《高上玉皇本行经集注》Vol. 2

When the hun-soul and the po-soul come together, they no longer drift apart and sink into ruin; they can withstand suffering and karmic offense and cut off all karmic retribution in the dark realms. The Iron Enclosing Mountains around Fengdu (the underworld capital) are firm and hard to open, but this is because guilty souls have obscured themselves. As soon as the mysterious, wondrous light of the Heavenly Emperor shines upon them, their karmic offenses vanish accordingly. Guilty souls see neither sky nor sun, and the long night stretches on; yet the Nine Netherworlds (Jiuyou, the nine dark prisons of the underworld) all open, and they see the light again. Fengdu’s Iron Enclosure is immediately destroyed, and the suffering sinners in the prisons are able to ascend and be born in heaven. The sufferings of the Three Evil Paths (San’edao: hells, hungry ghosts, and animals) are likewise released. Then the guilty multitudes who receive the light, relying on this power of the Dao, can become Great Heavenly Officials of the Ten Directions.

At human birth, both Shen and form are complete; the body resembles heaven and earth, and the natures of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases are all fully present. Human beings originally receive Great Harmony (Taihe, the harmonious qi between heaven and earth) and are thoroughly penetrated by it, pure and unstained. But people are enticed by external things, use cleverness to pursue change, take false appearances as real, become defiled by worldly toil, and engage in clinging and delusive thought. Once attachment and reliance arise, they become unbreakable; after long obscuration, one is no longer clear and enlightened. When emotions such as joy, anger, worry, thought, sorrow, fear, and fright suddenly descend, they startle and frighten the mind, leaving no settled view and ceaseless confusion. Private desires and bitter mental exertion weary the body; even admonition cannot bring awakening. Thus the corpse sinks, the hun-soul and po-soul scatter, and one falls into Fengdu’s Iron Enclosure and the confinement of the dark prison.

If one can cut off desire and forget the private, making the Heart Lord (Xinjun, i.e., the mind-spirit) calm and stable, harmonious and clear, then one stirs the Xun wind (Xunfeng; Xun is wind, referring to the movement of breath), circulates the qi of Great Harmony throughout, fills with noble upright qi, and merges into the vessels of the Great Dao. Then the spirit wind is sent far, ten thousand qi surge, fluids rise, yang qi spreads and yin qi receives, and Yin-Yang unite in harmony as yang qi returns. In this way one can eliminate immeasurable suffering, remove endless dust and defilement, break through delusion and attachment accumulated over kalpas, and escape the karmic destinations of darkness and ignorance. Then a transformation like heaven collapsing and earth splitting occurs; dry bones can be reborn, sunken corpses and flying po-souls recondense into form, and Fengdu’s Iron Enclosure and the Nine Netherworlds are immediately broken open.

As yin qi recedes and yang qi grows, when desires are fully removed and the rational nature is restored, the turbid becomes clear, and Jing and Qi transform into Shen. Escaping the Five Sufferings (Wuku) and merging with the Five Qi (Wuqi), one silently pays homage in the Palace of Yuanshi (the Original Beginning); purifying the Three Karmas and realizing the Three Primes (Sanyuan), one ascends into the Purple Mansion (Zifu, the inner immortal palace in Daoist tradition). At that time, the souls suffering in hell are transformed and born as spirits of the various heavens; the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths are released at once, and the guilty multitudes, by receiving the power of the light, can ascend and be born in the palaces of the heavens. Those born in this world should constantly recollect this, treasure it, and uphold these principles.

Chapter Ten: The Chapter on Divine Powers

At this time, the Jade Emperor divided himself into countless manifestation bodies, spreading throughout the great heavenly palaces and causing all the heavenly palaces to appear naturally: with white jade as the capital city (jing means capital), with gold as the palace gate towers (que means the high terrace structures on either side of the palace gate), and also the Mysterious Garden adorned with the Seven Treasures (xuan yuan means a deep and wondrous garden) and the Great Light Hall. In the hall was set the Seat of Light, while banners and flags, parasols and canopies, ornate streamers and standards, and pennants and canopies, as well as rare treasures and wondrous flowers, filled the place throughout.

At this time, the Jade Emperor again, through the manifestation bodies he had emanated, went throughout these places; within the White Jade Capital, inside the Golden Gate Towers, and beneath the precious canopies of the Seven-Treasure Mysterious Garden and the Great Light Hall, rare treasures and wondrous flowers likewise filled the space throughout.

At this time, the Jade Emperor once again, through the manifestation bodies he had emanated, went throughout these places and, on the Seat of Light in the Great Light Hall of the Seven-Treasure Mysterious Garden within the White Jade Capital and inside the Golden Gate Towers, universally expounded for the worlds of the ten directions the Dao (the Way) of purity and liberation.

(Note: “ten directions” refers to east, south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest, above, and below—ten directions in all—and is used broadly to mean all worlds.)

Emperor Lord Zhongli said: When he emits great radiance, the Jade Emperor divides his own Dharma body and spreads it throughout many great heavenly palaces, causing each heavenly palace naturally to manifest the scenes of the Jade Emperor’s dwelling: the White Jade Capital City, golden palace towers, and mysterious wondrous gardens adorned with the seven treasures—all complete in every detail. In the Great Radiance Mystery Hall within the heavenly palaces are prepared the Great Radiance Precious Throne; dark Dharma banners are hung; tasseled banners and floral canopies are displayed; and rare, wondrous treasures and brilliant heavenly flowers fill every part of the great heavenly palaces. At this time the Jade Emperor, with his subtle, divided forms, manifests simultaneously in all the great heavenly palaces; within the Jade Capital, golden towers, and mysterious gardens, he enters the Great Radiance Hall, ascends and sits upon the radiant precious throne, and the seats of the gods all emit light.

The precious throne from which the Yuanshi Jade Emperor expounds the wondrous Dharma is especially subtle in its radiance, vast and immeasurable, wondrous beyond words, surpassing what Buddhists call the throne of the Dharma King. Therefore the Emperor Lord’s transformation body ascends this throne and expounds to the worlds of the ten directions that path of purity and truth, of awakening and transcendence. “Yan” means to elucidate and set forth the meaning therein.

The commentator (offering a humble view) holds: The human primordial spirit—the luminous mind-spirit within the human body—is spiritually penetrating and unrestricted, reaching everywhere; in origin it is the same as the Jade Emperor’s wondrous function. The Purple Mansion and Cinnabar Terrace—the spirit palaces and Dantian (energy center) within the body, core sites of cultivation—are in origin the same as the heavenly spirit palaces. The auspicious numinous mushrooms and spiritual medicines obtained through cultivation are in origin the same as the heavenly precious flowers. It is only that if people are drawn along by worldly fame and gain, the primordial spirit loses its mastery and cannot circulate and penetrate, manifesting spiritually everywhere; it loses the pure, quiet original truth, and thus cannot attain the path of liberation.

If one can preserve the original truth and accord with the great Dao, silently reverencing the spirit king within the body—referring to the presence within the human body that governs the spirits—then spiritual Qi circulates universally and fills the whole body, just as the Jade Emperor’s divided bodies pervade all the heavenly palaces. When the body is thoroughly penetrated by the subtle, the supreme treasure manifests wondrous signs: the pearl towers, precious halls, jade palaces, and jeweled terraces are the heavenly golden-jade capital towers and the seven-treasure mysterious gardens; the spirit palaces and Cinnabar Terrace are the radiant precious throne of the Hall of Radiance; when Qi is harmonious and the vessels flow freely, with light streaming and rosy clouds flying, these are the banners, tassels, and canopies; the refined Qi within the body, like numinous mushrooms, is again like the wondrous flowers of heaven. When the primordial spirit governs the Cinnabar Terrace, manifests spiritual efficacy, and makes secret wonders clear, it is just as the Jade Emperor, through divided bodies throughout all heavenly palaces, simultaneously ascends the throne and expounds the Dharma.

The commentator further says: My true nature endures through kalpas without being destroyed; it is without duality or admixture, without restriction or obstruction, originally pure and unstained, naturally shedding defilements, greatly luminous and undimmed. When the primordial spirit can govern and manifest spiritual efficacy, the whole body becomes a mysterious wondrous transformation. It can pervade the three thousand worlds—a Buddhist expression broadly denoting all the myriad things of the universe—without any obstruction, understand causes and conditions, and not obscure the real; inside and outside are crystalline and transparent, exhausting the wondrous and penetrating the mechanism of transformation—just as the Jade Emperor expounds and clarifies the path of purity and liberation, teaching and transforming each world. Those who understand will savor it carefully and naturally comprehend the principle within.

At this time, countless Heavenly Perfected Great Sages, Perfected Ones of Wondrous Conduct (zhenren who have successfully cultivated and possess lofty virtue), and numinous consorts and jade maidens stood in attendance around the Jade Emperor in due order. These jade maidens were lovely and dignified in appearance, adorned with rare celestial treasures, and their speech was clear and pleasing, so that everyone delighted to listen. Their bodies also gave off a subtle, otherworldly natural fragrance, rich and abundant, which spread throughout the wondrous pure lands of all the heavens (the various layers of heaven as described in Daoism) and every blessed place on earth.

The Queen Mother (Wangmu) said: At that time, the Jade Emperor’s (Yudi) transformations, pervading the palaces of all the heavens, each had innumerable heavenly true deities and great sages, as well as Zhenren (Perfected) of vast spiritual powers, numinous workings and transformations, and the adornment of marvelous conduct (miaoxing), spiritually penetrant immortal consorts, and Jade Maidens (Yunü) guarding the sacred realms, ranged in attendance at their left and right. The appearance and form of these Jade Maidens were beautiful and wondrous, dignified and splendid, with transcendent spirit. They were adorned with the treasures of heaven and earth and with numinous, extraordinary objects. Their dignified posture and demeanor, and their speech and voices, were clear and penetrating, and the assembled multitudes delighted to listen. These Jade Maidens also emitted a mysterious, subtle, wondrous, surpassingly excellent, naturally liberated fragrance. The fragrance was rich and filled each heavenly palace and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and spread throughout all places in the great earth world that possessed blessed affinities.

(Note: In Daoism, the “Jade Emperor” is called the supreme honored one of the heavenly realm; “Zhenren” refers to those who have achieved success in cultivating the Dao; “Lingfei and Yunü” refers to female immortals attending in the heavenly realm.)

According to the annotation: The so-called “marvelous conduct” means that a person possesses various good deeds without needing to force or deliberately perform them; merit is inexhaustible, arising from spontaneity and bringing Zhenren to accomplishment. Therefore spiritual powers are limitless, and it is called “marvelous conduct.” “Lingfei and Yunü” are deities transformed from yin-natured wondrous Qi; they guard the emperor lord, and all heavenly goddesses are called by this name. They are without desire and entanglement, unlike demonesses; virtue and accomplishments are both complete, noble and beautiful, their spiritual nature pure, forever without defilement. Therefore they are called “Lingfei and Yunü”; the terms do not specifically refer to the emperor’s consorts. Such are these Jade Maidens.

“Facial appearance beautiful and wondrous”: shu means beautiful; duan means dignified; li means ornate and luminous; qi means wondrous and rare; te means surpassing all beauties, beyond compare in the world. “Heavenly treasures adorn the bodily form”: the heavenly consorts, by mysterious radiance and divine transformative power, adorn their bodies with wondrous treasures; their physical form and appearance are unprecedented in the world. “Speech and sound clear and penetrating”: yan refers to speech; yin to sound; qing means the voice is distinct; che means reaching everywhere and being heard.

“The subtle, wondrous, liberated, natural fragrance”: The consorts awaken to the true Dao and attain great liberation; the profound mechanism is deep and inexhaustible, wondrous and immeasurable; without deliberate fabrication, fragrance naturally arises. Moreover, people do not know whence this fragrance comes, so it is called “subtle and wondrous.” “This fragrance is fragrant and rich”: fen means the fragrance spreads beautifully; fu means the fragrance is dense and abundant. “Pervading all the heavens and the supremely wondrous land of bliss”: zhou means universally reaching; bian means broadly covering; ji means exceedingly. The fragrance is not limited to one place but pervades all worlds and heavens, the supremely wonderful blissful land free of suffering. “Great earth” refers to the entire world of mountains and rivers. “Blessed places”: wherever there is a world, there are sentient beings transformed and nourished, so it is called a “blessed place.” Another explanation holds that one must be reverent and sincere to smell this extraordinary fragrance; each world, receiving the Jade Emperor’s light, gives rise to faith and encounters the wondrous fragrance of the Lingfei and Yunü, and therefore it is called a “blessed place.” This explanation also makes sense.

All sentient beings in the Six Realms (the Heaven Realm, Human Realm, Demon Realm, Hell Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm, and Animal Realm—the six destinations of sentient beings in cyclic existence), as soon as they smell this fragrance, can all universally receive deliverance.

If the heavenly beings in the Heaven Realm smell this incense, the “five signs of decay and four marks” (the various signs of decline that appear when heavenly beings are nearing death) on their bodies will be forever eliminated, and their blessings in heaven will increase all the more.

If kings, nobles, ministers, and common people in the Human Realm smell this incense, they can obtain the joy of longevity similar to that of heavenly beings. If the body has already died, they can also obtain the way of shedding the shell and corpse-liberation (shijie, a Daoist term meaning leaving behind the bodily frame while the spirit transcends and attains the immortal Dao).

If all the hosts of demons in the Demon Realm smell this incense, they can dwell securely in the heavenly palaces, thereafter escape the suffering of strife, and each find rest.

If all sinful souls in the Hell Realm smell this incense, they can leave the sufferings of hell and enjoy the happiness of a pure world (Pure Land).

If all hungry ghosts in the Hungry Ghost Realm smell this incense, they can obtain fullness and no longer have the affliction of hunger and thirst.

If all animals in the Animal Realm smell this incense, they can escape the sufferings of animal existence and attain the joy of wisdom.

The Heavenly Worthy of Salvation from Suffering (Jiuku Tianzun) said: All beings within the Six Realms (liudao), as soon as they smell the immortal fragrance naturally emitted by the Numinous Consort Jade Maiden (Lingfei Yunü), can universally receive the grace of awakening, edification, and liberation. The so-called Six Realms refer to the heavenly human realm, the realm of humans and heavenly beings in the world, the realms of demons, the realm of the underworld and hells, the realm of destitute spirits and hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals under karmic retribution. (Six Realms: the destinations of reincarnation recognized by both Daoism and Buddhism.) All heavenly beings in the heavenly realms under heaven, if they can smell this immortal fragrance, will forever eliminate the Five Signs of Decay (the five signs at the death of heavenly beings) and the Four Marks (the sufferings of birth, abiding, change, and extinction), and instead increase the bliss of heavenly blessings.

In the human realm of all worlds on the great earth, if emperors, ministers, and common people can smell this natural fragrance, they can retain their physical forms and dwell long in the human world, enjoying the bliss of long life among humans and heavenly beings. If their bodies have already entered extinction, they too can be liberated: they shed the dusty shell, become unbound, and attain the way of shijie, immortal transformation through corpse liberation. (Shijie: the method of becoming immortal by leaving the physical body through a simulated death.)

In the various heavens and demon realms of all worlds, if all demon kings, demon peoples, demon women, and various kinds of demon spirits can smell this natural fragrance, they can peacefully take refuge in separate palaces of the heavenly realm; the sufferings of strife and warfare each cease, and they attain rest and peace.

If in the underworld paths and hell realms of all worlds, all guilty souls can smell this natural fragrance, they can escape the sufferings of hell and be reborn in the Pure Land, a place of bliss. (Pure Land: an ideal world of purity and bliss.)

If all hungry ghosts in the realm of destitute spirits and hungry ghosts can smell this natural fragrance, they will be fully satisfied, with no more hunger, thirst, affliction, or resentment.

If all sentient beings in the animal path who have been born as animals through karmic retribution are able to smell this natural fragrance, they can escape the sufferings of animal existence and attain the joy of wisdom and intelligence.

Zhenren Sa (the Daoist scholar who annotated this scripture) says: The “dao” in the “six paths” is like a road. Sentient beings revolve through six routes, and so these are called the six paths. First, the heaven path is explained. The heavens have thirty-six tiers. The top four tiers are called the Zhongmin Heavens; these are where the immortals of the various heavens, such as the Seven Treasures and Nine Palaces, dwell. Buddhism calls this the stage of non-retrogression (once practitioners reach this place, they no longer retreat or fall).

Beneath the Zhongmin Heavens are four tiers of Chongmi Heavens, which Buddhism calls the Four Brahma Heavens. Beneath the Chongmi Heavens are four tiers of Wangxiang Heavens, which Buddhism calls the Four Dhyana Heavens, that is, the formless realm. Beneath the Wangxiang Heavens are the eighteen heavens of the form realm. Beneath the eighteen heavens of the form realm are the six heavens of the desire realm. One world has thirty-six heavens, and every world is the same.

In the four Zhongmin Heavens, within emptiness there is wondrous being; their wondrous transformations are profound, mysterious, and marvelous, and they are never destroyed or lost. Only supreme sages and true immortals dwell there; there are no ordinary heavenly beings, and they are not within the domain of the path of heavenly beings and humans. In the four Chongmi Heavens, the stains of dust have only just been purified, and their edification has not yet reached the wondrous realm; they have not yet reached the Mahayana. Although they are situated above the human path, they still cannot escape when a great kalpa comes.

The bodies of heavenly beings are tall and large, and their forms are like white silver. They do not rely on the light of the sun and moon; they have their own radiance. The heavenly beings of the Sun Heaven and Moon Heaven are five li tall, and from there upward their height gradually increases, up to one hundred yojanas. A yojana is a unit of length; one yojana is forty li. Daoist scriptures say that “yushe” means yojana.

Heavenly beings wear heavenly garments weighing six zhu, two qian, and five fen. On their heads are naturally generated pearl crowns. Their eyes do not blink, their heads do not bow, they do not lean when standing, their eyes have no tears, and their bodies are free of fatigue. If they cannot comprehend the Mahayana, then when the day comes that their heavenly blessings are exhausted, their pearl crowns shatter, their eyes blink and shed tears, their bodies stoop and their forms become weary; the five signs of decay appear, and the four signs of unloveliness also manifest accordingly.

If one receives the fragrance of spontaneity (ziran), with sincere faith and reverence, and awakens to the source of this wondrous fragrance, one immediately accords with the Great Dao (the Way) and no longer relies on external senses to smell this fragrance; then the five kinds of decline and the four unattractive marks can be clearly understood. What is called “clear awakening” is thorough understanding and clarity—this is what is meant by “being able to smell.”

“Yong” means “ending.” Ultimately one is freed from the suffering of decline, and heavenly blessings turn instead to increase. Turning again and again, constantly advancing and increasing, heavenly blessings become inexhaustible and never diminish.

Conditions in the human world differ: there are distinctions of Yin-Yang, of old and young, of noble and base, rich and poor, and also differences between sages and the ignorant. If one does not attain the Great Dao, one’s lifespan will not be long; death is also difficult, and the corpse cannot be transformed away. This is so whether one is an emperor, a chief minister, a great or small official in any world, or one of the countless common people (“zhao” means millions, “shu” means many; together they refer to all the people under heaven, emphasizing their great number).

If one can receive the fragrance of spontaneity, awaken to the Great Dao, and also be good at smelling and awakening to this wondrous fragrance, then one can obtain the blessing of unhindered freedom between the human and heavenly realms, long life, peace, and joy. Even if at times one must ultimately leave the world, one can use a mysterious method to shed the physical shell and become an immortal through “shijie” (liberation by the corpse). What is called “shedding the shell” may be leaving while seated or standing, or it may be rebirth through transmigration or “duoshe” (seizing another body to be reborn). “Shijie” has two kinds: first, the physical body appears dead, but one actually reappears in bodily form in the human world, with corpse and soul departing together; second, one borrows the appearance of death to ascend to heaven.

Next, consider the ways of the various demons; the kinds of demonic beings are not uniform. Beings such as Gusiluo (the name of a demon deity), who contend with the Heavenly Emperor and disturb the celestial bureaus, along with Asuras (warlike divine beings), the rebellious and perverse (evil hosts who cause disorder), and all followers of the demonic path—some delight in battle, some work illusions and send down calamities and harm, so that dwellings have no peace and there is constant unrest. If these demonic beings can hear and awaken to the wondrous fragrance of spontaneity and awaken to the true Dao, they will turn from evil and return to righteousness, dwell securely in their places, keep to their proper roles, have another place of repose in the heavenly realm, no longer delight in conflict, and the suffering of fighting and chaotic warfare will cease for each of them.

In cultivation, the “suffering of contention” means that fighting one another inevitably brings mutual harm; waging war inevitably brings death and injury; one side wins and the other loses, each becoming the other’s enemy—hence it is called “suffering.” If both sides could each find rest, then although the spirit is not invaded by demons, it is still disturbed by them; therefore one must also adapt to circumstances and subdue the demons of the mind. Now when demons smell this natural fragrance and awaken to the wondrous principle, they become peaceful and no longer fight, and the spirit too is safe and untroubled. Spirit and demons both attain peace, and so it is said that “each finds rest.”

The hells of the various worlds have more than one name: Fengdu (the ghost capital of the underworld, the realm of the dark), the Blood Lake, the Blood Gorge, Cold Ice, Fiery Cart, Blade Mountain, Sword Tree, the River of Love, Mind-Control, Iron Bed, Wind Blade, Iron Dog, Bronze Snake, the Cauldron of Boiling Water or Hot Oil, Sawing Apart, the Mill, Peeling and Scraping, Niraya (an ancient name for hell, from Sanskrit niraya), Tongue-Pulling, and the thirty-six hells. The souls undergoing punishment would originally find it hard to escape the suffering of imprisonment and torture in hell. If they can hear this natural fragrance and immediately awaken, they can transcend it, leave all the sufferings of hell, and be reborn in a pure and blissful pure land.

Further, hungry ghosts are destitute spirits who have passed through countless kalpas and have long been recorded in the register of ghosts. Some have necks as thin as needles and bellies as large as drums; some have huge heads and huge bellies; some have throats blocked and impassable; some feed on charcoal and swallow smoke to stave off hunger; some eat molten copper and bite iron pellets. For generation after generation they hear not even the sound of water or broth, nor encounter food or drink; hunger, thirst, and pain afflict them, though they are constantly sorrowful and distressed. What is meant here is all the hungry ghosts in the hungry-ghost realms of the various worlds. If they smell this natural fragrance, they can awaken to the Dao; the flavor of the Dao fills their bellies, and they immediately obtain satisfaction, their hunger and thirst are removed, their throats open, and they are forever free from the affliction of hunger.

In the animal realm, all egg-born, moisture-born, and other crawling creatures belong to this category (the “four modes of birth” in Buddhist and Daoist scriptures refer to womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born); it does not refer only to birds and beasts. “Animal” means that although they live between heaven and earth and are kept by humans, they lack wisdom, their karmic retribution is deep and heavy, and they suffer much; even in suffering they find it hard to be liberated.

In all worlds, if any animal can smell the wondrous fragrance of spontaneity and awaken to the Dao, it may attain this liberation; its karmic retribution then dissolves, it escapes the suffering of the animal realm, and it enjoys the joy of intelligence and wisdom. Animals are not without consciousness; they simply cannot speak or awaken to the Dao, nor can they comprehend the great Dao, because their physical forms differ and their spiritual consciousness is distinct. Some are kept and driven by people, some are hunted and slaughtered, some fall into traps, and some become food in kitchens; they eat raw flesh and drink blood, and their skin and bones are utterly exhausted—their suffering is beyond words. If they smell this fragrance, they attain the joy of intelligence and wisdom. To smell the fragrance and thereby gain wisdom is entirely due to the power of the Imperial Light (the supreme divine light).

In my humble view, the preceding two sections mean the same thing. The original spirit (the most fundamental spiritual consciousness) in the human body governs Yin-Yang; the wondrous practices of the true sages, the numinous consorts, royal maidens, and so on all belong to it. Shen (spirit), Qi (vital energy), Jing (essence), and blood abide within Great Harmony (the harmonious primordial Qi between Heaven and Earth); they inherently contain the wondrous fragrance and naturally attain liberation, and their subtlety is inexhaustible. Qi has biased and upright distinctions, and it is not something that the wild and foolish can distinguish on their own. People too differ according to the six paths (the six destinations of sentient beings in cyclic existence): if the Heavenly Lord (referring to the mind-spirit) is not settled and at peace, one is constrained by the Five Phases; if thoughts continue without cease, in tangled confusion, one is governed by Yin-Yang. Such a person is also one who undergoes rebirth in the six paths.

If one can see the beauty of the Six Ding Jade Maidens (the divine maidens symbolizing Yin-Yang Qi in Neidan practice) within one’s own body, smell the fragrance of Great Harmony and natural liberation, clearly comprehend the great Dao, and cause the original spirit to remain forever luminous, then one is a person who sees the Imperial Light and attains immortality, forever escaping the dusty world and no longer constrained by the body; this is precisely forever escaping the suffering of the six paths. Those who understand should savor its meaning carefully and will naturally comprehend the principle of the preceding two sections.

Chapter Twelve: The Chapter on Divine Powers—this is the title of the present piece; what follows is the section devoted specifically to discussing divine powers.

Those sentient beings who had suffered in the evil paths, having now been reborn into this wondrous heavenly palace and having received the embracing guidance of the Jade Emperor’s compassionate light, all awoke and each understood the causal origins of karmic offense and blessed reward. Thereupon, together with their retinues, they played heavenly music (the celestial musicians) and came before the Supreme Emperor’s throne.

Filled with grief, they said together: “We have passed through thousands upon thousands of kalpas without seeing the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars, dwelling constantly in darkness and enduring great suffering in the three evil paths (the three evil destinies of hells, hungry ghosts, and animals). Fortunately, through the Supreme Emperor’s skillful means, he emitted light, took pity, and saved us, so that we could all be born in heaven. Those evil karmas are now completely eradicated; with no further entanglement or obstruction, we have all attained rebirth. We look up to the Supreme Emperor, and each of us comes before the Dao.” When these sinful beings, reborn from the evil paths into the heavenly realm, had spoken, they bowed their heads in salute and returned to their original places.

Ge Xianweng (Ge Xuan, an immortal in Daoist legend) explains: When sentient beings smell the spontaneous wondrous fragrance—those from the hells, hungry ghost paths, and all sinful beings reborn into the heavens—they are able to be born in the most wondrous heavenly palace because they have received the embrace of the Jade Emperor’s greatly compassionate light. “She” means to receive, guide, and preserve; “shou” means to receive and guide the soul and spirit, summoning them to return to the true Dao. The Jade Emperor emits compassionate light, transforms it into wondrous fragrance, and gathers in all sinful beings; thereupon they awaken to the great Dao. “Jue” is knowing the reason for things; “wu” is thorough penetration. After the sinful beings awaken, they escape the three evil paths; each becomes clear and transparent, deeply knowing the causes and conditions of offense and blessing. The root is called “cause”; where there is a cause, there is an effect. The origin is called “condition”; where there is a condition, there is karma. Since the sinful beings have understood offense...

Volume Three of the Annotated Commentary on the Imperial Scripture, collated by Zhang Guoxiang, the fiftieth-generation Hereditary Celestial Master of the Han (Tianshi) and Great Perfected One. The closing line, “The top scholar, a recluse beyond the world, hides in Jiangxi,” is intermingled with the preceding commentary; its meaning is difficult to determine and is retained only as a doubtful reading.

The Jade Emperor sent forth a resounding voice, universally proclaiming to all the celestial saints and assemblies throughout the ten directions: Listen carefully. These sinful beings, over immeasurable and endless ages, have had their inherent nature obscured by ignorance (delusion and confusion), and have committed the ten evil karmas (evil actions such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech performed through body, speech, and mind). Their six sense faculties, coming into contact with the six sense objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental phenomena), have become defiled; the three karmas of body, speech, and mind entangle them layer upon layer; they act recklessly as they please and never awaken. Hidden sins and open faults accumulate day by day, growing ever deeper. They turn away from the Great Dao, oppose the truth, follow heterodox paths, and abandon the right way. With every thought that arises and every movement of the mind, they create transgressions. Thus, after their lives end, their bodies fall into the Three Evil Destinies (hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) and cannot be liberated. Had they not encountered this Dharma assembly today, by what means could they escape the sea of suffering?

Emperor Ziwei said: At the time of the light’s embracing reception, the Jade Emperor emitted an extremely wondrous sound. This “Great Wondrous Sound” was clear and resonant, spreading throughout the three thousand great thousand worlds; all sentient beings could hear it, and it was so wondrous that it was beyond compare. Therefore it is called “Wondrous Sound.” The Jade Emperor then universally proclaimed to the celestial emperors, holy sages, true immortals, and divine hosts of all worlds in the ten directions: “Listen carefully.” (“Ru” means “you”; “di” means to examine carefully and listen attentively.)

After the Jade Emperor had instructed the assembled sages to listen carefully to his teaching, he said: These sinful beings who have committed the three evil karmas, since kalpas extremely far distant in the past (kuang means vast and remote), through successive kalpas down to the present, have all given free rein to the “nature of ignorance.” Their original nature was numinous, bright, and pure, but if people indulge their passions, become wildly deluded and disordered, and let deluded thoughts run freely, they no longer retain the original wondrous body of spiritual awareness. Therefore it is called the nature of ignorance.

Thus they create the karmic obstructions of the ten evils. The ten evils are as follows: in the body there are three evil karmas—killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; in the mind there are three evil karmas—greed, anger, and delusion; in speech there are four evil karmas—divisive speech, harsh abuse, idle chatter, and false speech. When the offenses of the ten evils accumulate, they bring about karmic retribution; hence they are called “evil karma.”

The six dusts defile everywhere: the six dusts refer to the defilements encountered by the six sense faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—and are called the six dusts. Another explanation refers to wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep, and a selfish mind; this too is acceptable. The body, within and without, is stained by dust, with no pure place at all; therefore it is said to be “universally defiled.”

The three karmas entangle and bind: the three karmas refer to evil karma in the three aspects of body, speech, and mind. Another explanation refers to past-life karma, present-life offenses, and karma to be received in the future; this too is acceptable. “Ying” means swirling around, while “chan” means binding.

Accumulated karma piles up heavily, like ropes binding a person so that they cannot escape; this is therefore called “enveloping entanglement” (yingchan).

Indulging one’s own mind, not knowing how to gather it in and restrain it, allowing the will to act recklessly, not knowing how to examine and discipline oneself, giving free rein to desires and committing evil—and yet never once becoming aware or repentant. What others cannot see or hear, but only oneself knows, is a hidden transgression, called a “yin offense”; what everyone can see and hear and cannot conceal, and yet one does not correct one’s error, is an open fault, called a “yang fault.” Day by day and month by month these accumulate, increasing day after day and deepening month after month, turning away from the great Dao, opposing the truth, following deviant paths, and abandoning the right way. As soon as a thought arises or an intention stirs, there is no effort of sincerity and rectitude; following the occasions of deluded movement, one accumulates transgressive offenses and faults. Thus, after death, one falls into the three evil paths—hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—and cannot awaken or be liberated. If one had not today encountered this profound Dharma assembly, by what means could one escape the suffering of karmic obstructions?

(Commentator’s note: The Shen and Qi of the human body divide into yin and yang, clear and turbid. If one allows yin qi to lead one, indulges turbid evil, follows evil thoughts, and abandons true intent, then one breeds offenses and evil karma, and it is difficult to escape the suffering of karma. Having done evil for a long time, one does not know where karmic retribution comes from; therefore there is no way to awaken.)

When the Yuanshen (Original Spirit) settles in its dwelling, wondrous intention penetrates the movement of yin and yang qi; the whole body receives spiritual qi and silently accords with the mysterious Dao. Yang qi grows daily and yin qi diminishes daily; offenses dissolve and faults are extinguished. To unite with the Dao and return to the true realm is solely due to wondrous awakening and great realization—recognizing the source of one’s offenses and nothing more. The ancients took “extending knowledge” as the gateway to entering the Dao; this is indeed reasonable. Moreover, there are no two doctrines concerning human nature: good and evil both arise from the mind. The nature of ignorance is itself Dharma-nature. Therefore, when obscured, one becomes an ordinary person; when awakened, one becomes a sage. The distinction between sage and ordinary person is exceedingly subtle, with no room for even a single hair.

Preface

If people can gather in and restrain their passions and desires, cause the mind to return to original nature, let destiny be presided over by the spirits, understand the subtle hinge between heavenly principle and desire, and comprehend the root of worldly sin, then they can instantly cast off the suffering of karmic obstacles and silently accord with the profound and far-reaching principle. This is precisely why the Jade Emperor sends forth wondrous sound and admonishes those in the worlds of the ten directions who indulge their nature and create evil karma. Sentient beings who create karma, upon encountering the Dharma assembly, thereby escape the three evil paths (hells, hungry ghosts, and animals).

If one takes ignorance—the deluded misunderstanding that does not understand original nature—as a burden and abandons it in order to seek true nature elsewhere, then one divides the Dao (the Way) into two roads and cannot penetrate the single principle or enter the wondrous state. Those who study the Dao, repeatedly savoring this principle, will naturally understand the key to transcending the mundane.

Chapter Fourteen: Spiritual Powers

At this time, the emanations of the Jade Emperor in the heavens of the various directions displayed spiritual powers; without moving their bodies, they guided and transported the heavenly beings, all arriving at Qingwei Heaven (one of the Three Pure Realms), the Jade Clarity sacred realm, and came before the Dharma assembly of Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Original Beginning). None of these people perceived it, nor did they know how they had arrived.

At that moment, the Celestial Worthy and the great assembly in the Dharma assembly saw the emanations of the Jade Emperor of the ten directions all come to gather before the Celestial Worthy’s seat. This scene was like a boundless bright mirror reflecting various images, each containing and merging into the others. The crowd bowed their heads and gazed up at the Jade Emperor’s emanation, the most honored among sages; their faith increased, and their aspiration for cultivating the Dao became firmer. In their minds there was no longer any thought of backsliding; instead, they gave rise to a great and steadfast resolve.

Section Spoken by the Heavenly Emperor

This passage is fragmentary, and only the general meaning can be discerned: the Heavenly Emperor said that when the great compassionate radiance universally gathered and received sentient beings, the emanation Jade Emperors of the various great celestial palaces then displayed great spiritual powers. Thereafter, the phrases “aspiration and joy increased, the mind had no backsliding, and great firmness arose” have the same meaning as the preceding text: it says that cultivators of the Dao have firm faith and no longer retreat.

The Heavenly Emperor, the Supreme Lord, said: When your great compassionate radiance universally embraces all things, the Jade Emperor (Yudi), who manifests in transformed bodies in the great heavenly palaces, remains steadfast and unmoved through great spiritual power. The wondrous radiance that they embrace moves and guides the heavens and the people of the world, enabling all to reach the Qingwei Heavenly Palace (one level of the Daoist heavens, below Jade Purity) and the highest Jade Purity Holy Realm, and to come before the Dharma assembly of Yuanshi Daozu, the Original Ancestor of the Dao.

Jade Purity (Yuqing), the highest celestial realm among the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), is incomparably honored and noble; it is an exceedingly pure, utterly empty and still, and profoundly mysterious heaven. The holy realm here is the dwelling place of those of utmost truth; within emptiness and nonbeing there is wondrous being. Ordinary deities find it difficult to reach; it is a state from which one never retreats.

At the assembly of Yuanshi, unless one is a great sage or holy being and has an extraordinary karmic connection with it, one cannot personally hear and gaze upon it. When the scriptures are expounded, all the heavenly beings can come; it is the Jade Emperor who, by spiritual power, moves them and compassionately guides them so that they are able to arrive. These heavenly multitudes are not themselves aware, nor do they know how they came; they have simply been fortunate enough to arrive before the Dharma assembly of Yuanshi Tianzun, the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning.

The Tianzun at this time is Yuanshi Tianzun. Some believe that this refers to the heavenly emperors of the various heavens; that is incorrect. At this moment, Yuanshi Tianzun and the great assembly all see the transformed bodies of the Jade Emperors of the ten directions filling the space and coming, gathering before the great assembly of Yuanshi. Each manifests and is arranged in order, without hindering one another. It is like immeasurable, boundless great bright mirrors reflecting the forms, bodies, and appearances of all people, mutually containing and accommodating one another without any obstruction, all taken in completely without omission.

At this time, all in the great assembly prostrate themselves with the five limbs, bow their heads to the earth, and look up at the divinely transformed body of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is the most revered among the sages and realized ones, because he is the holy teacher of all Buddhas and the sovereign lord of the myriad heavens; therefore he is called “the Most Venerable.” This passage of scripture can increase the mind of pure faith and sincerity and further strengthen the resolve of reverence and devotion.

They increase a pure and sincere heart, and further strengthen their firm resolve and loving joy, honoring the Dao (the Way) and returning to truth. What is called “firm resolve” means that one’s aspiration must be unshakable and unwavering before it can be called sincere; “loving joy” means truly delighting in the Great Dao before it can be called devoted return. Once the people see with their own eyes the Jade Emperor’s (Yudi) wondrous transformation, they are filled with heartfelt admiration and conviction; hence it is said: “Their resolve and joy increase all the more, and they wholeheartedly take refuge.”

At this time the mind must not harbor thoughts of retreat, abandonment, or shifting; rather, it must give rise to an extremely firm and extremely reverent heart of faith and acceptance. If there is retreat in the heart, one cannot be firm; if there is shifting in the heart, one cannot be stable. Without firmness and stability, it cannot count as pure sincerity and joyful aspiration to the Great Dao. Only by gazing up to the Jade Emperor with a mind that does not retreat can one give rise to the most firm and unalterable true resolve, forever taking refuge in the Great Dao.

A commentary notes that in human beings, Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy), the pure and the turbid, issue from the same source, and the Jade Emperor’s wondrous transformation is fundamentally without duality. If the heart is not in accord with the Dao, then even guiding and breathing, drawing in and expelling, and circulating the heavenly circuit will ultimately not be the orthodox path. Therefore, if Shen is not concentrated, the spiritual nature cannot manifest, and one cannot deploy secret techniques or bring forth wondrous effects.

If the original Shen (Yuanshen) coalesces into truth and can govern the myriad existents, causing them to quietly worship the True Emperor, and Shen converges in the Mysterious Palace (Xuanggong; the divine palace within the human body, here broadly referring to the realm reached through cultivation), then true suchness (zhenru) is free and at ease. Without deliberate contrivance, one can resonate with the Jade Emperor’s transformations and spiritual powers; without moving, one shifts and connects the heavenly and human realms, reaching all the way to Qingwei Heaven, beneath the assembly of Yuanshi Tianzun. Qi and Jing (essence) meet within the mysterious and wondrous; silently complying with the Emperor’s law, without knowing or cognizing, the original Shen circulates its numinous clarity and illuminates all the wondrous states within oneself, neither constrained nor omitted. Even if those beside one are completely unaware, one’s own spiritual consciousness has already ascended to the higher realms. Yuanshi Tianzun and all the Heavenly Worthies can see the Jade Emperor’s transformations gathered together, like a great bright mirror, with all lights reflecting one another and all images containing and interpenetrating one another.

Qi and Jing are invested in Shen, secretly taking refuge in the true Dao, without defilement, without falseness, joyous and at ease according to one’s heart. Once obtained, it can be forever preserved, neither destroyed nor sunk into degeneration. This means that when the people gaze up to the Jade Emperor’s transformations and know that the Jade Emperor is supremely honored and supremely noble, their pure faith increases, their resolve and joy deepen, their minds have no retreat, and they give rise to an extremely firm conviction.

If practitioners can secretly experience it for themselves, they will naturally perceive its profound mystery.

At that time, the beings of the various heavens were able to be reborn in the heavenly realms, and suddenly beheld the extraordinary Dharma assembly and sacred sanctuary presided over by Tianzun (the Supreme Deity). The sanctuary was supreme in purity, adorned and brought forth through Wuwei (non-action) merit—merit accumulated without artificial fabrication. Everyone rejoiced and leaped with delight, bowed together, and praised this unprecedented grand gathering.

At this moment, the many Jade Emperors manifested throughout the ten directions merged into one body and sat together upon the Dharma throne. The pure assembly at the Dharma feast all wished to hear the Jade Emperor’s original conduct and realization—that is, his past cultivation and experiences of enlightenment—but did not dare to ask rashly.

Zhang Guo said: When the Jade Emperor manifested transformation bodies and universally gathered sentient beings, the heavenly beings of all the heavens all drew near and received the Jade Emperor’s compassionate radiance. Their spirits rose into the realm of Taixuan (the Great Mystery), and they were able to be reborn in Qingwei Heaven (a celestial realm in Daoism). Suddenly they saw the Great Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor—that is, the Jade Emperor—arrive in person. This was a supremely excellent Dharma assembly, of great benefit to the daochang (ritual site).

As for the term “supreme assembly”: when ordinary people gather and meet, it is called an “assembly.” If the benefits of an assembly are limited, it cannot be called a “supreme assembly.” The Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning (one of the most revered deities in Daoism) proclaimed the Jade Scripture; the Jade Emperor revealed compassionate light; sentient beings of all realms gathered universally; and deities, ghosts, humans, and all things forever received great benefit. This Dharma assembly initiated the peaceful destiny of the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism), propagated the profound purport of the myriad dharmas, and was the best and most perfect among Dharma feasts. All the various Dharma assemblies since countless kalpas past could not compare with it; its merit was supreme and would never be destroyed or lost. Therefore it is called the “supreme assembly.”

At the assembly, the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning praised the Jade Emperor’s virtue and transmitted the Dharma of Ultimate Truth—the Supreme One Vehicle (the most profound and ultimate method of cultivation)—universally saving the world and enabling people to awaken. Therefore it is called the “daochang” (site of the Way). This Dharma assembly site was utterly without dust or defilement, empty, still, pure, and clean, profoundly wondrous and luminously clear; it was the foremost among pure places. The Jade Emperor’s wondrous transformation arose from spontaneity, and its profound function of universal salvation and everlasting benefit did not rely on human fabrication. The sand-worlds (countless worlds) received its grace and were long nourished by its benefits.

The Jade Emperor did not act with intentional purpose, nor did the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning deliberately apply his mind. The myriad heavens yielded their merit, and all Buddhas yielded their virtue. With good conditions and wondrous convergence, its transformative power was universally manifest; this is the realm adorned and accomplished by the merit of Wuwei (non-action). Heavenly beings and humans who saw this scene felt boundless joy; truly they could not help dancing and leaping with delight. At that time, the great assembly prostrated themselves with all five limbs to the ground, paid homage, and exclaimed in praise, saying that since the beginning of kalpas there had never been such a wondrously transformative supreme assembly and sacred site.

At this moment, the various transformation-body Jade Emperors of the worlds in the ten directions all merged back into one body and sat within the great luminous Dharma seat.

At the ritual assembly gathered the pure and clean great assembly. The so-called “Qingzhong” (pure assembly) means that at this time, by means of the ascending radiance, the assembly’s worldly and distracting thoughts instantly dissolved, and not the slightest attachment remained; hence they are called Qingzhong. The assembly saw the Jade Emperor (Yudi; Yuhuang Dadi, the supreme deity of Daoism) manifest his emanation in the great celestial palaces, and all worlds were illumined by the light. Now, before the ritual assembly of Yuanshi (Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities of Daoism), they merged into one body; when divided, no deficiency was seen; when united, no excess was seen. Now they dispersed, now gathered, wondrous and inexhaustible; no one knew by what cause they possessed such spiritual powers. In their minds the assembly pondered, all wishing to hear the Jade Emperor’s fundamental method of cultivation and the origin of cultivating truth and attaining sagehood, yet they did not dare discuss it on their own or presume to ask.

Annotator’s note: In the human body, spirit and Qi mutually nourish and sustain one another; the meridians and network vessels run through and connect; inner and outer mutually depend on one another; the empty, numinous nature responds with subtlety; movement and stillness are each other’s root. Originally it is one and divides into the myriad; the myriad again return to the one source. People only because Qi is constrained and obscured by external things, indulging in covetous deluded thoughts, so what was bright becomes dim and what was numinous becomes stagnant. Although among them are people who study the Dao and aid the world, because of small wisdom and private benevolence, and feigned, false merit, their beneficence is limited—how could it suffice to speak of the Dao? If one begins well but does not end well, acts well but does not complete well, or forcibly divides into branches and rigidly makes a handle, now gathering, now scattering, though it may seem numinously efficacious, it is still not the wondrous functioning of the Dao.

If one can truly know and awaken, impartial and universal, clear and penetrating, so that both stillness and response are settled, without the disturbance of welcoming and sending off; the numinous nature then operates naturally and silently accords, without relying on the toil of pushing it into motion. The mechanism of the Dao is subtly present, and the human mind then withdraws and listens in stillness; the turbid returns to clarity, the stagnant returns to numinousness. Awakening alone and truly attaining, one is joyful and at ease, freed from constraints and obscurations, and the wondrous realm renews day by day—this is the realm of heavenly birth for the people of the various heavens.

The Heavenly Worthy universally proclaimed to the fourfold assembly (Daoist monastics and lay believers): In former times there was a country named Guangyan Miaole. The king was named Jingde, and the queen was named Baoyueguang. The king had no heir. One day he thought: If I grow old or pass away, to whom will the state and the ancestral temple be entrusted?

(Textual note: This is the king’s self-reference. It should be read as “I,” not as “emperor” or as “Zhen” [the imperial “I”]. In past kalpas, too, no one had ever referred to himself as “Zhen.”)

Thereupon the king ordered the various Daoist assemblies to arrange the palace according to Daoist Keyi (liturgy), hang banners and canopies, make the surroundings pure and solemn, and set out abundant offerings. At the six periods of each day they cultivated and practiced the Way, praying universally to the true sages. Thus half a year passed, and their initial resolve never wavered or regressed.

The Great Emperor, Lord of Stars, said: When the assembled pure multitude wished to hear the wondrous causes of the Jade Emperor’s cultivation and realization, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning thereupon addressed the fourfold assembly of disciples at the Dharma assembly, saying: Long ago, before a great kalpa in the distant past, there was a capital city named Guangyan Miaole (Light-Adorned Wondrous Bliss). The king of this country was named Jingde (Pure Virtue), and his queen was named Baoyueguang (Precious Moonlight). This king had no crown prince to inherit the royal enterprise.

One day, the king pondered this matter in his heart, deliberated and planned, and said to himself: I am now approaching old age and death, yet I still have no crown prince. If my body were to collapse and depart this world—since the Son of Heaven, as lord of all under Heaven, is not said to “die” but rather to “collapse,” a momentous event like a mountain collapsing—to whom should the altars of soil and grain and the Nine Ancestral Temples be entrusted?

(Background: She is the god of soil and Ji is the god of grain. The state takes the people as its foundation, and the common people sustain life through land and the five grains; therefore the altars of soil and grain are regarded as the most important deities under Heaven. Thus when a ruler possesses all under Heaven, the altars of soil and grain and the Nine Ancestral Temples are necessarily mentioned first.)

(Background: Every state must have a Grand Ancestral Temple for enshrining ancestors. According to ancient institutions, the Grand Ancestral Temple contains the founding ancestor, the succeeding founding ancestor, the direct-line ancestor who carried on this branch, the ancestors of the three generations, the great-high ancestor who succeeded the ancestors of the three generations, the high ancestor who possessed all under Heaven, the great-grandfather, and the grandfather. The founding ancestor occupies the center; subsequent generations are arrayed to the left and right, with the left as Zhao and the right as Mu, totaling nine temples. People value the continuation of clan lineage; how much more so for a ruler who possesses all under Heaven, for whom the significance is even more distinct. Therefore the king worried that without a crown prince, the altars of soil and grain and the Nine Ancestral Temples would have no one to entrust them to.)

When the king had finished thinking thus, he immediately issued an imperial edict, proclaiming to the pure assemblies of the various Daoist gates: in the various official temples and divine halls, in accordance with Daoist law, perform various Keyi (liturgies) such as prayer and apotropaic rites, hang all kinds of floral banners and precious canopies, observe fasting and purity, keep clothing and caps orderly, and solemnly establish the altar ground.

Summary of the Scripture: Inwardly and outwardly, from beginning to end, one must be reverent and sincere, never scattered or distracted. The environment must be pure, solemn, bright, and clean, with all kinds of offerings set out extensively. During the six periods of daylight, one burns incense, performs the Daoist rites, expounds the Dao and its teachings, makes rounds of all the official shrines and temples, and prays for the protection of immortals, perfected beings, and divine sages. Having persisted in this way for half a year, the king’s devout heart grew ever deeper; he never retreated or regretted it, but held fast to his original intention of establishing the ritual ground and praying for blessings and averting disasters.

Commentator’s Note: This body of ours receives its original nature from the principles of Heaven and Earth, and its physical form from the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth; it is formed from the father’s Jing (essence) and the mother’s blood. It gains brightness through the light of the sun and moon, depends on the ruler and on water and soil for survival, relies on the rites and laws established by the sages for its maintenance, and advances through teachers and friends who know and perceive beforehand.

Those who possess the Dao can stand alongside Heaven and Earth, transform and nurture the myriad things, enter the sage realm and transcend the ordinary, and be unbound by life and death. Those without the Dao find all undertakings shattered like tiles, leave behind an unending evil reputation, breed offenses and faults, and meet with continuous retribution. When one attains sagehood, though the body perishes, the principle remains in the world, enduring long with the Dao; even as descendants continue one after another, the sacrifices are not cut off. If one becomes an ordinary person, one may have no heirs and cut off the ancestral sacrifices. The difference between the sage and the ordinary is thus so clear; yet as for the crucial point between the ordinary and the sage, how great a gap is it, after all?

If people can recognize the importance of their own relationships to this extent, and understand that the grace that gave them life is not accidental, then they should not fail this body. Knowing that the Four Graces—generally Heaven and Earth, parents, ruler, and teachers—should be repaid, and recognizing that the Five Constants—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust—carry no light weight, they can then fulfill the way of human relations, understand the principles of the myriad things, cultivate a heart of reverence, strive in learning to understand principle, be substantial and firm in conduct, and, upon hearing of good deeds, surely put them into practice.

Section One: General Requirements for Cultivation

Each morning and evening, examine your own words and actions, and always maintain them well. Even in dark places where no one can see you (“wulou” refers to the concealed northwest corner of a room), do nothing that would shame your heart, and be sincere without slackening. In this way you can unite with the virtue of Heaven and Earth, with the brightness of the sun and moon, with the order of the four seasons, and respond to the auspicious and inauspicious dispensations of ghosts and spirits. Even while awaiting the sage’s teachings, one is not deluded, nor does one dare relax in the slightest. In life, follow the Dao of Heaven; in death, be at peace and return to the source of transformation and creation. After one is gone, leave behind a fair name that shines ever more brightly as time passes. This is exactly what is shown in the story of King Guangyan seeking a crown prince; it embodies the cultivator’s resolve to persevere without backsliding.

Chapter on Divine Powers: Empress Baoyueguang Has a Dream and Seeks a Son

One night, Empress Baoyueguang (Baoyueguang is a personal name) dreamed of Taishang Daojun (a supreme Daoist deity) together with all the Perfected (immortals who have attained the fruits of cultivation). The immortals were dignified in bearing, pure and solemn, riding five-colored dragon chariots, with colorful banners dazzling the eye and canopies like rosy clouds. Taishang Daojun sat calmly in the chariot, cradling an infant. From every pore of the infant’s body streamed hundreds of billions of rays of light, illuminating all the palaces and transforming into precious lights of various colors. With a ceremonial guard leading the way, they came through the air.

The empress was filled with joy. She reverently made obeisance and, kneeling upright before Daojun, said: “At present the Great King has no heir. I wish to ask for this child to be the lord of the state (sheji, the altars of soil and grain, refers to the state; here it means the sovereign). I earnestly beg you, in your compassion, to look down with pity and grant my request.” Daojun replied: “Then I shall give this child to you.” The empress bowed in thanks to Daojun and received the child. As soon as she had taken him, she awoke from the dream and found that she was already pregnant. After a pregnancy of one year, at the noon hour on the ninth day of the first lunar month in the bingwu year, she gave birth to this child in the royal palace.

The Emperor Lord Guangsheng said: King Guangyan prayed for an heir and never wavered in his original resolve. Then one night, Queen Baoyueguang dreamed that the Supreme Lingbao Great Dao Lord (one of the honored deities of Daoism; here referring to the venerable Dao Lord) descended together with a host of supremely sagely Perfected Beings. Their bodies shone with golden light, their faces were like jade, and pure divine radiance encircled them. They rode five-colored dragon carriages, preceded by ceremonial guards; banners, flags, standards, and streamers dazzled the eye, and bright rosy clouds enveloped their jeweled canopies.

The Supreme Great Dao Lord sat upright in a five-colored dragon carriage, cradling a small divine child in his arms. From every pore of the child’s body shone hundreds of billions of auspicious wondrous rays, illuminating all the halls of the royal palace and creating a scene of jeweled majesty. Ritual banners and standards led the way as they came floating through the air.

When Queen Moonlight saw the Dao Lord holding the divine child, joy arose in her heart. She received him reverently, and after performing full obeisance, knelt upright before the Dao Lord. (Some editions read “before the road,” which is incorrect.) The queen reported to the Dao Lord: “At present the king still has no heir. I earnestly beg the Dao Lord to extend great compassion, pity the king for being without offspring, and permit this holy child to descend and be established as lord of the state and its altars of soil and grain.”

The Dao Lord replied to the queen, “I am willing to bestow this child upon you especially.” The queen bowed again in thanks and received the divine child. Having received the child, she awoke from the dream and immediately perceived that she was already with child. After carrying the child for one year, at noon on the ninth day of the first lunar month in a Bingwu year, she gave birth to the Jade Emperor in the royal palace of Guangyan Miaole.

In my humble view: when a human being is born, once there is a temperamental constitution and physical form, there is also ethical nature and life-destiny. The human body bears the heavy duty of the cardinal moral order and, from birth, shoulders the responsibility of the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Human beings ought to be lofty and radiant, spiritually unobstructed and at ease; the body is not merely a mass of flesh and blood, nor is birth a trivial matter. The human original essence is like golden substance and jade-like form, originally pure and unstained.

The ignorant indulge in delusion and treat with contempt the precious nature bestowed by Heaven. Unable to comprehend the wondrous principle, they cannot nurture the mysterious spirituality (referring to the cultivator’s inner original Shen [spirit]). In vain they lose what is most precious to them, entrusting this body to what is useless. Even if they have some slight sense of self-regard, because they do not understand the Great Dao (the Way), their cultivation is unstable; they engage in falsehood, put on a show of good deeds, and conceal evil thoughts. Externally they are inlaid with much gold, but inside they are rotten cotton. Thus they cannot even preserve their own bodies, and the noble De (Virtue/Power) bestowed by Heaven cannot manifest. In this case, with what can they fulfill the human form and fully realize human nature, so that our true lord (referring to the inner nature or original Shen) is not corrupted?

If one can comprehend the mysterious source of life and death, accord with the secret essentials between Heaven and humanity, understand Yin-Yang, and penetrate deeply into the principles of creation and transformation, then one can clearly recognize the ancestral source and know one’s parents: one understands that what gives me birth has its source in Kun (Earth, Yin), and what plants my root is based in Qian (Heaven, Yang). Melting and refining the Golden Liquid (a Neidan [internal alchemy] term referring to the pure prenatal Jing [essence] and Qi [vital energy], a metaphor for the essence obtained through cultivation), purifying the Jade Refinement (making body and mind pure as fine jade), one attains a wondrous realm within indistinctness and meets the profound principle within the deep and obscure. With the divine nature of emptiness, one gestates the truth of wondrous existence; forming the spiritual embryo, one gives birth to the sage child (referring to the cultivated immortal embryo, the true self). In this way, those who gave me birth did not give birth in vain, and those who nurtured me did not nurture me for nothing. With sinews of gold and bones of jade, one sheds the mortal embryo and transforms into an immortal body; what was withered flourishes again, continuing forever without end.

This is just as Queen Baoyueguang (Precious Moonlight) dreamed of the Most High Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun) arriving together with the pure company of Perfected Ones, embracing a holy child, after which she was bestowed the title of sovereign of the realm.

Human nature is fundamentally the same: if one awakens to the Dao, one becomes an immortal; if not, one is lost. If one can understand the allegorical meaning of Queen Baoyueguang’s prayer for an heir, one may awaken to the Dao.

The final line, “Chapter Eighteen of the Supernatural Powers Section,” is a section heading, with no main text to explain.

When the crown prince was born, a precious light radiated from his body, its glowing radiance filling the entire kingdom. His appearance was dignified and beautiful, and no one who saw him ever tired of looking. In childhood he was intelligent and quick-witted; as he grew, he became loving and compassionate. He took all the treasures from the palace storehouses and gave them away, relieving the poor and afflicted, the aged and widowed, the lonely and unsupported, the hungry, and the disabled, sick, and weak of every kind. He was benevolent, humble, and gentle, and his words and deeds accorded with the Dao (the Way). Songs were sung of him, and his civilizing influence spread far in all directions; all under heaven admired and submitted to him. The king rejoiced to have such a benevolent and virtuous crown prince.

(Crown Prince Guiren: This passage recounts an experience from a former life of the Jade Emperor.)

Wushang Yuanjun said: When the Jade Emperor descended to be born, his body emitted a radiance like a hundred treasures, filling and spreading throughout the entire Guangyan Kingdom (a realm in ancient legend). His appearance and bearing were wondrously beautiful, and those who saw him never tired of looking. In childhood he was intelligent and wise; as he grew, he became compassionate and kind.

In his kingdom, all the goods and treasures stored in the warehouses and treasuries he brought out entirely and gave away to others. Regardless of the amount, he felt no stinginess at all, as if he meant to scatter all his wealth completely. Some might think that giving away all his wealth meant disregarding the throne, his kin, and the state. But the Jade Emperor possessed innate knowledge from birth, acted with steadiness, and was the most supremely sage of persons—how could he do anything so extreme? The reader should ponder this carefully.

The Jade Emperor opened the treasuries not for those who were already rich and noble, but for those without means, the poor and distressed; for those imprisoned and in dangerous, painful circumstances; for widowers without wives, widows without husbands, orphans without fathers, solitary elders without children, those with no mother to rely on, and those with no father to depend on. In years of poor harvest and famine, in barren years when vegetables failed, or for the sick, aged, disabled, and injured—all sentient beings in hardship received the Jade Emperor’s relief and aid. Moreover, his kindness came from utmost sincerity; it was not merely a show on the surface.

He was benevolent and compassionate, gentle and humble. All under Heaven received his grace, felt gratitude for his virtue, and sang his praises, acclaiming him as a ruler who possessed the Dao. From the capital region (jidian) to the remote and desolate borderlands (yaohuang), his edifying influence and grace reached distant places. All under Heaven looked up to him and followed him, attaching themselves to him, this benevolent crown prince. (Note: “Gui is like yu”—that is, the word gui is close in meaning to yu, indicating attachment and submission.)

The Analects says, “Once one restrains private desires and returns to ritual propriety, all under Heaven turn to the way of benevolence.” Those who seek the Dao can gain it immediately; those who model themselves on the source can swiftly accomplish vast merit and virtue. The Jade Emperor (one of the highest deities venerated in Daoism) was wondrous from birth and, upon growing up, compassionate and benevolent—how could all under Heaven fail to turn their hearts to him? This is why his virtuous conduct became manifest and why people of the four quarters submitted to him gladly and sincerely. His future sageliness and the great order he would bring to the world had already shown traces when he was still crown prince. Thus his father the king rejoiced not only at his birth; seeing that the crown prince had now succeeded in practicing the Dao, he rejoiced even more in his heart.

Note: Between Heaven and Earth, once a person has this bodily form, they possess true and authentic vital Qi; only with this true and authentic vital Qi can one become a true human being. In Heaven and Earth this Qi manifests as a mysterious and wondrous principle; in the human person it manifests as the vast, upright Qi that fills Heaven and Earth as described by Mencius. This true Qi is mysterious and numinous, luminous and at ease; it illumines past and present and encompasses the entire Dharma realm (a Buddhist term referring to the world of all existence). People originally possess this true Qi and originally would not encounter hardship or peril, nor would they incur others’ aversion. But if people do not cherish this Heaven-granted true Qi and instead regard it as ordinary and inconsequential, if they cannot rectify the principle within their hearts so as to nurture the true spirit, and cannot cultivate the subtle vitality of life so as to bring spiritual transformation to completion, then the mind becomes obscured and unillumined. Given to anger, resentment, and envy, they do not follow the right path; coveting profit and fame, they accumulate without cease; they do not esteem the Dao and De, feel no compassion for the poor, and are arrogant and conceited, thereby inviting slander. This harms the upright Qi, causes the vast, upright Qi to wither, and plunges them into vulgar ignorance, so that they cannot enter the realm of the sages and worthies.

If one can preserve the primal Qi (vital energy) of Great Harmony and gather and fuse a mysterious subtle state, then the Sacred Embryo (Shengtai) will reveal precious radiance, and the Divine Infant (Shenying) will manifest wondrous vistas. Gradually, mysterious divine powers will evolve, and spiritual transformations will proceed without obstruction. The cultivator regards worldly power and profit as lightly as mud; he regards worldly favor and glory as floating dust. With his own surplus he assists others’ deficiencies, relieves others and benefits the myriad things, so that his grace extends to all sentient beings. However the kalpa cycles rise and fall, his merit and virtue are inexhaustible. His virtue is great and communicates with the realm of divine transformation; he forever leaves behind the name of an immortal. Amid the great kalpas of the dharma realm, all beings receive his compassionate grace. Gods and humans alike rejoice and reverently honor and make offerings to his supreme virtue. He is the worthy son of heaven and earth, an extraordinary person who has transcended the world, and his parents too are glorified and rejoice. This is precisely the wondrous uniqueness the Jade Emperor possessed from birth. When he came of age, his compassion and benevolence reached their utmost; all under heaven submitted to his benevolent virtue, and his father the king rejoiced on that account.

Chapter Nineteen: The Chapter on Divine Powers

Not long afterward, the king suddenly passed away. The crown prince took charge of government; perceiving the impermanence of life, he instructed the ministers to enthrone a virtuous man to inherit the throne. He then renounced the kingdom and went to Mount Puming Xiangyan to cultivate. His cultivation succeeded, and he transcended the cycle of birth and death.

Note: “Great Harmony” refers to the harmonious primal Qi of heaven and earth; “Sacred Embryo” and “Divine Infant” are Neidan (internal alchemy) terms referring to a spiritual embryo nurtured within the body once cultivation reaches a certain level, symbolizing the gradual growth of the cultivator’s primordial spirit; “kalpa cycles” refers to the periodic catastrophes and shifts of fate in heaven and earth; “dharma realm” refers to the world in which all dharmas exist; “Mount Puming Xiangyan” is the cultivation site mentioned in the scripture. Its name appears in the scripture, and its specific location should be checked against the original commentary.

Doumu (the Dipper Mother) said: In former times, the crown prince of the kingdom of Miaole (Wondrous Joy) possessed the Dao, and all under heaven submitted to his benevolent rule. Later, when the king suddenly died, the crown prince ascended the throne and governed the affairs of state, yet he often bowed his head in thought over the impermanence of life. “Bowing in thought” (funian) means lowering one’s head to look at oneself and reflect. “Floating life” refers to people living in this world as floating clouds in the sky or duckweed on the water, unable to remain long; hence it is called “floating life.”

Reflecting on this, the ruler issued orders and admonitions to the high ministers and officials of his realm, wishing to pass the great throne to a worthy person and let one who possessed the Dao inherit the royal position. (Another reading is that he wished the ministers, when inheriting the throne, to possess the Dao and do good; the meaning is also connected.) He entrusted the kingship to a worthy man, and thereupon abandoned the state, withdrawing in seclusion to Mount Puming Xiangyan to cultivate the Great Dao.

(The commentator, relying on ancient historical records, has verified that Mount Puming Xiangyan is Stone Mountain in the Eastern Sea, the Chanjiao [Exposition Teaching] site where traces of the Jade Emperor remain; it is not the former site of Xiangyan Mountain.)

The sovereign entered the mountain to cultivate the Dao. When his merits and practices were complete, he transcended the mundane and was delivered, ascending to the heavenly realm.

The commentator remarks: People in this world are like a white colt glimpsed through a crack, or like lightning in the sky, now present and now absent, unable to preserve themselves. Even one honored as the Son of Heaven, possessing all within the four seas, wearing dragon robes and ceremonial vestments, and enjoying the delicacies of the world—once he leaves this world, all becomes a dream and illusion. Even if one’s office reaches the utmost among human ministers and one’s fields stretch continuously, it is not worth mentioning. Moreover, wealth and honor are hard to last, and poverty also soon falls into ruin. Most people are intoxicated in life and dream in death, addicted and unawakened; thus those who truly hear and practice the Great Dao are few, let alone those who become immortals.

If people could awaken and understand that the body is merely a temporary lodging, and that human life is like a mayfly born in the morning and dead by evening, they would immediately free themselves from the obstacles of the dusty world, sincerely seek the mysterious realm, and practice with clear comprehension, without seeking quick results. When the time arrives, transformation occurs naturally; when cultivation is complete, one becomes a renowned immortal. Although one’s ancestors have already passed away, through the virtue of the sage son they are preserved and do not perish. Is this not precisely why the Miaole crown prince abandoned his father’s throne, cultivated the Dao, and, when his merits were accomplished, attained transcendence and deliverance?

Alas, within the human body there is Mount Kunlun (referring to the place of cultivation). When old yang (the image of pure yang at its fullest, a metaphor for the ordinary yang nature) is exhausted and one yang (the first arising of yang qi, a metaphor for the rebirth of the true origin) arises again, one should keep far from all sorts of one-sided attachments and secretly cultivate the Dao of Supreme Truth; after a long time, one can transform into a feathered immortal and ascend. The aspiration to become an immortal is also similar to this sovereign’s course of action, and should be carefully understood.

The scripture recounts the long cultivation journey of a Daoist cultivator. He passed through many “kalpas” (jie; in Buddhist and Daoist scriptures, an extremely long unit of time), and in each kalpa he performed good deeds and cultivated the Dao.

He repeatedly gave up the throne, renounced worldly ties for the sake of sentient beings, and devoted himself single-mindedly to studying the Dao. After that, for eight hundred kalpas he gathered herbs and treated illnesses for people, aiding sentient beings and enabling them to attain health and peace.

Then he widely practiced expedient methods (fangbian famen), opened the Daozang (Daoist Canon), expounded wondrous scriptural chapters, promoted orthodox Daoist teaching, and made manifest marvelous efficacy. He both assisted the state and relieved the common people, extending from the hidden and subtle to the manifest, and universally saved all.

Thereafter, after another eight hundred kalpas, he even abandoned his life and body, and with a mind of patience and forbearance gave away his own flesh and blood.

Having cultivated in this way for three thousand two hundred kalpas, he finally attained the fruition of “Golden Immortal” (Jinxian, one of the stages of Daoist cultivation) and was called “Qingjing Ziran Juewang Rulai” (the Pure and Natural Tathagata, King of Enlightenment). He taught bodhisattvas (in Buddhism, practitioners who make great vows and cultivate the Mahayana) to swiftly comprehend the orthodox Mahayana and gradually enter the profound and wondrous Great Dao of emptiness and nonbeing.

After a hundred million kalpas of further cultivation, he ultimately attained the position of the Jade Emperor (Yudi, one of the highest deities in Daoism).

After he finished speaking these words, the pure assembly present (the community of pure and quiet cultivators) praised him in unison, all saying that they had never heard such a teaching.

Xu Zhenjun said: When the Jade Emperor first ascended the throne to cultivate, after passing through this kalpa, he then underwent eight hundred kalpas, often as a crown prince. Each time he ascended the throne, it was to deliver living beings, sever the affection and love of the six relations, and study and cultivate the Great Dao. Kalpas are great and small: sixty years make a dust-mote kalpa; five hundred years make one yuanhui yunshi, that is, a xianshu kalpa; three thousand years make a runzhi kalpa; ten thousand eight hundred years make a small kalpa; one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years make a turning-wheel kalpa. Kalpas accumulate one upon another, and only after they number ten thousand is it called a great kalpa. The eight hundred kalpas mentioned here need not be adhered to by their great or small measure; it simply means that the time was extremely long, roughly on the order of eight hundred kalpas.

After these eight hundred kalpas of severing love and learning the Dao, he passed another eight hundred kalpas administering medicines and remedies, healing the sick, saving suffering living beings, and causing them to be peaceful, healthy, and happy. When this kalpa was complete, he passed another eight hundred kalpas broadly practicing great skillful means, opening the various methods in the Daozang, expounding the mysterious and wondrous chapters of the Lingbao scriptures, promoting the orthodox teaching, spreading the merits of the sacred scriptures, assisting the state, and rescuing the common people, from the hidden and subtle all the way to the manifest and vast, becoming ever greater and ever more luminous. Another reading is “from the hidden to the manifest,” meaning from the dark underworld to the world of the living, so that heaven above, earth below, and the human realm all receive his grace. The meanings are also consonant.

After passing through these kalpas, he underwent another eight hundred kalpas in which, even if it meant sacrificing his own body, he did not begrudge it; even if it meant harming his life, he did not spare himself. He simply practiced the virtue of forbearance, enduring disgrace, not becoming angry, and not retaliating, because of the causes and conditions of great tolerance; he was even willing to give up his own flesh and blood. He merely gave up material goods, whereas when people give away material goods, it is like cutting off their own flesh and blood.

In his past-life cultivation, the Jade Emperor (Yudi) endured humiliation many times and took delight in giving away his wealth to others. After he had given away all his family property, even when he fell into poverty and hardship and was bullied by outsiders—anxiety and suffering that ordinary people find hard to endure—he remained consistently unconcerned and never gave rise to regret. This is the cultivation of renouncing body and life, practicing forbearance, and offering up even flesh and blood (shi, interchangeable with she, meaning to relinquish and give away).

When a sage attains the position of supreme sagehood, he too must undergo things such as giving up flesh and blood. In teaching the ignorant world, the sage employs every possible means; he can divide his dharmakaya (dharma-body), manifest wondrous transformations, while his original substance is in reality never harmed. Cultivators should grasp the spirit of this and not cling to the literal surface of the words; only such an understanding is correct.

From eight hundred kalpas ago, the Jade Emperor cut off affection and desire and devoted himself single-mindedly to learning the Dao (the Way). Thereafter he practiced medicine to heal the sick, expounded scriptures to universally save beings, and practiced forbearance and giving. Through such arduous cultivation and wondrous practice, over three thousand two hundred kalpas, he finally realized the rank of Golden Immortal (Jinxian, one of the stages of Daoist cultivation), achieved the imperishable fruit, and was titled “the Pure and Natural Wondrously Enlightened Dharma King Tathagata (Rulai).” He taught the bodhisattvas and mahāsattvas, enabling them to suddenly awaken to the true doctrine and authentic teaching of Mahayana (the Great Vehicle, the great teaching of universal salvation), and gradually enter the great Dao realm of empty mystery and limitlessness, of true non-being and wondrous spirituality.

As for the meaning of “Tathagata”: human beings are endowed at birth with an original nature in which all good is complete; originally they are equal to immortals and Buddhas, inherently luminous and vast. Those who abandon themselves cannot preserve their heaven-given nature; their original true-such nature (zhenru, tathatā) becomes almost entirely obscured, and so they create ordinary, worldly karma.

After the Jade Emperor renounced the throne of the King of Wondrous Bliss, he passed through another three thousand two hundred kalpas. His merit and teaching were boundless and limitless; he never fell back, was neither constrained nor defiled, and became the Greatly Enlightened Dharma King. He encompasses heaven and earth, brings all things to completion, is neither partial nor biased, and omits nothing; he causes all things and the original substance to be whole and return to unity, and his realm far transcends all categories of beings. This is what is meant by “Tathagata.” Through such great cultivation, and after another hundred thousand kalpas, he finally attained the position of the Jade Emperor, Teacher of the Myriad Heavens.

After Yuanshi Tianzun, the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, finished these words, the pure assembly at the ritual gathering praised him in unison, saying that since ancient times there had never been such a great sage and wondrous practice.

The following is the commentator’s note (“The humble one remarks”): People are born with Yin-Yang in the body and with heavenly principle and selfish desire in the mind. Yin and Yang are rooted in each other and wax and wane; heavenly principle and selfish desire cannot coexist. When heavenly principle is pure, Yang Qi flourishes; when a selfish desire stirs, Yin Qi stagnates. When Yang Qi flourishes to its utmost and penetrates transformation and nurture, one can enter the wondrous realm. Cultivated thus, whatever one does is just right, and whatever one applies oneself to is possible. Pure Yang is the supreme good Dao, but only the indolent cannot achieve it. The Jade Emperor, out of compassion for sentient beings, powerfully expounded the wondrous meaning; repeatedly renouncing the throne, over eight hundred kalpas he gave up his country, severed affectionate love, and studied the Great Dao for the sake of all living beings under heaven. Such wondrous practice is the greatest and never exhausted.

The primordial spirit (yuanshen, the most fundamental spirituality of the human body) governs the Numinous Terrace (lingtai, the heart/mind), presides over the five sense organs, and commands the hundred officials. Among the six desires (the cravings of the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, body, and mind) and the seven emotions (joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and fright), affectionate love is the heaviest. If one can return all desires entirely to heavenly principle, withdraw emotional thoughts and return to original nature, strip away superficial adornment, and alone comprehend the mysterious secret principle, this is like the Heavenly Ruler (tianjun, the mind) abandoning his honored position to study the Dao. Ingesting elixirs to heal sentient beings and enable them to enjoy peace and happiness, the Jade Emperor again passed through eight hundred kalpas to convert the people of the world.

Worldly people are trapped by worldly toil and illusory delusion, deplete true intention, and are content not to awaken even until old age and death; this is the great illness of the world. If one can use the primordial spirit, Jing (essence), and Qi (vital energy)—these three superior medicines (the three grades of superior medicine)—to coalesce and secretly congeal spiritual nature, cause Yang Qi to turn back and the bones to exchange their substance, so that one is not muddled while alive and not extinguished after death, this is precisely the principle of “circulating the medicine to save life” in the Neijing (Inner Landscape, a classic of Neidan cultivation).

Expounding the scriptures to assist the state and bring benefit to both the manifest and hidden realms, the Jade Emperor again passed through eight hundred kalpas. If practitioners can penetrate the mysterious and wondrous and see through secret principles, skillfully transform Yin-Yang, realize the fruit of a superior immortal, and save ghostly beings, then their bodies also have the meaning of silently turning the true scripture and benefiting both the underworld and the living world. Discarding body and life, giving up flesh and blood—for this the Jade Emperor again passed through eight hundred kalpas.

If people can grasp the profound principles and penetrate the secret meanings, they can skillfully employ the transformations of Yin-Yang, take their place among the high immortals, and also save and deliver ghosts and the beings of the netherworld. This likewise contains the principle of “silently turning the true scripture, benefiting both the Yin and Yang realms.” To cast off one’s life and flesh-and-blood body is like the Jade Emperor’s cultivation through eight hundred kalpas (an extremely long unit of time). If one’s mind and will remain unmoved, one can throw off the impure fleshy body; this too carries the meaning of “enduring humiliation and abandoning flesh and blood.” From one kalpa to the next, cultivating devoutly without ever changing, pure and undefiled, one naturally transforms and nurtures all things, enabling everyone to understand and awaken; such merit is immeasurable. It is just like the Jade Emperor, from more than three thousand kalpas up to a hundred million kalpas—the wondrous states involved are truly rare and inspire longing.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Chapter on Spiritual Powers

At that time, in the Dharma assembly there was a Jade Maiden named Yeguang (Night Radiance). She rose from her seat, adjusted her robes and headdress, stepped forward with composure, knelt upright before the Dao, and reported to the Heavenly Worthy: “I—the text reads ‘Chen Su,’ while one edition has ‘Su’—was fortunate in a former life to have attended before you and personally made offerings, and to this day I have passed through a hundred million kalpas. The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the realm of the highest three Daoist deities, and the Golden Towers and Jade Capital (the palaces of heaven) are quiet and detached, free and at ease, joyful and unconstrained. Roaming in the sacred realm and listening to the Dharma sound, I have never seen anything so rare.”

Yeguang (Night Light) is the name of the Jade Maiden. She rose from her seat, her robes and headdress neat and solemn; once she had risen, she appeared even more dignified and majestic. This is why the text says, “She strictly adjusted her robes and headdress.” Her gait was composed and her bearing reverent. She knelt upright before the Daoist Ancestor (Daozu) and reported to Yuanshi Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning): “I, Yeguang, throughout the kalpas of my past lives, know not by what karmic causes I have been fortunate enough to behold the Heavenly Worthy and to be ranked among those in attendance before the Heavenly Emperor.”

Some hold that Yeguang is speaking within the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and they further ask about the source of the Jade Emperor’s divine radiance; on this basis they suppose that she is a Jade Maiden (Yunü) beside Yuanshi Tianzun. This is incorrect. The Heavenly Emperor often goes in homage to the realm of the Three Pure Ones. When scriptures are expounded, the Jade Emperor’s great radiance does not always manifest. Thus, from what the Jade Maiden says here, it can be seen that she is an attendant of the Heavenly Emperor; on this point there is no doubt.

The Jade Maiden attended before the imperial presence more than once, personally and reverently making offerings, over vast stretches of time—billions of kalpas and a hundred thousand years. In the mysterious and wondrous realm of the Three Pure Ones, with its golden palaces and white-jade capital, all is silent and limpid, free and at ease with no affairs to attend to, joyful and delighted. Having attained great freedom, she roams there in spirit with joy. Having come to the realm of the supremely holy, she is nourished by hearing the sound of the wondrous Dharma. The word “can” (to eat or feed upon) mentioned here refers to the secret sounds of the true saints of Qingwei Heaven, which are all the most supreme wondrous principles, containing inexhaustible flavor and not easy to grasp and understand immediately. Though the Jade Maiden possesses spiritual powers, she has only just begun to cultivate and attain the saintly stream; how could she understand at once? Therefore, when she hears the Dharma sound, she savors it carefully, as if, after swallowing delicious food, she chews it finely to taste its flavor. Hence the text speaks of “nourishing hearing” and “nourishing the Dharma sound.” The phrase here, “the Jade Maiden has just begun to enter the saintly stream,” and similar passages refer to words the Jade Maiden spoke in the past on ordinary days; they do not mean that she is hearing Yuanshi Tianzun speak only today. If one understands it as what she has seen and heard today, that goes against the original intent of the scripture.

Yeguang had long lived in the saintly realm and had long stood in attendance before the Heavenly Emperor; her heart was filled with great joy.

Notes (Supplementary Background)

• Jade Maiden (Yunü): A female immortal in Daoism who attends upon Heavenly Worthies and Heavenly Emperors.
• Yuanshi Tianzun: One of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), residing in the Yuqing Realm; a supreme deity of Daoism.
• Realm of the Three Pure Ones: The immortal realm inhabited by the Daoist Three Pure Ones—Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing.
• Saintly stream: A cultivation stage or state denoting successful Daoist cultivation and entry into saintly rank.
• Qingwei Heaven: One of the thirty-six heavens in Daoism, a relatively high celestial realm; according to tradition, the scriptures and methods of the Qingwei school were transmitted there.

Hearing this Dharma sound, all manner of wondrous principles are present; seeing these wondrous principles, one invariably resonates with and awakens to them. It is like the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi) universally bestowing compassionate light: he can transform and manifest, embrace all things, gather and disperse freely, and generate all kinds of auspicious and marvelous events. Having cultivated true nature through vast kalpas, his merit is immeasurable; his teachings bring sages and worthies to fulfillment, and ultimately he awakens to the supreme Great Dao. Surveying the kalpas of successive ages and examining former dynasties afar, one has never seen such a rare and unprecedented matter.

In my humble opinion, the yin Qi in the human body is the fairy maiden (referring to the inner pure Qi attained through cultivation). Its essence is white as jade and clear as ice; its radiance is pure and elegant, inherently present. It has merely been obscured by dust and defilement for so long that the proper yin Qi and the pure Qi (fan Qi) sink into impure thoughts and evil deeds, and the Six Ding yin deities (deities governing yin-yang transformations in Daoism) instead become impermanent hungry ghosts. Thoughts are scattered, and one busies oneself all day in seeking and striving; eating, drinking, rising, and resting have no regularity. One’s behavior is flustered, so one cannot worship Shangdi (God on High) or make offerings to Xuanyuan (the Dao, or Laozi). One indulges the mind, frivolously races about, craves splendor, binds oneself with fame and profit, burdens oneself with worldly toil, and cannot attain free and joyful ease; one follows the turning of samsara and falls into the mortal world without end. One does not hear the wondrous Dharma of the true Dao; day after day one drowns in desire, and at every turn hordes of demons disturb one. Even if wondrous teachings exist, they are difficult to encounter.

If one can use the Dao of pure Yang to secretly transform and nurture yin Jing (essence), then the bright moon-spirit will reveal wondrous light within the infinite, and the jade substance will manifest divine wonder within the inexhaustible; everything throughout the body will become supremely spiritual. The mechanism of transformation operates calmly, and the wondrous principle is stored within while light clearly appears. Quietly one reveres Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning) and silently worships Shangdi; one’s original nature and the Great Dao are always luminous, and the human heart also follows the heavenly mandate. In the realm of the Cinnabar Terrace and Purple Mansion (a Daoist paradise), in the palace of Seven Treasures and Five Radiances, all is silent and empty-bright, transcending ease and joy. The spirit-soul roams the mysterious realm, and the ears seem to savor the sound of fine jade. This is a rare spectacle in the world, truly an unprecedented wondrous realm.

Thereupon the Jade Maiden of Night Radiance (Yeguang Yunü) rose from her seat, adjusted her robes, stepped forward with dignified gait, knelt before the Dao, reported to Tianzun, asked about the causes and conditions of past lives, and requested clarification of the Jade Emperor’s rare wondrous transformation.

First Paragraph (General Discussion): The principle of Yin-Yang and the movement and transformation of primordial Qi (vital energy) are originally present in everyone. Those who attain the Dao (the Way) can use the mysterious pivot of Yin-Yang to manifest the spiritual powers of the Jade Maidens; those without the Dao instead bring about evil karma and proceed toward evil destinations. Therefore, those who cultivate the true Dao must clearly discern this point.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Chapter on Supernatural Powers

Previously, amid the radiance of the inner vision (the scenes seen through inner observation during cultivation), I saw all the heavens of the ten directions manifest various sacred realms. In each were the responsive transformation Dharma-body of the Jade Emperor (an emanation manifested to deliver sentient beings), along with Heavenly Perfected Great Sages, Realized Persons of Wondrous Practice, and Numinous Consorts and Jade Maidens as attendants. These Jade Maidens were dignified in appearance and exquisite in form; they emitted a surpassing wondrous fragrance, with none comparable to them. Now, again by the Jade Emperor’s spiritual power of translocation, they have all gathered in Qingwei Heaven (a heaven of the upper Daoist realms). I do not know by what causes and conditions these Jade Maidens were able to realize such an unsurpassed and sublime form-body. I respectfully request that your sagely compassion instruct me and resolve what I have not yet understood.

Nanhua Dijun said: Yeguang Yunü declared that she had long dwelled in the heavens above and had heard many wondrous discourses, yet had never seen the Jade Emperor’s subtle transformations. On a day such as this, she then said: “I do not know whether the ten-direction heavens that earlier manifested within the great radiance are transformed manifestations of the realms of sages and Perfected (Zhenren).” (The word bian may also be written as a variant meaning “to pervade”; the senses are also connected.)

All these are the Dharma bodies of the Jade Emperor’s subtle responsive transformations; the gods and immortals of the heavens, the great sages, the Miaoxing Zhenren, and the Lingfei Yunü all stand in attendance and guard among them. The appearance and bearing of these Yunü are upright and majestic; their bodies and forms are beautiful and wondrous; they emit a distinctive wondrous fragrance, and none can compare with them. Moreover, by the Jade Emperor’s great spiritual powers and wondrous compassionate guidance, the assembled guards, following the emperor’s radiance, are now all universally gathered in Qingwei Heaven. I do not know by what wondrous cause and good affinity these attendant Yunü have attained such an unsurpassed physical body.

The so-called “unsurpassed physical body” means that the Yunü’s wondrously transformed physical body transcends all and has no comparison.

In the world there are six paths: the three evil paths of hells, hungry ghosts, and animals have no beautiful physical bodies; the physical body of the human path is originally formed by the aggregation of Jing and blood, and once the Qi scatters and the Shen departs, its impurity is beyond description. Moreover, human life has decline and old age, illness and suffering; what is called beauty is all like a dream. Therefore the body is said to be an illusory, transformed thing and cannot be called an unsurpassed physical body. Next are all the demonesses in the paths of demons; although their faces are wondrous and they possess the five supernatural powers and can transform, when karmic retribution arrives they will ultimately harm themselves. How then can they be called unsurpassed physical bodies? Only these Lingfei Yunü have peerless beauty and surpassing bearing, supreme throughout the three realms; with heavenly fragrance and wondrous transformation, undecaying and undying, unlike the ordinary, and unseen by worldly people—they are the unsurpassed physical body. This is precisely why even Yeguang Yunü cannot fathom it.

Note: Yeguang Yunü is the divine maiden referred to in the scripture; Nanhua Dijun is Zhuangzi, honored in Daoism as Nanhua Zhenren; Qingwei Heaven is one of the heavens in the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) realms; the five powers (wutong) are the five supernatural powers as spoken of in Buddhism and Daoism.

In compassion, the Supreme Sage points out principles not yet understood, enabling Yeguang (a character in the scripture) to understand the reason for the dignified beauty and subtle fragrance of Lingfei and Yunü (divine consorts and jade maidens).

Author’s note: The blessings and karmic obstacles of the world are all created by the mind. The mind governs nature and emotion; nature contains nothing that is lacking, and the subtle transformations of Yin-Yang are originally present in everyone. If one does not cultivate the Dao, one flows along with yin qi, falls into a dark realm, and becomes a rotting corpse—this is precisely the root of karmic retribution in samsara. If one awakens to the Dao and cultivates truth, yin qi also transforms into the rectified qi of the body; the Liuding (the Ding deities in Daoism who govern yin-yang transformations) manifest wondrous functions, and in stillness heavenly light shines forth. The true fragrance of the Jade Maiden is the wondrous functioning of the body. When the mysteries of the whole body penetrate one another, the Dantai (the inner landscape site in Neidan cultivation) is like a jeweled tower and jade mansion; the secret realm of the Six Yangs (Liuyang, pure yang qi) can be constantly commanded by one who has attained the Dao.

The fashen (dharma body) widely performs transformative nurture; it can subdue the White Tiger and harness the Azure Dragon (metaphors for governing the Yin-Yang and Five Phases qi within the body). In the Xuangong (Mysterious Palace), one refines the Jade Fluid, places Nüqing (a deity name or talisman name in Daoist texts) at one’s right, and conjoins the secret treasure of the elixir spirit; then a subtle fragrance like that of consorts floats forth. This is also the vision of the Emperor’s light illuminating the heavenly realms in the ten directions. Yudi (the Jade Emperor) has a responsive transformation body; holy true Jade Maidens guard at his side, and by spiritual power he moves to reside in Qingwei Heaven.

Everyone possesses nature, is endowed with Yin-Yang, contains all wonders, and has a body identical with heaven. The wondrous model of the spiritual powers of Lingfei and Yunü should be known by all who hear or see it; then why, after Yeguang Jade Maiden became a sage and attended the emperor, has she still not understood?

Cultivation and realization have grades of higher and lower; the sage body is formed by transformation from the source of the Dao, and whatever fruition one attains, one has the corresponding spiritual powers. Only sages can know sages, and only worthies can know worthies; there is not the slightest borrowing. Lingfei and Yunü, through the most true Dao of heaven and earth, divinely transform and save people; that Yeguang does not yet know their radiant countenance and true wondrous fragrance is entirely natural. The reason Yeguang does not know is that she has just realized the sage body and her rank is different—this is not an excuse.

Alas! Even divine beings such as the Numinous Consorts (Lingfei) and Jade Maidens (Yunü) find it difficult to know, so how could the wondrous transformations of the Emperor’s radiance be fathomed? Even the Night Radiance Jade Maiden cannot fully understand it—how then could others know? Sages and ordinary people share the same fundamental nature; human beings and the Jade Emperor (Yudi, one of the supreme deities of Daoism) are equal in status. If one cannot even realize this point, how can one attain the fruit of sagehood? People should reflect deeply and strive in cultivation.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Chapter on Divine Powers

At that time, the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun, the most revered deity in Daoism) said to the Night Radiance Jade Maiden: You have just entered the gateway of the sacred Dao. Although you already possess wisdom, you do not yet fully understand. These Jade Maidens, since innumerable kalpas (wuliang jie, an exceedingly long unit of time) ago, have cultivated various wondrous practices and possessed the gate of liberation (the cultivation method that transcends the bonds of birth and death). Their faith is pure, their understanding is pure, their thoughts are pure, their conduct is pure, their bodies are pure, their minds are pure, their intentions are pure, the fruits they have realized are pure, and the karmic recompense they receive is also pure. They harbor a heart of great loving-kindness and great compassion, sheltering, nurturing, and protecting sentient beings as a mother cherishes the infant in her arms. They strictly observe the precepts, are single-minded and undivided, wholeheartedly turn toward the great Dao, uphold pure fasting and precepts, make great vows, and throughout thousands upon thousands of kalpas always revere the Jade Emperor.

Plain-Language Interpretation: The Pure Cultivation of the Jade Maiden of Night Radiance

Summary of the Original Text

Lord Emperor Chongxu (Chongxu Dijun) said: You, Jade Maiden of Night Radiance (Yeguang Yunü), pray that holy compassion may reveal and instruct those who are not yet awakened. At that time, the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) said to the Jade Maiden of Night Radiance: “You have originally already entered the stream of sages.” (“You” means you; “the stream of sages” means being ranked with and belonging to the same category as the sages.) Since you are already of the sage kind, you should know all things. But having just entered the sage stream, although you possess intelligence, you are not yet completely clear and penetrating. These jade maidens who attend and guard the Jade Emperor did not attain such spiritual powers overnight. Rather, since immeasurable kalpas in the past, they cultivated various wondrous practices and fully possessed the Dharma gates of penetrating great understanding and transcending birth and death. Through countless kalpas they were never defiled, and their faith never turned back.

In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained pure faith; the past wondrous practices of the jade maidens were likewise this pure faith. (By not clinging to appearances of form, one attains great liberation.) In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained pure understanding; the past wondrous practices of the jade maidens were likewise this pure understanding. (When the true mind dwells thought after thought on the principle of non-arising, one escapes all paths of rebirth.) In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained pure mindfulness; the past wondrous practices of the jade maidens were likewise this pure mindfulness. (Wondrous practice is adorned and solemn, never stirred by delusion.) In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained pure practice; the wondrous practices of the jade maidens were likewise this pure practice. (Cultivating the body by means of the Dao (the Way), one is unstained by evil defilement.) In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained a pure body; the wondrous practices of the jade maidens were likewise this pure body. (Mind is Dao, and Dao is mind: clear, settled, and not lingering anywhere.) In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained a pure mind; the wondrous practices of the jade maidens were likewise this pure mind. (Whether inward or outward, whether welcoming or sending off, one cuts off conceptual thought and forgets the calculating mind.) In his early cultivation, the Jade Emperor constantly maintained pure intention.

Explanation of Key Points

This passage arranges “faith, understanding, mindfulness, practice, body, mind, and intention” in progressive order, forming a sequence of pure cultivation from the shallow to the deep: pure faith is firm devotion to the Dao, without clinging to outward appearances; pure understanding is penetrating the meaning of the Dao through the principle of non-arising and transcending the cycle of birth and death; pure mindfulness is never departing from non-arising, with focused and solemn mindfulness; pure practice is sustaining oneself through wondrous practice, without deluded action or rash advance; pure body is nourishing the body through the Dao so that the physical form is not stained by defilement; pure mind is the unity of mind and Dao, peacefully abiding in clarity without clinging or stagnation; pure intention is erasing the distinctions between inner and outer and between welcoming and sending off, cutting off conceptual thought and clever calculation.

The core of the passage is this: the reason the jade maidens “have already entered the stream of sages” is precisely that in past kalpas they continuously cultivated on these seven levels; the Jade Emperor’s pure cultivation is the fundamental model for all of this, and the jade maidens’ meritorious practice is of the same source and same kind as his.

The Jade Maidens cultivated wondrous practices throughout past kalpas, and this accords with the meaning of purity spoken of here. They are ranked in the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) paradise and never fall back. The Jade Emperor (the supreme deity of Daoism, also known as Yuhuang Dadi) realized the sagely fruit and attained the pure fruition. The wondrous practices the Jade Maidens cultivated in former times were likewise for this pure fruition. Having passed through vast kalpas, they are still honored, and their merit is immeasurable. The Jade Emperor, supremely honored and noble, obtained pure blessed rewards. The Jade Maidens’ wondrous practices were likewise for these pure blessed rewards.

The Jade Emperor’s benevolence extends throughout the sand-realms (meaning worlds as innumerable as the sands of the Ganges), and his grace flows through vast kalpas; this shows that he possesses a heart of great loving-kindness. The Jade Maidens’ wondrous practices were likewise for this heart of great loving-kindness. All things and sentient beings in the world receive his pity and care; this shows that he possesses a heart of great compassion. The Jade Maidens’ wondrous practices were likewise for this heart of great compassion.

The Jade Maidens’ hearts of great loving-kindness and great compassion are the same as the Jade Emperor’s. How do they act in concrete terms? Like a loving mother nurturing her infant, they shelter and protect sentient beings, cherish and care for them, and treat them with a sincere heart as one would an infant. At the same time, they reverently uphold the mysterious and wondrous precepts, single-minded and sincere, unwavering from beginning to end. Some also say that this is the “mind of reverent upholding” and the “mind of strict precepts,” pure and undivided; thus they can calm the mind and, with sincere intent, take refuge in the Great Dao (the Way). This interpretation has a more profound meaning.

The Jade Maidens’ taking refuge in the Great Dao is not a momentary thought. With pure and devout hearts they made vast vows, and throughout tens of millions of kalpas they have always revered and honored the Jade Emperor.

A note: If people possess true faith, they will naturally be able to understand; with pure thoughts, single-minded conduct, body and mind undefiled, and a clear mental state, they can realize fruition, obtain blessings, and ultimately attain the true Dao. If they can practice great loving-kindness and great compassion, strictly observe the mysterious and wondrous precepts, and cultivate before the Supreme Lord without changing over a long time, they can reach the realm of the upper immortals. Worldly people are deluded by false views; their miscellaneous thoughts are chaotic, their conduct perverse, they cannot cultivate the body, and their mind and spirit are disturbed. Thus karmic retribution entangles and binds them—all because they lack compassion and do not believe in the Dao. Therefore Yeguang (a figure in the scripture), having just entered the stream of the sacred path, cannot yet fully comprehend the Jade Maidens’ wondrous practices; to walk alongside them would be even more difficult. Everyone possesses this mind; one need only turn inward and examine oneself, and one can perceive the compassionate heart. If one cannot do so, one lacks compassion and also does not believe in the Dao.

Therefore, Yeguang had only just entered the current of the sagely Dao and could not yet fully comprehend the wondrous conduct and practice of the Jade Maidens; to walk alongside them would be even more difficult. The meaning of this annotation is that every cultivator inherently possesses this capacity—one need only be skilled at turning the light inward and seeking within, and the wondrous function of the Jade Maidens will be present within oneself.

Chapter 24: Spiritual Powers

These Jade Maidens are not actual women; they are all perfected beings of the celestial realm (realized immortals who have attained the Dao). Only in order to save living beings do they manifest the forms of Jade Maidens. Therefore, their appearance and radiance, their wondrous spiritual powers, the revealing and concealing of their wisdom, and their power of transformation are all identical to those of the Heavenly Emperor. At this point, after hearing these words, Yeguang suddenly awakened in mind, bowed his head in joy, and silently returned to his original place.

Guan Yinzi said: These Jade Maidens who guard the Jade Emperor cultivated various wondrous practices during immeasurable kalpas in the past. They are not truly of female form; they are celestial immortals of ultimate perfection. Only in order to teach and liberate sentient beings in the dharma realm and lead them into the Dao do they manifest transformationally as Jade Maidens. Precisely because they are emanations of ultimate perfection and are fundamentally not female, their bodily forms, appearances, spiritual powers, and wisdom—their hidden and manifest transformations—are all extraordinary and equal to those of the Jade Emperor.

Ordinary people all have physical bodies, and the physical body is an illusory entity subject to birth and death. It cannot divide or transform, so it is difficult for it to be of one body with the Jade Emperor. As for demons and ghosts with transformation bodies, their bodies are merely false and contrived, and even less worth mentioning.

Among celestial beings of the higher realms, some transformation bodies can appear five li, several li, or one or two yojanas (an ancient Indian unit of length, about forty li), or hundreds of billions of zhang away. Some are in celestial palaces, some manifest in the true realm, and some descend into the human world. Once they manifest here, they cannot simultaneously manifest elsewhere. Some are limited by what they see and hear and cannot wondrously transform and save people; confined to one place and restricted to one time, they are not the supreme wondrous transformative dharma body.

The transformation bodies of the Jade Maidens, however, appear throughout all worlds. They gather and disperse at will, transcendent and peerless; in this they are the same as the Jade Emperor. All who have bodies have form and appearance, but forms may be unattractive, or beautiful yet unable to last; all differ from the Jade Emperor. The emanations of the Jade Maidens have wondrous, upright, extraordinary, and beautiful forms; they appear complete wherever they are and never change. In form and appearance, they are the same as the Jade Emperor.

Both celestial beings and demonic paths possess spiritual powers, but their transformations are limited and do not constitute the complete six supernatural powers (liu tong). The Jade Maidens’ spiritual transformations have no fixed limit and fully possess the six powers; in spiritual powers, they are the same as the Jade Emperor.

Divine beings all possess wisdom, but their wisdom is obstructed and not sufficiently clear. Sometimes they must rely on external objects in order to illuminate, and they cannot wondrously awaken to and accord with reality; therefore their wisdom differs from the Jade Emperor’s. The Jade Maidens’ wisdom illuminates everything without omission and penetrates without obstruction; in wisdom, they are the same as the Jade Emperor.

All who understand spiritual powers are skilled at hiding their bodies, but after hiding they still leave traces behind; therefore they differ from the Jade Emperor.

The radiance of the Jade Maidens (Yunü) shines everywhere without omission; they can comprehend things in advance and pass through without obstruction. This wisdom is equal to that of the Heavenly Emperor. Those who possess spiritual powers are good at hiding themselves, but even after hiding they still leave traces, and this is not equal to the Heavenly Emperor. When the Jade Maidens disperse, they return to the Great Void; not only can they place a mustard seed within Mount Sumeru—a Buddhist and Daoist metaphor for the spiritual power that encompasses the extremely great and the extremely small—but after concealing themselves they also leave no trace. This concealment is equal to that of the Heavenly Emperor. Where there is concealment, there is manifestation; if their manifestation is not one of great radiance, they are still not equal to the Heavenly Emperor. The Jade Maidens manifest within the Qingwei realm and appear in all realms; this manifestation is equal to that of the Heavenly Emperor. To possess spiritual powers and wisdom and to be able both to conceal and to manifest is to be capable of transformation. If transformation arises from deliberate contrivance, then it is not equal to the Heavenly Emperor. The transformations of the Jade Maidens are subtle and without intentional mind; their divine transformation is spontaneous and natural, and this transformation is equal to that of the Heavenly Emperor.

At this time, after Yeguang heard Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning) finish explaining the principle of the Jade Maidens’ manifestation and transformation, his mind suddenly opened, and he understood the underlying cause of the maidens’ wondrous transformation. He then bowed his head and paid respect, rejoicing and feeling fortunate, and remained silent without words, returning to his original place.

Commentary: The Yin-Yang in the human body are not two utterly separate things; they are one Qi divided into two. Yin can nurture Yang, and Yang can give rise to Yin; this is the root of the ten thousand things. In cultivating the Dao and becoming an immortal, the Six Ding Yin Spirits (Liuding yinshen, the yin spirits that assist cultivation) transform and manifest as Jade Maidens, and their wondrous mechanism is the same as the functions of the Primordial Spirit and the Mysterious Spirit. This transformation of Yin gentleness manifests efficacy and is not limited to the female body; it is simply the transformation that continues the Qian (yang) body and nurtures the sunlight Brahma Qi (fanqi), the pure Qi referred to in Daoism. The transformations of heavenly gods and perfected beings have no fixed pattern; in delivering living beings they each use appropriate means. To deliver people in a male body, they manifest a male form; to deliver people in a female body, they transform into a female body. As the kalpas are long and the worlds are manifold, those who attain deliverance in female form are immeasurable. Thus it can be seen that the Supreme Sage in Heaven manifests as the assembled Jade Maidens to deliver living beings; the concealed and manifest transformations of their bodily forms, spiritual powers, and wisdom are not something ordinary gods and humans can reach, and are equal to those of the Jade Emperor. Although Yeguang had already paid homage in the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities of Daoism, and had long heard the Dharma sound, he had only just entered the stream of sagehood; such great spiritual powers and the wondrous practice of ultimate truth were still beyond his knowing.

A Passage from the Scripture

It is said that since sages and ordinary people share the same inherent nature, their Dharma bodies—embodiments of the Dao (the Way)—are likewise identical. The sage harbors a compassionate heart for the universal salvation of sentient beings and emulates the cultivation of utmost truth and purity. The wondrous merits of the Jade Maidens and the Jade Emperor are in fact all present within our own bodies. Thus Yeguang (the listener in the scripture), upon hearing these principles, suddenly awakened in his heart and was filled with joy. Those who understand should carefully ponder this.

Volume Heading and Attribution

These lines are the book’s title and attribution: the Commentary on the Imperial Scripture, Volume Three, ends here; what follows is Volume Four. The annotator is Zhang Guoxiang, the fiftieth Celestial Master (Tianshi) of the hereditary Han line; the proofreader is Luo Hongxian, a Ming native of Jishui in Jiangxi; and the compiler is Zhou Xuanzhen, a native of Jinan in Shandong.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Divine Powers

This chapter opens with a grand celestial scene: the Lord of the High Void Pure Clarity Heaven (one of the supreme beings of the heavenly realm), leading the retinues of all the heavens, rides a phoenix carriage adorned with the Eight Scenes, holds aloft a jeweled canopy of nine-colored radiance, plays mysterious music, chants immeasurable scriptures of the Grotto-Heavens, scatters flowers of heavenly treasure, sprinkles the fragrance of celestial truth, and walks through the air until he arrives before the Venerable of the Dao. Empowered by the awe-inspiring spiritual power of the Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor, those precious flowers transform in midair into a single jeweled canopy that covers the heads of the great assembly, leaving no place in the four directions and eight quarters uncovered.

Chisongzi (Master Red Pine) said: When the Jade Maiden of Night Radiance (Yeguang Yunü) returned to her original place, the High Void Pure Brightness Heavenly Emperor (Gaoxu Qingming Tiandi)—the supreme deity dwelling in the Heaven of High Void and Pure Brightness—arrived together with all the kin and retinue of this heaven. Some hold that this was the lord of another heaven and his retinue, but this is incorrect.

When the Lord of Pure Brightness and his retinue arrived, each rode a resplendent phoenix chariot adorned with eight kinds of luminous scenes, and above their heads were precious canopies illuminated by nine-colored clouds of radiance. “Eight Spectacles” (Bajing) is written in different editions as “Eight Treasures’ Wondrous Spectacles,” “Eight Trigrams’ Divine Spectacles,” and “Eight-Colored Luminous Spectacles.” The general meaning is that the celestial chariots gather the spectacles of the eight directions and are fully endowed with the harmony of the eight seasonal nodes; hence they are called the “Eight Spectacles.”

The assembled deities played the wondrous music of the Taixuan Song (Song of the Great Mystery), chanted the precious chapters of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) of immeasurable merit, scattered wondrous celestial flowers everywhere, diffused the wondrous fragrance of celestial truth, came flying through the void, and reverently approached the ritual ground. Sustained by the awe-inspiring virtue and spiritual power of Yuanshi Tianzun (the Primordial Celestial Worthy) and the Jade Emperor, these precious flowers then transformed in empty space into a precious canopy that sheltered the entire ritual assembly, leaving no place uncovered.

Commentator’s note: When a cultivator worships the Supreme Lord, reveres the Primordial Sovereign, and silently recites the true scriptures, the divine radiance of pure emptiness manifests. Thereafter one enters the realm of mysterious wonder; secret wonders become manifest, jade flowers weave into a colored canopy that covers all wondrous manifestations. All this comes from the hidden guidance of the Void Sovereign and the compassionate reception and guidance of the yuanshen (original spirit, the person’s true spiritual essence). The High Void Pure Brightness Heavenly Lord then arrives at the ritual banquet, plays wondrous music, rides a spirit carriage, scatters celestial flowers, and by the power of Yuanshi and the Jade Emperor transforms them into a precious canopy that covers the assembly without omission. If those who aspire to cultivate the Dao carefully examine this scripture and comprehend it with their hearts, they will understand that the celestial scenes and transformations are all already present in the human body.

(“Spiritual Powers, Chapter Twenty-Six” is the title of the chapter to which this passage belongs.)

At this time, the Lord of the High Void and Pure Brightness (the deity who dwells in the highest void, in a place of purity and radiance), seeing such a rare sight, bowed his head to the ground and knelt for a long while, then reported to the Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor (the supreme deity): “I, your servant, was previously remiss and failed to arrive in time for this Dharma assembly. Today is auspicious, and it happens that the Dharma Bridge (the bridge in the ritual arena that connects the three realms and ferries beings across, figuratively the true Dharma) has opened; the hidden and manifest realms, sages and ordinary people alike, all universally receive the sacred grace. I pray that you emit great radiance and manifest this rare auspicious sign, illuminating the heavens above.”

The Four Brahma Heavens (the Brahma hosts among the heavens of the form and formless realms) and all the pure lands in the Six Heavens of Desire (the heavens of the desire realm), together with the various perfected ones and holy assemblies, saw this light and all gathered in succession. The light shone downward upon the Boundless World, making it one and the same realm as the Xuandu immortal paradise (a name for a Daoist immortal realm), and then drew near the Nine Heavens. Spiritual winds played music; the notes of gong and shang answered one another, and their clear sounds surged through the clouded heavens, all transforming into the scriptures and chapters of the Cavern Heavens (marvelous immortal texts of the grotto-heavens).

All sentient beings received the teaching of the Dao. In Fengdu (the underworld), the Iron Enclosure (the iron mountains encircling the world, here referring to the outer regions of hell), and the Nine Netherworlds (the deepest parts of hell) that resemble an endless dark night, all suffering beings, receiving the power of this light, were all able to be born in the various heavens and enjoy happiness.

The wondrous heavenly treasure flowers scattered today immediately formed precious canopies, covering the entire Dharma feast. All in the assembly received the awe-inspiring spiritual power of this light. We have accumulated good causes over a thousand kalpas and now encounter the convergence of the Qi-cycles of the Nine Heavens. The imperial Dao is vast, the true Dharma flourishes; today is greatly auspicious, and we are able to look up and behold this profound merit.

The Fire Emperor Zhenjun said: When the precious flowers formed a canopy and completely covered the great assembly, the Lord of the High Void and Pure Bright Heaven, seeing such a rare wonder, bowed his head and knelt for a long while, reporting to Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, one of the supreme deities of Daoism) and the Jade Emperor. He humbly called himself a lowly subordinate who had ordinarily been slack, and had therefore been late in attending the Dharma assembly. Today, on this auspicious and excellent day, it happened that the venerable sage’s compassionate-deliverance Dharma Bridge (faqiao) had descended.

The so-called “bridge” is originally something people build to cross water and spare themselves the hardship of wading. But bridges in the world must be made of wood and stone; the people they can ferry are limited, and they are easily damaged. Even the Yangtze, the great rivers, lakes, and seas cannot all be universally crossed by them. The power of the Supreme Sage’s scriptural Dharma, however, can deliver beings through vast calamities and extend throughout sand-worlds (countless worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges). It does not rely on human action and has no visible form or trace. Imperceptibly it transforms and secretly displays spiritual power, enabling people to walk out of the river of love (a metaphor for immersion in passion), escape the sea of desire (a metaphor for the abyss of craving), be spared the blood lake (a metaphor for places of suffering), and dissolve flood-like calamities; it is never destroyed. It is therefore called the “Dharma Bridge.” Whether on the dark paths of the underworld or in the manifest yang world, sages and ordinary foolish beings alike all receive the grace of the Supreme Sage.

The Jade Emperor released a great universally illuminating radiance and manifested a rare and wondrous sign. The light shone upward upon the heavens of all realms, including the Four Brahma Heavens, the Six Heavens of Desire, and all pure lands of bliss. When the immortals, Zhenren (Perfected Beings), gods, sages, and all the holy hosts saw this great radiance, they all gathered and came. Clouds and qi suddenly filled the void, and no one knew from where they came; because the holy assembly gathered swiftly like clouds, it is called “cloud gathering.” The light shone downward upon infinite and immeasurable worlds, all equal to the realm of Qingwei Heaven (one of the heavens inhabited by the Three Pure Ones, Sanqing, of Daoism) and Xuandu; near and far, deities were joined together, and it connected with the heavens above the Jiuchen (the ninefold heavenly palaces). Within the light, spiritual winds arose and played heavenly music, and notes and modes such as gong, diao, and shang harmonized with one another.

This passage of scripture first describes music, then merit and universal salvation, and finally turns to the principles of self-cultivation.

Although the five tones, such as Gong and Shang, are distinguished as clear or turbid and are further assigned to the Five Phases, they are originally a natural and wondrous principle, rarely matched in the world. The numinous wind bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor produces pitches that are naturally harmonious, far beyond the music of the mortal world. The Gong and Shang tones answer one another, stirring and clear, resounding above in the heavenly courts, and all transform into the Precious Chapters of the Three Caverns (the general designation of Daoist scriptures, divided into the Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen sections). All beings in the worlds below can gather into the Great Dao and receive its mysterious edification.

Fengdu Prison (the underworld prison in Daoist legend), the Iron Enclosing City (the iron wall encircling the world in Buddhist cosmology, here used broadly for the hells), and the Long Night and Nine Darknesses (the deepest nine layers of darkness in the underworld)—the suffering beings in these hells all rely on the great luminous power of the Jade Emperor (Yudi, the supreme deity of Daoism), and all can be reborn in the palaces of the various heavens and enjoy happiness.

The wondrous flowers of heavenly treasure that I scatter today swirl and form a canopy, covering the entire assembly of the Dharma; all rely on the great luminous, awe-inspiring, virtuous, and spiritual power of the Heavenly Worthy Jade Emperor. We, the Lord of Qingming and others, are able to encounter such a rare and wonderful assembly—this is not merely the good fortune of one lifetime, but truly the fruit of having cultivated many good causes throughout thousands and myriads of kalpas. Moreover, it coincides with the convergence of the auspicious fortunes of the Nine Heavens; the Supreme Dao of August Heaven is level and vast, and the Chongxuan (Double Mystery) orthodox Dharma (the profound and wondrous orthodox teaching of Daoism) flourishes in solemn splendor.

Another edition reads, “Yuanshi opens transformation and expounds the supreme Dharma,” which has a similar meaning; it may also be understood as a time when the orthodox Dharma flourished and no heterodox paths or outside ways existed.

Today is an auspicious and excellent time. The gods and humans of all realms and all living beings can all rely on the most mysterious transformative power. Another edition reads, “All wish to look up in hope to the mysterious merit and to humbly set forth the essentials of the Dao,” which also makes sense.

Commentator’s note: Although the human body is small, it encompasses heaven and earth; all things are complete within it, and all wonders are contained therein in undifferentiated fullness. The pure, empty spiritual Qi (vital energy) governs the six yang within the body (referring to the distribution and circulation of yang Qi in the human body, as discussed in Neidan [internal alchemy] cultivation), and within it there is also a high, empty, clear, and bright Heavenly Lord (the governing Shen [spirit] within the body). If the primordial spirit (yuanshen, the inner governing spirit) loses its rule, the mysterious mechanism of transformation cannot manifest, and a person will drown in the waves of affection and attachment, falling into the sea of suffering, where mighty billows and huge waves roll on without cease and there is no shore to rely on. How, then, can one avoid sinking and save those who are drowning in darkness? If even one person sinks therein, that person falls into ruin, misleading himself and others as well; this is hardly worth saying more about.

Those who remain stuck in the Small Vehicle (in Buddhism, the narrower path of practice), indulge in the waves of affection and attachment, and sink body and mind into the sea of suffering—how, facing flood-like giant waves rolling on without bound, can they avoid sinking and be saved? If but one person falls in, all sink together and drown one another, harming both themselves and others; this is hardly worth discussing at length.

Those who remain stuck in the Small Vehicle and are deluded by side doors and narrow bypaths are like puddles on the road without a source: they are bound to dry up and are not worth mentioning. Occasionally someone can dredge open the spiritual source and continue the pulse of the Dao, gradually drawing near to teaching and transformation. But if one hoards the enriching moisture and refuses to give it away, grace cannot descend—and this cannot count as true great accomplishment.

Thus some attain the fruit of the Four Brahma Heavens (the heavens of the Form Realm) and escape the desires of the Six Desire Heavens, yet fail to reach the immortal realms of the Nine Celestial Palaces (the highest palaces of heaven) and the Seven Treasures (the seven treasures possessed by immortal realms). Some enjoy blessings in the human world, while others become lords of hell or demon kings, or even fall into the Three Evil Paths and sink into the Nine Dark Underworld—truly pitiful in the extreme.

Therefore the wondrous teaching cannot be made manifest, the mysterious rhythm cannot be revealed, and the true scriptures lose their transmission. The jade flowers lose their luster because no good causes were planted and the true Dharma was not believed. In this way one cannot hear the great, broad, and level Dao, nor receive the shelter of mysterious merit and virtue.

If one can gather the mysterious spirit and stabilize the Heavenly Lord (the mind/spirit), causing the pure, empty, bright, and wondrous spiritual nature to emerge when the time ripens, then one can penetrate Caoxi (a metaphor for the realm of awakening), drain the West River dry (a metaphor for washing away karmic obstacles), merge into the Golden Liquid (the coagulation of the internal elixir), and ascend to the shore of liberation. The sea of suffering and the pit of karma are forever destroyed; one transcends the Six Desires, rises above the Four Brahma Heavens, universally unites with the ten thousand spirits, and light illumines the dark underworld.

The spiritual wind stirs true Qi; the wondrous rhythm reaches its utmost; the true scriptures silently circulate without cease; all things receive grace without lack. The siege of Fengdu (the capital of the underworld) is broken, the Nine Dark Hells radiate light, hells transform into heavens, and suffering beings too become a pure land. All the Yin-turbid Qi of the body turns into Yang-bright Qi, and the rosy radiance of the jade flowers shelters all that is mysterious. This is truly brought about by the spiritual power of Xuhuang (the Void Sovereign, i.e., the Jade Emperor, one of the highest deities of Daoism) and the power of the original spirit.

Were it not for long-term cultivation and accumulation, and for firm, unwavering faith in the true Dharma, how could one listen to the beautiful teachings of the august Dao and receive its mysterious merit and virtue?

Alas, this body is itself the abode of wondrous truth. Behold, the Queen of the Lord of Pure Clarity has personally come to the Dharma assembly, rejoicing to encounter the Dharma bridge (the path that guides sentient beings to liberation). Praising sacred transformation and proclaiming mysterious achievement, the principle that the Dao benefits heaven and earth and universally saves both the dark and bright realms is originally one and the same.

The Foundation of Cultivation: If, in cultivation, one has good karmic conditions, broadly practices the subtle Dharma, and does not rush to seek quick success, then the subtle original nature will naturally manifest—this is the secret to realizing sagehood and the true. Those who study the Dao should savor this carefully, and they will naturally gain insight.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Chapter on Divine Powers

At this time, it was precisely when all the sages in the Dharma assembly were admiring the Jade Emperor’s profound and wondrous merits and virtues.

“The High Void, Pure Brightness Heavenly Lord,” as explained earlier, refers to the Jade Emperor. Thereupon the assembly praised the Jade Emperor with a gatha (a verse hymn in Buddhist and Daoist scriptures), saying:

“Ancestor of the Golden Citadel and Mysterious Vault”: The Jade Emperor is the lord of Heaven and the teacher of all Buddhas. He dwells in the golden palace citadel and is the ancestral sovereign and honored elder of the Mysterious Capital (a Daoist paradise) and the vault of Heaven (the sky), and so he is called “Ancestor.” Another edition has “Lord” instead, which refers only to his status as Heavenly Emperor.

“Most High and Honored Jade Emperor”: As explained earlier.

“Wondrous Form Crowns All Heavens”: All gods and celestial beings possess beautiful appearances, but some are subject to decay and destruction; some have limited divine powers; each dwells in their own heaven; their powers of transformation are not fully complete in one another; and their countenances are not especially supreme. The Jade Emperor’s form is wondrous, immeasurable, and boundless, and his marvelous appearance stands alone at the head of all heavens.

“Compassionate Light Illumines the Three Realms”: The Jade Emperor’s great compassionate radiance shines completely through Heaven above, Earth below, and the human world, and so it is said to illumine universally the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—the threefold world as described in Daoism).

“True Sage, Teacher of the Wondrous Dao”: The Jade Emperor is the mysterious teacher of the True One, the supremely sagely, and the wondrous Great Dao. Another interpretation holds that the Jade Emperor’s virtue is true, sagely, and mysterious, and that he is the patriarch-teacher revered by the Daoist tradition.

“Teacher on Whom Heaven and Humanity Rely”: The Jade Emperor is the founding teacher of gods and humans, the sovereign of the myriad spirits, and a holy divinity of Heaven. The people of the world all venerate and rely on him, depending on his moral transformation, and so he is the teacher of Heaven and humanity.

“The Great Vehicle Bestows Dharma Words”: The Jade Emperor hands down words of instruction through the vast teaching (the Great Vehicle).

The Daoist teachings are divided into three vehicles: superior, middle, and inferior (the character cheng, “vehicle,” originally means carriage, a metaphor for the path that guides practitioners to liberation). In addition, there is a supreme vehicle that is not divided by grade or sequence, transcends the three grades of superior, middle, and inferior, and yet encompasses the entire content of all three. This is the Great Vehicle. The deities each expound the meaning of the teachings according to their own wisdom and understanding, but the true teaching of the Great Vehicle is rarely heard. The Jade Emperor hands down instructions, clarifying the teachings of the three vehicles and revealing the true purport. This purport runs through both higher and lower levels, covers all kinds of Dharma gates, and enables sentient beings to receive teaching and transcend the barriers of delusion. This is the meaning of the Dharma words of the Great Vehicle.

The True One Points Out the Lost Way

The True One refers to the pure, single, original truth of the Dao. The Jade Emperor points out the path through the profound principle of the true teaching, awakening cultivators who have lost their direction. This is “direct pointing and single transmission,” which prevents people from mistakenly entering heterodox minor methods, just as one directly points out a great road so that people will not take deviant paths.

Merit Is Like the Void

All things in the world come to an end; only the void endures through countless kalpas without changing. The Jade Emperor’s great merit and supreme virtue are immeasurable and boundless, like the void, and cannot be exhausted. The deities also possess merit, whether deep or shallow, great or small, and these can still be roughly compared; but the Jade Emperor’s merit is beyond comparison, and so it is said to be “like the void.”

Praise Is Inexhaustible

The Jade Emperor’s merit is like the void: praise cannot exhaust it, and even taking refuge cannot fully describe it. His abundant virtue cannot be named in words.

The Jade Emperor’s merit and virtue are vast as space. No praise can exhaust them, no act of taking refuge can repay them; words of commendation never reach their end, and his abundant virtue cannot be fully described in speech.

Huangshi Gong (the legendary Daoist recluse who, according to tradition, transmitted a military treatise to Zhang Liang) said: Although the Heavenly Lord of High Emptiness and Pure Brightness also came to this assembly where the teaching was being expounded and saw with his own eyes the Jade Emperor’s mysterious transformations and wondrous scenes, he was filled with unending admiration and therefore praised the Jade Emperor in an exquisite gatha.

In former times, Confucius’s disciples Zai Wo, Zigong, and You Ruo were skilled at praising Confucius, and their words of praise were sufficient to show that they understood the sage. Now the Lord of Pure Brightness praises the Jade Emperor’s merit and virtue as vast as space and his praise as inexhaustible; after this there can be no more earnest and complete praise, just as Zai Wo, Zigong, and You Ruo understood Confucius to such a degree. This gatha may be called words of true knowledge.

The commentator notes: The original spirit in the human body does not change even through vast kalpas; it is the true master of the four limbs and hundred bones and the root of all things. Its wonder surpasses the Six Yang (the Daoist notion of the flourishing of yang Qi); with compassion it protects and sustains the Three Primes (the Jing [essence], Qi [vital energy], and Shen [spirit] of the human body). It is one’s true teacher, and a person’s spirit and original Qi all depend on it. Its spiritual light shines through all, its resonance is unobstructed, and the sound of its teaching is supreme; it can directly break through deluded paths and point people toward the right way and wondrous efficacy. The reach of the Jade Emperor’s beneficent grace is as vast as space—how could praise ever exhaust it?

Yet if people cannot turn back their gaze and illuminate within, and understand this true teaching, they cannot realize the highest virtue inherent in themselves. If they do not know the Jade Emperor’s merit and virtue, how can they know the functions and benefits of the scriptures? No wonder people cannot secretly awaken to true reality. The Lord of Pure Brightness, admiring the Jade Emperor’s merit and virtue, praises them with a wondrous gatha; this is at once a response to Heaven’s goodness and a revelation teaching people to turn the light around and shine inward.

If one can accord with one’s original true nature, understand the power of the Dao (the Way), emulate the Dao of Heaven and be selfless, and share the same merit and virtue as the Jade Emperor, then naturally one will not be deluded by other divergent paths, nor lose the precious innate nature bestowed by Heaven; thus the realm of supreme sagehood may also be hoped for. Those with aspiration should encourage themselves.

(The above is Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Chapter on Divine Powers.)

He is the sovereign of the firmament, supreme amid the great cosmic kalpa. His seeing and knowing are profoundly wondrous, beyond all comparison; his essence is deeply still, pure and unstained, as if present yet absent, elusive and hard to grasp. He is the supreme sage and supreme spirit, possessed of great supernatural powers, with light stored within, a truly great being. He guides and teaches both heaven and the human world, and his teachings continue without end; with a mind of great compassion and great pity, he causes the light of the Dharma-wheel (a metaphor for the Dao-law turning ceaselessly and universally saving sentient beings) to spread and shine.

In order to save and transform all sentient beings, his title is the Jade Emperor (the supreme deity revered in Daoism, who commands all the gods of the heavenly realm); he is also called the True Elder of the Vault of Heaven. His perfect purity, wisdom, and eloquence have all reached the realm of the utmost Dao and supreme honor. Because he wishes to guide and save sentient beings, he emits this light.

At this time, the Lord of Heaven of the High Void and Pure Brightness (that is, the supreme deity mentioned above), having finished reciting the verse eulogy (rhymed praise verses in Daoist scriptures) in praise, sat silently and upright.

The Eastern Han Daoist Wei Boyang said: Praising the merits and virtues of the Lord of the High Void and Pure Brightness—that is, the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity of Daoism—cannot be exhausted even in ten lines of praise. This Jade Emperor is the solemn and august holy sovereign in the high and distant firmament, the Supreme Honored One amid vast kalpas. “Kalpa” refers to the great cycles of the cosmos; their number may be reckoned in hundreds of millions or trillions, and their vastness is beyond description, hence they are called “vast.” From ancient times the Jade Emperor has been the teacher of the myriads of heavens; the kalpas he has passed through are beyond count, vast and profound, difficult to fathom completely, and so he is called “the Honored One of Vast Kalpas.” His insight leaves nothing out; his spiritual powers are subtle and wondrous; his radiance is penetrating and unobstructed; the wisdom of great awakening reaches the mysterious and wondrous; there is none who can equal, compare with, or resemble him.

He is clear, empty, and bright, yet peaceful and tranquil; majestically unmoved and silently still; he does not divide into two and does not cease; his Dao (the Way) is supremely true. Without any defilement, without any degeneration, his De (Virtue/Power) is supremely pure. Dim and remote, he seems nonexistent, yet this is not true extinction; rather, it is empty nonbeing that is natural. Dim and remote, he seems existent, yet this is not clinging to being; rather, it is wondrous being without intentional mind. As if existent and as if nonexistent, remote and invisible, he is difficult to fathom or discuss.

Immortals, buddhas, and all deities revere the Jade Emperor; he is the highest among sages. Among the numinous powers of all spirits, none can compare with the Jade Emperor. He is the supreme mysterious spirit; the power of divine transformation is complete in the six supernormal powers and transcends all. His great spiritual power universally shines upon all; it illuminates forever, pure and luminous, never sinking away; the more it manifests, the more present it is; it is without birth or extinction and without darkness; it is the treasury of true light, containing infinite great radiance.

Among the supreme honored, none surpasses Dao. The Jade Emperor models himself on the Dao of spontaneity; his De is vast and difficult to measure, with no exhaustible limit. Truly, the Jade Emperor is a “great man”—one who, through the virtue of sages and worthies, perfects himself and his nature, rectifies himself and rectifies the myriad things; his De encompasses heaven and earth. As a great man, the Jade Emperor transforms and nurtures heaven and earth, gives birth to and nourishes the people and the myriad things; no beginning is seen, nor is there an end. He is the supreme honored among sages, the greatest among spirits; no virtue of a great man is more flourishing than this. He opens and reveals light, teaches and transforms humans and the heavens; thereby the teachings are accomplished and the great Dao is opened, without end. He shelters, nurtures, and cherishes all that exists; he has compassion for sentient beings; his grace and virtue are forever limitless. To believe in the Great Compassionate Honored One, the greatest among spirits—no virtue of a great man is more flourishing than this.

Summary of the Scripture’s Meaning

Illuminating the sentient beings of all heavens with radiance, the work of teaching and transformation is complete; the Great Dao (the Way) is thereby revealed, and its merit and virtue are inexhaustible. It loves all things universally, has compassion for sentient beings, and its grace and blessing are without limit. Taking great compassion and great pity as its foundation, it turns and illumines the radiant wheel of the Dharma (falun)—a metaphor for the teaching’s ceaseless operation and universal salvation of beings—so that sentient beings are neither obstructed nor obscured. (In one edition, the character “huan” is written as “zhuan.”) In order to teach, transform, and save sentient beings, this honored deity is therefore called the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang), one of the highest deities in Daoism, namely the Great Jade Emperor.

The great and venerable deity, the Elder of True Origin within the azure heaven, is marvelously perfect and unobstructed, truly pure and undefiled, possessed of great wisdom and great insight, with inexhaustible eloquence and inexhaustible activity. His ultimate Dao is beyond measure, and his supreme honor is incomparable. Now, in order to enlighten and deliver sentient beings, he emits the universally illuminating light of great compassion. At that time, after the Heavenly Lord of the High Void and Pure Brightness had finished this gatha of praise, he fell silent and sat down again.

Author’s Commentary

The author holds that the yuanshen (primordial spirit) in the human body is the Jade Emperor in heaven, also called “Yuanhuang” (Original Sovereign). The yuanshen has many other names as well, such as True Lord, Mysterious Ancestor, Ancestral Truth, Heavenly Lord, Nature Ancestor, Dharma-nature, Wondrous Luminous True Mind, True Nature, Mysterious Spirit, True Teacher, Mysterious Light, Dharma King, Buddha-nature, True Seed, and Elixir Origin. In Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, “Danyuan” refers to the fundamental yuanqi and spiritual nature inherent in the human body.

This True Lord within the body is uniquely numinous and wondrous; the light it contains is inexhaustible. It can open and transform Yin-Yang, set creation in motion, and its divine intelligence is unfathomably deep. It compassionately protects all wonders, circulates throughout and responds to all, is clear, penetrating, and unobstructed, supremely honored and noble, and the mechanism of its transformative nurturing never dries up. It silently blends Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), gestates the true spirit; therefore true light constantly appears, and its wondrous mechanism ceaselessly generates. If one can realize this principle, one will naturally give birth to the “shenying” (sacred embryo)—a Neidan term for the sacred fetus achieved through cultivation, symbolizing the rebirth of spiritual nature—and share merit and virtue with the Heavenly Emperor; one’s Dao-transformation will also be endless.

Only by “matching the gatha in which the Heavenly Lord of Pure Brightness praises the Emperor” can one count as truly knowing and genuinely awakened. Otherwise, there is no way to realize the realm of true wonder, and no way to understand the Emperor Lord’s transformative nurturing. If one merely recites the gatha, it is like dreaming; how then can one obtain the scripture’s merit and virtue or gain practical benefit? Alas, nature and the Dao are inexhaustible.

Summary of the preceding passage:

If one does not act in this way, one cannot perceive the subtle principle, nor understand the patterns by which the Great Dao transforms and nurtures the myriad things. If one merely recites the clear and bright gathas (pure, clear, and luminous verses of praise) as if in a dream, vague and indistinct, how can one attain the merit of scripture recitation and obtain real benefit? Alas! Human nature and the Great Dao (xingdao) are originally within oneself; the true and wondrous principle is inherently complete, and there is no need to seek it outside. Only one who can apprehend the subtle and luminous true mechanism (miaoming zhenji) may be counted as truly resonating and accordant with the beautiful radiance of the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dadi, a revered Daoist deity).

Title:

“The Chapter on Divine Powers” (Shentong Pin), Chapter 29, takes “shentong” as its title and is one chapter division of this scripture.

Later passage:

Thereupon, the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun) again admonished the four assemblies present (referring to male and female Daoist clergy and male and female lay believers in Daoism).