《高上玉皇本行集经》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was in the Jade Emperor’s palace of the Mysterious Garden of the Seven Treasures, at the Golden Towers of the Jade Capital in the Heaven of Pure Subtlety (Qingwei Tian, one of the higher celestial realms). He ascended the Throne of Radiance and expounded to countless beings the Lingbao teaching of pure true unity and the Dharma gate of non-duality. The Venerable Jade Emperor, together with the Perfected, the sages, the great saints who fly through the heavens, the divine kings of the Boundless, and the spirit lads and jade maidens—ninety million in all—observed the purificatory fast and kept to ritual propriety, standing in attendance beside him.

The Jade Emperor knew that the moment was about to arrive. Before the assembly began, he exercised the divine power of the six penetrations and sent forth a great radiance that shone throughout all the heavens and the boundless worlds, so that every realm was shaken. The worlds of the ten directions seemed transformed entirely into lapis lazuli and crystal, transparent to one another, with nothing to bar them.

Those who came from every quarter rode in five-colored jeweled carriages and green-jade palanquins, driving nine-colored dark dragons and holding aloft splendid feathered canopies. Qilin danced and phoenixes sang; the multitudes chanted; immortal consorts scattered flowers; golden lads raised clouds of incense; and, intoning the chapters of the Jing (scripture/classic) of the Dao (the Way), they came through the air to the assembly.

The golden immortals of the Brahma heavens, the bodhisattvas of the Great Vehicle, and the four assemblies and eight classes also received the light. Riding jade carriages of flying cloud, adorned with gold, blue-green, and nine-colored auroras, they gathered in the heavens of celebration. The sun, moon, and stars shed their brilliance, and fragrance drifted to every side. They circled before the sacred precinct. Heaven rained down wondrous flowers of every kind; the blossoms, massed like clouds, carpeted the ground before the assembly.

The radiance shone through all the heavens and also illumined the boundless worlds below, so that each displayed a scene like that of the Mysterious Capital. The human realm seemed drawn near to the Nine Heavens, joined to the celestial realms, close and without any gap.

In the worlds below, mountains and hills, slopes, ravines, and stream valleys all became as level as the palm of a hand. The four quarters of heaven and earth seemed close before the eyes, and the Three Realms (Sanjing, the levels of the heavens spoken of in Daoism) were no longer distant. Jeweled palaces and towers of heaven were scattered through the human world like stars; precious treasures stood in ranks, their light shining along the cloud-roads. Railings of the seven treasures marked out the paths. Jade trees and immortal flowers flourished and bore fruit like pearls and jade, while numinous mushrooms and immortal herbs covered the fields.

At this time, beings below could all see the heavens. The wondrous music of the celestial realms turned with the radiance and sounded of itself. Luan birds and phoenixes flew and cried in rhythm; dragons and qilin sported and danced at the edge of the sky. Precious flowers from all the heavens drifted down and covered the roads.

Mortals and sages alike were filled with astonishment at the sight. Even places of darkness were illuminated. Celestial beings and living beings rejoiced and celebrated, leaping with delight. All cultivators of the Dao in the mortal world were able to ascend in flight. Looking up, they saw lofty jeweled terraces; looking down, they saw purple clouds spreading everywhere.

The people of every world were nourished by the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao. White-haired elders with wrinkled faces were delivered and transformed; black-haired, rosy-cheeked youths and children alike had their appearances made wholly new, their skin bright and smooth. Afflictions were cleared away. Living beings everywhere attained liberation, peaceful and full of joy. The people of the world sang in praise and celebrated the peace of the realm.

At this moment a marvelous sound of wind spread far and wide. The vitality of all things brimmed full, and heaven and earth shook. Withered bones grew anew; sunken corpses and departed souls rose again and recovered their bodies. The underworld hells—Fengdu and the Iron Enclosure, the Long Night and the Ninefold Darkness, and the rest—thereupon collapsed, and the suffering souls in the hells were transformed and born into the various heavens. Beings in the three evil paths (hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) were at once freed from suffering. All who bore guilt, by the power of this light, were able to be reborn in the great celestial palaces of the ten directions.

At this time, the Jade Emperor (a supreme deity of Daoism) differentiated into many transformation bodies that reached throughout the great heavenly palaces of the ten directions, enabling the suffering souls of the dead in the hells to be reborn in the celestial realms and to escape the pain of the three evil paths (the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—the three realms of suffering). By the power of this radiance, all the beings undergoing punishment were able to be reborn in the great heavenly palaces of the ten directions.

Thereupon the Jade Emperor further caused the heavenly palaces of the ten directions spontaneously to manifest every kind of majestic scene: capitals built of white jade and palace gates fashioned of gold; within gardens adorned with the seven treasures, Halls of Radiance and Seats of Radiance; ceremonial insignia such as banners, standards, streamers, and canopies; and rare treasures and wondrous flowers spread in every place. The forms into which the Jade Emperor had differentiated came to all these places. In the Halls of Radiance of the White Jade Capital, the Golden Gate-towers, and the Mysterious Gardens of the Seven Treasures, he sat upright upon the Seat of Radiance and expounded, for the beings of the ten directions, the Dao (the Way) of pure liberation.

Beside the Jade Emperor in each of his transformation bodies stood in attendance countless great sages of celestial perfection, perfected ones of wondrous practice, and numinous consorts and jade maidens. The jade maidens were beautiful and dignified in appearance, wore the precious jewels of the heavens, and spoke in clear and pleasing voices; from their bodies there also issued a subtle fragrance of liberation. Rich and fragrant, this scent filled all the heavens, the lands of ultimate bliss, and every blessed place in the world. Beings of the six paths—heavenly beings, humans, demons, those in the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—had only to smell the fragrance to receive universal salvation.

After the beings of the heavens smelled the fragrance, the five declines and four marks (the signs of decay that appear when a celestial being’s blessed reward is about to be exhausted) were forever eliminated, and their heavenly blessings increased as well. After the kings, ministers, and common people of the human world smelled the fragrance, they were able to enjoy the happiness of long life in both the human world and the heavenly realms; even when the physical body perished, they could still attain liberation through shedding the shell in corpse-liberation (the Daoist method whereby the bodily form is left behind as a cast-off remnant while spirit-consciousness is transformed and released). After demonic beings smelled the fragrance, they could dwell peacefully in the celestial palaces and cease the suffering of strife and slaughter. After beings in the hells smelled the fragrance, they could leave the sufferings of hell and obtain the joy of the Pure Land; after hungry ghosts smelled the fragrance, they could be filled and no longer suffer the torment of hunger and thirst; and after animals smelled the fragrance, they could escape the sufferings of the animal path and obtain the joy of wisdom.

When the beings assembled there smell this fragrance, they become fully satisfied and no longer suffer hunger or thirst. All the various animals of the animal realm, if they have the karmic affinity to smell this fragrance, can likewise escape the sufferings of the animal realm and attain the joy of wisdom.

Those beings who, through sinful karma, had fallen into the heavenly realm, upon arriving at this sublime celestial palace and receiving the care of compassionate light, awaken to clear understanding, and each discerns the causes and conditions of sin and blessing. Together with their kin they perform celestial music and come before the Jade Emperor. Filled with sorrow, these beings say together: “Through a thousand kalpas and ten thousand kalpas past, we could not see the three lights of the sun, the moon, and the stars, and were long trapped in the darkness of the three evil paths—hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—enduring bitter torment. By the Jade Emperor’s gracious use of skillful means, sending forth light, taking pity on us, and rescuing us, we were able to be born together in heaven. Now our evil karma is entirely exhausted; we are no longer entangled or obstructed, and all of us may attain rebirth.” They look up and pay homage to the Jade Emperor, each coming to the ritual sanctuary. When they have finished speaking, these beings who were born in heaven through sinful karma bow their heads in reverence and withdraw to their original places.

The Jade Emperor utters a beautiful, resonant voice and proclaims to the holy assemblies of all the heavens in the ten directions: “Listen carefully. These sinners, from remote kalpas onward, allowed ignorance to obscure their mind and nature, committed the ten evil karmas, had their minds and Shen (spirit) defiled by the six sense-dusts—form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and mental objects—and were bound by the three karmas of body, speech, and intention. They indulged their thoughts at will and never awakened. Hidden offenses and outward faults of every kind accumulated day by day; they turned their backs on the Dao (the Way) and on truth, followed what is false and delusive, abandoned the right path, and with every arising thought and every movement of hand and foot continually bound new transgressions. Therefore, when their lives ended, they fell into the three paths—hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—and could not be liberated. Had they not encountered this ritual assembly today, how could they have left suffering and found release?”

At this moment, the emanations of the Jade Emperor (Yudi) throughout the various heavens displayed their spiritual powers. Without moving themselves, they received and guided the celestial beings into the assembly of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) at the Palace of Clear Subtlety (Qingwei Tiangong) in the Sacred Realm of Jade Clarity (Yuqing Shengjing). No one in the assembly perceived how they had arrived.

In the assembly, the Celestial Worthy and the multitude saw the emanations of the Jade Emperor from the ten directions arrive together before him. These emanations were like boundless bright mirrors, reflecting one another so that their images merged. The assembly then bowed and gazed upward. Among the holy host, the Jade Emperor’s emanations were the most exalted, causing everyone’s pure faith to grow, their resolve to seek the Dao (the Way) to become still firmer, their minds never to turn back, and a solid, unmoving conviction to arise. Those celestial beings who had only just attained birth in heaven suddenly beheld the Celestial Worthy and this sublime assembly: the sacred site was utterly pure, majestically adorned by the merit of Wuwei (non-action). They leapt with joy, paid homage together, and praised it as a sight they had never seen before.

At this moment, the emanations of the Jade Emperor from the ten directions merged once more into a single body, rose from the teaching seat, and knelt at length facing north. The Celestial Worthy said, “In a world of the past, there was once a country…”

At this moment, the Jade Emperors manifested throughout the ten directions merged once more into a single body. He rose from the dharma seat, turned to face north, and knelt in prolonged obeisance. The Celestial Worthy said:

“Long ago, there was a kingdom called the Kingdom of Radiant Solemnity and Wondrous Joy. Its king was named Pure Virtue, and its queen was named Precious Moonlight. The king had no heir. One day he thought: ‘I am now growing old, and I still have no crown prince. If I should die, to whom ought the kingdom and the ancestral temples be entrusted?’

At this thought, the king ordered the Daoist assembly to be summoned. Following the various Keyi (liturgies), they hung banners and canopies in the palace and arranged everything in pure and solemn order, setting out offerings in abundance. Day and night, at each of the six periods, they practiced the Way, performed rites, and chanted scriptures, praying in every direction to the perfected sages. Half a year passed in this way, and they never wavered from their original sincerity.

Then suddenly one night, Queen Precious Moonlight dreamed of the Most High Lord of the Dao—a revered deity of Daoism—together with a host of perfected beings. Their forms were as solemn and pure as gold and jade. They rode in a five-colored dragon chariot, with dazzling banners beside it and a canopy like bright dawn-clouds above. The Most High Lord of the Dao sat at ease in the dragon chariot, cradling an infant in his arms. From every pore of the infant’s body streamed countless millions of rays of light, illuminating the palace and casting colors like a hundred treasures. Ceremonial banners led the way as they came drifting down through the air.

The queen’s heart filled with joy. She received them with reverence and knelt in prolonged obeisance before the Lord of the Dao, saying: ‘The king now has no heir. I earnestly beg you to bestow this child upon us, that he may be sovereign of the realm. I humbly hope that, in your compassion and mercy, you will grant my request.’”

At this time, the Lord of the Dao (Daojun, “Lord of the Way”) answered the empress, saying, “I am willing to bestow it upon you as a special gift.” The empress bowed to the Lord of the Dao in thanks and accepted what had been granted. She then awoke from the dream and found that she was already pregnant. After carrying the child for a year, on the ninth day of the first lunar month of the bingwu year, at the wu hour (midday), she gave birth in the royal palace.

When the child was born, a precious light shone from his body and illuminated the whole kingdom. His features were dignified and beautiful, and no one who saw him ever tired of looking. In childhood he was intelligent; when he grew up he was benevolent and magnanimous. He brought out all the wealth in the state treasury to relieve living beings who were poor and suffering, who had lost a spouse or kin, who had no one to rely on, who were hungry or ill, and who were physically disabled. Humane, gentle, and modest, he governed in accordance with moral right, and his grace reached distant regions. People throughout the realm revered him and gave him their allegiance, so he was called the “Benevolent Crown Prince,” and his father the king was deeply gratified.

Later the king suddenly died, and the crown prince governed the state. Moved by compassion for the lives of the world, he admonished his ministers that, having inherited the throne, he must rule with humanity, gentleness, and modesty, carry out teaching in accord with moral right, and let his grace extend to every region. He then renounced the kingdom and went to Mount Puming Xiangyan to cultivate the Dao. When his meritorious work was complete, he delivered living beings.

Thereafter, through eight hundred kalpas, he again and again gave up his own kingdoms and, for the sake of living beings, severed the ties of affection in order to cultivate the Dao. Through another eight hundred kalpas he practiced medicine and treated illness, rescuing living beings and bringing them peace and happiness. Through yet another eight hundred kalpas he widely practiced skillful means for saving living beings, opened the Daoist Canon (Daozang), expounded the numinous chapters, propagated the teaching of the orthodox Dao and its marvelous merits, assisted the state and saved the people, and extended aid from the dark underworld to the human world. Through a further eight hundred kalpas, in order to cultivate forbearance, he gave up his own life together with his flesh and blood.

Only after cultivating in this way for three thousand two hundred kalpas did he realize the fruition of a Golden Immortal (Jinxian), and he was titled “Tathagata, Awakened King of Purity and Natural Spontaneity.” He taught the bodhisattvas to awaken at once to the orthodox lineage of the Great Vehicle, and then to enter by degrees the wondrous Dao of the void. After cultivating through yet another hundred million kalpas, he at last attained the station of the Jade Emperor.

When the Lord of the Dao had finished speaking, the pure assembly at the dharma gathering praised him with one voice, declaring that never before had such a thing been known.

At this moment, among the assembly there was a Jade Maiden named Yeguang. She rose, set her robes and cap in order, and with unhurried steps came before the Celestial Worthy, where she knelt in a long obeisance and said, “Your servant does not know what blessings were stored up in former lives, that I should have been able to attend at your side for so long and to make offerings to you in person, through a hundred million kalpas (an exceedingly long span of time). The realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing; the supreme heavens in which the honored deities of Daoism dwell) and the Golden Towers and Jade Capital (the palaces of the immortals) are pure, tranquil, and free of attachment, a place of carefree ease. I have roamed those holy realms and heard the sound of the teaching, yet never have I seen a sight so rare as this.

“Just now, within the radiance, the heavens of the ten directions and all manner of holy realms appeared, and in each there was the response-transformation body of the Jade Emperor (the transformation body he manifests in order to teach and transform living beings), escorted and guarded by Great Sages of Celestial Perfection, Perfected Persons of Wondrous Practice, Numinous Consorts, Jade Maidens, and other attendants. These Jade Maidens were dignified in countenance and graceful in form, and they gave forth a fragrance of incomparable excellence; none could compare with them. By the divine powers exercised by the Jade Emperor they were received and transferred, and now they have all gathered in the Heaven of Clear Subtlety (Qingwei Tian; one of the Three Pure Heavens of Daoism). Your servant does not understand by what causes and conditions these Jade Maidens have realized so supreme a form-body (a body of surpassing excellence). I earnestly beg the Holy Worthy, in compassion, to instruct me, that my doubts may be resolved.”

At this moment the Celestial Worthy said to the Jade Maiden of Night Radiance (the name of a female transcendent): “You have only just entered the ranks of the sages. Although you possess wisdom, you have not yet fully understood the principles involved. Through innumerable kalpas in the past, these jade maidens cultivated every kind of wondrous practice and fully attained the methods of liberation. They alike held purity of faith, insight, thought, conduct, body, mind, intention, karmic fruit, and blessed reward, and they all bore a vast heart of kindness and compassion, sheltering living beings as a mother cherishes her child. With single-minded devotion they observed the precepts, quieted the mind to embody the Dao (the Way), kept the pure fast, and made vast vows, revering the Jade Emperor across tens of millions of kalpas.

These jade maidens are not truly women of the mortal world. They are all supreme perfected deities of the heavens who, in order to save and deliver living beings, manifest in the form of jade maidens. For this reason their appearance, spiritual powers, and wisdom can all conceal and reveal themselves and undergo transformation, just as with the Jade Emperor.”

After hearing these words, Yeguang was suddenly awakened in his heart. He bowed his head in joy, then quietly withdrew to his original place.

At that moment, Gaoxu Qingming Tianzhu (the Heavenly Lord of High Void and Pure Brightness), leading the retinues of all the heavens, rode in luan chariots adorned with eight kinds of auspicious radiance and covered by nine-colored jeweled canopies. They played mysterious songs and music, chanted the boundless Dongzhang (cavern chapters of the Daoist scriptures), scattered precious flowers from heaven, and sprinkled the true incense of the celestial realm. Passing through the void, they came before the Jade Emperor.

By the awesome divine power of the Tianzun (Celestial Worthy), the Jade Emperor, these precious flowers transformed in midair into a jeweled canopy that covered everyone beneath it, leaving no place uncovered.

Seeing this rare sight, Gaoxu Qingming Tianzhu bowed his head and knelt long, and said to the Jade Emperor: “Your servant has been remiss and failed to join the ritual assembly sooner. Today is auspicious and joyous; the Dharma Bridge has arisen, and the netherworld and the manifest world, sages and ordinary people, all universally receive grace. Great light is poured forth, revealing rare auspicious signs. Its radiance shines upward upon all the heavens—the Four Brahma Heavens, the Six Desire Heavens, and every land of peace and joy. The hosts of Zhenren (Perfected) and holy beings, seeing the light, all come and gather. The radiance shines downward upon the limitless worlds, opening them to the realm of Xuandu (the Mysterious Capital) and bringing them near the Nine Heavens. A numinous wind strikes up music; the tones of gong, shang, and the rest answer one another, resounding through the cloud courts, and all turn into Dongzhang. Every living being receives the teaching of the Dao (the Way). Those of Fengdu and the Iron Enclosure, of the long night of the Ninefold Darkness, and all beings suffering in the hells likewise receive the power of this light, ascend to be born among the heavens, and enjoy happiness. The rare flowers of heavenly treasure scattered today at once form a jeweled canopy covering the whole assembly, and all receive this light and awesome divine power. Through a thousand kalpas we have accumulated good causes, and now we meet the destined turning of the Nine Heavens. The sovereign Dao is vast without bound, and the orthodox teaching flourishes in full prosperity. Today is a day of great good fortune, and we all revere this mysterious merit.”

Thereupon Gaoxu Qingming Tianzhu praised the Jade Emperor in verse:

“You are the sovereign of the Golden Portal of the Mysterious Empyrean, the supreme and unsurpassed Jade August honored divinity. Your wondrous form stands unrivaled throughout the heavens; the radiance of your compassion illumines the Three Realms. You are the teacher of the true, holy, and wondrous Dao, the support of celestial beings and all living creatures. Through the Dharma gate of the Great Vehicle you bestow words of teaching; by the Dao of Zhenyi (True Unity) you guide those who have lost the way. Your merit is as though…”

The Jade Emperor is the supreme sovereign who dwells in the Golden Palaces of the Mysterious Firmament (the celestial palaces and the vault of heaven), exalted beyond all comparison. His wondrous form surpasses every heaven, and the light of his compassion illumines the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm). He is the teacher of true sages and of the wondrous Dao (the Way), and the master upon whom both heaven and humanity rely. He imparts instruction through the teaching of the Great Vehicle, and by the Dao of True Unity he guides beings who have lost their way. His merit is as vast as empty space, and praise of him never comes to an end.

He is the lord of the firmament, a venerable deity who has endured through the kalpas, able with subtle insight to discern all things, and none can compare with him. Pure, still, and profoundly silent, he seems at once to exist and not to exist; he is both the highest sage and the most numinous deity, possessed of vast spiritual powers, a treasury of light, and a great man. He teaches and transforms the heavenly realm and the human world, transmitting the Dao without end; with a heart of great mercy and great compassion, he turns the Wheel of the Dharma (propagating the teaching) in order to save all beings, and is therefore called the Jade Emperor. He is the True Elder of the firmament (the supremely true and venerable deity), perfectly complete and pure, fully endowed with wisdom and eloquence, his station that of the ultimate Dao and supreme honor; and in order to guide and deliver beings, he therefore sends forth this light.

At this time, after the Heavenly Lord of Lofty Void and Clear Brightness had finished his verses of praise, the Celestial Worthy announced to the four assemblies present: “The body of the Jade Emperor is the body of the Dao (the Way), not the tangible form of which ordinary people speak. It is a body fully endowed with immeasurable merit, pure and natural—a Dharma-body whose divine spirit is firm and imperishable, of supreme true emptiness.

“The Jade Emperor’s numinous majesty is vast, and his renown reaches every place; there is no dark or hidden corner in which he fails to appear. His wondrous dignity defies full description. He did not attain this by accumulating merit through postnatal cultivation. Although he once descended to be born in the human world, passed through many kalpas teaching living beings, and displayed great spiritual powers, he himself remained ever pure and never left the Golden Portal (the abode of the Jade Emperor). He can divide and transform his body, manifesting according to the conditions of each place, to rescue living beings, lead them beyond the dusty world, and set them on the path of realizing the Dao. He also transmits the teaching universally, inspiring later generations to practice in accordance with it, until at last they ascend to the true and attain the Dao.

“These merits adorn the body of the Jade Emperor, so that his radiance ever illumines all the heavens, and his divine wisdom is mysteriously penetrating beyond all measure. Each light upon his body bears a wondrous name: the Light of Great Spiritual Power, the Light of Great Compassion, the Light of Great Joyful Relinquishment, the Light of Great Forbearance, the Light of Great Equality, the Light of Great Gentleness, the Light of Great Sovereign Freedom, the Light of Great Benefit, the Light of Great Wish-Fulfillment, the Light of Great Wisdom, the Light of Great Auspiciousness, the Light of Great Liberation, the Light of Great Refuge, the Light of Great Merit, the Light of Great Perfection, the Light of Great Non-Obstruction, and the Invincible Light.

“You wish to see the Jade Emperor, yet you can never have your wish, because in body and speech you have still not cast off your old habits of attachment, and remain entangled by afflictions and karmic deeds. Thus you are obstructed and cannot behold his kindly countenance. I will now proclaim to all assembled here the method of cutting off these obstructions, and you should all follow it.”

The assembly was filled with joy. Each one bowed in homage before the seat of the Celestial Worthy, and together they declared their willingness to hear the teaching.

The Celestial Worthy said: The method for cutting off every kind of obstacle is first to give rise to a mind of great compassion, and not to give rise to doubt, greed, anger, lust, jealousy, or thoughts of harming others. Do not indulge in worldly emotions and distracting thoughts, and do not allow dullness and turbidity, the temptations of sound and form, disputes over right and wrong, aversion and liking, a discriminating mind, arrogance, and attachment to arise.

Concentrate the spirit, clarify your reflections, and settle the various Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) within body and mind. The mind should be as vast and clear as the Great Void, pure and clean within and without, able to contain all things. Do not let external deviant thoughts disturb the Supreme Dao (the Way)—the highest Dao—causing you to stray from the True Teaching (the authentic methods of the Dao), damage the spiritual root (the foundation of cultivation), and lose the supreme treasure (the precious state attained through cultivation). Otherwise, through long kalpas you will forever sink into the mundane, fall into the nets of the world, and suffer harassment by hosts of demons; through countless kalpas you will still not hear the wondrous teaching, and you will be seized and punished by ghosts and spirits, revolving without cease between birth and death.

Therefore you should single-mindedly protect and uphold the True Teaching, and not allow it to be lost. The obstacles spoken of above should all be removed one by one. Only then can body and mind become pure, and one transcend every kind of suffering. This is the Treasure of the Dao, and it is also the essential foundation for upholding the methods of the Dao.

You should also cultivate and practice this scripture (Jing), as if drawing near to the Jade Emperor, giving rise to a heart of reverence, concentrating in visualization upon his august countenance, and praising his sacred title. In this way you will be able to behold the compassionate holy face, receive protection and salvation, hear the wondrous teaching far and wide, personally serve and make offerings, and from then on no longer revolve in birth and death.

At that time the four assemblies present, having heard this, rejoiced and offered praise, regarding it as a teaching never heard before.

The Scripture of the Exalted Jade Emperor’s Original Practices, Upper Scroll

The Scripture of the Exalted Jade Emperor’s Original Practices, Middle Scroll

Chapter Two: The Great Divine Spell of the Most High, of Great Light and Perfect Fulfillment

At this time the Five Elder Gods, progenitors of Heaven and Earth (the Celestial Emperors of the Five Directions), respectfully bowed their heads and knelt for a long while, saying to the Heavenly Worthy: “We have heard that the Most High Jade Emperor, in compassion and concern for all living beings, universally sends forth divine light, illuminating the Dharma Realm (the worlds inhabited by the various heavens and by living beings), so that the Six Ordinary and the Four Holy (ordinary beings of the six paths and the four classes of sages) all come under the shelter of the Great Dao (the Way).

“The lives of ordinary people are brief, and the kalpic cycle is also drawing toward its end. Now the correct Dao ought to be widely practiced, so as to save all beings, giving those who cultivate the True hope of transcendence and ascent, and enabling the people of this latter age to enjoy long life. From of old, the True Writ of the Red Script and Jade Chapters of the Primordial Beginning, Dongxuan, and Lingbao was born before the Primordial Beginning, within the Hollow Void. At that time Heaven and Earth had not yet formed their foundations, the sun and moon had no light, and the world lay dark and chaotic, without ancestors or ancestral source, without breath, form, color, name, trace, or sound. The numinous scripture glimmered within the chaos, now present and now gone. The Yin-Yang of Heaven and Earth awaited it and only then divided; the sun awaited it and only then gave light. As the Dao of Heaven revolved and the mysterious signs shifted, it appeared in accord with the proper moment.

“The Jade Emperor once bestowed upon us the secret seal-script of Lingbao (the esoterically transmitted characters of the Lingbao scriptures) and inconceivable divine spells. Thus Heaven and Earth were separated by means of it, and the sun, moon, and stars give forth their light by means of it. The numinous writ is lush and beautiful, shining upon the heaven of Shangqing (Highest Clarity); it emerged from the Heaven of Primal Azure, its colors shifting without fixed hue, its strokes winding and hard to make out. The Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning refined it in the Lodge of Cavern Yang and smelted it again in the Court of Flowing Fire, so that the scripture displayed a clear and proper text, bright and radiant. Because the Qi (vital energy) of Cavern Yang is red, it is called the ‘Red Script.’

“After the numinous charts appeared, the myriad emperors came to pay homage to the true Dao, flying through the air and treading the void, circling the Upper Palace, burning incense and scattering flowers, and chanting the numinous chapters. At that time Heaven sent down twelve kinds of mysterious auspicious signs, and the earth displayed twenty-four corresponding responses, thereby celebrating the numinous profundity of the Nine Heavens and praising the precious brilliance of the Three Heavens. The divine wind surged, and the imperial Dao then flowed freely.

“The Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning gave the command: the Great Perfected took up the brush, the Jade Consort brushed the mat clean, tablets were cast in gold, and the scripture was engraved upon the jade chapters. The Five Elders were charged with recording and keeping it, and it was secretly stored in the Lodge of the Numinous Capital of the Nine Heavens. Jade Maidens attended to the incense, Taihua held the cloth, Jade Lads stood guard, and the host of immortals paid court before the jade steps. The superior documents of the Nine Heavens are not such as ghosts and spirits can hear.

“Heaven treasures this scripture and is thus able to float on high; Earth keeps it secret and is thus able to remain stable. When the Five Emperors hold it, they can guard Heaven and Earth; when the sun, moon, and stars follow it, they can hang high and shine. When the superior sages practice it, they can accomplish what is divine and wondrous; when the honored spirits cherish it, they can realize the true Dao; when the Five Marchmounts accord with it, they can manifest spiritual efficacy; when the Son of Heaven obtains it, he can govern the world, and the realm can long enjoy great peace. This is precisely the wondrous merit of the numinous writ, and also the mysterious root of Heaven and Earth. Its awesome numinous power is vast and boundless, universally bestowed upon the myriad things; it sets the great transformations in motion and is the root of all the gods and spirits. Its realm cannot be measured; it is as lofty as the Great Void. Now the true Dao is manifest, and corresponding rules already exist; it is precisely the time to put them into practice.

“At this moment the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning transforms the kalpic destiny: the mysterious signs open, the numinous writ appears, and wondrous images are distributed through the five directions. Heaven and Earth are thereby divided, and the myriad spirits are thereby brought into being. This is the achievement of the sage rulers of high antiquity. Might we for a time be permitted to open the numinous storehouse and behold the numinous writ within?

“Now the imperial Dao is widely spread and freely flowing, and its grace reaches the ten directions. Looking up at the kalpic cycle, it is precisely the time when the true wind ought to be widely practiced. In our hearts we truly hope that grace, like the shade of clouds, will cover the eight directions, and that a pure breeze will sweep through the orchid groves; we wish that cold branches not yet in flower may look forward to the flourishing of splendid yang, and that withered bodies may receive the moistening of numinous sweet dew. We look up to the compassionate heart of the Primordial Beginning and earnestly set forth our wish, seeking only that you take pity on all beings: might the True Writ of the Lingbao Jade Chapters be bestowed upon us, and transmitted to those who have never heard of it?”

Thereupon, those of humble station gazed up toward Huayang (the immortal realm), hoping that it would flourish and prosper; even bodies sunk in decay received the gift of grace and were able to bathe in wondrous spiritual fluid. I raised my face before the supreme and most compassionate venerable deity and earnestly declared my wish, asking only that you pity all living beings and hold the multitudes in your care. Might the Lingbao Yupian Zhenwen (a kind of Lingbao scripture) be granted to us, so that we may transmit it to those who have not yet heard it?

At this moment, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a Daoist deity) lightly stroked the armrest, his manner grave, his spirit absorbed in distant thought. He observed the signs of the time and judged that the moment had come, then addressed the perfected sages present: one should determine Yin-Yang, calculate the kalpa cycles and the conjunctions of the ages, examine the revolutions of Heaven and Earth and the changes of the river sources, verify the degrees of the celestial realm, select those who have a destined affinity, indicate the Great Non-Being (Taiwu, the realm of primordial emptiness), and proclaim the Nine Mysteries (Jiuxuan, realms of profound and far-reaching subtlety). If one simply remains silent and refuses to hear what is set forth, it is as if one blocks the path of those who seek the true Dao (the Way).

At that time, the Five Elder Thearchs (Wulao Shangdi, the Celestial Emperors of the Five Directions) continued to put their questions. Only after a long while did the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning lower his eyes toward them and sigh with feeling: “Subtle and profound indeed is the matter you ask! Is not what is now being inquired into of the greatest consequence? This is the mysterious root of Primordial Lingbao, the true writ of the empty void and of spontaneity. It can generate Heaven and Earth, open and transform the bright spirits, guard the Five Sacred Peaks, bring peace to the state, and give health and ease to the people. The mystery of Lingbao is honored above all else; Heaven manifests mysterious auspicious signs, and its numinous responses appear of themselves.

“At present the destined cycles of the Three Heavens are in decline, while the Dao of the Six Heavens flourishes. Mixed methods of every kind have appeared in profusion to teach and transform the world, forming thirty-six thousand kinds of methods of the Dao, used to select the resolve of those who come afterward. When this cycle of the teaching comes to an end, after the Three Dragons have passed, in the gengzi year the turbid and mixed Qi (vital energy) will everywhere disperse, the various heavens will assemble in joyful celebration, and only then will the true Dao that I transmit go forth and prevail.

“For now this Jing (scripture/classic) may first be transmitted to you and registered for keeping in the Upper Halls (the pavilions of the celestial realm), but it cannot yet circulate in the lower world. The regulations and precepts of Heaven place a prohibition on this; it must not be transmitted at random. You may proceed to the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Numinous Capital (a palace of the celestial realm), listen to the sounds of Heaven within the Golden Registers (the documents of celestial law), and act according to the directions of the Spirit Kings. Only then may the celestial writs be made complete, so as to preside over the Heaven of Primordial Beginning.”

Thereupon the Five Elder Thearchs, together with the various perfected beings and the holy assembly, holding pure incense and abiding by the precepts, walked back and forth along the cloud roads. They summoned the celestial realms of the ten directions and proceeded to the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Cold-Numen Elixir Hall of the Jade Capital of Grand Mystery in Highest Clarity, there to receive the ritual models of bowing, rising, and response. Only then did they come to know that the true methods of the celestial realms are exceedingly precious and cannot be heard with ease.

They returned and then went before the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning to inquire about the rites of prohibitions and precepts, humbly stating that they had not yet mastered them. At this the Celestial Worthy compassionately instructed them and opened the portals of numinous wonder. He ordered the Five Elder Thearchs to open the Lodge of Cavernous Yang, to uncover the treasure hoard of nine radiances and eight colors together with the cloud-brocade pouches, and to take out the True Writ of the Jade Chapters of the Primordial Beginning’s Numinous Treasure in Red Script—the Numinous Treasure true writ written in golden characters and jade seal script. This scripture is subtle and hidden, and it contains the vast spiritual power that turns heaven and earth. The Celestial Worthy also brought out the Jade Stanzas of the Great Divine Spell of Great Radiance and Perfect Completion and gave them to the Five Elder Thearchs and to the various perfected beings and the holy assembly, so that they might transmit them in accordance with the mysterious Keyi (liturgy) and ritual procedures.

At that time, the divine-spell proclamation received by the Azure Thearch, First Elder of the Azure Numen of the Peaceful Treasure Flower Forest of the East, was this:

The East gathers nine kinds of primordial Qi (vital energy) and becomes the azure celestial domain. Jade-green clouds and auroras hang dense, and in the center is an elder who oversees and verifies the charts, registers, and rolls of names of the gods and immortals, commands the primordial Qi, and recommends the immortal perfected.

These twenty-four characters of the Azure Thearch’s secret writ are written on the Primordial Terrace of the Nine Heavens. They are in charge of summoning the Thearchs of the Nine Heavens and of verifying the charts and registers of the gods and immortals.

The Year Star assists the liver, and the Horn and Neck lodges guard the orthodox way. The four lodges Root, Chamber, Heart, and Tail revolve in their courses with the four seasons; the Winnowing Basket lodge governs the seven chronograms, so that the movement of the Northern Dipper is bright, correct, and clear. They take up the primordial Qi, seize and eliminate what is deviant and wrong, and sweep away calamities of every kind.

These thirty-two characters of secret writ are written in the Eastern Floriate Hall of the Purple Tenuity Palace. They are in charge of summoning the stellar officials and of correcting the field allocations and degree measures of the celestial realms.

The divine spell of the divine mountains of the East can summon and bring the Nine Heavens under command. The talismanic mandate written in red script holds authority over Mount Feng—the mountain bureau that governs the ghosts and spirits of the underworld. It binds the demon hosts and dispatches the souls of the dead; whoever ought to be slain is granted no pardon. All must go to the Palace of Wood—who would dare to delay and not obey?

These thirty-two characters of secret writ are written at the degree divisions of Eastern Florescence.

The divine spell of the divine mountains of the East can summon and bring the Nine Heavens under command. The talismanic mandate written in red script holds authority over Mount Feng. It binds the demon hosts and dispatches the souls of the dead; whoever ought to be slain is granted no pardon. All must go to the Palace of Wood—who would dare to delay and not obey?

Downward, it holds command over the Eastern River and the Dark Sea (the waters) and administers the water deities. When a great kalpa brings a catastrophic flood, it orders the jiaolong (flood dragons) to bear the body upon them and advance; the Water Bureau (the divine office that governs the waters) opens the way for it, with passages crisscrossing by the hundreds and thousands. The red divine script of the Supreme Thearch (Shangdi) can join wind and fire so that nothing stands between them.

These thirty-two characters of secret text are written on the Jade Gate-tower Cinnabar Terrace in the northeast of the Nine Heavens. They preside over and hold unified command of the Water Emperor of the Eastern Sea; when a great kalpa brings a catastrophic flood, they can summon the jiaolong and the water deities. This True Script of the Jade Chapters of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao) of the Nine Qi (vital energy) of the East comprises one hundred and twenty characters in all. It is the spontaneous divine script of the Great Divine Incantation of the Unsurpassed Great Radiance and Perfect Fullness of the Most High, and it is also known as the Dongxuan (Cavern Mystery) Chapter on Generating Spirits and Preserving the True, the Divine Incantation of the Eastern Mountain, and the Register Text of the Eight Majesties of the Green Emperor.

The foregoing is the mandate issued by the Jade Emperor and bestowed upon the First Elder of Azure Numinosity of the Peaceful Treasure Flower Forest, the Azure Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Nine Qi of the East (the honorific title of the Green Emperor of the East). He is commanded to govern, throughout the East, all the heavens and all the lands, the sun, moon, and stellar lodges, the famous mountains and numinous caverns, and—within the water bureaus and spring palaces—the supreme sages and exalted worthies, the perfected immortals and holy hosts, and every divine spirit. Wherever the mandate arrives, it is to be carried out in accordance with the edict.

The divine-incantation mandate received by the Perfected Elder of Cinnabar Numinosity of Brahma Treasure and Flourishing Yang, the Red Emperor of the South (the honorific title of the Red Emperor of the South):

The South is the Cinnabar Heaven, and the Red Emperor dwells in the Jade Hall. There a great deity resides, named the Red Sovereign. Above, blazing light rises and smoky vapors drift; the Three Qi (the primordial vital energy of heaven and earth) gather and shine. Divine immortals proceed under command, in resonance with the qi of the Great Yang.

These thirty-two characters of the Red Emperor’s secret text are written in the Cavern-Yang Lodge of the Nine Heavens. They preside over summoning the divine immortals of the Nine Heavens and over registering and manifesting their divine names and talismanic charts.

The planet Mars (Yinghuo) assists the Heart lodge; the Well and Ghost lodges guard the Room lodge. The Willow, Star, Extended Net, and Wings lodges hold the four quarters, while the Chariot lodge commands the seven lodges, so that the celestial bodies move in their courses and the Way of Heaven (Dao) keeps its constant order. It can assemble the circulating qi, hasten their convergence, and cause the orthodox Way to pass as swiftly as a courier relay.

These thirty-two characters of secret text are written on the Cinnabar Terrace of the Three Qi and inscribed at the station of Orthodox Yang in the southwest. They preside over summoning the stellar officials, making manifest the degrees of the celestial bodies’ motion, and setting right the order of the heavenly realm.

The red script, divine writing in red, is commanded to dispatch spirits and deities and to extend its authority northward over Mount Feng, the legendary gathering place of ghosts and spirits. It binds demonic beings and escorts them away under guard, cutting off the roots of evil. Every offense that the talismanic mandate is charged to punish must be set forth clearly and plainly. By its awe-inspiring power, the divine incantation of the Southern Mountains subdues the eight directions, so that demons and deviant forces of every kind perish and lose their efficacy, and all trials and incursions are destroyed.

(This secret text of forty characters is inscribed on the Yangzheng Jade Portal in the southwest. It governs the subduing of Northern Feng and the ordering of ghostly Qi (vital energy).)

The Water Emperor of the Southern River and the Dragon King Taibo spread the divine incantation abroad, sweeping away inauspicious influences on every side. Floods and hosts of demons alike perish and lose their efficacy, and all trials and incursions are destroyed.

(This secret text of forty characters is inscribed on the Yangzheng Jade Portal in the southwest. It governs the subduing of Northern Feng and the ordering of ghostly Qi.)

The Water Emperor of the Southern River and the Dragon King Taibo spread the divine incantation abroad, sweeping away inauspicious influences on every side. When flood disasters arise, they summon the flood-dragons from above, clear the waterways, and open thousands upon thousands of channels. Should any power dare to obstruct them, it is seized and delivered to the Fire Palace. None dares disobey the command conveyed by the red script, the divine writing inscribed in red.

(This secret text of forty-eight characters is inscribed on the Yangzheng Western Portal in the southwest. It governs the seizure of the Water Emperor of the Southern Sea. When the great cycles of destiny succeed one another and floods rise on every side, it summons flood-dragons and water deities to carry out their tasks. This True Writ of the Jade Chapters of the Numinous Treasure of the Three Qi of the South comprises one hundred fifty-two characters in all. Every one of them belongs to the cavern-void, spontaneously arising book of the Unsurpassed Great Divine Incantation of Supreme Great Radiance and Perfect Fullness of the Most High. It is also known as the Jing (scripture/classic) of the Precious Numen of the Southern Clouds That Reaches Heaven, the Unsurpassed Supreme Incantation of the Nine Heavens, and the Strategic Writ of the Eight Majesties of the Red Emperor.)

The foregoing is the edict issued by the Jade Emperor and bestowed upon the True Elder Red Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi, the Cinnabar Numen of Prosperous Yang of the Brahma Treasure of the South. He is commanded to preside over the supreme sages and exalted worthies, the hosts of perfected immortals and holy beings, and every deity endowed with awesome numinous power, throughout the heavens and lands of the south, among the sun, moon, and stars, in the famous mountains and numinous caverns, and in the water bureaus and spring palaces. Wherever the talismanic mandate arrives, it is to be obeyed just as an imperial edict is carried out.

The True Elder Red Emperor, Heavenly Lord of the Three Qi, the Cinnabar Numen of Prosperous Yang of the Brahma Treasure of the South, is commanded to preside over the supreme sages and exalted worthies, the hosts of perfected immortals and holy beings, and every deity endowed with awesome numinous power, throughout the heavens and lands of the south, among the sun, moon, and stars, in the famous mountains and numinous caverns, and in the water bureaus and spring palaces. Wherever the talismanic mandate arrives, it is to be obeyed just as an imperial edict is carried out.

The divine-incantation edict received by the Yellow Emperor, Primordial Elder of the Original Numen of the Jade Treasure of Cavern Clarity in the Precious Kalpa of the Center:

The Center governs all the myriad spirits and resides in the Origin of Heaven above the Yellow. It first gave birth to the Five Elders of the Five Directions, and it is the sovereign of the center and the supreme venerable deity. It presides over the workings of Qi (vital energy), oversees the true spirits, and commands all the immortals. It registers the profound Heavenly Charts, keeps the rosters of destiny recorded in the Jade Texts, sets in motion the circulation of primordial Qi in the upper realms, and proclaims its orders to all the gods.

(This forty-character secret text of the Yellow Emperor is inscribed on the Jade Treasure Terrace of the Great Mystery. It governs the summoning of immortals, so that the names of immortals recorded on the jade tablets are assigned to the Qi of immortality.)

The Saturn Star assists the spleen deity and turns the celestial course of the north. The Kui Star governs the removal of calamities and cuts off the roots of malign Qi. Guiguan, Guixing, Guibi, and Guifu sweep away filth and disperse baleful vapors. The star 魒 sets the Northern Dipper in order, so that the Celestial Gate stands clear and open. The talismanic mandates of the Nine Heavens are delivered by the Golden Horse.

(This forty-character secret text is inscribed on the Jade Terrace of the Mysterious Capital. It governs the command of the star officials and the correction of the degrees of the heavenly bodies' movements.)

The Northern Emperor is commanded to take charge of the gods, seal the Gate of Ghosts, and eradicate inauspicious Qi, so that these forces may not advance to trouble the living.

(This sixteen-character secret text is inscribed on the Jade Terrace of the Mysterious Capital. It governs the command of the Northern Emperor, the regulation of the Qi of the seasons, and the inspection of ghosts and spirits.)

The Divine Incantation of Zhongshan can summon dragons to rise into the clouds of heaven.

(This sixteen-character secret text is inscribed on the Jade Terrace of the Mysterious Capital. It governs the command of the Northern Emperor, the regulation of the Qi of the seasons, and the inspection of ghosts and spirits.)

The Divine Incantation of Zhongshan can summon dragons to rise into the clouds and set them to govern the Yellow River and the sources of the nine waterways. The gods must not be slack or indulgent, and they must distinguish clearly between good and evil. The thousand kinds of demons and the ten thousand forms of wickedness must all be reported to the Sovereign Lord. Should anyone dare to offend or test these commands, the Great Yang will rage in wrath. Therefore these orders are proclaimed to the world in red-written divine talismans and jade characters, so that all may know them.

These forty-eight characters of secret writing are inscribed on the four walls of the Jade Terrace of the Mysterious Capital. They serve to command the four springs governed by the Water Emperor of the Central Sea, to control the conditions of flooding, and to summon the water spirits (Shen) and stop flood-dragons from working harm. This True Writ of the Jade Tablets of the Numinous Treasure of the One Qi (vital energy) of the Center comprises one hundred forty-four characters in all. It is also called the Numinous Book of the Nine Heavens of the Precious Kalpa Cavern of Clarity, the Great Divine Spell of the Yellow Heaven, the True Writ of the Yellow Jade Tablets, or the Text of the Eight Awes of the Yellow Emperor. All of these are spontaneous celestial writings of the Most High’s unsurpassed great divine spell of great radiance and perfect completion.

What follows is the edict of the Jade Emperor, conferred upon the Celestial Lord of the One Qi, the Yellow Emperor, Primal Elder and Jade Treasure Primal Numen of the Precious Kalpa Cavern of Clarity of the Center, commanding him to govern the supreme sages and exalted worthies, the perfected immortals and holy multitudes, and all spirits of awe in the August Heaven and Sovereign Earth, the sun, moon, and stars, the famous mountains and numinous caverns, and the water offices and spring palaces of the center. Wherever a talismanic mandate arrives, it is to be carried out in accordance with the edict.

What follows is the divine-spell edict received by the White Emperor, the Luminous Numen and Sovereign Elder of the Golden Gate of the Seven Treasures of the West:

The celestial realm of the West is named the White Heaven. The White Emperor governs the seven heavenly gates. The radiance of the Metal Numen shines brightly, and the Qi of Taihua spreads through the four quarters. White stone rises high, and the seven kinds of primordial Qi gather and coil about it. Above them is the great deity, the Sovereign Elder at his first birth, who commands the lung Qi of the human body and is in charge of inspecting the Nine Heavens. He examines and evaluates the name registers of the immortals and the charts and records, and he regulates and summons the higher immortals.

These forty-eight characters of the White Emperor’s secret text are written above the northern veranda of the White Numen Office of the Nine Heavens, and are used to assemble immortal Qi and guide cultivators of immortality in their ascent to immortality.

Taibai is responsible for examining the lung Qi; the two lodges Kui and Lou guard the hun and po souls; the four lodges Wei, Mao, Bi, and Zi are in charge of controlling the seven passes; and the lodge Shen (参) commands the bowl of the Dipper and receives the talismanic mandate that comes from the Northern Primordial.

These twenty-four characters of secret writing are inscribed on the mysterious window of the Golden Portal, and are used to command the northern veranda of the White Emperor’s Office, and to assemble immortal Qi and guide cultivators of immortality in their ascent to immortality.

(This twenty-four-character secret text is inscribed in the Dark Window of the Golden Gate. It governs and commands the star officials of the White Emperor, keeping the movements of the heavens upright and clear.)

The red-lettered talismanic script and the true jade-character texts are the orthodox scriptures (Jing) of the Nine Heavens. They can summon the myriad kinds of primordial Qi (vital energy) and bring them all under the command of the Sovereign Lord.

(This sixteen-character secret text is inscribed in the Hall of the Three Charts at the Golden Gate of the Nine Heavens. It is used to govern the ghostly qi of the Six Heavens.)

The Divine Incantation of the Western Mountain holds eight powers and is transmitted in seven successive stages. Talisman water transforms into the form of a dragon, summoning the mountain spirits and driving forth the clouds. Wherever it goes, everything is inspected and recorded, and all proceed together to the Imperial Gate. It assists and guards the Highest Perfected and cuts away the root of evil. Should any inauspicious matter arise, it is severed with the golden barrier. The mandates of the Red Writ are swiftly transmitted by wind and fire.

(This forty-eight-character secret text is inscribed in the Hall of the Three Charts at the Golden Gate of the Nine Heavens. It governs and commands the Water Emperor of the Western Sea, subdues the various monsters and malevolent spirits in the waters, and summons cloud-dragons to guard against floods and droughts. This text, the True Script of the Jade Chapter of the Seven Qi of the West of the Lingbao, comprises one hundred and thirty-six characters. It governs and commands the Water Emperor of the Western Sea, subdues the various monsters and malevolent spirits in the waters, and summons cloud-dragons to guard against floods and droughts. It is the Void-Cavern, self-so book of the Supreme, Unsurpassed, Luminous, and Perfect Great Divine Incantation, and is also called the Jade Chapter of the Golden Truth and Precious Radiance of the Cavern's Subtlety, the Divine Incantation of the Western Mountain, and the Text of the White Emperor's Eight Powers for Summoning Dragons.)

The above is the decree of the Jade Emperor, bestowed upon the Celestial Sovereign of the Seven Qi, the Radiant White Emperor, Venerable Lord of the Gate of Seven Treasures in the West. He is commanded to govern all the heavens and lands of the West, as well as the sun, moon, and constellations, the famous mountains and spirit caverns, and the water palaces and spring halls, together with the exalted sages, true immortals, holy assemblies, and all the spirits within them. Wherever the talismanic decree reaches, all must obey it as they would a sovereign decree.

The divine incantation and decree received by the Black Emperor, the Mysterious Venerable Lord of the Five Spirits in the North, of Dongyin, Shuodan, and Yujue:

In the Mysterious Heaven of the North, the five kinds of primordial Qi circulate back and forth. Among them dwells the Black Emperor, in the position of the Twin Sovereigns of the Supreme Subtlety. He commands the talismanic decrees, cultivating and wielding the eight powers. Clad in a blue-green skirt and a feathered robe, adorned with dragon patterns and phoenix ornaments, he was recommended by the Supreme Emperor, and the talismanic decrees he fashions reach directly to the Jade Steps.

A forty-character secret text of the Black Emperor is written in the northern pavilion of the Terrace of Purple Tenuity of the Mysterious Prime of Limitless Yudan, and it governs the charts and registers for summoning the various Perfected and divine immortals.

The Northern Asterism assists the imperial star, and the immortals cultivate by the power of the Eight Awes. In azure skirts and feathered robes, they wear garments embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns. These immortal Perfected are selected by the Thearch on High and commanded to ascend the jade steps.

The same forty-character secret text of the Black Emperor continues as follows. The Northern Asterism assists the Kidney lodge, while the Dipper lodge and the Ox lodge guard the gates. The Woman lodge, the Emptiness lodge, the Rooftop lodge, and the Encampment lodge open the gates toward the four directions. The Wall lodge commands the seven stars and presides over punishing evil and correcting wrongs. Calamities are driven off and filth is swept away, so that the Dao (the Way) shines forth and numinous might appears.

A thirty-two-character secret text, written within the Mysterious Dipper of the Northern Prime at the Heart of Heaven, governs the command of the stellar officials of the north and keeps celestial Qi (vital energy) correct and upright.

The divine spell of the Northern Mountains arouses Yang Qi and sets thunder in motion. Flowing bells blaze and fall, and Jutian stands guard over divine majesty. The many gods under the jurisdiction of Beifeng—the realm that administers the northern underworld—crush and destroy the myriads of demons and evil beings.

A twenty-four-character secret text, written at the Primordial Terrace of Dongyin Shuodan Yujue in the north, governs command over the Celestial Demon Northern Emperor and the subduing of evil spirits and the myriad ghosts.

The nine rivers surge on until they are spent, and bird-mothers fly in flocks. Jiao-dragons open a passage, and the waterways are suddenly cleared. Crimson talismanic script and jade writings are carried at full speed by courier-dragons, swift as the wind.

A twenty-four-character secret text, written upon the Primordial Emperor of Dongyin Shuodan Yujue, governs the subduing of evil spirits and the myriad ghosts.

The nine rivers surge on until they are spent, and bird-mothers fly in flocks. Jiao-dragons open a passage, and the waterways are suddenly cleared. Crimson talismanic script and jade writings are carried at full speed by courier-dragons, swift as the wind.

A twenty-four-character secret text, written at the Primordial Terrace of Dongyin Shuodan Yujue, is used to command the Water Emperor of the Northern Sea and to subdue the many sprites in the waters. It governs the summoning of jiao-dragons, the raising of clouds and the sending of rain, and the causing of them to bear one’s own person. The writings above are called the True Writ of the Jade Chapters of the Numinous Treasure of the Five Qi of the North, one hundred and twenty characters in all. They are the great divine spells of the unsurpassed great radiance and perfect consummation of the Most High, and books of the empty void and of spontaneity. They are also named the Precious Luminous Writ in Which the Original Spirit of Purple Tenuity Gives Birth to the Perfected according to Fundamental Destiny, and they are called as well the Divine Spell of the Northern Mountains, or the Celestial Writ of the Black Emperor’s Eight Awes for the Ordering of Heaven.

This edict of the Jade Emperor, a revered deity of Daoism, is conferred upon the Black Emperor, Celestial Lord of the Five Qi (vital energy), the Mysterious Elder of the Five Numina of Northern Cavern-Yin, Shuodan, and Yujue. It commands him to preside over the lofty sages and exalted worthies, the perfected immortals and sacred hosts, and all spirits throughout the heavens and lands of the north, among the sun, moon, and stars, in the famous mountains and numinous caverns, and in the water mansions and spring palaces. Wherever the talismanic command arrives, it is to be carried out in accordance with the edict.

The Daoist scripture says that this great divine spell is the mysterious utterance of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and the true edict of the Jade Emperor. It is also a numinous writing spontaneously generated in Shangqing, one of the immortal realms of Daoism, a mysterious document from the first birth of the Nine Heavens, a numinous stanza of the Hollow Void, words secretly transmitted by the highest sages, and a venerable canon of Yuchen, the Jade Dawn. It can establish heaven and earth, open and transform the myriad perfected, settle the spirits, and nourish all living beings. It assists in governing the destined cycles of the world and enables Heaven to endure for long. Above, it holds sway over the celestial mechanism; in the middle, it oversees the Five Numina; below, it issues commands to the earth deities. It can summon the sources of the rivers, set Yin-Yang in motion, and call forth spirits and employ immortals.

This supremely true and mysterious text can of itself resonate with the spirits, making the sky clear and lofty and the earth firm and peaceful, while guarding the Five Marchmounts and nourishing the myriad things. In the past the Jade Emperor conferred it upon the Five Elder Supreme Thearchs, the exalted deities who govern the five directions. The Five Elders then knelt and received the text with both hands, and secretly stored it in the halls of the Numinous Capital. The Heavenly Perfected August Person, a legendary immortal, once wrote out this text and stored it in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, in the Cold Numinous Elixir Hall of the Grand Mystery Jade Capital, within the true realm of Shangqing. Through many turns of cosmic ages, the text has remained firmly preserved in the root of heaven and earth, neither destroyed nor lost, and has continued to be transmitted as the fortunes of the world revolve.

Even when mixed into the ordinary world, this great divine spell is not defiled; when touched by impurity, it becomes only purer. Even if it is destroyed, it is not extinguished; at the very extreme of annihilation, it shines all the more brightly. It is a scripture of the realm of Dayou, “Great Existence,” revered by the heavenly perfected. It spontaneously manifests its true name and is inscribed in the charts, registers, and bamboo slips of emperors, to be shown to later ages. The text is secret and may not be casually looked upon. Those fated to obtain it can cause the myriad Qi to endure forever. Those who diligently cultivate and practice it can attain the realm of immortality.

At that time, Yuxu Shangdi (the honorific title of the Jade Emperor) said to the Tianzun (Celestial Worthy): “May you, in your compassion, expound for the four assemblies, Indra and the others, the kings of the four Brahma heavens, all the celestials and immortals of the various heavens, and all beings in the future who will uphold and recite this Jing (scripture), the benefits that this scripture can bring.”

The Tianzun praised this request, saying that Yuxu Shangdi had asked in this way out of compassion and pity for living beings. The Tianzun said:

If the lands of the Three Realms and the ten directions are afflicted by war, pestilence, flood, drought, insect plague, locust plague, famine, or other calamities, the sovereign, the empress and consorts, the crown prince, the chief ministers, and the high officials should give rise to compassion, keep the people in mind, and command the Daoist priests of the various prefectures and counties to perform Zhaijiao (purification ritual), the Daoist rite of offering and prayer, in pure and orderly Daoist monasteries, to practice the Way at the six periods of day and night, and to recite and expound this scripture. In this way the realm may be made secure, the five grains abundant, and the people healthy and at peace.

If someone enters the mountains and forests and meets poisonous creatures or fierce beasts, so long as that person holds this true scripture in mind, the mountain spirits will grant protection, and the fierce beasts will withdraw of themselves and do no harm. If someone enters rivers and seas in search of treasures and meets violent winds, so long as that person upholds and recites this scripture according to the proper method, the wind and waves will cease and the traveler will reach shore in safety. When one stands in the ranks of battle, with blades and spears clashing, if one silently recites this scripture with a concentrated mind, the enemy will scatter and retreat. If one is shut in prison and bound in cangue and fetters, so long as one clears the heart and steadies the mind, holding this scripture in thought, the injustice will be brought to light and release obtained. If one is troubled by evil essences, ghosts and specters, or other afflictions, and upholds and recites this scripture according to the method, the baleful influences will keep far away, and calamity and illness will be dispelled.

If those who seek a child respectfully uphold and recite this scripture, the Celestial Emperor will order the celestial offices to examine the Danji, the register recording immortals and rebirths; if an immortal’s allotted destiny accords, that immortal will be arranged to descend and be born as their child, becoming a person of intelligence and clear understanding who is held in esteem. When a woman about to give birth upholds and recites this scripture according to the method, mother and child will both be safe, and she will bear a child of merit and virtue who is loved by others. Those who seek office, rank and emolument, and a smooth official career, and who recite according to the method, may obtain promotion, and their descendants may also rise to distinction. Those who seek wealth and respectfully revere and uphold this scripture may obtain ample goods, with clothing and food never lacking, and blessings extending to their descendants. If one is overshadowed by an inauspicious star and lies ill in bed, and upholds and recites this scripture according to the method, the inauspicious star will turn to auspiciousness.

If, after someone has died, that person is about to be entered in the evil registers of hell, parents, teachers and elders, a spouse, or children may uphold and recite this scripture for the deceased, and may also install the scripture in the ritual space, hang banners, and offer fresh flowers. In this way the deceased’s ghost-register may be erased and the spirit-soul born in the Pure Land; sinners who suffer together with the deceased may also receive protection, leave their suffering, and in the end be reborn in the celestial realms.

Wherever this scripture is present, the supreme true great sages of the Ten Heavens and the boundless flying celestial spirit-kings constantly come to guard it and make offerings. One who upholds the scripture may call oneself a Zhengyi Zhenren (Perfected of Orthodox Unity), and receives the hidden protection of the supreme perfected and supreme sages of the ten directions and of the vajra warriors, who guard that person as they would guard themselves. Whether going out or coming in, baleful influences keep away, demons disperse, sprites hide themselves, and no calamity can draw near. At life’s end, the upholder of the scripture will not see the terrors of hell, but will see jade maidens of the celestial palaces coming with banners to give welcome, and will thus be born in heaven. When those celestial blessings are exhausted and the person is reborn in the human world, through a thousand lives and ten thousand generations that person will constantly meet kings, ministers, and worthy sages, be born in a peaceful land where the people live in contentment, and will constantly understand the affairs of former lives, follow the Great Dao, and continue cultivation until the Dao is attained.

If an upholder of the scripture, when rain is falling, gives rise to great compassion and, according to the method, faces the sky and recites the scripture three times, then all living beings wherever the rain falls and in the direction faced—including those who have committed the five heinous offenses, the ten evils, and other grave crimes—can have their karmic offenses erased, and severe illness can also be cured. After death they do not fall into hell; their spirit-souls are born in the Pure Land, transformed and born from lotus flowers. The merit of the scripture-upholder goes without saying.

If an upholder of the scripture, while on the road, meets a great wind, and dust stirred up by the wind touches the body, then living beings touched by that dust can have their evil karma erased, no longer fall into the three evil paths, and be born in heaven. From this one may know that the merit of upholding the scripture is inconceivable.

When an upholder of the scripture bathes in rivers, lakes, or seas, the fish, soft-shelled turtles, giant turtles, alligators, and other aquatic creatures touched by the water can all have their karmic offenses erased; when this life ends, they are no longer reborn in the forms of womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, or transformation-born beings. Every word spoken by the scripture-upholder, whether good or ill, becomes, for all celestial demons and followers of heterodox paths who hear it, a pure sound of the Dharma.

If an upholder of the scripture goes to a shrine and recites this scripture for the deities, the ghosts and spirits, upon hearing it, can leave the ghostly path and ascend the way of true immortals, and they will revere the scripture-upholder as they revere the Celestial Emperor.

If someone in life was unfilial to parents, disrespectful toward the Three Treasures, or committed killing, theft, sexual misconduct, and false speech, together with all manner of grave offenses, then, at the point of death, while the breath has not yet ceased, if beings possessed of the mind of the Dao and faith in the true teaching give rise to pity and recite the honorific name of the Celestial Emperor beside the dying person’s head—seven times, fourteen times, twenty-one times, twenty-eight times, or even a hundred or a thousand times—then all the evil karma made in that person’s lifetime can be erased, that person will no longer fall into the evil paths, and the spirit-soul will ascend to the Nine Heavens. The merit of one who upholds and recites the scripture in its entirety is naturally even greater.

If someone, from past lives down to the present life, has been born again and again among humans and in the celestial realms, rising and sinking in the world and accumulating countless faults, then merely meeting an upholder of the scripture—even if that person’s shadow falls for a moment upon one’s body—is like being gathered in and received by the divine light of the Celestial Emperor. Even merely speaking with the scripture-upholder, or hearing that person’s voice and words of the Dao, can bring comfort and guidance, and karmic obstacles can be erased forever.

If an upholder of the scripture makes a long banner, writes the Celestial Emperor’s name upon it, hangs it from a tall pole, and places it in a Daoist monastery or in the home, then when the wind stirs the banner, living beings in the direction the wind reaches can all obtain supreme benefit and have their evil karma erased. If one writes the Celestial Emperor’s name upon sounding objects and Daoist ritual implements such as bells, chime-stones, small bells, large clapper-bells, and cymbals, then whether they are struck in the ritual space, played as music, or moved by the wind, the sound reaches near and far, and those who hear it can purify their karmic obstacles.

If someone comprehends the principle of birth and death, enters deep into the mountains and forests to cultivate the true and study the Dao, and, ascending a height and gazing afar, looks upon mountains, forests, streams, and valleys, then all the various beings within the reach of that gaze—those with form and without form, the womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born, plants that can move, flying birds, and creatures living in water—can have their karmic offenses erased, body and mind made pure, and be born in heaven after death. How much more so one who personally receives and upholds this scripture?

One should know that such a person is the merit-embodiment of the Daozang (the Daoist Canon).

At this time, the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) said to the Supreme Emperor of Jade Vacuity (Yuxu Shangdi): “I have now given only a brief explanation, and I have not yet set forth all the mysteries within it. If I were to expound them in full detail, ordinary people might give rise to wrong views, grow doubtful at heart, and refuse to believe. The merit of this Jing (scripture) would be hard to tell in full even across countless kalpas.”

When the Supreme Emperor of Jade Vacuity heard this, his heart filled with joy and he was deeply stirred. Gazing up at the Celestial Worthy’s kindly face, he bowed his head to the ground in reverence and offered a hymn of praise:

Above the Nine Heavens is what is called Daluo, where the Jade Capital and its golden towers rise high amid layer upon layer of cloud. There dwells a Celestial Emperor, benevolent and gentle, rich in grace. The supreme Dao (the Way) he embodies is without rival, and he is able to subdue the host of demons. The numinous talismans of the Celestial Treasure, the jade statutes and golden codes, together with countless immortals and the many ceremonial banners and insignia, all manifest the majesty of the heavenly court. Those who hear this Jing can clear away their sinful karma and forever leave the bitter sea of craving and desire.

This honored deity is the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang), the true sage of the vault of heaven. Wondrously perfect and pure, with wisdom and eloquence beyond measure, he is the supreme honored one of the ultimate Dao, teacher of the Three Realms (Sanjie), ancestral venerable of Hunyuan (the Primordial Origin), a sovereign whom none can overcome, and the compassionate father of all beings. He is the sage of the highest heaven and the humane one of great mercy and great compassion. His ten honored titles are perfectly complete, and every kind of merit pervades his whole being. With immeasurable Dharma-power he saves living beings, delivering them from the suffering of birth and death.

After the Supreme Emperor of Jade Vacuity had finished this hymn and the Jade Emperor’s ten honored titles, the gods of all the heavens praised him with one voice, saying that never before had there been such a thing.

Combined Scripture of the Original Deeds of the Exalted Jade Emperor (Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jijing), Middle Scroll

Combined Scripture of the Original Deeds of the Exalted Jade Emperor, Lower Scroll

Chapter Four: The Celestial Perfected Protect and Uphold

At this time, having heard the scriptural teaching, the Supreme Emperor of Vast Heaven (Haotian Shangdi) rose from his seat and, kneeling upright, addressed the Jade Emperor: “May you explain, for the assembly and for those in the human world and the heavenly realms who receive and uphold this Jing, what benefits they are able to obtain.”

At this time the honored Jade Emperor gave rise to the intention of saving beings through skillful means, opened the gate of benefit, proclaimed the code of the Jade Casket—the rules of Keyi (liturgy) recorded in the Jade Casket—transmitted the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) method, and made known……

At this time the Venerable Jade Emperor gave rise to the intention of employing expedient means to deliver all beings. He opened a method that would benefit living beings, proclaimed the Jade Casket Keyi (liturgy)—the ritual procedures set forth in the Daoist scriptures—and transmitted the Lingbao method, the Daoist practice of the Lingbao school. Addressing the August Thearch of Vast Heaven, he said: “Listen carefully now. I shall tell you of the merit of receiving and upholding this method, and of the wondrous matters by which one aids those in peril, removes suffering, and benefits both the living and the dead.”

The assembled Perfected bowed together and said with one voice: “We disciples are fortunate today to hear this eternal and unchanging, pure and profound method. We all hope that, above, it may bless and protect the heavens of the Three Realms and, below, eliminate the poisons of the Three Paths—the realms of suffering spoken of in Daoism, such as the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals. We earnestly beg you, in compassion, to take pity on us and expound for us these mysterious principles.”

The Jade Emperor said: If there are living beings who filially care for and support their parents, revere the Three Treasures (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), and remain loyal to their sovereign; who do not kill, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, or harbor jealousy; who do not give way to anger, nurse resentment, act with pride, or practice deceit; who observe the precepts, keep the fast, and cultivate; who devote themselves single-mindedly to realizing the Great Dao (the Way); and who, with hearts full of reverence, recite and uphold this scripture—then I shall issue a command that it be spread throughout the sand-realms and the boundless, limitless worlds of the ten directions.

I shall command the Sovereign Lord of Eastern Florescence (Donghua Dijun) in the East, leading the immortal troops and horses mounted on green steeds; the Great Emperor of Fusang (Fusang Dadi) in the Southeast, together with his hosts; the Great Emperor of the Vermilion Mound (Zhuling Dadi) in the South, leading the immortal troops and horses mounted on red steeds; the Prime Elder of Great Hua (Taihua Yuanlao) in the Southwest, together with his hosts; the Imperial Elder of Proclaimed Numinosity (Gaoling Huanglao) in the West, leading the immortal troops and horses mounted on white steeds; the Supreme Thearch of August Heaven (Huangtian Shangdi) in the Northwest, together with his hosts; the Sovereign Lord of Purple Tenuity (Ziwei Dijun) in the North, leading the immortal troops and horses mounted on black steeds; the Heavenly Lord of Penetrating Emptiness (Chongxu Tianjun) in the Northeast, together with his hosts; and, in the Center, the Great Emperor Celestial Sovereign (Tianhuang Dadi) and the Azure Elder of Kunlun (Kunlun Canglao), leading the immortal troops and horses mounted on yellow steeds. Together with them, the Heavenly Lord Laihe (Laihe Tianjun) above, the immortals of the famous mountains and great caverns, and, below, the Golden Immortals, the four assemblies and eight divisions, and their retinues shall all descend to protect and bless those who recite and uphold this scripture.

I shall further command the divine kings and great gods who course through the heavens of the ten directions, the Three Officials and Four Sages, the two luminaries of sun and moon, the Nine Stars, the Northern Dipper, the Southern Dipper, the Eastern, Western, and Central Dippers, the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and all the stars that circle the heavens, together with the vajra warriors, divine kings, and the other gods, each leading their own hosts, to come and protect those who recite and uphold this scripture.

The demon-subduing warriors, the kings of the four heavenly gates, the divinities of the Five Marchmounts and Four Waterways and of the mountains and rivers of every place, of the four seas, the nine rivers, and the twelve river sources, and the spirits who preside over mountains, forests, streams, and marshes shall all lead their retinues to protect those who recite and uphold this scripture, so that they remain safe even in places of danger. I also command the local earth gods and numinous officers of every region, the deities of ditches and channels, and the mighty ghost kings to come and offer their protection.

All demons and followers of heterodox paths shall be subdued. They shall conceal themselves and flee far away, flying beyond the seas and taking refuge in other quarters. Ghosts and spirits that receive sacrifice in mountains and forests, at the altars of soil and grain, and in shrine halls, together with every ghost and spirit, shall disperse of themselves. The ghost commanders of the five directions who spread sickness and plague, hungry ghosts, wind kings and water monsters, baleful dragons and demonic gods, earth essences and tree sprites, shall all be destroyed. The afflictions known as the five whiskers and six depletions, abnormal dreams, and calamities of evil arts, curses, and gu poison shall likewise be dispelled. Whatever is wished for in the heart shall be fulfilled according to one’s desire.

Those who recite and uphold this scripture, even if they have not fully performed purification according to the liturgy (Keyi), and have not yet attained pure observance of the precepts, so long as they are able to believe in and accept this scripture, honor it, and look up to it with reverence, will find that their merit penetrates without obstruction. Body and mind will be free and at ease. They will be called “sages among humankind”; their virtue and beneficence will steadily increase, and they will be ranked together with the Perfected.

At this moment, having listened to the discourse that had gone before, Haotian Shangdi (the Supreme Emperor of Vast Heaven) sang before Dijun (the Imperial Lord):

“The supreme Great Dao (the Way) is vast and boundless, without form and without name. Only after countless long kalpas had passed was the clear and bright Yellow Way (Huangdao) opened. Shen (spirit) is pure, limpid, and luminous, and the Nine Souls (Jiuhun, symbolizing the different levels of the spirit-soul) exhale and inhale Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). Jade Vacuity (Yuxu, the realm of pure and luminous emptiness) shines with crystalline radiance, and Grand Aurora (Taixia, the lofty realm of clouds and roseate mists) is bright and far-reaching. The Jade Emperor (Yuhuang) carries out teaching and transformation, broadly delivering beings throughout the heavens and the human world. The Three Origins (Sanyuan—Upper, Middle, and Lower—the systems of Qi-transformation and divinities between Heaven and Earth) nourish the myriad things by means of the Dao, and the two Qi of Yin-Yang cause living beings to stand in awe and thereby to endure. The ancient root is skillfully cultivated, so that even what has withered may flourish anew. Whether wriggling insects and beasts or the most minute of living things, all may attain long life and transform their forms. Every life conceived and borne in the womb may receive nurture and growth.

“When the dead come to the end of life, the hun-soul returns to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest celestial realms revered in Daoism), while the po-soul (the soul-aspect bound to bodily form) undergoes refinement and deliverance and ascends to the Southern Palace (Nangong, the abode of immortals in Daoist teaching). Today is a day of great auspiciousness, and all beings obtain illumination. The Five Degrees (Wudu, the sacred powers of divine contemplation in Daoism) shine upon the myriad things and make universal announcement to the myriad spirits: the gods of Heaven and Earth, the sources of rivers in every region, the Five Marchmounts and Four Waterways (Wuyue Sidu, the five famous mountains and the great rivers of the four quarters), and each renowned mountain; Dongxuan, Dongxu, Dongkong, and Dongxian (the different levels or categories of which Daoist scriptures and methods speak)—all are bathed in light. The Five Degrees shine upon the myriad things and make universal announcement to the myriad spirits: the gods of Heaven and Earth and the sources of rivers in every region, the Five Marchmounts and Four Waterways and each renowned mountain; Dongxuan, Dongxu, Dongkong, and Dongxian.

“The Limitless Great Sages and the Most Perfect Venerable Spirits, endless and inexhaustible, universally oversee and deliver all beings. The roots of evil are severed, and names are entered in the registers of the Mysterious Capital (Xuandu, the sacred capital of Daoism). The host of Perfected Ones stands arrayed in ranks, together heeding the proclamation of the Imperial Lord. This Jing (scripture) bears the Imperial Lord’s edict and protects those who recite and uphold it, enabling them to reach the farther shore of the Dao, untouched by calamity. I carry out the command of the Imperial Lord; all beings should give heed.”

When Haotian Shangdi had finished singing this hymn, he said to the assembly: “These are the subtle words of the Dharma of the Jade Emperor, speech secretly transmitted by the sages. The path to which they point is profound and hard to penetrate; their meaning is subtle and difficult to fathom. They are a lofty and majestic exemplar, the root to which gods and spirits give allegiance. They can guard and pacify the realm, and lift beings out of the sufferings of birth and death.”

When Haotian Shangdi had spoken these words, the pure assembly gathered in the ritual convocation all looked up in admiration and praised the methods of the Dao, and each in some measure came to understanding. Thereupon the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) said:

The merit of the Jade Emperor (Yudi, also called Yuhuang Dadi) is vast, and the mysterious principles it contains are profound and far-reaching. He was born before the great kalpas, and the power of his transformative working runs through past and present. I now proclaim this wondrous Jing (scripture) out of compassion for all living beings. It is indeed an exceedingly mysterious dharma-gate, and the most supreme merit among all merits. The honored name venerated in the Jing belongs to the highest dharma-gate, beyond compare and ranked first.

The Jade Emperor is the King of Great Light, noble in majestic virtue, sagely and luminous, and rarely encountered. He can destroy violent demons and subdue their hearts and minds, and he can also eliminate the heaviest karmic offenses and purify the ground of the mind. If anyone hears this Jing, or hears the name of the Jade Emperor, and reverently bows in homage, every karmic offense will be removed. Even one who has committed the ten evils, the four grave offenses, or the five heinous crimes, such as killing one’s parents, need only recite the Jade Emperor’s name once with faith, and the offenses will disappear with that recitation.

This Jing can protect living beings in the heavens and in the human world, helping people meet phenomena of decline such as the four marks and the five decays. It can also relieve the extreme suffering of the three paths (the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals), together with the many calamities met in the human world: barren years, famine, and the turmoil of loss and disorder; poisons and yanmei (sorcery that harms people by evil arts); punishment, imprisonment, and enmity; the suffering of battle and strife; tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves on perilous mountain paths; poisonous dragons in rivers and seas; sudden thunder, wind and rain, and hail; disasters of water and fire, and thieves; injury by gu poison, derangement of mind and Shen (spirit), madness and confusion; venomous snakes and vicious insects; and evil demons and fierce spirits that lie in wait to harm people. So long as one upholds and recites this true Jing, these disasters disperse of themselves.

If a person is long ill without recovery, sleeps uneasily at night, or even faces the danger of an unnatural death, that person will not on this account come to harm; having the affinity to encounter this Jing, one can rest peaceful and at ease. The wishes people pray for—treasure, wealth and rank, and the like—can likewise be fulfilled through the merit of the scriptural text.

Perfected immortals, free and majestic in divine power; the Eleven Luminaries (eleven stellar deities); the lords of the thirty-two heavens; the kings of the twenty-eight lunar mansions; numinous consorts and jade maidens; celestial gods and earth deities (spirits of the earth); spirits in the void of the three realms; dragon kings of rivers and seas; gods of water, fire, and wind; and the spirits of palaces and dwellings, of mountains, forests, and trees, and of ditches, channels, wells, and springs—all will together extend their protection because people uphold and recite this Jing.

Those who uphold the Jing always have sufficient clothing and food, and their descendants can dwell in peace amid wealth and honor. Their words are valued by others, and wherever they go they are respected. If someone prays for children and upholds and recites this true Jing, the Jade Emperor will issue a decree to the Celestial Bureau (the office in the celestial realm that administers the registers of immortals), sending celestial immortals to descend and be reborn in that household as their children. Such a person will be honored by the eminent and noble, and ancestors of seven generations will all ascend as immortals. The family will grow illustrious, blessings will extend to parents and kin, auspicious fortune will flourish, and calamity will be unable to intrude.

Therefore I now proclaim this Jing, and the assembly should listen with care. By compassion it saves and delivers all living beings, so that all may reach the Supreme Clarity (Shangqing, the lofty immortal realm spoken of in Daoism).

Thereupon the Celestial Worthy proclaimed to the assembly: When ordinary people recite and uphold this scripture (Jing), and receive and maintain the Emperor’s Gate (the teaching lineage of the Jade Emperor), blessings extend to their parents and kin. Auspicious fortune continually flourishes, and calamities and obstacles cannot intrude. Therefore I now expound this scripture; all of you should listen carefully. With a heart of compassion I save and deliver all living beings, so that they may all reach Shangqing (the lofty immortal realm spoken of in Daoism).

Thereupon the Celestial Worthy again proclaimed to the assembly: When ordinary people recite and uphold this scripture and receive and maintain the Emperor’s Title (the sacred name of the Jade Emperor), they accumulate a profound root in the Dao (the Way) and come into accord with the good affinities formed in past lives. This scripture is noble and mysteriously wondrous; it can universally save living beings in the heavens and in the human world. If one upholds it with single-minded reverence, household and state will be at peace, life will be preserved and disasters passed through, and every kind of inauspiciousness swept away. If the Son of Heaven and kings and nobles uphold this scripture, they can bring peace to the realm, so that violent bandits subside of themselves and the borders are no longer at war; the people sing with joy, and all under heaven flourishes. As the times turn and the cycles revolve, the correct Dao will at last be put into practice. Those who obtain this scripture should treasure the wondrous principles of celestial perfection within it, guard them strictly, and transmit them with caution.

Chapter Five: The Divine Efficacy of Retribution

At that time, the Zhenren (Perfected) of Compassion Who Delivers from Calamity, the Zhenren Who Follows the Sound to Save from Suffering, the Zhenren Who Aids the Living and Ferries the Dead, and the Zhenren of Myriad Blessings Who Protects the Body rose together, stepped out from the ranks, and addressed the Celestial Worthy: “Among ordinary people of the latter, degenerate age in the world, some, though they formed good affinities in past lives and thus came to encounter this scripture, are clouded by deviant obstructions, harbor doubt in their hearts, and cannot believe in the merit of this scripture. What retribution for their offenses will such people suffer in the present life and in past lives? What sufferings will they undergo in the various hells? We earnestly beg the Holy Worthy, in compassion, to explain their retribution in the evil destinies.”

The Celestial Worthy said to the four Zhenren: “If in the world there are living beings who are obstinate, violent and wicked, and who do no good—who day and night face the sacred images of the Daoist teaching yet have no heart of reverence, and who moreover utter slander—this karmic offense will cause them to fall into the Five Uninterrupted Hells (the hells spoken of in Daoism, where the suffering of retribution is extremely severe and torment does not cease).”

At this time, the Celestial Worthy said to the four Perfected: “If there are people in the world who are obstinate and violent, who do evil and practice no good, who face Daoist sacred images day and night yet feel not the slightest reverence, and who even speak words of slander, such offenses will cause them to fall into the Five Uninterrupted Hells (hells in which suffering never ceases).

“If such a person meets someone who upholds and recites this scripture (Jing), and the one who holds the scripture finds a way to guide and admonish him, so that he sets aside his evil thoughts for a time and turns instead to believe in and revere this scripture, then his karmic offenses can be completely removed. Conversely, if a person whose wrong views are deep and heavy, and who is stubbornly attached to doing evil, sees someone upholding and reciting this scripture and gives rise to malice, glaring at him sidelong—even if he forms only a single evil thought or speaks only a single evil word in slander of the scripture-holder—the offense is extremely grave: after death he will fall into the great hell and never be able to come out.

“If people in the world are fortunate enough to encounter this scripture yet do not respect it—touching it with defiled hands, or reciting it while meat and strong flavors are still in the mouth; placing the scripture on an unclean bed; or, while reading or expounding it, speaking worldly idle talk and laughing together, treating the text as an ordinary book—these people, too, will fall after death into the Uninterrupted Hell and for a long time obtain no release. Their calamity will further implicate the nine ancestors (nine generations of forebears), causing them to suffer punishment in Fengdu (the underworld of legend), and will also extend to their descendants.

“Such people pass through measureless kalpas in hell, enduring the greatest anguish. Even if they meet countless sages and are rescued many times, their karmic offenses can be lightened only a little. Later, even if they are delivered from hell, they will be reborn on the path of hungry ghosts and pass through tens of millions of kalpas without so much as hearing the names of gruel and water. After leaving the retribution of ghosts, they are reborn as animals. When the animal retribution is exhausted, if they are born again as human beings, they will be born in remote borderlands, follow heterodox teachings, and be born as women—poor and destitute, physically disabled, and afflicted with many illnesses—enduring every hardship, despised by others, unable to live and unable to die. This is the retribution brought on by slighting this scripture.

“There are also those who at first believe in and uphold this scripture, but later grow slack and careless. The Boys of Good and Evil will report their conduct to the Three Officials (the deities who govern heaven, earth, and water), so that their names are entered in the black register and their allotted span of life is deducted from the azure records. After death they will be confined in the prisons of the underworld, going back and forth among the three paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals), unable to gain release.

“Some will also suffer in this very life from all kinds of illness, such as scabies, sores, carbuncles, and abscesses, as the fruit of their deeds, grieving and tormented day and night. They may also meet violent misfortune: being thrown into prison, harming themselves without cause, taking poison by mistake, being devoured by tigers, wolves, or venomous snakes, or suffering the revenge of enemies; while walking in mountains and forests they may meet wicked people and be killed or pushed from a cliff; they may be injured by evil spirits and goblins, burned or drowned by water and fire, or die by the blade. All these are the untimely deaths and retributions incurred by slighting this scripture. How can one not grieve?

“Therefore I admonish you to practice according to these words and not to give rise to deviant thoughts. If the various delusive thoughts do not arise, the myriad entanglements cease at once, and evil karma as numerous as dust and sand disperses with the mind; every calamity and demonic obstruction naturally subsides. The merit of this scripture is inconceivable. It is an incomparably wondrous teaching, honored as the king of all scriptures, and able to bring the greatest benefit. Do not casually disclose it to unsuitable persons.

“If celestial beings (beings of the heavenly realms) manifest the five decays and four signs (the marks of decline that appear when a celestial being’s blessed reward is about to end) and are being pressed by the cycle of rebirth, so long as they can abandon delusive thoughts and receive and uphold this scripture, they will naturally obtain and secure heavenly blessings, transcend the Three Realms, and endure together with the Dao (the Way). No scripture can be compared with this classic, and nothing can surpass it. It is a spirit-spell of immense power: it can make withered plants and trees put forth branches and leaves again and flourish with flowers and fruit; it can also remove the extremely heavy sufferings of living beings and enable those of short life to attain long life. Its merit is inconceivable; however much one praises it, the praise cannot be exhausted.

“Unless in the past one has cultivated the roots of the Dao and broadly planted fields of merit, one will not even hear the name of this scripture, much less see it with one’s own eyes. According to the true regulations of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen; the norms governing the transmission of Daoist scriptures and precepts), it is transmitted only once every eighty thousand kalpas. It is a secret classic treasured by the supreme Perfected and highest sages of Qingdu, the pure metropolis, and is stored in the imperial palace of the Jade Capital and its golden towers—exceedingly subtle and hard to encounter. Only if one already possessed an immortal affinity in the past and is destined to become a true immortal of the Nine Heavens does one have the opportunity to meet this scripture. After receiving this opportunity, one must in time still bring gold and treasures, report to one’s master, and swear a covenant to receive the teaching; only when the moment is ripe and one’s destined course corresponds may it be transmitted. It must not be divulged lightly. One must treat it with reverence and caution.”

If one is a true immortal of the Nine Heavens and has the affinity to encounter this scripture (Jing), one should later bring gold, silver, and precious treasures, report to the master, and swear a covenant. Only after formal conferral and reception, when this accords with the proper time, may the scripture be transmitted to that person. It must not be divulged at will, but treated with reverence and caution.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) then set forth this principle once more and spoke in verse:

Even if lotuses were to grow in the rivers and streams, and the feathers of the filial crow were to turn white, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Even if a tortoise were to grow fur that could be gathered and made into clothing, and the moon at night could melt the ice, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Even if a mosquito’s legs were enough to form a bridge of boats that could bear every heavy load, and a yellow-beaked sparrow could take up a great mountain in its beak and cast it into another world, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Even if a single small boat could carry Mount Kunlun and drift across the sea, and a leech were to grow enormous teeth in its mouth like ivory, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Even if the leaves of artemisia could cover a boundless world and shade innumerable living beings, and birds of the crow and owl kind could dwell together in one nest, bringing food to feed one another, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Even if a rabbit were to grow horns that could be used as a ladder reaching all the way to the highest heavenly realm, and a xi-mouse—a kind of small mouse—could climb that ladder of rabbit horns into heaven and even eat the moon there, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Even if a donkey’s lips were the color of the pingpo fruit, a red fruit, and the donkey could sing and dance, and flies, mosquitoes, and their like could drink as much wine as a zhong-shi—a vast ancient measure—and become so drunk that their minds grew confused, such things might occur and it would still be hard to encounter this scripture.

Through a succession of marvels that could never occur, the verses show how exceedingly rare it is to encounter and obtain this scripture. Transmission of the scripture must also pass through a formal rite between master and disciple, and must not be carelessly revealed.

After the Heavenly Worthy had finished the verse, he addressed all four assemblies of disciples present: Therefore, one who upholds this Jing (scripture/classic) may be called a “body of merit,” because every sentient being receives his protection; may be called a “body of spiritual powers,” because all that is auspicious gathers to him; may be called a “body of purity,” because the various kinds of evil karma cannot harm him; may be called a “body of majestic virtue,” because celestial demons and heterodox paths cannot control him; may be called a “body without equal,” because the Supreme Emperor sings his praises and the myriad spirits revere him; may be called a “body of firmness,” because evil kalpas and great disasters cannot injure him; and may be called a “body that harbors the Dao (the Way),” because the words he utters are revered by ghosts and spirits.

One who upholds this scripture may also be called a “body of compassion,” because beings of the six paths (sentient beings who transmigrate through the six realms of existence: heaven, human, asura, animal, hungry ghost, and hell) rely upon his good deeds; may be called a “body of the Great Dao,” because wherever he goes out or comes in he is without fear; may be called a “body of the good physician,” because he is skilled at applying wondrous methods and bringing people peace and happiness; may be called a “body of light,” because he constantly receives the protection of the Celestial Emperor’s radiance; and may be called a “body of freedom,” because divine spirits are able to come and go freely through the sublime realms of the celestial palaces. The merits of upholding this scripture cannot be told in full.

If a Daoist priest or one who has attained the Dao is able to set up an altar and recite the scripture, he should put on new and clean clothes and, after midnight, in a pure room of quiet seclusion, click his teeth nine times, sit upright facing east, and recite this scripture. At that time Taizhen (a venerable deity) sits leaning upon an armrest, the Jade Consort arranges the banquet mats, the myriad spirits stand in ranks, the gods of the various heavens stand in attendance at the railing, the divinities of the Three Realms serve as guards, and the Five Emperors come forward to receive him. When the recitation is finished, he closes his eyes and meditates in stillness, visualizing the text of the scripture; he will then feel himself amid five-colored auspicious clouds, and next see his own body shining with brilliant light as he ascends to the celestial palaces, while the immortals and Perfected come down to welcome him. Whatever he seeks in his heart will all be granted, and elixirs of immortality and wondrous treasures can also be obtained as he wishes.

Therefore one should gather and focus the mind according to the Keyi (liturgy)—the cultivation rites prescribed by Daoism—and practice and uphold this scripture. The Golden Immortals of the Three Ages and the Great Sages of the Ten Directions likewise cultivate and uphold this scripture by following it, and so are able swiftly to realize the unsurpassed wondrous Dao. The Imperial Worthy of whom the scripture speaks is the teacher of all the Buddhas and the king of all the sages. Thus, if an ordinary person is able to encounter this scripture, he can obtain the aid of the Five Emperors, summon and dispatch immortals, command the spirits of the divine palaces, and circulate and harmonize Yin-Yang; he will be revered by a thousand Perfected, cause the myriad spirits to stand in awe, make the hundred evils withdraw, and have the host of demons bound. After death he may go at once to the Southern Palace to receive refinement and deliverance, then ascend in flight to the realm of Highest Clarity (Shangqing), roaming free and unfettered and abiding forever with the Dao.

Even ordinary beings of the world who, after hearing this scripture, constantly cherish a longing for it in their hearts may choose a pure place in the home, paint an image of the Imperial Worthy, make devout offerings day and night, bow in reverent worship morning and evening, offer incense, flowers, lamps, and fruit, and recite his honored title while gazing upon him in worship. Such a person will obtain thirty kinds of supreme and excellent merits:

The first is to be praised and respected by the assembled immortals; the second, to enable one’s deceased forebears to ascend to heaven; the third, to dispel calamities accumulated in the past and free a person from suffering; the fourth, to find the way open and smooth wherever one goes; the fifth, to be spared the harassment of thieves; the sixth, to have whatever one seeks come to pass as one wishes; the seventh, to be exempt from flood and fire; the eighth, to have unexpected disasters quietly disperse; the ninth, to dream of auspicious things by night; the tenth, to be untouched by illness; the eleventh, to become intelligent and clear-minded; the twelfth, to be loved by others; the thirteenth, to have clothing and food in abundance; the fourteenth, to have descendants who rise to prominence and honor; the fifteenth, to bring joy to one’s kin; the sixteenth, to keep the family in harmony; the seventeenth, to eliminate the evil retribution of falling into the three evil paths (hell, hungry ghosts, and animals); the eighteenth, to be transformed from a female body into a male body; the nineteenth, to possess a dignified and well-composed appearance; the twentieth, to become a minister of the state; the twenty-first, to be reborn as an emperor; the twenty-second, to be revered by ghosts and spirits; the twenty-third, to attain the power of knowing former lives (one of the spiritual powers spoken of in Daoism); the twenty-fourth, to receive the protection of the gods; the twenty-fifth, to let the nine clans (one’s kindred in the broad sense) enjoy the shade of blessing; the twenty-sixth, to live long in the human world; the twenty-seventh, to let all sentient beings benefit from good deeds; the twenty-eighth, to be welcomed and guarded by the demon kings; the twenty-ninth, to be assured of transcendence beyond the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm); and the thirtieth, to ascend in broad daylight.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) then said to the four assemblies present (the four kinds of listeners in the Daoist tradition): “The merit gained by reciting and upholding this scripture (jing) can shatter the Iron-Enclosure Mountains (the mythical mountains that ring the world), dry up the sea of suffering, smash the great hells, rescue those heavily burdened with sinful karma and suffering, subdue violent demons, and protect every land. It can destroy all evil ghosts, dispel all grave illnesses, dissolve all venomous malice, keep one far from all wicked people, overcome all poisonous beasts, destroy all deviant paths, and bring all the celestial gods to submission. The rest of its merits cannot be told in full.”

At that time, the great assembly in the ritual sanctuary, the Golden Immortal bodhisattvas, and the retinues of the true sages, having heard these words, all rejoiced and leapt for joy, bowed their heads in reverence, and chanted in praise: “How great is the supreme Dao (the Way)! Peerless is the Highest Perfected (the supreme true immortal). Upward it delivers the heavens; downward it rescues the souls in the dark underworld. The Highest Perfected has neither master nor patriarch, taking the Dao alone as its very being.”

The great Dao (the Way) is the supreme true realm, which no sect can limit. Upward it delivers the heavens; downward it rescues the souls in the dark underworld. The Dao has no ancestral master; the Dao itself alone is the root. The Cinnabar Terrace and Purple Palace (the immortal realm where divine beings dwell) and the Golden Towers and Jade Capital (the palaces of the celestial realm) secretly preserve this profound method, so as to bestow blessings universally upon all living beings. May it remove all my offenses and prolong my life. May the myriad spirits come to pay homage, and the demon kings guard and welcome me; may merit flourish and my name be entered in the Yellow Register (the roster used in Daoist Zhaijiao [purification ritual] to record merit, deliverance, and related matters). May I, through endless kalpas, still long endure.

When the assembly had finished reciting this hymn, they bowed their heads in taking refuge, offered their farewells with due rite, and withdrew.

Combined Scripture of the Original Acts of the Most High Jade Emperor, Lower Scroll.