《玉清无极总真文昌大洞仙经注》Vol. 3

Purification (the surrounding text here is incomplete, so the full sense cannot be firmly established) can give rise to five spirits—Wuying, Baiyuan, Taiyi, Siming, and Taokang—who together attain ten kinds of penetrating wondrous conduct.

The Scripture of the Great Grotto of Wenchang has long circulated in the Shu region, yet Shu editions still contain errors. The reason is that for generations no one carefully collated and verified the original before carving blocks and printing; after repeated copying, characters were confused, so that “bird” was written as “horse”—the classic case of “how can a bird become a horse?” For example, the opening phrase “the Dao says: at that time” (daoyan er shi) is narrative by the Jade Sovereign Dao Lord, setting the occasion when the Heavenly King expounded the scripture—like “Thus have I heard” in Buddhist sutras or “The Master said” in the Analects—a fixed literary form that must not be omitted and should be restored. The annotator Qi willingly accepts responsibility for this unauthorized emendation, so that the scripture’s intent may be fully honored.

Every classic falls into three sections: the introductory section (setting out the reason and setting for the teaching), the main section (the body of the text), and the dissemination section (the closing part on spreading the work and its merit). Old editions lacked the four characters “the Dao says: at that time,” which means the introduction was missing. Therefore the text after “the Dao says” should count as the introduction, the thirty-six chapters as the main section, and the closing portion as the dissemination section.

Why did this scripture become popular in Shu? The Emperor Lord Yuanhuang (Yuanhuang Dijun) was first born in Haohui (the area of today’s Gusu in Suzhou), obtained this scripture, realized the fruit of the path, and became a deity of the Shu region, using this scripture to guide both humans and the gods of heaven. After Yuanhuang, he was born again in the dingwei year by imperial command to serve as the Yang Official of the Southern Dipper. The Yang Official of the Southern Dipper oversees “registering birth” (assigning who will be born into the world), so many who sought children came to pray. People thus came to know that Wenchang is Nanchang (the “Southern Prosperity” office), whose charge is to manage virtue and the nurturing growth of all things.

According to the cited record, toward the end of the Jingde era (Emperor Zhenzong), Academician Le, while serving as censor on the Western Capital retention staff, suddenly dreamed of a man in full dress who said he came by the Emperor’s order to summon him. Le followed and saw palaces and towers magnificent and asked the messenger where this was; he was told it was where the Heavenly Emperor dwelt. After being received, the Heavenly Emperor said: “Your master sought a son; I chose someone for him.” Before long the person arrived. The Emperor said: “For those in the Central Plains who seek offspring, you shall go—do not refuse.” The man kowtowed three times asking to be excused; the Emperor said: “Go!” Someone standing by said: “This is Li Shouwei, the Barefoot Immortal of Nanchang.” The next year the Emperor Renzong was indeed born. From this one knows that Wenchang truly is the god who governs offspring and blessings and rank.

Every sentence of this scripture speaks of one thing. If a person can practice even one sentence of it, that person can also become an upper immortal; how much more so if one recites and upholds all of it—how could there be no karmic response?

Nowadays there are those who have become Huangguan (a byname for Daoist priests), yet to old age and death do not know that the Wenchang Dadong Jing (a Daoist classic emphasizing retribution for good and evil and the cultivation of the mind) exists. There are also those who, seeing that the scripture does not discuss retribution for good and evil, put it away on a high shelf; and there are still others who, though they enjoy reciting it, do not understand its meaning and principle. In fact, the scripture is not without teachings on the retribution of good and evil. For example, it says, “Pull out the poison of the Five Sufferings” (the Five Sufferings are the five kinds of suffering and adversity spoken of in Daoism), and “Transcend the body and rise beyond Shiqing” (Shiqing is a heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism). If one were without guilt, how could one safely escape the Five Sufferings? If one were without blessed reward, how could one safely reach Shiqing? There are many statements of this kind. Other scriptures all say, “Recite and uphold this scripture”; then where does the true intention of this scripture lie? This scripture is directed at the human mind. If a person cannot carefully guard this mind, but deceives and indulges himself, is perverse and extravagant, and violates ritual and law, then in life he will invite severe illness and the calamity of prison; after death his corpse will be cast into ditches and left for flies and insects to eat. How would heaven, earth, ghosts, and spirits have the leisure to throw him into Avici Hell and chase and torture him?

Buddhist books say: Even after a hundred kalpas, the karma one has created does not disappear; when causes and conditions come together, one must still undergo the fruit oneself. Ancient books say: Misfortune and blessing have no fixed gate; people bring them upon themselves. Is this not the retribution of good and evil? I now append here the verifying cases from the scripture, hoping that readers may arouse a mind of reverence and faith, practice them one by one, and thus hope to ascend through the gate of the Ten Immortals. If they are people of shallow capacity, they may first understand the realm before their eyes and comprehend the principle of shijie (the Daoist method of seeming death and casting off the body to become an immortal). Shijie has five kinds: water liberation is throwing oneself into water; fire liberation is self-immolation; metal liberation is meeting the blade; wood liberation is transforming while leaning against a tree; earth liberation is burrowing into mountain rock. Xuannü (a goddess in myth who transmitted methods of cultivation) transmitted the “five liberation methods,” by which one can escape great calamity, evade pursuit by the underworld, move elsewhere, or be reborn or take over another’s body (duoshe).

From between the brows of Yuanshi Tianwang (one of the highest deities revered in Daoism), azure rays of light shone forth.

Note: The doctrine of the “five liberations” in the text belongs to the mythological descriptions found in ancient Daoist books; it is literary imagination and not a method that can be practiced. Here it is treated only as documentary interpretation.

Great indeed is the Dao of the sages! It is broad and boundless, transforming and nurturing the myriad things, lofty and equal to Heaven. The founding patriarchs of the Three Teachings established their teachings and handed them down to the world originally without bias or attachment, yet people in the world insist on making distinctions: they say Buddhism focuses on “nature,” Daoism on “life,” and Confucianism on “principle,” not realizing that the three are fundamentally one body.

When Shakyamuni preached the Dharma, he emitted a white-curl light from between his eyebrows (one of the marks of a Buddha); when Yuanshi Tianwang (Heavenly King of the Primordial Beginning) preached the Dharma, he emitted a blue-curl light from between his eyebrows. The appearances manifested by these two sages are the same—what difference could there be? The white curl belongs to the metal Qi of the West; although it represents “nature,” “life” is within it. The blue curl belongs to the yang Qi of the East; although it represents “life,” “nature” is within it. Only when nature and life depend on each other is a complete human being formed.

The Zhongyong says: “What Heaven confers is called nature; to follow one’s nature is called the Dao.” What Heaven confers on me is “life”; what I receive at birth is “nature.” When one speaks of nature, life is within it; when one speaks of life, nature is within it. Therefore the “Dao” spoken of here is the unity of nature and life. Volume Seven of this book also says: “The root of nature and life is firm.” Then what exactly are nature and life? In terms of “nature,” it is benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom; the four beginnings and the five norms; the principles of the myriad things and events are all encompassed within it. In terms of “life,” it is yuan, heng, li, zhen—origination, flourishing, advantage, and perseverance; the four seasons and the Five Phases; the transformations of the myriad things all arise from this. This is the clear manifestation of the Heavenly Principle. It is only because people are obscured by selfish desires that they cannot restore the purity of their original source. Therefore the sages, in accordance with human endowments, clarified ritual norms and established teachings, enabling people to fulfill the Dao of utmost sincerity; thus the original face reappears, just as the Zhongyong says: “Only the utmost sincerity under Heaven can fully develop one’s nature… and assist Heaven and Earth in their transformation and nurturing.” The principle is as if displayed in the palm of the hand—clear at a glance.

Someone raised a doubt: “In annotating a Daoist scripture, you cite Buddhist scriptures and Confucian books—is this not inappropriate?” The annotator (Qi) replied: “The sages of the Three Teachings originally acted to correct the faults of people in the world and lead all to return to the good path. Hence it is said: ‘Under Heaven there are no two Daos; the sages have no two minds.’ It is like people entering a city: they must pass through a city gate, but upon reaching the final mansion, it is the same place. Though the gates differ, the destination is no different. If everyone exhausts their resolve, where could they not reach? I have harmonized the classics and annotated them—what fault could there be?”

Scripture: Above the crown purple Qi swirls; a jeweled canopy of myriad blossoms, floating and spreading, covers the form.

Above the head, the purple primordial Qi spirals and gathers, transforming into a jeweled canopy made of thousands upon thousands of blossoms, which floats in the air and shields the practitioner’s body.

The commentary explains that purple Qi is the purple qi formed when the two Qi of Yin-Yang combine; it symbolizes the fundamental primordial Qi of life. Within the purple Qi the jeweled canopy of myriad blossoms appears, shading the practitioner’s Dharma body (the sacred transformed body attained through cultivation). Such a canopy is originally present above every person’s crown; ordinary people simply cannot see it with the naked eye. The scripture says, “Purple clouds cover Huang-Lao; these are the Three Treasures Lords” (the Three Treasures Lords are honored Daoist deities), which expresses this same principle. For one who has achieved cultivation, even ghosts and spirits cannot glimpse his limits; they can see only vigorous red light shooting into others’ eyes.

Scripture: Jade light and golden clouds, winding in splendor, dazzling and illuminating.

Radiance like jade and clouds like gold, swirling in brilliant splendor, shine and illuminate, directly striking the eyes of celestial beings. The commentary says that these are like the “light of the seventeen emperors,” all emitted from within the practitioner himself.

Scripture: The Dao Lord of Yuchen, the Dao Father of Taixuan, bow the head and wait in reverence, wishing to hear the Dongzhang (Cavern Stanzas).

“Yuchen Daojun” and “Taixuan Daofu” are both respectful titles for honored deities. The practitioner bows to them, reverently looks up and waits, and wishes to listen to the wondrous stanzas of the Cavern Scripture.

Beneath the title it is noted that “Taixuan Daofu” was compiled by Master Niuzi. Only when one reads this point does one see “Yuchen Daojun” and “Taixuan Daofu” placed side by side. Yuchen (a high deity of the Yuqing realm) is the Taixuan of the Lingbao line; some believe it refers to Taishang Laojun, and I too once had doubts about this. Just as I was about to explain this point, I recalled a dream I had previously had: I dreamed that in front of the hall of my old home there was a herd of oxen, and one bull charged at me. I blocked it with my staff but struck its left eye; its hoof trampled my face, and I bit one of its toes, whereupon I woke with a start.

One day I happened to see in the Shilu (Veritable Records) that Taishang Laojun has eighty-two transformations, one of which is Xuanwu, styled “Taixuan.” I also saw in the Xianjiang that “the ox is the jingpo (essential spirit) of Xuanwu.” Then I recalled the statement in the Liji (Book of Rites), “the ox is called Yiyuan Taiwu,” and from this I understood that Taixuan Niuzi is the Xuan Emperor (Zhenwu Dadi), and that my earlier dream was not vain.

According to records, the Xuan Emperor was born in the time of the Yellow Emperor, in the first kalpa of the Heavenly Kaikang era, on the third day of the third month of the jiawu year, the first year of Ziyun (the Zhenwu Jing gives “jiachen,” which is an error). At fifteen, as a boy, he studied the Dao and cultivated; after forty-two years he ascended in purple clouds—that is, at age fifty-seven, on the ninth day of the ninth month of a gengyin year—and was appointed “Taixuan Yuanshuai,” forever guarding the north.

When the Longhan and second kalpa of high heaven arrived, King Zhou of Yin was without the Dao; demons and devils ran rampant, harmed living beings, and poisonous qi rose upward. Yuanshi Tianzun ordered the Xuan Emperor to capture the demons. He achieved great merit, so his Kan position (the northern water position) was restored, and he was appointed “Zhentian Xuanwu Da Jiangjun” (Great General Xuanwu Who Guards Heaven). Later, in the third year of Zhenhua of high heaven—equivalent to the second year of Jiayou in the Northern Song—the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) entrusted the Jade Emperor with assessing merits, and it was judged that the positions of the Three Officials (Sanguan) and Four Saints (Sisheng) should be second only to the Heavenly Emperor. Thereupon a Hanlin compiler (the official responsible for drafting edicts and compiling documents) wrote jade tablets and conferred on Taixuan the title “Xuantian Shangdi” (Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven).

From this it can be known that this scripture reappeared in the world at the time when Taixuan was conferred. The original consisted of one hundred twenty scrolls; Taixuan selected thirty-six chapters from them. These thirty-six chapters are also the ancestor of the thirty-six divisions of honored scriptures and are convenient for practice, just like the “Shangpin Miaoshou” in the Daduren Jing.

“Yongzhu” means looking upward, referring to a reverent attitude; “yuan ting” means bowing down to listen, with a neat and solemn demeanor, the mind focused and without other thoughts, fearing only that courtesy may not be sufficiently respectful and that bowing, rising, advancing, and retreating may lose proper measure. This is what is called “solemn, dignified, central and correct, sufficient to oversee.” The heart of the Dao Father extends from himself to others, just as Confucius said, “The Dao of the Master is loyalty and reciprocity, and that is all.” Is this not a matter of joyful countenance and chanting?

Hereafter I will select in order according to the sequence of the Six Roots and the Six Cavern Palaces, so as not to disrupt the main purport.

Yuanshi Tianwang gave a long, leisurely whistle and intoned: This is the Jade Chapter, the eleventh chapter of the Wenchang Dadong. Practitioners take the eye as the foundation, quietly observing and turning the gaze inward; from this the Dao-eye begins to become clear and penetrating. “Yiwei” and “Bingshen” are sexagenary markers, while “Mingyi” and “Jiaren” are hexagram names from the Zhouyi; here they should indicate dates or hexagrams, but the original text does not specify their meaning.

This passage of commentary discusses the classic three-part structure of scriptures: the narrative section explains the scripture’s origin, namely that Daoist Lord Yuchen recounts the circumstances that gave rise to this scripture; the orthodox main section is the core content proclaimed by Yuanshi Tianwang; and the circulation section has the Lord summarize the essential meaning of the entire scripture so that its meaning may be transmitted.

“The august sovereign transcends the boundless scenery” is a fragmentary line; its meaning is incomplete and cannot be further interpreted.

The eye’s attachment to external colors creates extremely great karmic obstacles. As soon as the eye sees something it desires, the heart-mind follows and gives rise to greed; once the mind stirs, Shen (spirit) becomes exhausted and scattered. Thus the Shen of the five viscera all leak outward through the eyes, and the eyes are first among the six roots. The eye orifice communicates with the heart, and the heart is the dwelling place of Shen; when the eye sees, the mind inevitably moves along with it.

“Huang” means great, and “shang” means high. Here it speaks of the vastness and loftiness of the Dao, which transcends the world of form and reaches the realm of formlessness. Without form there is no light, and so it is called “no-jing.”

The character jing appears twenty-eight times in the scripture and can be divided into several categories, with those of similar meaning grouped together. The four phrases “the eight jings move in constant peace,” “the eight jings together penetrate the cavernous yang,” “the eight jings illumine the Niwan” (Niwan, in Daoism, refers to the divine palace in the human brain), and “the contemplation of the eight jings of Taiqing” have the same meaning. A second group, close in sense, includes “within the illumined light-jing,” “the king within the jing of Taiyi,” “carrying the person within this jing,” “Qi emerges within the flower-jing,” and “constantly preserving within jing-transformation.” (Qi is vital energy, specifically in Daoism the primordial Qi.) A third group includes “the king of the primordial jing of Taiji,” “Great Simplicity brushes the faint jing,” “the red jing obscures the distant emptiness,” “the cavern jing entrusts divine penetration,” “the mysterious jing youth of Taiji,” “the feather jing in the court of Great Nonbeing,” “the upper jing Qi of the golden gate,” “the jade jing Qi of Hunyi,” and “the yellow jing Qi in the morning center.” Other phrases also form their own groupings: “the emperor above transcends no-jing” and “the great void is empty no-jing”; “riding the jing, the radiance in the morning center” and “driving the jing, ascending to the highest heaven”; and “the Diyi upper jing is bright; brightness generates the emperor jing,” “the upper jing thoroughfare of the two primordials,” “the lord who joins the jing of the eight perfected,” and “a thousand jings all arise and are held in esteem.”

In “the Three Heavens (the three heavens of Jade Clarity, Highest Clarity, and Great Clarity according to Daoism) radiate nine jings,” the character jing is the same in form but different in meaning. Commentators each have their own understanding: some explain it in terms of carriages, crowns, and garments; some discuss it in terms of banners, pendants, tallies, and canopies; some analyze it in terms of light and shadow, Qi and color; and some explain it as the names of divine perfected beings.

The scriptures and commentaries mention “the crown, garments, standards, and carriage of Jingchen Mingxia.” What these objects actually looked like is no longer clear. If one conjectures by meaning, they were probably similar to the official dress of the time: nobles had seven-treasure crowns, belts, saddles and bridles, and the like. The expressions “the nine clouds flow with jing” and “flying-cloud jade carriage” in the Yuhuang Jing are the same.

Now when it speaks of “no-jing,” it means no color or form. If a person can withdraw hearing and sight and turn inward in contemplation, they can naturally reach the realm of emptiness and naturalness.

The Scripture of the Turning of the Nine: Nine-colored rosy clouds flow with radiant light, and the jade carriages of flying clouds travel alongside. The commentary says that “wujing” means “without color.” If cultivators can withdraw their outward gaze and turn the light back for inner contemplation, they can reach the realm of emptiness, nothingness, and naturalness.

“The wheel turns and the nine luminaries halt”: One interpretation holds that the writing “the nine luminaries arise” is erroneous, and that the correct meaning should be that the sun and moon cease their movement and the Xuanji (the four front stars of the Northern Dipper) no longer turns. A person’s single breath of original Qi (prenatal Qi) was originally complete in the primordial undifferentiated chaos (before heaven and earth had separated), but because the eye faculty leaks outward, it cannot be preserved and nurtured. Now, having known this principle and cultivated it, one transcends the realm of form and color; therefore Xuanji and Yuheng temporarily stop turning, awaiting the appearance of signs of verification.

In heaven, the Northern Dipper turns the pivot and, through the nine Qi, transforms and nurtures all things in heaven and earth. Only the seven stars of the Northern Dipper circulate ceaselessly day and night, which is what the Book of Documents calls “Xuanji and Yuheng, thereby regulating the seven governments.” In the human body, the seven primordials (the seven operations corresponding to the Northern Dipper) circulate, generating ceaselessly just like the nine primordials in heaven. Therefore those who cultivate the Dao are “ceaselessly diligent all day long” (a phrase from the Zhouyi meaning unremitting diligence throughout the day), strengthening their resolve to accord with the heavenly mechanism. “Yao” refers to the radiance of Shen (spirit) shining in the eyes; once the gaze is settled, the nine orifices all become still accordingly. The line in the Book of Songs, “You cherish bright virtue and do not make a display with loud voice and countenance,” has the same meaning.

“The returning wind blends with the Emperor’s heart”: the Emperor’s heart is the heart of the Dao. The “Counsel of Great Yu” in the Book of Documents says, “The human heart is precarious; the heart of the Dao is subtle. Be refined and single-minded; truly hold to the center.” The original nature of the heart is profoundly pure and clear, empty and bright, without defilement, like a clear mirror or a balanced scale. This line means that the heart-spirit, like a swirling wind, blends into oneness with the Emperor’s heart (the heart of the Dao).

The Emperor Heart is the Dao Heart. The human heart is prone to peril, while the Dao heart is profoundly subtle; therefore one must refine the heart and concentrate it single-mindedly, firmly holding to the way of centrality and uprightness (as stated in the Book of Documents). The original substance of the heart is pure, quiet, empty, and luminous, like a clear mirror or a steady balance scale; it is the master of the body, able to embrace all principles and respond to all affairs. Even ghosts and spirits cannot spy out its bounds, and every movement and stillness of the heart is bound up with this. Thus the Great Learning says that the root of cultivating the person lies in rectifying the heart.

Laozi says, “The five colors blind the eyes.” If people’s eyes and minds are obscured by material desires, they cannot clearly see the transformations of heaven and earth. Therefore the sages established teachings, requiring people to withdraw seeing and hearing, discard cleverness and intellectual cunning, and take this as their foremost task. If one can preserve and nurture the heart and cultivate one’s nature, heaven, earth, and the myriad things will appear clearly before one’s eyes. Mencius says, “Nothing is better for nourishing the heart than having few desires.” By reducing desires, one can reach the state of heart-fasting like Yan Hui’s “sitting forgetfulness” (as in Zhuangzi). Thus the sage “washes the heart and withdraws it into secrecy” (as in the Zhouyi), and thereby accomplishes the great Dao.

This chapter takes the eye faculty as the entry point for cultivation. Buddhist scriptures speak of five eyes: the flesh eye, the heavenly eye, the wisdom eye, the Dharma eye, and the Buddha eye. The flesh eye belongs to ordinary people; what is colloquially called the “mundane eye” is this. The Buddha eye here is the Dao eye. Ordinary people view heaven and earth through worldly feelings and can only use the mundane eye; those who cultivate the Dao view heaven and earth with the Dao eye, and the root of the Dao eye lies in the one heart. Looking inward, the five viscera and six bowels are blocked by skin; looking outward, the Five Movements and Six Qi are separated by heaven and earth—none of this can be seen with the mundane eye. If one observes with the Dao eye, one can see through surface and interior; beyond the nine heavens and the minuteness of a mote of dust, all is perfectly clear.

“Returning Wind and Mixing” refers to the interaction of the Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth, thereby forming the “Emperor One True Dao Samadhi Emperor Heart.” The human body is the same: saliva and fluids are taken as the dragon, the thought of Wuwei (non-action) as the tiger; the key to their circulation lies in these two. The Zhouyi says, “Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger”; when the sage arises, the myriad things appear—the principle is the same. Later, Chapter Nine says, “The Emperor Heart is greatly and mysteriously penetrating.”

Formerly there was Yu Linggui, a native of Hejian, who practiced the Way of Returning Wind and Mixing of the Great Cavern. Over twenty years, when he sat quietly he could see affairs under heaven. Yet he concealed himself and did not display extraordinary powers; his appearance was usually like that of a man around thirty, and he did not mind wearing worn clothes. When people asked him about events of distant years or recent days, he answered as if he had seen them with his own eyes. People respected him, but he said, “It is merely coincidence; it is not something I know.” He constantly recited the Great Cavern Scripture. Sometimes he abstained from food and drink, and sometimes he drank wine. Later he suddenly ascended and became an immortal—this was because he had attained the Returning Wind Emperor Heart.

Cultivators use both eyes to return the light and reflect inward; true Qi then gathers accordingly in the Yuangong (Primordial Palace, the place in the body where Jing [essence] and Qi gather). This is called “Returning Wind and Mixing.”

The Eight Scenes (Bajing) circulate, bringing constant peace. The qi of the Eight Scenes circulates, enabling a person to remain long tranquil and secure.

One interpretation takes this as “Eight Qi (baqi),” but this is incorrect. Taking the heart as heaven and the kidneys as earth, the heart and kidneys are eight cun and four fen apart, just as heaven and earth are eighty-four thousand li apart. The spirit-wind (the qi within the body) moves back and forth like a bellows (tuoyue), and then gathers within the Primordial Palace (Yuangong, the Dantian); this is called “returning wind and mixing” (huifeng hunhe).

Thus, when the spirit-wind operates like a bellows, heaven and earth are stabilized. When a person circulates true qi throughout the body, the body can remain long peaceful and secure.

In the human body, the Three Divisions and Eight Scenes (sanbu bajing) run from Weilü (the tip of the coccyx) up to Baihui (the crown of the head); every three nodes make one pass, and three times eight totals twenty-four nodes, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms of the year.

The upper eight scenes are: the brain spirit Jue Yuanzi (courtesy name Daodu); the hair spirit Xuan Wenhua (Daoheng); the skin spirit Tong Zhongzhong (Daolian); the eye spirit Xu Jiansheng (Daozhong); the neck-marrow spirit Ling Mogai (Daozhou); the backbone spirit Yi Lifu (Daozhu); the nose spirit Chong Longyu (Daowei); and the tongue spirit Shi Liangzhi (Daoqi). The middle eight scenes are: the throat spirit Bai Liufang (Daotong); the lung spirit Su Lingsheng (Daoping); the heart spirit Huan Yangchang (Daoming); the liver spirit Kai Juntong (Daoqing); the gallbladder spirit Long Deju (Daofang); the left-kidney spirit Chun Yuanzhen (Daoqing); the right-kidney spirit Xiang Diwu (Daosheng); and the spleen spirit Bao Yuanquan (Daoqian). The lower eight scenes are: the stomach spirit Tong Zhuyu (Daochen); the spirit in the lower intestine Zhao Tengkang (Daohuan); the large and small intestine spirit Peng Songliu (Daochu); the spirit in the abdomen Guang? no, Shou Hengbo (Daoling); the spirit in the chest and diaphragm Guang Yingzhai (Daozhong); the spirit of the two flanks Pi Jiama (Daocheng); the spirit within the left Yin and right Yang Fu Liuqi (Daogui); and the spirit within the right Yin and left Yang Bao Biaoming (Daosheng).

Practitioners often use the “Purple River Chariot” (Ziheche, a Neidan term referring to the circulatory passage of the Du and Ren meridians) to carry true essence (jing) and qi upward to Niwan (the brain at the crown, that is, the upper Dantian). “Chang” means enduring, and “ning” means peace; together they mean causing the body to remain long peaceful and secure.

Another account says that the “Eight Scenes” are the “Eight Gates,” the principles operated by Dunjia (an ancient method of calculating directions and auspicious or inauspicious outcomes). Formerly, Shi Cun received the Sanhuang Neiwen (Inner Writ of the Three Sovereigns) from Huang Luzi; it records the Eight Gates Dunjia, by which one can employ the arts of escape and transformation and command tigers and leopards. On the seventh day of the fourth month in the first year of Yongkang of the Jin dynasty, he ascended to heaven riding a leopard and was enfeoffed as the Zhenren (Perfected One) Chonghe Jiansu. This is clear evidence of the cultivation of the Eight Scenes.

Scriptural Passage: “Vast Rosy Clouds Pay Homage to the Divine Heaven”: The vast clouds and rosy mists come to pay homage to the divine heaven.

Explanation of the Commentary

There are eighteen thousand heavenly deities and eighteen thousand spirits of the human body, thirty-six thousand in total, which correspond to the principles of Yin-Yang creation and transformation. The Book of Songs says, “The spirits descend.” According to Qingcheng Zhangren (the Venerable of Qingcheng), every part of the human body has a divine lord in charge: the head is the Lord of Qingcheng; the crown of the head is the Lord of the Three Terraces; the two eyebrows are the Lord of the Purple Pole; the two eyes are the Lord of Mystic Clarity; the left ear is the Lord of Intelligence; the right ear is the Lord of Clear Discernment; the nose is the Lord of the Wondrous Gate of Heaven; the mouth is the Lord of the Tooth Gate; the lips are the Lord of the Jade Gate; the teeth are the Lord of the Twenty-Eight Culminating Primordial Officers; the pharynx is the Lord Commandant; the larynx is the Lord of the Nine Ministers; the liver is the Lord of the Crimson Palace; the lungs are the Lord of the Flowery Canopy; the gallbladder is the Lord of Long Life; the heart is the Lord of the Dantian; the vessels are the Lord of Purple Silk; the stomach is the Lord of the Great Granary; the spleen is the Lord of the Yellow Court; the left kidney is the Lord of Mystic Wondrousness; the right kidney is the Lord of Mystic Primordiality; the large intestine is the Lord of the Food Mother; the small intestine is the Lord of Guiding and Directing; the abdomen is the Lord of the Great Dao; the Triple Burner is the Lord of the Mysterious Elder; the left foot is the Lord of Thunder and Lightning; the right foot is the Lord of Cloud Qi. These thirty-six “Lords of Generative Qi” all correspond to the whole body, penetrate it throughout, and together nourish the spirit-consciousness and enable it to function.

The Yijing says, “The transformations of Yin-Yang, which cannot be fathomed, are called Shen.” One who understands the Dao of change has probably understood the workings of Shen. It also says, “Shen has no fixed place.” The Yinfu Jing says, “People know that Shen is at work, but they do not know that what does not display divine traces is the very root of why Shen is Shen.”

This thing called Shen is entirely governed by the mind and intention. Therefore “vast rosy clouds pay homage to the divine heaven” is also called “the Valley Spirit does not die.” Niwan (the crown of the head or brain, regarded in Daoism as the gathering place of the hundred spirits) is where the spirits of the human body converge. When Shen gathers, it need not hurry yet arrives swiftly; it need not move yet reaches its destination. But ordinarily Shen lies hidden within seeing and hearing; only if it is not allowed to leak out through the eyes and ears can it become concentrated. Thus the Duren Jing says, “Below it stabilizes the human body at Niwan and the Crimson Palace; in the middle it regulates the Five Qi and blends the hundred spirits.” The human body is no different from heaven and earth: both are this same Shen-Qi.

This passage discusses the principle of “the Five Emperors scattering the solar essence.”

The places in the sky to which the sun, moon, and stars are attached exist because above the divine heaven there are sun and moon, just as there are eyes in a person’s head. The Five Emperors—the Green Emperor of the East, the White Emperor of the West, the Red Emperor of the South, the Black Emperor of the North, and the Yellow Emperor of the Center—each have their own jurisdiction: the Green Emperor protects a person’s Hun-soul, the White Emperor guards the Po-soul, the Red Emperor nourishes the person’s original Qi, the Black Emperor clears the blood vessels, and the Yellow Emperor presides from the center; all that they govern is the Qi of the Five Phases. In heaven there are the five planets, on earth the Five Peaks, and in the human body the five viscera; these three correspond above and below. If people indulge their desires and emotions, so that joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure stir within and issue outward, then the ghosts and spirits of the corresponding direction watch and identify what they do as though endowed with ten eyes and ten hands; thus calamity and auspiciousness, misfortune and blessing, come as retribution. Hence it is said that misfortune and blessing have no fixed gate; people bring them upon themselves.

The solar essence (the refined essence of the sun) and lunar radiance (the luminous splendor of the moon) are essential Qi that can be absorbed in Daoist cultivation. If one ingests and absorbs them, one can make the complexion radiant and the body strong. The scripture repeatedly cites sayings about the Qi of the Five Phases, such as “auspicious Qi nourishes the five clouds; the five Qi coalesce in the ten directions,” “the five viscera plant the root of jade,” “the five talismans seal the earthly knot,” and “the five ways bring forth golden blossoms.” All of these speak of the Qi of the Five Phases circulating through the Three Powers—heaven, earth, and humanity—as the root of the transformation, generation, and nurturing of the myriad things.

“Scattering the solar essence” means bestowing the Qi of yang harmony, assisting heaven and earth in their transformative nurturing, and enabling the growth of all things. If a person constantly regulates the five viscera with the Qi of the solar essence and keeps them in Great Harmony (the primordial Qi in which Yin-Yang are harmoniously blended), this is the principle stated in the Commentary on the Yi: “The Dao of Qian undergoes change and transformation, and each being is brought to the correctness of its nature and destiny.” When the five viscera are harmonious, the virtues of the Five Constants are thereby complete; one will not be impeached by the five spirits, will not be subject to inspection by the Five Peaks, will not be scrutinized by the five planets, and the registers of names reported by the Five Emperors will change accordingly—how then could one still be constrained by the Five Movements, the Five Ways, and the Five Sufferings?

The passage concludes with a sigh: what makes the noble person superior to ordinary people probably lies precisely in what ordinary people cannot see.

Fluid at Ease in the Mysterious Membrane

In the scripture the word yi appears in seven places, such as “Dwelling in Ease,” “Longevity and Ease,” “Purple Ease,” “Empty Ease,” “Green Ease,” and “Shangqing Ease.” The word liao carries the sense of ease and joy. The commentary says that Heaven and Earth rely on water Qi (vital energy) to revolve and circulate ceaselessly, and therefore they do not decay; people irrigate the five viscera with fluids, and therefore they do not die. Once the fluids dry up, Shen (spirit) loses its nourishment, and the bodily form inevitably deteriorates. The “mysterious membrane within” refers to the place where the water Qi of the north lies hidden within the body’s fat membranes; the kidney water of the human body is also within this membrane. When fluids and blood-Qi are constantly full and irrigate and moisten the body, the body becomes strong and the complexion radiant.

Blood Coagulates and the Five Splendors Are Balanced

The splendors of purple, green, crimson, and other colors are not orthodox colors; all belong to external things. Even if one sees splendid wealth and honor or heavenly bliss, they are not worth clinging to in the mind. The so-called Five Splendors (Wuhua) are the Blue Splendor, Cinnabar Splendor, White Splendor, Mysterious Splendor, and Yellow Splendor; they refer to the splendor inherent within the human body. When a person nourishes the five viscera with blood and Qi, the Mysterious Pearl—the pearl of spirit in Neidan (internal alchemy), a metaphor for the radiance of original nature—naturally forms. The Huangting—that is, the Daoist classic Huangting Jing—says: “Irrigate the Five Splendors and plant the spirit root.” After the Five Splendors coalesce, they transform into the Four Spirits—namely, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—which guard the center.

The commentary also records a story: Xiao Weiyi, courtesy name Mianzhi, a Daoist priest of Yuzhang, wandered to Xiangfu Abbey on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou. Delighting in its secluded purity and fine scenery, he stayed there and daily recited the Dadong Jing. Once, when he closed his eyes, he suddenly saw the Four Spirits guarding his left and right; he was greatly shaken and suddenly awakened. After this his countenance changed at once, his speech became extraordinary, and he suddenly could compose poetry. In his nineties his white hair turned black, his steps were like flying, and amid the Qi of pristine harmony he took leave of the assembly and passed away sitting upright. Xu Qinlin had studied under Xiao Weiyi and later also passed away seated in transformation.

The Body Is a Treasure, the Round Pearl Shines

This line is a summary: the body is like a precious treasure, and the radiance of a smooth, bright pearl shines within it.

The Dadong Xianjing (Great Cavern Immortal Scripture) calls this treasure “Canghu Jie Bao,” but this name does not appear in the upper and middle volumes; only in the lower volume is it stated explicitly. “Treasure” and “pearl” are the same thing, referring to that single grain of Golden Elixir condensed within the human body. It is also called the Mani Jewel (a divine pearl that fulfills all wishes), the Millet Grain Pearl (a pearl shaped like a grain of millet), the Dark Pearl, the Bright Window Dust Returning Elixir, the Spirit Elixir, the Jade Flask Elixir, the Purple Gold Elixir, the Golden Liquid Returning Elixir, the Daogui Great Medicine, the Holy Embryo and Infant, and so on, under a great many names. It is by no means comparable to medicines refined externally from metals, minerals, herbs, and plants; rather, it is formed by cultivating and forging together one’s own divine water (the Jing and Qi in the kidneys), Hua Pond (saliva in the mouth), golden crystal and jade liquid, cinnabar and mercury, true lead and true mercury, dragon liver and phoenix marrow, and the maiden and infant (all Neidan terms referring to the body’s Jing, Qi, fluids, and Yin-Yang substances).

Therefore the upper volume speaks of “the Great Treasure’s radiance shining forth in elegance,” the middle volume of “licking and refining the Pearl of the Five Sprouts,” and the lower volume of “receiving the Dark Canghu Pearl, befriending the Red Qi King of Treasure, the radiance of Canghu’s jaw, a pearl set in motion once at midday, the round pearl gleaming through the caverns”—all of these express the same principle.

The Confucian classics say that before heaven and earth had separated, their form was like an egg. Could the single word “treasure” have been chosen at random? Its preciousness lies in being available at any time, inexhaustible, following one’s wishes, and lacking nothing. In the world there is also the so-called “wish-fulfilling treasure,” which grants whatever people seek according to their minds. King Wei’s bright pearl could illuminate twelve carriages before and behind; Marquis Sui’s pearl and the jade uncarved stone presented by Bian He were all treasured by the world. Moreover, in heaven and the human world, in heavenly paradises and Buddha lands, in dragon palaces and ocean treasuries, could there possibly be no treasure of utmost truth and preciousness?

There are two accounts of the Yuanshi Treasure Pearl. According to the Duren Jing, Yuanshi Tianzun suspended a treasure pearl in the void of Dafuli, one of the celestial realms in Daoism, and it was the size of a millet seed. Yuanshi Tianzun entered the opening of the pearl first, and the assembled true immortals followed him in; all entered the pearl, and no one knew where they had gone. From this we can see that although the treasure pearl is small, it can contain an immense number of things. What is the principle behind this?

The Buddhists speak of “a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru” (a tiny mustard seed can hold Mount Sumeru), “within a fine dust mote there are also buddha-lands” (even the finest dust contains Buddha realms), and “on the tips of a snail’s horns two states can do battle” (from the parable in Zhuangzi). Zhu Xi said, “That which is great has no outside; that which is small has no inside,” describing the utmost greatness and the utmost smallness of the Dao. Sudhana climbed the tower and everywhere saw Maitreya Bodhisattva adorned with immeasurable treasures; when he awakened in a single morning, all the scenes of wealth and splendor he had previously seen were contained within the pores and openings of a single hair on Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s body. Vimalakirti the layman’s single small room could hold thirty-two thousand lion thrones. All these show that large and small are not fixed and unchanging.

The Yuhuang Jing says that in the heavenly palaces of the ten directions there are the Emperor’s responsive transformation bodies (manifested forms); when the teaching is finished, they again merge into one body. That being so, how can there still be any talk of differences in size or of separation and union? Therefore this treasure pearl, when spread out, fills the six directions; when gathered in, it does not fill a handful. An elder said, “Reading the whole Huayan Jing is not as good as reading one Gen hexagram in the Zhouyi”; this is indeed so. If a person gathers in the true primordial and remains utterly still, heaven, earth, and the myriad things will stand forth in ordered array before his eyes. Laozi says, “Attain the utmost emptiness; guard profound stillness; the myriad things arise together” (in the original, “guard profound stillness” is erroneously written as “guard stillness with alarm”). A fine dust mote can encompass celestial phenomena; the Dao of the One True can respond to and unite the four directions; even the vastness of the six directions cannot contain its body, yet in a subtle place like a mustard seed it can roam freely.

This treasure pearl is also named “Canghujie,” “Perfect Enlightenment,” and “Ruyi Wheel”; it is also described as “round like a golden pellet,” with a color like a vermilion tangerine. These are all names reluctantly assigned by the sages, analogies borrowed from physical images, simply to guide people who have not yet awakened. It is like after catching fish and rabbits, one should discard the fish trap and the snare; they need not be used again.

The phrase “flowing radiance, luminous, revealing the form” means that light streams and shines with crystalline brilliance, manifesting the image of the treasure pearl.

The Great Dao is not far away; it is right beside us. The ancients often used the metaphor of “hewing an axe handle” (Shijing, “Bin Feng,” “Fa Ke”) to remind people that the standard for cutting an axe handle lies right in one’s hand, and that those who cultivate the Dao should take self-reflection as their criterion. Only after one possesses virtue oneself should one make demands on others; whatever is present in the heart will inevitably appear on the outside. Therefore, those who have success in cultivating the Dao radiate brilliance, and their spirit illuminates the whole body, just as Mencius said: when virtue is full within, it appears on the face and fills the back. Even if virtue is hidden and concealed, its light remains evident. From the subtle to the manifest, sincerity cannot be concealed. If one can be like this, one can take the Dao as one’s source of self-respect, keep oneself pure and good, stay far from the dust of the world, withdraw one’s traces, and conceal one’s light. Not seeking others’ understanding, one is naturally understood by others; not wishing to be seen by others, one is naturally seen by others. Only this can be called great and abundant virtue.

“Shouyi Fu” is the name of the essence of the sun. Within the human body, when spiritual radiance is full, one naturally enjoys longevity. The commentary quotes a Buddhist scripture: if there are “the mark of self, the mark of a person, the mark of sentient beings, and the mark of a life-span,” one is not a bodhisattva. The “longevity” spoken of here is not human lifespan. To live to a hundred is already rare, and seventy has been rare since ancient times—how could that be called long life? If one looks only with such understanding, how can one know the mark of longevity that we originally possess, which since remotest antiquity has passed through kalpas without being destroyed? This mark of longevity fills heaven and earth; its measure equals that of Qian and Kun, it is one with the ten thousand things, and it is of one body with sentient beings, broad and unobstructed—where is there any limitation in number!

It is also called “Chengyuan Ting.” To climb high, one must begin from low ground; to ascend a mound, one must set out from the plain. This also corresponds to the respective assignments of the left and right eyes: “Shouyi Fu” belongs to the sun, while “Chengyuan Ting” belongs to the moon. Chengyuan Ting is the name of the Moon Emperor: only when the source is clarified does the flowing water become clear. Ting, in its ancient meaning, is the same as a tower or terrace, a place where the various immortals gather and dwell.

The phrase “ju mie san e ji” means to eliminate together the three kinds of evil thoughts and calculating intentions.

The Three Evils refer to the three afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion. If people can cut them off, they will not fall into the Three Evil Destinies and will be able to see the Heavenly Lord of the Three Treasures. “Ji” is the subtle incipient stirring of things, from which auspiciousness, misfortune, regret, and remorse all arise; therefore the noble person should be alert and act as soon as a matter first shows its tip, without waiting until the day is over. The Three Evil Destinies are the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals; all three belong to places of extreme yin, and once one falls into them it is very difficult to regain a human body. Cultivators therefore must use the Qi of pure yang to destroy the root-incipience of these evil thoughts. The scripture says: “Please extinguish the Three Evils, and cut off the earth roots.” The noble person maintains vigilance and caution even where others cannot see, and naturally can extinguish the sprouting of evil thoughts.

Opening the Register and Ascending to Great Brightness: opening the immortal register and ascending to Great Brightness.

The commentator holds that “Great Brightness” means “enlightening the four eyes”; there is another writing as “Tai Ming,” which the commentator considers incorrect. Great Brightness refers to the Great Hall of Universal Brightness where the Jade Emperor resides. The Yi takes Kan as water and darkness, and Li as brightness; Kan water is forever cut off from the realm of Li’s direct illumination, and therefore the sage faces south in governing the world. When the cultivator ascends to Great Brightness, it means receiving instruction from the Jade Emperor, having one’s name inscribed in the immortal register, and only then being able to go to court and pay homage to the Jade Emperor.

Later the text says “holding the register and ascending to Great Brightness,” using this as a metaphor that people should take the brightening of bright virtue as the highest pursuit: when one’s own virtuous nature is luminous and not obscured by sensual desire, one is a person of Great Brightness; whether worthy or sage, true immortal or perfected, all must keep their spiritual nature from becoming benighted.

Cause Me to Preserve the Immortal Perfected: cause me to preserve the body of the immortal perfected (the immortal perfected refers to the true person who has attained the Dao).

Only after Heaven and Earth had taken form did the myriad things come into being; what fills the space between Heaven and Earth is none other than the myriad things. Among the myriad things, human beings are the most spiritually endowed. But if people cannot cultivate themselves and reflect on their faults, they will fall into the Three Evil Destinies (the paths of evil retribution such as hells, hungry ghosts, and animals). In practicing the Dadong Xianjing (Great Cavern Immortal Scripture), only when one cultivates to this stage can one halt the root mechanism of birth-and-death transmigration, ascend to the Great Brightness (the realm of luminous clarity), and become one who preserves the body of an immortal true being.

The commentary’s parsing of this sentence allows two readings: one takes “causing you to preserve the immortal true” as an instruction from a superior to an inferior; the other takes “causing you” to mean “causing me,” making it a report from an inferior to a superior. The general meaning of the two readings is the same.

One must preserve one’s own true Qi (the prenatal original Qi). Attaining immortality depends on one’s own preservation; no one else can preserve it for you.

The Jade Emperor bestows blue-purple ribbons, for the cultivator to wear when going to pay audience. This is called “selecting immortals and recommending them as jinshi,” comparable to passing the civil examinations in the human world, where one is first granted a blue robe. The later phrase “draped in vermilion and centered in green, together with the rosy clouds” likewise refers to the garments of immortals.

Once one has entered the immortal register (the roster of the immortal realm), the disasters of former times no longer sink into the dark nether paths beneath the Nine Earths (deep within the earth). In the human world, an official may confer titles on his wife and children, shelter and benefit his descendants, and bring glory to his clan, but this is only temporary glory. If a person can be empty and detached, plain and without desire, how much more precious, then, is the glory of the immortal realm!

Transcending ordinary blessings and official emoluments, in the clear dawn of morning light, one ascends to attend court in the spiritual realm.

General Discussion of the Fruits of Cultivating the Dao

The various Dharma-judges are able to adjudicate difficult cases and discern heterodoxy. Even without special cultivation, after death they become yin ghosts and are selected as yin officials, rotating once every forty-nine years; this is so for everyone. If one can cultivate both inner and outer, and place equal weight on merit and wisdom, one may realize the immortal Dao. At that time, the cultivator, by means of his true spirit, receives blessings above Jingchen (the stars), joyous and unfettered.

Passage on the Stars

This passage is linked by the word chen and describes the asterisms of the celestial realm: the Heavenly Chen roams in the Golden Empyrean; the sun transforms into the Three Chen; within Chen there is a yellow Qi-light; the High Chen illuminates the Shangqing realm; riding the radiance within Jingchen; the Seven Chen return to the seat of the Emperor; the Jade Gate reflects the Chen rosy clouds; transcending the spiritual realm above the Blessed Chen; standing alongside the stars within the Feathered Moon; the Chen star ascends to the Guangling Hall and rises into the chamber of Tianlao (the Heavenly Elder).

These sentences cannot be treated as all of one kind; they should be explained according to the meaning of the scripture.

Words of Warning

Some do not read the scriptures of the Daoist Canon, yet on the basis of versions copied by others they arbitrarily alter the scriptural text. The author warns that such people cannot escape punishment in the underworld. How then can cultivators fail to take this as a warning and treat the scriptures with care?

Annotation on “Transcending the World and Ascending to the Jade Land”

To transcend the dusty world and ascend to the Jade Land means to pass beyond kalpas and the mortal world and enter the Jade Land. Here “jade” conveys the sense of warmth, moisture, and gentleness. In the solar Dao-realm there is no suffering from heat or cold; the four seasons are like the warm Qi of spring, and so it is called the “Jade Land,” also called “Daluo.” There is no sun or moon there, and therefore no distinction between day and night or cold and heat.

“Accumulated Ancestors Return to the Fetal Infant”

This is a fragmentary line; its general meaning is that ancestors of successive generations (or the cultivator himself) are able to return to the root and restore the origin, returning to the prenatal realm of purity and unity like an infant in the womb.

This passage first explains the principle of delivering ancestors. If ancestors transmitted through the generations undergo transmigration and rebirth, they may take the form of infants; the scripture calls this “the Dadong (Great Cavern) Emperor Lord manifesting in the human realm.” Some hold that since these spirits have no transgressions, they do not need to be saved. Yet the scripture specifically lists sixteen methods of deliverance and elevation, showing that practitioners keep their minds fixed on first raising their ancestors to ascend, and only afterward come to their own deliverance. The Heavenly King’s concern is extremely thorough.

Below are the specific objects and effects of deliverance and elevation: pulling out the roots of the Seven Ancestors of the South, untiying the accumulated corpse-knots of the Seven Ancestors, cutting off the obstructions of the Seven Ancestors, causing the Seven Ancestors to return to the womb and be reborn as immortals, dispersing accumulated stagnation, and causing the Seven Ancestors to be born in the Hall of Blessing. It further unties knots and bonds, causing the Seven Ancestors together with the Seven Mysteries—the ancestors and descendants of seven generations—to ascend to positions in the celestial Zhuguan (Vermilion Office), escape the realm of darkness, eliminate misfortune, and bring peace to the Nine Mysteries, the ancestors of nine generations. It again unties layer upon layer of bonds, dissolves the baleful forces accumulated over kalpas, and causes ancestors of many lives to return to the womb, regain the body of an infant, and shed evil names. These meanings are the same as those in the Duren Jing, where the Five Sufferings and Eight Difficulties attain liberation, the Seven Ancestors ascend, and the souls of the Nine Mysteries are delivered to Zhuling.

The Duren Jing is the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Duren Shangpin Miaojing, an important Daoist classic. Zhuling is a place in the underworld or netherworld as described in Daoism.

In the line “penetrating contemplation, unobstructed emptiness,” “dong” means penetrating, referring to the ten kinds of wondrous practices of penetration. Seeing with the fleshly eyes is “guan” in the level tone; inward contemplation with the mind and spirit is “guan” in the departing tone. This contemplation can look upward to the Nine Heavens and downward to the Nine Earths, with nothing obstructing it, and it illuminates emptiness. The ten chapters in the scroll are called the “Ten Caverns,” namely the Cavern of Emptiness (Dongkong), Cavern of Void (Dongxu), Cavern of Spirit (Dongling), Cavern of Truth (Dongzhen), Cavern of Mystery (Dongxuan), Cavern of Source (Dongyuan), Cavern of Brightness (Dongming), and so on. All take purity and quietude as their root, and wondrous practice and wondrous fruit are thereby perfected. This is the general outline of the “Dadong.”

The line “beginning to penetrate the causes of life and illuminate” is only a fragment; its general meaning is beginning to penetrate the fundamental principle of life and to understand its causes.

The Zhouyi says: among the images suspended in Heaven, none are more conspicuous than the sun and moon. The sun goes and the moon comes, and only then do cold and heat arise. If people lacked the light of the sun and moon, the principles of things could not become manifest; if Heaven lacked the sun and moon, it would remain forever sunk in dark night. That is why the character for “brightness” is formed from “sun” and “moon.”

Once the eye of the Dao opens, there is nothing it does not see; even a mote as fine as an autumn hair has nowhere to hide. The scripture says: “The holy sun and holy moon illumine the Golden Court.” It also says: “The sage unites his brightness with the sun and moon.” The great person—one of profound cultivation—is inwardly bright but outwardly obscure; ordinary people are inwardly dark but outwardly bright, and therefore shift and turn with external things.

“The black dragon’s pearl is limpid in the square pupil”: sages have square pupils, and Shun is said to have had double pupils. This means that after a person’s eye of the Dao opens, it is like the precious pearl beneath the black dragon’s chin—luminous, translucent, and unobstructed. For one who has penetrated cultivation, the whole body is hands and eyes; even when touched or knocked against, it is like the Thousand-Hand Great Compassion (Avalokitesvara), with nowhere that it cannot bring salvation.

“Inside and outside are clearly illumined and pure”: inner and outer are thoroughly bright, penetrating without obstruction, pure and without any covering. This is the bright mirror bestowed on humanity by Heaven. If one practices the Dao of the Great Cavern (Dadong), upward one can observe the heavens above the nine heavens, and downward one can inspect beneath the nine earths; the principles of all things are not missed by even the slightest hair.

In cultivating the Dadong Golden Elixir, one must gather lead and mercury. An old poem says: “At the pool’s bottom the sun is red, and yin prodigies vanish; on the mountain peak the moon is white, and the medicinal sprouts are new.” Lead is yang Qi; mercury is yang Jing. With yang returning to yang, both eyes become bright like golden stars and can penetrate the Dao of day and night: use the left eye by day and the right eye by night, thereby replacing the light of the sun and moon.

The above Jade Chapters in celestial seal script total one hundred twenty characters. (The Jade Chapters are talismanic phrases used in Daoism to command spirits.) Above, they guard the Yaoming Zongpiao Heaven; below, they command the Third Rampart Lord of Imperial Virtue.

The Xuanqi says: When a cultivator attains the state of penetrating contemplation and purity, the Dao-eye begins to open with luminous clarity; without obstruction, within and without become thoroughly transparent, and one can illuminate everything. Thereupon one cuts off the evil roots in Mount Fengdu (the mountain where the underworld ghost realm is located) and in the Zhoujue Yintian Palace, as well as the earth roots (the roots of yin turbidity), the registers of demons (the records listing demonic hosts), and the ghost ledgers (the name lists kept by ghosts and spirits). Cultivators constantly offer heavenly flowers and flying incense to Yuanshi Tianwang (that is, Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities of Daoism). Yuanshi Tianwang is precisely my original spirit, which endures through ten thousand kalpas without decay and is not obtained from outside. By offering scattered flowers and flying incense, one can then advance to the fruition of the Human Immortal.

The middle scroll discusses the Ten Immortals, namely embryonic gestation, the hun and po souls, numinous origin, Huayue, the viscera, original destiny, and so on. From the first month after conception, the embryo grows in sequence until it turns into the gate of the Ten Immortals. This was already explained earlier in the annotations to “Wondrous Practice of the Mind-Faculty” and “Completing the Ten Perfected” in the middle scroll, but practitioners find it difficult to grasp; therefore here the material on the Ten Immortals is taken from books on cultivating perfection to supplement it.

The Human Immortal refers to a cultivator whose lifespan reaches over one hundred years and who can see the number of generations he has passed through, as in the cases of Laozi’s nine hundred years and Pengzu’s eight hundred years.

Yuanshi Tianwang said: In chapter twelve of the Wenchang Dadong Jade Stanzas, the ear-faculty is thoroughly penetrated, and the sacred ear comprehends Brahma sounds. “Dingyou” and “wuxu” are markers for days in the sexagenary cycle; “Kui” and “Se” are hexagram names from the Zhouyi. What they specifically refer to here is abbreviated in the original text and difficult to explain with certainty.

Yuchen is the immortal realm inhabited by Yuchen Dadao Jun, and the Nine Heavens Office refers to the divine administrative body that governs the nine heavens.

Ear Faculty (ergen) (one of the six faculties, referring to the ear’s perceptual function) merely hears sounds; when touched by sounds, the mind-spirit stirs and turns along with them. Whether one does good or evil can differ in an instant. A difference of a hair’s breadth becomes an error of a thousand li. Thus Yu Shun liked to inquire and was skilled at observing, Yu the Great accepted good words as soon as he heard them, Dao Zhi (a famous ancient brigand) liked to hear words that enticed people to do evil, and King Zhou of Shang liked to listen to decadent music—all of these are the ear listening.

In the past a monk sat in meditation practicing Chan, while crows in a tree cawed without stopping. Someone asked him, “Did you hear it?” The monk said, “I did not hear it.” The questioner asked again, “Why did you not hear it?” The monk replied, “To listen without listening—this is ‘not hearing within hearing.’” From this it can be seen that the ear is not actually not hearing; it is only that the sound did not remain in the mind.

Yuchen Lingbao (Jade Throne Numinous Treasure) (Yuchen is one of the highest heavens in Daoism) is located above the Nine Heavens. The Nine Heavens are divided into three layers: from one Qi are generated the three Qi, called the “Three Treasures”; from the three Qi are again generated the nine Qi, which are the “Nine Heavens.” This is the heavenly realm that produces the gods and spirits, namely Yudan Wuliang Heaven and the like. In addition there are the “Eight Brahma Nine Heavens,” including Shiqing Heaven, Taiqing Heaven, Shidan Heaven, Dadan Heaven, Shisu Heaven, Taisu Heaven, Shixuan Heaven, Taixuan Heaven, and Dafan Heaven; these are also called the Nine Heavens. They are further called “Gaoshang Shenxiao.”

The deities who govern the Nine Heavens include: the Great Emperor of Long Life of the South Pole, the Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole, the Heavenly Worthy of Universal Transformation of Thunder Sound, Responder of Origins of the Nine Heavens, the Great Emperor Thunder Ancestor of the Nine Heavens, the Great Heavenly Emperor Taiyi of the Purple Tenuity Jasper Palace of Shangqing, the Great Emperor of the Cavernous Abyss of the Six Heavens, the Sovereign Lord of the Six Waves Heavens, the Venerable Lord Kehan, and the Perfected Lord Investigator of the Nine Heavens. Together they are called the “Shenxiao Nine Majesties.” They hold the power of life and death and issue commands like thunder racing and wind speeding; from this all things are born and from this they come to an end. Therefore Yuchen Daojun (the Lord of the Dao of the Jade Throne) governs them, and the corresponding locus of all this within the human body is the “middle court.”

Taishang Daojun (Supreme Lord of the Great Dao): a Daoist honorific title referring to one of the highest deities of Daoism; it is one of the honorific titles of Taishang Laojun and is one of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).

Daojun (Lord of the Dao) refers to a ruler who possesses the great Dao. In former times, Lingbao Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure), a revered Daoist deity, descended to be born as the king of the kingdom of Xina; the world was at peace, and the people called him a “ruler who possessed the Dao.” The character dao originally means to practice or to tread. When leaving the house one must pass through a door—why not walk this road? These are all matters of making De (Virtue/Power) manifest and transforming the people, extending from one family to one state and ultimately to the whole world; those in superior positions practice it first, and those below will imitate them. Laozi says: “Cultivate it in the person, and its De becomes genuine; extend it to the world, and its De becomes universal.” The Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean) says: “The Dao is not far from people.” If people seek the Dao by distancing themselves from others, it cannot be called the true Dao. Do not all the great affairs of the world—cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and pacifying the world—begin with cultivating the self, rectifying the heart, and making the intentions sincere, after which alone the world can be governed and pacified? A person of the Dao devotes himself to benefiting the world and helping others. Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang were without the Dao, and the people suffered disaster; King Wen of Zhou and Tang of Shang saved the people from water and fire and relieved them of the suffering of being hung upside down, and later generations therefore praised them as rulers who possessed the Dao.

“Chang bao jing hua nei” (Always preserving within the luminous transformation): this is a fragmentary line; it means roughly to dwell forever in the realm brought forth by the Dao’s transformation.

The Yujing (Jade Scripture) says: If the Son of Heaven, kings, and nobles can uphold this scripture, they can bring peace to the state. Therefore, reciting this scripture can enrich the state, secure the people, strengthen the army, and ensure victory, so that no bandits or invaders disturb them from outside and the state and its altars of soil and grain are forever preserved. Reciting this scripture is specifically for kings, emperors, rulers and ministers, and fathers and sons to stabilize and protect the realm; (part of the text is missing).

“Jiu hui jing zhong qing” (Ninefold Return, Clarity in the Mirror): “nine in harmony and ten united” refers to the numerological patterns and realms of harmonious completeness; its clarity is like a mirror, able to penetrate and illuminate the principles of things and reflect the way to stability for the state and the people’s livelihood.

The states of Nine Harmonies and Ten Unions are clear and bright like a bright mirror, able to penetrate all things. The Jade Emperor Jing says: If one destroys the spiritual root and steals the supreme treasure, one cannot preserve purity, so that the mirror is not bright and the scale is not balanced. Formerly Chen Yuming obtained the Way of the Bright Mirror and cultivated it for eighteen years; on the first day of the third month in the first year of Taikang of the Jin, he ascended and became an immortal. During the Taikang era, Zhang Ruzhen of Xinye encountered a divine person who descended into his dwelling and transmitted to him the Way of the Bright Mirror’s penetrating reflection. The deity said: It is Heaven that can illuminate the principles of things; it is Dao that can reflect their forms. The Way of Heaven lies in clarity; the Way of the mirror lies in brightness. When observation is exact and without deviation, the bodily form is settled here, and things are reflected there. Therefore the forms of mountains and rivers and the moods of ghosts and spirits cannot be concealed. Because Heaven is clear, it can contain all things; because water is limpid, it can reflect all forms. If Heaven is clear and the mirror bright, and one purifies the heart and stabilizes the Shen (spirit), then inner and outer become transparent, and the ultimate Dao can be attained. But if externally one is enslaved by things and internally harassed by thoughts, so that heart and Shen are muddled and cannot become clear, then one is far from Dao. I received this method from Lord Changsang (the legendary physician who is said to have transmitted the medical art to Bian Que), and Lord Changsang received it from the Taiqing Heavenly Emperor. If you cultivate this method, you will penetrate the mysterious and wondrous, become thoroughly unobstructed, and illuminate far to the most distant reaches of the eight directions. In the Dongzhen methods there is the Way of the “Four Regulations,” which operates according to the four seasons and is the same as this. The ancients said, “Empty the chamber, and whiteness arises of itself; settle the heart, and Dao completes itself.” How true this is! Zhang Ruzhen cultivated for nine years and could see a thousand li away; nothing could be hidden from him. On the eighteenth day of the eleventh month in the thirteenth year of Tianyi of Liang, he ascended and was titled Quanzhen Dadao Zhenren (Perfected One of Complete Perfection Who Penetrates the Dao). This is the essential meaning of clarity in the Nine-Return Mirror. Each sentence of this Jing addresses only one matter; if a person can practice a single sentence, that person will unite with Dao and become a consummate person. There is also Li Shining’s account of the “Xuanyuan Mirror,” which is detailed in a separate biography.

The final line, which means “Untying the Belt, Jade Light Illumines the Room,” is only five characters long in the original. Its general meaning is to untie one’s belt while jade light reflects within the room; it seems to describe the pure, calm, and leisurely demeanor or scene during cultivation. Since the original contains only these few characters, this brief understanding is all that can be offered.

Untying the Belt, Jade Reflects in the Chamber: Once the knots and obstructions in the heart are untied, the spirit chamber within the body shines with radiance like fine jade. The “Jade-Reflecting Chamber” here refers to the spirit chamber in the Zhongwan region (above the stomach cavity); Daoist texts call it the Shangqing Yuchen Palace, the inner dwelling after one has attained the state of the Perfected Person. The commentary quotes the Book of Odes: “Look into your chamber; should you not be freeof shame even in the corner of the house?”—meaning that even alone in a dark room, one must remain without guilt and keep a sense of reverence.

Riding Plainness into Fourfold Clarity: “Plainness” means emptiness. When the ear hears sounds, it should respond with an empty mind; hence it is said, “Ride the empty plainness and reach the fourfold acuity.” Fourfold Clarity refers to the clear functioning of the senses—ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and so on. Within the lungs is the Dutongzi (Capital Youth), named Suming, styled Wuying. The character ming (brightness) is composed of ri (sun) and yue (moon), symbolizing the union of sun and moon; the commentary marvels that whoever devised this character must have deeply understood the principles of creation.

Carrying and Raising the King in the Sun: The Director of Destinies in the sun is also called the Lord Who Continues Life, styled Daoling. “Carrying and raising” means never departing from it for a moment, never temporarily abandoning it. The commentary lists many expressions related to the “sun.” The true spirit within the sun is the essence of the great sun; in the human body it is the yang qi of the Kan position in the kidneys, that is, the single point of bright qi between the two kidneys. The so-called “King in the Sun” arises at the zi hour (from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.). The zi hour is precisely when the first yang is born, and Daoist inner cultivation often takes this time to circulate qi.

Joining Wings with the Dawn in the Moon: No explanation of this line is found in the commentary. Literally it may be understood as moving alongside the dawn light within the moon (within yin), like a bird’s two wings following one another. Its specific referent requires consultation of other commentaries to this scripture.