their essential points, and consulting several old commentaries, he spent more than ten years hoping to make a contribution, working diligently and without pause. Later, while serving at the Wuhui gathering, he was able to set aside his duties and take some rest. He then devoted himself to reviewing what he had studied and seeking new knowledge, doing his utmost to organize his modest insights and fulfill his purpose. He explained what was hidden and obscure and clarified mysterious principles, hoping to offer something of value.

I preside over the star Wenchang (the star deity who governs literary achievement and books), gathering the finest talents and spiritual gifts, and knowing all things. Records of the Northern Dipper from every age remain in books. To this day, the only teaching that can be understood through its clear instruction is the secret teaching of the Northern Dipper. Later scholars have already analyzed and explained it in considerable detail. Daoling resolved to illuminate the vastness and subtle depth of the Northern Dipper’s Way, so that people could understand the scripture’s meaning after reciting it. He also compiled liturgical protocols for paying homage (ritual procedures for worshipping deities). He therefore recorded what he had heard, verified it against the scriptures and commentaries, incorporated numinous talismans, and included the whole account in this scripture. He divided it into chapters to explain its central purpose, arranged it in two volumes, and listed twenty-four kinds of calamity. In sum, none of this departs from the teaching of “Natal Destiny”; its purpose is to enlighten later generations and dispel their doubts. He also checked the text word by word, correcting what was right and wrong. May those in later generations who practice this scripture devote themselves to cultivation and all attain longevity. In this way, they will not disappoint the efforts of Xu Daoling of Xuanyang, and they may together reach the supreme realm of carefree transcendence.

Before reciting a scripture or paying homage to the Northern Dipper, first gather the spirit, tap the teeth, sit upright, and steady the breath. Close the eyes and quietly visualize the following: within the Mudball Palace—the inner spirit chamber in the head—are nine palaces, with nine stars each in its proper place. The seven Star Lords sit there in their original forms, accompanied by the two stars Fuxing and Bixing.

Next, visualize the Northern Dipper shining brightly in the heavens. Press the tip of the tongue against the upper palate and imagine forming a golden bridge. The Five Viscera emit five-colored Qi, which rises along the bridge into the cluster of Dipper stars. Then summon the Four Duty Messengers, divine envoys who keep watch in the celestial realm and convey petitions. Have them cross the bridge into the Dipper and report the matter being prayed for.

Then visualize the two messengers Jiji and Tuoluo appearing in the form of jade maidens, dressed in blue and holding precious swords. One carries a mandala flower, the other a willow branch. They cross the bridge down from the Dipper and enter the nine palaces within your body. Then they emerge to inspect each chamber. When their inspection is complete, they return to the Dipper.

After a while, visualize the Nine Sovereigns of the Northern Dipper appearing in forms like the nine spirits within your own body. Riding on clouds of Qi, they descend along the golden bridge and enter the Mudball Palace, where they sit facing you. Then the nine spirits suddenly merge into a single figure composed of nine persons. In the depths of stillness, they merge once more into one person, who descends from the Mudball Palace on clouds and enters the Yellow Court, the chamber of spirits within the body. When these visualizations are complete, sit upright and recite the scripture.

Purification of the Mouth Spirit Incantation

The mouth is where breath enters and leaves, guarded above and below by spirits. It is also the gateway through which good and ill fortune pass; Qi and saliva should always be kept within. Now I pay homage to the divine beings, holding the true Dao in my mind with single-hearted devotion. Then sit upright and recite.

Purification of the Mouth Spirit Incantation

The mouth is where breath enters and leaves, guarded above and below by spirits. It is also the gateway through which good and ill fortune pass; Qi and saliva should always be kept within. Now I pay homage to the divine beings, holding the true Dao in my mind with single-hearted devotion. May the myriad saints gather together. With sincere heart, I bow and call upon them, and they will surely hear. Enact this swiftly in accordance with the ordinances of the Most High, a title of reverence for the supreme divinity in Daoism!

Purification of the Heart Spirit Incantation

The Way of Heaven is mysterious and profound; the Way of True Unity comes into being naturally. Cast out false thoughts and return to the right path; focus the mind and preserve stillness. The heart spirit governs the whole body and is the root of the myriad methods. In stillness, it is unfathomable; when it stirs, it is beyond words. Now I make my body and mind, within and without, pure and still, and guide myself to pay homage to the Celestial Emperor. Enact this swiftly in accordance with the ordinances bestowed by the Most High Primordial Celestial Worthy!

Purification of the Body Spirit Incantation

The primordial Qi of the Lingbao (the source Qi of the Lingbao venerated deity) pacifies the Yellow Palace, the spirit or divine realm of the central direction. The White Emperor brings clarity to the hun and po souls; the Red Emperor settles the po within them; the Black Emperor causes vital energy to flourish; and the Azure Emperor nourishes blood and Qi. The Yellow Emperor presides at the center, and the assembled deities dare not overstep their places. The Vermilion Bird is before me, the Black Tortoise behind me, the Azure Dragon to my left, and the White Tiger to my right. They guard my body and invigorate my Original Spirit. Each deity keeps to its proper direction, and together they face the Dipper Mansion, where the Lord of the Northern Dipper resides. Swiftly, in accordance with the ordinances of Lord Lao of Highest Clarity!

Water Deity Invocation

Visualize the black spiritual energy of the north. Draw it into the water, then recite the Secret Chapter for Opening Heaven and Earth and sprinkle the water.

The vital essence of the Great One, the spirits of the Grotto Mystery: they can bring forth all things and cleanse the dust of worldly thoughts from all beings. Now I sprinkle this water to wash away defilement and make Heaven and Earth clear. Swiftly, in accordance with the command of the Highest One!

Secret Chapter for Opening Heaven and Earth

The Grotto’s void and mysterious origin are vast and luminous, without boundary. The vital energies of the eight directions gather and naturally mingle. Now I sprinkle this water to wash away defilement and make Heaven and Earth clear. Swiftly, in accordance with the command of the Highest One!

Secret Chapter for Opening Heaven and Earth

The Grotto’s void and mysterious origin are vast and luminous, without boundary. The vital energies of the eight directions naturally mingle. The Lingbao Deity Who Directs Life broadly teaches the nine heavens. Heluo Daina, a title of Daoist divine generals, and the immortals of Grotto Dipper descend to slay evil ghosts and sweep away the baleful Qi of demons. The Mysterious Spell of Zhongshan and the numinous writings of the Primordial Beginning both possess wondrous power. As I recite the divine spell, the assembled deities gather, and Heaven and Earth turn in response. The deities of the Three Primordial Periods—Upper, Middle, and Lower—the Five Sacred Peaks, and the Eight Seas all pay homage to the Primordial Beginning. The demon kings bow their heads and submit to bonds; the True Sages guard the carriage. Evil and defilement disperse, and Dao and De are brought to fulfillment. Swiftly, in accordance with the ordinances and command of Lord Lao of Highest Clarity!

The star positions of the Jade Pivot around the North Star, the star at the northern celestial pole, dwell at the center of heaven and govern the stars of the Dipper and the Ladle. They link Heaven and Earth, setting Yin and Yang in motion. Their transforming De (virtue and power) flows from the assembled sages, and they rank among the Nine Sovereigns. They can sweep away defilement and bring down blessings everywhere. They are messengers who convey the will of the gods, and also star deities such as Tuoluo and Qingyang. The Twelve Spirits of the Thunder Gate open the way, allowing life to appear and flourish. Thus all things are covered and nourished, and the guiding order of Heaven and Earth is renewed. I hold in my keeping the authority of the pivotal offices and guard the northern quarter, Kan, for all time. The tortoise and serpent join as one; the dragon and tiger march in formation. With a sweep of the divine sword, I cut down the demon king. In reverent obedience to the command of the Supreme Emperor of Benevolent Might, the Northern Pole, Mysterious Heaven, Jade Void, I carry it out at once!

Precious Chapter for Calming the Spirits

Within the deep, remote darkness, beyond form and image, all things merge into one. The primordial Qi of the Mysterious Origin gives rise to Heaven and Earth, the human realm, and the gods. The Dao (the Way, the fundamental principle of the cosmos) cannot be spoken of by using the ordinary word “dao,” and its name is never fixed. In the empty void, form gathers; from it arise powers that are real and subtle. Only after the Five Phases divide does their order return to the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper. I now cleanse what is within and without, bringing body and mind to clarity. When merit is complete, the hun and po souls naturally find peace. In reverent obedience to the commands and decree of the Great Sage, the Celestial Sovereign, Lord Lao, I carry them out at once!

Numinous Chapter of the Mysterious and Profound Marvels of the Northern Dipper

The Seven True Ones of the Northern Dipper (the star deities of the Northern Dipper) pay homage to the two revered deities. They move in harmony with the seasons and are constantly attuned to the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. The Great Emperor of Heaven (the Northern Pole Heavenly Emperor) dwells in the mysterious celestial realm of Ziwei. His radiance shines across the world, and his halo is vast as a wheel. He can close the gate of death and open the gate of life for people. The two Qi of Yin and Yang give birth to the myriad things, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) are under their command. Above, he pays court to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning; below, he extends his protection over Kunlun. From the hour of Zi to the hour of Wu, the twelve star deities who take turns by the hours each attend to their duties. Sincere prayer can avert transgression; reciting the scripture brings blessings. The Tiangang deity wields authority, while the assisting star deities convey the Mandate of Heaven. The Three Officials heed the commands, and the Five Emperors guard the true deity.

On Gengshen days, Jiazi days, and one’s birthday commemorations—the significant dates of one’s birth, such as the year, month, and day—one may, according to one’s means, establish an altar and perform a blessing ritual. Blessings will then naturally descend. Three thousand generals and twenty thousand numinous spirits join in protection. Evil deeds diminish one’s years of life, while good deeds increase one’s blessings. This method clears the Seven Po and restrains the Three Hun. Recite the mysterious incantation aloud to sweep away demonic influences.

Hasten to obey the commands of the Great Emperor of Ziwei!

Numinous Chapter of the Revered Emperor of the North Pole

The Nine Lords of the Northern Dipper (the Lords of the Northern Dipper stars) are the foundation of Heaven and Earth. They can aid those in danger, release those in distress, and open convenient paths for people. Each of the twelve hours has its own proper place, and the three primordial Qi—the three original vital energies between Heaven and Earth—are constantly in motion within them. They turn the workings of creation and bring Heaven and humanity to fulfillment. Where the Tiangang deity points, the Ghost Mansion star (a named constellation) halts its course.

“Hong bo ke chi”: its radiance illuminates Heaven and Earth. “Jian le he chi”: it sweeps away demonic influences. Tonight, gather numinous Qi, draw in the Po and bind the Hun, so that body and mind, within and without, are purified and renewed. May the Three Corpses, the spirits said to dwell in the human body and record one’s transgressions, each remain in their proper place; may the Nine Numinous Spirits, who guard people, protect one’s true nature. Once united with the Great Sage, the chaotic Qi naturally divides and transforms. Every prayer will be conveyed upward and answered.

Hasten to obey the commands and decree of the Most High Primordial Elder, the Heavenly Lord!

Chapter of the Supreme Wondrous Teaching for Opening the Scripture

I reverently bow before the Supreme Venerable One and entrust my life in homage to the Northern Dipper (the Lords of the Northern Dipper). With upturned faces, we pray to the two exalted Emperors and pay our respects to the seven revealed Primordial Ladies. This scripture first appeared in Shu capital, in the region of present-day Chengdu, Sichuan. The Dao within it is the foundation of Heaven and humanity. It can dispel calamities and avert danger, protect life, and uphold the mysterious, true Dao. In the south, the Three Thousand Messengers; in the north, the Seven Thousand spirits of the Dipper: together they come to guard the ritual seat, where Daoist rites are performed and the scriptures taught, and together they enter the Pure Dharma Gate. When disciples now recite it with single-minded devotion, the Qi of the Dao—the generative breath of the Dao—will naturally endure.

Annotations to the Scripture of the Supreme Venerable, Mysterious Spirit, Northern Dipper, and the Extension of Life According to One’s Birth Destiny, Volume One

Collected and annotated by Xu Daoling, Master of Mysterious Yang; revised by Xu Daoxuan, Master of Qianyang.

“Supreme” is an exceptionally exalted title, referring to the highest of all beings. Only the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities revered in Daoism, and the father of a ruler may bear this title.

“Numinous Mystery” refers to the hidden, profound primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth; the vital essence and numinous power of the sun, moon, and stars; and the wisdom and radiance of the Northern Dipper. It also refers to the life and nature of human beings. People receive clear, numinous Qi, which gathers to form the body and gives rise to the hun and po souls, blood, and vital energy.

The “Northern Dipper” is a mysterious constellation formed from the vast De and transformative power of Heaven and Earth. It moves through the heavens, orders the seasons, harmonizes the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), and governs the growth and decline of all things. It administers Heaven and Earth, inspecting and recording good and evil. Nothing lies beyond its jurisdiction.

“Original Destiny” is associated with the Northern Dipper. Heaven and Earth generate Water, whose source lies in the north. The Northern Dipper resides in the north, where Water Qi is abundant; it governs both generation and decline, and is essential to nourishing all things and saving living beings. People receive Qi from Heaven and Earth and are born male or female; their lives may be long or short, and all this is said to be determined by the Northern Dipper’s commands. If people recognize and cultivate the deity of their own Original Destiny, and recite its sacred name with sincerity, never letting that name pass their ears and eyes in vain, they can dispel calamities and gain immeasurable blessings.

“Prolonging Life” means that the Northern Dipper urges people to cultivate themselves and follow the Dao, preserving the lifespan allotted to them by nature. By paying reverence to the Northern Dipper and making offerings to the true deities, people can obtain the means to extend their lives. If Heaven ceased its movement, it could no longer cover all things for long; if the Northern Dipper stopped turning, how could it continue its circuit? And if people could not extend their lives, how could they attain longevity?

“True” means what is genuinely wondrous: a profound mystery beyond measure. “Jing” can refer to principles transmitted through the ages. If they are passed down for too long and become corrupted, it is like the warp and weft of a fabric becoming tangled and its pattern uneven, leaving flaws behind. “Jing” can also mean a road: if a road is obstructed and crooked, it is like a person seeking the Dao and the truth who has lost the way. It can further mean the body’s channels: when these channels fail to circulate properly, people fall ill. Likewise, if the meaning of a scripture is unclear, one cannot grasp the truly wondrous principles.

At this time, the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), the supreme deity revered in Daoism, spoke.

“At this time” means when Lord Lao was delivering the scripture. He was regarded as the source of Heaven and Earth and the ancestor of creation. He appeared in the world in every age, and tradition says that he was not born of ordinary human parents. To conceal his divine traces, follow worldly customs, and establish teachings among humankind, he first directed the Mysterious Jade Maiden, also known as the Unsurpassed Primordial Sovereign, to be born as the daughter of the Yin family of Tianshui. She was named Yishou and later married the immortal Li Lingfei. Li Lingfei was a descendant of Bi Gaoyao. When his father, Li Qingbin, ascended to Heaven in broad daylight, Li Lingfei awakened to the Great Dao and devoted himself to cultivation. He lived to be over a hundred years old. Before Lord Lao had been born, Li Lingfei had already ascended to Heaven.

It is said that in the seventeenth year of the reign of Yang Jia, the eighteenth ruler of the Yin dynasty—that is, the Gengshen year—Lord Lao entered his mother’s womb. After eighty-one years of cultivation, he was born in the land of Bo at the mao hour on the fifteenth day of the second month in the ninth year of the reign of Wu Ding, the twenty-second ruler—that is, the Gengchen year. The Taiqing Palace still preserves his former residence. During the reign of King Wu of Zhou, Lord Lao served as a zhuxia shi, an official in charge of archival texts. In the guichou year of King Zhao of Zhou, he passed through Hangu Pass and taught the five-thousand-character Dao De Jing to the Perfected Yin Xi. Tradition says that 274 years later, on the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month in the jiayin year, Lord Lao ascended to Heaven in broad daylight. He arranged to meet Yin Xi a thousand days later at the Qingyang Market in Shu. In the dingsi year, Yin Xi went to Shu and met Lord Lao again. He then followed the immortal’s carriage on a journey through the Nine Heavens, spreading the teachings wherever they went. Confucius, too, once took Lord Lao as his teacher. By the time of King Nan of Zhou, according to this account, 996 years had passed.

Emperor Ming of Wei praised Lord Lao, saying, “He once served as a zhuxia shi in the Zhou court and lived through nine hundred years.” Wu Yanghao, a Doctor of the Imperial Academy during the Tang dynasty, also praised him: “Lord Lao’s transformations are boundless, and his numinous powers are difficult to fathom. He was born in the Shang dynasty and served in the Zhou court; counted from beginning to end, a thousand years had passed.”

Later, Lord Lao descended once more, this time to Chengdu, where he taught this scripture and its instructions. This took place on the seventh day of the first month of the first year of the Yongshou era, the yuwei year, during the reign of Emperor Huan of Han. In the time of Emperor Taizong of Tang, he expounded the scriptures on Mount Yangjiao through the Dao of benevolence. During the Zhenghe era of Emperor Huizong of Song, he descended to the Yuchen Abbey on Mount Mao and taught Liang Guangying the Added Verses of the Heavenly Child Scripture for Protecting Life. From then until the present, accounts of his miraculous powers have been countless.

Tradition says that when Lord Lao was born, nine dragons spouted water that became nine wells, which were used to bathe him. He was born with snow-white hair and beard, and possessed seventy-two marks of distinction and eighty-one auspicious features. Lotus flowers sprang up beneath his feet as he walked, with each step producing one. He pointed to Heaven with his left hand and to Earth with his right, saying, “In Heaven above and beneath Heaven, I alone am honored. I shall spread the supreme Dao and save all living beings.” A naturally formed celestial robe then settled over his body. Within nine days, he had grown to a height of nine chi. The gods of Heaven were moved to praise him and offered him ten honorific titles: Most High Lao, Perfect Spirit and Wisdom, Heavenly Exalted One, Teacher of Emperors and Kings, Great Man, Great Immortal Exalted One, Father of Humanity and Heaven, Supreme Master of Wuwei (non-action), Greatly Compassionate One, and Primordial Celestial Worthy. These titles of the Most High Lord Lao are briefly recorded here in the hope that those who share the same aspirations will take refuge in him and uphold his teachings, each receiving blessings in turn.

On the seventh day of the first month of the first year of the Yongshou era, the Most High Lord Lao, out of compassion for all living beings, descended to Chengdu several times and taught the Celestial Master the scriptures and instructions for prolonging life, the Five Dipper talismans and registers, and sacred writings, as well as the names of the True Lords of the Five Dippers. On that day, Lord Lao transmitted the True Scripture of the Northern Dipper’s Mysterious Numinous Power and Inborn Destiny. On the fifteenth day of the first month, he transmitted the Wondrous Scripture of the Southern Dipper’s Six Offices for Prolonging Life and Delivering People, along with the numinous treasure and wondrous Dao True Scripture of the Five Dippers. On the seventh day of the first month of the second year of the Yongshou era, Lord Lao expounded the True Scripture of the Eastern Dipper for Long Life and Protection of Life. On the fifteenth day of the first month, he expounded the Scripture of the Western Dipper’s Great Plan for Protecting the Body. The Celestial Master, the Perfected One, was able to cultivate these teachings and observe them with reverence. Lord Lao then appeared once more in his complete form amid the pure void, ascended the jade dais, and proclaimed the Mysterious and True Wondrous Scripture of the Central Dipper for Preserving Life and Prolonging Life.

The order in which the Five Dipper scriptures were transmitted—first the Northern Dipper, then the Southern Dipper, followed by the Eastern, Western, and finally the Central Dipper—was arranged according to Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, and the sequence by which Heaven and Earth bring things into being. The Northern Dipper is located in the Kan trigram palace and governs the source of water. Water belongs to the north, which corresponds to Heaven; since “Heaven’s first gives birth to water,” the Northern Dipper scripture was transmitted first. The Southern Dipper is located in the Li trigram palace and governs fire. Fire belongs to the south, which corresponds to Earth; since “Earth’s second gives birth to fire,” the Southern Dipper scripture comes second. The scriptures of the Eastern, Western, and Central Dippers were also expounded according to the sequence of Heaven and Earth’s creation, and each was therefore transmitted at its corresponding time.

In the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate in the Realm of Great Clarity, the scripture says: “In the Primordial Great Luo Heaven, within the Three Pure Ones’ realm…”

The scripture states that the Great Luo Heaven Above the Origin is the realm where the Three Pure Ones dwell. The Sacred Realm of Jade Purity contains twelve sacred heavens and is governed by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Below Jade Purity lies the True Realm of Highest Clarity, with twelve true heavens governed by the Dao Lord of Jade Dawn. Below Highest Clarity lies the Immortal Realm of Great Clarity, with twelve immortal heavens governed by the Most High Lord Lao.

In the human body, the Dantian can be divided into upper, middle, and lower centers. The upper Dantian is called the Mansion of the Mud Pill and corresponds to the Palace of Jade Purity. The middle Dantian is called the Mansion of the Crimson Palace and corresponds to the Palace of Highest Clarity. The lower Dantian is called the Mansion of Confluence and corresponds to the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. In the realm of Great Clarity, the mansion governed by the Most High Lord Lao is named the “Three Sovereigns’ Cavern of Spirit, Great Clarity, Supreme Ultimate Palace.”

The scripture also says that it sees all beings sinking and wandering through long kalpas, turning again and again in the cycle of birth and death.

The Most High (Taishang), an honorific in Daoism for the supreme divine being, manifests in response to circumstances and is present throughout the world. Wherever his manifested emanations appear is a Palace of Great Clarity and Supreme Ultimate. The Most High is ever filled with compassion and mercy, observing all living beings.

The character “zhong” has two interpretations. One takes it to mean “the middle”: Heaven is above, Earth below, and human beings dwell between them; thus people are born in the central land. The other reads “zhong” with a falling tone, meaning “many.” When numbers accumulate to one hundred thousand, they are called one hundred million.

The word “jie” means both “knot” and “time.” Over the course of a lifetime, a person’s allotted destiny contains 3,600 jie of worldly toil—the troubles and karmic knots of the human world. These are the knots allotted in one’s fate. If people act recklessly and fail to follow the right path, indulging in sexual desire and taking lives, they may die young and fail to reach their full lifespan. After death, they remain caught in the cycle of birth and death: the karmic knots from past lives remain unresolved, and the toil of another life is added. Over time, the knots accumulate by the hundreds of millions and become difficult to escape. As the saying goes, good deeds form good connections, while evil deeds create the conditions that lead to the realm of ghosts. When evil karma accumulates excessively, one drifts across a sea of suffering, sinks into birth and death without end, and remains for a long time among the lowest ghosts.

If a person does one good deed each day, accrues one measure of merit, and saves one life, they can undo three dust knots—that is, pass through three kalpas. If they persist in doing good every day for a year, they can undo 360 knots. If they also save lives, help others, benefit all things, and devote themselves to cultivating the Great Dao, awakening to their original nature and returning to the true Dao, then hundreds of millions of dust knots can all vanish at once. It is like a room that has been dark for a hundred years: when the lamp of wisdom shines, the whole room is suddenly bright.

The Sanskrit word “kalpa” means “time.” Any span of time, long or short, may be called a kalpa; it may also refer to the briefest instant. When the Scripture of the Jade Pivot says “in a kalpa long ago,” it does not mean that the Celestial Worthy once underwent worldly calamities. It means that long ago, at that time, the Celestial Worthy formed the intention to save living beings.

“Kalpa” can also mean resting or lying dormant. Animals such as turtles, dragons, insects, and snakes withdraw and hide when they hear thunder, then emerge again when the thunder sounds; this transformation is also called a kalpa. Domestic animals such as oxen, horses, sheep, dogs, chickens, and pigs each have their own kalpas, though these amount only to enduring all manner of suffering. For this reason, the sages taught people to cultivate themselves and to place abstaining from killing first among the three forms of action—those of body, speech, and mind. The Mencius says: “Seeing it alive, one cannot bear to see it die; hearing its cry, one cannot bear to eat its flesh.” This is the meaning.

The Three Realms, too, contain all kinds of karmic knots. Yang Qi condenses to form Heaven and to make men; Yin Qi condenses to form Earth and to make women. When a good person marries an evil wife, or a sage begets unworthy children, these are knots of affliction. When a good person encounters thieves, or a fortunate person meets disaster, these are knots of birth and death. If those who enter the Dao and cultivate themselves keep in mind the words of Xu Daoling and continually use good deeds and skillful means to dissolve karmic knots, they will no longer be bound by them. Buddhist scriptures speak of “resolving the knots of enmity across a hundred lives.” If they are not resolved, people may meet life after life and remain entangled with one another. How could we not strive to cultivate goodness?

Some people are reborn as human beings in Zhonghua (in ancient usage, the central regions of China), while others are born in distant lands such as those of the Yi, Di, Man, and Rong. Some are wealthy and honored; others are poor and lowly.

“Zhonghua” here means China. The commentary follows the account in the Yu Gong, which divides China into nine provinces: Yangzhou in the southeast, Jingzhou in the south, Yuzhou south of the Yellow River, Qingzhou in the east, Yanzhou east of the Yellow River, Yongzhou in the west, Youzhou in the northeast, Jizhou within the Yellow River’s bend, and Bingzhou in the north. Beyond the nine provinces, the peoples to the east were called Yi, those to the west Rong, those to the south Man, and those to the north Di.

The scripture says that if people possess the Five Constant Virtues—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness—and the intention to practice the Ten Good Deeds, and if they act with filial piety, respect for elders, loyalty, and kindness, then through these causes and conditions they are reborn in the human realm and born in the land of Zhonghua. Those who are wealthy and honored in this life have this fortune because in the past they gave to the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), helped the poor, relieved those in distress, and rescued people in danger. Those who are poor and lowly in this life are connected to past miserliness and greed, refusal to give, and the taking of wealth by unrighteous means. Being born in a distant land and living in low circumstances is connected to past killing, sexual misconduct, and disbelief in cause and effect. The Most High, through the Heavenly Eye—a supernatural power that sees the good and evil deeds of all beings—beholds the sins and blessings they create. Each being then receives the corresponding results according to their own karmic causes.

Only through temporary causes and conditions does one fall into hell.

In human life, people differ in wealth and poverty, honor and lowliness. If they cannot respond appropriately to their circumstances, disorder follows: the wealthy neglect righteousness and benevolence and refuse to give charitably; the honored fail to act justly and obey the law, and lack loyalty and courage; the poor do not keep to their proper place, while those of low status refuse to be humble. Thus right and wrong become confused, disasters arise, calamities follow one another, and people fall into distress. A verse from the Buddhist scriptures says: “By the power of merit, all goes well for us now. But when things go well for too long, it is easy to become heedless. The heedless eventually lose their commitment to keeping the precepts, and so create the causes that lead them to fall into hell.” This is precisely the situation being described.

“Stability” is an important path in cultivation and a shortcut to extending one’s life. Here, “stability” also carries the sense of being upright and settled. If body and mind can remain upright and settled, one will not fall into hell.

Stillness is an important path for entering the Great Dao (the Way), and a shortcut to extending one’s life. “Stability” also carries the sense of setting things upright: if the body is not upright, how can one enter the Dao? If the mind is not upright, how can one prolong life? The meaning of “prolong” is likewise related to setting things upright. Stability also encompasses quiet, single-minded focus, cessation, and order. When water settles, it no longer flows; when the earth is secure, it does not collapse. When the mind is settled, anxieties subside; when the body is settled, distracting affairs come to a halt. When one’s nature is settled, Qi (vital energy) becomes subtle and refined; when the spirit is settled, Qi becomes clear.

Yet without becoming still, one cannot attain stability. If people lack the strength to quiet the mind, focus on one direction, still their thoughts, and proceed in due order, their actions will struggle to follow the proper path, and their cultivation of the Real will struggle to reach the true state. If the mind and spirit are constantly unsettled, all manner of karmic habits will follow one after another. How, then, can one prolong life and understand the profound mysteries of one’s original life-root—the subtle principles connected with life’s very foundation?

The Jingshu of the Jade Pivot says, “Only by knowing where to stop can one become secure and at peace.” The Great Learning says, “Knowing where one ought to stop, one can then settle one’s aims.” “Knowing where to stop” means understanding the principle and putting it into practice. For example, one knows that children ought to be filial and subjects ought to be loyal. By personally living out the ways of loyalty and filial piety and recognizing that this is simply what should be done, one gives direction to one’s aims, and the mind learns where to rest and how to follow an orderly course. This is what it means to have firm resolve. As Mencius says, “Wealth and honor cannot make him reckless; poverty and low station cannot make him change his resolve; power and force cannot make him submit.”

If a person’s resolve is unsettled, private desires will disturb them while they serve their parents, and they will fail to fulfill their filial duty. When serving a ruler, they will be swayed by fame and profit and fail to fulfill their duty of loyalty. Today, some people do not honor their parents; officials break the law; those in wealth and high position care only about seeking a reputation; and some, despite already having children, take another wife. All this comes from not knowing when enough is enough, not keeping to one’s proper place, refusing to quiet the mind and uphold what is right, and failing to follow the proper order. With no strength of stability within, calamity will eventually befall them.

If people know where it is appropriate to stop, keep to their proper place, remain calm and clear, and proceed in due order, they can naturally prolong their lives even without deliberately seeking longevity. Even if they have not formally entered the Dao, they are already walking its path—so how could they invite calamity? If the wisest people devote themselves to cultivating stillness and stability, keeping their minds free from the pull of distracting thoughts and persevering over time, they can achieve results: at a modest level, they can extend their years and join the ranks of the immortals and perfected ones; at a higher level, they can pay homage to the Jade Emperor and bow before the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three supreme deities revered in Daoism.

Karmic wrongdoing can entangle people, causing their souls to be detained and brought before the underworld authorities for judgment. After enduring their punishment, if they can no longer be reborn as human beings, they may take birth as livestock, birds, or insects, moving ever farther from human life and finding it increasingly difficult to regain a human body.

Daoism and Buddhism both warn people against committing the ten evils: killing, theft, sexual misconduct, greed, anger, ignorance, false speech, flattering speech, abusive speech, and divisive speech. These precepts all teach people to do good. The ten evils also include such acts as treachery, stealing, and deception, all of which are strictly forbidden by law. Those who commit crimes may be imprisoned, shackled at their hands and feet, and subjected to punishments such as flogging or branding. In such circumstances, how do they differ from beasts?

This chapter says that people who committed evil in past lives and accumulated too many wrongful deeds will be investigated by the Dipper Office of the Northern Dipper and the Three Officials—the Daoist divine authorities responsible for examining and recording human good and evil. They will check the records, detain the person’s soul, and take it to prison for interrogation and fitting retribution. After enduring this suffering, the person is reborn as a human being in this life. If they continue to do evil, however, they will gradually stray from the human path. In a future life, they may be born as livestock, birds, or insects, moving ever farther from the human realm and finding it difficult to regain a human body.

Thus people continue to sink into lower forms of existence without knowing or awakening to what is happening. This is because, having lost their true nature in a past life, they must endure this cycle of rebirth.

“Awareness” means awakening and understanding. “Truth” carries meanings such as uprightness, integrity, transformation and nurture, becoming a sage, and numinous clarity. Without truth, Heaven could not bring the myriad things into sprout and growth; without truth, the earth could not give plants and trees roots; without truth, people could not govern their own spirit.

Those who cultivate themselves into perfected beings can enter water without sinking and pass through fire without being burned. They transcend the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—their transformations reach throughout the ten directions, they command the myriad spirits, and they unite with the One Qi, the fundamental primordial energy spoken of in Daoism. If they were not true, how could they attain such states? Thus the Northern Dipper is called the True Lord, the Dark Emperor is called the Perfect Warrior, and those who attain the Dao are called perfected beings. Confucius, too, in discussing luminous virtue, could not do without truth. Without truth, how could one understand the principles of settling, stabilizing, and becoming still? Clearly, the word “truth” is not easy to explain.

The Most High, an honorific title for the Dao in Daoism, took pity on humankind. Whether people are born in the Central Plains or among the frontier peoples, and whether they live in wealth or poverty, they all receive their lot from Heaven. Yet people are often swayed by circumstances close at hand and their resolve becomes unsettled. Misdeeds then follow one another, and little by little they depart from the principles people ought to uphold. This chapter is meant to help all beings examine themselves, awaken, and cultivate truth. Those who cannot awaken themselves have lost the true Dao; they cannot enter the path of the immortals and so do not understand the “destiny” they have received.

Here, “destiny” refers to the endowment set by Heaven, such as wealth or poverty. If one follows the Dao and finds peace in one’s circumstances, one is accepting Heaven’s mandate and content with it. If one is dissatisfied with the circumstances one has been given, one has lost the true Dao and gone against Heaven’s mandate. To defy one’s destiny and lose sight of truth is to sink into ruin without realizing it. Those who follow the true Dao and recite its formulae should seek, within “awareness,” the point where awareness itself cannot be grasped. This is the key to understanding the essentials of the formula for prolonging life.

The scriptures taught by the Most High have profound intent. Every sentence and every word contains a secret teaching, which a beginner cannot readily see through. To dismiss them because their language seems plain and accessible is only to incur the sin of slandering the scriptures, a sin difficult to expiate.

For example, why did the Most High, when teaching the scripture, say “not aware of oneself” rather than “oneself not aware”? The two phrases place “not” differently, and their meanings differ greatly; the distinction also bears on the meaning of the surrounding text. In “not aware of oneself,” “not” comes first: it refers to people failing to examine the wealth or poverty, length or brevity of life, and other circumstances they were given from the outset. In “oneself not aware,” “not” comes later: it means that one does not know what one ought to become aware of. “Not aware of oneself” emphasizes that there are things people ought to recognize, yet they do not awaken through recognizing them. Fellow practitioners who recite the scripture should carefully consider its meaning, study it repeatedly, and think it through deeply, so as not to betray the Most High’s original intent in imparting these teachings and setting them down in words.

The Most High, moved by compassion, manifested in different forms to teach all beings and sent those manifestations down into the human world.

The Most High is supremely divine and holy, with boundless wisdom and profound compassion. Though dwelling in the Three Realms—the higher heavens in Daoist belief—and at rest within the ninefold heavens, his concern for all beings has never slackened. Thus, the Most High manifested in Shu’s capital and taught the methods contained in this scripture, hoping to benefit all beings and help them escape the suffering of reincarnation.

Shu’s capital is today’s Chengdu Prefecture. A note cites an exchange in which Emperor Ming of the Han asked the monk Moteng: “Since the King of the Buddhist Dharma is in the world, why has he not taught the people here?” Moteng replied that Kapilavastu was the center of the trichiliocosm. Those in every direction who had vows and spiritual practice were born there, received the Buddha’s teaching, and attained awakening. Beings elsewhere had no karmic affinity with the Buddha, so he did not travel there in person. Even so, wherever the Buddha’s radiance reached, after five hundred years, a thousand years, or longer, sages would arise to spread the Buddhist Dharma and teach all beings.

The commentator then uses this account to explain why the Most High came to Shu’s capital rather than elsewhere. Shu was a blessed land in the southwest. At that time, the Celestial Master, the Perfected Lord of Zhengyi—Zhang Daoling, revered in Daoism—was cultivating the Way at Heming Mountain. The Nine Cauldrons Elixir had been completed, and he was able to spread the teaching. The Most High therefore manifested there and taught him the methods contained in the scripture.

Then the earth spirit rose up from beneath the ground, bearing a jade platform and setting it up as a high seat.

“Jade” refers to the essence of Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon. It is also a refined, beautiful substance formed from the congealing of Yin-Yang and Water and Fire. Warm and lustrous, it is precious and rare, and will neither decay nor perish even after ten thousand years. A “jade dais” is a throne made of jade, with curved supports. It is like the seven-jeweled, tiered platform on which the Celestial Worthy of Universal Transformation sits: a dragon-and-phoenix throne adorned with precious treasures and built in seven tiers.

The Most High Lord Lao took pity on all living beings and descended into the human world to expound the scriptures. The myriad spirits of the Three Realms all came to welcome him, so the earth spirits raised the jade dais and stood guard over him. When the lecture ended, the jade dais sank back underground. The Jade Dais Grotto in Chengdu is said to be the trace left by this story.

Thus, Lord Lao ascended the jade dais throne and transmitted to the Celestial Master, the Perfected One, the methods of the Scripture and Instructions for the Dipper of One’s Birth Destiny, concerning the Lords of the Northern Dipper and beliefs about one’s birth destiny. He widely proclaimed essential teachings in order to bring universal deliverance to living beings.

Han-dynasty records say that the Celestial Master (Tianshi), Zhang Daoling, was named Daoling and styled Hanfu. He was from Fengyi in Pei Commandery, the eldest son of a man named Dashun, and the eighth-generation direct descendant of Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu, whose courtesy name was Zifang. Zhang Liang had quietly built up virtue through good deeds, leaving a fine reputation that benefited later generations. At first, the Celestial Master’s mother dreamed that a heavenly deity descended from the Dipper’s Ladle constellation. Upon reaching the ground, the deity stood more than ten feet tall, wore embroidered silk, and gave her fragrant plants called heng and wei. When she awoke, her clothes and room were filled with an unusual fragrance that lingered for a full month. She therefore became pregnant. On the fifteenth day of the first month of the jiawu year, the tenth year of Emperor Guangwu’s Jianwu era, the Celestial Master was born at Mount Tianmu in the land of Wu. At the time, yellow clouds covered the sky, purple Qi filled the courtyard, and the air shone as brightly as the sun. This lasted for a month. Then the earlier fragrance returned and did not fade for ten days.

As an adult, the Celestial Master stood nine chi and two cun tall. He had handsome brows and eyes, a broad forehead, green eyes, a reddish crown, a high nose bridge, and a square-shaped head. His eyes had a triangular quality. His brow bones rose like a rhinoceros horn extending into the crown of his head, and his occipital bones were prominent. His hands hung below his knees, his beard was handsome, and he moved with the bearing of a coiled dragon and a prowling tiger. His appearance was so dignified that even friends and relatives would become solemn in his presence.

At the age of seven, he read the two parts of the Daode Jing more than ten times and grasped their essential meaning. He had deep command of books on astronomy, geography, the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, calendrical systems, and related subjects. He also studied ancient writings widely, leaving almost nothing unread. More than a thousand people studied under him. He had lecture halls where he taught and recited scriptures thirty li south and eighty li northwest of Mount Tianmu. The Immortal Temple at Lin’an and the Tongxian Temple at Yuhang are said to have been the sites of these halls.

Later, the Celestial Master sat for and passed the examination for men of worthy and upright character who could offer frank remonstrance. Although he entered government service, his aspirations remained focused on cultivating his body and transcending the world. After some time, he resigned and withdrew to Mount Beimang. Three years later, a white tiger brought a talismanic letter in its mouth and placed it beside his seat. The court summoned him to serve as a court academician, but he pleaded illness and declined. After Emperor He ascended the throne, the court again summoned him, this time with the honors of a third-rank seal and ribbon and a four-horse carriage, to serve as Grand Tutor. He was later enfeoffed as the Marquis of Ji County. The court issued three edicts, but he accepted none of them. This was the renchen year, the fourth year of the Yongyuan era.

Afterward, he set out from the region around the Yellow and Luo Rivers, traveled among the famous mountains of the Huai and Yangzi regions, and visited caves and grottoes. He entered Shu by water, explored its various grottoes, met divine beings who gave him guidance, and received secret instructions from the alchemical texts. He practiced cultivation on Mount Heming and completed the Nine Cauldrons Elixir, but did not dare to take it. He said to his disciple Wang Chang, “Those who wish to ascend must first accomplish good works for all beings: assist the state, bring peace to the people, promote what benefits them, and remove what harms them. Only then can they transcend the world and ascend. In serving the Three Realms, one must be able to do so with a clear conscience. If one seeks only personal benefit and one’s accomplishments do not benefit the people, one fails to follow the Great Dao’s purpose of aiding all beings.”

At noon on the fifteenth day of the first month of the renwu year, the first year of Emperor Shun’s Han’an era, the Lord of the Golden Palace, the Sage after the Most High, the Mysterious Origin Dao Lord—that is, the Lord Lao—manifested in response to the Celestial Master. He bestowed on him the registers of the Orthodox Unity Covenant and Authority, the Three-Five Sword for Slaying Evil, and the registers of office and authorization for the Chief Merit Master. The Celestial Master took the elixir, subdued the spirits, and established administrative centers. Later, the Most High also bestowed on him 930 volumes of scriptures from the Three Caverns, 72 volumes of talismans, registers, and secret instructions on alchemical methods, as well as robes and other items. In the first year of Emperor Huan’s Yongshou era, the Most High repeatedly transmitted this scripture and the True Scriptures of the Five Directions and Five Dippers to him. In the second year of Yongshou, his wife, Lady Yong, also ascended in broad daylight. The Celestial Master was honored as the Perfected One of Orthodox Unity of the Great Mystery Capital, the Great Celestial Master who Supports the Teachings of the Three Heavens and Assists the Origin.

The scriptures and instructions bestowed by the Most High are methods for cultivating the Dao, and every written character in them contains an essential teaching. If those who cultivate the Dao can grasp even one character, one sentence, one method, or one instruction, they can leave the path of delusion and reach the far shore of the Dao directly. Daoling is the Celestial Master’s personal name. When reciting the scripture and reading this passage, the name may be pronounced as it appears in the text; out of respect, however, one should read the two words “Perfected One” in its place.

At this time, the Old Lord (Taishang Laojun) told the Celestial Master, “It is very difficult to attain a human body, and very difficult to be born in the Central Land (traditionally, China or the center of civilization). Even after being born human, it is still difficult to encounter the Correct Way (the right method of cultivating the Dao).”

The Sutra in Forty-Two Sections records the Buddha saying: “To leave the evil realms and become human is exceedingly difficult. After becoming human, to be born in China is also difficult. And once in China, to meet someone able to transmit the Way is more difficult still.” The scripture also says that those in the world who attain a human body are as few as the speck of soil clinging to a melon seed, while those who lose a human body are as numerous as the dust upon the earth.

The Yellow Court Scripture says: “The root of the human being is Jing (essence), and life is governed by Qi (vital energy). Each of the five organs has its own Jing, and Qi arises within Jing; each of the five organs has its own Qi, and Shen (spirit) arises within Qi. Shen can prolong life. To attain longevity and preserve life, refine Jing into an elixir and nurture Qi until it transforms into Shen.” True Immortals and the highest sages cultivate the Dao and nurture Qi, gradually bringing inner cultivation into accord with outward transformation. Once their practice bears fruit, they can progress from ordinary people to the realm of the sages.

The scripture also describes how men and women are conceived: a man first arises from the right kidney, with Jing on the outside and blood within, Yin being on the inside; a woman first arises from the left kidney, with blood on the outside and Jing within, Yang being on the inside. The body then develops from the kidneys in sequence: the spleen, liver, lungs, heart, small intestine, large intestine, gallbladder, kidneys, and bladder. Next, the Three Origins (the three sources of Qi or functions in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the body), the Three Burners (the upper, middle, and lower burners of Chinese medicine), the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, the twelve meridians, and the fifteen collaterals gradually form the network of vessels, bones, and pores that extends throughout the body. After three hundred days, the fetus is fully developed and its breath is abundant. A numinous light enters the body, which then leaves the mother and becomes a human being.

A human body is indeed hard to attain. Sages who appear in response to the times are exceedingly rare as well. The scripture says that twenty thousand years make one kalpa, and two thousand years make one lesser kalpa; a worthy person appears only once every five hundred years. A great sage such as the Old Lord, who descends into the world in response to the times and expounds the Correct Scripture for all beings, is rarer still. To encounter the Correct Way and yet refuse to believe in it or turn toward the Dao is truly regrettable.

Among all things between Heaven and Earth, human beings are precious because they possess the greatest spiritual sensitivity. The sages and perfected beings of the upper realm also attained their status through human cultivation; ghosts and animals in the lower realm may likewise have descended from human beings. Good deeds lead one upward to the upper realm, while evil deeds cause one to fall into the lower realm. The Yin and Yang energies, acting under Heaven’s command, form men and women. For a human being to encounter the Correct Way is as unlikely as a needle’s point meeting a mustard seed.

Daoling said that he had received a secret transmission from his former teacher. The Most High once instructed the Ancestral Celestial Master, Zhang Zhenjun, with a true and profound formula of thirty-two characters: “A human body is hard to attain; the true wonder is hard to encounter. Should one suddenly enter the cycle of rebirth, one’s destination cannot be known. Those who study the Dao must sincerely keep to the center. Naturally, they will reach clear stillness and become one with Heaven and Earth.” This means that a human body is hard to attain, and the true wondrous Dao is also difficult to encounter. Once one suddenly falls into the cycle of rebirth, it is hard to know where one will go. Those who cultivate the Dao should sincerely keep to the center and maintain a calm, settled mind. They will then naturally reach a state of clear stillness and accord with Heaven and Earth. This was the path by which the Ancestral Master attained the Dao.

Daoling did not wish to keep this teaching hidden and untransmitted, so he wrote a commentary on this chapter in the hope that those who share his aspirations may use it together to advance in cultivating the Dao.

Many people lose the true Dao (the Way) and throw themselves into deviant paths. They plant the roots of wrongdoing, recklessly resort to cunning and deceit, indulge in lust and killing, become consumed by romantic attachment, and give free rein to greed and anger. In the end, they fall into hell and lose their human form.

Once people lose the true Dao, they enter deviant paths. The “roots of wrongdoing” mentioned here refer to the ten kinds of unwholesome actions discussed below. Cunning words and deceit belong to the actions of speech; lust and killing belong to the actions of the body; attachment to romantic love, greed, and anger belong to the actions of the mind. Once the roots of wrongdoing have been planted, all kinds of evil deeds grow rampant, leading people to fall into hell and lose their human form. The chapter repeats the word “many” as a warning to the ignorant; it is not addressed to those of superior intelligence.

Living beings do not understand these causes and conditions or know the right path, and so they are often confused and make mistakes. Their wrongdoing keeps growing until they fall into hell and lose their human form. The chapter repeats the word “many” as a warning to the ignorant; it is not addressed to those of superior intelligence.

The various wrongdoings and their consequences described earlier are the Supreme One’s clear exposition of the Great Dao and his affirmation of its precepts. They warn living beings not to break these rules, lest they fall into hell and lose their human form. Yet people are often unwilling to reflect on themselves. Clothing can preserve decorum and ward off the cold, while plain food is enough to satisfy hunger. Upholding a quiet, simple character can nourish body and mind; reading poetry and books can broaden one’s aspirations. Serving as an official allows one to put one’s learning to use, while mastering a craft can provide a livelihood. Yet people refuse to keep to their proper place and do not know when enough is enough. They fail to gather in their scattered minds or seek the true Dao, letting their desires run wild and giving rise to confusion and delusive thoughts. They remain in turmoil all day, their thoughts racing without pause, and step by step enter a snare of wrongdoing. Whose fault is this?

I take pity on such living beings, so I have passed down these teachings and explained the proper causes and conditions, so that people may recognize the true Dao and understand that both body and life arise from the Dao. If they can grasp the causes and consequences involved, they will be able to retain their human form for a long time, carry on the roots of goodness, and be born as humans in life after life. They will not be born in a place without the Dao, nor will the roots of their human existence be cut off.

The character “Dao” originally meant a road. By extension, it came to mean the principles people should follow in daily life, as well as the standards shared by all. In Daoist teachings, the Dao exists before the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate, the source from which Heaven, Earth, and all things arise). It transcends Heaven, Earth, and everything with physical form. In other words, the Dao already existed before Heaven, Earth, and all things came into being.

After Heaven and Earth were created, the Dao appeared in different things: in the heavens, as the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning; in human beings, as benevolence, righteousness, and moral virtue; on earth, as plants, mountains, and rivers; in the seasons, as spring, summer, autumn, and winter; in changes of climate, as cold and warmth, clear skies and overcast skies; in teaching and cultivation, as preserving and nourishing a sincere heart and refining one’s nature; and in systems of law, as rewarding good deeds and punishing wrongdoing. Thus the Most High said, “The Great Dao has no form, yet it gives birth to Heaven and Earth. It has no feelings, yet it sets the sun and moon in motion. It has no name, yet it nurtures all things. I do not know what to call it, so I reluctantly call it ‘Dao.’”

Buddhism, too, regards the original reality that existed before Heaven and Earth took shape as fundamental. Early Confucian scholars traced things back to their origins, saying that the idea of “Heaven” arises from the Great Void (the empty, formless source), while the idea of the “Dao” arises from the transformation of Qi (the movement and change of primordial vital energy). What Heaven bestows on a person is called “destiny”; the word carries the sense of granting or assigning. What a person receives is called “nature,” and nature is principle. Heaven does not issue commands aloud. Rather, the cosmos continually transforms and circulates; when Qi moves into a particular thing, that thing comes into being, as though it had been given a command. Nature encompasses benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.

Nature and destiny are not inherently deficient, but the Qi people receive differs in clarity and turbidity, length and brevity, brightness and dimness, fullness and thinness. As a result, people differ in wealth and poverty, longevity, wisdom, and foolishness. Those who receive exceptionally pure Qi become intelligent and sagely. Those who receive pure and elevated Qi become worthy people blessed with wealth and long life. Those who receive Qi that is elevated, full, and enduring may become perceptive, talented, loyal, upright, and devoted to moral integrity. Those who receive Qi that is thin, corrupt, and short-lived may become rebellious and violent, deceitful and crafty, cruel and foolish, and may live in poverty and low station. Although people’s goodness and evil are connected to the Qi they receive, they also arise through the transformations of Qi.

The Most High took pity on the people of the world. He therefore transmitted scriptures and oral instructions, established the Orthodox Teaching, and used worldly principles to explain wholesome causes and conditions. Through flexible and skillful means, he guided living beings to understand the Dao, recognize themselves, and realize their nature and destiny, thereby gaining a genuine foundation for cultivation. Once they have gained this foundation, they can remain in the human realm for a long time. So long as they do not abandon it, life after life, they can preserve the human root.

This scripture was not written only to guide people with shallow foundations. If those of keen understanding are willing to pursue its depths and reach its ultimate truth, constantly keeping the Northern Dipper in mind—the star deities associated in Daoist belief with one’s life destiny and the prolonging of life—and nourishing their true nature with every breath, they may hope to attain the Dao and become immortals.

Continue to devote yourself to cultivating the true Dao, gradually enter the path of the Immortals, free yourself forever from the cycle of rebirth, and ultimately ascend to realize the Dao.

The Most High (a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity) is supremely compassionate and merciful, supremely benevolent and holy. He teaches living beings and earnestly admonishes them again and again. Taking pity on them, he sees that the destiny people receive from Heaven is not fixed: if they stray from the way of being human without realizing it, they will gradually sink into decline. Therefore, the Most High reveals essential methods, pointing out that people have lost the true Dao and remain unaware, committing karmic offenses without knowing it. He teaches them to recognize the Dao and themselves, to understand that both their nature and their life arise from the Dao, and to let the seed of the true Dao endure without interruption.

This chapter also expresses concern that people in the world may be unable to transcend the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm). It therefore says: now that you have recognized the Dao, you should continue to cultivate it, never slackening, and keep it firmly in mind. After gradually entering the path, accumulate cultivation over a long period, uphold it without losing it, and persist in your efforts until you awaken completely and bring deluded thoughts to rest. Then you will enter the path of the Immortals, escape the cycle of rebirth, and realize the true Dao.

For this reason, I reveal this wondrous teaching to you, so that the people of Heaven may be delivered, return to the true Dao, and recognize their heavenly destiny. People may observe purification and perform a Daoist offering ritual on their personal life day—the day corresponding to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches of their birth.

Here, “I will show you” refers to the Celestial Master (Tianshi), and the “wondrous method” is the practice described below: observing a purification fast and performing a Zhaijiao ritual on one’s natal day. “People of Heaven” means the people of the world, the common folk born of Heaven. The Celestial Master was charged with saving people everywhere, as Yi Yin said: “I was the first among the people to awaken; I must use this Way to enlighten them.”

Although the scripture calls on people to return to the true Dao and understand their allotted destiny, it does not explain where to begin in practice. In his compassion, the Most High established an expedient method to guide all beings: within sixty days, each person should identify the day that corresponds to their natal birth, and on that day clear the mind, observe a purification fast, and gather in the hun and po souls. They should make offerings according to their means, submit a petition and present a memorial, pay homage to divine titles, and recite scriptures. In this way, beginners need not worry that the rites are too elaborate or too simple, nor feel that they are too difficult to sustain. They can enter the Dao more easily and gradually deepen their practice. With long and steady observance, they will remember the Dao of their own natal nature at all times and in all places. Such diligent, unrelenting practice, and the cherishing and safeguarding of one’s cultivation, bring merit beyond measure.

The phrase “observe a purification fast and perform a Zhaijiao ritual” reflects the Daoist view that purification and fasting should come first in cultivation. A scripture says that even those who have committed offenses may serve the Lord of Heaven if they fast and bathe. If people who study the Dao observe fasting but do not regulate their conduct in body, speech, and mind or follow the relevant precepts, they are merely abstaining from food and keeping up appearances. This does not aid their cultivation; it can instead lead them into further error.

The word jiao in “perform a Zhaijiao ritual” carries the sense of inviting: it means summoning the true spirits of the Three Realms to descend. Some also explain it as sincerely awaiting Heaven’s decree, or as lighting lamps to symbolize illuminating one’s own nature.

There are three kinds of purification fast.

The first is the offering fast, in which one accumulates merit and prolongs life by observing a fast and making offerings.

The second is the dietary fast, also called the sacrificial fast. Practitioners abstain from alcohol and pungent or flesh foods, with the aim of harmonizing the spirit and nourishing longevity. This is the form of fasting practiced by those at an intermediate level of cultivation.

The third is the fasting of the mind: clearing away inner attachments and desires, washing away spiritual impurity and burdens, strengthening one’s resolve, and cutting off scattered thoughts. Free of stray thoughts, one can focus on the Dao; free of greed, one can abide in the Dao; free of impurity and burdens, one can unite with the Dao. Thus the fasting of the mind is highest, the dietary fast comes next, and the offering fast ranks last.

The Preface to the Seven Precepts of the Northern Dipper says: The Most High admonishes people that a human body is difficult to obtain, birth in the Central Land—the region known in ancient times as the Central Plains—is difficult to obtain, and even those born there may find it difficult to encounter the true teachings. To have all three is an extraordinary blessing. Heaven does not favor any one person; it regularly cares for those who do good. If people turn away from evil and toward good, abandon the false and return to the true, the Dao is not far away.

The Dao has no fixed location, but learning has stages. The essentials of cultivating the True begin with purification and fasting. The seven precepts are as follows:

First, do not abandon right mindfulness or give rise to thoughts that go against the Dao, becoming immersed in them and straying from the Way. Instead, keep Shen and Qi present in the Sea of Qi—the place within the body where Qi is said to gather in cultivation—and enter the wondrous gate.

Second, do not show off or casually reveal the numinous texts. Guard them carefully and uphold them day and night. Only after seven years of successful practice may you pass them on to later students.

Third, do not go near funerals or enter places of impurity, lest you be disturbed by external forces and offend what is true and upright. Instead, regularly purify body and mind, keeping both inner and outer realms clear.

Fourth, do not eat spoiled food or foods regarded as impure, such as the Three Abominations and Five Pungent Foods, lest turbid Qi disturb the Three Palaces, the places of cultivation within the body. Instead, swallow the body’s fluids and cleanse the source of spiritual nature.

Fifth, do not relieve yourself facing north, expose your body, or show disrespect to the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—or to the spirits, lest you invite calamity. Avoid these actions even when alone in a dark room.

Sixth, do not drink excessively, overeat, or become absorbed in music and entertainment, lest Shen and Qi grow confused and the numinous gates become blocked. Instead, keep food and entertainment in moderation.

Seventh, do not associate with people who do not follow the Dao or recklessly study heterodox teachings. If your intent is not focused, you will lose your direction in cultivation. Instead, follow the Orthodox teachings and remain free of doubt.

These seven precepts are the requirements for cultivation set out in the Scripture of the Northern Dipper. They form the foundation of cultivating the mysterious arts and are an important path to ascending to the True and attaining the Dao. They should be observed, and one must not forget the resolve with which one first began to cultivate. Those who practice in accordance with the precepts will receive the protection, blessings, and grace of the immortal officials of the Seven Precepts.

“Invoking the Dipper in prayer” means praying devoutly to the Northern Dipper.

The Northern Dipper lies at the center of the sky and is regarded as the pivot of the celestial movements, governing the turning of the four seasons. The affairs of Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the Five Planets, the Six Jia and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, as well as those of the immortals and perfected beings, all fall under the Northern Dipper’s overall authority. From the Son of Heaven to ordinary people, everyone’s lifespan, blessings and emoluments, wealth or poverty, life and death, fortune and calamity—and even matters of the underworld—are likewise believed to be governed by the Northern Dipper. Therefore, when people pray and bow before it with sincere hearts, their petitions are believed to receive a response.

The Three Officials and Five Emperors, the Nine Offices and Four Departments,

According to the Scripture of the Jade Pivot (Yushu Jing), the Celestial Official is responsible for dispelling calamities from Heaven, the Terrestrial Official for dispelling calamities from Earth, and the Water Official for dispelling calamities from water. The Five Emperors are responsible for dispelling calamities in the five directions. The Azure Emperor of the East belongs to Wood, governs the liver, and nurtures the Hun soul; the White Emperor of the West belongs to Metal, governs the lungs, and nurtures the Po soul; the Vermilion Emperor of the South belongs to Fire, governs the heart, and regulates the breath; the Black Emperor of the North belongs to Water and governs the circulation of the blood; and the Yellow Emperor at the center belongs to Earth, governs the spleen, and commands the five organs. The human body takes shape by receiving the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), so the duties overseen by the Three Officials and Five Emperors all concern human beings.

The Nine Offices comprise three offices each in the Upper, Middle, and Lower periods, making twenty-seven in all. The Upper period has thirty-six bureaus, while the Middle and Lower periods have forty-two each, for a total of one hundred and twenty. Together, they govern the people and things of Heaven and Earth, immortals and spirits, ghosts and gods, and all beings. They are all linked with the officials of the Northern Dipper and are responsible for communicating affairs between the inner and outer realms. The Four Administrations are divided between the Celestial Bureau and the underworld. The four administrations of the Celestial Bureau are the Administrations of Destiny, Records, Faults, and Peril; those of the underworld are the Administrations of Destiny, Records, Merit, and Punishment. Along with the Three Officials, Five Emperors, and Nine Offices, they investigate people’s offenses and blessings in the human realm.

The Most High—a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity—revealed these teachings to guide and transform people, so that they might recognize the presence of external deities and karmic conditions, develop reverence, and turn from wrongdoing toward goodness. If people can look inward with a mind of Wuwei (non-action), they will understand that the functions represented by the various divine offices are also present within themselves.

The human form corresponds to Heaven and Earth: the head is round and above, symbolizing Heaven; the feet are square and below, symbolizing Earth. The North Pole is the center of the heavens, situated toward the north, and so the Baihui point, at the crown of the head, is also located at the top; the heart, meanwhile, lies toward the back of the body. The sun and moon travel chiefly through the southern sky, so the human eyes also face south. The Northern Dipper turns through the seasons and sets the stars in motion. The human heart contains every principle, can respond to all affairs, and commands the transformation and generation of twelve thousand essence spirits and twelve hundred form-and-shadow spirits. It sets blood and Qi flowing and opens all the body’s joints and passages, while the many spirits together guard the heart.

The Three Officials refer to the three Hun souls and also correspond to the body’s three origins and the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The Five Emperors correspond to the five organs, the Nine Offices to the nine openings, and the Four Administrations to the four limbs. If people can restrain the nine openings, gather and nurture the three Hun souls, harmonize the five organs, and care for the four limbs—without being led by deluded thoughts, remaining watchful over themselves and avoiding entanglement in worldly desires, letting go of distinctions between self and others, and putting aside disputes over right and wrong—they can gradually enter the true Dao.

On the day corresponding to one’s birth year, people pray for grace and blessings, hoping to prolong their lives and avert disaster. They set down their earnest wishes in memorials and submit prayers to the Northern Dipper and the holy perfected ones who oversee the various divine offices. This is how the Most High provides beings who have lost their way with a bridge to the true path, guiding them toward the Great Dao. If a person awakens, it is like coming upon a rare opportunity: they may escape their lost state and reach the farther shore, as if a prisoner held for many years had been fortunate enough to receive an amnesty. At such a time, one should reflect on oneself, examine one’s faults, correct one’s mistakes, and cleanse the heart of evil thoughts. One should also purify oneself and avoid falling back into old habits. Renewing oneself day after day without giving up, one can become a good person.

But if someone relies on the chance to reform and begin anew, or on methods for extending life, yet refuses to abandon old evils and instead commits new ones, it is like knowingly breaking the law: they throw away their life and head toward death. They will sink further into delusion and fall into evil paths, losing the chance to be born again as a human being. By then, regret will come too late.

One should make offerings with reverence: present various kinds of incense and fresh flowers, along with the season’s fresh Five Fruits, and keep the ritual space pure in accordance with local custom. Its arrangement should model Heaven and Earth. The practice may be carried out in a Daoist temple or at home; one should build up merit according to one’s means and invite a ritual master to conduct the rites. The merit thus accumulated is profound and cannot be fully described. Reciting the names of the True Lords of the Seven Primordial Stars, the seven deities corresponding to the stars of the Northern Dipper, can dispel sins and wash away calamities, increase blessings and longevity, and bring good results to oneself. In times of urgent danger, one may burn incense and recite the scripture, praying to turn danger into safety within the appointed period.

“To make offerings with reverence” means to sacrifice to the deities. Before offering sacrifice, a noble person abstains from improper conduct for seven days, then observes a three-day purification fast to cleanse body and mind.

The true purpose of offering gifts is to worship the gods. Before making offerings, a junzi should observe a seven-day fast and bathe and purify the body for three days. This allows the worshipper’s sincerity to reach its fullest expression. With sincerity, the gods can respond; without it, the offering loses its meaning. How, then, could one fail to worship with reverence and respect?

By “proper bearing” is meant holding respect, reverence, and earnestness in one’s heart, while expressing them outwardly through appropriate acts of ritual: looking up in homage, bowing with one’s head to the ground, kneeling, and prostrating. All such gestures must conform to proper form. Those who govern the people must conduct themselves with dignity and behave appropriately at every turn. How much more so when paying homage to true immortals and honoring sages: without a solemn bearing, one is showing disrespect.

“Establish merit according to one’s means” means that offerings and the performance of Zhaijiao (purification rituals in which an altar is set up to invoke the gods) may be adapted to each person’s ability, regardless of wealth or social rank. Princes, ministers, and people of high virtue and standing may perform Zhaijiao. Ordinary people, the poor and ill, those who willingly cultivate the Dao in hardship, people from remote communities, and those of low status may also offer flowers or water. Each should do what they can to express sincerity. What matters is purity, sincerity, and reverence. One should not deliberately make offerings meager when one has ample means, nor give them carelessly out of stinginess. A miserly or dismissive attitude, or angering the gods through impurity and offense, can bring calamity.

When reciting the names of the Seven True Lords of the Big Dipper, the seven divine figures associated with its stars, or paying homage to the True Lord of one’s birth destiny, first set aside distracting thoughts and purify body and mind, allowing no worldly thoughts to arise. Only then should one begin recitation. Reciting with the mouth alone is less effective than reciting with the heart. Only by suddenly recognizing one’s own original mind can one fulfill the purpose of the teachings transmitted by the Supreme Lord Lao. Then one may attain peace and good fortune, and have good fruits come to oneself.

The scripture then recounts the miraculous power of the Northern Dipper to dispel calamities.

The Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, the revered deities represented by its seven stars, can dispel the calamities of the Three Disasters.

There are several interpretations of the “Three Disasters.” One holds that they are the names of stars. The Scripture of the Jade Pivot says that anyone wishing to avoid the Three Disasters and the Nine Misfortunes may bow toward Beichen, the North Star, on a quiet night. In the ritual of petitioning the Dipper, people also sometimes venerate a star deity named “Three Disasters” before the mouth of the Dipper. This is because the star is believed to govern all evils. If it enters a person’s fate, they can perform a jiao rite to pray for protection and avert calamity, and thereby receive a response.

Another interpretation calls death by lightning, burning, and flooding the disasters of Heaven, Earth, and Water. Beginners on the path who have not yet attained the Dao remain bound by worldly life, and may suffer these calamities when misfortune strikes. Fortunately, there are now ways to avert disaster and dispel misfortune: recite the Dipper scripture, perform the Dipper repentance rite by bowing to the Northern Dipper and confessing, identify the Star Lord of one’s birth destiny—the star deity who governs one’s birth and fate—and burn a sacred talisman. These practices are said to free a person from calamity. Those of advanced cultivation who succeed in becoming perfected beings transcend the limits of fate and destiny, and naturally suffer none of these disasters or misfortunes.

The Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can dispel the calamities of the Four Killings.

“Killings” refers to the qi of violent destruction. Upright people receive upright qi, while the wicked encounter baleful killing qi. The “Four Killings” also refers to disharmonious qi in the four seasons: in spring it brings warm disease, in summer malaria, in autumn dysentery, and in winter coughing. This is why they are called the “Four Killings.” In Yin-Yang divination, the Four Killings are baleful forces formed when the four Earthly Branches Chou, Wei, Chen, and Xu occupy inauspicious directions. The Four Killings, Three Killings, and Seven Killings are also regarded as malevolent deities of the earth. Offending them may bring serious harm, but ritual prayer to avert calamity can dispel the taboo.

The Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper can dispel the calamities of the Five Phases.

The Five Phases here refer to the body’s five organs. If any one of them becomes ill, the whole body will be unsettled. The Jade Pivot Scripture says, “When the Five Phases do not move smoothly, the Nine Luminaries—stars associated with human fate—fall into perilous circumstances.” The scripture also says that the Celestial Worthy commanded the Six Life-Destiny Gods of each household, spirits who govern the household’s fate, to report to the Northern Dipper and pray for the removal of every kind of disaster. When faced with calamities of this kind, one may follow the scripture’s methods to pray for protection and avert misfortune.

The Great Sages, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, the seven revered deities corresponding to its stars, can dispel the calamities of the six harms.

The “six harms” are six sources of harm within the body and mind: the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and thoughts. If left unchecked, they bring harm. The Jade Pivot Scripture says, “The three punishments and six harms meet and overlap across the angles.” This means that punishments, harms, and other adverse factors intersect. By taking precautions in advance, paying homage to the true sages, and bowing to the Northern Dipper, one may pray for calamities to be dispelled and troubles to be undone.

The Great Sages, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamities of the seven injuries.

The “seven injuries” are the seven human emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, aversion, and desire. Excess in any one of them can damage the body, which is why they are also called the “seven killings.” By learning to restrain these emotions and treating them with care, one can avoid being harmed.

The Great Sages, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamities of the eight afflictions.

“Afflictions” means disasters. Here it refers to serious illnesses that ordinary people find difficult to escape, such as paralysis.

The Great Sages, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamities of the eight afflictions.

“Difficulty” refers to calamities, especially eight grave illnesses that are hard to escape: paralysis, epilepsy, wasting disease, parasitic poisoning, leprosy, and other conditions. The commentator says that if one had not earlier invited and worshipped the true gods of the Northern Dipper, one might today be unable to preserve the body and escape calamity.

The “Eight Difficulties” are also called the “Eight Sceneries.” The scripture says that the August Heaven admonishes the perfected immortals and holy beings of the Three Realms: they should guard against the “Eight Leaks” to escape the Eight Difficulties. Only after escaping them can they enter the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).

The “Eight Leaks” are eight forms of depletion of the body’s vital essence and Qi. Weeping is said to deplete Liver Qi; if it continues for a long time, it shortens one’s lifespan. A runny nose is said to deplete Lung Qi, leaving one prone to illness. Excessive saliva is said to deplete Spleen Qi; too great a loss damages the body’s foundations. Sweating is said to deplete Heart Qi; if it cannot be contained, life is endangered. Drooling during sleep is said to deplete the spirit of the brain; when spiritual energy cannot be stored within, it is difficult to remain calm. The small intestine is associated with the kidneys; if Jing and Qi cannot be kept secure, the power of life is harmed. Dreaming of ghosts at night and having intercourse with them is said to disperse one’s spiritual energy. Unrestrained sexual desire prevents the body’s Jing and Qi from being preserved. These eight forms of depletion are said to be the roots of the Eight Difficulties.

Those who worship the Northern Dipper will not let the Seven Emotions—joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and fright—stir their heart and spirit to excess. When the emotions are unharmed, the calamities brought by the Eight Difficulties will also lessen. The wise can transcend them through this practice. When people notice an illness taking hold, they should immediately restrain their desires, eat less, undertake purification with sincerity, pray to the Northern Dipper and recite scriptures, and wear a sacred talisman to seek the removal and averting of calamity.

“Great Sage, Lords of the Seven Primordial Stars of the Northern Dipper, you can dispel the calamities of the Nine Stars.”

The “Nine Apertures” are the body’s nine openings. The commentator holds that failing to restrain them can give rise to lust, greed, and anger; this is also connected with the misfortunes of the “Nine Luminaries,” or Nine Stars. Through diligent cultivation, worship of the Northern Dipper, and reverence for the perfected gods, calamities can be dispelled.

“Great Sage, Lords of the Seven Primordial Stars of the Northern Dipper, you can dispel calamities affecting husband and wife.”

The scripture says that after parents have raised their children, continuing the family line is a great duty within human relationships. The marriage and shared life of a man and a woman are likewise matters of great human importance. Through diligent cultivation, worship of the Northern Dipper, and reverence for the perfected gods, calamities can be dispelled.

“Great Sage, Lords of the Seven Primordial Stars of the Northern Dipper, you can dispel calamities affecting husband and wife.”

For parents, bearing children and continuing the family line is no greater responsibility. The union of man and woman in marriage is an important ethical relationship in human life. Some couples in the world have troubled marriages and also violate prohibitions that the gods forbid, thereby bringing disaster upon themselves. The Northern Dipper is governed by the Jade Pivot, a divine office in Daoism responsible for the key workings of the heavens. When such calamities occur, one should sincerely observe purification, recite scriptures, perform rites of repentance, pray to the Northern Dipper, and burn Fulu (talismans used in Daoist rites to avert misfortune), in the hope of dispelling disaster. Then the couple can live in harmony, and their descendants can prosper and dwell in peace.

Some people already have wives and children, yet still give rise to lustful thoughts or covet their wives’ dowries and property. They take several wives and concubines and establish separate households. In their struggle over money and sexual partners, they grow jealous and fight, even resorting to spells that cause illness, enchantments, curses, or hexes. As a result, husband and wife become estranged like Shen and Shang, the stars that never meet; fathers and sons turn against one another like wolves and tigers. In the end, they face punishment, lose their entire fortunes, and die. These are all sins they have brought upon themselves. If such people seek to pray to the gods, how could the gods accept the prayers of someone who fails to uphold human relationships?

The Great Sage, the Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel calamities related to men and women.

There are many causes of calamity among children and the extinction of one’s descendants. If you can care for other people’s children as you care for your own, and perform many good deeds while accumulating merit, the True Lords of the Northern Dipper will dispel calamities without waiting for you to pray, and will secretly grant descendants without waiting for you to ask. Taking concubines and indulging them brings no benefit; it invites harm instead.

The Great Sage, the Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel calamities related to childbirth.

A woman who does not claim her husband’s affection exclusively and harbors no jealousy will not suffer calamities related to childbirth, and her descendants will prosper. If she can correct her faults, first seek forgiveness from the Dipper officials, then bow before the Precious Repentance, use talismans, and recite the name of the True Lord associated with her birth destiny, she can dispel calamity.

The Great Sage, the Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel calamities related to repeated misfortune.

The Jade Statutes (a Daoist text) says that some people, despite their talent and intelligence, often meet with obstacles in their endeavors. They succeed at times and fail at others, earning only an empty reputation. Their illnesses resist treatment, their marriages go poorly, and they have no children. Even when they do have children, they struggle to raise them to adulthood, and nothing goes as they wish. This condition is called “recurrent entanglement.” It is said to arise because the souls of deceased relatives have not found release and have gone without deliverance for a long time; even after hundreds or thousands of years, they remain unable to be reborn. To address this, rites such as dispelling afflictions and refining the dead should be performed to deliver the deceased. The living, in turn, will be freed from hardship and their endeavors will go smoothly.

In his commentary on the Jade Pivot Scripture, Xu Daoling explains that these illnesses are associated with “corpse infestation.” This was an ancient term for a group of illnesses with varied symptoms, including transmitted corpse disease, emaciation, lung atrophy, bone steaming, and recurrent entanglement. All were believed to arise from bodily weakness. The illness begins in the kidneys and spreads to the heart, where it can cause palpitations, shortness of breath, and dreams of deceased relatives. For this reason, the scripture calls it “recurrent entanglement with the departed.”

Someone asked: If the dead have not found release and are entangling their six kinds of kin, how can the living know? The reply was that when people suffer this kind of misfortune, they develop corresponding symptoms. In such cases, they should lessen their desires and quiet their minds, take medicine, swallow talismans, and pray to the Lords of the Northern Dipper to deliver the spirits of their ancestors. This allows the deceased to be reborn in a favorable realm, while the living can avert calamity and dispel affliction.

The Great Sages, Lords of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, can dispel epidemics and misfortune.

The Scripture on Dispelling Calamities says that if the star Venus or Mars enters the Southern Dipper mansion, various disasters may befall the state, households, or the regions under their jurisdiction. Reciting and empowering this section of the dharani (incantation) will dispel the calamities, which will then fall instead upon those who defy the royal command and act rebelliously. The scripture goes on at the end to discuss the calamity of epidemics.

According to the Jing for Dispelling Calamities, if the star Tai Bai or Mars enters the Southern Dipper constellation, it will bring various disasters upon the state, families, and the regions associated with them. Reciting and empowering this dharani—a protective mantra for averting calamity—will dispel the disasters, which will then befall those who disobey the ruler’s commands and act in defiance. The Buddha does not transfer calamities to others; the misfortunes that defiant people suffer are calamities they have brought upon themselves.

Epidemics in which an entire family falls ill and dies are said to result from people’s habitual lack of filial piety and loyalty, benevolence and righteousness; their failure to respect Heaven and Earth or fear the spirits; their disrespect for the sun, moon, and stars; their failure to cherish the grains, tend their incense offerings, or care for themselves; and their wanton killing of living beings and indulgence in rank, impure things. Their evil conduct influences one another, their harmful karma draws further harm, and baleful Qi gathers. If people can correct their faults and cultivate goodness, they will naturally avoid such calamities. If they have already fallen ill, they can observe purification and pay homage to the Dipper—that is, fast and worship the Northern Dipper—and wear and uphold numinous talismans to seek relief from disaster.

The Great Sage, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamity of illness.

Severe chronic and stubborn illnesses are caused by conditions established in the past. If people can correct their faults and cultivate goodness, they will naturally avoid such calamities. If they have already fallen ill, they can observe purification and pay homage to the Dipper, and wear and uphold numinous talismans to seek relief.

The Great Sage, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamity of illness.

Severe chronic and stubborn illnesses may arise from grievances and debts incurred in past lives. Sudden acute illness and collapse may result from failing to care properly for the body. One should promptly establish a jiao offering—a Daoist rite petitioning the spirits—and seek the True Lord’s pardon, while also using ritual medicines. This can strengthen the weakened and dispel calamity.

The Great Sage, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamity of harmful spirits.

Evil spirits are said to cause harm when improper thoughts attract them and invite their entanglement; this may also happen when people forget to serve the True Gods. By following the ritual procedures to worship the Dipper and pay homage to the True Gods, memorizing and using numinous talismans, and locating the Celestial Ladle—the key position among the stars of the Northern Dipper—one can connect with righteous Qi and drive away malign spirits.

The Great Sage, the Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel the calamity of tigers and wolves.

Encountering tigers, wolves, or venomous snakes on land, and dragons or large fish on a boat, are common dangers one may face while traveling. By taking refuge in the Jade Pivot, a revered Daoist deity, and sincerely praying to the Dipper’s celestial court in advance, while reciting the scriptures and divine names and wearing numinous talismans, one can guard against such calamities. Even if danger does arise, quickly casting the talisman into water or fire is said to bring an immediate response.

The Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper (the seven star lords corresponding to the seven stars of the Northern Dipper) can dispel calamities brought by snakes and insects.

Birds and rats bring demonic influences, while snakes and insects bring misfortune. In the course of managing a household, if people fail to restrain improper conduct such as killing and stealing, violate taboos, or offend the gods, the six household deities (spirits who protect the home) may lose their place of refuge, allowing snake spirits to enter. At such a time, one should recite the venerated titles of the Northern Dipper, repent of one’s faults, clean the household, and burn spirit talismans. Through these acts, one can commune with the true Qi (the primordial, pre-heavenly vital energy spoken of in Daoism) and drive away and avert calamity.

The Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper can dispel calamities of robbery and theft.

Such misfortune arises when people fail to safeguard their possessions carefully. It may also result from accumulated debts that must be repaid. Those who report their situation to the gods in advance, repent of their faults, and take care to guard against mishaps can avoid calamity.

The Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper can dispel calamities involving fetters and corporal punishment.

If someone is drawn without cause into a criminal case for an offense they did not commit, or is detained because of a mistake or a false accusation, they may suffer fetters and beatings in prison. Even if they feel wronged, the case records have already been drawn up, the authorities evade responsibility by claiming the facts remain in doubt, and the family’s appeals go unheeded. At such a time, they should fast and purify themselves in earnest, lay bare the truth in their hearts, and write a memorial (a document reporting to the gods) to petition the officials of the Northern Dipper for their attention. The imprisoned person should also purify the heart and pray silently; those inside and outside the prison should join in making their sincere appeal. In this way, one can commune with the gods, so that retribution in the unseen realm and responses in the visible world come to light together, prompting an investigation and the overturning of the wrongful case, and thus dispelling the calamity. But if someone truly has violated the law, how could they ask the gods to dispel the resulting misfortune?

The Seven Lords of the Northern Dipper can dispel calamities of sudden and unnatural death.

All deaths that do not come at the end of a natural lifespan are called violent deaths. If you know you are facing such a calamity, you should do good deeds and cultivate De (Virtue/Power), quietly accumulate hidden merit, repent and examine yourself, sincerely pray to the Dipper Court, where the gods of the Northern Dipper dwell, and wear a sacred talisman, a Daoist protective charm. It is said that these measures can even bring the dead back to life.

If someone is crushed to death by a mountainside or a wall, or dies under the torture of exceptionally brutal instruments, these are violent deaths brought on by one’s own actions, not by Heaven. Prayers will do no good.

The Great Sage, the Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, represented by the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, can dispel calamities caused by oaths and curses.

Oaths, curses, spells, charms, nightmares, magical restraints, and prayers can arise for many reasons. Some people cast spells to win favor; others sow discord among relatives, repay kindness with ingratitude, or break their sworn pledges. Some grow resentful over an unequal division of family property; others are oppressed but have no way to appeal. Some seek to kill another person or make them suffer from illness and pain. Others, superstitiously trusting shamans and diviners, recklessly bind and seize another person’s soul, leaving them confused and disoriented. Still others become withdrawn and silent, or remain bedridden for a long time. These are all disturbances of body and mind, caused either by going too far or by falling short in one’s conduct.

If you can look back and trace the origin of the misfortune, investigate what has harmed you, reflect on yourself, correct past faults, and cultivate good deeds for the future, then recite the name of the Great Sage and wear the sacred talisman bestowed by the Celestial Emperor revered in Daoism, you can dispel the calamity.

The Great Sage, the Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, can dispel calamities caused by the Net of Heaven.

“Heaven’s snare” refers to the constraints of Heaven’s principles; “Earth’s net” refers to the laws and standards of human society. In conducting oneself, one should not violate the laws of the state above or transgress human relationships below. Then one can move freely wherever one goes and remain far from the misfortune of being entangled in snares, blocked at every turn, and beset by calamities. If a person harbors thoughts that run counter to these principles, such calamities are sure to follow. One who departs from the righteous Way will also be punished. As long as one does not transgress the Five Constant Virtues—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—and clearly observes the Three Bonds—the ruler’s bond with the minister, the father’s with the son, and the husband’s with the wife—then, by cultivating sincerity and quiet reflection, and paying homage to the perfected beings of the Northern Dipper, one can prolong life and enter the Dao of the immortals.

The Great Sage, the Lords of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, can release one from the calamities of Earth’s net.

The preceding text and notes have already explained this point; here, a further clarification is offered. “Earth’s net and Heaven’s snare” also refers to laws and regulations. People in the world do not understand that each person has a share in wealth or poverty, status or lowliness. Unable to accept their lot or know contentment, they defy Heaven’s mandate and violate the course of their allotted fate, committing unlawful acts, breaking the laws of the state, and endangering their own lives. How, then, could they escape the calamities of Earth’s net and Heaven’s snare? If people accept their lot, revere the laws, safeguard themselves, and hold fast to the righteous Way, then pay homage to the Northern Dipper and visit the divine perfected beings, they will naturally be spared this misfortune.

The Great Sage, the Lords of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, can release one from the calamities of hell.

The merit of this scripture extends throughout the waters and across the land, and can benefit both the living and the dead. If someone bears grievances and karmic debts from a former life and, after death, is called to account in the underworld, their dutiful children and grandchildren can pay homage to the Northern Dipper on their behalf, confess their sins, and pray for forgiveness, so that the deceased may be reborn among the good.

The Great Sage, the Lords of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, can release one from all calamities.

The Most High—the Daoist honorific for the supreme deity—bestowed this teaching and proclaimed this mysterious and wondrous scripture. Through it, people may prolong life, preserve their lives, and dispel their sins; the dead may also be reborn among the good.

The Great Sage, the Lords of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, can release one from all calamities.

The Most High—an honorific title in Daoism for the supreme divinity—bestows teachings and proclaims this profound scripture so that people may prolong their lives, preserve their vitality, overcome adversity, and dispel calamities. The various hardships listed here are only a general outline. The Jade Pivot Scripture says, “The Northern Dipper can dispel every hardship.” When people face adversity, they need only worship the Northern Dipper with devotion, establish a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) according to the prescribed rites, perform rites of repentance, recite scriptures, burn talismans, and chant the names of the deities. Then they will receive a divine response.

The Seven Primordial Lords—the seven star deities corresponding to the stars of the Northern Dipper—are all great sages, skilled at communicating with the divine.

This chapter sets out a path for entering the Dao and cultivating the Real. It gives the essentials of prolonging life through rites to the Dipper, explains how to dispel hardship and calamity, and reveals the key to reviving the dead. The Most High placed it after the account of various hardships in the hope that people would follow its prescribed methods of cultivation, avoid being obstructed by adversity, and naturally ascend to perfection and realize the Dao. The teaching is that beginners on the Daoist path, as well as devout men and women, can receive the power and spiritual abilities of the Seven Primordial Lords if they cultivate with sincerity, perform the rites on the days when the Seven Primordial Lords descend, recite scriptures, burn talismans, and submit memorials. Through their power as great sages, the Seven Primordial Lords work wondrous transformations, making their efficacy evident and connecting with the myriad spirits.

They rescue people from every kind of hardship and free suffering beings from their plight.

Those who wish to dispel calamity, atone for wrongdoing, and escape adversity need only pray sincerely to the Northern Dipper, recite scriptures and burn talismans according to the rites, and submit memorials. Their wishes will then be fulfilled, and beings will be rescued from sinking into suffering.

In an emergency, one may recite this scripture to seek safety.

If someone in the household falls ill or meets with disaster, if a woman is about to give birth, or if one wishes to have a child or pray for a long life, one should quietly reflect with sincerity, identify the name of the star deity governing one’s birth, recite the corresponding formulas and scriptures, and burn talismans and registers. This will bring peace to the household; any hardships encountered will gradually subside and give way to well-being.

In this way, one receives blessings in abundance, and one’s good fortune accords with the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), the five elements that compose all things.

The Seven Precepts of Douren say: Do not associate with people whose aims are improper, and do not casually study heterodox teachings. If your will is not focused, you will lose your direction in cultivation. You should always follow orthodox teachings and harbor no doubts. If you sincerely do your utmost, cultivate and seek to verify the true Dao in accordance with the scriptures and methods of practice, the Lords of the Northern Dipper will bestow every blessing upon you. What you do will also accord, unseen, with the patterns of the Five Phases.

The Three Hun (the spiritual souls within the human body, according to Daoism) will become settled and strong, and harmful spirits will retreat for good; the Five Directions (east, south, west, north, and center) will no longer cause confusion. If a person sincerely does their utmost to cultivate and seek to verify the true Dao in accordance with the scriptures and methods of practice, the Lords of the Northern Dipper will bestow blessings, so that all they do accords, unseen, with the transformations of the Five Phases.

The Three Hun will become settled and strong, harmful spirits will no longer intrude, and the Five Directions will send down True Qi (the original, authentic vital energy, according to Daoism). All kinds of blessings will gather naturally.

The Three Hun will be settled, and the Nine Ling (spiritual beings in Daoist belief) will withdraw and cease to disturb me. My five organs will then naturally generate True Qi. Once this True Qi has arisen, I can maintain lasting peace and good fortune, and every blessing will naturally join with me.

Long life without aging and transcendence of the Eight Afflictions (eight obstacles to cultivation) are all results of honoring and upholding the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper. In every life one can be free and at ease, and in every life keep one’s spirit clear.

Once every blessing has gathered within you, the Eight Afflictions can naturally be transcended, and the way to long life is thereby made complete. All of this comes from the mysterious spiritual power gained by reverently honoring and upholding the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper. If you follow the instructions above to settle the Three Hun, regulate the five organs, gather in the Three Corpses (spirits within the body, according to Daoism, often believed to consume a person’s Jing and Qi), restrain the Nine Ling, and keep away from the Eight Afflictions, you will manifest the effects of upholding the Northern Dipper. In this way, life after life you can remain unbound, roam freely with the Dao, and keep your spirit clear and bright in every life.

Good deeds are like shadows in the light; responses are like echoes in a valley.

When you can live freely and keep your spirit clear in every life, your Original Spirit (a person’s true spiritual nature) will give rise to the light of wisdom, discerning the crooked and the straight in all things. Cultivation within will naturally bring a response without.

The Three Yuan Spirits (the upper, middle, and lower spirits in Daoist belief) will jointly protect you, and all the myriad sages will watch over you.

If those who cultivate the Dao can attain this level, the Celestial Official will attend to their soul, the Earth Official to their Po, and the Water Official to their spirit. They will then ascend to the Golden Portal, wander through the Jade Capital, and receive the reverence and homage of the gods.

From then on, they will face no calamities or obstacles, and their devotion to the Dao will remain steadfast forever.

The essential teachings of this scripture have now been fully explained. If one diligently practices the methods of the Northern Dipper and deeply studies the meaning of the Northern Dipper Scripture, how could one encounter calamities or obstacles? One’s devotion to the Dao will then remain peaceful for a long time.

Laojun said: “The Pole Star appears in the heavens, and all the stars circle around it.”

The Record of the Will states that Beichen is the Northern Emperor, also called the North Pole and Taichen. Beichen is therefore the center of the heavens, by which the myriad things are brought into alignment; the North Pole is like the heavens’ pivot, residing at the center. It does not move and thus becomes the ruler of primordial Qi, so all the stars circle around it and face toward it.

Some believe that the word “north” in the phrase “Beichen displays its celestial image” probably refers to the Northern Dipper, which would make the passage fit the meaning of the surrounding chapters. Xu Daoling holds that the Northern Dipper is the most honored of all celestial forms: its bowl and handle turn without cease, cycling day and night, while the other stars move along with its handle. The “Beichen” is therefore the Northern Dipper. Its seven stars lie north of the Taiwei Enclosure and in front of the North Pole. The four stars at the front are called Xuanji, and the three at the rear, Yuheng. When the ancient books say, “Xuanji and Yuheng align the seven regulators,” they mean that these stars are used to harmonize the celestial phenomena, including the sun, moon, and Five Phases.

When Confucius spoke about governance, he used Beichen as a metaphor: a ruler who governs through De is like Beichen dwelling at the center of the heavens, with the other stars circling around it. Xu Daoling asks: does the Northern Dipper’s turning, which regulates Yin-Yang, governs life and death and the changing seasons, and commands all spirits, not resemble the governance of the myriad things? This, he says, is one of Confucius’s most profound teachings.

According to another version of the Scripture on Extending Life, the Most High says, “Heaven generates Water first; Water is born in the north.” Thus the Ziwei Enclosure rises high to surround and guard Beichen. The stars associated with Beichen are arranged as the Seven Primordial Ones: Tanlang is foremost and Pojun last, with Wenqu between them. Together, the three form the pivot of the workings of Heaven and Earth. The Three Platforms stars are regarded by people as the canopy of the Northern Dipper—the cluster of stars covering it from above. The Scripture of the Jade Pivot says that above Beichen are the Three Platforms stars, whose bodies are linked and shaped like a pair of eyes. They are divided into three tiers and cover the bowl of the Dipper. These accounts further show that the Beichen in this classic is the Northern Dipper.

Even so, Xu Daoling hopes that realized adepts and people of the Dao will further clarify these matters and examine and verify the text.

The Northern Dipper is pivotal to the movements and transformations of all things between Heaven and Earth. It is also a power that governs human beings and spirits, whose authority extends throughout the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and humanity and commands all spirits.

In Heaven, the Northern Dipper is called the Northern Pole Star. Within the human body, it corresponds to the “True Nature,” a person’s innate and original nature of mind. The Northern Pole Star governs the stars and sets the three realms in motion, turning the cycle of creation and transformation. In the second and third months of each year, at dusk, the Dipper’s handle points toward the directions of Yin, Mao, and Chen, and all things begin to sprout. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth months, it points toward Si, Wu, and Wei, as all things grow and flourish. In the seventh, eighth, and ninth months, it points toward Shen, You, and Xu, as all things ripen. In the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months, it points toward Hai, Zi, and Chou, as all things are gathered and stored away. The Dipper’s changing direction here illustrates the succession of the four seasons and the growth, gathering, and storage of all things. If the Dipper’s handle did not turn, the seasons would lose their rhythm, and the movements of the Five Phases would no longer accord with them. Cold and heat would become irregular, Yin and Yang would fall out of balance, and nothing could grow. For this reason, the Northern Dipper is called the pivot of creation and transformation. A person’s True Nature can govern all spirits and discern good from evil, right from wrong.

The Northern Dipper also determines the span of time allotted for good and evil deeds in the human world. If people devote themselves to doing good yet still suffer many calamities, it may be because their accumulated good deeds are not yet complete. Once their merits have fully accumulated, they can govern all spirits and discern good from evil, right from wrong.

People devote themselves to doing good yet encounter many calamities. Perhaps they have not yet accumulated enough good deeds; once their merit is sufficient, blessings will naturally come. The Diamond Sutra says that if someone who upholds and recites this scripture is despised by others, the sins from past lives will thereby be erased. This is precisely the principle at work. Some people do nothing but evil and yet enjoy good fortune because their evil karma has not yet accumulated to its full measure. Once it does, great calamity will descend. The Most High says, “Evil must accumulate to a certain degree before it is enough to cost a person their life.” Good and evil each have their own time for retribution. This reflects the Most High’s virtue of cherishing life. Those who do good should wait until their good deeds have truly accumulated; those who do evil should seize the chance to reform and turn toward goodness. That is the principle.

Today, some people have only just begun to do good; some observe a vegetarian fast but do not keep the precepts; others become resentful while bowing to the Northern Dipper (a rite of bowing and praying to the Lord of the Northern Dipper). They do not cultivate in accordance with the scriptures’ intent, nor seek out the Mysterious Aperture—the crucial point spoken of in Daoist cultivation—yet they expect to advance on the Dao. After reciting a scripture only once or twice, they hope to attain complete blessings and longevity; after chanting a divine name a hundred or a thousand times, they rush to seek prosperity. When things do not go as they wish, or they encounter hardship and obstacles, they cannot bear them calmly. Instead, they blame the Dao and their teacher, even making oaths and curses against the gods and slandering the Buddha’s teaching. Such people are guilty of slandering the true Dharma.

For those who do evil, calamities may remain hidden and not yet have appeared. If they can repent, reform, and turn toward the good, even the countless kinds of evil karma accumulated in the past can be erased. This is like ice that has built up over many years: when the sun of wisdom shines upon it, it melts. Therefore, do not neglect even small evils, and do not fail to do even small good deeds. Do not fear correcting your faults; the sooner you change, the better. Reform and turn toward the good in time. If you miss the moment, calamity may descend. Mencius said, “If you know that something is unrighteous, you should stop at once. Why wait until next year?”

Categories for Judging Right and Wrong in the Underworld

How could the sacred merits of the Northern Dipper be entirely hidden from view? This chapter describes how the spirits who oversee affairs in the lower realm judge injustice and fairness, merit and fault; how ghost officials distinguish the upright from the deviant, the diligent from the indolent; how suffering, wandering souls may rise or remain detained; and how beings are reborn among the Four Births and Six Paths—the four forms of life and six destinations of reincarnation. All of these fall within the scope of the general principles and the “categories for judging right and wrong.”

How could the merit of the Big Dipper—the Lords of the Big Dipper and the celestial powers under their charge—be summed up by the word “superstition”? As this chapter explains, the Big Dipper governs the whole order of things: the deities of the underworld examine right and wrong, merit and fault, good and evil; ghost officials distinguish the upright from the wicked, the diligent from the slothful; and the Dipper determines whether departed souls suffer, whether they can ascend to a higher realm, and where they are reborn among the four forms of life and six paths of transmigration.

The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) all receive their endowment from the Dao of Heaven, and each of the Seven Governances—the five planets, the sun, and the moon—corresponds to particular lunar mansions. The Year Star belongs to Wood, as do the mansions Horn, Dipper, Legs, and Well. The Blazing Confusion Star belongs to Fire, as do Tail, Room, Beak, and Wings. The Great White Star belongs to Metal, as do Neck, Ox, Mound, and Ghost. The Morning Star belongs to Water, as do Winnowing Basket, Wall, Three Stars, and Chariot. The Quelling Star belongs to Earth, as do Root, Girl, Stomach, and Willow. The mansions Chamber, Emptiness, Star, and Hairy Head serve as the sun’s mansions, the places where the sun dwells, and correspond to Fire. The mansions Heart, Rooftop, Net, and Extended Net serve as the moon’s mansions, the places where the moon—the Great Yin—dwells, and correspond to Water. These four groups of seven mansions, matched with the Five Phases, the sun, and the moon, are called the Seven Governances.

The Big Dipper is Heaven’s substance; the Five Phases and the sun and moon are Heaven’s functions. Substance and function are linked to stillness and motion; stillness and motion to Yin-Yang; Yin-Yang to Heaven and Earth; and Heaven and Earth, in turn, to Water and Fire. When Water and Fire unite, generation and transformation take place. The pivot that sets creation and transformation in motion is the celestial mechanism, the ancient instrument for observing the heavens and a symbol of the turning celestial bodies. Thus the Big Dipper encompasses stillness and motion, substance and function, Yin-Yang, Water and Fire, and the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth.

Although the Seven Governances function within the same celestial order as the Big Dipper, the meaning contained in the word “Dipper” is broader. The character for “Dipper” is composed of the elements “ten” and “two.” The Big Dipper stands at the center of Heaven, turning the celestial bodies, setting the four seasons in order, and governing the eight directions, thereby harmonizing the Five Phases and bringing order to the Seven Governances. All these functions accord with the number twelve.

Within the Three Pure Ones, the highest celestial realms revered in Daoism, nine Qi first take form; from these nine Qi, the vast Heaven of the Purple Tenuity and Northern Pole—the celestial realm symbolizing the dwelling of the Heavenly Emperor and the ruler of the central heavens—comes into being, forming twelve positions. In the Big Dipper, seven stars are visible and two remain hidden; together with the three stars of the Three Platforms, they likewise make twelve positions. The human body has five viscera and seven apertures; the Yin-Yang calendar has twelve earthly branches; and the zodiac has twelve animals. The circuit of Heaven has twelve thunder gates, the year has twelve months, and the day has twelve double-hours. From this, one may infer that all things above and below seem to be governed by the Big Dipper.

Those who cultivate the Dao together, if they can worship the true deities every day and pay homage to the Big Dipper at all times, can resonate with the true deities of the Dipper and draw its true Qi—the Daoist primordial breath—into themselves, thereby extending their lives.

It has the power to save people from death and turn danger into safety, and the strength to dispel calamities and relieve hardship.

The Most High—a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity—spoke this scripture and teaching out of compassion, intending to dispel calamities, relieve hardship, and turn danger into safety. Although the decree of Heaven may seem unchangeable, people’s cultivation and accumulation of virtue can also affect their fate. Thus, the danger of death can be averted and calamities can be resolved. The decree of Heaven has power, certainly, but a resolute heart and the accumulation of good deeds and virtue can also change one’s circumstances. Dao Ling learned that the power to turn death into life is linked to a person’s cultivation and accumulated merit when he read an account in the Scripture of Facing Heaven and Giving Thanks for Thunder, from the Cavern Mystery tradition of the Most High’s Numinous Treasure, which records an event proclaimed by the Most High.

In the ninth year of the Longhan era, a man surnamed Zhao lived in Yibao Village, Dongping Commandery. He was plainspoken and honest by nature. While traveling to the prefectural city on an errand, he met a fortune-teller on the road. The fortune-teller said, “Your face bears the color of fire. Within three days, you will suffer punishment by thunder.” After returning home, Zhao told no one about this. On the third day, just as foretold, wind and thunder raged, rain poured down, and heaven and earth grew dark. Zhao said, “Heaven is coming to punish me. I should go out into the open countryside, so that my parents are not alarmed and my brothers are not frightened.” He took an umbrella and hurried to the eastern outskirts to await Heaven’s thunderous punishment.

At that time, the Earth Thunder deity learned of the matter and flew to report it to the celestial court. The Thunder Bureau sent its fierce officer, Adjudicator Xin, who oversaw thunder affairs, to investigate. Adjudicator Xin took the form of an ordinary person and came to share Zhao’s umbrella. Zhao said to him, “Heaven is coming to punish me, and I have come to await death. You should leave at once and not stay here.” As he spoke, he began to hand the umbrella over to him. Adjudicator Xin then flew back to the celestial court to report to the Supreme Emperor. Moved by Zhao’s good conduct, the Supreme Emperor granted him three eras of added life—a considerable span in Daoist reckoning—and a thousand days of official income. Because Zhao had performed three good deeds, the Supreme Emperor also pardoned the sins of three generations.

The three good deeds were these: knowing that he was about to be punished by thunder, he told no one, showing reverence for Heaven’s decree; going alone into the countryside rather than alarming his parents and brothers showed his care for his family; and urging the person sharing his umbrella to leave, then offering him the umbrella, showed consideration for others. For these deeds, Zhao attained wealth and prosperity, and his descendants flourished. This shows that the power to turn danger into safety, extend life, and avert hardship is indeed connected with a person’s cultivation of goodness and accumulation of virtue.

From emperors above to ordinary people below, though their status may be high or low, the destinies they receive at birth are no different.

Heaven and Earth are both transformations of a single Qi (vital energy), and human beings and the myriad things do not follow separate paths. Long ago, Emperor Ming of the Han met the Seven Primordial Perfected Lords—the divine perfected beings corresponding to the seven stars of the Northern Dipper—on Mount Zhongnan. The Perfected Lord wore white and let his long hair fall loose. Emperor Ming bowed and prostrated himself, then asked, “May I ask which immortal sage you are?” The Perfected Lord replied, “I am one of the Seven Primordial Perfected Lords of the Northern Dipper. I patrol the human world and examine people’s fortunes, destinies, and good and evil deeds.”

Emperor Ming bowed again and asked, “What affairs do the immortals and perfected beings govern?” The Perfected Lord said, “Above, I govern the stars and constellations of the heavens. Below, I govern the Five Sacred Mountains, the Four Great Rivers, the three hundred and sixty famous mountains, the terrestrial immortals in the thirty-six grottoes, and the beings in the waters at the sources of the rivers. I record and determine the lifespan, clothing and food, official rank and title, illnesses, warfare, punishments and lawsuits of the beings in the lower world, as well as the rise and decline of every region.”

Emperor Ming asked, “Then am I also under the governance of the High Perfected?” The Perfected Lord said, “Although you are a sovereign of noble rank, your destiny is the same as that of ordinary people.” Emperor Ming bowed in gratitude and said, “My mortal eyes were too dull to recognize the High Perfected.” He then asked, “I wish to seek the Way of long life. Can I practice it?” The Perfected Lord said, “If you wish to attain the Great Dao, escape death, and ascend to Heaven, you must persevere and practice diligently. Why worry that you will fail to attain the Dao?”

Emperor Ming said, “I am fortunate to have met the High Perfected. I beg you to teach me the method. I will practice it earnestly, make a portrait of you, and worship it throughout my life.” The Perfected Lord said, “Since you have sincerely made your request, I cannot withhold the teaching. In a former life, you were a high immortal, but later were reborn as a ruler among human beings. What I now transmit to you is a wondrous secret method. You must practice it in private and reveal it to no one. You must also make a great vow, honor Heaven, follow what is right among people, and keep your heart and nature kind and gentle. You must firmly abstain from lust, idleness, killing, and deluded thoughts. If you wish to penetrate the Great Dao and become a sage and perfected being, simply follow the method: at the transitions between the two periods, perform the Dipper steps, swallow talismans and recite incantations, visualize, and carry out the rites of the purification ritual. When your practice is complete, you will naturally be able to ascend to immortality.”

Emperor Ming said, “I will follow the method and observe its precepts.” The Perfected Lord said, “Listen carefully. When cultivating your body and refining your form, practice often after the hour of Zi and before the hour of Wu. Visualize your body as a withered tree. Then press firmly with the middle section of the middle finger of your left hand, and visualize your body dissolving into emptiness and becoming a mass of true Qi. Next, visualize the Qi transforming into a perfected person. The Azure Dragon emerges from the liver and takes its place on the left; the White Tiger emerges from the lungs and takes its place on the right; the Vermilion Bird emerges from the heart and takes its place above the head; and the Dark Warrior emerges from the kidneys and takes its place beneath the feet. The four spirits guard you at your sides.

“Next, perform the Dipper steps—that is, walk the ritual pattern according to the positions of the stars of the Northern Dipper. In spring and summer, begin at Kui; in autumn and winter, begin at Gang. In either case, step first with the left foot. To prepare for the Dipper steps, press firmly with the middle section of the middle finger of each hand and silently recite the incantation recorded in the scripture. Then raise your left foot and visualize the stars of the Northern Dipper covering the top of your head, with Kui in front and Gang behind. Visualize golden light shining upon you. Then tap the teeth on the left side seven times and recite:

‘In the upper realm are eight thousand people;

In the lower realm, four generals govern the earth.

The officers and troops of the Three and Five drive out evil ghosts;

The youths of the Four and Six protect my body.

The Six Jia officers expel curses and enchantments;

The Six Ding jade maidens guard my body.

On my left is the Azure Dragon, on my right the White Tiger;

Above me is the Vermilion Bird, below me the Dark Warrior.

In front is the Merit Officer, behind the Registrar;

They drive away demons, enchantments, and poisonous spells.

No defilement or curse may remain;

If it does not depart at once, raise Heaven’s axe.

Hasten, hasten, in accordance with the statutes and commands of the Most High Lord Lao!’

“Then tap the teeth on the right side seven times and recite:

‘In the Nine Palaces of Great Peace, the Great One guards the chamber.

The hundred spirits take their places; the souls and spirits are in harmony.

May I enjoy long life and lasting vision,

And may evil and calamity be blocked and extinguished.

Hasten, hasten, in accordance with the statutes and commands of the Most High Lord Lao!’

The Perfected Lord said, “These two incantations were spoken by the Most High himself. After you recite them, divine generals, numinous youths, and jade maidens will naturally accompany and protect you, awaiting your commands. Epidemics, corpse-transmitted disease, disasters involving prisons and punishment, and injuries from weapons will all keep away from you.”

Emperor Ming asked, “On which days does the High Perfected descend to the human world? What do you eat? Please instruct me, and I will make offerings.” The Perfected Lord said, “I patrol the human world on these days: the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth days of the first month; the second, seventh, twenty-third, and twenty-sixth days of the second month; the twenty-sixth day of the third month; the seventeenth and twenty-seventh days of the fourth month; the fifth, thirteenth, and twentieth days of the fifth month; the fourth and eighth days of the sixth month; the fourth and twenty-fourth days of the seventh month; the second, eleventh, nineteenth, and twenty-seventh days of the eighth month; the third and eighteenth days of the ninth month; the tenth and twenty-sixth days of the tenth month; the first, ninth, seventeenth, and twenty-fifth days of the eleventh month; and the twentieth day of the twelfth month. I also patrol on the third and twenty-seventh days of every month, and on Gengshen and Jiazi days. Offerings may include freshly ripened fruit and cakes, precious flowers, incense and medicinal herbs, clear wine, and jujube soup.

“When making an offering, first press the tip of your tongue against your upper palate and visualize your tongue transforming into a bridge that leads to the immortals. Then visualize five-colored Qi rising from your five organs and transforming into five colored clouds, which travel along the bridge straight to the five stars of the Northern Dipper. Silently name the emissary on duty for the year, month, day, and hour, and ask them to convey your message. Then visualize them crossing the bridge to my star palace and saying, ‘Your disciple, [name], has a matter to report and respectfully asks that it be conveyed.’

“If you see someone in the star palace who resembles a jade maiden and carries a ram’s head in her hands, that is the Emissary Qingyang. If you then see someone holding a sword in the left hand and a flower tray in the right, that is the Emissary Tuoluo. These two will first inspect the offerings and the ritual. If you are not focused in your worship, or if the offerings are defiled, they will report it.

“If a room fills with an unusual fragrance and purple clouds appear, that means I, the Seven Perfected, and Zuofu and Youbi have descended. Make your offerings in a quiet room. Do not become angry; keep your heart joyful in daily life. Do not let women, people in mourning, Buddhist monks or nuns, and others of that kind see the rite. If anyone sees it and thereby offends me, disaster will come at once. If you practice with devotion, then when calamity strikes, you need only burn incense and pray, and the disaster can naturally be averted. But do not act recklessly or make improper requests.”

Now that Xu Daoling has obtained this wondrous true method, he dares not keep it hidden for his own benefit alone. He has therefore recorded this chapter. May those who possess wisdom practice according to the method, receive a response as well, and ultimately ascend to the realm of immortals and perfected beings and realize the Great Dao.

Ordinary people in the world are often confused and do not understand the principles of the Dao. Now that I have been fortunate enough to receive this subtle and true teaching, I dare not keep it to myself and practice it alone. So I have written down this chapter. I hope only that those with insight will practice in accordance with the scripture; perhaps they may thereby commune with the spirits and gods, ultimately transcend the ordinary and attain sagehood, and realize the Great Dao.

Many ordinary people in the world are confused and do not know that their lives and destinies are connected with the Northern Dipper, the star deity in Daoist belief who governs the registers of life and protects living beings, or that their lifespan is governed by the Celestial Treasury, the divine office that administers affairs of Heaven. When disaster or illness befalls them, they do not know how to avert it. They wish to increase their blessings and extend their lives, yet do not understand the path of taking refuge in the true Dao: turning toward it and practicing in accordance with it.

The Northern Dipper—the seven stars and the Star Deity they symbolize—is the standard by which Heaven and Earth move, and the force that harmonizes Yin-Yang and transforms and nurtures the myriad things. It gives life to all beings and to humanity, and regulates water and fire. In this way it establishes the four seasons, sets all spirits in motion throughout the ten directions, and governs the Three Realms. Even among such exalted deities as the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), Haotian, and Yushu, who could match the Northern Dipper’s great merit?

Everyone has the Northern Dipper above their head, yet people do not know that their lives are bound to it. They fail to worship and honor it diligently or to cultivate and uphold its teachings, and so people in the world cannot escape misfortune. Even those who study the Dao may suffer calamity if their practice is still shallow. How much more so ordinary people, whose hearts are held captive by fame and profit and never know contentment, and whose Jing and Qi are depleted by wine and sexual indulgence without restraint. When misfortune strikes, disaster follows. Even with calamity upon them, they fail to awaken: they do not turn to the right path, repent, and dispel their misfortune, but trust instead the delusions of spirit mediums—people who seek blessings and ward off disasters through divination, prayers to spirits, and other such means. They slaughter animals and offer rank, fatty foods in sacrifice. If they happen to recover, they say the deities have bestowed blessings; if they die, they say the deities failed to protect them. Sometimes, too, they harm many living beings in order to prepare medicines. Alas, you wish to live, but other beings also cherish their lives. How can you bear to harm them?

All these practices show that people do not know the way to repent and dispel misfortune. Those who understand this way first try taking medicine. If the illness does not improve, they pray to their ancestors. If their ancestors do not respond, they seek help through ritual arts. If these still bring no relief, then perhaps they have gone against Heaven’s mandate and violated the dictates of the stars; they should dispel this by doing good and accumulating De.

Have you never heard the story of Duke Jing of Song in the Spring and Autumn period? At the time, the Fire Star—which the ancients called Yinghuo—had moved near the Heart constellation, foretelling disaster for the state of Song. Zi Wei said the disaster could be transferred from the ruler to his ministers. Duke Jing replied that the chancellor governed the state and that he could not transfer the calamity to him. Zi Wei then said it could be transferred to the people. Duke Jing answered that if the people died, over whom would he rule? Zi Wei next said it could be transferred to the harvest. Duke Jing replied that if the harvest failed, the people would starve and die. Zi Wei said that Heaven would surely reward the ruler many times over for words so deeply rooted in benevolence. That night, the Fire Star did indeed retreat by three she—an ancient measure of distance, with one she equal to thirty li.

From this, we can see that when people face calamity foretold by the stars and their destiny, should they not dispel it and make amends through good deeds and accumulated De? A single good thought or good deed can move the spirits and resonate with Heaven and Earth. If calamity arises from one’s stellar destiny, one should perform a Jiao rite of thanksgiving and atonement: establish an altar to report to the Star Deities and pray for disaster to be dispelled. One should identify the Star Lord who governs one’s birth destiny and pray for calamity to be removed. One must also examine oneself, reflect on one’s faults, repent of one’s wrongs, and with utmost sincerity return one’s body, spirit, and life to the Dao, offering earnest prayers to the divine officials of the Northern Dipper. In this way, calamity can be dispelled, life prolonged, and one’s years increased. This is the way to repent, dispel misfortune, and return to the right path. If one seeks neither treatment from a skilled physician nor medicine, and does not sincerely pray to the Northern Dipper and make offerings to the ancestors, calamity will worsen, the illness will grow more dangerous, and death may draw near.

As a result, a person’s Hun and Shen may be bound and held, while calamities pursue one after another. They may suffer a grave illness that resists treatment for years, or be harmed by malign spirits and demons, living in hardship and frail health for a long time. They may also become entangled in matters such as graves or lawsuits, be burdened by deceased relatives, face Heaven’s condemnation, or be falsely accused and denounced by ghosts and spirits.

When such dangers arise, how can one be saved? One should promptly pray to the Northern Dipper (the Lords of the Northern Dipper), perform a Zhaijiao rite (a Daoist purification and blessing ritual) to seek forgiveness from the Perfected Ones, and recite and circulate the True Scripture. One should also acknowledge one’s own natal Perfected Lord, the star lord who governs one’s personal destiny. Only then can one attain peace and go on to regain health and prosperity. There are deeper and more subtle truths within this teaching that cannot all be explained here.

The ignorant and muddleheaded care only for satisfying their desires and pursuing profit. They enrich themselves at public expense and benefit themselves at others’ expense. They trust in spirit-mediums and seek blessings through prayers and improper sacrifices; they bribe officials and seize the property of good people; they cruelly torture servants; and, relying on their beauty, they grow jealous of the wives they married in their youth. With no place in their hearts for Heaven and Earth, how could they revere the spirits? If such people still fail to awaken…