《太上玄都妙本清静身心经》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) was in the Purple Jade Palace of the Seven-Treasure Flower Grove, at the Great Administration of the Mysterious Capital and the Upper Abbey of Primordial Yang. The Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun, a revered deity of Daoism), together with the holy assemblies from the ten directions, the celestial perfected and immortals, the sovereigns of the Three Realms, and all the countless beings who were to receive salvation—heavenly deities, dragons, ghosts, and the rest—came together to this place. They had all entered the ranks of the immortals and the perfected, and had attained the mind of Wuwei (non-action).

The palaces and abbeys of the Mysterious Capital were adorned with treasures such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, coral, amber, pearls, and green jade, shining with brilliant radiance that lit the halls within and without. The immortals and perfected who had gathered were too numerous to be named one by one, and auspicious signs that appeared of themselves were manifested before the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Precious flowers descended from the sky and covered the earth; wondrous spirit music sounded of itself without being struck; and all manner of divine incense gave forth a rich fragrance.

At that time, everyone seated there was startled and uncertain, pondering in silence, yet none was the first to speak and ask a question.

The Celestial Worthy rested his hand upon the table, set aside outer affairs for a time, entered the gate of wisdom’s contemplative illumination, and expounded the Dao (the Way) of Wuwei (non-action). Reflecting on the original condition of the myriad beings when they first received life and were newly endowed with body and mind, he addressed the four assemblies present—monastic Daoists together with lay men and women—in a resonant voice:

“You men and women, and the beings yet to come: your original body and mind are wholly pure and undefiled. The true nature is unmoving and ever the same, like empty space, free of any hindrance of coming or going. It takes on no stain and harbors no thoughts of craving or attachment. The original right nature is clear, luminous, and still; from the beginning it has neither arising nor ceasing.

“Only because of inverted delusion do beings, following the force of karma, receive all manner of bodily forms. It is like a bright pearl long buried in filth, concealed through many kalpas and unable to show its light.

“If you cling to the false fleshly body, lose the true Dao, perform inverted deeds, and heap up the dust of perverse delusion, the pearl of wisdom will be buried and the filth of ignorance will accumulate ever more. You then fall into the sea of birth and death, sink into the current of craving, dwell amid the five desires—wealth, sensual pleasure, fame, food, and sleep—and are beset by the four demons, the forces that disturb practice and obstruct liberation. Delusion and affliction bind body and mind, so that one turns with the force of karma and wanders through the three paths and five destinies, the various realms of rebirth. The right nature is veiled, the innate mysterious pearl—a figure for the inner pure nature—sinks, and the original light is obscured. The result is endless cycling through birth and death, with little prospect of release.

“Therefore I now open this subtle Dharma gate, so that you may awaken. You of the four assemblies should rely on the root you inherently possess, draw the water of Dao-nature, gather the fragrance of Wuwei, and blend the decoction of wisdom. Abide in the chamber of purity; for beings, remove the defilement of both root and branches, wash away the dust of falsehood, lead them into the gate of wisdom, and contemplate the true original aspect. In this way afflictions and karmic obstacles will at last be eliminated, and you will thoroughly perceive the principle of the One Vehicle—the truth that returns to a single ultimate—and deeply understand the boundary between birth-and-death and nirvana. Return to the source, restore the pure and empty nature, and obtain the decoction of wisdom. Attaining the Dao by means of the natural Dao, you will never again wander through birth and death.”

At that time, having heard this teaching, the great assembly received it with reverence and pondered it in stillness. Their minds suddenly opened clear, and they rejoiced with eager delight. They bowed toward the Dao, knelt long upon the ground, and chanted together:

The Primordial Unsurpassed Greatly Compassionate Worthy (the supreme deity of compassion) is skilled at explaining how living beings create the evil karma of wrong views and inverted delusions.

The root of the myriad dharmas is subtle and wondrous, and ever pure. Once the mind stirs with delusive thoughts, one sinks and is lost, passing through myriad kalpas (an immensely long span of time).

Once delusive thoughts take root, craving and ignorance arise; following these roots, every kind of affliction then grows. Afflictions flourish like flowers and leaves, spreading until they fill the world. Good and evil succeed one another in turn, accumulating layer upon layer.

Those lost in delusion compete to crave the fruits of falsity and evil, and so the seeds of cause and effect grow without cease, each joined to the next, without end. The grime of affliction covers, layer upon layer, the original nature that is like a bright pearl, making body and mind turbid and turned away from purity.

The Venerable Deity guides me to draw the water of the nature of the Dao (the Way), washing away every kind of deviant thought so that the mind returns to the correct Dao, and, with the warm water of impartial and pure wisdom, to scour away the defilement of ignorance and bring forth the true original nature. Those with a destined affinity should enter as soon as possible the Chamber of Correct Contemplation (the realm of cultivating upright contemplative insight). The fragrant water of Wuwei (non-action), clear as a mirror, can illuminate past and future and wash from body and mind deviant thoughts, inversions, and impurity.

The Venerable Deity guides me to draw the water of the nature of the Dao, washing away every kind of deviant thought so that the mind returns to the correct Dao, and, with the warm water of impartial and pure wisdom, to scour away the defilement of ignorance and bring forth the true original nature. Those with a destined affinity should enter as soon as possible the Chamber of Correct Contemplation. The fragrant water of Wuwei, clear as a mirror, can illuminate the evil and inverted karma of past and future and, by means of precepts and concentration (methods of Daoist cultivation that restrain body and mind and settle thought), wash away craving and anger.

The filth in the mind and the sickness of affliction are suddenly cleared away. Each recovers the true original root and returns to the life of wisdom. The principles spoken by the Compassionate Worthy are beyond conception. We all bow to the ground in worship and reverently put them into practice.

At this time there was in the assembly a Perfected One (Zhenren) named Fajie. He rose from his seat, set his robes and cap in order, and held an incense burner in his hands. His steps were unhurried and graceful. He settled his spirit and stilled his thoughts, gathered in his notions and calmed his mind, then knelt long before the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and said, “We are fortunate to attend this assembly. Since we have been in attendance, we have never heard a teaching such as this. The four assemblies (the different groups of listeners gathered here) still have much that is dark and unclear in their hearts. We especially beg the Venerable, in compassion, to open the teaching and graciously bestow instruction. May you take pity on us and forgive our shortcomings.”

Thereupon the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism), lightly stroking the table before him, smiled and replied to Fajie: “Very good, good man. At this ritual assembly you are able to resolve doubts on behalf of all, so that beings of the latter age may benefit thereby, and your merit will grow all the more profound. Whatever you do not understand, ask freely. Harbor no doubt, and do not cling stubbornly to your own views.”

Grateful for the Celestial Worthy’s kindness, Fajie bowed his head and asked: “Sentient beings are foolish. Following their own karmic force, they arise and perish again and again, heavily stained and entangled in delusion. Now we wish to prepare the ritual broth and establish a pure chamber, so as to wash away the roots of transgression and remove the defilement upon the body, yet we do not understand how the concrete rite should be performed.”

The Celestial Worthy answered: “Good man, you should regularly choose the Ten Upright Days of each month (shizhi ri, specific days set aside in Daoism for fasting and cultivation). With fine water prepare a fragrant ritual broth, sit upright and composed in a clean room, and recite with single-minded concentration. First contemplate your own body and mind: all manner of stains and delusions gather together and constitute this body and mind; within and without there are craving and ignorance, and from the coarse to the subtle neither body nor mind is pure; moreover one is bound by birth, aging, impermanence, and every kind of suffering. The three karmas of body, speech, and mind form obstructions, and the six dusts—form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and mental objects—veil the mind and spirit (Shen), just as clouds filling the sky obscure the bright sun.

After this contemplation, bathe in sequence with the fragrant ritual broth: first wash the skin, then the four limbs and the whole body, and next cleanse the six sense faculties (the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and the nine orifices, so that all are clean. Once the exterior has been washed, one must further permeate and cultivate the inner mind through quiet contemplation, clearing away the various afflictions, delusive thoughts, and attachments, as well as the stains of greed, anger, and ignorance, so that every thought returns to purity. When both inner and outer are pure, abide in the Dharma-body and the pure mind, constantly maintain the sense that the body is present in the ritual arena, and cut off deviant thoughts and empty, false defilements. This is the essential method of cleansing impurity with the ritual broth.”

When the assembled Perfected (Zhenren) had heard this, they all sighed in admiration, snapped their fingers in repentance, and together proclaimed it good.

At this moment, the Zhenren (Perfected Person), relying on the penetration of former lives—the spiritual power by which one can know past experiences—and on the knowledge of others’ minds—the spiritual power by which one can discern another’s thoughts—perceived that, in the final kalpa, some beings had darkened mind-consciousness and did not yet understand the methods of the Dao (the Way). He therefore seized the moment, offered ritual homage and bowed, and put his question to the revered deity:

“May I ask: today, as this scripture (Jing) is being expounded at the ritual assembly, what exactly is meant by the merit said to be gained through cultivation and offerings? Since the body that has form exists only for a time, and liberation follows upon receiving instruction, can the true and formless mind-consciousness also obtain fortunate recompense thereby? Our endowments are meager. Though we have been fortunate enough to be ranked among the Zhenren, we still do not grasp the principle within this. We earnestly beg the divine lord to grant us a special revelation, like a rain of sweet dew sent down to sprinkle both the human world and the heavenly realms, and like clouds of wisdom unfurled to cover broadly the boundless expanse.”

At this moment the Celestial Worthy joyfully replied: “How wonderful! True Child, you have already attained the penetration of former lives (the supernatural power of knowing the karmic conditions of the past), clarified the wisdom of others’ minds (the ability to perceive the thoughts in another’s heart), realized the Dao (the Way) of the One Vehicle (the path of cultivation that leads directly to the ultimate), and comprehended the workings of the three times. You earnestly inquire on behalf of sentient beings of later generations; I shall now explain in detail. Listen carefully.

The original nature and the forms of sentient beings are, in the final analysis, entirely empty. They are only temporarily lodged in a body that has form, and in the end they all decay and perish. Since they are not fixed as belonging to any of the three times—past, present, or future—why cling to the body of this one lifetime? One who understands that what has form is originally empty will not take the false for the real. Knowing already that form is originally empty and that nothing is constantly real, why depend on external things? One who truly understands ought to know that this temporarily existing body will in the end be destroyed, and therefore one must cultivate the correct Dao. It should be so while one is alive, and it is likewise so when one faces death.

After an ordinary person’s span of life comes to an end, the spirit-consciousness temporarily dwells in the intermediate state (the condition between death and the next rebirth). If good karma lends its aid, a better rebirth can be obtained. The family and fellow cultivators of the deceased should do good and accumulate blessings on his behalf, arrange a solemn ritual space, set up a precious altar, hang banners and canopies, perform the purification rite, make vows and offer prayers, expound and recite this scripture (Jing), and burn incense and light lamps to illuminate the dark places, helping the departed leave the realm of suffering and behold the light. Then, with the sweet dew of the teaching of Wuwei (non-action), defilement is washed away and the spirit-consciousness made pure; afterward one can ascend to heaven, return to the realm of pure emptiness, and revert to the Natural.

The merit of this scripture cannot be measured; like empty space, it is hard to gauge. If anyone copies it, makes offerings to it, and upholds it, that person’s original nature can become clear and bright, and body and mind pure, and he will obtain immeasurable blessings, as numerous as motes of dust. For this reason it is called The Marvelous Root of the Mysterious Capital for the Purification of Body and Mind.

All of you disciples of the four assemblies, those who have left the household and those who remain at home, together with good men and faithful women, should know that, among the methods of deliverance, the averting of calamity, cultivation, Wuwei, wisdom, and contemplative practice, this scripture is the most supreme. It is subtle and inconceivable, standing above the other methods. In the past I, together with the various Celestial Worthies, reverently practiced this scripture and thereby attained the Dao. You should treasure and preserve it, and not transmit it rashly; only when you meet a suitable person should it be transmitted. When it is transmitted, burn incense and swear an oath, and receive and uphold it with reverence. The Celestial Worthies of the ten directions will surely keep you in mind.

The Youth of Azure Blossom, the Perfected of the Cinnabar Origin, the Jade Maiden of Pure Radiance, the Envoy of the Mysterious Palace, and the Great Deity of the Yellow Center will lead thirty-six subordinates to guard this numinous text and to protect you as well. If you can recite and practice it with a quiet mind, visualize the bodily form together with the divinities, and devote yourselves day and night to reflection and awakening without fearing toil, you can make the Three Palaces (the inner palaces within the human body associated with Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit)) bright and pure, the six consciousnesses (the six faculties that perceive the external world) clear and empty, gradually remove karmic obstructions, and cause the five spirits to dwell at ease. The great Dao of Wuwei will then manifest from within your body and mind, and all the hosts of demons will naturally withdraw.”

When the Celestial Worthy had finished speaking, the men and women present were all filled with joy.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) suddenly closed his eyes, his expression solemn and grave. The four assemblies—the four kinds of listeners present—gazed up at him. No one dared to speak or put a question; they only pressed their palms together, stood before the Dao (the Way), and chanted in unison:

The profound and wondrous fundamental principle is pure and still from beginning to end, and the body and mind of human beings are likewise originally free of defilement. Sentient beings become deluded through habitual stain and karmic conduct, and doubts crowd thickly in their hearts. They therefore move the compassionate Celestial Worthy to come and set forth for all both expedient methods and the true principles. With a mind of equality he delivers sentient beings, and all that he speaks are words that are true and impartial. Once defilement has been removed, afflictions naturally disperse. Those who receive the teaching and perfect their De (Virtue/Power) may ascend to the Mysterious Capital (Xuandu, the dwelling of immortals and perfected beings in Daoism).

When the host of sages had finished this hymn, the Celestial Worthy smiled with gladness and sent forth from his mouth a subtle, wondrous divine light of five colors. The divine light shone throughout the halls of blessing in all the heavens and also illumined the eternal-night hells of the Ninefold Darkness (Jiuyou, the deep and shadowy regions). Borne upon this divine light, the men and women seated there saw the retribution of transgression and blessing in all the heavens and all the lands, as clearly as if it were before their eyes. Thereupon they all took refuge with single-minded devotion, repenting the karmic obstructions accumulated in the past and the grave calamities suffered in this life, and they prayed that sentient beings might be rescued and freed from every kind of suffering.

Moved by compassion and pity, and responding to the wishes of the assembly, the Celestial Worthy displayed his divine majesty, snapping his fingers and clicking his teeth—a gesture in Daoist ritual used to summon the deities and issue sacred commands. The hells at once grew peaceful, and the hungry ghosts who had been trapped ascended together into the realm of the Dao. After the precious light withdrew, the Dharma realm remained bright; woods, forests, mountains, and rivers all appeared equal. Auspicious winds sounded like drums and music, and the sun of wisdom shed its radiance. All who took part in the ritual assembly obtained a corresponding true rank, the station attained by a cultivator of the Dao. The precious light of the sages of the ten directions withdrew, yet the Dharma realm remained bright; woods, forests, mountains, and rivers all appeared equal. Auspicious winds sounded like drums and music, and the sun of wisdom shed its radiance. Humans, celestial beings, and every kind of sentient being in the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—all received benefit. One after another they bowed their heads and paid homage, and they cultivated themselves in accordance with the teaching.