《太上玉华洞章拔亡度世升仙妙经》

This scripture is titled Taishang Yuhua Dongzhang Bawang Dushi Shengxian Miao Jing (The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High on the Jade Flower Cavern Verses, for Delivering the Dead, Saving the World, and Ascending to Immortality). It is a scripture (Jing) spoken by the Most High, which uses the "Jade Flower Cavern Verses" to raise up the souls of the dead, deliver living people, and enable them to ascend as immortals. The section heading, "Chapter One: Explaining the Cavern Verses for Saving the Suffering and Lifting the Sins of the Dark Prisons," marks the first chapter, which explains how to rescue the souls suffering in the prisons of the underworld and remove their karmic offenses.

At that time, the Primordial Celestial Venerable (Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities of Daoism) was in the Upper Mysterious Capital Mountain of the Jade Pure Realm (Yuqing, one of the heavens of the Three Pure Ones). He ascended the nine-colored jade-cloud throne, struck vessels of gold and jade, and summoned the assembled sages. The Five Elders and Emperors (deities of the five directions), the Ten Ultimate High Perfected (the supreme perfected beings of the ten directions), the sovereigns of the Nine Heavens, the Original Lords of the Three Realms (honored deities of the realms of heaven, earth, and humankind), the perfected beings of the ten directions who had attained the Dao (the Way), and countless celestial beings all gathered at the assembly.

Then a perfected being named Tongxuan stepped out from the crowd, holding a jade tablet, knelt long, and bowed his head to the Celestial Venerable. He said: I have heard that the beings of the lower Desire Realm (the world of sensual desire) do not seek to master the orthodox teaching. Each gives rise to deviant thoughts, and they come to crave fondness, height, nobility, glory, wealth, riches, treasures, deeds, grievances, injury, harm, love, anger, and attachment, their hearts full of nothing but craving. They are deceitful, miserly, hateful, and suspicious; cunning and false, flattering and crooked, flashy and hollow, fierce and obstinate, jealous and cruel, and they commit the Ten Evils and the Five Rebellious Acts (grave offenses named in both Buddhism and Daoism).

They abandon things as their hearts please: they abandon poverty, lowliness, cultivation, goodness, compassion, pity, their original nature, their nature and life, their roots, and the true Dao. The more they crave, the more they abandon, and there is no time when they rest. As a result, the blessings of being reborn as a human or in the heavens are hard to secure, while falling into the realm of ghosts comes all too easily. They cannot see the light, they fall into the Yin Pass (the gateway of the underworld), and sink through ten thousand kalpas with no way to escape.

There are also others among living beings who cling to life and fear death. Some swallow rosy vapors and cut off grain (bigu, abstaining from grain), expel the stale and take in the fresh (exhaling turbid qi and inhaling pure qi), and practice stretching and guiding exercises (daoyin, limb-stretching methods for nurturing life), hoping to set foot on the path of long life. Yet when their lifespan ends, they still meet the turning of the cycles of calamity and cannot escape death. Their names are not in the registers of the immortals, and after their years are done they still return to the earthly prison. For what reason are these people unable to achieve the fruit of the Dao? We beg the Celestial Venerable to explain it to the assembly.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) said: Beings of this kind seek only benefit for themselves and their kin, and give no thought to rescuing others or to benefiting the myriad things. Their minds cannot hold single-mindedly to one teaching, and they cannot set aside ten kinds of distracting thoughts.

Tongxuan Zhenren (the Perfected of Penetrating Mystery, a title of a Daoist immortal), after offering a ritual salutation, asked, “What are these ten kinds of distracting thoughts?”

The Celestial Worthy answered: The first is failing to revere Heaven and Earth and failing to be loyal to the sovereign. The second is failing to be filial toward one’s parents and failing to sacrifice to the ancestors. The third is harboring flattery and crookedness, and giving rise at will to hatred and jealousy. The fourth is abandoning oneself to licentiousness, so that body and mind are ruined and one can scarcely find peace throughout life. The fifth is being unable to cut off worldly feelings and attachments, vainly craving glory and splendor, and fretting over gain and loss. The sixth is harming others in order to preserve oneself, oppressing the poor and currying favor with the rich. The seventh is killing living beings and causing creatures to suffer the pain of slaughter. The eighth is consuming meat and pungent foods, drinking wine and eating flesh. The ninth is slighting teachers and elders, neglecting the teaching, and giving rise to jealousy, hatred, and malice. The tenth is deceiving and confusing the supremely true Dao (the Way), and leading people astray.

Because these ten faults never leave body and mind, and because speech, action, and thought continually give rise to them, the causes of the ten evils are planted and evil thoughts arise in the heart. Even in the face of the true teaching, discrimination and attachment spring up at every turn. Therefore beings cannot walk the path of long life or escape death; they also lose the proper Dao of the world of the living, and in the end fall into the dark passes.

Tongxuan Zhenren (a Perfected One in Daoist legend) said: I have heard that the Bureau of the Secluded Pass and the Long Night—the place in the netherworld where the souls of the dead are held—lies in the abyss of the land of ghosts and is governed by Luofeng, the legendary sovereign of the underworld. There are demon kings, the divine lords of the Six Caverns, twelve lesser caverns, the Three Officials and the Nine Bureaus, and one hundred twenty administrative offices, together with great prisons of every kind: the Eighteen Prisons, the Twenty-four Prisons, the Thirty-six Prisons, the Eighty-one Prisons, and the One Hundred Twenty Prisons.

The mountains of these great prisons rise three hundred sixty thousand li, and their roots likewise plunge three hundred sixty thousand li beneath the waters. There guilty souls are interrogated and punished. They suffer wind, thunder, and lightning; flying spears and drifting halberds; flame heaped upon flame; iron enclosures ten thousand ren high; golden hammers and iron staves; points of ice and blades of frost; bronze pillars and iron wheels; venomous snakes and savage beasts; mountains of knives and trees of swords; pools of ice and chariots of fire; boiling cauldrons in which they are cooked; and pestles that pound them and millstones that grind them. They are also sawn apart and plowed through. Suffering of every kind never pauses or ends. They remain forever confined in the dark underworld, day and night without cease. Their wails of grief shake heaven and earth and are more than one can bear to hear. Souls in this plight cannot free themselves. They can only look up to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and pray that he will pour forth great compassion and deliver them all without exception.

The Celestial Worthy said: In the dark underworld, all beings who have already passed away and all who die thereafter are entered upon the rolls of this land of penal prisons. In life they gave no thought to life or death. They wearied mind and body, yet remained deluded and attached, stubborn and dull—as though they themselves fastened on the cangue and the manacles, fell into the net, let ropes entangle and bind them, and went on harming and destroying themselves. All of this is evil karma created by their own thoughts and deeds, accumulated beyond counting. After death they enter the various prisons and endure the punishment and pain of their sins. These bitter fruits are not imposed upon them by hell. Beings themselves create the karmic causes and themselves receive the retribution.

Tongxuan Zhenren (the Perfected One Who Thoroughly Comprehends the Mystery) said: “I earnestly beseech the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), of great mercy and great compassion, to briefly send forth majestic light, illuminating Mount Luo through and through, and to pardon all the guilty souls, so that they may leave the darkness, be reborn in the human world or in the celestial realms, take refuge in the Great Dao (the Way), and behold the bearing of the immortals and the perfected. Moreover, because the beings of the world encounter calamitous ages—flood and drought, famine, war and banditry, and spreading pestilence—the common people are killed and injured, and they transmigrate without cease through the six paths of rebirth. I earnestly beseech the Celestial Worthy to bestow compassionate grace far and wide, universally delivering the beings sunk in suffering, so that they may leave their hardships and behold the light.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “I possess the Golden Texts of the Jade Palace (secret writings in golden script treasured in the celestial realm), hidden in the Upper Hall of the Mysterious Capital (the celestial immortal mansion spoken of in Daoism), and unknown to anyone in the mortal world. Above, it can dispel heavenly disasters; in the middle, it can bring a person to realization of the fruit of the Dao; below, it can ritually avert calamities caused by ghosts. It can also sever entangling bonds, so that people may enjoy long life and lasting vision, leave the darkness of the endless night, and ascend to the bright Yangming celestial realm. I shall now explain and reveal this Great Dao for you.”

Second Cavern Chapter on the Generation and Transformation of Being and Non-being, Movement and Stillness, and Yin-Yang

Being and non-being, movement and stillness, are the root from which the myriad things are generated and transformed. Where Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) mingle, in that dim and elusive place hard to put into words, is precisely the gateway through which the myriad things come into being. Shen (spirit) is the basis of transformation; Qi (vital energy) is the cause from which life arises.

The firm and the yielding, accordance and reversal, together with such changes as inner and outer, floating and sinking, join with one another and condense their essence, and thus the myriad things are generated and transformed. Heaven and Earth rest within primordial chaos and natural spontaneity; passing through a great kalpa, perfected numinous nature is contained within them.

Second Chapter on Containing the Empyrean

Being and non-being, movement and stillness, are the root from which the myriad things are generated and transformed. Where Yin and Yang mingle, in that dim and elusive place hard to put into words, is precisely the gateway through which the myriad things come into being. Shen is the basis of transformation; Qi is the cause from which life arises.

The firm and the yielding, accordance and reversal, together with such changes as inner and outer, floating and sinking, join with one another and condense their essence, and thus the myriad things are generated and transformed. Heaven and Earth, chaotic and spontaneous, pass through a long kalpic course until numinous nature is perfected; they embrace the cloudy empyrean and infuse primordial Qi, and the image of fire thereby manifests light. When movement reaches its extreme it forms disaster; when stillness reaches its extreme it turns into a spring. Yang Qi is exhaled, Yin Qi blows and stirs, and being and non-being unite as the original source.

The growth and circulation of the four seasons depend on the two Qi of Yin and Yang turning upon each other: in spring the Qi of Wood nurtures the Qi of Fire, forming the blazing heat of summer; in autumn the Qi of Metal generates and nourishes the Qi of Water, forming the clear cold of winter. Heaven above and Earth below respond to one another and return once more to the root of generation and transformation. The Five Movements thus begin to operate; Yin and Yang divide and unite, forming the foundation of the myriad things. Yang Qi is like the enveloping membrane, Yin Qi like the embryo; by the intent of Shen, the myriad things hold fast and consolidate themselves.

Shen (spirit) is the root of the transformation of all things, and Qi (vital energy) is the cause from which life arises. Shen is rooted in the heart-mind, and the heart-mind stirs in response to thought and intention. The myriad spirits are quiescent yet wondrously numinous, and true Qi pervades all and circulates freely.

The countless sources return to a single place and together guard the jade ying (precious jade-like essential Qi). The yin po (corporeal soul) undergoes a vast process of transformative nurture, while the yang hun (ethereal soul) receives the Qi of life. Through nine transformations and the gathering of the ten directions, the Golden Portal (the palace gates of heaven) is joined layer upon layer.

Water is Taiyi (the primordial source at the beginning of cosmic generation), its form like a lotus still in bud. From this are transformed and born the great spirits and Yuhao Jingyan (the wondrous essential Qi of the scripture). Among the nine Qi of the Great Void there is a Jade Abyss (an abyssal mansion deep as jade).

A realm clear, bright, and profoundly secluded embraces the myriad phenomena, and the stars course within it. Chiming (the celestial realm that symbolizes light) unfolds its prospect, and its movement wholly follows the natural course. The Ji star turns back, the Northern Dipper revolves, and true Qi ascends to the Upper Prime (the upper level of the celestial realm). [In what follows, the passage from “Yuhao Jingyan” to “true Qi of the Upper Prime” is repeated in the original.]

The Eight Scenes (the celestial vistas spoken of in Daoism) unite in hidden subtlety and enter far into the Mysterious Spring (the deep and mysterious source). The Mysterious is the mother of Shen; Yin serves as envoy and Yang as official. Being and non-being together generate and nurture the myriad things, and movement and stillness encompass both the great and the small.

By means of Pi (obstruction) one harmonizes Tai (free passage), and by means of Earth one matches Heaven; the left is entrusted to the right, and what comes later receives what went before. This is the pivot of the movement of the supreme Dao (the Way), and within the Great Void there is no barrier.

Zhenyi (the pure and unitary source) is one with emptiness, and from it the living myriad things are transformed and born. When nurture reaches its utmost, change arises; when change reaches its utmost, it returns to the mysterious. Within the mysterious there is the True Sovereign (the supreme true deity), who becomes one with Taihe (the most harmonious and fused primordial state).

The myriad Qi are thereby brought into unity, like a gate opening toward the white clouds. Breath wells forth like a spring, nurturing the primordial source still undivided in chaos, vast and endlessly mysterious.

Cavern Chapter Three: The Three Flores Begin to Separate; Protecting the Embryo and Guarding Life

Before Heaven and Earth had yet taken form, primordial Qi (the fundamental Qi at the origin of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things) began to sprout. Through nine billion kalpas, the three Qi remained in undivided chaos; through ninety great kalpas, the Three Flores (the three essences between Heaven and Earth) only then began to separate. The Five Elders (the Celestial Worthies of the five directions in Daoism) replenish and nourish the embryonic origin, and the Three Primes (the three primordial powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity) gestate the hun and po souls. The working of the Dao lies in numinous transformation; the myriad things of themselves achieve their true forms, vast as the Great Deep (the boundless sea).

Before Heaven and Earth had yet taken form, primordial Qi (vital energy)—the original breath that arises at the birth of the cosmos—had already begun to germinate. Through nine billion kalpas the three kinds of primordial Qi remained mixed together; through another ninety great kalpas the three radiances at last began to separate. The Five Elders (the Celestial Emperors of the five directions) completed the embryonic body, and the Three Primes (the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water) nurtured the hun and po souls. The Great Dao (the Way), working through wondrous transformation, of itself and naturally brought the true form to completion.

The vast Taiming (the broad and profoundly deep waters) gradually parted. Though the Great Dao remained hidden and unmanifest, it was always present; in a sudden flash it responded to things and transformed, and from this Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) arose. Shen is the spiritual nature of the myriad things, and chaos thereby took form. Inner and outer joined together, and the two forms of Yin-Yang settled into pure harmony: white Qi was given over to red Qi, and Yin and Yang united; red Qi was then given over to black Qi, and the embryo congealed into form.

Within the embryo is held Taixu (the vast, empty, and luminous realm), manifesting the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three highest celestial worthies revered in Daoism), in a divine realm lofty and remote. Primordial Qi illuminates within, where a numinous child passes in and out between the dark mystery and the blue-green void. The purple fetal membrane opens, and a clear, lustrous true form appears like jade; the immortal perfected leaves the embryonic body and brings forth a wondrous, radiant spirit. Its solemn bearing answers to the process by which Heaven and Earth transform and nourish the myriad things, abiding in a realm deep, hidden, and hard to fathom.

In the obscure darkness there is subtle, refined Qi, and there is the Shen of ultimate truth. This spirit can give forth light, can illuminate, can establish the myriad things, and can cause them to grow, to flourish, and to become pure and clear; these wondrous workings appear in human beings and in all things. Within the Wondrous Court of the Three Hua (a wondrous realm symbolizing the gestation of divine spirits), and within the purple pavilions and vermilion palaces, Taiguang and Shuangling (the hun and po souls spoken of in Daoism) lie hidden in the Qionggen (the root-place in the realm of the immortals), minute and at peace.

Within the embryo there is a spirit that protects the fetus, called the Lord of Shuhuo; a spirit that causes the fetus to transform and grow, called the spirit of Hetu; and a spirit that governs the male fetus, called the Lord of Bohua. In the cloud chamber, too, there are the true spirits of the courtyard. The male fetus is called Mengfei, and the female fetus is called Ziyi. When the cultivation of the primordial embryo is complete, a hundred blessings descend; by guarding the pure essence one can become perfected, without clinging to stray thoughts, and return to the original source.

Cavern Chapter Four: The Formation of Heaven and Earth, and the Separation and Union of Yin-Yang

In the time of the Great Beginning, the true Dao (the Way) abided in what was deep, dark, and remote, and the myriad things had not yet taken form. Purple clouds came forward to receive them; the myriad things were perfectly transformed and brought into being, and returned to the True. The Yellow Person, symbolizing the center and the spirit of primordial origin, sent down numinous Qi (vital energy), and the Primeval Elder, an ancient and venerated deity, held the talismanic mandate in hand. From this the Three Realms were opened and made bright; heaven was clear and earth was at peace. The Qi of pure Yang arose, majestic deities appeared, and the myriad things were able to assume form.

The generative Qi, the primordial Qi that transforms and nurtures all things, rose soaring on the left, while brightness swelled and filled on the right. Colored light hung down from heaven, and jade blossoms welled up from the earth. Heaven and earth were still and without sound. Cavern Wisdom and Cavern Clarity—wisdom and clarity deep, penetrating, and pure—appeared, radiant and bright. Red armor and Yang banners, that is, red armor together with banners of Yang Qi, shone forth in splendor, and the asterisms Shen and Wei kept watch in front. The hun and po were nourished, and life was brought to rest. Feixi Zhangzou, divine or ritual designations in the scripture, took as companions those who delight in the Dao.

After the Nine Heavens and the Eight Extremities—the quarters of heaven and earth together with their farthest reaches—had passed through the turning of a great kalpa, the primal life-mandate was established and distributed among the Nine Mounds, the Nine Provinces, or nine regions, of ancient legend. When the Qi of the Great Beginning reached the limit of the count of Yang Nine, and the Qi of Great Simplicity reached the limit of the count of Yin Six, change took place. Feixi Zhangzou still kept company with those who delight in the Dao. The Nine Heavens and the Eight Extremities underwent the turning of a great kalpa; the primal life-mandate was established anew and spread through the Nine Mounds. After the Great Beginning had reached Yang Nine and Great Simplicity had reached Yin Six, transformation occurred, the intent of the true Dao was made plain, teaching spread far and wide, and the myriad things were free of care.

On the left the Yellow Lad, a deity of Daoist myth, gave a long whistle; on the right the spirits of earth were received. Yang Qi was firm and vigorous, Yin Qi was bright, and primal Jing (essence) was transformed into one. The two Qi of heaven and earth rose and fell and mingled together, joining of themselves in harmony. The four seasons followed the constant course of the Dao. The work of creation nurtured all things and kept them from fault. The hundred spirits joined in assisting this transforming nurture; all things came to flourish. Customs were plain and sincere, and people honored the Cavern Chapters, the chapters within the Daoist scriptural systems of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen).

The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) moved in peace and security, and their fundamental substance was true and constant. They could lie hidden in obscurity, and they could stand forth in clarity; they could endure, and they could pass away. If one can understand this Jing (scripture/classic) and carry it out in practice, one may drive out the evils of Yin and set Yang Qi to use: outwardly, extend transformative teaching far and wide and establish proper norms; inwardly, hold to the mysterious principles of the heavenly Dao. When both without and within one has forgotten clever artifice and selfish desire, one accords with the intent of the true Dao.

The wondrous Dao of the Primordial Sovereign’s Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)—the origin that is primordial and supreme—is subtle and profoundly mysterious. Di Xi, a divine title in the scripture, held the key and opened the gate of heaven. Jinzhen, the pure and imperishable true Qi, was bright and richly abundant; the cloud-luan, divine birds that ride the clouds, sent back an echoing call. Jade tones governed the breath; a numinous wind gathered the mist. Purple mushrooms, auspicious herbs of the immortals, grew thick and flourishing, and at last condensed and were transformed into the embryonic immortal, a transcendent spirit brought forth by cultivation or by cosmic generation.

When the Five Phases are fully present, they can give rise to numinous illumination and bring life into the realm of longevity. This is the fifth of the Cavern Chapters.

When Heaven and Earth first divided, the Dao (the fundamental pattern of the cosmos) lay deep and subtle. The Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—each followed its own course, and the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) was contained within them. One full round of the Qi of the celestial circuit takes six periods as its great completion; one full round of the terrestrial reckoning takes five years as its lesser completion. When the Qi of the Five Phases flourishes and is harmonized, and auspicious Qi is even and upright, people do not die young or suffer injury; they can live out the full years allotted by Heaven, and what they undertake is auspicious and proceeds smoothly.

The pairing of the principal Gong tone with the principal Zhi tone is called Taiyi; the pairing of the lesser Gong tone with the lesser Zhi tone is called Taisu. When the Qi of the Five Phases is peaceful and upright, Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) do not restrain one another; when Yang Qi moves according to its proper pattern, a person can enjoy deathless longevity. When primordial Qi transforms and nurtures in abundance, birth and death, going forth and coming in, can all be transmuted, until at last one undergoes feathered transformation, becomes an immortal, and secretly accords with the very substance of the great Dao.

The refined essences of the Five Stars respond and descend, manifesting true forms; when the course of Qi is ample and complete, one can ascend into the supreme Dao. The movement of the Five Qi can replenish what is lacking and correct what has gone astray, prolong the reckoning of years, and add to the span of life. When the course of Qi reaches its utmost, it returns to the source that transforms and gives birth to the myriad things. To understand the pivotal juncture of life is to grasp the root of attaining the Dao.

When the Five Phases flourish in peace and security, the transformations of number reach nine; nine can change into one, and one can again change into nine, nourishing transformation and returning to the one. What is done is neither excessive nor deficient. Metal and Wood generate one another, and Water and Fire complement one another; when primordial Qi is full, the nature of wisdom issues from the source. Harmonizing the Four Images (the corresponding order of movement of Yin-Yang, the four seasons, and the like) and cultivating for nine years, one may ascend to perfection. Leaving obscurity and entering stillness, one transforms and nurtures the myriad things and brings them into being. When the Five Qi are settled, lasting peace and prosperity can long be preserved: the vault of heaven is clear, and the earth is tranquil and flourishing.

When the heart turns toward the Dao of supreme perfection, all people can ascend to the realm of the immortals. Both the living and the dead receive blessing and joy; through ten deliverances, the multitudes are saved. The realm of Taiqing (the clear, empty, and exalted realm spoken of in Daoism) is vast and still; mysterious principles pervade and circulate, and the myriad things alike receive the light. The light shines through to the dark, mysterious, and far-reaching root; Shen (spirit) and Qi congeal as one, and visions emerge; from the realm of Taihua comes the sound of generation and transformation. The Three Mysteries (the mysterious levels or powers spoken of in Daoism) are brought to submission; Qi and form appear, and auspicious signs arise from this. Yin Qi recedes, and Yang Qi grows bright and abundant; the ways of Taisu and Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) open the prospect of delivering people and ascending as immortals. The radiance of the Most High shines forth, universally bestowing Heaven’s grace. On blue-green jade slips are carved phoenix-form seal characters; on cinnabar documents are written dragon-form script.

The foregoing account of the Taiqing realm, of light shining through, of the manifestation of Shen and Qi, of the transformation of Yin and Yang, and of the jade slips and cinnabar writings is repeated once in the original text. Above the lofty Xuanjing (the mysterious celestial realm spoken of in Daoism), cloud chariots wind about; the supremely subtle and wondrous realm is where the true sages dwell.

Divine and wondrous transformations have no end. When primordial Qi (vital energy)—the fundamental Qi that constitutes Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things—reaches the utmost of its generative transformation, and one thoroughly illuminates the great Dao (the Way), the spirit-Qi of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) can be made manifest, and its wondrous function comprehended. When Kan and Li (Water and Fire, commonly used to symbolize Yin-Yang) conjoin and Yin and Yang are harmonized, Shen (spirit) does not leave the body, and true Qi fills the body and circulates within it. In this way one may enjoy long life and enduring vision: inwardly one follows the numinous and wondrous realm, and outwardly one passes out through the gateway of the dusty world; ascending with the transformation of Qi, one roams, feasts, and rests in the Jade Capital (Yujing, the immortal realm of Daoist legend).

Shen and Qi guard and sustain one another, congealing and giving birth to an infant-like numinous body; the inner scenery is settled and harmonious, like the Golden Pool and Jade Mist (a symbol of a pure, clear, and numinous realm). Spiritual consciousness transcends the dusty world and rises together with primordial Qi. Shen returns to the Nine Perfected, and Qi transforms into the Nine Palaces; the primordial Shen is pure and clear like Taisu (the plain and undefiled primordial state), and accords with the wondrous root of the great Dao.

If one is fortunate enough to encounter the merit and De (Virtue/Power) of the Primordial Beginning, one can attain the realm of divine wonder and true numinosity. Obtaining the One and thereby governing the myriad Qi, so that Heaven and Earth are clear, bright, and at peace—this is precisely the crux of the great Dao’s transformative working, and the root by which the great Dao generates and transforms the myriad things. Every kind of wondrous realm appears, and the true immortal realm shines with brilliant light; child and mother meet in joyful celebration, and one has audience with the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three highest deities revered in Daoism).

Yang Shen becomes Heaven, and Yin Qi becomes the springs. Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) is without color and without form, and Taishi (the initial state before Heaven and Earth had differentiated) harbors the fundamental principles of the myriad things. Amid profound depth and silent stillness, Heaven and Earth are limpid and at ease; though without form and without name, they can give rise to the myriad phenomena. The great Dao stands alone in the Great Void, mingling with the myriad spirits, transforming and nurturing without end, and generating and sustaining all things.

The great Dao holds fast to the subtle, unfathomable realm of the primordial source, and broadly opens forth the immortal palaces. A vitality like the spring breeze first appears, and light manifests of itself—this is called the utmost Shen. The immortals of the Three Realms and the cloud-peaks of all the heavens all lie within the transformative nurture of the great Dao’s divine and wondrous flow; all of this is because the great Dao ever abides. The mystery of the great Dao lies deeply hidden, and only one who has attained the Dao can truly comprehend it.

Seventh Cavern Chapter: The Intermingling of Existence and Perishing, and the Refining of Qi into Immortality

Refining Qi so as to become an immortal is the highest and most wondrous method of the Dao. One who truly recognizes the great Dao need not cling to words. Within the realm of Great Clarity and Great Brightness, Qi may be soft or hard, square or round, and it also has a manner of balanced, harmonious circulation.

Qi (炁, vital energy—the primordial Qi of which Daoism speaks) rises and courses freely, clear, fresh, and full of vigor. Speech returns to the essence of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi), and no evil sound issues from the mouth. Qi is joined with the Dao (the Way), and through the Dao it is joined with the True.

The hundred spirits gather, and auspicious Qi continues without end. The working of the five viscera and six bowels—passing out and in between being and non-being, transforming beyond all fathoming—is profound and more profound still, lasting long and stretching on unbroken.

Qi transforms into Shen (spirit). The Five Elders (Wulao, the honored deities of the five directions venerated in Daoism) attend as guards. The Three Origins (Sanyuan, the three primes governed by the Three Officers of Heaven, Earth, and Water) revolve in harmony and wash away the Nine Defilements (Jiuchou, the evil impurities named in the scripture). When Qi reaches its furthest extreme, it communicates with the Primordial Beginning and manifests the wondrous method of the Great True (Taizhen).

My Qi is not a concrete substance, yet it can give birth to the myriad things. My Qi is without feeling, yet it can transform and nurture sentient beings. Qi is the root of the Dao, and also the embodiment of the wondrous functioning of the Great Spirit.

When Qi moves, it appears as being; when it grows still, it is deep and hard to fathom. The generation and transformation of the myriad things—whether clever or dull, worthy or ordinary, the rulers of heaven or the officers of earth—are all nurtured and transformed by the Dao.

When the proper season arrives, the Embryo Immortal (Taixian, the immortal spirit conceived and formed in the course of cultivation) appears. The vast creative transformation of Heaven and Earth causes the embryo to take form in sympathetic response to Qi. The wondrous principle of Qi is transmitted from generation to generation, seeming at once to exist and not to exist. Within the Rainbow Capital and the Jasper Pool (Hongjing Yaochi, the immortal realms named in the scripture), the myriad things—whether clever or dull, worthy or ordinary, the rulers of heaven or the officers of earth—are all nurtured and transformed by the Dao.

When the proper season arrives, the Embryo Immortal appears. The creative transformation of Heaven and Earth conceives the embryo and brings it to form in response to Qi. The wondrous principle of Qi is handed on, seeming at once to exist and not to exist. Within the Rainbow Capital and the Jasper Pool, sunlight moistens and enriches the Ruiyuan (the immortal realm spoken of in the scripture), nurturing the myriad things and assisting the work of creation, while the light of auspicious omen shines on high. Divine spirits roam in the realm of clarity and stillness and rest at ease in their joy within the original source of the immortal Dao.

The Eighth Cavern Stanza (Dongzhang): Water and Fire Rise into Presence—Long Life and Enduring Vision

The root of the Dao is deep, mysterious, and subtle, generating without cease and abiding long without decline. Yet it does not depend on sacrificial offerings, and still it can discern and shine upon the Three Realms (Sanjie, the various realms, among them those of Heaven, Earth, and human beings), running through both life and death.

Look for it, and it is not seen; listen for it, and it is not heard; try to grasp it, and it cannot be held. It seems inexhaustible and without limit; yet in its minuteness it is real and not empty. If one can put it to use, one may nourish the Heavenly Pool (Tianchi, a term of Neidan, or internal alchemy, for a particular site within the body, or for the place where Jing, or essence, and Qi gather), so that life may grow and be provided for on every side, with nothing left out.

To light a lamp beneath the water and proceed against the ordinary course is to turn old age back into youth. Those who have fully penetrated the matter hasten alone upon this Way; those unskilled at conserving and nourishing life, however clever, can scarcely glimpse the mystery within it.

When the waters flood, people are about to drown. The Highest Sages therefore extend compassion and come to the rescue, saving those on the brink of ruin and delivering them from peril. Those skilled at drawing upon it can subtly bring its mysterious workings to light.

When fire is added on a yin day, the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) is not diminished. Even if the force of the fire gradually grows dim, it is not thereby consumed. The fire of the Utmost True shines as bright as the stars in their courses; it flashes like lightning and illuminates the Nine Heavens. The Way of utmost goodness extends its protection and favors no one side. Even amid the kalpa fire, one may come forth from the flames like a lotus.

Quiet the mind so as to prevent restless agitation and rash advance; how then could one wrangle and clamor with external things? Yang Qi (vital energy) fears being disturbed by Yin Qi, and brightly illumines the stars that course across the heavens. When that radiance flashes like lightning, it lights up the Nine Heavens. The supreme good Dao (the Way) extends its protection, partial to neither side. Even amid the kalpa-fire, a lotus can be born within the flames.

Quiet the mind so as to prevent restless agitation and rash advance; how then could one wrangle and clamor with external things? Yang Qi fears being disturbed by Yin Qi, which may impair the numinous meaning of the Jing (scripture/classic). One who penetrates this principle, profound to the utmost, can long nurture body and mind and render them complete. The benighted grow only more doubtful, and instead burn away harmonious Qi and destroy tranquility, like moths flying into the flame, never turning back even at the end. The Lord on High pities all living beings and restores body and mind already rotten and ruined; not one in ten thousand is left out. Those who penetrate can grasp the mystery within: when Yang Qi is abundant, one cultivates by means of fire, and long life naturally comes to completion.

Those who understand these two aspects secretly condense Jing (essence) and Qi, keep the inner mind still, and thoroughly behold the Yang Heaven (the celestial realm in which Yang Qi is full and abundant). In the realm that transcends birth and death, the true realm manifests of itself; the person unites with the Dao and with Shen (spirit), and the resonance is luminous, penetrating the mysterious. The Dao is originally Wuwei (non-action), yet it ever holds the germ of new life; it can revive withered and ruined bodily forms and return the dead to life, because Qi is able to restore the primordial beginning. Celestial light enters the body, so that one may long abide in a realm deep, secluded, and mysterious.

Cavern Chapter Nine: Transcending Death and Escaping Birth, Attesting the Ordinary and Attaining Sagehood

The mysterious Dao is profound and subtle, and can enable a person to transcend birth and death: no longer drifting with the current, not sinking into gorgeous sights, unstained by the splendor of the dusty world, and not chasing fame, profit, or craving; giving rise neither to hatred nor to love, nor to delusive thoughts and stray notions. In this way one cuts off the road of death and opens the gate of life. Taiyi (the supreme origin revered in Daoism) courses through spiritual clarity; the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) gathers, and the Four Images (the four basic phenomenal forms or directional powers) arise together.

The Great Emperor of the Yellow Court (the divinity who presides over the inner landscape of the Yellow Court) causes the true realm to appear in limpid clarity; the True Treasure of the Mysterious Origin (the precious jewel of mysterious, original reality) pours in and fills body and mind. Whether sinking or floating, above or below, one long maintains pure rectitude and settled calm. The hundred demons are subdued, and the hosts of specters withdraw their traces; body and mind are constantly still, and the hundred spirits travel in company with one’s person. The practitioner carefully observes the sexagenary cycle of the circuit of heaven (the cycles of celestial motion and of time reckoned by the heavenly stems and earthly branches), with single-minded sincerity and reverence. The Northern Bureau (the underworld administration) removes the entry from the register of death, and the Southern Slip (the roll of names in the celestial realm) records one’s name; the left hand holds a golden tally, the right a lustrous jade. Luan birds, immortal cranes, and celestial immortals come and go, soaring upward. Bodily form and spirit-consciousness are peaceful and clear; the supreme Dao is forever secure, and the three hun manifest spiritual brightness. Kan and Li (symbolizing water and fire, Yin-Yang) join and harmonize, nurturing the immortal embryo, until at last one passes from the ordinary into sagehood and attends court in the holy realm.

The Perfected Tongxuan (Tongxuan Zhenren) performed the rites and bowed in homage, thanking the assembled sages, and said: “By the grace of compassionate kindness, we have been able to hear and clearly receive this scripture (Jing). The perfected immortals bow in reverent worship; the state is peaceful and secure, the people prosperous, the netherworld at rest, and the Three Realms rejoice.”

The Perfected Tongxuan again addressed the assembled sages, bowing in thanks, and said: “By the grace of compassionate kindness, we have been able to hear and clearly receive this scripture. The perfected immortals bow in reverent worship; the state is peaceful and secure, the people prosperous, the netherworld at rest, and the Three Realms rejoice.”

The Perfected Tongxuan further addressed the assembled sages: “Today we have been fortunate to receive this scripture from our master. All should revere, transmit, and recite it with devout hearts. The merit brought by the scripture is inexhaustible. Should one have the opportunity to obtain the Yuhua Lingwen, then, when preparing to recite it, one should first purify body and mind, bathe, and burn incense, bowing in worship toward the ten directions, three times in each direction. Then, facing east, one should sit upright with the body composed, gather the mind and spirit (Shen), concentrate one’s will, and recite the text once, so that baleful calamities will not arise; recite it ten times, and the myriad evils will return to the proper; recite it a hundred times, and spirits and ghostly hosts will reverently submit and carry it out; recite it a thousand times, and long life may be secured; recite it ten thousand times, and one may honor the nine ancestors above and shelter the seven mysterious lineages below, and ultimately realize the Dao (the Way) in one’s own person, dwelling forever in the celestial palace. While still in the world, one should also keep this engraved in the heart, receive it in sincere faith, and practice accordingly.”

The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High on the Yuhua Cavern Stanzas for Delivering the Dead, Saving the World, and Ascending to Immortality ends here.

Account of the Transmission of the Scripture

The Tianning Wanshou Abbey of Fenzhou was originally the Kaiyuan Abbey of the Tang dynasty, and was also the place where Lianshi Yan resided. Lianshi Yan promoted the supreme De (Virtue/Power), and elucidated and proclaimed the profound Dao of cultivation.

The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High on the Yuhua Cavern Stanzas for Delivering the Dead, Saving the World, and Ascending to Immortality ends here.

Account of the Transmission of the Scripture

The Tianning Wanshou Abbey of Fenzhou was originally the Kaiyuan Abbey of the Tang dynasty, and the residence of Lianshi Yan (a Daoist master surnamed Yan). Lianshi Yan propagated a lofty De (Virtue/Power) and elucidated mysterious principles; he was an outstanding figure who had truly attained the Dao (the Way). More than four hundred years have passed down to the present. Comments from the Tang and Song periods, together with Lord Yan’s poems, are carved on stone steles and can be examined.

After the turmoil of war, the Daoists of the abbey gradually dwindled. In the winter of the second year of Huangtong, they sighed to one another and said, “Ought we not feel ashamed for having failed our former Lianshi Yan? We have lately heard that in the western outskirts of Xiaoyi County there is a certain Du Changchun, still a youth not yet of age. While herding sheep he encountered immortals and Perfected Persons; in a single night he suddenly awakened, as if roused from a dream or sobered from drunkenness. He can expound profound and subtle principles, and he also instructs people through poetry. His calligraphy moves with the force of dragons and snakes, and he can draw Fulu (talismans and registers), recite incantations, and dispense ritual water to heal illness. His fame has spread far and near, and people revere him greatly. If we could invite him to this abbey to preside over a hermitage and transmit the Dao in teaching, so as to magnify the work of our former master and revive the Daoist tradition, would that not be excellent?”

Hearing this, the Daoists were all delighted. Together with others who admired the Daoist teaching, they built a hermitage behind the abbey, constructed covered galleries connecting the buildings, and planted pines and bamboo. They then went to Xiaoyi County and invited Du Changchun to live in the hermitage and transmit the Dao.

The following year, on the Shangyuan Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), the abbey held a jiao (Zhaijiao, a purification ritual of prayer and offering), and nearly a thousand people came to take part. One day, in casual conversation, Du Changchun said to the Daoists, “I have a scroll of a true Jing (scripture/classic) of the Most High (Taishang, one of the honorific titles for the supreme deity in Daoism), which has not yet circulated in the world. I now wish to transmit it to you. When this scripture is read, it can above eliminate the calamities of Heaven, in the middle cultivate and realize one’s own person, and below exorcise the disasters wrought by ghosts. It can also relieve suffering and absolve transgressions, and enable people to attain long life and lasting vision. This is the essential purport of cultivating perfection and attaining the Dao.”

The Daoists were overjoyed and expressed their willingness to hear the scripture in full detail. On the Zhenyuan Festival in the second month they held a jiao to request the scripture and to signify their faithful acceptance; when the Shangsi Festival of the third month arrived, they held a jiao once more to transmit the scroll. The scripture is titled The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High of the Jade-Flower Cavern Stanzas for Saving the Dead, Delivering the World, and Ascending to Immortality. It was written on fine silk, comprising more than three thousand characters and divided into nine chapters; at the end of the scroll were appended the numinous talismans of the Perfected and divine incantations.

On that day incense and fresh flowers had all been prepared. The assembly ceremonially welcomed the scripture scroll into the Taixiao Hall and, before the sacred seats of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—the positions enshrining the Three Pure Ones, the supreme deities of Daoism—performed the rite of transmission. All knelt to hear the scripture, received and upheld it with reverence, and were willing to recite it throughout their lives. The abbey then ordered craftsmen to carve the woodblocks, print the text in booklets, and distribute them to devotees of the Dao, so that the scripture might circulate widely.

Note: In the original text, from the opening words “After the fires of war” onward, one passage is repeated; the rendering has been arranged according to the sense. A collation note at the end points out that bu qiong 不穷 is a corruption of bu feng 不奉.