《灵宝五经提纲》

The Heavenly Worthy, the Sage Who Hears the Jing (scripture/classic) and Awakens to the Dao (the Way).

The subtle teachings of Taishang (the honorific title in Daoism for the supreme deity) are contained in five scriptures. Circulating in the world, these five scriptures make their principles manifest as paintings in cinnabar and blue-green do. We now earnestly expound their meaning once again, so that the souls of the dead may be liberated and leave the realm of darkness.

We respectfully hold that what joins Heaven and Earth and regulates the myriad things is called the Dao; the transformative teaching of the Dao is divided into three kinds. What circulates in the world and establishes the religious teaching is called scripture; the transmission of the scriptures takes five forms. We now proclaim the mysterious principles within them and pray for the deliverance of the departed souls. With sincere hearts we offer incense and respectfully invite: the Most High Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, of the Limitless Great Dao, of Emptiness and Spontaneity; the Dao Lord of the Jade Dawn; the Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure; the Most High Lord Lao, Heavenly Worthy of the Dao and De (Virtue/Power); the Supreme Sovereign of Vast Heaven, the Jade Emperor of the Golden Palace; the Compassionate Father of the Azure Mystery at the Eastern Extremity, the Heavenly Worthy Taiyi Who Saves from Suffering; the Greatly Compassionate Heavenly Worthies of the Ten Directions Who Save from Suffering; the Supreme Gods Who Give Birth to Spirit in the Nine Heavens; the Five Elder Supreme Gods of the Five Directions; the Great Ritual Master Amid the Mystery of the Thirty-Six Divisions of Venerable Scriptures, the Jade Emperor on High; and also the Compassionate Father of the Azure Mystery at the Eastern Extremity, the Heavenly Worthy Taiyi Who Saves from Suffering; the Greatly Compassionate Heavenly Worthies of the Ten Directions Who Save from Suffering; the Supreme Gods Who Give Birth to Spirit in the Nine Heavens; the Five Elder Supreme Gods of the Five Directions; the Great Ritual Master Amid the Mystery of the Thirty-Six Divisions of Venerable Scriptures; the Great Emperors of the Three Primordials and the Three Offices; the True Rulers Who Deliver Souls from the Ninefold Darkness; the yang tribunals and yin clerks of the Five Marchmounts and the Ten Earths; and all the divinities who preside within and beyond the Three Realms and respond to living beings. May the gods together look down in compassion and clearly discern this matter.

To guide living beings onto the right path and out of error, one must rely on the torch of wisdom; to help living beings cross the sea of suffering and reach the farther shore, one must depend on the bridge of the sacred teaching. Therefore the Heavenly Worthy, with a heart of expedient compassion, established for living beings a teaching that joins provisional means with the ultimate, clarifying the purport of the five scriptures so that they become the gateway through which the myriad things come to know the Great Dao. The mysterious words of the five scriptures are clear and plain, and their regulations are vast and solemn. Only those who set their resolve upon the Dao and follow the conduct of De can trace the maxims and wondrous instructions within them to their deep source. As for the profound principles and marvelous phrasing, those who have them only by word of mouth can scarcely glimpse even their general outline.

Now, commissioned to pray on behalf of a certain person that the deceased may attain deliverance, I respectfully assemble the pure company of the Dao here present, set out the ritual seat, and recite the following scriptures:

The subtle principles of the Dongxuan Lingbao Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing (the Cavern Mystery Numinous Treasure Scripture of the Stanzas on Generating Spirits in the Nine Heavens) cannot be glimpsed even in part by oral transmission alone. Now, as I pray for the deliverance of a certain deceased person, I respectfully set out the following scriptures before the pure ritual assembly and establish a place for their chanting: the Dongxuan Lingbao Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing; the Wondrous Scripture of Constant Clarity and Stillness Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao; the Wondrous Scripture of the Mind-Seal of the Exalted Jade Emperor; the Wondrous Scripture of the Most High Cavern Mystery for Rescuing from Suffering and Removing Sins; and the True Scripture of the Most High on Birth in Heaven and Attaining the Dao (the Way).

I expressly dedicate the merit of this recitation to the departed spirit, wishing that the deceased may transcend the dusty world and be freed from suffering and distress. May the deceased leave the many paths of delusion and enter the gate of Xiyi (the obscure realm, hard to see and impossible to put into words, of which Daoism speaks). Through the Jade Stanzas that Generate Spirits, may the Four Images and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) be harmonized and brought into accord; through the wondrous scriptures that rescue from suffering, may the Three Corpses and Six Thieves (the inner deviant thoughts and desires that Daoism says obstruct cultivation) be eliminated. May the deceased take seeing through the Five Aggregates (the five kinds of factors that constitute body and mind) as the steps to attaining the Dao, and by purifying the Six Roots (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) realize the true realm of birth in Heaven; forgetting mind, bodily form, and external things, and apprehending the true and constant nature; refining Shen (spirit), refining Qi (vital energy), and refining Jing (essence), and understanding the Way of blending and returning the wind. May they, together with all sentient beings, enter as one the gate of the formless. The assembly, devout and sincere, praises and recites with a single voice.

Recitation of the Shengshen Zhang Jing

Respectfully it is said that the Scripture of the Stanzas on Generating Spirits in the Nine Heavens arises from the Flying Mystery Qi of the Three Caverns (the Three Caverns are the classification of Daoist scriptures; Flying Mystery Qi refers to the mysterious primordial Qi of which Daoism speaks). This primordial Qi condenses in the void and forms Brahma-Qi and spontaneous script, and is therefore able to open Heaven and Earth and bring the myriad things into being. Broadly speaking, of human beings... The assembly, devout and sincere, praises and recites with a single voice.

Recitation of the Shengshen Zhang Jing

Speaking with reverence, the Scripture of the Divine Chapters of the Nine Heavens on Generating Spirits (Jiutian Shengshen Zhangjing) was condensed from the flying mysterious Qi (炁, vital energy) of the Three Caverns (Sandong)—the wondrous primordial Qi of which Daoism speaks—and written characters formed of themselves in the void. It is therefore able to open heaven and earth and to transform and generate the myriad things.

Human beings are born because they receive the Qi of the Nine Heavens, and only then do the embryo and the hun and po souls take form. The five viscera and six bowels, the seven orifices and eight luminous sites (places in the body associated with divinities), and the thirty-six thousand spirits (Shen) are likewise all fused and condensed from the Qi of the Nine Heavens. If the movements of Qi are blocked, the process of growth and nurture cannot be completed, and some fetuses die untimely because obstructions arise during gestation.

When the Qi of the Nine Heavens moves with its natural course, it congeals into an ordinary embryo and becomes a human being; when it is reversed and cultivated, it congeals into a sacred embryo and becomes an immortal. Although the sage and the ordinary person differ, the principle they follow is the same. Heaven belongs to Yang (within Yin-Yang), and “nine” is a Yang number. Pure Yang becomes an immortal; pure Yin becomes a ghost. The perfected person dissolves Yin Qi with Yang Qi and thereby ascends to heaven as an immortal; in the ordinary person, Yin Qi dissolves Yang Qi, and one enters the earth as a ghost. Once a ghost, the soul-spirit suffers punishment in Fengdu (the dark underworld of Daoist legend), and spirit and soul fall into disorder. Without the power of the Scripture of the Divine Chapters of the Nine Heavens on Generating Spirits to gather in the wandering, scattered hun and po, it is hard to leave the darkness and return to the realm of light. Daoist priests who refine and deliver the souls of the dead therefore hold this scripture in special regard.

Since the deceased, so-and-so, has already heard the numinous and wondrous sounds of the scripture, they should devote themselves to comprehending the principle of penetrating wisdom within it, settle mind and Shen, guard the true abode (the place in the body where the true is preserved and the spirit is nourished), refine and nurture the embryonic origin, and return to the primordial beginning. In this way the hun and po naturally become harmonious and yielding, the Qi of the Nine Heavens also unites with the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin, which in Daoism means the root that transforms and generates the myriad things), and the Way of the embryonic immortal is accomplished. Once that Way is accomplished, one can mount the dragon carriage and ascend to heaven in broad daylight; this is to accord in De (Virtue/Power) with the Qi of the Nine Heavens. Should one not strive to cultivate? Should one not strive to cultivate?

To set forth this meaning more fully, a hymn is intoned:

The wondrous Qi of the Nine Heavens comes from the void;

within the empty cavern, harmonious Qi condenses and forms the sacred embryo.

Beyond the body, yet another body can be cultivated,

transcending the Three Realms and leaving the cycle of rebirth.

The assembly answers with one voice:

How rare it is to encounter the Scripture of Generating Spirits.

The Scripture of Clarity and Stillness (Qingjing Jing) is then recited.

I admire the Taishang Laojun Shuo Chang Qingjing Miaojing (the Wondrous Scripture of Constant Clarity and Stillness Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao), a classic that tells of the way of constantly preserving clarity and stillness. It is said that when the Most High Laozi traveled west to Langfeng, he expounded this scripture for the Queen Mother of the West. It teaches the method of cultivating the mind according to the Great Dao (the Way).

Let me try to explain. The root that heaven, earth, and the myriad things all follow in common is the Dao; the core that the countless scriptures make clear is the mind. The Dao has an aspect that is supreme and ever-abiding, while the human mind is divided into the true mind and the deluded mind. To cultivate the Way, one must cultivate the Great Dao; to speak of the mind, one must first speak of the true mind. The Great Dao is profound and formless, yet it can move, transform, and give rise to the myriad things; the true mind is still and unmoving, yet it can establish the myriad dharmas. Without the mind, one cannot grasp the Dao in its wholeness; without the Dao, the wondrous functioning of the mind has no way to appear. There is no mind apart from the Dao, and no Dao apart from the mind. Therefore the ancients who cultivated the Dao always began by cultivating the mind.

How does one cultivate the mind? Simply through clarity and stillness. How does one attain clarity and stillness? The key lies in emptiness. If a person can make the mind empty, luminous, and free of attachment, it will not be stained by even a thread of worldly thought, nor occupied by external things. The mind remains silent and clear, ever clear and ever still; the inner Shen (spirit) turns of itself, and its wondrous response to things is inexhaustible. In this way one can transcend life and death—this is called attaining the Dao.

If the mind cannot be emptied, all manner of external affairs will drive a person into restless toil, and the seven emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, delight, and the rest—together with every kind of desire will tangle and churn within the heart. The moment one comes into contact with external things, one becomes entangled with them, struggling inwardly day after day, and in the end one still turns within the cycle of life and death. How then could one attain clarity and stillness and realize the Great Dao?

Therefore, if someone can gain some insight from these principles, they should clarify their thoughts so as to seek luminous clarity, send away desire so as to seek quiet, and forget both the body and external things so as to seek emptiness. Maintained over a long time, a single point of spiritual light will naturally link heaven and earth. This is what is meant by form and Shen both reaching the subtle realm, uniting with the Dao as True Reality, roaming the Three Realms and ascending into the Golden Gate—would the Immortal Duke of the Left Mystery deceive me?

To set these principles forth more widely, I will now chant a hymn.

The true heart, clear and still, takes the Dao (the Way) as its foundation, like the bright moon in the sky. When the clouds and mists of delusion are swept away, so that not the slightest veil remains over the heart, it is like a full moon, radiant and complete, illuminating the whole of the Great Void (the vast realm of emptiness of which Daoism speaks).

All respond in unison: How rare it is to encounter the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness (Qingjing Jing).

Recite the Heart-Seal Scripture (Xinyin Jing).

Speaking with reverence: the Wondrous Scripture of the Jade Emperor’s Heart-Seal (Yuhuang Xinyin Miaojing) is a classic proclaimed by the Supreme Emperor in his own words, and is truly the standard of the Great Way of the Golden Elixir (the Daoist path of cultivating Neidan [internal alchemy]). [The wording of the original seems incomplete at this point; what follows is “light fills the Great Void,” linked with the earlier image of the bright moon illuminating the Great Void.]

All respond in unison: How rare it is to encounter the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness.

Recite the Heart-Seal Scripture.

With reverence I hold that the Marvelous Scripture of the Jade Emperor’s Mind-Seal (Yuhuang Xinyin Miaojing) is a scripture personally proclaimed by the Lord on High, and that it is truly the standard for cultivating the great Dao (the Way) of the Golden Elixir (Jindan). One often hears it said that, among the thirty-six thousand methods of cultivating the Dao, only the Great Dao is the true transmission, and that among the three thousand six hundred side paths, only the method of the Golden Elixir is orthodox. Books on the Golden Elixir are as vast as a sea of mist; yet if one looks for what is concise and thoroughly clear, none can compare with this scripture (jing). That it takes “Mind-Seal” (xinyin) as its name is indeed most fitting.

Broadly speaking, what is most precious in the human body comes down to no more than three things: Shen (spirit), Qi (vital energy), and Jing (essence). Those who cultivate take these three as the foundation for refining the elixir, and so call them the “superior medicine.” The names in the elixir texts—red lead, black tin, mercury, cinnabar, metal essence, wood liquor, jia and geng, dragon and tiger, Kan and Li, crow and rabbit, the infant, the fair maiden, the yellow dame, the earthen cauldron, and more than can be counted—all refer to these.

If one masters the way of returning the wind and blending (the method of cultivation by which the Jing, Qi, and Shen within body and mind are set circulating and fused together), one can gather and refine them, bring them into union and coagulation, then temper them by the firing times, and warm and nourish them. At the beginning of cultivation, one hundred days are used to lay the foundation; in the middle, after ten months, the “sacred embryo” is formed (a metaphor, in the cultivation of Neidan (internal alchemy), for the taking shape of the fruits of practice); finally, after twelve years, merit and practice are fulfilled, the embryo is shed, and spiritual transformation is achieved. Once such an attainment is gained, it can be preserved for a long time, and the way of the Golden Elixir is thereby complete.¹

This superior medicine does not exist only in the human body; heaven, earth, and the myriad things all possess it as well. Only a person of wisdom can bring his own Shen into accord with the Shen of heaven, earth, and the myriad things, his own Qi into accord with the Qi of heaven, earth, and the myriad things, and his own Jing into accord with the Jing of heaven, earth, and the myriad things. He can therefore conceal and manifest himself and transform of his own accord, sharing a lifespan with the Great Void (Taixu, the vast and boundless cosmos). This is attaining the Dao.

How vast indeed is this superior medicine! It is the most precious supreme treasure within the wondrous Dao! I have now passed away and sunk into the Great Yin (Taiyin, the underworld), and the so-called superior medicine is no more. Yet if one can take the Shen of heaven, earth, and the myriad things as one’s own Shen, take the Qi of heaven, earth, and the myriad things as one’s own Qi, and take the Jing of heaven, earth, and the myriad things as one’s own Jing, then withered bones will be seen to revive and white bones to become a living person; the scattered superior medicine will gather once more, and the lost supreme treasure will be regained. Is this not a joy? To set this principle forth more widely, I will chant another verse of praise:

¹ In the original text, the passage from “gathering and taking them” through “shedding the embryo and spiritual transformation” is repeated once; the translation combines it according to the intended meaning.

The medicines of the highest grade lie within the human body; they are Shen (spirit), Qi (vital energy), and Jing (essence). Everyone possesses them, with no distinction of more or less. If one knows how to blend them, and can also gather again what has dispersed, one may lose this precious treasure and yet regain it—how could one not rejoice? To elaborate this principle further, another verse is chanted:

The medicines of the highest grade lie within the human body; they are Shen, Qi, and Jing. Everyone possesses them, lacking nothing at all. If one knows how to harmonize them and to apply the way of returning wind (a method in Daoist internal refinement by which the movement of qi is made to circulate and turn back), the yellow sprout (a sign symbolizing the first emergence of the elixir) within the golden tripod (a metaphor for the practice of Neidan, or internal alchemy) will grow day by day.

All together they chanted: “The Heart Seal Scripture (Xinyin Jing) is hard to encounter and hard to meet.”

They then recited the Scripture of Deliverance from Suffering (Jiuku Jing; a Daoist scripture that prays for salvation and the relief of suffering).

I respectfully hold that the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Jiuku Bazui Miaojing (a classic of the Lingbao tradition, telling of deliverance from suffering and the pardoning of sins) originates in the Qingxiao Yinshu (Hidden Writings of the Azure Empyrean) and is a secret text on the refinement and deliverance of departed souls. The scripture sets forth four guiding principles, and the key lies in taking luminous clarity as master.

The first is “establishment through the bestowal of Qi (vital energy).” By means of the One Qi—the original vital energy at the very beginning of the cosmos—the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning divided Heaven and Earth and set Yin-Yang in motion and transformation, thereby becoming the root of the myriad things. What Zhou Dunyi said—“Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), in movement, generates Yang, and in stillness generates Yin; Yang transforms and Yin unites, and Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth are thereby born”—speaks of this same principle.

The second is “birth by accordance with Qi.” After Heaven and Earth have separated and Yin-Yang has been established, human beings are born by receiving the harmonious Qi of Heaven and Earth. What Zisi said—“the Jing (essence) of the Two and the Five wondrously unite and congeal; the Dao (the Way) of Qian completes the male, the Dao of Kun completes the female, and the myriad things are transformed and born”—means precisely this.

The third is “the completion of the myriad methods.” After human society has taken form, sages and worthies appear in the world. They establish moral norms and institutions, rectify virtuous conduct, ease the conditions of life, and increase well-being, and only thus can the order of the human world endure. What Zisi said—“cultivating the Dao is what is called teaching”—also means this.

The fourth is “taking luminous clarity as master.” The luminous clarity here refers to human nature, and what is called “master” means venerating it as one venerates a sovereign. If a person can take this luminous clarity as the master of the whole being, and heed it in bearing, in speech, and in quiet repose, the mind will naturally become open and lucid, unobscured by external things, and the fundamental substance of the Dao will be fully revealed. What the Zhongyong calls “honoring the virtuous nature,” what the Daxue calls “illuminating illustrious virtue,” and what the Zhuangzi calls the “True Lord” all refer to this.

This luminous clarity is originally possessed by every person. It does not exist because of Yao, nor disappear because of Jie; it does not increase because of Yan Hui, nor diminish because of Robber Zhi. Hold to it, and one can become a worthy; cast it aside, and one becomes foolish. Gain it, and one may ascend to the heavens; lose it, and one sinks into the hells. The many sufferings of the hells—burning and boiling, slaughter and cutting, and the rest—all arise from the loss of this luminous clarity.

Therefore, whenever the Celestial Worthy delivers sinful souls, he first bestows divine wisdom upon them, so that they turn their light back upon the inner source and recognize their own destiny. Once the sinful souls repent and awaken, their sins are pardoned at once, their imprisonment is immediately lifted, all sufferings disperse, and body and mind find peace. It is like a traveler who loses his journey money halfway and is pressed by hunger and cold, exhausted and without support; once he obtains a treasure, all that he needs is supplied, and his sorrow and hardship disappear with it. The Celestial Worthy’s grace in saving beings from suffering is just the same.

If the deceased person can find a place of peace and joy within this luminous clarity and earnestly cultivate and nurture it, then one day the cultivation will be brought to completion. At that time, within the empty void another form will arise of itself, and one will thereby pass beyond the hardships of the Three Realms and arrive directly at the celestial realm where the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning dwells. How then could the sufferings of the hells remain? To set this principle forth more widely, a hymn of praise is next intoned:

All manner of ignorance and affliction is the root of suffering. Once that root is thoroughly removed, the roots of goodness can be preserved. Relying on the power of the sword of wisdom alone, one can leap free of the gate of the five sufferings within the cycle of rebirth.

The whole assembly chanted in unison: “The Scripture for Saving from Suffering is rarely met with—truly hard to encounter and hard to come upon.”

Recite the Scripture of Being Born in Heaven and Attaining the Dao.

I revere the Taishang True Scripture of Being Born in Heaven and Attaining the Dao. This scripture is the shortcut of cultivation that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning set forth for all beings of heaven and humankind. In transmitting subtle principles, one at first relies on words and in the end arrives at wordlessness; in cultivating the merit and blessing that lead to ascent into heaven, one at first must act with purpose and in the end arrives at Wuwei (non-action).

This scripture opens at once the approaches of sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation, and it makes clear the principles of practice from beginning to end. It is indeed the means of seeking the Dao (the Way), and the ladder of ascent to heaven. According to the purport of the scripture, the work of cultivation falls broadly into six stages.

At the beginning of entering the Dao, one first observes fasting and the precepts in order to make faith firm. One then widely performs good deeds and accumulates merit and virtue, earnestly cultivating wondrous conduct while not clinging to the various causes and conditions. One constantly maintains right mindfulness, so that thoughts within do not scatter outward and thoughts from outside do not intrude, thereby removing afflictions and karmic obstructions. One nurtures the true Qi (vital energy)—the primordial energy of life—so that body and mind are filled with a harmonious breath and are luminous within and without. One moderates food and drink in order to nourish the true origin, expels the ghostly corpses—the turbid, defiling energies that Daoism regards as obstructing cultivation—and cuts off craving and desire. One purifies the six sense faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—lets go of the five aggregates, the five categories that constitute the person and experience, and thereby reaches the realm of empty stillness and mysterious subtlety.

If one truly believes and can carry out these six practices, mind and spirit become concentrated and settled, and the bodily form loosens and transforms, as though flesh and bone were melting away. One may then roam the Great Void and survey the transformations of the myriad things. At this point one can realize the wholeness and truth of the body of the Dao: the cultivation of the mind begins in purposeful action and finally returns to Wuwei; once this realm is reached, one naturally comprehends it in silence.

If the deceased cultivates in accordance with this, accumulating day by day and advancing without cease, in time that person will be able to join hands with the host of immortals and wander freely and at ease among the Five Cities and Twelve Towers—the celestial towers and terraces where, by tradition, the immortals dwell. By then, one will only regret having encountered this scripture so late. I therefore expound the meaning of the scripture still further, and recite once more a verse:

With a mind free of attachment, the Dao (the Way) ferries sentient beings to salvation and, through every kind of skillful means, makes plain the path of cultivating the true. Whoever can return to the realm of sagely wisdom and perfect penetration is a person born into heaven who has attained the Dao.

In unison, all praise it: rare indeed is it to encounter the Jing (scripture/classic) of Birth in Heaven.

We reverently look up to the Supreme Sovereigns of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the assembled worthies of the Golden Portal, and the true spirits of the Three Realms summoned by the raising of the altar and the expounding of scripture. We earnestly beseech you all to extend compassion widely and to look down upon us in examination. All the merit we earlier gained by reciting the Five Scriptures of the Most High we devote entirely to assisting and recommending for deliverance the soul of the deceased, So-and-so, helping him to awaken his Dao-nature and to uproot the roots of suffering.

May the deceased, on hearing the Scripture of the Stanzas of the Life-Giving Spirits of the Nine Heavens, understand the source from which life is received and practice the wondrous method of returning to the root and reverting to the origin; on hearing the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness, suddenly awaken to the principle of original nature and let go of attachment to every form and appearance; on hearing the Scripture of the Mind-Seal, cultivate on his own the learning of nature and life and refine and nourish the Neidan (internal alchemy); on hearing the Scripture of Salvation from Suffering, guard that single point of light within the heart and not sink into the hells; on hearing the Scripture of Birth in Heaven and Attainment of the Dao, cultivate merit and wisdom together, ascend directly into heaven, wander at ease in the court of wondrous being and roam in the realm of primordial chaos, so that the pure and true mind of the Dao never grows dim, but endures through myriads of kalpas.

At first one relies on the words of scripture to guide those who have lost the way; at this point one should pass beyond language and grasp the true meaning within. It is like taking a boat across the sea of suffering: once the other shore is reached, the boat is no longer needed; and like raising a torch to light a bewildering path: once one has stepped onto the right way, the torch too is of no further use. This is the utmost that the merit of reciting scripture can attain, and the sign that the ritual assembly has been brought to perfect fulfillment. All gathered in the assembly should hear the scriptures with sincere devotion and offer praise.

When the rite of the “Three Hearings of Scripture” is performed, after the hearing may sentient beings arouse the mind of dedication, ever cherishing faith and paying reverence; may sentient beings have their understanding opened and awaken to the meaning of the scriptures, receive and uphold them, and recite them again and again; may sentient beings everywhere mount the bridge of the true Dharma, meeting no obstacle along the path of cultivation.