《洞玄灵宝上师说救护身命经》

At that time the Master was in the kingdom of Pulin, seated beneath a flourishing tree and preparing to ascend to heaven. One of his disciples, named the Perfected One Tiaolin Fajing, together with other great disciples who had already attained the Dao (the Way) and the assembled hosts of the heavens, came before the Master, seated themselves properly, and said to him, “We disciples hope that you will remain for a time, continue to teach and transform living beings, and only then ascend to heaven.”

The Master told the disciples, “After I depart, during the five hundred generations to come, living beings will suffer harm from evil ghosts, heterodox spirits, and gu sorcery. These malign entities will seize people’s Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), spy out their weaknesses, and even injure or kill them for no reason.”

The Perfected One Tiaolin Fajing said, “We disciples will diligently propagate this Jing (scripture), so that living beings in an evil age may be spared sickness and sudden misfortune, and so that all manner of malign entities and gu sorcery may be dispelled. What the Master has entrusted to us is this scripture alone. Man or woman, if anyone can recite a single sentence or a single verse of this scripture, evil ghosts and spirits cannot approach and molest them at will. When one is in the wilderness, in mountain forests, or in peril, or when one encounters great fire or great flood, one ought to recite this scripture, and in this way disasters will be removed.”

Why does this scripture have such an effect? Because it possesses powerful divine authority, springing from the “Supreme Grade of Primordial Yang” (the higher realm of immortals and perfected beings spoken of in Daoism). It should be recited regularly; if one cannot recite it, it is enough to carry the scripture in one’s bosom. Those who, with utmost sincerity, believe in, accept, and uphold this scripture will attain the Way of the immortals and receive the protection of benevolent spirits. Disciples of past ages, future ages, and the present age can all partake of the divine power of former masters and soon be freed from the “Eight Difficulties” (the eight kinds of predicament in which cultivation and hearing the Dao are obstructed).

If one must journey far, one should carry this scripture on one’s person. Upon arriving at villages, royal cities, and towns, one may expound it to others with a sincere heart, and the merit will be measureless; even if someone listens only for a short while, that person can realize the wishes of the heart.

The Master said, “In speaking of this scripture I do not speak falsely. It comes from my own master, the Immortal Lord of Great Mystery and Primordial Yang; it is a secret essential transmitted by immortals and perfected beings, and one rarely has the chance to hear it. It is like a numinous medicine, able to cure toxic disease and remove poisonous harm. When someone carries it abroad, even if venomous creatures, malign entities, and gu sorcery intend to do harm, on hearing the aura of this ‘numinous medicine’ they scatter and flee. If you recite this scripture with concentrated attention, demons and spirits will not dare turn back to peer at you. Such, too, is the divine power of this scripture.

“If someone is ill, one may first purify the body, washing the hands, feet, head, and face, and then recite this scripture for that person with undivided mind, and every illness can be healed.”

The Master further told Tiaolin Fajing Zhenren (Perfected One): “If evil ghosts, hosts of demons, and all manner of heterodox arts and gu sorcery do not heed my words, I will order these demonic hosts to be delivered to Xuandu (the Mysterious Capital) for judgment under the statutes governing ghosts, so that they suffer punishment. Every calamity they bring will scatter completely like dust and sand, leaving not the slightest lingering harm. Merely by setting forth the names of seven immortal perfected ones—the Zhenren revered in Daoism—I can also free all beings from every realm of evil spirits.

Who are these seven immortal perfected ones? The first is Guangweiwei Zhenren, the second is Shifa Zhenren, the third is Suiye Zhenren, the fourth is Juzhenglin Zhenren, the fifth is Juzhengxuanlin Zhenren, the sixth is Jingde Zhenren, and the seventh is Shilongzhong Zhenren.

If anyone meets with suffering or illness, that person should recite the names of these seven Zhenren. All heterodox arts and gu sorcery will then disperse and dare not draw near.

Having said this, I again admonish you with compassion: only because I now take pity on all beings do I proclaim the Upper Section of Primordial Yang of this scripture (Jing). There are six further divine immortal Zhenren, whose names are Luofa Zhenren, Luoshang Zhenren, Jiayang Zhenren, Qindu Zhenren, Touliu Zhenren, and Xilin Zhenren.

You should remember the titles of these six immortals. Whether man or woman, noble or humble, anyone who encounters suffering and disaster should recite the names of these six divine immortal Zhenren. In this way the illness they suffer will be removed, and the Qi (vital energy) of every malignant disease will be unable to draw near; in the end all will disperse completely, leaving no lingering harm.”

The Master (the venerable teacher who transmits the methods of the Dao, the Way) said to Zhenren Tiaolin Fajing, the Perfected One: “Listen to me with full attention. Whether they are the many disciples, Zhenren who have attained the Dao, or the Celestial Spirit Kings and the celestial beings, after I ascend to heaven, whenever anyone practices and upholds the wondrous method I have entrusted, we will protect and bless them day and night and keep them safe.”

Zhenren Tiaolin Fajing addressed the Master: “We disciples, together with the twenty-five Zhenren who have attained the Dao and deliver the world, in this evil age, whenever anyone recites this scripture (Jing), will remain at that person’s side day and night to protect him, not allowing evil spirits and ghostly wraiths to draw near, so that his body and mind stay calm and secure and he is able to cultivate wholesome practices.”

The Master said: “Excellent, excellent! Because you can uphold the teaching that I have cultivated through hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas, you will in time become an immortal, the foremost disciple of the supreme grade of Primordial Yang (Yuanyang).”

Before the Master had finished speaking, four Mountain Spirit Kings, each leading retinues and hosts, came forward, knelt upright, and offered the salute of crossed hands, saying to the Master: “After the Master ascends to heaven, we will each lead our retinues and peacefully guard the borders of the realm. If anyone recites, copies, and upholds this scripture, our retinues will follow and protect that person day and night, so that no calamity befalls him.

“If this person must cross the open wilderness, we will follow, guide, and protect him with all our strength along the way, not allowing evil ghosts to molest him, and we will also see that his clothing and food are sufficient, so that he suffers neither hunger nor thirst. When he has some request, we Mountain Spirit Kings will dispatch generals, officers, and troops to supply him, so that his wish is fulfilled and he is left in no want. For this person is able to spread this scripture, cultivate wholesome practices, and make offerings to the treasures of the immortals, and is entered in the immortal register of the supreme grade of Primordial Yang, so that the rolls of the immortal realm are not cut off.”

When they had finished speaking, another seven Mountain Spirit Kings knelt together and paid homage to the Master, saying: “We Mountain Spirit Kings command countless hosts, among them also thousands and tens of thousands of celestial beings who constantly fly through this evil age. If anyone in the human world recites, copies, and upholds this Yuanyang Quemo Jing (Scripture of Primordial Yang for Dispelling Demons), we Mountain Spirit Kings, together with the celestial beings and our respective retinues, will go and guard that person where he dwells, keeping watch on every side day and night, not allowing the hosts of demons and evil ghosts to seize his Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), not allowing him to meet a sudden deadly calamity or suffer harassment, and not allowing heterodox arts to harm him.

“Our retinues will constantly keep guard in the air near this person’s dwelling. If he encounters a great fire, we will exert our power as the occasion requires and rescue him, not letting the flames reach him; if he meets with floodwaters, we will receive him from the air so that he is not drowned, bring the force of the water to a halt, and help him escape the disaster of the flood.

“If he encounters bandits, we will protect him on all four sides, causing the bandits to lay down their swords and spears and instead give rise to compassion. If he is arrested by the authorities and put in cangue and fetters, grieving day and night, we will lead our retinues, generals, officers, and troops to exert power in the air, so that the officials feel joy in their hearts, release him, and grant him pardon, freeing him from his plight.

“We Mountain Spirit Kings, together with our retinues, generals, officers, and troops, will obey the command with a single heart and strive with all our might to rescue and protect him, not allowing external conditions to disturb him. Through however many lands and however many generations, we will constantly hold this scripture in mind. For this scripture is a teaching solemnly entrusted by the immortal sages; now that the text has circulated, it ought to be widely proclaimed.

“If a Daoist who has not yet become an immortal passes through mountains and forests and rests beneath a tree or beside a cliff, and mountain spirits, demon-women, evil essences among the cliffs, and all manner of goblins and specters come to harass him, we Mountain Spirit Kings will keep him from giving rise to fear, so that he can still practice cunsi as usual. Cunsi is a method of Daoist cultivation in which one concentrates the Shen (spirit) in contemplative visualization and focuses body and mind.”

The Master said: “I now tell you Mountain Spirit Kings and your hosts: Excellent, excellent! Your generals, officers, and troops, over the past hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas, encountered hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads of scrolls of the immortals’ supreme-grade scriptures of Primordial Yang, and were ranked among the disciples who deliver living beings and display spiritual powers. You are now able to spread this scripture, to recite and copy it, and to find ways of rescuing others, so that people are spared calamity and constantly practice wholesome ways.”

Thereupon the Mountain Spirit Kings and the others, leading their retinues, generals, officers, and troops, prostrated themselves before the Master, wholeheartedly undertook to follow his instruction, and then took their leave and departed.

The Master (the revered teacher who transmits the methods of the Dao) said to his disciple, the Perfected One Tiaolin Fajing: “On the seventh day of the seventh month of the renyin year, I shall set out on a long journey. After I have gone, you must carefully look after those for whom I have cared. If every matter is to be entrusted to you, the most important is this: the disciple Guangzhi must diligently propagate this method, so that all living beings may hear it and come to know it.

“Son of a virtuous family (a form of address for a person of virtue), if you are willing to hear and receive this method, you are a disciple in my heart. All the methods I have transmitted I entrust to you. I take pity on all living beings, and so I leave this scripture (Jing) to help them escape every kind of calamity.”

The Master sat upright and, after entrusting this method to his disciple, spoke again: “This scripture is exalted and powerful, and its divine power is vast. If the men and women of each household can offer incense, flowers, and precious fruit, light lamps and candles so that the flame burns without ceasing, and also recite this scripture to rescue those who are ill or beset by suffering, they will in this life be safe and at ease, no longer troubled by disease. In the future, after they are reborn in the Palace of Wenchang (the immortal realm spoken of in the scripture), they will be born within a lotus, become the body of an immortal, possess the Five Penetrations (the five supernatural powers spoken of in Daoism) and unobstructed wisdom, enjoy a lifespan of eighty-eight thousand years, and thereafter regain their youth. With the Five Penetrations and wisdom complete, they will be as bold and vigorous as the higher immortals. All of this is the merit of the Immortal Lord Yuanyang (a title of a Daoist immortal), too abundant to be counted one by one.

“Son of a virtuous family, you should use fine paper, fine brushes, and fine ink, and with a sincere mind carefully copy this bequeathed text and spread it to every place. Every sentence of the method I transmit carries on the wondrous method entrusted by our original teacher, the Immortal Lord Yuanyang, and is without error. Do not omit a single character or a single stroke. Out of pity for living beings I leave this scripture, so that all embodied beings may hear and understand it, their minds opened and set at ease, constantly keeping it in memory, making their way toward the pure wooded cliffs, prolonging their lives, and obtaining unobstructed spiritual powers.”

At that time the Perfected One Tiaolin Fajing, before his revered teacher, joined his palms with a single mind and bared his upper body. The hair all over his body stood on end, and he trembled, ill at ease. He listened with full attention to his teacher’s words, not daring to forget a single phrase or character, and said through tears: “The wondrous method entrusted by our revered teacher this disciple will surely receive and uphold with a sincere heart, and propagate widely.” The disciples received the teaching of the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), bowed in homage to their former master, and carried it out with undivided mind.

The revered teacher said: “Whether you are walking or at rest, whether you are in mountain forests or foreign lands, or in towns and villages, busy markets, the capital, or county seats—even if you are confined in prison—you must keep this scripture in mind and proclaim it, urging people to recite and copy it. I will put forth divine power, so that you obtain spiritual powers surpassing those of former times.”

The assembly paid homage to the revered teacher and, with sorrow in their hearts, took a long farewell of him.

Master Lin, the Immortal of Primordial Yang (Yuanyang), was the second disciple of the Immortal of Purple Yang (Ziyang). His ancestors came from the palace of the King of Impartiality Who Is Free from Defilement, and he was the youngest son of the Dragon King Ling. Taking the Immortal of Purple Yang as his teacher, he received and practiced the methods of the upper section of Primordial Yang. He delighted in the learning of gods and immortals; in the purity of the mountain forests he put the scriptures (Jing) in order and cultivated them, and he made the continuation of the learning of celestial patterns his life’s vocation.

When Master Lin was thirteen, he lived on Mount Dazhuang Hualin and cultivated together with two thousand great disciples. Their practice was brought to completion: all their faculties were vigorous and strong, and their afflictions were exhausted. In time they all entered the ranks of the immortals, loosened seventy-two kinds of knots in the mind, and became free and at ease. Master Lin’s title was Master Tiaolin Fajing. Leading these two thousand followers, he devoted himself for a long time to concentrated practice in the mountains and at last realized the second grade of immortal rank. The whole company was firm in faith, quick in eloquence, and unhindered in spiritual powers. They could tread the waves and ride the wind, travel ten thousand li in an instant, and then return to where they had started.

At that time there were twenty thousand heavenly beings and celestial immortals, together with twenty-four thousand jade maidens of the heavenly realm, all of them already free and at ease in mind. The Great Dragon Heavenly King, the Luo Dragon Heavenly King, the Xiuwang Heavenly King, the Auspicious Dragon Heavenly King, and the Advancing-Immortal Heavenly King each came before Master Tiaolin Fajing, bringing attendants and the ceremonial regalia of gods and immortals, to request instruction in the seated meditation practice of the upper grade of Primordial Yang. Surrounded by the four assemblies, who made offerings to him and praised him with reverence, Master Lin expounded for his disciples the immeasurable merits of the upper grade of the superior immortals.

Master Lin sat beneath a tree and entered a state of deep, concentrated contemplation. Manifesting vast wisdom and spiritual powers, he prepared to expound for the kings the second section of Primordial Yang. At that moment heavenly flowers of every kind flew in and covered the space above him. The great assembly filled the worlds in every direction. Fully endowed with the five spiritual powers, they looked up, awaiting the teaching bestowed by the Divine Master of Primordial Yang. The master said, “Today I will expound for you the upper grade of Primordial Yang. Listen attentively, and you will receive the prediction of enrollment in the immortal register of Primordial Yang.” He then emitted a great radiance in the grove, and his spiritual powers reached upward as far as the Immortal Pavilion of Primordial Yang and downward as far as the dark hells.

The kings looked upward and saw every sight within the Immortal Residence of Primordial Yang: heavenly beings, the towers and pavilions of the golden city, terraces and halls, immortals and jade maidens, pure palaces, and cloud galleries among the trees. They also saw people there expounding the scriptures of Primordial Yang, and they saw male and female disciples who had already attained the Dao (the Way), immortal officials, and those who had received the inner instructions of the method, who cultivated with diligent effort, or who were fully endowed with faith and understanding or with spiritual powers.

The kings asked Master Lin, “What place is this, that it should be so majestic?” The master replied, “That is the realm of Primordial Yang. There are many jeweled palaces there, and also mountains and forests, rivers and seas, and open plains. Each person there, according to his or her own causes and conditions, seeks enrollment in the immortal register in keeping with the wishes of the heart.”

They saw that the cities there had ground of gold and boundaries of silver, and that food and drink were provided beside the roads. The roads were paved with coral, railed with ropes of pearl, and furnished with couches of maṇi gems. The pools were made of giant-clam shell and their rims of agate, and the heavenly beings bathed in them. There were also diamonds and every kind of precious jewel, carriages for attendants, and gorgeously ornamented palanquins.

Some great donors sincerely dedicated their merit to the immortal realm of Primordial Yang, seeking enrollment in the immortal register. They wished to transcend the Three Realms and become immortals of the first rank, praised by all the immortals. Some good people brought forth wealth such as jeweled carriages, canopies, and palaces, and even gave their own bodies, limbs, wives, and children as alms, seeking the upper grade of immortal station. Others gladly relinquished their own bodies in order to seek the wisdom of the immortals.

There were also disciples who saw heavenly beings and bright kings going to the immortals to inquire about the unsurpassed great Dao. They gave up the ease and pleasure of palaces, ministers, and consorts, let down their hair and sat in stillness, entered deep contemplative concentration, and obtained the five spiritual powers. Wearing blue-green robes, they devoted themselves to realizing the upper grade of Primordial Yang. Some, after becoming immortals, lived alone in pure and quiet places and delighted in reciting the scriptures.

The scripture then lists the cultivation deeds of many disciples. Jiaolin practiced with courageous vigor and entered the deep mountains to contemplate the upper grade. Zhou Qiao day and night kept far from desire, cultivated quiet concentration in secluded places, and obtained the five spiritual powers. Mulin settled his mind in concentrated thought, and revered and praised the immortal teachings. Chalin, abiding in concentration, obtained the five spiritual powers, while another Chalin was profound in wisdom and firm in aspiration, skilled at inquiring and at keeping all the teachings firmly in mind. Zhang Ling set forth the teachings of the Dao, brought stability to the state, and widely transformed the people. Li Guo was fully endowed with the power of concentration and with wisdom; through every kind of analogy he expounded the teaching and instructed princes. Fulin was still and at peace, fully possessed of the five spiritual powers; in the forest he emitted light, rescued heavenly beings, and led them into the ranks of the immortals.

In addition, Menggong cultivated with firm resolve in the forest, obtained spiritual powers, and was ranked seventh in Primordial Yang. Yin Jing never slept; he practiced walking meditation in the forest, diligently sought the upper grade, and was fully endowed with wisdom and spiritual powers, even to the point of being able to move mountains. Zhang Jue upheld the rules of dignified conduct and the precepts, never violating them throughout his life, and by this sought deliverance into immortality. His wisdom was complete, and he was ranked seventeenth. Yulin could endure disdain, insults, and beatings, and by this sought the five spiritual powers. Gong Yun kept far from idle amusement, gave his household as alms, attained the upper grade, and was unobstructed in wisdom and spiritual powers.

Jiang Guilin single-mindedly cleared away distracting thoughts, gathered his mind, and held it on the Dao. For a long time he traveled through the various states seeking the Supreme Perfected, and he was ranked ninth in Primordial Yang. Han Zhong widely treated illness with food, drink, and all kinds of medicinal decoctions, rescued living beings, and guided them; he was ranked thirteenth. Jia Lin made offerings to the Most High (Taishang) with ceremonial regalia, sandalwood jeweled canopies, and the like, seeking immortal rank, and was ranked fourteenth. Lü Zi cultivated in a pure garden, where flowers and fruits flourished and the springs and pools were clear. Through almsgiving he sought to become a superior immortal, was granted enrollment in the immortal register, and was ranked eighteenth.

Cheng Xing widely performed good deeds and saved living beings, joyful and single-minded, never tiring, and was ranked twentieth. Ma Zheng taught living beings in every kind of way and expounded the teaching of quiescent cessation. He contemplated the immortals and held that their fundamental nature is not dual, but like empty space, and yet he could still clearly discern principle and affairs. For this reason he is listed twenty-third in the Scripture of Primordial Yang. Dongguo Xinglin’s mind was like empty space and clung to nothing; with subtle wisdom he traveled from place to place seeking a successor, and was ranked twenty-fourth.

Liang Shi sat in stillness beneath a tree, deeply pondered the wondrous phrases of the Divine Scripture of Primordial Yang, and expounded them widely. For the great assembly he built a lofty, sublime, and majestic jeweled terrace and taught there; he was ranked third. Zhu Zhong cultivated according to the teaching. He built a high terrace, hung banners, pearl robes, and jeweled bells, and from a jade couch expounded the teaching for the assembly; he was ranked fourth. Hu Lin instructed dragon kings, humans, and non-humans with wisdom, so that all of them could attain immortality, and he constantly made offerings of incense, flowers, and music to the immortals; he was ranked twenty-seventh. Kou Lin from his youth cultivated the way of the roaming immortal, ascended the Nine Marchmounts, traveled far to make offerings to the immortals, and was ranked twenty-ninth.

Zhao Lin cultivated and studied the Dao from his early years, broadly saved the common people, and was peaceful and pure. He delighted in reciting the grades of the immortals and benefited the multitude as the King of the Heavenly Trees does when it blossoms; he was ranked thirtieth. Yan Ping sat in stillness in the forest and sent forth a pure radiance, so that he himself and living beings could see the various divine powers of this realm. His wisdom was exceedingly rare, and he was ranked thirty-first. Zi Dan traveled in every direction. While serving his ruler, his heart turned toward the way of the immortals; he went far into the mountains and forests to seek the Most High with diligence, and was fully endowed with the power of concentration and with wisdom. He regularly cultivated at midday. All who saw him felt that they had never witnessed such a thing before, and so he was ranked thirty-second.

The Dongxuan Lingbao Scripture Spoken by the Supreme Master on Rescuing Body and Life ends here.

Collation notes: Before the Perfected (Zhenren) Tiaolin Fajing speaks, the original text may have omitted the two characters fu gao. Elsewhere the character yu was mistakenly written as gu; it has now been corrected according to the Dunhuang manuscript (a handwritten copy among the Dunhuang documents). The two characters wan sui may be superfluous.