《太上玄灵北斗本命长生妙经》

The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High Mysterious Numinous Northern Dipper on Fundamental Destiny and Longevity

The Numinous Chapter of the Unsurpassed Wondrous Grade That Opens the Scripture

I bow my head to the Most High Venerable One and, with a devoted heart, pay reverence to the Northern Chronogram (Beichen, the North Star). Looking upward, I invoke the two venerable emperors and pay homage to the seven Primordial Sovereigns who manifest (the deities of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper). This Jing (scripture/classic) was first transmitted in the capital of Shu. The Dao (the Way) is the root upon which Heaven, Earth, and human beings depend in order to live. It can dispel calamities and resolve crises, protect life, and uphold the mysterious true Dao. The three thousand emissaries of Nanling and the seven thousand spirits of the Northern Dipper all come to guard the ritual altar and together enter the gate of purity. Now, as I recite the scripture with a sincere heart, the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao—the primordial vital energy of the Dao—naturally abides within the body.

In the first year of Yongshou, on the seventh day of the first month, the Most High Lord Lao descended to the capital of Shu and bestowed the Wondrous Scripture of the Northern Dipper for Prolonging Life upon the Celestial Master (Tianshi) Zhang Daoling. Later, seeing that the meaning of the scriptural text had not yet been fully set forth, he further transmitted the wondrous instructions for extending one’s years and attaining longevity.

The Most High Lord Lao said: The One of Heaven generates Water, and Water is born in the North. Therefore the Purple Tenuity Enclosure (the celestial region of the star officials) arches on high in guardianship of the Northern Chronogram, and the stars about the Northern Chronogram are arrayed as the Seven Primordials. The Greedy Wolf star stands at the head, the Army Breaker star at the end, and the Civil Melody star in the middle; together they form the pivot of the movements of Heaven and Earth. The Northern Dipper thus presides over life and death, and is also the center that nurtures the myriad things and delivers living beings.

All sentient beings receive the Qi of Heaven and Earth and accord with the principles of Yin-Yang. Whether male or female, the length of life is arranged by the sovereignty of the Northern Dipper. Now I see that living beings cannot find the gateway for cultivating the true and advancing in the Dao, nor do they sincerely practice according to the rites of worshiping the Northern Dipper. Compassion therefore arises in my heart, and I broadly expound the mysterious numinous methods. You should listen carefully and receive them, and spread them widely, so that everyone may ascend the immortal Dao and no longer fall into the cycle of rebirth. The Celestial Master bowed again, overjoyed beyond measure.

The Most High Lord Lao said:

The Beidou—the cluster of seven stars in the northern sky—is supremely exalted, and the other stars seem to halt or move along with it. It turns Heaven and Earth and sweeps away filth and gloom. Through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, it brings the myriad things to growth and allows human beings to be born. In the east, south, west, and north it establishes order and sets the gates. It is called the “Nine Sovereigns,” the True Lord of the North Pole. The Santai stars and the Huagai star govern a person’s Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and the hun and po souls; the decrees of the Seven Primordial Stars of the Beidou gather a person’s primordial Shen (spirit), the spiritual source of the human being. It is therefore called benming, one’s natal destiny. These principles first come from the mysterious Jing (scripture). Through them, living beings may be released from hardship and brought into accord with the Dao (the Way) of Heaven and Earth. If one can regularly pay homage and reverence, one may preserve body, mind, and lifespan.

When the Most High proclaimed these jade words, the doubts in the hearts of the gods of the heavens of the ten directions instantly dispersed. They rejoiced together, glad to have encountered this unsurpassed teaching on this day. The Celestial Master (Tianshi) advanced on his knees before the jade throne and chanted a gatha:

Heaven and Earth give birth to primordial Qi, and numinous light gathers at Beichen, the North Star. In the Ziwei Enclosure, the dwelling of the Celestial Emperor, the imperial throne appears, and the True Lords stand arrayed within the mysterious celestial gates. It dispels every peril and calamity and, by transformation, gives birth to the myriad kinds of living beings. The great Wenqu star turns and regulates, so that the Great Dao generates without cease, like spring.

When the Celestial Master had finished reciting the gatha, the immortals returned to their ranks, and the sacred carriage returned to the celestial realm. All bowed toward the Mysterious Vault, the lofty heavens, and living beings thereby received deliverance.

Here ends the Taishang Xuanling Beidou Benming Changsheng Miaojing, the Wondrous Scripture of the Most High, Mysterious and Numinous, on the Beidou, Natal Destiny, and Longevity.

Hymn in Praise of the Perfect Numinous Spell

Great is the North Pole, which gives birth to and nurtures the myriad things without end. The pivot turns unceasingly, and Heaven and Earth are thereby made secure. The Most High has sent down the teaching, and living beings are fortunate to be able to follow it. It dissolves disasters and relieves difficulties; the discernment of the spirits is as swift as lightning. Disciples now fast and bathe, respectfully inviting the Supreme Thearch to descend. From the beginning of a matter to its end, they pray for protection of the household and the realm. They recite the words of the Daoist scriptures and practice them with single-minded devotion. This scripture is exceedingly hard to encounter; only after myriads of millions of kalpas does one have the chance to hear it. Since one has been fortunate enough to meet it, let one cultivate it with sincere devotion, and there will surely be a gain. May the compassionate Yuanling, the spirit of the primordial source, bear witness to this merit.