《高上玉皇本行经集注》Vol. 1

Scripture Name and Source

The Collected Annotations on the Most High Jade Emperor’s Original Conduct Jing (Scripture) is included in the “Three Caverns Scripture Teachings” (Sandong jingjiao) section of the Zhonghua Daozang. “Most High Jade Emperor” refers to the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi) revered in Daoism; “Most High” means supremely high; “Original Conduct” refers to his fundamental cultivation and teaching deeds; “Collected Annotations” means gathering the scripture text and adding explanations.

Volume One of the Annotations on the Imperial Scripture: Preface to the Opening Eulogy

Its author is Vice Marshal Tianyou and the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) of Harmonious Response and Goodness, a Daoist divine title. The gist of the preface is as follows.

The Great Dao (the Way) originally has no form or shape, yet it transforms and nurtures the myriad things and gives them their beginning; the Dao of utmost truth has no form or image, yet it gathers the hearts of the multitude and causes people naturally to return to it. The Great Dao’s response is like a great bell: a light tap at once produces an echo.

The Original Conduct Scripture is the Jade Emperor’s secret teaching and the most essential purport of the heavenly realm. The Fuli True Realm, a Daoist immortal realm, records the original circumstances of the preaching of the scripture and transmission of the Dao; the Purple Micro Upper Palace, a divine palace in the heavens, has revealed scriptural traces that had long been sealed away. This scripture contains the hidden rhythms of the various heavens and is an immortal chapter of Dafan (Great Brahma), the highest realm of the heavens. This scripture is connected with the Jade Emperor’s own handwriting and universally saves the spiritual nature of people in the world. The date of its composition can no longer be traced.

People in the world are deluded and mistaken, lose the principle of truth, harm themselves, drown in desires, and cannot cleanse themselves; therefore the sacred text was concealed and did not appear. Now the scripture has reappeared, like fine jade from Mount Kunlun coming to light or a bright pearl emerging from the great sea, filling people with awe.

The preface uses metaphors to explain the scripture’s efficacy: a prisoner who admires its wondrous meaning gains liberation; a deep-seated illness that has long failed to heal is suddenly cured by its virtuous teachings; the scripture is like a bright lamp in darkness and a boat on the great sea, able to protect the state, secure families, and bring relief from birth and death.

The scripture rolls are vast, profound, and difficult to measure. Were one not to admire the true Daoist ethos, how could one accord with this principle? The author merely outlines the main points in order to open and transform good hearts that have not yet sprouted.

(Note: the exact reference of the phrase bajiao chuiwang is rather obscure and is not explained here.)

The Dao (the Way) is originally without words; the various Jing (scriptures/classics) are but traces left by true sages. Only because words are needed to make the principle clear have the sages preserved writing. Since Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, the Three Powers, were distinguished and the established teachings arose, the principle has in fact been one. Absurd and deluded people, however, have made it divergent; such divergence is wrong.

Yuanshi Tianzun (one of the highest deities of Daoism, the source deity of all things in the universe) had already illumined all things countless kalpas ago. When the time arrived, the assembled perfected ones asked the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi) about the causes and conditions of cultivation, and thereupon this Jing was proclaimed. In the ranks of Dharma this Jing is the most honored; it is first among numinous texts, and no scripture since antiquity can compare with it. The true text within the Jing is profound and hidden, relying not on ornate rhetoric. Its meaning is in itself inexhaustible; even the sages cannot speak it, and thought cannot reach it. Yet this Jing encompasses it all without omission, clear as looking at the palm of one’s hand.

Your subject Zhang Zhong (later revered as Wenchang Dijun; here he refers to himself as a subject) in the middle antiquity oversaw literary affairs and served during the Zhou dynasty, receiving the will of the Supreme Lord (Shangdi). After he heard this Jing, he wished to treasure and uphold it for his whole life. The Supreme Lord, when he happened to inspect merits and faults in the human world, recorded Zhang Zhong among the loyal and filial and commanded him to oversee the teaching of the Nine Heavens and to compile this Jing. Its profound and hidden meanings allowed him to savor its flavor to the full.

Alas, readers of the Jing in the world cannot grasp the original intent of the sages, nor do they accord with the wondrous purport. They make engraving and printing errors, and mistaken versions are transmitted in turn; the sounds and rhymes of the text are also mistaken. Thus they divide it into the two names “Dongxuan” and “Gaoshang,” each clinging to his own view in transmitting and practicing it, greatly contravening the original intent of expounding the Jing, and even clinging to one side without knowing how to adapt. Among arrogant and absurd folk, some do not believe this Jing, some think it follows other texts, and some, in their ignorance, force an explanation. None of them know the preciousness of this Jing; yet the retribution of sin and blessing cannot be escaped. How can their transgressions be fully told?

Zhang Zhong could not bear to let this great scripture be lost. He lamented the ignorance and errors of the dusty world, which lead people astray, so that in their ignorance they cannot hear the great Dao. He therefore petitioned the Supreme Lord to have immortals and perfected ones explain the meaning of the Jing and spread it in the mortal realm, as a key for thoroughly investigating the classics and a ladder leading to the human Way. He hoped that the holy scripture might be like a lifeboat, saving sentient beings long sunk in the sea of suffering, and that the wondrous medicine of the mysterious teaching might readily cure deep-seated chronic illness.

Those who hear this Jing and awaken to the Dao will never again indulge in reckless talk; those who, according with circumstances and conditions, recognize the true Dao will ultimately escape sinking into transmigration. Every realm of the trichiliocosm (a Buddhist term for an immeasurably vast universe) will be transformed into a realm of Great Harmony; from one kalpa to the next, generation after generation will become a land of peace, happiness, and benefit. Those who seek the Dao will certainly obtain it; there is no vow that cannot be fulfilled. In this way the merit of this Jing will not prove vain. Respectfully written as a preface.

The Nine Heavens’ Civilizing Wenchang Zitong Dijun, your subject Zhang Zhong, bows his head one hundred times.

On the Origin of the Dao

Written by Quxian, the Old Man of Extended Longevity of the Southern Pole (the author’s Daoist name, namely Zhu Quan, Prince of Ning of the Ming dynasty).

Quxian said: In examining the origins and course of Daoism, far back when heaven and earth had just emerged from primordial chaos and the way of humankind was not yet fully established, Heaven mandated Xuanyuan Huangdi—the Yellow Emperor, revered in Daoism as the Dao Ancestor—to receive the numinous fortune of the Nine Sovereigns (the nine ancient emperors of legend), to drive the six dragons (the divine dragons said to pull the sun chariot, here a metaphor for the power to rule the world), and on behalf of Heaven to establish human laws and institutions, thereby fixing the order of the Three Powers—heaven, earth, and humanity.

At that time heaven and earth were not yet pure and bright; there was no writing, and government was conducted by tying knots to record affairs. There were no houses, and people lived in trees or caves. There were no clothes, and people covered themselves with woven grass. There were no vessels, and water was held in a crude earthenware hanzun (a kind of water vessel) and drunk with the hands or from cups. Our Daoist ancestor Xuanyuan Huangdi then began to create writing, make clothing, build palaces and houses, and manufacture utensils; only then did human life gradually become complete. Today, among the Nine Schools (the nine schools of thought from the pre-Qin period) and within the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism), the writing used, the clothing worn, the houses lived in, and the vessels employed were all first created by Huangdi and all issue from the civilizing instruction of Huangdi in our Daoist tradition.

Further, consider Laozi’s words: heaven, earth, humans, and the myriad things all have a source from which they come. He said, “I do not know its name; I force myself to call it Dao; I force myself to style it Great.” Thus it is called the Great Dao, and its teaching is called Daoism; only then did the name of the word Dao appear in the world. From this we can see that all who speak of cultivating the Dao and learning the Dao are borrowing Laozi’s words and taking “Dao” as their name—are they not people of Laozi’s lineage? Again, as Laozi says, “Mystery upon mystery, the gate of all wonders”; the word xuan is likewise borrowed as a designation, and its use in the scriptures all follows Laozi’s words. Furthermore, in the book Zhuangzi it says, “Only with Great Awakening does one know the sage”; the two characters “Great Awakening” are precisely a term established by Zhuangzi. Emperor Huizong of Song adopted this term and used it as the basis for a title (the text speaks of the “Golden Immortal,” a Daoist honorific for one who has attained the Dao). The scriptures of Daoism all use these expressions, and all of them come from the classics of our Daoist tradition—that is, the teachings of Huangdi, Laozi, and Zhuangzi.

The word Dao is honored in common by the three teachings—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Those who utter absurdities and wildly perverse claims that circulate widely regard the Dao as merely something of the “Two Vehicles” (the lower Buddhist paths of sound-hearers and solitary realizers); this is not to understand the Dao. The Jade Emperor (Yudi, the supreme deity of Daoism) is honored and served alike by the three teachings. Some ignorant believers call him “Lord of Heaven” (referring to the Creator in Western religion) and further argue that he is not sufficiently exalted; this is to fail to understand the original cultivation and roots of merit of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor cultivated virtue without measure; his merit was completed and cannot be undone. His position is supremely honored, his title most excellent. He governs the myriad heavens, encompasses the three teachings, and rules the trichiliocosm. Through kalpas he remains at ease and as constant as ever. Confucians call him “Shangdi” (the Supreme Lord), Buddhists call him “Randeng” (Dipankara Buddha), and Daoists call him “Xuanzhu” (the Mysterious Lord); none is more honored.

Reading this scripture, one can know the subtle traces of the Jade Emperor and dispel doubts of a thousand ages and ten thousand confusions. Unfortunately, those who do not understand cannot accord with the scripture and recklessly add their opinions; unable to comprehend, their transgressions pile up ever deeper. How do they know that human life is originally rooted in the Dao and presided over by Shangdi, and that the principle of illuminating the mind is recorded in the sage’s instructions? To slight the Emperor Lord, treat Heaven with disrespect, or slander the scriptures is all to be ignorant of the great Dao, to turn against the root and forget the source, and to fail to understand the cause of generation.

I, your servant Lü Yan (that is, Lü Dongbin), have long sighed deeply over this; therefore I have written this preface and placed it at the head of the scripture commentary as a warning. Chunyangzi (Lü Dongbin’s Daoist sobriquet), the Lord of Awakening and Salvation and Fuyou Dijun (Lü Dongbin’s honored title), your servant Lü Yan, bowing a hundred times, respectfully writes this preface.

The latter half is a duplicated fragment of the closing sentence of the preceding text, and its general meaning agrees with the above. “Second Introductory Preface to the Collected Commentary on the Imperial Scripture” is the title, meaning a second preface to the Collected Commentary on the Imperial Scripture.

Prefatory Preface to the Collected Commentary on the Scripture of the Original Practices of the Most High Jade Emperor (Qiu Chuji)

The Dao has its scriptures and classics, just as Heaven has the sun and moon and the state has its laws and institutions. When one sees the sun and moon, one is not like someone facing a wall and seeing nothing; and no one who has followed the laws and institutions of the former kings has ever gone astray. Therefore, revering and believing in the true scripture is precisely the standard for entering the Dao. Moreover, this scripture was personally transmitted by Yuanshi Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, a high Daoist deity), upheld and proclaimed by the Jade Emperor and the various gods; it is the supreme classic among the Three Teachings, the words that the great sages kept secret and did not disclose, worthy of reverence everywhere and to be valued by generation after generation.

The Dao is originally wordless. Since this scripture has already been set down in writing, why add commentary? Yet scriptures are expressed through words: only those who have attained the Dao can understand them upon reading, while those who have not yet entered the gate need precisely to rely on them. Otherwise, without a boat or raft to cross the river, how can one reach the other shore? Alas! To abandon the scriptures in seeking the Dao is wrong; to take the scriptures as the Dao itself is also wrong. Contemplate the scripture with the mind and verify the mind through the scripture; when mind and scriptural meaning blend and spirit meets scriptural principle, those numinous chapters of the Heavenly Treasure are originally within our own nature. Once truly understood, one will not be constrained by words—how then could these two faults exist?

(Your servant Qiu Chuji, Perfected Lord Changchun Fuhua Mingying, bows his head a hundred times.)

The Second of the First Four Prefaces to the Collected Commentary on the Imperial Scripture (Deng Tianjun, Great Marshal of Thunder)

I have long known the greatness of the Dao, the nobility of the Jade Emperor, and the profound mystery of the Imperial Scripture. Many people in the world are ignorant and foolish, and so they recklessly comment at will—do they think the Dao can be departed from, Heaven can be blasphemed, and the sacred scripture can be belittled? They do not realize that where there is the Dao there is scripture, just as where there is nature there is this body; as Heaven has its Emperor, the body too has its Heavenly Lord (Tianjun; in Daoist terms, the heart-mind/spirit, the ruler of the body). Without this body, nature would have nothing to depend on, and the mysterious principle could not manifest; without the Heavenly Lord, the body would have no ruler, and the physical form would be merely an empty shell. Body and mind—neither can be dispensed with. How then could one fail to repay the Emperor’s grace, and how could one fail to believe in the efficacy of the scripture? Yet belief in the scripture cannot rest on words alone; one must comprehend it with the mind. When one truly keeps it in mind without forgetting and blends it into the heart, the wondrous fruit can be accomplished.

(Your servant Deng Tianjun, Great Marshal of Thunder, bows his head a hundred times and respectfully writes this preface.)

Three Eulogies

Your servant Deng Tianjun bows his head and says:

Praising the greatness of the supreme Dao: it is the unsurpassed truth, and there is no higher principle than it.

The Dao stands toweringly high above the Three Teachings; only this scripture alone enjoys the supreme honor.

Opening Praise in Four Lines

Praise be to the great Jade Emperor Supreme Lord (Yuhuang Shangdi), whose honor is peerless within the Three Teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. He governs the world and has passed through boundless kalpas; all living beings should forever take refuge in this Supreme Honored One. Praise be to the grand scripture, The Jade Emperor Scripture (Yuhuang Jing), whose subtle principles are profoundly deep. This scripture penetrates the essentials of the Three Teachings and holds the most exalted rank among all scriptures and teachings.

Prefatory Preface to the First Compilation of the Collected Commentary on the Jade Emperor Scripture

Confucius did not speak of ghosts and spirits, yet he reverently served Shangdi, the Supreme Lord on High; Confucians avoided discussing profound metaphysical principles, yet they valued the learning of inner cultivation. Confucians have never dared treat Shangdi with negligence, yet no one has specially studied Daoist scriptures, harmonized their mysterious essentials, and integrated the Three Teachings into one. Was this because they had no intention of setting forth a dedicated doctrine? Or because they were busy with practice and had no leisure to attend to it? Such a view is rather narrow. Learning should not be pursued merely for fame; the value of the Dao lies in its practical benefit. If Daoist scriptures are not correct, on what grounds can one speak of the Dao? If they are correct, how do they differ from Confucianism? Why cling to sectarian views?

In his youth, the author Hongxian studied the teachings of Confucius and also came into contact with Daoist texts. He had a faint understanding of them but did not presume to consider himself as having attained the Dao. In later years he passed the imperial examination as zhuangyuan and served at Jinluan Slope, the site of the Ming Hanlin Academy, where he was able to read widely in the books of the Three Teachings. He came to realize even more that the Dao is most noble and its profound principles most deep. Among the scriptures of the Three Teachings, The Jade Emperor Scripture—that is, The Scripture of the Supreme High Jade Emperor’s Original Conduct (Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jing)—is the most important, like grain and cloth, indispensable to people. Its profound meaning is difficult to fathom, and the annotations of immortals through the ages must not fail to be transmitted. He therefore committed himself to the world beyond the secular and reverently compiled them into volumes. Unfortunately, as his body grew steadily weaker, he was unable to publish them in time. Later he met Zhou Yunqing, a recluse of Jinan in Shandong, who discoursed on mysterious scriptures and compiled the Daozang (Daoist Canon). Hongxian then asked his friend Tianzhuozi to write down his own insights and deliver them to him. In the winter of the thirteenth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming (1585 CE), the former zhuangyuan Luo Hongxian of Jiangxi bowed his head and composed this preface.

Compiler’s Preface to the Collected Commentary on the Jade Emperor Scripture

The difficulty of speaking of the Dao has existed for a long time. The author calls himself “your servant Xuanzhen,” humbly stating that his endowment is dull and that he is merely a lowly scholar from the wilds, originally unworthy to know the Dao, yet he too participated in compiling the Daozang and gathering annotations on the Jade Emperor Scripture.

I. Preface by Zhou Xuanzhen

The Great Dao is difficult to exhaust in words; this has been so for a long time. I, Xuanzhen, am dull by nature, merely a humble inferior scholar from the rustic wilds—how could I understand the Great Dao? Yet I would compile the Daozang (Daoist Canon) and gather annotations to the Huangjing (August Scripture). This is like a mosquito trying to carry a great mountain: I see only that I cannot bear it. But the Great Dao does not abandon the lowly and shallow; by learning from what is shallow and near, one may also grasp its principles.

The Scripture of the Jade Emperor’s Original Conduct (Yuhuang Benxing Jing), though profound and wondrous, has been explained clearly and thoroughly by the various immortals and perfected beings. It happened that Grand Historian Luo—a certain Luo who held the post of Grand Historian—gave me this annotated edition, but it had not been included in the Daozang; this was tantamount to concealing the scripture’s meaning. If it were to be included, I again felt uneasy at heart. I feared that my shallow views could not accord with the intentions of the immortals, nor fully integrate the commentator’s purpose, like feeding chewed rice to others and making them vomit, so that the supremely wondrous flavor of the Great Dao would be muddled by me. In that case, my offense would be even heavier.

Alas, wise and discerning people who expound the Great Dao are already rare in the world. I am ignorant, yet I privately annotate and transmit the work of predecessors; by rights I should deserve no merit and instead incur blame. But my aspiration lies in promoting the Great Dao; even if people criticize and blame me, I will not shrink back. Who am I, that I should dare, for fear of bearing blame, not to expound discourses that have already taken shape? If there are outstanding talents who value the Great Dao, see these shallow views of mine and take pity on them, then go on to elucidate them and propagate the essential meaning of this scripture, only then will this book not have been compiled in vain. Respectfully prefaced.

In the fifteenth year of Wanli of the Ming, Zhou Xuanzhen of Shandong, a subject who expounds and cultivates the Daoist scriptures, respectfully bows.

II. Wang Jingcui’s Preface on the Transcription of the Collected Commentary on the Huangjing

To cultivate the Great Dao, to win fame in later generations, and to bring glory to one’s ancestors—what the world calls “loyalty that perfects filial piety” is precisely the principle transmitted in one continuous line from ancient times to the present. I, Wang Jingcui, studied the Confucian classics in my youth. Although I knew that the Heavenly Emperor is exalted, cultivating the Great Dao does not lie in seeking fame and official rank; this I truly understood only later. Later I followed the Daoist master Zhou Yunqing in compiling the Daozang and served in the Office of Book Affairs. When I read the Commentary on the Huangjing, I realized that the Three Teachings issue from the same principle, and that human nature and the Great Dao are originally non-dual. This scripture directly points out the mysterious essential purport; once it is understood, the Great Dao is entirely contained therein. Therefore I presumptuously wrote this preface at the beginning of the volume, using it to encourage myself.

Summer of the sixteenth year of Wanli of the Ming, respectfully written by Wang Jingcui, a servant of the Dao in the capital.

III. “Catalogue of Various Meanings: Examination of the Origin of the Dao”

This is the title of a catalogue entry. “Examination of Various Meanings” is an examination and explanation of the various doctrines and meanings in the scripture; “Examination of the Origin of the Dao” is one piece within it, intended to investigate the source and origin of the Great Dao.

Topical Outline of Various Examinations

Examination of the Origin of the Dao (the Way)

The Dao originally has neither form nor name. If one seeks to trace it to its root, where can the examination begin? From Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning), the transformation and generation of the myriad things first began; within the Great Void was conceived wondrous existence—form that arises from nonbeing—and thereby the profound mystery of the Dao was made manifest, and the name “Dao” was established. Zhenyi (the True One, the unified substance of the Dao) contains the Three (the Qi [vital energy] of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), and from this the Three Teachings arose side by side. Being and nonbeing, beginning and end—none of these lies outside the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Generation after generation continues, and sage after sage transmits; all of this is the Dao. Even should someone leap beyond the Three Realms and stand outside the Five Phases, such a person is still inevitably one who attains the Dao. That by which the Dao can be manifested is this; and from this comes the name of the Daoist school. Therefore, when investigating the source of the scriptures, one should first examine these matters.

Examination of the Origin of the Scriptures (Jing)

Scriptures are what carry the principles of the Dao; they are the compassionate vessel that ferries the people of the world across to liberation. All scriptures are Dharma words spoken by sages and perfected beings, and none is devoid of supreme truth. However, this scripture was expounded by Yuanshi Tianzun, and its teaching is rooted in the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi). Yuanshi Tianzun is the head of the Three Teachings, and the Jade Emperor is the ancestor of the ten thousand dharmas. This scripture is exceedingly mysterious, wondrous, profound, and subtle, standing alone beyond the Three Teachings; it is also the king of all scriptures, enduring through immeasurable kalpas. It evolved from beginningless time, was secretly stored above the mysterious heaven, and was contained in a jade casket (a precious box of jade). Its characters are not things of the mortal world: each is one zhang in both width and height, and their radiance illumines immeasurable worlds. Tianzhen Huangren (the immortal perfected one who transmitted the scriptures), responding to the timely occasion, wrote it down according to the brush of the celestial book and transmitted it to the world. Thus this scripture came to be proclaimed. Therefore, continuing from the examination of the origin of the Dao, this section goes on to examine the origin of the scriptures.

Examination of the Source and Lineage of the Jade Emperor as Lord of the Ten Thousand Dharmas, Holy Ancestor, and Mysterious Teacher

(This is a subsection heading; the original gives only the title. From the title it can be known that this section will examine the origins and lineage of the Jade Emperor as Lord of the Ten Thousand Dharmas, Holy Ancestor, and Mysterious Teacher; the body text has not yet been provided.)

The Guide takes delivering the people of the world as his own duty: he dispels delusion, uproots suffering, transmits the Great Dao and the scriptures, inherits the past, and opens the future. The Mysterious Teacher of the Great Dao (the supreme teacher who is an emanation of the Great Dao) encompasses the Three Teachings, embraces all dharmas, dwells in the heaven of heavens, and is the sage among sages. He has no beginning and no end; his source cannot be exhausted; he transcends all phenomena.

The wondrousness of the Great Dao differentiates into a true body and manifests in the Land of Radiant Solemnity and Wondrous Bliss (the sacred pure land described in the scripture). This is a scene manifested during past kalpas. People observe the heavenly Dao and think that yang qi is bright, that yang governs giving, and that its force is always expansive; for this reason they honor the Jade Emperor as “Great Emperor Zhang [Expansive].” Deluded people do not understand this principle and falsely claim that the Zhang clan of Xingtang in Zhending Prefecture, North Zhili, are descendants of the Jade Emperor. They do not realize that the Xingtang Zhangs are collateral descendants of Zhang Guo (one of the Eight Immortals of Daoism) and descendants of Immortal Zhang—how can they be conflated? This is merely an examination of surnames and lineages.

As for genealogy, the Jade Emperor is a fundamental differentiation of the Great Dao and an ancient ancestor within the great kalpas; how can he have birth and death, or a name? The Jade Emperor’s sacred consort, sacred son, and retinue were all palace consorts when he manifested as Prince Guangyan. After the Jade Emperor ascended again, the palace consorts also realized the Great Dao.

In sum, the emperor’s consort and palace retinue are not actually female bodies; they are all the most true spirits between heaven and earth, manifesting female bodies only to deliver sentient beings, as has already been discussed in the scriptures—just as after the Buddha attained the Dao, his wife also attained the holy fruit. If the Jade Emperor is regarded as the ancestor of the Dao, then all sentient beings of many lifetimes and all categories are branches of heaven-and-earth’s generative vitality and the Dao’s lineage; who is not kin to the Jade Emperor? After the palace consorts of Daluo Heaven realize the Dao, they all become holy bodies of Heavenly Perfected, just as Manjushri Bodhisattva governs the Stainless World and the Dragon Girl, after attaining the Dao, transforms into a male body—the principle is the same.

Today’s monks, Daoist priests, and ordinary people do not examine this principle and falsely think that the Jade Emperor has consorts and undergoes rebirth, which would belong to the fruit of the Two Vehicles (referring to the stages of Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas of the Lesser Vehicle, not the supreme Dao). They do not realize that the various heavens may come to an end, but the realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and Daluo Heaven are inexhaustible; the emperors of the various heavens undergo rebirth, but the Jade Emperor does not. The Jade Emperor is the body of the Dao; the Dao is inexhaustible—how could the Jade Emperor be exhaustible? It is trustworthy that the Jade Emperor is the supreme vehicle, the teacher of all Buddhas, and the king of ten thousand heavens, and that his palace consorts are all wondrous functions of Dao-transformation. The above is a rough outline of the Mysterious Lineage; scholars should not rashly discuss it but should investigate it in detail.

Examination of the Merit of Printing Scriptures

In remote antiquity, scriptures had no paper or brushes and could only be recorded by carving them onto bamboo slips and wooden tablets. Later, Meng Tian (a great general of the Qin dynasty, traditionally credited with inventing the brush) and Cai Lun (a eunuch of the Eastern Han, who improved papermaking) invented the brush and paper. After scriptures came to be recorded on paper, lofty adepts further carved blocks and printed them, and the merit involved increased twofold compared with before. Deluded believers in the world and followers of heterodox paths do not understand that Meng Tian and Cai Lun already enjoy blessings in Tushita Heaven (the fourth heaven of the Buddhist Realm of Desire, where Maitreya Bodhisattva resides), yet on this account they say that these two must suffer retribution in hell. In reality, these two travel throughout the underworld, accompany Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (the Heavenly Worthy of Great Unity Who Saves from Suffering, a Daoist deity specially charged with saving beings from suffering and distress) and the Lord of the Underworld, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (a Buddhist bodhisattva who constantly dwells in hell to convert sentient beings), and, holding scriptures in hand, enter the netherworld simply to convert those sinners who adhere to heterodox doctrines. How could there be any suffering in hell for them? It can thus be seen that carving and printing scriptures and proclaiming the teachings carry immense merit.

Examination of the Practical Benefits of Reciting, Donating Scriptures, Expounding, and Annotating

The key to reciting and upholding scriptures and to expounding them lies in sincerity of mind, without any defilement or attachment, clinging, greedy seeking, or deluded thoughts. The merit is consistent with what is stated in the scriptures. Printing scriptures and giving them away carries even greater merit, because it allows the principles of the scriptures to be widely disseminated. Conversely, treating scriptures with contempt and slandering them brings an extremely great offense (the original text reads “virtue,” which should be an error for “offense”).

Examination of the Practical Benefits of Reciting, Donating Scriptures, Expounding, and Annotating (Variant Text)

The key to reciting and upholding scriptures and to expounding them lies in sincerity of mind, without any defilement or attachment, clinging, greedy seeking, or deluded thoughts; the merit is consistent with what is stated in the scriptures. Printing scriptures and giving them away carries even greater merit, because it allows the principles of the scriptures to be widely disseminated. If one treats scriptures with contempt, slanders them, or defiles and damages them, the offense is equally grave. One should exhort oneself, remain vigilant, and refrain, not failing to live up to the teachings of the sages and worthies.

Examination of Similarities and Differences in the Holy Titles of the Jade Emperor

(Heading) This piece examines the similarities and differences among the various honorific titles of the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor’s sacred title was already revered long before the great kalpa, and in the medieval period he was again exalted and repeatedly praised. Rulers of successive ages esteemed the Daoist teachings, felt gratitude for mysterious grace, and each, according to what they had seen and heard and the ideas they held, formulated titles for the various deities. Their deeds accorded with the times, their merits became manifest in the world, and because people heard and witnessed these things, they settled upon appellations for the revered gods.

There are four kinds of title for the Jade Emperor. The first is the Taiwei Jade Emperor, the title conferred by Emperor Wu of Han when he revered the star lord of the Taiwei Enclosure. The second is the Brahma-Heaven Jade Emperor, the title conferred by Emperor Xuan of Han when he revered the imperial lord of the Tianshi (Heavenly Market) Enclosure. The third is the Yanhua Shaowei Jade Emperor, the title conferred by Emperor Ai of Han for the pre-heaven positioning. The fourth is the Zijie Jade Emperor, the title conferred by Emperor Guangwu of Han for the post-heaven Qian position. None of these four is the Jade Emperor spoken of here.

The Jade Emperor spoken of here bears the title “Haotian Jinque Wushang Zhizun Ziran Miaoyou Miluo Zhizhen Yuhuang Shangdi,” also called “Xuanqiong Gaoshang Yuhuang Dadi.” He governs the heavens and never is destroyed or falls into oblivion. People of the world, without careful investigation, mistakenly take the Jade Emperor to be Śakra—that is, Indra, the Buddhist guardian deity—not realizing that the Jade Emperor’s titles are not the same. The four Jade Emperors mentioned above all fall under the rule of the High Supreme Jade Emperor. As for the claim that the Four Emperors stand alongside the Heaven Emperor, that too is not the Jade Emperor. Those who penetrate the Great Dao should examine and distinguish these matters carefully.

(The title “Yudi Yuli Tuiji Kao” means an investigation tracing to the utmost the source of the Jade Emperor’s governing and descent into the heavens.)

Ge Xianweng (Immortal Ge) said: What the world calls “heaven” is understood by the same principle. Confucians say there is only one heaven and earth, and only one Shangdi (God on High). Daoism speaks of “thirty billion great dharma realms”—an extremely vast cosmos—each realm having thirty-six layers of heaven, each layer with its own celestial emperor, all under the Supreme High Jade Emperor (the supreme deity of Daoism). Buddhism speaks of the “three thousand great thousand worlds”—the great cosmos in Buddhist teaching—each realm having thirty-two heavens, each with its own Jade Emperor. On the surface, the three traditions differ.

Those who speak of “one heaven” call what lies beyond heaven Taixu (the Great Void), praise it as inexhaustible, and therefore speak of thirty billion realms. Beyond these, there are also thirty-two heavens, each with its own Jade Emperor, equally inconceivable and endless. Those who speak of the “three thousand great thousand” also say that beyond this there is no end. Thus Confucians speak of “according with the laws of Shangdi” and also of “the sage modeling himself on Heaven.” The celestial bodies are infinite; seen through the great cycles of yuan, hui, yun, and shi, this principle still holds, and therefore Shangdi is eternal and unchanging. Daoism says that the Supreme High and the Void, and the True Emperor, are not destroyed; Buddhism says that Zhenru (suchness, the true aspect of reality) is self-existent and never retrogresses. All of this means that the Jade Emperor is not destroyed or submerged.

Therefore, when it speaks of “one heaven,” it is not omitting the larger part but using a general name to encompass it, no different from the Daoist and Buddhist accounts. Nor are the statements “thirty billion” and “three thousand great thousand” absurd; calculated separately, they again agree with the Confucian account. As for Buddhism saying that each realm has its own Jade Emperor, this means that each realm has a supreme one; Daoism saying that these realms all revere the same Jade Emperor means that all realms return to one Wuji (the Limitless, the infinite source). The terms “Taixu,” “inconceivable,” and “immeasurable” are all meant to show that the Dao (the Way) is unchanging and that the Jade Emperor is eternally present.

If one concludes from the mere differentiation of worlds that the Jade Emperors must be different, could there be two principles of Wuji? If one thinks that because of the passage of yuan and hui Shangdi is interrupted, could the principle of Wuji be destroyed? Understand that the Dao is indestructible, and the Jade Emperor is forever present. These words are truly trustworthy. Do not use heterodox teachings to slander the sages.

(The title “An Examination of the Jade Emperor and the Qingwei Heaven Realm”: Qingwei Heaven is one of the thirty-six heavens in Daoism; the title means to examine the relationship between the Jade Emperor and Qingwei Heaven.)

Wang Chongyang said: Qingwei Heaven (Qingwei Tian) is located at the very top of the heavenly realms, in the most profound and mysterious place. Daoists call it Zhongmin Tian (the Heaven of Seed People); Confucians call it Chongmo zhi Biao (the Beyond of Vast Stillness). It is vast and eternal, never destroyed, and what Buddhism calls the “Stage of Non-retrogression” also refers to this place. (Zhongmin Tian and Chongmo zhi Biao are the Daoist and Confucian names for this heaven; the Stage of Non-retrogression means the pure place where cultivators no longer regress or lose their attainment.)

Today, however, some miscellaneous books of the Chan school erroneously say that the Jade Emperor lives on the summit of Mount Sumeru. Mount Sumeru (the great mountain at the center of the world in Buddhist tradition) actually belongs to the Heaven of the Sun and Moon and the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings; these heavens are subject to destruction, and only the inner court of Bodhisattva Maitreya is a place of non-retrogression. Those miscellaneous books also speak of the “Miluo Yuan” and the “Milai Yuan”; these three names are actually the same place—the realm brought forth by Wushang Yuanjun (the Supreme Primordial Lady) in Daoist scriptures, namely the Miluo Xuanzhen Realm, which is the Qingwei Heaven where the Jade Emperor resides. The Heaven of the Sun and Moon and the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings are probably the residence of the Jade Emperor of Taiwei Heaven (one of the Daoist heavens), not the residence of the supreme Great Heavenly Worthy, the High Jade Emperor. Thus the Daoist scriptures say: “At the summit of Xuangu Mountain there is a sovereign lord, who pays homage above to the Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor.” Xuangu Mountain is what Buddhism calls Mount Sumeru; the ruler of the Heaven of the Sun and Moon governs the deities of this heaven here, just as today’s Jingzhao Yin (the official in charge of the capital’s administration) governs the capital.

Buddhist scriptures say that when the Tathagata preached the Dharma, Indra (Dishi Tian) held a jeweled canopy for him. This is like today, when a newly successful zhuangyuan passes the palace examination: at the golden hall his name is called in the roll, the Ministry of Rites holds a banquet and raises cups for him, and the Jingzhao Yin opens an umbrella canopy—all to show the court’s intention to honor worthy talent. But heterodox paths take the canopy-holding Indra to be the High Jade Emperor, and the canopy-holding Jingzhao Yin to be the emperor—such is the extent of their error.

Miscellaneous books also say that there are eight Kunlun mountains. Although the directions are eight, all eight directions ultimately return to the northwest; the northwest is the head of the Qian position, and that is Kunlun. What Confucians call “the pillar of Heaven and the cords of Earth” is precisely Xuangu Mountain in the Daoist scriptures and Mount Sumeru in Buddhism—how could there be eight Kunluns? The world has long passed errors from one to another, so I have investigated the boundaries of Qingwei Heaven and pointed them out together, in order to warn those who discuss it mistakenly.

An Examination of the Jade Emperor’s Rank and Hierarchy

Liu Haichan said: In Daoism, the Jade Emperor is a transformation body of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). Daoists first speak of the Three Pure Ones, holding that void or nonexistence came first and wondrous existence arose afterward, just as with what is called Wuji (the Limitless) and Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), which in themselves involve no distinction of superior and inferior. In Buddhism, the Jade Emperor is a manifested form of the Ancient Buddha Dipankara, that is, a transformation body of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Chan school speaks of the Buddha first and the Jade Emperor afterward; this follows the same principle by which foreigners first honor their own sovereign and then honor the Chinese emperor.

If one wishes to examine what makes the Jade Emperor exalted within Daoism, the Jinlun Jing (Golden Wheel Scripture) says: The Jade Emperor drives the chariot of mysterious destiny and spiritually travels to the highest heaven, with the Five Stars as messengers before him and the two deities Shi and Fan following behind as his majestic retinue. “Shi and Fan” refer to immortals, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas. The Jade Emperor reveres the Three Pure Ones and the Buddhas in order to manifest forms, deliver sentient beings, and lead people back to the great Dao.

People of the world arbitrarily assign ranks without investigating origins and place the Jade Emperor in a secondary position; this amounts to saying that someone in the world is more honored than the emperor. Even worse, some compare the Three Pure Ones and the honored Buddhas to the Jade Emperor’s father, a retired emperor, which again violates the original intent behind the Jade Emperor’s sequential manifestations. Others use different surnames and different titles to analogize father-son relations, and the offense in this is especially grave. Alas, the world cannot be without the Jade Emperor, just as people must have ancestors and parents. To slander the Supreme Lord and set up a separate school is to abandon one’s ancestors and parents and exalt oneself; how could this be permissible?

An Examination of the Benefits of the Jade Emperor’s Title

This is the title, meaning to examine the benefits claimed under the Jade Emperor’s title—namely, the merits and blessings that the Jade Emperor can bestow upon the world.

Blue Caihe says： People in the world only know to revere Shangdi, but they do not recite the Jade Emperor’s precious name. Some Confucians say that reciting it is improper, not realizing that Mencius long ago said, “Great filial piety means cherishing one’s parents throughout life.” To sincerely cherish one’s parents in the heart is to be a filial child; to sincerely invoke the Emperor’s name in the heart and never commit wrong conduct—is that not also to be a worthy and filial child of Heaven and Earth? If one puts into practice in one’s own person the virtue one invokes, making oneself resemble the Emperor’s virtue, then Heaven and Earth will both turn toward one. Are the benefits obtained not great?

(Blue Caihe is one of the Eight Immortals; here his voice is borrowed to make the argument. “Practicing in bodily form so as to resemble” means making one’s words and deeds similar to those of the deity one reveres.)

An Examination of the Benefits of the Imperial Scripture

Zhang Ziyang (that is, Zhang Boduan, styled Ziyang Zhenren) says: Since ancient times, whenever emperors and kings have arisen, there have invariably been institutions established by them; there has never been anyone who observed the royal institutions and yet committed faults. How much more so with the mind-seal of the Imperial Scripture, which is the fundamental mind-method of the Daoist gate: if one can realize and practice it, one may attain the realm of the utmost sage—how could it merely be a matter of avoiding faults? People today do not believe in its benefits only because their realization and recitation are not yet sincere. The wise should ponder this deeply.

An Examination of the Merits and Demerits Recorded in the Emperor Scripture

This is a section title, referring to the part that collates and records the merits and demerits recorded in the Emperor Scripture; the original text consists only of the title.

Zhongli Zi said: The lives of humans and all things originate in the Dao; all are born by receiving a share of true primal energy from the Heavenly Emperor. Therefore, doing good can move Heaven, and blessings naturally descend; even if one is poor and lowly, inner peace surpasses that of others—this is the true hall of blessings. Doing evil means creating one’s own karma, and Heaven sends down calamity; even if one is wealthy and noble, one will encounter misfortune—this is to live in hell. Misfortune and blessing have their fixed destiny, all depending on human good and evil; the mutual response between Heaven and humanity is faster than a shadow following form or an echo answering sound. Deluded worldlings refuse to believe this, and so the Gongge (a Daoist ledger for recording meritorious deeds in cultivation) says: Sincerely reciting one copy of the Imperial Scripture (Huangjing, referring to the Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jing) can gain a thousand merits, and after death one may ascend to heaven.

The so-called “true recitation” means that inner and outer are as one, and words and deeds accord with the Dao; it lies not in reciting scriptures with the mouth, but in truly aspiring to goodness in the heart. How wonderful!

Wang Lingguan (a Daoist protector deity) said: Why take the trouble to engage skilled hands to paint my portrait? I only wish your heart to be in accord with my heart. If your heart can be in accord with God on High, then virtue and blessing increase together—this is the meritorious power of true recitation. All the rest is merely upholding and reciting scriptures, restraining the tongue, and disciplining the mind. If one merely reveres the faith and counts the years, even if there is merit and blessing, it will be rewarded only according to the magnitude of one’s good deeds; that is already second-rate.

The Guoge says: Those who do not believe in this scripture will fall into heterodox paths, because when the heart is not in accord with the Dao, one becomes a heterodox person. It also says: Those who slander the true text will fall body and soul into hell. Unbelievers merely hear of the merits in the scripture but cannot truly believe; this is still a minor fault. But slander is to discard the heavenly statutes. In this way great evil is created in the heart, and calamity and blame are endless; one sinks into darkness and evil, and the karmic offense cannot be forgiven—therefore one falls into hell. It also says: Those who revile the Heavenly Emperor, slander sages, destroy the dwellings of the spirits, and tear apart true scriptures—stubborn, wicked, and utterly without dread—will forever be imprisoned by karmic retribution, and disaster will extend even to seven generations of ancestors. The slanderer uses tongue and mouth to defame the numinous writings, and words offend the majesty of Heaven; therefore the guilt falls upon oneself.

Faults of the Unvirtuous: If someone slanders and tears apart the scriptures, indulges in evil conduct without repentance, and acts unvirtuously, they will leave behind endless infamy, harming themselves and disgracing their parents. Even filial descendants a hundred generations later will find it difficult to erase this fault. When will one’s own karmic offenses allow escape? And how can the transgressions of one’s ancestors avoid being called to account?

Analogy of State Law: The state establishes laws to prohibit crimes, and for those whose offenses are extremely grave, it even applies “extermination of the three clans and annihilation of the nine kindred” (ancient collective punishment that implicated relatives). This is because the crime is too heavy, and so it extends to one’s kin. Since the net of law is already so tight, then for other offenses against the scriptures—such as looking askance at them, being irreverent when reciting them, being careless and lazy when reciting them from memory, arbitrarily passing judgment according to one’s own will, taking this as wrong and that as right, or disparaging this scripture and exalting another—there will also be a certain retribution according to the magnitude of the fault.

The Emperor’s Scripture Is Like Present-Day Law: This scripture is like the laws and ordinances of the present day. If one does not believe in the royal law, the legal statutes are perfectly clear; if one does not follow the great canon, how could the heavenly statutes not exist? It is rare to obtain a human body, and rare to hear the supreme Dao. Our parents’ labor in giving us birth and raising us is the same for all, so we should cherish it all the more.

Good and Evil and the Family: A virtuous person’s blessings extend to ancestors; for example, when descendants in this life pass the highest class of the imperial examination and receive honorary conferrals, they bring glory to their parents. A person with faults brings calamity to ancestors; for example, when a son or younger family member commits an offense in this life, the responsibility falls on the head of the household. Human bodies are the same, but good and evil differ; parental grace is the same, but blessings and retributions differ. Why do people not turn to doing good, but instead willingly do evil and pointlessly implicate their kin?

The Essential Point of the Scripture’s Merit and Transgression: This passage emphasizes that the true scripture lies in the human heart. When the heart holds pure goodness, the scripture’s efficacy is naturally present. People of the highest wisdom naturally act in accord with the scripture’s meaning and need not rely on oral recitation; people of middling wisdom awaken to the Dao through the scripture; foolish people of the lowest capacity will not believe even if told. People of the highest wisdom are not common, and the utterly foolish are also few; most are of middling capacity. Therefore the function of teaching and transformation is truly indispensable.

Conclusion: How can those who read this scripture fail to appreciate the compassionate intention of the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi, a supreme deity of Daoism) to save the world, and instead treat it as an ordinary book?

Title, “A Brief Examination of the Essential Meaning of the Collected Commentary on the Imperial Scripture”: This is the title of this section, indicating that what follows is a brief examination of the essential meaning of the collected commentary on this scripture; this section contains no other main text.

Shi Xinglin says: The Huangjing (that is, the Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jing, the Scripture of the Original Conduct of the Most High Jade Emperor) expounds the true meaning of the great Dao. This true meaning is originally present in our own nature, so in principle no further explanation should be needed. It is only because people in the world have too many concerns, differ in natural endowment, and many cling stubbornly to their own views that the various immortals and perfected ones offered explanations. Even so, they have not fully exhausted the profound and wondrous purport. Here I provisionally set down these annotations for later generations to weigh, select, or discard.

An Examination of Differences and Similarities in the Huangjing

Zhang Zifang says: This scripture originally did not have the two titles “Gaoshang” and “Lingbao.” Later people forced strained interpretations, freely added or deleted words and phrases, and patched things together by force, seriously departing from the original intent of the scripture. Upon investigation, the designations “Gaoshang” and “Lingbao” originally came from the words of praise uttered by the various immortals and perfected ones; later people mistakenly took them to refer to two separate scriptures. Here, following the authoritative determination of Xuandu (the authoritative Daozang revered in Daoism), I have copied the version circulating in the world. Later students should use this to settle their resolve and silently comprehend it; if they encounter errors in printing, copying, or lecturing, they should correct them according to the proper text. Other sentences and strokes freely added are all erroneous. Those who are discerning need not be rigidly attached.

Memorial on the Publication and Transmission of the Collected Commentary on the Huangjing

This is the title of the piece, referring to the memorial attached when the Collected Commentary on the Huangjing was printed and transmitted.

Zhou Xuanzhen, a humble subject from Shandong and a Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) heir-disciple of the Great Ming who expounds Daoist scriptures and cultivates the mysterious admonitions, in fear and trembling, bows his head, prostrates himself, fasts, bathes, and makes a hundred salutations, and submits:

This is the opening format of a memorial. The author calls himself “a Quanzhen heir-disciple of the Great Ming who expounds Daoist scriptures and cultivates the mysterious admonitions”—that is, a disciple of the Ming dynasty who expounds Daoist scriptures, cultivates the mysterious admonitions, and inherits the Quanzhen school; “a humble subject from Shandong” is a self-deprecating designation, meaning an ordinary subject from Shandong. “Bows his head and prostrates himself” and “fasts, bathes, and makes a hundred salutations” are all expressions of respectful etiquette, meaning that in fear and trembling he fasted, purified himself, and bowed in submission.

I humbly submit that the wondrous Dao cannot be transmitted

“Fu yi” is a conventional opening phrase in memorials, meaning “bowing the head, I state.” “The wondrous Dao cannot be transmitted” means that the profound mystery of the great Dao is difficult to convey merely through writing.

I humbly hope that the Great Dao (the Way), being subtle and wondrous, pure, tranquil, and Wuwei (non-action), always manifests according to the times; and that if the human heart can attain any awakening, it should accumulate merit wherever it may be. I, your servant Xuanzhen, am by origin a lowly and humble person, placed at the last among the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Admiring the wondrous teachings, I turned toward the mysterious Dao; I originally adhered to Confucianism and only later came to understand the Dao. Once, when I reverently read the Scripture of the Emperor, I felt that what I had gained was extraordinarily precious, and so I studied it word by word, hoping through the text to attain complete understanding. But the sacred canon still lacked annotations, and it was truly difficult to grasp. Therefore I, Xuanzhen, with a reverent and pious mind, broadly sought the discussions of various schools to explain the scripture’s meaning, and arranged and gathered the maxims of immortals and sages, incorporating them into the fascicle sections of the Daozang.

Based on the three scrolls of true writings, I determined the order of arrangement; setting forth the five grades of secret treatises, I fixed the chapter titles. The whole book comprises ten scrolls, six hundred pages in all, totaling one hundred and eight chapters and roughly more than one hundred thousand characters. The mind-method of a thousand sages becomes clear as soon as the book is opened; the mysterious cardinal tenets since the vast kalpas appear before the eyes as soon as one lifts them. Although I have not been able alone to peer into the profound hidden meanings of the highest sages, I hope to let the multitude see this most grand of true texts.

Small merit has already borne fruit, and good causes and conditions still remain. I have chosen an auspicious day and devoutly had it block-carved and printed, relying on virtuous believers to complete it together. In advance I submit this memorial, respectfully asking His Majesty’s sage inspection, praying for the blessing of purity and peace for ruler and people, and begging pardon for my small crime of presumption and reckless action. May all realms of the ten directions be universally illumined by the “Seventeen Radiances” (a borrowed Buddhist expression referring to the virtue of universal illumination); may all between past and present receive the molding and perfection of the “Thirty Great Vows” (originally the great vows to save beings, here broadly denoting great vow-power). May humans and all things ascend to the realm of Double Mystery (Chongxuan), and may the hidden underworld and the world of the living forever partake of the benefits of the Dharma. If the sincere heart of your servant Xuanzhen can be extended even by one ten-thousandth, that will be enough. Respectfully submitted.

The title “A Study of the Names, Meanings, and Sequence of the Scripture and Its Commentary” means an examination of the names, interpretive principles, and arrangement order of the commentary on this scripture.

The scripture text itself has editions arranged in one fascicle… This scripture, in some editions, is compiled as one fascicle; this follows the original transmission and symbolizes Taiji (Supreme Ultimate; the chaotic, undivided state before Heaven and Earth separated). Divided into three fascicles, it symbolizes the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The present annotated edition is divided into ten fascicles, symbolizing the utmost meaning of the ten directions, because the numerology of the Dao (the Way) is completed at “ten.” The scripture is divided into five sections to symbolize the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Combining the Five Phases, the Four Images (Greater Yang, Greater Yin, Lesser Yang, Lesser Yin), and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui) yields seventeen in total. All these are differentiations of Taiji. Therefore the Heavenly Emperor relies on seventeen kinds of radiance; through them Heaven is born and Earth is formed. This scripture of the Jade Emperor is precisely the functioning of Earth’s De (Virtue/Power), bending and adapting to bring all things to completion. The number of Earth is thirty, and so the Heavenly Emperor manifests thirty kinds of merit and virtue. The Heavenly Emperor’s De surpasses the ten limits, and so he possesses ten honorific titles. His cultivation has passed through billions of kalpas, and so he is perfect and complete, fully endowed with ten thousand virtues.

The present annotated edition is divided into six hundred sections, symbolizing the six hundred chapters of the Fire Record. Its one hundred and eight chapters are based on the Heavenly Emperor’s one thousand eight hundred precepts. Its more than one hundred thousand characters symbolize the Heavenly Emperor’s one hundred thousand kinds of wondrous practices and mysterious, wondrous radiance. As for the so-called Huangjing Zuan (Compendium of the Imperial Scripture), it is feared that people of dull, inferior understanding cannot fully accord with the sage’s wording and meaning; therefore only its main essentials are set forth, so that they may enter the ear and be easily grasped. Once this principle is understood, what different purport could there be?

Precepts and Principles for Viewing, Reciting, Explaining, and Teaching Scriptures

Whenever one views or recites scriptures of various kinds, or explains and clarifies them, transmits and receives them, one should first observe fasting and purification, neatly arrange one’s clothing and cap, solemnize one’s countenance and bearing, respectfully request the scripture, and place it on a clean table. Sit upright and gather the Shen (spirit); forget both good and evil; do not set up or cling even to the Dharma of the One Vehicle; cause the heart-mind and Shen to be empty, serene, clear, and luminous. Then, unhurriedly unroll the scroll. Whether silently contemplating, reciting and holding it in mind, expounding the principles and meaning, or teaching and studying, remain from beginning to end in mutual resonance with the Heavenly Emperor, with utmost sincerity unceasing—only this may be considered observing the precepts.

Precepts for Copying Scriptures

Whenever one copies scriptures of various kinds, the rules and ceremonial norms are the same as for viewing and reciting. Only when the mind is upright is the brush upright; it is not for the sake of pursuing attractive handwriting—this is cultivating the Dao.

Distinguishing the Similarities and Differences of Scripture Titles

This sentence is the beginning of a quotation or an editorial note; its meaning is incomplete. One can only see that the author will next cite relevant passages in order to examine and distinguish the similarities and differences of scripture titles.

Interpretation of the Scripture

This preface to the Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jing Jizhu (Collected Commentary on the Scripture of the Original Practices of the High and Supreme Jade Emperor) first explains the meaning of the scripture’s title and then explains the purpose of compiling the book.

First, it cites the Baopuzi: “Gaoshang” means being above the myriad people and at the utmost height of the heavenly realm, so high that nothing can compare; it is what the Buddhists call the “stage of non-retrogression” (when a cultivator reaches this state, he will never again fall away from the resolve for the Dao). “Yuhuang” is the most honored among sages and the most eminent among divine beings; he is the teacher of all Buddhas and sages and the sovereign of the myriad heavens, and so is honored as Yuhuang (Jade Emperor).

Lü Chunyang (Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals) says that only when De is so high that nothing can compare is one called “Huang” (Sovereign). The Jade Emperor’s benevolent De has spread throughout long kalpas; his merits surpass those of the sages of successive ages; he is perfectly good and perfectly excellent, beyond full description. He dwells in Yuqing (Jade Clarity, the highest of the Three Pure Ones’ [Sanqing] realms in Daoism) and proclaims the teachings of Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning); therefore he is called Yuhuang.

Han Xiang (Han Xiangzi, one of the Eight Immortals) says that “Benxing” narrates the foundation of the Jade Emperor’s attainment of sagehood and his wondrous practices through successive cultivations. “Jijing” means gathering the subtle words from the Wupin Jing (Five Grades Scripture) transmitted by Yuanshi Tianzun into a single scripture, pointing out the correct path of cultivation for later generations.

The author’s view is this: within the heavenly realm, nothing is higher than the heaven where the Jade Emperor dwells. This heaven adjoins Yuqing and also surpasses the other heavens; hence it is called “Gaoshang.” People see only the Jade Emperor’s exaltedness and therefore think that his De is absolute and beyond human reach, not knowing that the way of the sages is one, and that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with the utmost sage. The Jade Emperor’s honor and his subtle excellence were both accomplished through his own cultivation. Therefore Zhang Shangxiang transmitted and compiled this scripture, hoping that people will emulate the sages and attain true immortality.

The clear purport also says that compiling this scripture is intended to let people read the text, realize the principle, examine the good causes of successive ages, follow the traces of the sages, and thereby become superior Perfected.

Later it explains the title Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Jing: “Taishang” means that it is so great that it cannot be measured and so high that it cannot be exhausted; “Dongxuan” means that it clarifies the mysteries of prenatal Dao and De, is the root of writings for ten thousand generations, and penetrates the three lights of sun, moon, and stars, revealing mysterious mechanisms; “Lingbao” means that it contains the principle of mysterious spirit and is the treasure of heaven and humankind throughout billions of years.

In sum, scriptures are used to elucidate the principle, yet the Dao is within oneself. If one can fully develop the heart-mind and nature and fulfill the heavenly mandate (making one’s nature and the heavenly mandate coincide), understand this Dao, probe it deeply, and practice it personally, one can enter sagehood.

The title “Xin Jing Lun Shengchen Deye Bian” (Faith in the Scripture: A Discourse Distinguishing Ascent and Descent According to De and Meritorious Deeds): it means to clarify faith in this scripture and to distinguish the principle by which cultivators rise or fall according to their De and meritorious deeds.

Human beings come into being through transformation from the qi of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate). The principles of heaven and hell have already been explained in detail in the scriptures, yet most people in the world do not believe them—can this really be empty talk? Although after death people return to emptiness, some hun and po souls do not disperse, because the hun-soul carries the karma of deeds performed during life. During the Spring and Autumn period, Bo You, a grandee of the state of Zheng, became a vengeful ghost after death and caused hauntings. Zichan believed this account, and Confucius did not regard his view as wrong. Does hell, then, not exist? Pure qi returns to the source of creation—the natural generation and transformation of heaven and earth—and heaven truly exists as well. But blessings cannot be obtained by chance, nor can karmic retribution be evaded by chance. Heaven and hell are both created by the human mind. If one knows only the names of heaven and hell but does not cultivate virtue, one brings disaster upon oneself. Even if one discusses karmic cause and effect every day, what benefit is there?

Those who recite scriptures should originally chant various mantras such as the “Purifying the Mind” mantra, but these are not included here again. The preceding text has already taught that the human mind is the same as the Dao; this is equivalent to reciting and holding the true mantra, so no separate mantra text is recorded.

The Imperial Scripture (Huang Jing) originally listed thirty-six sacred titles at its beginning, deriving from the meaning of the thirty-six heavens above. The present scripture contains only the Ten Admonitions; the reason is that the Ten Epithets and Ten Ultimates are established according to the manner of addressing the imperial title, not selected or discarded because the content is elaborate or simple. Readers should carefully comprehend this.

Annotations on the Collected Scripture of the Original Conduct of the Highest Jade Emperor

This exposition comes from commentators of the Dongxuan Lingbao school; later generations need not doubt it.

Kneeling for Long in Reverent Offering

This scripture expounds the meaning of the Jade Emperor’s wondrous practice as proclaimed by Yuanshi Tianzun (one of the highest Daoist deities, dwelling in the Jade Clarity sacred realm), so when reciting the scripture one should kneel for a long time and, with a devout heart, revere and practice it.

Reverently invoking the Three Pure Ones’ realms, the supremely honored ones of the Three Realms.

This means that one should know the loftiness of the Great Dao and the nobility of the Three Pure Ones, reverently cherish admiration, take refuge with body, spirit, and life, and raise one’s true heart upward to the Dao. The Three Pure Ones refer to the three highest realms of Jade Clarity, Highest Clarity, and Supreme Clarity: Jade Clarity is the sacred realm where Yuanshi Tianzun dwells, Highest Clarity is the true realm where Lingbao Tianzun dwells, and Supreme Clarity is the immortal realm where Daode Tianzun dwells. The realms of the Three Pure Ones are supremely honored and unsurpassed; the Great Celestial Worthies, Dao-ancestors of the Three Realms therein, are precisely the objects that scripture reciters invoke.

Look up toward Daluo Heaven, the supreme heavenly realm engendered by the unsurpassed Mysterious Vault (Xuanqiong). (Daluo Heaven: the highest heaven in Daoism.)

Lü Chunyang (that is, Lü Dongbin) says: This is the dwelling place of the Jade Emperor, the sovereign lord of the heavens of the three thousand great thousand worlds, never falling back. Because it is supremely high and without equal, it is called “Daluo.” “Xuanqiong” refers to the deep, distant, vast, and boundless sky and is the supreme sovereign of all the heavens.

Again look up toward the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), where numerous Perfected Ones (Zhenren) stand in attendance. Zhang Ziyang (that is, Zhang Boduan) explains: “Attend” means to stand in attendance at the side; “Chen” refers to a realm that is high, distant, mysterious, and wondrous, impossible to glimpse or hear of; “the multitude of true beings” includes the honored deities of the Nine Chen of Prior Heaven, as well as the Later Heaven immortals and sages, the gods and Buddhas of various traditions, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajra guardians.

The wondrous Dao (the Way) is mysterious and far-reaching; it cannot be fathomed by the mind, nor discussed in words; it can be attained only through realization.

Cultivators of the Dao must take true knowledge as their foundation and personally put it into practice; only then can they enter this Gate of Relying on the Mysterious. Zhang Zifang comments: “To enter into” means to enter through true knowledge and earnest practice. The “Gate of Relying on the Mysterious” refers to the gate of the great Dao. The mysterious and wondrous principle is difficult to enter in a single step; one must cultivate gradually and realize it step by step. This is just as Mencius says, “Dwell in it securely, and one will rely on it deeply,” and as the Buddhist scriptures say, “Mere hearing and pondering without practice flow away into nowhere”—that is, if one merely hears and reflects without practicing, one will drift away and gain nothing.

This wondrous scripture draws forth the divine mechanism from the realm of truth, reveals the mysterious and profound truth, and guides sentient beings lost in the dust of the world, enabling them to escape the sea of suffering and free themselves from the path of karmic retribution.

Those who recite the scripture call themselves “your servant.” At this point they make a vow to purify the three karmas of body, speech, and mind (the three karmas being bodily, verbal, and mental karma), and devoutly cut off all karmic obstacles, never to commit them again.

The reciter first declares their aspiration: with a devout heart, may I forever cut off the karmic obstacles of body, speech, and mind (bodily karma being the actions of the body, verbal karma being speech, and mental karma being thoughts).

While reciting the scripture aloud, I also hold it in mind without forgetting, receiving this scripture with a sincere heart.

I only hope that the Yuanshi Jade Emperor (a high Daoist deity, above all the heavens) and all the Perfected Ones will greatly extend their compassion, deign to hear and accept what I pray for. (The commentator believes that the character here should be “compassion” rather than “honor,” because it must carry forward the sense of the several preceding invocations.)

May the light of great compassion of all the sages illuminate the sincerity of this humble person, and may the deities clearly hear the sound of my recitation.

May the sound of the Dharma, when I recite this scripture, resound throughout the worlds of the ten directions, so that beings in the ten directions may hear and faithfully accept this Great Dharma.

May I understand the meaning of the scripture, cultivate the true Dao, and fulfill all virtuous vows, just as the scripture describes the wondrous conduct of the Jade Emperor as he passed through kalpa hardships. From this point on, may I advance step by step in diligent cultivation, accomplish the Great Dao, and serve all immortals and sages.

With utmost sincerity I take refuge in and pay homage. If the heart harbors insincerity, or even the slightest regret, it cannot be called taking refuge with utmost sincerity. Therefore, when reciting and upholding this scripture, one must remain sincere throughout and not alter one’s initial resolve; only this is “the homage of taking refuge with utmost sincerity.”

The sacred realm of Yuqing (Jade Clarity, one of the highest Daoist heavens), the Qingwei Heavenly Palace (also the name of a heaven), and the Yuluo Xiaotai Terrace (the highest place in the heavens) are all immortal realms that are supreme, pure, and fragrant with divine light.

Above the realm of the densely arrayed myriad phenomena—pure, vast, and profound—is the Jade Clarity Heaven (the highest of the Three Pure Ones’ (Sanqing) realms, situated above all the heavens). In that heaven all phenomena are arrayed in a profundity that cannot be exhausted. Thus it is said that above this densely arrayed myriad phenomena, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (a supreme Daoist deity, one of the Three Pure Ones, regarded as the sovereign of the Three Teachings) manifested various wondrous forms in order to save the world; their mystery cannot be exhausted, and so they are called “countless Brahma wondrous forms,” that is, innumerable pure and majestic Dharma-forms.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning is fully endowed with the great supernatural powers of the Limitless (boundless and beyond all limits). Another interpretation holds that “Primordial Beginning” itself is the Limitless Great Dao, and that this is why it is described in this way; the commentator, however, considers the former interpretation more appropriate.

He widely proclaimed the principle of true mystery (the supremely true and supremely wondrous profound principle), breaking the world’s attachments to and obstructions by “nonbeing,” “being,” “form,” and “emptiness.” “Nonbeing” means taking Wuwei (non-action) as great supernatural power; “being” means following birth and cessation; “form” means attachment to being; “emptiness” means falling into annihilation and being unable to escape the bias toward “nonbeing.” When the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning expounds this scripture, he clearly reveals the Way of true mystery, which does not belong to the Three Contemplations (referring to the Buddhist contemplations of emptiness, provisionality, and the middle), nor does it fall into either extreme,

General Meaning of the Original Text

This passage means that those who recite the scripture should worship the supreme deity with a sincere heart and reverent respect. Nowadays some people merely move their mouths to recite this line, which is incorrect.

The Shangqing (Highest Clarity) Pure Realm

The “jing” in “jing shang xuan qing” means to measure or gauge, referring to the boundless vastness of the Shangqing realm. The phrase “Yuanshi” is explained later.

The Yuyu Heavenly Palace

The Shangqing realm, from Shiqing Heaven to Taibai Heaven, is a realm of mysterious radiance and divine transformation and nurturing; it is never destroyed, is incomparably lofty and great, and its divine power operates without end. The scripture says, “Yuanbai Yuyu Heavenly Palace.”

Within the Ziwei (Purple Subtlety) Jade Terrace

The realm here is profound, subtle, and unfathomable, forever unshaken and indestructible; therefore it is called “Ziwei.” The commentator says this is not the Ziwei Enclosure where the North Star is located. “Qiongtai” (Jade Terrace) refers to the radiance of the Shangqing Palace, adorned with countless treasures, hence the phrase “within the Jade Terrace.”

Above the Xuandu Jade Capital

The Shangqing realm is situated above the Great Xuandu White Jade Capital (the celestial immortal capital spoken of in Daoism). There is also a view that it is above the Jade Capital Mountain in the high heavens; this interpretation is also acceptable.

Continuing the Lineage of Yuanshi Xuhuang

The character “xi” is read as “ji,” meaning to inherit. The Lingbao school, through the Dao of “embodying the primordial,” transforms and nurtures all things, and thus it receives upward the Dao-lineage of Yuanshi Xuhuang (that is, Yuanshi Tianzun, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning).

Surpassing the Root and Sprout of the Xina Jade Kingdom

The commentator has determined that the Xina Jade Kingdom is in Shaanxi and is the birthplace of the White Emperor of the West. The Lingbao scriptures precede the transformation and birth of the various sages, and so it is said that they surpass the root and sprout of the Xina Jade Kingdom. “Yuanbai” should not be understood as the White Emperor. Another interpretation holds that “chao” (surpass) should be “shao” (continue), meaning that the Celestial Worthy is the root and sprout of the Xina Jade Kingdom, but the commentator considers this interpretation incorrect.

Entering the Millet-Grain Pearl, Fully Drawing Out the Essence of the True Mystery

The Celestial Worthy enters the mysterious pearl the size of a millet grain. This is close in meaning to what Confucians call the “nine manipulations of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)” and what Buddhists call “awakening to the treasury of the true Dharma eye”; both refer to comprehending the fundamental principle of the universe. “Yi” means to grasp this principle thoroughly and uniquely for oneself, as when a person holds a rare and precious object and consumes all of its exquisite flavor; hence the phrase “fully drawing out the essence of the true mystery.”

The Heavenly Worthy, in the Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) Wondrous Fragrance Treasure Forest Mysterious Garden, repeatedly proclaimed the principles of the mysterious, wondrous, secret essentials. The scriptural texts are like the fish trap and the rabbit snare (the fish trap is a bamboo device for catching fish, and the rabbit snare is a net for catching rabbits): they are merely tools for attaining the Dao (the Way), and cultivators should not cling to them rigidly.

The Heavenly Worthy’s wondrous virtue is inconceivable, and his spiritual powers are beyond compare.

With great compassion, great vows, great sageliness, and great loving-kindness, the Heavenly Worthy delivers and transforms people immeasurably and boundlessly.

Lingbao Tianzun (one of the supreme Daoist deities), from the Qi (vital energy) of Initial Azure to the realm of Taibai (Great White), and Yuanshi Tianzun again revealed mysterious teachings. He dwells in the Shangqing realm, wondrously transforms, and is omnipresent; the Dharma-treasure of the Great Dao is transmitted without cease.

With devout devotion I take refuge and pay homage:

The Taiqing (Great Clarity) wonderland and the Great Red Heaven Palace (the heavenly palaces of the Three Pure Ones’ realms are originally one body; because the mysterious light is vast and its wondrous function inexhaustible, it is called the Taiqing wonderland; the primal white Qi disperses into colored clouds, and red auspiciousness covers all and is never destroyed, hence it is called the Great Red Heaven Palace; it does not specifically mean the color red).

How towering is the golden palace, above the vast layered heavens. The dwelling place of Taishang (the supreme deity) stands firm and unmoving, supreme and great, incomparable, its golden light indestructible. The mysterious palace rises high, remote and inexhaustible, forever above the Nine Mansions and the ninefold heavens. Another account says it is within the layered heavens above the Thirty-Six Heavens.

Taishang descended and carried out his transforming work throughout immeasurable, countless kalpas; passing through kalpas without cease, their number cannot be exhausted. The profundity of the Great Dao’s mysterious origin is likewise impossible to fathom.

He proclaims the essentials of the Dharma among twelve thousand heavens.

In the course of his teaching through the generations, Taishang extends throughout the trichiliocosm (the Buddhist cosmological unit). This means that wherever Taishang expounds the teachings, twelve thousand heavenly realms are established as the administrative bureaus for his teaching.

The secret formulas within the Dao teachings number more than five thousand, comprehensively integrating the subtle principles of the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

Taishang’s transformative teaching has more than eighty kinds, used to receive and guide the beings of the six destinies (the six realms: heaven, human, māra, ghost, hell, and animal). The annotations offer several interpretations: one says that the six destinies refer to beings in the six desires who are trapped by eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind; another says they refer to the six kinds of realms—existence, nonexistence, form, emptiness, subject, and object. Some also hold that the character jie (“to receive”) should be zheng (“to rescue”), meaning to rescue beings so they may awaken to the Dao and realize truth. Beings within the six destinies find it difficult to escape samsara; Taishang, in compassionate teaching, rescues gods, humans, ghosts, and beings from the dusty world, and so this character is sometimes written zheng.

Taishang’s sagely virtue is lofty, and his mysterious merit is vast, boundless, deep, and unfathomable; therefore it is called “mysterious merit” (xuangong).

With great compassion, great vows, great sagely virtue, and great loving-kindness, Taishang saves countless sentient beings.

Taishang’s manifestations are inexhaustible, and his compassionate grace continues without end, ceaselessly giving rise to life; therefore he is called the Heavenly Worthy Who Descends to Birth (Jiangsheng Tianzun).

With the utmost sincerity, take refuge and pay homage.

“Wondrous Existence, the True Realm” is the Miluo Upper Palace. The Upper Palace is the name of the palace where the Jade Emperor’s Holy Father resides.

Nang (pronounced xiang) refers to past kalpas that have already gone by. In the past he manifested the body of the king of the Kingdom of Light-Adorned Wondrous Bliss. This body is the original substance of the Sagely Emperor and Compassionate Worthy of the Ten Thousand Heavens.

Shixiang Zhandi is likewise the name of the palace where the Holy Father resides.

The root of the myriad heavens, the essential body of the sagely emperor and compassionate honored one.

In the beginning there was a state of clear radiance and silent stillness. The “Holy Father” here refers to King Guangyan, who is the source of Dao’s (the Way’s) transformation; his wondrous appearance is clear, peaceful, and utterly still. The beginning of this pure stillness is profoundly deep and mysterious, difficult to describe in words.

He inherited the royal throne; the royal line passed down, and his virtue was without equal. Later descendants continued the former work, and their blessings and virtue became even more flourishing; therefore it is said that he was “wondrous, peerless, incomparable, and continuing in succession.”

The Holy Father is the compassionate father of sentient beings, the most honored among the most honored. Here it means that King Guangyan gave birth to the Jade Emperor (Yudi, the Jade Emperor, one of the highest deities revered in Daoism, regarded as the father of sentient beings and supreme in rank). Because the Jade Emperor’s merits are forever manifest, praises of him cannot be exhausted, and the heart of refuge in him is inexhaustible.

He is the Heavenly Worthy Father of Great Compassion and Great Vows, the Great Sage and Great Compassionate One—namely the Holy Father Heavenly Worthy, King of Guangyan Miaole. Guangyan Miaole is a kingdom name established in Daoist scriptures.

Believers should take refuge and worship with utmost sincerity. In the true realm of wondrous existence, the Miluo Inner Palace is the deep palace where the Jade Emperor resides; the Holy Mother dwells within it, and therefore it is called the “Inner Palace.”

The Holy Mother’s compassionate countenance is radiant, gentle as spring; her virtuous demeanor is solemn and dignified as autumn frost.

The pure and complete Fan Qi (the primordial Qi, vital energy, as Daoism calls it) that she possesses existed in simple form long before heaven and earth took shape. She manifested a wondrous body, passed through the identity of consort of the sovereign of Guangyan, and in accordance with destiny gave birth to the Jade Emperor.

Taking the pure and undivided primordial Qi as its source, it reveals the very beginning of the embryo’s first formation. (“Pei” denotes the initial establishment of form and Qi; “tai” denotes the gradual consolidation of form and Qi.) This primordial Qi rests upon the Dao-body of the Jade Emperor, and amid generation and transformation it manifests all manner of extraordinary auspicious signs.

The Holy Mother manifests a wondrous body; having passed through the sovereign and consort of the Guangyan Kingdom (Guangyan being the country where the Jade Emperor descended to be born), she conceived by sympathetic response and gave birth to the Jade Emperor. The Holy Mother gave birth to the Jade Emperor; thereafter came the differentiation of the myriad things and the governing of sentient beings, and she is the root of the ten thousand transformations and the compassionate mother of all beings.

She possesses the virtues of great compassion, great vows, great sageliness, and great mercy; she is Empress Baoyueguang, that is, the Holy Mother Yuanjun. The faithful take refuge with wholehearted devotion, bowing and prostrating themselves.

The Purple Gold Palace and the White Jade Capital where she dwells are originally one sacred place. (The Purple Gold Palace is no different from the Palace of Yellow Gold; it refers to the capital palace where the Jade Emperor resides. Its divine radiance and wondrous treasures are without distinction; it is a pure land that constantly receives offerings, its color and luster as noble as gold, and it is the place where the Jade Emperor dwells and rests in peace.) The Holy Mother constantly abides in the realm of wondrous existence, within the true realm where no trace can be found, forever situated above the heaven of Supreme Mystery and Ultimate Truth.

Her merits and practices are complete and her Dao-fruit fully realized; therefore her wondrously excellent and adorned form surpasses all the heavens. (The character guan, “crown,” is used in the sense of something placed upon the head; since the Jade Emperor is the Lord Teacher of the Myriad Heavens, he therefore stands supreme over all the heavens.) Her heart is vast and her body at peace; therefore her compassionate light shines universally over the Three Realms.

The Jade Emperor’s original nature is as vast as the sky, and the body of his wondrous function is eternally unchanging. The human mind is originally vast, and the body is originally at peace; it is only because sentient beings cannot awaken that no light is present in their minds. After the Jade Emperor cultivated the great Dao (the Way) to completion, his mind became as broad as the Great Void, his Dao-body naturally manifested, and his compassionate light therefore shone universally throughout the Three Realms.

His status is honored to the utmost, supreme and unsurpassed; his Dao is profound, far-reaching, and mysterious—mysterious beyond mystery, impossible to exhaust. He is the true sage and master, the one on whom gods and humans rely; he harbors a heart of great compassion and great vows, and possesses both the De (Virtue/Power) of a great sage and a heart of great loving-kindness. The meaning is also explained in another chapter.

“Holy King of the Vault of Heaven” is “Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerable.” The “Holy Lord of the Vault of Heaven” is the sovereign king of all the heavens; this title praises the Jade Emperor’s nobility. Cultivators should with utmost sincerity take refuge in and pay reverence to him. “Land of Radiant Solemnity” and “Land of Wondrous Bliss” refer to the pure and wondrous realm where the Jade Emperor dwells; their meaning is also explained in the later notes.

The Holy Mother, within the void, concentrated her spirit and entered a dream. She dreamed that the Lord of the Dao (Daojun) held an infant and delivered it to her, after which the Jade Emperor was born. This was a wondrous and extraordinary omen condensed within the void. A dream is itself an illusion within an illusion, and so “void” is spoken of; but because the auspicious and numinous signs were exceptionally clear, it is called a “divine dream.” The Lord of the Dao—an honored deity who has attained the Dao—again, in a dim and obscure trance, bestowed the Jade Emperor’s precious-jade substance upon the Holy Mother.

The Jade Emperor is benevolent and gentle, humble and courteous, and does not covet the honor of “ten thousand chariots.” “Ten thousand chariots” originally refers to a great state possessing ten thousand war chariots, and here by extension means the imperial throne. The Jade Emperor’s abandonment of the royal throne is precisely his not coveting the ruler’s honor and glory.

He can endure humiliation; his disposition is benevolent, magnanimous, and gentle; and he does not fear the suffering of long cultivation and accumulation over billions of kalpas—an extremely long span of time in Buddhist and Daoist scriptures.

With the utmost patience and the gentle, benevolent virtue of loving-kindness, even if he had to pass through a span as long as a hundred thousand kalpas in cultivating virtue and accumulating meritorious practice, he would not shrink from the difficulty. (An old commentary says: “yi” means one hundred thousand, and “jie” is an extremely long unit of time.)

His merits and practice are lofty and incomparable; his virtue is deep and difficult to surpass.

With great compassion, the great power of vows, great sagely illumination, and great loving-kindness, he manifests a body of immeasurable merit and virtue—namely, the Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor. (The Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor is one of the supreme deities of Daoism and governs the heavenly realm.)

He is augustly enthroned as emperor, high in the heavenly palace. He is augustly seated in the position of the Jade Emperor, high in the Qingwei Great Heavenly Palace (a palace of the Daoist heavenly realm).

He roams throughout the entire White Jade Capital (the celestial capital city where the Heavenly Emperor resides) and universally manifests within the golden gateways of the ten directions (the gates of the heavenly palace).

His mind and spirit are settled, yet he can resonate and respond to circumstances; he comes and goes freely, without restraint. He can gather and can disperse; his transformations are perfectly integrated and unobstructed, mysterious and unfathomable. An old commentary compares this to the Buddhist saying “whatever is picked up casually is none other than the Dao” and the Confucian “finding the source on every side,” meaning that his virtue operates with perfect ease and accords with the Dao everywhere.

He proclaims the path of purity and liberation, saving those who have sunk into delusion and are burdened by sorrow and karmic obstructions.

A Vernacular Reading of the Collected Commentaries on the Scripture of the Original Deeds of the Most High Jade Emperor

It is naturally so, beyond what ordinary human knowledge can recognize or fathom. Some take the word shi as a mark or sign, which is incorrect; others explain it as cognition or understanding, which is likewise incorrect.

The Jade Emperor, through mysterious and wondrous power, transforms and nurtures all things naturally; ordinary worldly perceptions and mind-nature cannot fathom it.

Great compassion and great mercy, great vows and great sageliness, manifesting the pure and natural Dharma body—this is the Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor.

This line praises the purity of the Jade Emperor’s sagely virtue.

With a heart of utmost sincerity, take refuge and bow in worship.

In former times, as a king’s son, he endured hardships and manifested wondrous merit and virtue.

May the Great Sagely and Great Compassionate Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor manifest the pure and natural Dharma body.

This line praises the purity of the Jade Emperor’s sagely virtue.

With a heart of utmost sincerity, take refuge and bow in worship.

In the past, at the beginning of a kalpa, as the two princes Guang and Yan, he passed through immeasurable, profound, and mysterious meritorious practices and transformative teachings.

After more than three thousand kalpas of cultivation, it was as one day;

three thousand two hundred kalpas of cultivating the truth and practicing the Dao (the Way) were likewise as one day.

He saved and delivered billions of living beings, his grace extending throughout the ten directions.

He rescued and delivered billions of living beings, his grace reaching all worlds in the ten directions.

Although the Dharma body was gestated from the embryonic basis in the womb, the sage body truly arose from the transformations of the Great Dao’s source.

The Jade Emperor manifested and was born of the Holy Mother. Although the Dharma body and sage body were gestated from the embryonic basis within the womb and viscera—the term yun, meaning bodily transformation, is read as yun—this sage body was in fact produced by the transformative generation of the Great Dao’s source.

It is indestructible and imperishable; it seems nonexistent yet existent.

Never decaying, never perishing. It appears empty and void, yet is truly wondrous existence; it appears truly existent, yet returns to emptiness.

Great compassion and great mercy, great vows and great sageliness, manifesting the divine, firm, never-decaying, supreme Dharma body of true emptiness—this is the Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor.

This line praises the Jade Emperor’s sagely fruition as utterly true, eternally abiding, and unchanging.

Long kneeling in repentance.

“Long kneeling” means prostrating oneself on the ground and kneeling in accordance with sincere reverence. Some say it means keeping the knees bent for a long time; this understanding is not accurate.

This line praises the Jade Emperor’s sagely fruition as utterly true, eternally abiding, and unchanging.

Long kneeling in repentance.

Bending low, kneeling on the ground, and bowing reverently, one keeps sincerity in the heart and a humble attitude. “Long kneeling” does not merely mean keeping the knees bent for a long time; it refers to a posture of reverence. “Repentance” is confessing one’s own faults and vowing forever to eliminate evil deeds; “remorse” is feeling regret for past transgressions and vowing to reform and renew oneself, like an offender voluntarily surrendering.

“We, your servants” is how the scripture reciters refer to themselves, generally meaning virtuous people like themselves. “Beginningless kalpas” refers to the immense span of time whose starting point cannot be traced; it means that since the most distant past, sentient beings have been revolving in samsara.

Human nature is originally clear and bright, but when it meets circumstances and the mind is stirred, it obscures itself and cannot turn back to contemplate within; thus deluded thoughts arise. This is “ignorance” (the dim, unaware state regarding one’s original nature) and “affliction.” Afflictions disturb the virtuous mind and cause the inherent “true mind” (the pure original nature) to be obscured, like a bright mirror covered with dust: the true mind is not lost, but it is darkened and does not appear. When afflictions are removed, the original truth naturally becomes manifest.

“Constantly committing” does not refer only to actually carrying out killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct; as long as the mind still harbors thoughts of killing, stealing, or sexual license and cannot cut them off completely, one is constantly creating evil karma. These are the three evil karmas created by the body.

“Two-tongued speech” is stirring up trouble between two sides; “false speech” is fabricating things out of thin air and speaking recklessly; “ornamental speech” is clever, flowery language, embellished words that deceive others and avoid telling the truth. “Slandering the true teaching of the Mahayana” means not understanding the great Way yet recklessly criticizing the orthodox teachings of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. In “stirring up strife among relatives and friends and estranging people,” “stirring” does not mean striking one another; it means inciting disputes, damaging the affection between relatives and friends, and alienating people from harmony. All of the above are evil karmas created by the mouth.

The final sentence, “Greed, anger, and delusion are dark; the three minds are indulged,” is an incomplete line and can only be understood from the extant wording: the three mental states of greed (covetous seeking), anger, and delusion (foolishness) are the root of affliction; if they are indulged, the mind becomes benighted and loses self-control.

There are those who want to obtain but are never satisfied, whose greedy seeking knows no end, and whose resentment and vexation, anger and hatred, also never cease. There are those who are deluded and attached, foolish and benighted, and to the end refuse to change. When the three mental states of greed, anger, and delusion are indulged in ignorance, they become three kinds of illness of the mind. Whether in the past, present, or future, these three minds are all deviant, false, and unrighteous.

The four emotions of joy, anger, love, and aversion increase the seven kinds of “pride.” (“Pride” refers to arrogance and contempt, that is, a mentality of self-aggrandizement, disrespect, and unrighteousness.)

Liu Langran (a Daoist commentator) explains: when things go according to one’s wishes, joy arises; when one encounters something provoking, anger arises; when something accords with one’s wishes, indulgent love arises; when something goes against one’s wishes, hatred arises. These four emotions, together with the earlier three minds of greed, anger, and delusion, jointly increase into the seven prides: to envy superficial splendor and not seek the great Dao is wild pride; to indulge evil thoughts and not believe in karmic cause and effect, sin and blessing, is perverse pride; to sink into illusory and false thoughts and not take refuge in the true Dharma is sacrilegious pride; to give free rein to ordinary worldly feelings and not draw near to upright people is arrogant pride; to secretly harbor resentment and jealousy, be overbearing and unreasonable, and not fear the law is negligent pride; to indulge passions and desires and not cherish the body is slothful pride; to have ceaseless aversion, not enter the good path, and not revere the gods is insulting pride.

There is another explanation that directly correlates the seven emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, aversion, and desire with the seven prides, but these emotions actually arise from joy, anger, love, and aversion, and greed, anger, and delusion should not be included among the seven prides. This explanation is not credible; Liu Langran’s interpretation should be taken as authoritative.

The roots of sin created over countless kalpas are already difficult to record one by one; the karmic defilements accumulated over many lifetimes are even more impossible to measure.

Take refuge in the supreme holy spirit, the greatly compassionate and greatly merciful one.

Taking refuge with utmost sincerity, forever turning toward the sacred. Relying on and entrusting to the great compassionate power of the supreme sages, may they silently protect me so that I forever eliminate my transgressions. (The commentary notes that “compassion” is sometimes written as “venerable,” but emending it would instead be overly rigid.)

Revealing the true mind; extending repentance. Disclosing the genuine good mind, I present upward my sincerity in repenting my transgressions.

“The various stains of offenses from ten thousand kalpas and a thousand lives”: this refers to the various karmic offenses and defilements accumulated over countless kalpas and thousands of lives. “Ten thousand kalpas and a thousand lives” merely gives a large number, describing an extremely distant span of time.

“May they all be eliminated through repentance”: may it be that, after repentance, I never again create new karma, and all past offenses completely dissolve and are cleansed.

“Dedicating this body and mind to the Supreme Truth”: I reverently offer this body and mind to the highest true deity of the upper realm, and receive their protection.

“I only wish that the roots of offense be all forgiven”: I only hope that the roots of offenses from past times may all receive the holy true ones’ understanding of the faults I committed in ignorance, and be entirely pardoned and absolved.

With utmost sincerity I make vows: may my eyes always behold the wondrous sign of the jade-white hair-mark, as if it were before me. (The sign of the jade-white hair-mark is the light emitted from the white hair-mark between the eyebrows, one of the auspicious marks of sacred beings; here it refers by extension to the solemn countenance of the holy true ones.) May my ears always hear the sound of the holy true ones expounding the wondrous Dharma; with single-minded sincerity, one can truly hear it. May my nose always smell the various wondrous fragrances emitted by the holy true ones’ Dharma body, so that body and mind are moistened by them and bathed in pure Qi. (Fanqi refers to pure, solemn sacred Qi.) May my tongue always praise the unsurpassed Dao, and not speak words contrary to the holy true ones’ Dharma intent. May this body remain pure, unstained by evil, sexual misconduct, and defilement, and do nothing contrary to the holy true ones’ law. May my mind always preserve right and sincere faith, forever free of false, deluded, deceptive, and greedily seeking private thoughts.

Making vows to repay upward the fourfold kindness: the so-called fourfold kindness refers to the grace of Heaven and Earth in covering and supporting, the grace of the sun and moon in shining upon us, the grace of the ruler and of water and soil in nurturing us, and the grace of parents in giving us birth.

I vow to save [beings] from the suffering of the Three Paths. I vow to save those who, entangled by sexual desire, have fallen into the heavenly path; those who, entangled by the desire of love, have fallen into the earthly path; and those who, entangled by greed, have fallen into the water path, so that mind, Shen (spirit), and form may all escape the threefold suffering.

I vow to broadly extend my innate heart of compassion, pitying and sympathizing with all sentient beings. Another interpretation is: may the Lord Emperor exercise compassion.

I vow to use this merit to practice great skillful means far and wide, transforming and delivering all sentient beings in the world.

I look up in reverence to the Jade Emperor’s great compassion and mercy, asking for protection, so that all my vows may be completely fulfilled.

Having finished making vows, I take refuge in the Three Treasures, namely the Dao Treasure, the Jing Treasure (Scripture Treasure), and the Master Treasure.

Next is the Xuan Yun Mantra. This is a profound and secret mantra called the “Chongxuan Miyun” (Secret Accumulation of Double Mystery); it is an immortal mantra transmitted by the Great Brahma Immortal.

Great indeed is Yuanshi Tianzun (one of the highest Daoist deities), who saves the people of the world through immeasurable merit. He proclaims the teaching of purity and guides people to ascend to the realm of Tianzhen (Heavenly Perfection). Another version says: “He ascends the seat to receive and guide the Tianzhen.”

He proclaims the teaching from the mysterious Dharma throne in utter silence. The Dharma body eternally abides, its light illuminating the ten directions. This throne is not an ordinary seat but one that rises above the void and occupies the highest place. Floating in the void, it turns the Dharma wheel; this is “proclaiming the teaching from the mysterious seat.” Mystery upon mystery, profoundly silent, utterly still.

The Jade Emperor emits light, and the joy and celebration are beyond words.

This is what is called “mind transmission”: transmitting mind to mind, without relying on written words.

This true scripture is the fundamental classic in which the Supreme Sage, the Founder of the Teaching, transmits the mind-method; it is also called the “Heavenly Root.” Here “Heavenly Root” refers to the mysterious root of the Dao of Heaven, not to the hexagram Fu (Return), Earth over Thunder.

The explanation of the Great Perfection Mantra is given later.

The Yao Chapters and Dong Texts refer to the sacred chapters of Biyao Heaven and the wondrous scriptures of the Great Cavern—that is, the classics of the celestial realm.

This book was compiled by gathering the secret discourses of Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning) and recording the questions and clarifications of the assembled Perfected, thus forming the scripture of the Jade Emperor.

“Spreading and disseminating the divine Perfected” means widely spreading and transmitting the teachings of the divine Perfected in order to promote the holy teaching. Here “luo” means to descend and spread.

I now recite this scripture facing east (in cultivation, one should sit upright facing east and recite it).

May I share the lifespan of Heaven and Earth and forever recite this scripture with sincerity.

May both the living and the dead attain the fruit of the Dao.

May we forever cross the River of Love. The River of Love is a metaphor for beings’ bonds of affection and attachment, which are the hardest to relinquish. This scripture can free people from suffering and carry them beyond the River of Love.

The above two lines appear repeatedly in the original text, emphasizing the same aspiration.

In the mind, visualize the venerable countenance of the Jade Emperor; with the mouth, praise the honored title of the Jade Emperor; with a sincere heart, take refuge in and bow to Taishang (the Supreme Lord).

Miluo Wushang Heaven: the highest and most distant realm of mysterious profundity within the Great Void. “Miluo” means Wuji (the Limitless) and refers to the supreme celestial realm.

The Realm of Wondrous Being and Mysterious Truth: the celestial palace of the Jade Emperor, endowed with mysterious luminous forms and auspicious qi, not the illusions of the mortal world. It is never destroyed, and its subtlety is inexhaustible; hence it is called the “Realm of Wondrous Being and Mysterious Truth.”

The Vast Purple-Gold Palace: a distant and expansive purple-gold palace, surrounded by auspicious light and mysterious forms.

The Taiwei Yuqing Palace: Taiwei and Yuqing are both names of celestial palaces; this is the immortal palace where the Jade Emperor resides.

Taiwei is not the Taiwei Enclosure in the heavens of the sun and moon, but the Taishang Xuanwei Yuqing Palace, that is, the palace where the Jade Emperor dwells. Here the purple, mysterious, auspicious Qi and golden radiance stretch continuously for forty trillion li. Lofty and towering, eternal and indestructible, unstained by a single mote of dust, it is beyond the reach of all the heavens; thus it is called the Taiwei Yuqing Palace.

The Boundless and Supreme Sage: his Dao-practice reaches the realm of the boundless, and his rank is honored as supreme; he is the great sage of utmost De.

Vast and open, he sends forth light: broad and boundless, with layered azure skies profound and distant, he radiates the greatest immeasurable light.

Silent and vast, without any source: though he radiates great light, he is empty and profoundly deep, inexhaustible; silent and soundless, still and unknowable; vast and immense, with no source that can be traced.

His mysterious model governs the ten directions: the Dao-body and Dharma-body are vast and overflowing; he is the lord of the divine beings, sovereign of the myriad heavens, sage ancestor through immeasurable kalpas, and with his mysterious Dharma-model he governs the worlds of the ten directions.

Profoundly still, the true and eternal Dao: clear and tranquil, ever pure and ever settled, he is the true, constant, and unchanging great Dao.

Vast and silent, great spiritual power: broad and immeasurable, silent and without form or trace, he possesses the greatest spiritual power.

Jade Emperor, Great Heavenly Worthy, High God of the Mysterious Vault: the Jade Emperor is the most honored and noble Great Heavenly Worthy; he is the High God of the Mysterious Vault and dwells at the highest place in the heavenly realm.

The Jade Emperor is not merely the honored one of a single heaven, but the sovereign of the myriad heavens and the patriarch of the Three Teachings; he is the supreme and boundless Great Heavenly Worthy, that is, the High God of the Mysterious Void and Azure Vault. When reciting these ten sacred phrases, one should bow once after each phrase. If one cannot bow after each phrase, one may first bow once, recite the entire scripture, and then bow nine times; at each bow it is also acceptable to recite only “Jade Emperor, Great Heavenly Worthy, High God of the Mysterious Vault.” After the bows are completed, sit upright and properly, and begin reciting the scripture.

Scriptural Interpretation

The Great Marshal Ma Lingguan said: This Jing (scripture/classic) is the king among all scriptures. For gods, humans, ghosts, and creatures, wherever it goes, all undertakings prosper. Men and women in the world, regardless of poverty or wealth, high or low status, even if illiterate, need only revere this scripture and hear it, and women can transform into a male body, while people can obtain blessings and longevity. Whether by printing or commissioning copies of the scripture, by giving them to others, or by encouraging others to receive, uphold, and recite it, the merit is immeasurable. Only a sincere heart is required; one must not harbor improper desires, nor doubt and grow slack. Wherever this scripture is present, all deities will protect it. If people in the world follow my words, the deities will also protect them forever. Strive to practice it, and do not let down this rare good karmic affinity.

(This passage is repetitive in the original; the above translation has been merged and rendered according to its general meaning.)

Background Notes

The Great Marshal Ma Lingguan is a protective deity-general of the Daoist Thunder Department, often regarded as a god who protects the scriptures and teachings and subdues evil demons.

“Female transforming into male” is a common expression in Daoist classics. It holds that merit from cultivation and practice can lead to rebirth in a male body, often referring to the next life or to a transformation of bodily form; it expresses esteem for the merit of cultivation and practice.

The Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jing (Scripture of the Original Conduct of the Most High Jade Emperor) is a scripture centered on the Jade Emperor (the Most High Jade Emperor), attributed to proclaiming the Jade Emperor’s original conduct and merit.

The Jizhu (Collected Commentary) is an annotated edition of the original scripture. The complete work is in ten fascicles, with the scripture text divided into upper, middle, and lower fascicles. Its chapter titles include “Chapter on the Divine Powers of the Qingwei Heavenly Palace,” “Chapter on the Most High Great Light, Perfect and Complete Great Spirit Spell,” “Chapter on the Merit and Virtue of the Jade Emperor,” “Chapter on Protection by the Celestial Perfected,” and “Chapter on Retribution and Divine Verification.”

The terms “collated,” “reviewed,” “compiled,” and “edited” in the title are respectively attributed to Daoist deities or figures such as Wenchang Dijun (Emperor Lord Wenchang), Chunyang (Lü Dongbin), and Perfected Lord Changchun (Qiu Chuji), to indicate the sacred origin of their collation and annotation of the scripture. This is a common practice of pseudepigraphic attribution in Daoist texts.

The Patriarch Celestial Master (Tianshi) said: The Qingwei Heavenly Palace transcends the Three Realms, and all dust and defilement are completely washed clean. Empty and nonbeing, mysterious and wondrous, bright and clear, refined and subtle, it is so deep that it cannot be exhausted. It is situated within the realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing); it is the greatest heavenly palace and the dwelling place of the Jade Emperor. Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning) proclaims the scriptures here and governs this wondrous realm. The wondrous functioning of the supremely sage turns and changes without fixed direction and cannot be measured or known. This meaning expounded in the scripture belongs to the highest grade; unless one possesses divine intelligence and wondrous wisdom, one cannot understand it. Therefore it is called “Shen Tong Pin, Chapter One.” The commentator explains according to the ancient meaning: that which is wondrous in transformation and cannot be fathomed is called shen; that which pervades everywhere and leaves nothing out is called tong. This chapter stands at the head of the five grades and is the central purport of the San Xiang (a Daoist technical term not elaborated in the commentary here). If one can accord with this principle at the Dantai (Cinnabar Terrace, the dwelling of immortals in Daoist discourse, here understandable as the state attained by the cultivator), then the entire scripture can be comprehended.

In the opening words of Chapter One of the Shen Tong Pin, “At that time, Yuanshi Tianzun,” the phrase “at that time” is a common introductory particle at the beginning of scriptures and means “at that time.” The commentary says that “at that time” refers to the beginning when the Limitless differentiated into its luminous scenes and the initial moment when the Great Mystery opened up transformation and nurture—namely, the moment when the karmic conditions of all sages are supremely excellent and this scripture is about to be proclaimed. “Yuan” means great and first; “shi” means beginning. The teaching of all sages begins from the Primordial Beginning, and so he is called Yuanshi Tianzun.

As for “in the Qingwei Heaven,” the explanation of Qingwei Heaven is found in the preceding text.

As for “Jade Capital and Golden Towers,” Ziqing Bai Zhenren (the title of the commentator on Daoist texts) says: The place where the Jade Emperor dwells has white jade for its walls and yellow gold for its gate-towers; what is used is not the gold and jade of the world but what is formed by wondrous divine transformation. It is adorned with the fine jade of the azure heaven and is a solemn palace-city, and so it is called “Jade Capital and Golden Towers.”

As for the “Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden,” Bai Zhenren says: The seven treasures refer to green jade, jade steps, lapis lazuli palace, dragon-patterned wall, white jade city, cinnabar towers, and the radiance of golden light shining everywhere; therefore they are called the Seven Treasures. Another account gives glass, crystal, pearl, agate, coral, amber, and tridacna. The Mysterious Garden is the Secret Garden of Profound Mystery.

“In the palace of the Jade Emperor, he ascends the throne of light”: the Jade Emperor mounts the precious throne of light in the palace.

Zhang Zifang said: In the time of Yuanshi Tianzun, he personally came to the Jade Emperor Hall and ascended the Great Radiance Mystic Sage Precious Throne.

(Yuanshi: the era or moment of Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) in Daoism.)

Together with immeasurable, countless assembled sages, he proclaimed the Lingbao method-gate of purity and quiescence, True Oneness, and non-duality.

(Lingbao: an important scriptural tradition in Daoism, centered mainly on Lingbao scriptures and registers and on salvation and deliverance. True Oneness: the primordial Dao spoken of in Daoism, the singular and pure fundament. The gate of non-duality: a path of cultivating the Dao that makes no distinction between self and other and gives rise to no dualistic thought.)

Zhang Zifang explained: When Yuanshi Tianzun ascended the throne, countless true sages all gathered, and so it says, “with countless multitudes.” He proclaimed the mysterious Lingbao, pure and undefiled, supremely true and supremely mysterious, uniquely wondrous, without interruption and without confusion—this is the gate of non-duality.

The Shifang Jishuo says: A person’s primordial spirit is the root of nature and life. The Great Heavenly Worthy is in the Qingwei Heaven realm and originally exists within the human body. The Jade Capital and Golden Palace, adorned with the seven treasures, are originally possessed by everyone; and nature, life, Yin and Yang, Shen, Qi, and Jing are precisely the seven treasures within the body. Langting and Xuanyuan communicate with the heavenly realm; heaven and humanity are one. When heart and Shen are peaceful and secure, one may ascend the luminous treasure throne of the Jade Emperor; when all parts of the body obey the command, gathering Shen and uniting with the Dao, this is the Heavenly Worthy’s throne, and together with countless true assemblies one proclaims the Lingbao method-gate of purity and quiescence, True Oneness, and non-duality.

(Qingwei Heaven: one of the Three Pure Realms of Daoism, belonging to the heavenly realm.)

Yet the Dao has no form or trace. When one comprehends it thoroughly and secretly reaches the wondrous state, it is like a great road: entering the gate has its own path. Therefore it is called a “method-gate.”

Chapter Two: The Chapter on Divine Powers

“At that time”: this refers to the moment when Yuanshi Tianzun ascended the throne.

“The Jade Emperor, Venerable Sovereign”: the Venerable Sovereign’s majesty is incomparably exalted, and so he is called this.

(Yuhuang: one of the highest deities in Daoism, namely the Jade Emperor.)

He and the perfected ones of the various heavens, the flying-heaven great sages, the limitless divine kings, and the spirit youths and jade maidens, ninety million in all, all maintained pure fasting and observed the precepts, standing in attendance beside him.

(Qingzhai jianjie: maintaining pure fasting and observing the precepts and discipline.)

Zifang’s commentary says: “Yu” means “together,” and “zhu” means “all.” The Jade Emperor (Yudi), together with the heavenly immortals and Zhenren (realized persons), uses wondrous transformative power to assist teaching and edification, elevating people’s spiritual powers so that they may be delivered and ascend. Those who receive this deliverance include the Flying Heaven Great Sages (Feitian Dasheng; high-ranking deities able to fly and ascend), the three thousand great thousand worlds, the divine kings of the countless heavens and earths beyond measure and of the limitless directions; spirit youths who, being transformed from Shaoyang Brahma Qi (vital energy of clear yang), can resonate with and attend upon them; jade maidens who, being transformed from Shaoyin Brahma Qi (vital energy of clear yin), can proclaim and transmit messages; and divine beings numbering ninety million in the grand total. They do not manifest divine light but return to Yuanshi (the Primordial Beginning, the source of the Great Dao), observe fasts and keep discipline, and stand in attendance beside Yuanshi’s throne of light.

The commentary of Vice Marshal Tianyou says: Within the human body there is the true master, the Yuanshen (original spirit), which is spiritually penetrating and free from constraint. The body also contains the Flying Heaven Great Sage, who guards the whole body with Shen (spirit) and Qi. There is no gap anywhere within the body; all is also present with the limitless divine kings, the mysterious light of Shaoyang, the spiritual operation of Shaoyin, and the spirit youths and jade maidens. When the mind is united with the Dao, the number of yang firmness is also ninety million, and all the spirits within the body come to revere primordial Qi. “Pure fasting” means that no second thought arises in the mind; “establishing discipline” means that the body is not slack and the demeanor is upright.

“Guanjian” (the author’s humble self-reference) holds: Human beings and heaven and earth are fundamentally the same; one should preserve clarity and purity, without mixed thoughts. When the Yuanshen presides over body and mind, it is like Yan Hui’s “fasting of the mind” (the empty and still mind described in the Zhuangzi, “In the World of Men”), and also like the ritual in which a Daoist master holds banners and pennants: reverent and single-minded, without giving rise to a second thought. One can then follow the rule of the Tianjun (the Heavenly Lord, i.e., the mind-spirit) and attain the Dao.

“Thereupon” refers to meeting at this very moment.

The Jade Emperor knew that the time was at hand, so before the Dharma assembly he raised the power of the six superknowledges (liutong) and emitted a great radiance that shone throughout all the heavens and the countless Brahma sacred sites (the holy places of the heavens). All realms were greatly shaken. All worlds of the ten directions and the limitless reaches became transparent and clear like lapis lazuli and glass, with no obstruction whatsoever.

Zitong said: The Jade Emperor knew that the time for opening the mysterious and wondrous light had come, that an age of civilization was about to begin, and that the season for expounding the great Dharma and spreading the scriptures was approaching. Therefore, before the great assembly, he displayed the power of the six penetrations (liutong) and released a great radiance that illumines all, shining throughout immeasurable heavenly realms. The mysterious Brahma palaces inhabited by countless celestial emperors and divine perfected beings, and all realms governed by the spirits, were greatly shaken. All the boundless immortal and Buddha worlds in the ten directions were clear and transparent like lapis lazuli and crystal, shining with light and fully manifest, with no place left unseen because of any gap or obstruction.

(Note: The six penetrations refer to the penetration of sight, the penetration of hearing, divine touch, divine comprehension, recollection of past lives, and foreknowledge—that is, the six supernatural powers spoken of in Buddhism, such as the divine-eye penetration. Brahma palaces (fancha) are the halls where immortal emperors and spirits dwell. They are beautiful and magnificent, set high in the heavens, not supported by steps of the dusty world, never destroyed, towering and immovable. They are difficult for mortal eyes to see, and so are called “Brahma palaces.”)

Zhang Ziyang explained: The phrase “all realms” refers to the domains inhabited by the various spirits. The scope of such domains encompasses all worlds; it is not only the various human realms—heavenly domains are also called “worlds.” Although lapis lazuli has form and luster, it must rely on external objects to become fully manifest; the treasure of crystal lets no light be lost, so no object remains invisible. The Jade Emperor’s light shines throughout all realms, and dark places are all illuminated—what obstruction could there be? If one understands this only literally, people may fail to grasp it; therefore an analogy is used to explain it.

In my humble view, the light of human nature is originally unobstructed. Only because the original spirit (yuanshen) loses its mastery do various barriers arise. Sometimes one hears but does not see; sometimes one sees but does not hear; sometimes one knows but cannot speak; sometimes one speaks but does not know its meaning; sometimes one obscures oneself or others; sometimes one confuses the order of before and after. These are all signs of failing to possess the six penetrations. If one thoroughly understands the principle of nature and life and lets the original spirit preside at all times, then one can illumine heaven and humanity, with inner and outer fully transparent. The Purple Mansion (Zifu), Elixir Terrace (Dantai), Yellow Court (Huangting), and Mysterious Realm (Xuanjie) are the places where the spirits within the body dwell; they originally possess heavenly palace walls, and all can be illuminated by light without any concealment or obstruction, entirely covered by radiance. Is this not just like lapis lazuli and crystal, which can contain all things without hiding or obstructing anything?

Even so, the Dao (the Way) is originally luminous, but attaining luminosity is not easy. When one has not yet understood, one must not force it; when one has understood, one must not be deluded. To awaken neither too early nor too late, exactly at the right moment, is truly difficult. If people can, like the Jade Emperor, wait for the time to ripen and then manifest light, renew themselves daily and constantly preserve peace and security, then the great radiance will never become dark, and the great Dao will forever be manifest.

The holy hosts of the ten directions all rode five-colored jade wheels, jade-adorned carriages, and jade-green imperial carriages, drawn by nine-colored dark dragons, and held exceedingly marvelous feather canopies.

Leizu (the Thunder Ancestor) comments: “The ten directions” refers to the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—the four corner directions—northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest—and above and below, ten directions in all. “Holy hosts” refers to the Perfected, sages, and hosts of deities of the ten directions. When they saw the light emitted by the Jade Emperor, they all mounted and drove wheels of fine jade adorned with five-color patterns, magnificent carriages, jade-green precious carts, and nine-colored radiant dark dragons, and raised incomparable feather canopies.

Bai Yuchan—a Southern Song Daoist and an important figure in Neidan (internal alchemy) studies—adds: “Five colors” refers to blue-green, yellow, red, white, and black. “Wheel” means the two wheels of a carriage, “carriage” means the carriage box, and “imperial carriage” is the general term for an emperor’s vehicle. “Nine colors” refers to nine colors: blue-green, red, yellow, white, black, purple, jade-green, Taixuan, and golden radiance. “Dark dragons” have only the light and shadow of dragons; their physical bodies are invisible. “Tenfold peerless” means that it cannot be found anywhere in the ten directions and is wondrous beyond compare; the “feather canopy” is a carriage canopy made from the feathers of numinous phoenixes and auspicious luan birds. The Daoist Scriptures say that the feather canopy is a high-handled feather fan. Another explanation is that when divine immortals and imperial Perfected set out, they use auspicious feathers and ritual standards as carriage canopies, with images of dragon light following behind, likewise without visible form. This explanation is more exquisite.

The commentator, calling himself “Guanjian” (a view through a tube, that is, a humble opinion), holds that human beings are endowed with the primordial numinous Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—and each has his or her own dharma treasures. After cultivating the Dao (the Way) and becoming immortal, the various dharma treasures will attend at the sides of the dharma carriage. If a person can silently worship God on High and emulate the Dao of Heaven, the Shen (spirit) within the body will coalesce, and the upright Qi will also reveal its radiance. The wheels of fine jade, the jade-adorned carriages, the jade-green precious imperial carriages, the mysterious transformative divine dragons of nine Qi and numinous colors, and the incomparable tenfold peerless feather canopy are originally present within every person’s body; they are not possessed only by the divine sages between Heaven and Earth. Only one who truly attains the Dao can realize this principle.

The qilin dance, the phoenixes sing in harmony, and solemn song rings out with resonant clarity. Numinous consorts scatter flower petals; golden youths burn incense and intone the wondrous chapters of the Daoist scriptures (Dongzhang), floating through the air and drifting down.

The Celestial Master of Emptiness and Stillness (Xujing Tianshi), an honorific for a Daoist annotator, says: When the host of sages sets out on procession, qilin lead the dance before them, phoenixes sing in response, their whistling harmonious and refined, their singing pleasing. Heavenly numinous consorts follow in their carriages, scattering jade flowers; golden youths attend at either side, burning auspicious incense and reciting the precious Cavern Stanzas, together guarding the divine carriage as it travels through the void and arrives at the celestial capital where the Heavenly Thearch resides. The final line means that only one who has truly attained the Dao can comprehend this scene.

The people of the ten directions (a general term for cultivators everywhere) hold instead that when the divine Thearch goes forth, numinous youths and attendant maidens sing as they follow; the qilin dancing and phoenixes singing are merely the guarding maidens imitating qilin and phoenixes in dance and song, hence “whistling songs, yongyong.” This explanation is overly strained.

When the divine carriage sets out, qilin and phoenixes accompany it, just as imperial processions today are preceded by ceremonial horses. Daoist scriptures also say: when the Heavenly Thearch travels, dragons fly and phoenixes dance. This is probably an image inherent to the Great Harmony (Taihe) paradise in heaven. They also say: when dragons and leopards roar long in the mountain forests, they produce the yongyong sound of whistling song, showing that these are indeed real qilin and phoenixes. Otherwise, when Emperor Shun made music at Mount Qi, how could phoenixes have come in ceremony and the hundred beasts danced? Reading the meaning of the scripture carefully, one should follow the former interpretation.

In the author’s humble view: if a person cultivates the Dao, silently accords with the laws of Heaven, reveres the Primordial Sovereign (Yuanhuang, the supreme deity), and brings the body to the state of Great Harmony (Taihe, the harmonious blending of vital Qi), then the sounds of Heaven naturally resound; the mysterious channels become calm and comfortable, refined and upright like qilin dancing and phoenixes singing in harmony, pleasing to hear and delighting the heart. The yang essence shines forth and yin radiance appears; in a trance one seems to see numinous consorts scattering flowers and golden youths raising incense, and to hear secret music and mysterious resonance. This is the heavenly beings singing the Cavern Stanzas, corresponding face to face with the primordial spirit (yuanshen). As if riding the wind through the void, this is precisely the scene of the host of sages coming through the air to the celestial palace. This realm is originally inherent in everyone, but only those with resolve can verify it for themselves.

At this time, Brahma (the revered deity of the heavenly realm), all awakened beings who had attained the fruit of the Golden Immortal, the Mahasattvas who understood the true path of the Mahayana, as well as the fourfold assembly (a general term for various kinds of believers) and the eight classes of heavenly deities, were all bathed in the illumination of this light. Each rode a flying-cloud jade carriage resplendent with gold and jade. Nine-colored rosy clouds flowed and turned, and the sky seemed to celebrate the gathering; the three luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—also gave off fragrance, and aromatic scents gathered from the eight directions, encircling before the Dao. Many wondrous flowers descended from the heavens, falling like clouds and spreading over the entire Dharma assembly.

The annotation summarizes the preceding passage: all the Brahmas, Golden Immortals, Mahasattvas, and heavenly deities gathered together, and wondrous flowers fell like clouds, covering the entire site of the Dharma assembly.

At this time, the Brahma heavens, all fully enlightened golden immortals (immortals of indestructible vajra nature), the great beings who comprehend the true Mahayana path, and the four kinds of beings such as heavenly gods and demons, together with the eight classes of devas, dragons, and so forth, were all bathed in the illumination of this light. Each rode in carriages of golden radiance and jade-green hues, trailing colored clouds and inlaid with precious jewels; they wore garments of the nine rosy clouds and radiated wondrous scenes as they came to celebrate this auspicious hour. The four kinds of beings gathered in one place. The three lights of sun, moon, and stars all shone forth because of it; wondrous fragrances diffused in all directions; and music of heaven and earth resounded on every side. The sages manifested these mysterious and beautiful scenes, circling and hovering before the Great Dao, and they also caused wondrous heavenly flowers to descend, hanging down like layer upon layer of clouds and covering all before the great assembly.

Magu explained: “Brahma heavens” refers to the precious forest and jade palaces at the highest level, which the ordinary world cannot see; mysterious and profound, they are inexhaustible, and so they are called Brahma heavens. “Golden immortals” means immortals of indestructible vajra nature. “Mahayana bodhisattvas” means beings such as the Great Being Guanyin. The four groups refer to the assembly of immortals, the assembly of generals, male deities, and female deities; some also understand them as heavenly gods, demons, and so on, which is also plausible. If one says they are Daoist priests, laypeople, monks, and nuns, that is incorrect. This is probably because heaven is not a place that mortal bodies can reach, and so these four groups are not said to be ordinary people. The eight classes refer to the class of gods, the class of generals, the class of heavenly beings and heavenly attendants, the class of vajra, the class of dragon kings, the class of night-radiance female messengers, the class of asuras, and the class of yakshas. The nine rosy clouds are the azure, multicolored, purple, cinnabar, cloud, mist, auspicious-light, radiant-splendor, and universally moving precious rosy clouds. The nine-colored mysterious light that streamed forth these wondrous scenes was the radiance emitted by their garments; it may also be understood as the beautiful radiance of the deities manifesting together with their bodies, and not only on their clothing. “Qingxiao” refers to an auspicious time; it may also be understood as celebrating an audience with Shenxiao, the Divine Empyrean. The “four gatherings” refer to the Gathering of Heavenly Goodness, the Gathering of Divine Auspiciousness, the Gathering of Timely Encounter, and the Gathering of Converging Conditions; it does not merely mean the gathering of the four groups. “Circling before the Dao” means that flying fragrance gathered from the eight directions and swirled around; it can also mean that the holy assembly surrounded the Dao. “Descending like clouds and covering all before the assembly” means that wondrous flowers fell like clouds and completely covered the area before the Dharma assembly. If one insists that it means the holy assembly descended like clouds, that is forced.

In my humble view, there are many spirits within the human body; if the primordial spirit (yuanshen) does not preside, the various spirits cannot manifest their numinous power. Only practitioners of true cultivation, silently paying homage to the True Lord, cause the ten thousand spirits all to come reverently to pay their respects; the mysterious light in the spirit mansion and all kinds of wondrous scenes then gather and appear one by one. When the primordial spirit gathers before one, and auspicious omens cover all like auspicious clouds, at that moment there is no longer any distinction between the human realm and the heavenly realm.

This passage describes the scene in which the Xuandu (Mysterious Capital) paradise is connected with the human world.

The radiance of the Heavenly Emperor illuminates all the heavens and shines downward upon the countless infinite worlds of the ten directions, exactly as in the scene of the Xuandu paradise. The human world below rises toward the highest Ninefold Heaven, and the two interpenetrate and connect, their relationship exceedingly close. In the infinite worlds below, mountains, slopes, ravines, and valleys all appear from afar as level as the palm of a hand. The six directions of heaven and earth (liuhe, meaning the entire universe) are close at hand, and the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity (sanjing) are not distant either.

The jeweled terraces and palace pavilions in heaven are arrayed above the human world like stars. Fine jade and rare treasures are displayed there, their radiance illuminating the roads among the clouds. On either side of the roads, railings adorned with the Seven Treasures (a general term for gold, jade, lapis lazuli, and other precious substances) mark the path. Jade trees and immortal flowers are bright in color, brilliant as jewels; the Dantian (here a scenic locale within the paradise, not the human energy center) has beautiful scenery, and numinous herbs such as lingzhi spread over and cover the earth.

The Heavenly Perfected Sovereign (Tianzhen Huangren) said: At this time the light of the Jade Emperor (Yudi) shone from these Thirty-Six Heavens throughout all the heavens of the three thousand great thousand worlds, and downward it illumined immeasurable worlds in the ten directions. All became bright and transparent, exactly like the realm of Xuandu (Mysterious Capital) where the Jade Emperor dwells. Every human world in the various dharma-realms that received this illumination was without any obstruction and reached upward directly to the Heaven of Nine Yang Wondrous Transformation. Heaven, earth, and the human world were luminously joined, blending and penetrating one another in extreme intimacy. In all the boundless worlds below, even towering mountains and mounds, rugged slopes and hillsides, and low-lying gullies, ravines, streams, and valleys became level, like the palm of a hand. Within the six directions—above, below, and the four quarters—all were joined in closest proximity, and the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) was no longer far away. Terraces, pavilions, and halls built of heavenly treasures were densely spread like stars and arrayed through the human world; fine jades and precious gems were displayed in profusion, bright and dazzling along the cloud-heaven roads. Railings exquisitely formed of the seven treasures marked the boundaries of the roads. Jade branches and precious trees, auspicious immortal flowers, and brilliant pearls and treasures—the scene was wondrously beautiful. The auspicious zhi mushrooms and numinous herbs in the Dantian (energy center) spread out and intertwined, covering and shading the surroundings.

Note: Shi Xinglin’s textual research states: The place where human emperors reside is called the capital; the place where the Jade Emperor resides is wondrously beautiful beyond all heavens, difficult for worldly people to see, and so it is called “Xuandu.” (“Xuandu” is the highest immortal realm in Daoism where the Jade Emperor resides.) The Nine Heavens refer to the ninefold upper realms; the Thirty-Six Heavens are not limited to nine levels—here the highest are mentioned. “Ling” denotes a large mound; “po” an uneven place on the ground; “ban” a rugged mountain ridge; a deep and long one is called a “gou”; where mountains flank water is called a “jian”; where water flows in is called a “xi”; a large hollow in the mountains is called a “gu.” “Mian” means level. The earth originally has mountains, waters, valleys, and ravines and was not level; because the emperor’s light covered and illumined it and wondrous meaning overflowed, the lands of all worlds became level. “Qiong” is beautiful stone; “gui” is a kind of jade. Arrayed in profusion is called “luolie.” “Yunqu” refers to roads in the sky. Horizontal railings are called “lan,” vertical ones “shun”—what the present world calls railings. “Qian” means brilliant radiance. “Precious jewels” are simply precious jewels themselves. “Dantian” here refers to the fields beside the Danbi (the vermilion steps before the Jade Emperor’s hall) in Xuandu.

Guanjian says: The human body has its own heaven and earth; if the primal secrets of Yin-Yang do not intersect, above and below become cut off and distant. If the Original Spirit (yuanshen) receives the light and heavenly radiance shines forth, then heaven and earth commune in peace, above and below penetrate and merge, and even high and low, twisted and turning places become connected, intimately and wondrously united with Xuandu. The treasures inherent in the body manifest wondrously, illumined by spiritual radiance—how could this differ from heaven above? The Dantian is the place where the spirit is stored; wondrous scenes appear beautifully, numinous mushrooms are nurtured, spreading and covering, displaying auspicious signs. Since the railings and immortal flowers are right within the body, why seek them afar?

Chapter on Divine Powers (Chapter Eight)

At that time, the worlds below all saw the heavens play the wondrous music of “Juntian” (heavenly immortal music), which circled with the radiance and spontaneously gave forth lingering, melodious sounds. They also saw luan birds calling and phoenixes singing, the cries of flying creatures matching the rhythm of the music; dragons sporting and qilin coiling and soaring, dancing at the edge of the sky; and the precious flowers of the heavens scattering down, carpeting the roads. At this moment, mortals and sages alike were struck with wonder; dark places were illuminated by the light, and heaven and the human world rejoiced together with one voice, exulting and leaping for joy. Common people and seekers of learning all attained ascent. Looking up, one could see the towering “Jieren Precious Terrace” (an exceedingly high and distant precious terrace; ren is an ancient unit of length) piercing the clouds; looking down, purple clouds spread like a net. All sentient beings in the world could obtain the Dao Qi (the vital Qi of the Dao, that is, the life-breath connected with the Dao). White-haired, wrinkle-faced elders all received teaching and deliverance; youths and children with black hair and rosy complexions became still more handsome, radiant with luster. All afflictions were removed, and all universally received liberation, peace, and joy. The people of the world sang songs and celebrated the peace of the realm.

The Great Emperor of Longevity (Changsheng Dadi) said: When the Emperor’s radiance shone everywhere, the people below in each world all saw themselves luminous and beautiful, their afflictions removed, universally receiving liberation, peace, and joy. The people of the world sang songs and celebrated the peace of the realm.

The Great Emperor of Longevity (Changsheng Dadi) said: When the Emperor’s light shone universally over all worlds, the people below in each world could see the wondrous music of Juntian (the name of celestial music in the heavens) swirling and circling with the Emperor’s light, its sounds arising spontaneously. They could also see auspicious luan birds singing and giving long cries, and spirit phoenixes answering and singing in harmony, while the sounds of their flying and dancing all kept time; mysterious dragons played and danced, and auspicious qilin coiled and soared at the horizon. Flowers of precious gems from all the heavens fell in profusion, scattering over the roads of every realm. At this time ordinary people and sages alike were both astonished and amazed, and all dark and benighted places became bright. Heavenly deities and common people rejoiced and celebrated, leaping and dancing with joy, happy and delighted. Ignorant ordinary people and those who cultivated Dao methods could all spirit-travel to the Jade Capital (Yujing, the highest celestial capital in Daoism), ascend into the heavens, look up at the towering towers built of precious gems, and look down at the purple auspicious clouds covering the Miluo realm (a region of the heavenly realm). All people in these worlds were able to enter the wondrous transformative realm of Dao Qi (the primordial vital energy of the Dao). White-haired, wrinkled elders were all transformed and delivered, growing black hair and recovering rosy complexions. Youths, adults, young children, and infants became even more beautiful in appearance, radiant and glossy, moist and fair. All kinds of illness, suffering, and affliction were completely healed, returning to peace. The old and young of the three thousand great thousand worlds all received enlightenment, attained transcendence, were at ease and joyful, their minds delighted. People throughout the lands sang praises, rejoicing in the peace and prosperity of the realm.

The Envoy of the Thunder Gate (the commentator on the scripture) said: In the wondrous music of Juntian, the metal sound is foremost among the eight tones. The Supreme Brahma Mysterious Resonance is an indestructible sound of golden primordial origin. The various musical resonances are harmonious and coordinated, without confusion and without interfering with one another; this is the foundation of sound and pitch. Another explanation: the music, without being tuned, is naturally even and balanced, and is seldom heard in the world; therefore it is called Juntian. Another explanation: “Great Creation” means “Hongjun” (the Great Potter’s Wheel), referring to the wondrous operation of the Dao’s transformative nurturing naturally reaching the state of Great Harmony; the wonder of heavenly music is precisely the embodiment of the Great Creation’s transformative nurturing, hence it is called Juntian. Leaping with joy and dancing hand and foot—this is the appearance of delight. Eight chi make one ren.

The precious terrace in heaven is not destroyed even through countless kalpas and cannot be erased, and so it is called “Jieren” (meaning a precious terrace that endures through kalpas). One may raise the head to gaze upward and lower the head to look downward. The phrases “purple clouds filling the sky” and “the precious realm of Huang-Lao” (the immortal realm inhabited by the Yellow Emperor and Laozi) are not meant only for those who look down; they also carry the sense of “looking up and down.” “Gan” is a dark blue color tinged with red; “ganfa” is what people today call glossy black hair at the temples.

The author, humbly calling his view “a peep through a tube,” holds that the human body contains Yin-Yang and is divided into upper and lower parts. The original Qi in the upper part is always clear and bright, while the Qi in the lower part is always turbid and heavy. If the Qi mechanism is not harmonized, the clear and wondrous realm above cannot be seen or heard; the person then becomes weak and deficient, and pathogenic Qi enters through the weakness. If one unites with the Great Dao, comprehends its secret essentials, and mirrors the wondrous realm, then one can hear true secret sounds and see mysterious transformations; celestial immortal music and the auspicious qilin, phoenix, dragon, and luan will all appear. Jade flowers drift down, auspicious signs arrive on every side, and the scene is bright and luminous. The Qi of Yin-Yang supports one another, stagnant Qi disperses, and one’s spirit seems to be startled into wakefulness. All dark places communicate with light, and above and below are harmonious and flowing; this is the scene of heaven and humanity rejoicing and leaping. Yin Qi subsides and returns again to peace, wondrous intention ascends and enters the mysterious realm, and ordinary mortals and seekers alike can ascend together.

Looking up at the azure precious terrace and down at the immortal realm that penetrates the mystery, the country is rich, the people are at peace, blood and Qi are harmonized, and the spirit is serene. The weak become strong, the peaceful become more secure, the deficient become full, the sinews and bones are renewed, and the marrow and brain radiate freshness. In the end one can maintain the Qi of Supreme Harmony, the whole body flows smoothly, and one experiences this wondrous transformation. Does this not mean that the old return to youth, the young grow ever stronger, and the people of the world sing of a peaceful realm? This is a true principle; let the discerning ponder it carefully.

At this time, the wondrous transformative virtue blows afar; the qi of the myriad things rises in steam, carrying vitality and fluids. Heaven and earth are shaken by it, the earth splits open, withered bones grow anew, and stagnant corpses and scattered souls all recover their original forms. Fengdu (the Daoist underworld) and the dark prisons enclosed by the Iron Enclosing Mountain are instantly broken open in the long night of the Nine Netherworlds (the deepest, darkest region of the underworld). The suffering souls in hell are transformed and born as gods of the heavens, and the sufferings of the three evil paths—hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—are all released at once. Those beings who had suffered, by the power of this light, are able to be reborn in the great heavenly palaces of the ten directions.

Wei Boyang (an Eastern Han Daoist and author of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi) said: When all under heaven sings and dances in peace and there is universal order, the emperor’s transformative virtue spreads far like a divine wind. The mysterious qi that gives life to the myriad things fills heaven and earth and blows upon the fluids of Great Harmony (the qi of harmonized yin-yang). The qi of the Qian trigram activates life, and the firm yang nature moves vigorously without cease, so heaven shakes. The qi of the Kun trigram opens and completes, and the soft yin nature follows and models, so the earth splits open and reveals its numinous, luminous, hidden subtlety. Bones already withered revive; stagnant corpses and scattered souls coalesce into form, no longer bound or dispersed. Fengdu’s Great Iron Enclosing Mountain and Great Iron Enclosing City, and the black prisons of the Nine Netherworlds long shrouded in darkness, are all destroyed in an instant, and there is no longer any concealing prison.

The author’s commentary says: Of things that can stir the myriad beings, none is faster than wind. The Dao’s transformative nurturing is mysteriously penetrating and inexhaustible, pervading all dharma-realms. Those who receive its grace do not know or perceive it, and so it is called the “divine wind.” Yuan qi has its appearance but no substantial form; how then can it be said to “raise the fluids”? Where qi reaches, the imperial virtue operates silently, and the qi of Great Harmony overflows and spreads, soaking and nourishing, and so it is called “raising the fluids.” “Heaven shakes” does not mean thunder; it means that yang virtue prevails and penetrates, and yang qi emerges from the Zhen position and carries out generation and transformation. “Earth splits” is not collapse or rupture; it means that the way of earth, though lowly, acts upward. Yin qi is settled and yang qi returns, revealing the wondrous function of generating the myriad things. The qi stored within the earth is no longer blocked but disperses and leaks out, and so it is called “splitting.” “Withered bones live again” does not mean that rotten bones stand up again; it means that those whose hearts are dead and whose bodies are withered, once they awaken to the Dao and understand the truth, return to yang and exchange their bones, becoming immortals among people. This is the regeneration of withered bones.

The po (corporeal soul) in the human body delights in the sacrifices offered after death. If in life one does not understand principle, and worldly emotional consciousness pollutes and entangles one, then when the shen (spirit) leaves the body and one dies, the hun (ethereal soul) dissolves and the po scatters. Some cling stubbornly without awakening; some fall into the prison of sins; the po essence disperses and drifts, transforms and wanders, becoming an evil karmic flying po. Therefore hun and po cannot recover their original forms.