《元始无量度人上品妙经注》Vol. 1

Preface to the Wondrous Scripture of Supreme Quality for Delivering Humanity

I believe that precious jade buried in dust must be skillfully polished before its radiance can shine forth. In the same way, profound truths hidden in subtle mysteries need to be properly explained before they can be understood. Thus, scriptures use detailed language when they are transmitted, and the Book of Changes expresses its principles through a complete system of images and numbers. When the human mind grasps what is subtle and mysterious, profound truths can then become clear.

Reverently, the Wondrous Scripture of Supreme Quality for Delivering Humanity, the Limitless Scripture of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery of the Most High, was formed from soaring, mysterious Qi and written in cloud seal script, the sacred writing of Daoism. It is the foundation of the myriad teachings and stands first among the Three Caverns, the three great divisions of Daoist scriptures. Its meaning is profound and hidden, difficult to investigate fully. Who would dare to write a commentary lightly without having already entered the realm of the subtle and mysterious? Besides, people of shallow understanding rarely glimpse the scripture’s essential meaning, and Daoist precepts strictly forbid presumptuous transmission.

Some people recite the scripture diligently but do not understand its fundamental purpose. They are like those who enter a treasure house and leave empty-handed, or who merely count the ink stroke by stroke and gain nothing in the end. Taking pity on their ignorance, the Perfected Qingyuan of the Eastern Sea explained the scripture’s meaning at length, clarified difficult passages and disputed characters, and offered clear, concise discussions. He arranged his work in eight sections and explained the two chapters in detail. At the beginning, he describes the basis of principle and nature; at the end, he reveals the mystery of the root of life. He enlightens the blind and awakens the deaf, clarifies the Way, and guides people in cultivating the Dao and attaining perfection. He breaks the attachment of those who cling to one-sided views and guides scholars who seek the truth.

At times, the commentary returns to its point through repeated metaphors; at others, it examines the mysteries in close detail. Its teachings are no different from the very words spoken by the revered deity who, through countless kalpas, has compassionately saved living beings. Some passages remain incompletely explained, so I have added verses to clarify their meaning further and help those who recite the scripture study it deeply. In this way, people may glimpse the millet pearl—a symbol in Daoist texts of subtle truth—amid miraculous signs of the earth shaking and light shining everywhere. They may also grasp the truth through words, so that the confusion in each person’s heart is dispelled at once.

This scripture is a deep source of Daoist teaching and can also serve as the guiding purpose for delivering and helping the world; hence its name, “Limitless.” To transmit it to disciples of the Dao, print it from carved blocks, and widely share it with those who have not yet understood it will indeed greatly benefit the world.

Written by the Old Man of Qinghe

Commentary on the Wondrous Scripture of Supreme Quality for Delivering Humanity Without Limit, Volume One

The mysteries contained in the Supreme One, the Dao of highest supremacy, cannot be fully expressed in words. Before Heaven and Earth were divided, all things formed a single, undifferentiated chaos. The original Qi, the primordial vital energy, lay hidden in a state beyond clear perception. It had neither name nor form, yet contained the numinous spirit of True Unity. This is the image conveyed by the Supreme One. “Supreme” means vastness brought to its utmost; “One” signifies the honored and exalted position above.

Tradition holds that before Heaven and Earth were divided, the Five Primordials took shape in sequence: Great Void, Great Origin, Great Simplicity, Great Substance, and Taiji (Supreme Ultimate). Only after the Five Primordials differentiated were the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—established, with Heaven and Earth each settling into its proper place. The Dao, Heaven, Earth, and the sovereign may all be called great. The Dao attained the One, the fundamental Dao-Qi, and thereby became vast; hence it is called “Supreme.” “One” is the honored position formed by gathering the substance of the Three Powers. The Supreme One is the source of Dao and De and the foundation of Heaven and Earth, and so its name stands at the beginning of the scripture’s title.

Dongxuan is one of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the classification of Daoist scriptures. “Cavern” conveys the sense of penetrating through; “mystery” refers to what is profound and subtle. Together, the terms describe the primordial Dao as penetrating the mysterious and subtle, returning to unity without division, and thereby encompassing Lingbao. Lingbao refers to the Lord of the Jade Dawn, who received the mysterious One Qi of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, came into being during the Red Bright Kalpa, and dwells in the Palace of Lingbao. This indicates that the present scripture was transmitted by the Lord after he received the teachings of Primordial Beginning. The numinous can give birth to all things and transform without limit; the precious is clear and rare. Lingbao is the source of the transformations of all things and the root of the divine. It extends throughout the heavens and brings forth the myriad beings; everything comes from it.

“Deliverance of People Without Limit” means that since kalpas beyond number, the Supreme Sage of Primordial Beginning has taught living beings far and wide, helping them transcend the ordinary and enter the realm of the sage. Their number cannot be counted, and the span of this teaching reaches from remote antiquity to the present without end. The ignorant thereby become wise, and the dull become perceptive. Hence it is called “Deliverance of People Without Limit.”

“Upper Scripture” refers to this work’s exalted status among Daoist scriptures. The scriptures of the Three Caverns are divided into thirty-six sections, collectively known as the Treasury of the Celestial Law, and number more than 3.9 million scrolls. This scripture stands at their head. Through the endings and beginnings of kalpas, it has remained preeminent in the Jade Capital, the city of Heaven; hence it is called “Upper.” “Wondrous” means subtle and profound. “Scripture” can mean a guiding principle or a thread that runs through things, and it can also refer to a path. This work is regarded as the way by which humans and celestial deities cultivate the Dao, leave behind the ordinary world, and ascend to immortality.

The Great Dao (the Way) is widely practiced and stands at the head of all scriptures. At the end of a cosmic cycle, when all things begin anew, the Dao moves alone in the Jade Capital—the celestial city of Daoist lore—and is therefore called the “Supreme Teaching.” “Wondrous” means subtle and mysterious. “Scripture” means the warp and weft by which things are ordered, and also a road or path. This is the path by which humans and heavenly deities cultivate the Dao, leave the ordinary world behind, and ascend to immortality.

The Great Dao teaches and transforms; its teachings take form as the Scripture of the Cavern Mystery (Dongxuan). It brings deliverance to the people and benefits all things, with boundless merit.

Those who wish to cultivate themselves into immortals and ascend to the heavens should purify their thoughts and recite this wondrous scripture.

The Dao cannot be seen, hence the phrase “look, but do not see it”; its words cannot be heard, hence “listen, but do not hear them.” The Dao’s fundamental nature is still and empty, beyond the limits of names and forms; even the Supreme One cannot fully know it. People can only give it a name as best they can. How could words ever express it completely?

Only the Lord of the Dao, the Supreme One (a revered Daoist deity), discerned the subtle source of the Primordial Beginning—the Daoist term for the Way at its origin—and deeply understood the Way of Numinous Treasure, one of the Daoist scriptural traditions. Through images and teaching, he enabled living beings to understand the Way of Numinous Treasure, provisionally calling it “words.” The relationship between the Dao and words is like that between catching fish or rabbits and using a net or a snare: once the fish or rabbit has been caught, the tool is no longer needed. The Dao is like a fish or rabbit, elusive and difficult to see; words are like the tools used to catch them. The Dao is originally wordless; words merely make its workings known. Thus it is called the “words of the Dao.”

The Dao is originally silent; where could words come from? Sages establish teachings and can only speak of the Dao as best they can.

To catch fish, one must use a net. Once the fish is caught, what need is there for the net?

A collator remarks: The Dao De Jing says, “There was something formed in chaos,” while this scripture begins by speaking of the “words of the Dao.”

The Dao is originally silent; where could words come from? Sages establish teachings and can only speak of the Dao as best they can.

To catch fish, one must use a net. Once the fish is caught, what need is there for the net?

A collator remarks: The Dao De Jing says that there is a whole and undivided existence that arose before Heaven and Earth, which people named the “Dao.” The Dao is the common source of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. In a person, it is called the “heart”; within the heart, it is expressed as “nature.” Nature is the Dao, and the Dao is nature. By fully realizing one’s nature and reaching the fundamental state of life, one can bring both body and spirit to perfection and become one with the Dao.

The Confucians say that “words” are sounds. The Dao is the heart’s essence, and words are the heart’s function. The Lord of the Dao expounded the teachings of the Primordial Beginning and used the human mind to deliver living beings; hence the phrase “words of the Dao.”

Long ago, in the Great Fuli Kingdom in the Heaven of Primordial Azure, one of the Nine Heavens of the East, the Qi of the Emerald Firmament transformed into ethereal, wondrous song. There, the Most High Dao Lord received the Supreme Scripture of Limitless Deliverance by the Primordial Beginning.

“Long ago” refers to kalpas in the immeasurably distant past. The Most High Dao Lord said that he had received this supreme scripture from the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. The Heaven of Primordial Azure formed from the gathered Qi of the Azure Firmament and Brahma Treasure. The East is foremost among the directions, and the Celestial Worthy had proclaimed the Scripture of Numinous Treasure’s Deliverance of Humanity there many times. Thus, this heaven is named at the outset to signify the scripture’s exalted status. The Qi of this heaven is azure green; it gives rise to emerald clouds that fill the sky, hence its name, “Emerald Firmament.” Moved by divine winds, the Qi of the Emerald Firmament naturally gives forth ethereal song, revealing the wondrous principle of “neither emptiness nor form.” This is why it is called “Song of Emptiness.”

In this heaven there is a kingdom called Great Fuli. “Fu” means “void,” and “li” means “beautiful”; together, they describe its ethereal Qi and its solemn, splendid landscape. Great Fuli is foremost among pure realms, beyond comparison with any place in the Three Realms. The Celestial Worthy proclaimed this scripture, whose merit in delivering humanity is limitless; hence it is called the Supreme Scripture of Limitless Deliverance by the Primordial Beginning.

The hymn says: Primordial Beginning established the unsurpassed supreme scripture and its teaching. At the first sound, everyone heard it. The lamp of transmission should be carried on by people of the present age; its lineage belongs not only to the Celestial Worthy and the Dao Lord.

In “Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning,” “Primordial” refers to the mysterious, the One that is not two: the wondrous gate of all mysteries, mystery upon mystery. “Beginning” means the origin. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning received the mysterious Dao.

“Origin” refers to what is mysterious and profound. The mysterious and profound return to pure unity; they are not two. Mystery upon mystery is the gateway to the myriad wonders. “Beginning” means the start. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin received the Dao of mysterious unity and existed before Heaven and Earth took shape. He is the foundation of all things and the beginning of their generation and transformation, and is therefore called “Primordial Origin.” “Heaven” refers to the most exalted realm within the primordial Qi—the original vital energy generated by the Dao. “Worthy” refers to the most profound and highest presence among the myriad teachings. Before Yin-Yang Qi had appeared and before Heaven and Earth had taken shape, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin stood serene and alone. Heaven and Earth were established through him, so he is honored as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin.

The hymn says: At the moment Heaven and Earth first divided, the primordial Qi was still undifferentiated. Before Heaven and Earth took shape, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin alone held supreme honor. Do not regard him merely as a deity called the “Primordial Sovereign”; he has endured since antiquity through countless kalpas.

When expounding this scripture, one must make ten complete circuits to summon the spirits of the ten directions. Only after all the spirits have assembled does one ascend the seat and begin to preach. “Ten” is the greatest number in counting. By using this supreme number to summon the divine officers and hosts of spirits in the ten directions, none will fail to arrive; this is because transformations of Qi connect with one another and evoke mutual response. Here, “circuit” means to reach everywhere, while “revolve” means to turn in both forward and reverse directions and proclaim to the four quarters. Together, these terms explain the principle of summoning. Magical methods should be practiced universally, while the Dao’s teachings are not passed on casually. These are all methods by which the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin summons the spirits and commands the perfected sages. If one keeps faith with the sovereign of the Fetal Venerable (the presiding deity honored in internal cultivation) and practices the method of ten circuits, the thirty-six thousand divine Qi within the body will also gather and respond.

The hymn says: As the Celestial Worthy is about to reveal the profound mysteries, he performs the rite of summoning all directions, so that the summons reaches everywhere. Because the presiding figure can secure his position and bring all under his authority, every movement he makes naturally draws the others to follow.

The great divine beings of Heaven, the highest holy and honored ones, the perfected ones of wondrous practice, and countless hosts of spirits come riding through the air.

The “Great Spirit of Heavenly Truth” has already transcended the Three Realms. It no longer cultivates and has no further realization to seek. The “High and Venerable Sages” begin with cultivation, gradually attain awakening, and ultimately ascend to the rank of perfected immortals and sages. The “Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice” become perfected through accumulating subtle practices, naturally coming into accord with the Great Dao. The scripture calls them “countless,” meaning they are extremely numerous. They are all numinous perfected beings transformed by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, able to travel freely through the air; hence they are called “riding through the air.”

When the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was about to expound this scripture, he first divided his audience into three classes to encourage those cultivating perfection. The path of cultivation as it applies to the human being can be understood through Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). When a person’s innate foundation is firm and the various energies within the body subtly accord with the Great Dao, they can communicate with the many numinous perfected beings.

Clouds rose and flew across the crimson sky; green-blue jeweled carriages moved onward, their feathered canopies hanging down to cast shade, while subtle jade light flowed and shimmered. The five colors glowed with abundant vitality, illuminating the whole expanse of space continuously for seven days and seven nights.

“Flying clouds in the cinnabar heavens” and the five-colored radiance of essence are manifestations of the sacred spirits of the High and Venerable Sages. When gathered, they become clouds; when dispersed, they become Qi. Pure Yang Qi transforms into clouds and rosy mists, while pure Yin Qi transforms into carriage wheels and canopies. The flowing radiance, brilliant five colors, and illumination of space are all wondrous workings of Yin-Yang transformation and union. In human cultivation, these splendors may be understood as the refined Qi of the five viscera. By cultivating according to the method, when the cycle of Yin-Yang’s movement is complete, the light of the Numinous Treasure will appear, infuse the whole body, illuminate within and without, and bring one into a state of empty clarity.

Three is the Yang number, and four the Yin number; together they make seven. The luminous manifestations of the sages revolve without end and do not vanish even after millions of kalpas, so how could they last only seven days and seven nights? The phrase “seven days and seven nights” probably refers to the number formed by the union of Yin and Yang.

At that same moment, the sun, moon, stars, and constellations in the heavens, along with the radiance of the asterisms and the “Jade Balance of the Jade Pivot”—an ancient instrument for observing the heavens—all ceased their motion.

Below the Great Luo Heaven, each level of the heavens has its own sun, moon, and stars, which serve as pivots in the creation and movement of Heaven and Earth. “Xuanji” refers to the Northern Dipper, and “Yuheng” to its handle. The stars wax and wane, and all things diminish and grow; day and night proceed in turn, cycling without end. Now the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning is entering meditation to expound the Dao, so all things in the various heavens have temporarily come to rest, revealing the wondrous efficacy of meditative stillness.

In the human body, the heart is like the Xuanji, and the eyes are like the sun and moon. When both heart and eyes settle into stillness, the many thoughts and changes also subside. The collator says that the scripture’s phrase “the sun and moon, the Xuanheng, halt their revolutions” likewise uses celestial phenomena to explain principles of cultivation. Qingyuan’s commentary says that when a person settles the heart and eyes during practice, all manner of change subsides; this indeed accords with the introductory method of stillness for beginners. The phrase in the Sagely Annals of Lord Lao, “Always practice stopping and observing to discipline the mind,” conveys the same idea. “Stopping and observing” is a method used in practice to quiet thoughts and observe the mind within.

The sound of the numinous wind dies down, clouds and vapors gather among the mountains, the sky is free of drifting cloud and haze, and the vital energies of the four directions are bright and clear.

When the Celestial Worthy enters meditation, all realms of things return to emptiness, stillness, and primordial harmony. Yin-Yang comes into balance, and the winds, clouds, and weather naturally become pure and serene. If practitioners use wisdom to observe themselves and do not let thoughts or external influences stir them falsely, their breathing can become calm and settled, and their Qi can grow clear.

The hymn says:

The numinous wind falls still; no clouds veil the sea.

Heaven and Earth are clear and tranquil; the energies of the four directions shine pure.

If a single deluded thought stirs in the heart,

the Xuanji begins turning without cease once more.

The collator says that the commentaries do not explain the “Four Qi” in detail. Lay Buddhist Gu Tang, in the Record of the Great Illumination of the Buddhadharma, discusses the wondrous meaning of the “Four Trues” and uses it to explain this passage. The clarity of the Four Qi mentioned here can likewise be explained through the Four Trues: true constancy, true self, true bliss, and true purity. These clarify the wondrous principle by which nature and life become one.

Within the realm of a single country, the land, rivers and mountains, and forests are all level and even, with no high or low places. The land is entirely the color of green jade, with no other colors to be seen. The assembled perfected beings sit in attendance.

From the perspective of appearances, a country’s land is Fuli. From the perspective of the Dao, the whole cosmos should be regarded as one level, undivided whole, with no differences of height or depth. All the land is like jade, with no other colors to be seen. The perfected immortals stand in attendance beside the seat.

From the perspective of appearances, a country’s land is Fuli. From the perspective of the Dao, the whole cosmos is the country of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Ordinarily, mountains, rivers, and trees vary in height; plants flourish or wither; and the land differs in cleanliness and impurity. But when the teaching is expounded, everything appears equal, pure as jade, with no distinctions at all. The perfected immortals stand in rows beside the seat, attending. Simply observe what this working reveals: the human body, too, contains mountains, rivers, and trees. When these are contemplated in meditative stillness, all manner of dust-like thoughts cease at once. Everything becomes level and undivided, like flawless jade. How could there still be distinctions of higher and lower? It all depends on the mind. If the mind cannot remain equal, rises and dips will appear, like mounds of earth.

The verse says:

The mountains and rivers of a country lie within oneself;

Seen in meditative stillness, they are level and serene.

Pure as jade, without distinction,

All judgments of high and low arise from deluded thoughts.

The commentator says: The scripture’s phrases “level and undivided, with no high or low” and “with no different colors” use appearances as metaphors to convey the teaching. The Diamond Sutra says, “This Dharma is equal, with neither high nor low.” Chan Master Huangbo explains that when the mind is equal and makes no distinctions of high and low, sentient beings, Buddhas, worlds, mountains and rivers, and all things with or without form are equal throughout the ten directions; distinctions between self and other disappear. This is the original, pure mind, always complete and bright, shining everywhere. Its meaning is exactly the same as that found here, so it is appended here.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sits suspended in empty space, upon a five-colored lion.

“ The pure mind is always complete and bright, shining everywhere” has the same meaning as the passage here, so it is appended here.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sat suspended in the air, with a five-colored lion beneath him.

The Celestial Worthy first summoned the assembled perfected immortals through the power of the Dao, then stilled delusive thoughts through the power of concentration. Only after both truth and delusion have subsided can one finally ascend to the wondrous realm. This is the meaning of “sitting suspended in the empty air.” “Suspended sitting” also suggests something beyond measure, while “empty air” suggests boundlessness. “Suspended” conveys mystery; “empty” conveys nothingness. Sitting within the mysterious emptiness means not clinging to fixed, substantial forms.

The lion is the king of beasts, symbolizing the Celestial Worthy’s sovereignty over the Dao. The lion’s might subdues all other beasts; likewise, the Celestial Worthy teaches living beings with fearless power and subdues the myriad demons, enabling people to enter the realm of the Dao. The “five colors” symbolize the five senses possessed by humans and celestial beings: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, together with the forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations they perceive. These are the roots from which illusion and delusion arise. Those who cultivate the Dao must first subdue the desires of the senses before they can sit securely upon the lion. Though the Celestial Worthy sits upon this lion throne, his body remains suspended in the empty air. This is meant to teach people to empty and still their minds and free themselves from attachment to the body. Only then can they accord with the Dao, the foundation of transcendence.

The hymn says: “The Dharma body—the true body that embodies the Great Dao—is pure and still, constant from the beginning. To seek it by clinging to forms and appearances is delusion. To empty and still the mind is the seat suspended in the empty air; to set the mind aright is to be king of beasts.”

Each time the scripture is proclaimed, the great sages of the heavens praise it in unison. At this point, all the men and women in one kingdom are cured of deafness, and their hearing is restored. When the scripture is proclaimed a second time, the blind regain their sight. When it is proclaimed a third time…

Each time the Celestial Worthy recited the scripture, the great sages of the heavens praised him in unison. At that time, all the deaf people in the land regained their hearing. At the second recitation, the blind saw light again; at the third, those unable to speak found their voices; at the fourth, the lame, the sick, and those with difficulty moving were able to stand and walk; at the fifth, people with long-standing, stubborn illnesses recovered their health; at the sixth, white hair turned black and lost teeth grew back; at the seventh, the elderly regained the strength of their prime, and the young became robust; at the eighth, women conceived and birds and beasts bore young, so that all living things, born or unborn, could grow and multiply; at the ninth, treasures buried underground came to light, and gold and jade appeared in the world; at the tenth, dry bones grew anew and became whole people.

At that time, all the men and women in the land turned wholeheartedly to faith. They received protection and deliverance, and attained long life.

When the Celestial Worthy recited the scripture, he did not merely repeat it silently in his mind. He summoned spiritual power and proclaimed the Great Dao. The term “one recitation” refers to one complete cycle of recitation, after which…

When the Celestial Worthy expounds this scripture, he does more than recite it once and use his mind and spirit to proclaim the Great Dao. Each time the recitation is completed, the great sages of the heavens, according to their rank, are each granted new life. Awe and joy fill their hearts, and voices of praise rise together; hence the word “good.”

The ten recitations each correspond to a trigram and its transformations. The first summons the boundless beings of the east and corresponds to the Zhen trigram. Zhen means to shake; its sound travels a hundred li, so even the deaf regain their hearing. The second summons the beings of the south and corresponds to the Li trigram. Li symbolizes brightness and illuminates all things, so the blind regain their sight. The third summons the beings of the west and corresponds to the Dui trigram. Dui signifies joy and speech; through reciting and studying the scripture, those unable to speak find their voices. The fourth summons the beings of the north and corresponds to the Kan trigram. Kan carries the sense of stopping, yet within stillness lies the principle of continuing onward. Thus the lame and the sick can rise and walk.

The fifth summons the beings of the northeast and corresponds to the Gen trigram. Gen symbolizes the end and beginning of things: what ends begins again. In this way, longstanding, stubborn illnesses are cured, and the body returns to normal. The sixth summons the beings of the southeast and corresponds to the Xun trigram. Xun is associated with purification, so white hair turns black and lost teeth grow back. The seventh summons the beings of the southwest and corresponds to the Kun trigram. The way of Kun governs nurture, so the elderly regain their strength and the young become robust. The eighth summons the beings of the northwest and corresponds to the Qian trigram. The way of Qian enables all things to receive their own nature and life, and sustains a harmonious Qi. Thus women can conceive and birds and beasts can bear young; all life, born or yet unborn, can be nurtured and brought to fulfillment.

At the ninth recitation, things hidden within the earth become manifest, and gold and jade appear in the world. The Qi of the Nine Yang disperses of its own accord, making forms whole. Since the beings have received life and nature, and the hidden things of the earth have also appeared in response, people obtain precious treasures of gold and jade, and even decayed things can be transformed into wonders. With ten recitations, the count reaches its limit; at the limit, it returns to the beginning. Thus withered and decaying bodies can come back to life and become human again.

When beings have diseased ears, they cannot hear the Dao; when their eyes are diseased, they cannot see it; when their tongues are diseased, they cannot proclaim it; and when their feet are diseased, they cannot practice it. If illness persists despite treatment, they cannot continue their cultivation. Therefore, the Celestial Worthy expounds the scripture four times to restore the beings’ faculties to their proper condition. When the tenth recitation is complete, all returns to the root and source, and the merit of liberating others is fulfilled. With merit complete and the Dao attained, the obstacles caused by illness in cultivation vanish at once. All beings can then attain longevity and devote themselves to the highest Dao.

The commentary on this scripture explains the meaning of only nine recitations, so Xue Youqi’s commentary was later added as a continuation.

The verse says: The human body is composed of the six faculties—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—the six capacities for perception and understanding. When their nature is clouded and confused, illness enters. If one hears the meaning of the scripture and grasps its principles at the outset, one can keep illness at a distance and attain long life.

The scripture says: At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), a revered Daoist deity, recited the scripture once. The utmost perfected Great Spirits of the boundless Eastern realm, along with countless living beings, then came through the air. When he recited it a second time, the utmost perfected Great Spirits of the South and countless living beings came through the air. At the third recitation, those of the West arrived; at the fourth, those of the North; at the fifth, those of the Northeast; at the sixth, those of the Southeast; at the seventh, those of the Southwest; at the eighth, those of the Northwest; at the ninth, those above; and at the tenth, those below. Each time, countless living beings accompanied them.

The Celestial Worthy expounded this scripture ten times in all, repeating the teaching from beginning to end, and summoned many perfected spirits and divine officials to save living beings. Taken as a whole, some passages recur because the scripture’s central purpose is to save living beings. It first presents signs of efficacy, then explains that beings differ in delusion and awakening and respond in different ways. This is the general meaning of the preface composed by the Dao Lord; it does not mean that there were literally two separate “ten times.”

The various heavens and lands in the ten directions, together with countless perfected beings, all receive the primordial Qi of utmost truth—the original, precelestial energy—and dwell in vast realms. Spirits and deities reside there, and the forms they manifest are without limit. They can come through the air to the Celestial Worthy’s presence. These forms arise in response to the primordial, spontaneous Qi of the Origin; they do not each have a fixed name.

The heavens of the east and northeast, including the Uppermost Meditation and Goodness Heaven, the Immeasurable Life Heaven, and the Great Bright Jade Perfection Heaven, extend down to the Nine Earths. They belong to the Mao position of the Zhen Palace and are numberless. The heavens of the south and southeast, including the Brahma-Witness Suyan Heaven and the Red Bright Harmonious Yang Heaven, belong to the Wu position of the Li Palace. The heavens of the west and southwest, including the Numinous Transformation Brahma-Attendant Heaven and the Primordial-Borne Kongsheng Heaven, extend down through the Nine Earths and Nine Waters. They belong to the You position of the Dui Palace. The heavens of the north and northwest, including the High Void Clear Bright Heaven and the Bright Courtyard Heaven of the Azure Firmament, belong to the Zi position of the Kan Palace. Above and below, in every direction, are also many domains of wind and water, too numerous to record one by one. Only a brief account is given here.

At first, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning taught the Dao in the Palace of the Clear Tenuity Heaven. At that time, the Jade Emperor came before the assembly, displayed the six supernatural powers, and sent out light that illuminated the boundless Brahma lands—the worlds and realms described in Buddhism. He then manifested multiple forms of himself, appearing in the various heavenly palaces. In each palace, the Jade Capital and Golden Towers of Heaven and a luminous jeweled seat appeared. On every seat sat a manifestation of the Jade Emperor, and each one taught the path to liberation where he appeared.

Does each heavenly palace truly have its own Jade Emperor? No. These are manifestations displayed to teach living beings: the true original self divides into forms and teaches in accordance with each place.

The hymn says:

Spirits and deities number in the millions upon millions,

like echoes in an empty valley, answering as soon as a sound arrives.

Countless spirits come forth of their own accord. It is like a person calling out in an empty mountain valley: as soon as the voice sounds, an echo answers.

Once those who cultivate the Dao open the “Dao eye” in their hearts—the wisdom that perceives the Great Dao—the sun and moon of the ten directions and the empty spaces between them can all appear.

When the ten recitations are complete, the great gods from the boundless heavens of the ten directions arrive together. The men and women of the whole kingdom turn wholeheartedly toward them, coming in reverence and admiration. They come in numbers like fine rain and dense mist, crowding half the land and even making it tilt and sink, beyond anyone’s power to stop.

When the ten recitations are complete, the divine perfected beings of the ten directions gather. Heavenly beings, men and women, and ordinary people are moved by this wondrous transformation; they turn wholeheartedly toward it and come in reverence and admiration, as if fine rain were falling from the sky and thick mist gathering from every side. The scripture says they are so numerous that they press upon half the kingdom because Fuli—the land described in the scripture—is limited, while the forms in which the Celestial Worthy manifests are without end. In principle, a finite place cannot contain an infinite multitude, hence the description of the land tilting and sinking. The commentary further explains that “tilting and sinking” also symbolizes how the heavenly beings, having yet to hear the supreme truth, are cramped and unsettled in mind, with nowhere for their thoughts to come to rest.

Then, in the mysterious depths of the void, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning suspended a precious pearl, as small as a grain of millet and five zhang above the ground.

“Precious” refers to something people cherish; “pearl” symbolizes purity and perfect radiance; “millet grain” symbolizes something exceedingly small that nevertheless has immeasurable efficacy.

Though no larger than a grain of millet, the pearl symbolizes the subtle body of Lingbao, small in form yet vast in its efficacy, pure and radiant, and cherished by all. Millet is an important grain, a staple on which people depend for survival and cannot do without even briefly. This also shows that people cannot be apart from the Dao for even a moment. To remain alive after leaving the Dao would be like keeping one’s body intact without food. The pearl’s suspension in the air, five zhang above the ground, signifies that the wondrous principle of Lingbao is not constrained by the Five Phases—the cycles and transformations of the Five Phases—but is hidden within the Great Mystery. It also symbolizes enabling people and heavenly beings to transcend the Five Turbidities, the polluted and deluded world, and entrusting the wondrous principle to the realm of numinous emptiness.

The verse says:

A precious pearl, small as a grain of millet, is within everyone from the beginning; it belongs not only to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

The Dao is neither above nor below; it hangs revealed in the midst of empty space. Who can grasp the Celestial Worthy’s intent? The Celestial Worthy conceals the profound and subtle Dao within the Great Mystery, yet also makes it manifest, enabling Heaven and humanity to transcend the Five Turbidities—the many corruptions of the world—and entrusting its mysterious principles to the realm of numinous emptiness.

The verse says:

Everyone has a precious pearl in the heart, tiny as a millet grain, yet it is not the Primordial Heavenly Worthy.

The pearl hangs in empty space, neither high nor low. Who can grasp the Celestial Worthy’s intent?

The Primordial Heavenly Worthy leads them upward: the Great Gods of Heavenly Truth, the Supreme Sages and High Venerables, the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice, and the supremely perfect Great Gods from the ten directions, beyond all bounds, together with countless beings. They all enter the pearl. Those in Heaven look up and see only a vast mass of luminous Qi entering through the pearl’s opening. Once inside, they cannot tell where these beings are. The people of the land then scatter in every direction, and the ground becomes level again, no longer sloping or collapsing.

What cannot be seen is called “Yi”; what cannot be heard is called “Xi”; what cannot be touched is called “Wei.” These three states cannot be pursued through words; in the end, they all return to the formless and immaterial. The subtlety of the Dao has its source in emptiness. The bodies of the beings of Heavenly Truth have no form—how could space constrain them? Yet the heavenly beings and the sacred perfected ones gather together at the same time, mingling with one another. The land consequently tilts and sinks in every direction, beyond anyone’s power to stop. How, then, could they be distinguished from one another? For this reason, the Celestial Worthy manifests through visible things to teach the multitude, responding to change through the pearl suspended in space, so that formless beings return to the formless and immaterial.

“Ascend” means to rise and climb upward; “lead” means to guide and teach. Countless beings have already united with the Dao and attained Reality, so they can follow the Celestial Worthy and ascend into the pearl. The people of Heaven remain entangled and cannot go with them. In this way, the distinction between the true and the false, and between levels of cultivation and realization, becomes clear. Once the Dao has hidden itself again, its traces can no longer be followed. The people scatter, and the ground becomes level again, no longer sloping or collapsing. All these are manifestations of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy’s divine transformation: bringing existence forth from nonexistence, then returning existence to nonexistence, so that the gods merge with the Dao. This is no ordinary art.

Where the Sage is present, the earth becomes level again, with no place left tilted or sunken. This is all the result of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy manifesting divine powers and transforming all things: bringing being forth from nonbeing, returning being to nonbeing, and uniting the ways of the hundred spirits. This cannot be compared with ordinary magical arts.

The hymn says:

The Sage’s nature of the Dharma is originally like empty space; the gathering and dispersal of the myriad things are, from the beginning, without distinction.

All appearances are gathered back into the realm of truth and purity. Where could any trace remain to be found?

The Primordial Heavenly Worthy finished expounding the scripture within the precious pearl. All the Perfected Ones jointly bore witness to the transmission ceremony and passed the teachings of the scripture on to me. The joy I felt then cannot be put into words. The ritual of transmitting the teachings was largely complete, and the gods of the heavens had returned to their respective stations. In an instant, everything fell silent, leaving not even an echo.

After leading the Perfected Ones into the mysterious realm, the Heavenly Worthy transmitted the Dao and expounded the teachings within the precious pearl, passing the scripture on to the Lord on High. The Perfected Ones were all present to bear witness. The Lord’s joy at receiving the teachings could not be expressed in words. “Ritual” refers to the ceremony of transmitting and receiving the scripture. Once its main elements had been explained, the gods of the heavens returned to their respective stations without waiting for the ceremony to finish. The Lingbao Dao lies not in elaborate procedures but in grasping the essentials. Sages pass it down from generation to generation; hearing a little, they can understand much, for its principles are profound and inexhaustible. The term “suddenly, in an instant” describes an extremely brief moment: in a flash, all became silent, without a sound remaining. This shows that the highest Dao ultimately returns to the ordinary.

The hymn says:

This wondrous root is natural in its very essence. The Heavenly Worthy transmits it in person—but to whom else could it be entrusted?

Like a priceless treasure found in the Dragon Palace, it should be carefully stored in a golden coffer and never allowed to be lost.

A commentator says: “The pearl five zhang above the ground” is a metaphor that, to those who already understand the cultivation of life, explains the xuanguan—the crucial point spoken of in practice. Interpreting “five zhang” as taking the zhang for a measure, the chi for a zhang, and the cun for a chi is quite apt. The present commentary compares it to the pearl of wondrous nature, which gives the passage a deeper meaning. Earlier, the Primordial Celestial Worthy led the Great Gods of Heavenly Truth, the Great Gods of Ultimate Truth, and countless beings into the pearl together, while the heavenly beings could only look up and could not go with them. This distinguishes true from false embodiment and different levels of realization through cultivation. Only those who have truly seen and awakened to the Great Dao can enter the pearl’s realm of pure, radiant light. This meaning especially accords with the aim of illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature. “Five zhang” may also symbolize transcending the Five Turbidities—the five forms of worldly impurity—and escaping the constraints of the Five Cycles, the transformations through which Heaven and Earth operate. This interpretation also makes sense. As for the final words, describing a sudden stillness without a sound or the slightest echo, they mean that cultivation and realization are complete and all ultimately returns to nothingness. The Confucian Doctrine of the Mean speaks of what is “soundless and scentless”; Buddhist scriptures speak of the emptiness of the person, the emptiness of phenomena, and the emptiness of emptiness; and the Qingjing Jing says, “When what is empty is itself nothing, even the nothingness of nothing is nothing.” All express this same meaning, and so they are included here together.

At that time, the heavenly beings encountered the scripture and its teachings, and all were saved. Each fulfilled the lifespan originally allotted to them, without dying prematurely or suffering injury.

Here, “Heaven” refers to the celestial realm, and “people” to those in the human world. The scripture speaks of heavenly beings and people together so that readers less familiar with the subject can understand. Whether beings encountered the scripture and its teachings by chance or at the appointed time, they could all be saved and fulfill their original lifespans, without the suffering of premature death.

“Heaven” refers to the celestial realm, and “humanity” refers to people in the world. The scripture speaks of Heaven and humanity together to guide those whose foundations are still shallow. Whoever has the chance to encounter and receive its teachings can be saved; they can live out the full span of life allotted to them and avoid the suffering of an untimely death.

At birth, everyone receives the wondrous nature of the Dao, which makes life precious. Whatever their social standing, people may live to one hundred years if they fulfill their proper duties. Whether they do good or evil affects how long they live. Some, through causes and conditions from past lives, and others through their actions in this life, use up their allotted years early and cannot reach the age they were meant to attain. This does not mean that Heaven favors some people over others. In the world, people generally call those over ninety “long-lived,” those under seventy “middle-aged,” and those under fifty victims of “premature death”—that is, dying before one’s time. Nanchang, an important immortal realm in Daoist belief, has rules for assessing the merits of those who accumulate virtue and do good, so that they may enjoy long lives. After a person dies, they first undergo refining and deliverance, a Daoist rite for freeing the souls of the dead. If they do not meet the requirements, their bodies are buried and left awaiting further disposition.

People should revere and turn toward the Great Dao, and together keep good intentions: do not kill or take life, envy, engage in sexual misconduct, steal, covet, hate, or seize from others. Do not seek finery or bright colors in dress, and let no cruel or abusive words pass your lips. Let everyone care for one another as kin, even across different family names. Then the state will be orderly, the people prosperous, and all will rejoice and enjoy peace.

Any intention to harm or kill, or to witness killing and approve of it, is called “killing.” Committing unrighteous acts and damaging the myriad things are called “harming.” Destroying another person’s achievements is called “resentment”; seeing someone attain success and wealth and then giving rise to a crooked state of mind is called “envy.” Becoming absorbed in external appearances is called “indulgence”; acquiring things through improper means is called “theft.” Craving pleasure without knowing when to stop is called “greed”; giving rise to deluded thoughts is called “desire.” Mocking another person’s strengths or weaknesses with words is called “hostility.” Distrusting benevolence, righteousness, and trustworthiness, and allowing the mind and spirit to become unsettled, with speech and conduct growing erratic and affected, are also failings. Speech that is ornate but empty is called “empty embellishment”; speaking without regard for proper standards, and misleading others through shallow learning, is called “harmful speech.”

Now the men and women of a whole country have received protection and spiritual guidance, and the entire nation has turned toward and reveres the Great Dao. Putting these behaviors into practice in reverse gives rise to twelve kinds of good conduct: refraining from killing, harming, indulgence, and theft eliminates the karma of the body, the failings caused by bodily actions. Refraining from resentment, envy, greed, desire, and hostility, and from distrust, eliminates the karma of the mind, the failings caused by inner thoughts. Keeping speech free of empty embellishment and avoiding harmful words eliminates the karma of speech, the failings caused by language. The earlier passage’s description of keen hearing and clear sight signifies the purification of the six faculties—the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Now the karma of body, mind, and speech is removed together, and thus the practice of loving-kindness is fulfilled.

“Kindness” means being gentle and yielding, and not contending with others. “Love” means embracing both oneself and others, bringing benefit to oneself as well as to others. The virtue of kindness and love is so expansive that even those without shared blood ties can draw close and care for one another. In this way, the country naturally becomes stable, the people naturally become prosperous, and everyone dwells in a realm of Dao and virtue, rejoicing in life in a peaceful age. “Great” refers to purity and constant joy; “peace” refers to calmness and freedom from desire. The scripture uses the country as a metaphor for the human body, and the people as a metaphor for the Qi within the body.

When the teachings of the scripture first began to spread, the people of an entire country took the Dao as their standard. All who had already conceived a sincere intention and showed reverence and respect could receive spiritual guidance.

This means that, after the Lord of the Dao first received this scripture, he taught those in the kingdom who had already set their hearts on the Dao, so that they would all honor and revere it.

“Honor as the source” means to regard this scripture as the foundation, like oars or a bridge, and believe that through it one can cross the sea of suffering and attain salvation. “Uphold” means to venerate the scripture as though the Celestial Worthy were teaching you in person and you were hearing its meaning with your own ears. One should therefore recite its words and put its teachings into practice. “Pay homage” means to bow before the scripture as one would before parents, teachers, and elders, approaching it with both awe and affection, and never daring to treat it lightly. “Revere” means to treasure the scripture as one would gold, silver, pearls, and jade, fearing its loss. When all four dispositions are fulfilled, one can transcend the mundane, attain deliverance, and live forever.

The hymn says: To recite the words one by one and count them over and over is merely to wear out the body in vain. What matters is doing good and making good deeds one’s guiding principle. To live forever and attain deliverance from the world, there is no other secret: simply cultivate with single-minded devotion and keep a heart of sincerity.

The scripture says: What the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning taught consists entirely of the inner names and hidden tones of the gods of the various heavens. It also includes the secret taboo names of the demon kings and the hidden names of the hundred spirits; these are not ordinary words of the mundane world. Only perfected sages and perfected people who have attained realization, mastered the mysteries, and perceived the subtlest truths can fully understand its passages. Recite this scripture ten times, and the heavens will sing in response from afar, while the myriad emperors perform ritual obeisance. Rivers and seas will grow still, mountains will conceal the clouds, the sun and moon will cease their courses, and the pivot of the celestial bodies will stop turning. The hosts of demons will be bound, ghosts and spirits will vanish, the dead will return to life, and white bones will become living people.

The names of the emperors of the thirty-two heavens are the inner names and hidden tones spoken of in the scripture. From “the Azure Emperor Protects the Soul” to “the Flowing Bells of the Eight Directions” are the secret taboo names of the demon kings. From “the Spirit of Immortality” to “Taokang” and “Heyan” are the hidden names of the hundred spirits. Lingbao is the source of the Dao’s Qi; delivering people…

The titles of the Celestial Emperors of the thirty-two heavens all belong to an inner, secret register of sounds. The Azure Emperor protects the hun-soul, and this continues through “Flowing Bells of the Eight Directions.” These are all the secret inner names of the demon kings—names kept hidden and unspoken. From “Deathless Spirit” down to “Tao Kang” and “He Yan,” the names are likewise hidden names of many spirits.

Lingbao is the root of the Qi of the Dao, and delivering living beings is the source of the various methods. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning embodies the profound and wondrous Great Dao. He established methods to deliver people, transmitted the Great Dao in writing, and gave it a prescribed sound and rhythm. This is different from worldly literature. Immortals of the middle and lower ranks cannot glimpse the deeper meaning of the scriptures. Only the highest perfected sages, by deeply experiencing the Dao’s mystery, can investigate what is most subtle and hidden within them.

The “sound and rhythm” spoken of here refers to tones that harmonize with one another. The myriad Celestial Emperors, the sun and moon, mountains and rivers all took form through differentiation from the root Qi of the Dao. Now, as the Celestial Worthy expounds the scriptures and their methods, he uses the sound of the root Qi to gather scattered Qi and reunite it as one form. All things therefore respond of themselves. Clouds and mists recede; the sun, moon, and stars—the “Three Luminaries”—settle into stillness; ghosts and demons disperse, demonic obstacles retreat, and all things return to their source. These responses arise from a settled mind and concentrated spirit. Just as tones can set Yin-Yang in motion, so it must be.

The hymn says: Those who understand the mysterious and know the root of the Great Dao know that mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon all come from one source. This is no deliberate praise of the Lingbao scriptures and methods; rather, the minds of perfected beings are settled and in harmony with the Great Dao.

Those who have attained deep cultivation recite the scriptures ten times, and the Five Emperors come to protect them; the gods of the Three Realms bow in reverence, demonic essences lose their powers, and ghosts and monsters perish. Even those close to death can be rescued: after their breath has ceased, they come back to life.

This is possible because the filth within the cultivator has not yet been cleared away, and the body has not yet fully united with the true Dao. Though the cultivator can summon and subdue the spirits of the ten directions, their authority is not yet enough to command the celestial administration. Their De, however, is sufficient to subdue the Earth Deities and bind demonic spirits. They can therefore only keep someone who is about to die from dying for a time; they cannot yet bring someone who has already died back to life.

Only those who cultivate diligently, strive without slackening, and never turn back can be called “those of supreme learning.” Thus, when the scriptures are recited ten times, the Five Emperors of the five directions all come to protect the cultivator.

Diligent cultivation, constant progress, and never turning back: this is called “the highest learning.” Thus, after reciting a scripture ten times, the Five Emperors (the deities who guard the five directions) will come to protect the practitioner. The gods of the Three Realms will also bow in reverence, while all demons lose their power and can no longer cause harm.

A person who has reached a certain level of cultivation can refine and nourish the body and calm the breath. The spirits within the body guard it and do not depart; this is called “the spirit-consciousness guarding itself.” The “Three Realms” mentioned here can be compared to the Three Corpses within the body, and the “Five Emperors” to the five internal organs. The many thoughts that surge up are called inner demons; disasters and hardships that assail body and mind are called outer demons. The most intense afflictions are called “Jing,” hence the term “demonic Jing.” The seven emotions and six desires are called ghosts: they disturb the mind, turn a person upside down, and obstruct moral cultivation. This is what is meant by demons and monsters. When a person reaches the state of the highest learning and recites and upholds the scriptures, these disturbances can no longer harm them.

Even when the allotted span of life is nearly over, someone able to withstand the ghosts of killing and the forces of evil may prolong this life. But this only subdues and repels the terrestrial spirits, sparing a person from death; it cannot transform the body one has now or grant long life and enduring vision. Even after a million kalpas, one ultimately returns to emptiness and extinction. A perfected person can unite and communicate with the Dao. Those who have attained the highest learning, however, have not yet severed all worldly attachments, and so the rank they gain through reciting the scriptures is different.

This is because all things in the world are ultimately illusory and unreal. A practitioner may perhaps escape lesser calamities, but when their allotted fate is exhausted, the body will still be destroyed. The root of the problem is that the Great Dao has not yet been fully cultivated: the practitioner has not attained true constancy, and the turbid Qi has not been completely dispelled. Though the body may for a time become firm, it has not yet penetrated the realm of reality. It therefore lacks sufficient power and cannot summon the gods of the Ten Directions. Here, “the Seven Governors” refers to the seven celestial bodies of ancient reckoning: the sun, the moon, and the five major planets.

The hymn says:

Free of impermanence, one gains long life and extended years; yet, on close reflection, one has not left the illusory realm of immortals.

Those whose cultivation has shallow roots should not put their faith in this. Refine and nourish the body, and there may be hope of ascending to the Nine Heavens.

If you recite this chapter carelessly, you will bring calamity upon yourself. But if you enshrine, honor, and pay reverence to this Jing (scripture), your household will prosper from generation to generation. You will form good karmic ties, many calamities will leave you undisturbed, and the spirits will protect your household. This Jing is exalted and wondrous; in Yujing, the celestial realm said in Daoist legend to lie above the Great Luo Heaven, it has no equal. It can save and deliver countless beings and is the foundation of the myriad Dao. Its vast teachings and beneficence are beyond description.

When reciting or encountering this Jing, if you fail to maintain proper decorum and cleanliness, treat it as a plaything and leaf through it casually, let your mind wander, speak of it without observing the proper rules, or pass it on indiscriminately, you are showing disrespect to the Jing. It is a treasured scripture cherished by the heavens and of utmost importance for saving and delivering beings. Concealing sages and hiding the Real, passing through life and death, dispelling calamity and warding off misfortune, and protecting the state all depend on it. Reciting it carelessly will bring calamity upon you. “Calamity” means disasters that come one after another. How could you fail to be cautious and fearful?

The Jing also says that enshrining and revering it can make a household prosper for generations, form good karmic ties, keep calamities away, and bring the protection of the spirits. These are the benefits that people commonly say can be gained through reciting a Jing. This Jing is exalted and wondrous because it is condensed from Brahma Qi—the primordial energy described in Daoism—and alternately gathers and disperses. Even through the great calamities that destroy heaven and earth, these scriptures alone will endure. They are indeed a vast celestial canon. How could their beneficence ever be fully described?

Yujing, or Mount Yujing, lies above the Great Luo Heaven, where golden towers and jade halls stand. Sacred scriptures and talismanic writings are spread throughout it; therefore, this Jing has no equal in Yujing.

The eulogy says:

Among the immortals, it is passed from mouth to ear.

Do not dismiss it with doubt or treat it as ordinary.

All things change as seas become fields and fields become seas,

but this Jing alone is supreme in the Great Luo Heaven.

The Dao says: Whoever recites this Jing ten times will have all the heavens descend together. Ancestors of every generation, as well as the departed souls and suffering spirits of the underworld, will at once be saved and delivered, ascending to the Vermilion Palace, the celestial palace described in Daoism. After nine years of transformation and cultivation, they will be received and reborn, and attain a place among the honored.

“Ordinary people” refers broadly to all living beings and does not imply differences in status or rank. “Myriads of generations of ancestors” means the parents, ancestors, and descendants of those who have undergone successive rebirths since time immemorial.

When ordinary people recite this scripture, the Celestial Emperors and Lords come before them and deliver the souls of their ancestors across the generations who remain in the underworld, long trapped there. All can thus be released through salvation and ascend to the Vermilion Palace, the dwelling place of the immortals in the south.

In the southern world of Cinnabar Heaven stands the Upper Palace of Nanchang. Within it is the Office of Vermilion Mounds, and within that office is the Court of Flowing Fire—a place where the dead are refined and transformed so they may attain salvation and become immortals. Those in the world who are able to ascend must pass through this palace and undergo the “Great Refinement by Three Fires.” Three kinds of divine fire refine away the impure forms produced by the Five Turbidities—the impurities of body and mind. The light of jade eyes then refines their innate constitution, after which water of Yellow Splendor washes their corpse forms. Finally, through the power that nurtures the numinous and true, they receive new life, transformed according to their individual karmic conditions and retributions.

The period required for this refinement falls into three grades: advanced practitioners attain salvation in three years, intermediate practitioners in nine, and those of the lowest grade in twenty-four. Through the merit of reciting the scripture, ancestors across the generations can all be refined within the intermediate period and reborn as people of noble rank. By continuing their practice from this new status, they can then attain salvation and ascend.

Those who delight in cultivating this supreme scripture can all become immortals once their merit is complete. They soar to the Golden Palace in the heavens and feast and take their pleasure in Jade Capital, the celestial city of the immortals. Advanced practitioners need only cultivate and recite this scripture to attain salvation at once and ascend to the Southern Palace.

To cherish this classic and keep it constantly in mind is called devotion to learning. Those who devote themselves to learning this scripture should cultivate the heart of Lingbao—following the Daoist methods of Lingbao and keeping the salvation of others in mind—and put that commitment into practice. When their merit and virtue are complete, they can ascend to the path of the immortals together with their ancestors. Thus, “all” refers to everyone who does these things.

They ascend to the Golden Towers in heaven to pay their respects to the Highest One, a revered Daoist deity, and to wander and feast in the Jade Capital, the celestial realm of the immortals. “Higher learning” here means diligently cultivating the utmost Dao, penetrating its mysteries, and surpassing ordinary people. “Cultivation” means spiritual practice; “recitation” means chanting the scripture. When both spiritual practice and recitation are complete and one’s merit is profound, one is no longer bound by the usual ranks and can ascend directly, receive refinement in the Southern Elixir—undergoing the refinement that, in Daoist belief, leads to the realm of the immortals—and then feast and wander in the Jade Capital.

The hymn says:

In cultivating the Lingbao teachings, steadfast resolve is essential; in reciting the scripture, undivided attention is essential.

When cultivation and recitation go together, merit is great: one can ascend at once and become an immortal.

People who receive and recite this scripture can prolong their lives and eventually cultivate the path of corpse liberation, a Daoist teaching in which one leaves behind the mortal body, the spirit departs, and liberation is attained. At that time, the soul temporarily leaves the body. Without passing through hell, it can manifest a body again and roam through the vast heavens.

Because of blessings and good deeds from past lives, a person is able to be born human in this life. If the teachings of Orthodox Daoism are being transmitted and one has the chance to encounter this Jing, accept it, and recite it, one can attain longevity. Yet human life ultimately has its limit, and the physical body will still die and decay. Even when the body dies, consciousness does not perish. This is called “corpse liberation” (shijie): after the body dies, consciousness separates from it and attains transcendence. Yang Wangsun, Ji Kang, and Guo Pu are all said to have abandoned their bodies and returned to the true Dao. Those who undergo corpse liberation are said to have clear eyes and light, nimble bones; in some cases, their vital blood does not decay. If their remains are placed in famous mountains or beside great rivers, they may even transform into pearls and jade.

Anyone who recites this Jing and cultivates the heart of Lingbao, an important Daoist method, while carrying out the acts of salvation described in the Jing of Deliverance, will surely prolong their life and may ultimately attain the Way of corpse liberation. After the soul and spirit temporarily leave the body, they need not pass through hell; they can reappear in a new form in the vast heavens. If one’s learning and practice are still too shallow to achieve the state in which body and spirit ascend together, consciousness can still return to the Great Dao through corpse liberation.

Can a house that has stood for a hundred years remain forever as good as new? As all things decline and change, they also pass into the hands of new owners.

Cultivate the Dao and De, and the work will be complete in a thousand days; the rights and wrongs of the world will, in the end, amount to nothing more than a heap of dust.

This Jing is subtle and wondrous, and saves all without limit. If heavenly beings and humans receive and uphold it, they will all gain blessings and lasting renewal and benefit.

This Jing is subtle and wondrous, and saves all without limit. All heavenly beings and humans can receive immeasurable blessings; the living and the dead alike are granted its benefits.

It can dispel calamities in Heaven and avert disasters on earth. Its blessings are immeasurable, reaching both the living and the dead, and bringing benefit to all beings.

This Jing is a precious treasure kept by Heaven and must not be passed on casually to people of later generations. A truly virtuous scholar must bring gold and silver treasures and, with sincere intent, swear an oath before Heaven before the Jing may be transmitted. If it is carelessly revealed or treated with disrespect, misfortune will extend to nine generations of ancestors, and the person who divulged it will serve for a long time under the ghost officials.

When perfected deities who have attained the fruits of the Dao meet in court and present their petitions, they invariably chant this scripture and cherish it greatly, never passing it lightly to later generations. Later, a sage ruler earnestly asked that the scripture be transmitted to the people to protect them through the great calamity of the Jia Shen year. Only then did the sages of successive generations pass it on, still withholding it from ordinary people. Only those with aspiration, who brought gold and precious objects as tokens, made a sincere oath, and reported their vow to the heavens, could receive the transmission.

Why was this required? Because what people cherish is often gold, silver, and precious treasures, while metal and stone also symbolize steadfastness. The Most High, the honorific title Daoism gives its supreme deity, established this rule so that people would give up what they treasured and overcome their stinginess. Only when they turned that willingness to relinquish toward the Great Dao were they permitted to receive and spread the scripture. Metal and stone also served to show that the recipients’ resolve was as steadfast as metal and stone. Those who treat the scripture lightly or disclose what should not be passed on will bring calamity upon nine generations of ancestors. They themselves will be made to serve spirit officials for a long time, laboring without rest like those who drive the tides and raise the waves, or carry stones to fill a river.

The hymn says:

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning patiently expounds profound and wondrous principles. The many methods he sets forth are all intended to deliver beings in heaven and on earth.

When people’s minds are trapped by their own fixations, they are like prisoners in a cell. If they understand the scripture’s meaning and carefully preserve this volume, they can find release through it.

The Five Directional Emperors who attend the scripture, along with its twenty-four Jade Youths and twenty-four Jade Maidens, will guard the scripture and protect those who receive it.

Each of the Five Directional Emperors dispatches twenty-four Jade Youths and Jade Maidens, making one hundred and twenty divine beings in all, to guard this scripture and protect those who receive it.

Daoist scriptures say that during the first month, observing an extended fast—abstaining from meat and cultivating purity and calm—and reciting this scripture can free the souls of deceased ancestors from confinement in the underworld and enable them to be delivered and ascend to the Southern Palace. During the seventh month, observing an extended fast and reciting this scripture can enable practitioners themselves to attain the Way of the immortals and have their names entered in the registers of the heavens. Their names will be removed from the registers of the dead and added to those of the living in the Yellow Registers and White Documents. During the tenth month, observing an extended fast and reciting this scripture can bring stability to kings, emperors, ministers, fathers, and sons; ensure lasting peace and continuity for the state; preserve its rulers from generation to generation; keep all regions at peace; and earn the people’s praise for an era of peace.

When ordinary people perform good deeds, their blessings extend to nine generations of ancestors. If their ancestors have already been reborn in the human realm or the heavens, their blessings will increase; if they have not yet ascended to the heavens, they will be delivered through the transformation of Qi. If people do evil, disaster will befall seven generations of ancestors and extend to their descendants. When someone dies and is confined in the underworld because of their offenses, the living may also suffer: they may be summoned or pursued, and misfortune may spread from one calamity to the next.

The first lunar month marks the beginning of the four seasons. The Qi and fortunes of Heaven and Earth flow freely, and all things renew themselves. By observing a long-term vegetarian fast and reciting scriptures at this time, in accordance with the regulations for the Celestial Officials’ examination, one can deliver the souls of the departed from earlier generations, spare their living relatives the suffering caused by the Earthly Bureau—the divine office that governs the underworld—and enable the departed to ascend to the Office of Nanchang, the abode of immortal officials in the Daoist underworld.

The seventh lunar month is when all things ripen and are gathered in. By observing a long-term vegetarian fast and reciting scriptures at this time, in accordance with the regulations of the Midsummer Origin for promoting good deeds, practitioners can attain the Dao and become immortals. The heavens will enter their names in the Golden Registers and White Slips, Daoist records of the names and ranks of immortals and perfected beings, erase them from the register of the dead, and enter them anew in the register of the living. But first, the Northern and Southern Bureaus—the divine offices that govern the registers of life and death—must erase their names from the register of the dead and enter them in the register of the living. Only then can they be delivered and ascend; otherwise, the effort will ultimately fail.

The tenth lunar month is a time of peace and repose for Heaven and Earth. By observing a long-term vegetarian fast and reciting scriptures at this time, in accordance with the merit of the Lower Origin for dispelling calamities and removing misfortune, one can appropriately pray for blessings and protection for the state above and the people below. The Perfected One of Zhengyi said, “One should serve the state and one’s family, undertake what benefits them, and remove what harms them. Only then should one serve the Three Realms—the Daoist domains of the Three Pure Ones—and I will have a clear conscience.” This is what the teaching means. If those who cultivate the Dao make this their aim, they take the boundless liberation of others as their foundation.

Keeping the thought continually in mind, persevering over time without slackening, is called “long.” Quieting the mind and guarding one’s thoughts with care, remaining self-disciplined and free from defilement, is called “fasting.” Hence the term “long-term fasting.”

The verse says:

Choose an auspicious day and hour to recite the scriptures; keep every worldly worry out of your mind.

When a person’s merit in aiding and saving others and benefiting all beings has been fulfilled, Heaven records their name in jade tablets and golden registers.

On the eight seasonal festivals—the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—reciting this scripture can enable one to become a Perfected of the Nine Palaces, a rank of immortal perfection in Daoism. Reciting it on one’s natal day, the day corresponding to one’s birth, can make the soul and spirits clear and upright, preserve the Qi within the body, end suffering and distress, and cause the body to shine with light. The spirits of the Three Realms will protect the practitioner; the Five Emperors will welcome them; the gods will come to pay homage; and their name will be entered in Heaven’s registers. When their merit is complete, they can ascend to Shangqing, the pure realm of the immortals.

The eight days of the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice are when Taiyi Siming, the deity who governs human lifespans and registers of destiny, leads his officials in recording people’s offenses, blessings, and merits. Those who have performed good deeds are recommended; those who have committed offenses are punished. Reciting the scripture on these days allows one to receive recommendation according to the prescribed rules, and thus to become a Perfected of the Nine Palaces.

On a person’s natal day, the spirits within them become clear and alert. Together with the star officials assigned to them, they review and record that person’s merits and faults, then report them to the Northern Dipper. Reciting the scripture at this time can make the soul and spirits clear and upright, and preserve the Qi within the body. When the Qi endures, suffering and distress dissipate; when they dissipate, the light of the spirit naturally appears. When thoughts stir recklessly, demonic disturbances arise; when the breath is still and pure, those disturbances cease. Therefore, the demon kings of the Three Realms protect the practitioner as they recite the scripture, keeping outside interference at bay.

As one recites the scripture and visualizes the gods and scenes in the mind, the divine officials appear. When the Qi endures, suffering and distress dissipate; when they dissipate, the light of the spirit naturally appears. When thoughts stir recklessly, demonic disturbances arise; when the breath is still and pure, those disturbances cease. During recitation and visualization, all the officials and gods emerge through the crown gate at the top of the head. When the ritual is complete, they reenter the body through the Gate of the Myriad Mysteries, the wondrous portal through which spirits come and go. The Five Emperors are thus responsible for welcoming and escorting these spirits back. The gods gather to pay their respects and enter the practitioner’s name in Heaven’s registers. When the merit is complete, the practitioner ascends with the spirits within their body to the realm of Shangqing.

The verse says: “If reciting a scripture could make someone a Perfected, everyone would doubt it and might not believe.”

Whether or not one practices “preserving the spirits” (inner contemplation and visualization of deities), as long as the Qi within the body is balanced and harmonious, boundless light will arise within.

The commentator says: The Lingbao Jingming Duren Jingfa is a teaching transmitted by the Master of Deliverance, Xu Zhenjun, the High Commissioner of the Grand Historian for the Nine Provinces. When the myriad spirits do not scatter, this is called “numinous”; when the One Qi returns to its source, this is called “treasure”; when not even the finest dust settles upon it, this is called “purity”; and when no dark place remains unilluminated, this is called “clarity.” Those who receive the teaching are called “disciples of loyalty and filial piety” and should observe ten precepts.

First, do not forget the “Eight Extremes.” Loyalty is the utmost in reverence; filial piety, the utmost in obedience; integrity, the utmost in uprightness; carefulness, the utmost in keeping the precepts; generosity, the utmost in breadth of heart; abundance, the utmost in contentment; accommodation, the utmost in harmony; and forbearance, the utmost in wisdom.

Second, do not forget the “Reflecting Water.” A mirror is a metaphor for the mind, and water for one’s nature and disposition. When the mind is clear, it can reflect all things and principles. When one’s nature is pure, the Five Turbidities—the various impurities that cloud the mind and nature—cannot enter.

Third, do not forget the “Daily Record”: write down your good and bad actions each day so that you can examine and correct yourself. If there are things you would not dare to write down, they are your own faults; what matters is correcting them promptly.

Fourth, do not forget posthumous salvation, deliverance of the dead, and rites for protection and stability. Posthumous salvation means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for deceased parents, ancestors, and relatives, helping them leave the paths of the underworld. Deliverance of the dead means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites for parents, ancestors, and relatives who are still alive, praying that their blessings and longevity may increase. Rites for protection and stability mean reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for the sacred longevity of the king and emperor, and for peace in all directions.

Fifth, do not forget to offer aid and treat illness. Compassion and mercy should come first in healing. When someone falls ill, recite scriptures and perform talismanic rites for them, praying sincerely for relief as you would for your own parents. Whether the person is a man or a woman, if you are able to help, give assistance wholeheartedly.

Sixth, do not forget the practice of ingestion and refinement. This method takes the workings of Heaven and Earth as its model and follows the transformations of Yin-Yang. As long as each thought is upright and sincere, and contemplation and practice continue without interruption, one will naturally transcend the ordinary and attain various transformations.

Seventh, do not forget uprightness and purity. Uprightness means holding firmly to what is right and avoiding improper sexual conduct. Purity means abstaining from defilement and not craving foods forbidden by the precepts. Restraining desire prevents the loss of the body’s Jing; abstaining from forbidden foods also prevents harm to living creatures.

Eighth, do not forget frugality and moderation. Clothing and food should be understood as having been brought forth from the primordial ancestral Qi, and should not be excessively adorned. Eat coarse grains to satisfy hunger rather than seeking rare delicacies.

Ninth, do not forget the aspirations and vows you made at the beginning. An “aspiration” is the wish made when first entering the Dao; a “vow” is the pledge taken at that time. Heaven, Earth, and the spirits are all watching, so do not change them casually along the way. The precepts and regulations of the Dongshen lineage also address this matter, which must be treated with care.

Tenth, do not forget your teachers and friends. Teachers are responsible for instruction, and friends for encouragement and admonition. Those who teach you are like fathers; those who urge you on are like elder brothers. How, then, could you fail to respect them and instead abandon them?

The scripture also says that those who receive this teaching may, at the highest level, ascend to the heavens; at the next level, they may transcend the world of dust; and some may become immortals through “corpse liberation,” leaving the mortal body behind in its physical remains. The key lies in observing the mind: when thoughts cease, the true mind appears. It also lies in observing the body: when one no longer clings to form, the true form appears. When attachment to both mind and body has fallen away, one may enter the Dao beyond form and attain great stillness. When the divine light is clear and profound, one can behold the realm of Jade Clarity. This is the method of ascending to the heavens.

The Chapter on Ascending to Truth and Recognizing the Spirits also says that when those who study the Dao attain truth and ascend through the clouds, a celestial writ descends and immortal officials come to welcome them. A perfected being drives a chariot drawn by paired dragons, while strongmen carry banners and guard the traveler in front and behind. Celestial soldiers and jade youths and maidens hold ribbons and seals, while junior officials wearing silver ornaments relay the Emperor’s command by word of mouth. At this time, one should remain calm and unafraid; the hun and po souls will naturally undergo refinement at Zhu Ling. The Great General of Zhu Ling wields the flowing-gold fire bell and leads the traveler into the celestial realm.

The celestial realm has four gates. When entering the Eastern Florescence Gate, the gate officials will ask one’s name, investigate one’s offenses, and assess one’s merits. Only after everything has been verified will entry be granted. Two record-keepers guide the traveler upward, and the Perfected Lords of the Southern and Northern Dippers then receive them and present their name in due order at the Court of Purple Tenuity. By then, the immortal path has been completed. The traveler bows and prostrates before the Three Realms of the Great Luo, Primordial Beginning, Jade Clarity, High Heaven, and Jade Emperor. The Celestial Worthy cannot be seen directly; one can only see auspicious clouds and hear the faint voice of a jade youth conveying the decree. One is also granted elixirs, golden pendants, and pearl tassels. On receiving these gifts, one should bow and rejoice. A perfected being will then teach the traveler how to pay audience to the Celestial Worthy.

This scripture is exceedingly profound, and only a brief account is given here. Keep these teachings constantly in mind, observe them carefully, and do not violate them. Reciting the true scripture at all times will enable you to receive the exalted rank bestowed by Heaven.

The Chapter on Corpse Liberation through Shallow Practice also says that those whose cultivation of the Dao is still shallow may ascend to immortality through corpse liberation. Before a person dies, they must have formed good affinities. When their worldly allotment of calamities is exhausted, their name is removed from the registers of the Eastern Peak and their documents are canceled at the Western Peak. The Divine Lord Du then sends two envoys to guide their spirit. At this time, they must keep their own karmic ties firmly in mind.

Upon arriving at the court of the underworld officials, they will see terrifying prisons and instruments of punishment. They need not be afraid: they should state the facts openly, explain the circumstances, and conceal nothing. Their name will not appear in the register of evil, but will be found in the register of the good. When the Perfected One Who Relieves Suffering at the Eastern Pole hears their account, he will welcome them gladly, and they will depart together in a jade carriage drawn by four wheels. The spirits escorting them on either side are the same as those who accompany an ascension to the heavens; one should also remember their names.

The spirit then undergoes refinement at Zhu Ling, ascends in due order to Highest Clarity, reaches the Gate of Heaven, and enters the Court of Purple Tenuity. There, an elixir or a true scripture may be bestowed, and a jade youth will convey the decree. The events are much like those of an ascension to the heavens. The bones left behind remain mortal remains of the world of dust, like the shed shell of a cicada: decayed and without fragrance. The descendants should bury them with due care. The clan, too, will receive protection and thereby set foot on the ranks of immortals. The immortal path is right before people, yet they often fail to recognize it, so this account is appended here.

I believe that Perfected Xu of Duxian (the immortal Xu Xun, revered in Daoism) used this Wondrous Scripture of the Supreme Grade to explain the Lingbao Jingming scriptures and methods. The words “Jingming” do not depend solely on the protection of a particular school, nor are they merely a ladder to immortality. The ladder of the immortal Dao is plainly before people’s eyes, yet they do not recognize it. So I have appended this passage here.

I also believe that “Jingming” cannot be fully compared to things such as empty space, the sun, and the moon. The Collected Works of Duke Chao Wenyuan says that the Confucian classics speak of “clarity and purity embodied in oneself, with intent and vital energy like the spirits.” The Zhuangzi says that when water is clear, it can reflect things; how much more so can a person’s spirit? The sage’s mind is purer still. The Buddha Puguang explained the “Jingming Samadhi” (the pure and lucid meditative absorption) to the Bodhisattva Wujinyi, saying that it is far removed from all afflictions, that the mind and nature are like empty space and cannot be stained by defilement, and that originally there is not a single thing. It is a body of empty stillness, pure to the utmost. Within stillness lies the capacity for illumination and discernment; when emptiness is fully revealed, this is light at its utmost. It is like the purity of empty space and the brightness of the sun and moon. If one cannot realize a mind that is pure and lucid, then even if one explains the principle to its utmost, there is no teaching to grasp. Use a light bright as a candle flame to dispel darkness, and make yourself as empty and still as a cleared room. These words are ways in which the sages of the three teachings—Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism—have expounded the wondrous meaning of “Jingming.” They are equal to the principles taught in the scripture, with no difference in rank, like pieces of blue-green jade that share the same color without distinction. The meaning of the chapter “The Suspended Pearl Is Still, Leaving No Sound Behind” is the same, so I have appended it here as well.

The scripture says: On every day set aside for practicing the Dao, one should first bathe in fragrant water, observe purification and abstinence, and then enter the room facing east. Click the teeth thirty-two times, sending the sound up to the Thirty-Two Heavens; pay homage thirty-two times in one’s heart. Close the eyes and quietly visualize oneself seated amid clouds of blue, yellow, and white Qi, with clouds filling the space within and without in deep obscurity. Visualize the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, lions, and white cranes arranged on either side; the sun and moon shining, the room brightly lit; and a round halo appearing above the head, its radiance illuminating the ten directions. All these scenes should be visualized clearly and distinctly. Then silently recite the incantation:

Greedy Luo, Yuluo; talismans without Sutu. The Great Impulse and Supreme Ultimate—the primordial state in which the Dao’s Qi moves, Yin and Yang have not yet separated, and all things are brought forth—hold Yin and Yang in mutual embrace and harmony. This power emerges from the formed world and enters the formless; even ghosts and spirits cannot fathom it. It can lead people out of death and into renewed vitality, while transformation unfolds of itself.

This is the primal Qi of the Primordial Beginning, with mystery deepening within mystery. It reaches upward to the farthest edge of the heavens and descends into the depths of the abyss. Recite it once, and illness may heal of its own accord; cultivate and nourish the hun and po souls, and the true Yang within a person will naturally be preserved. Through fasting, ritual recitation, and the accumulation of ten thousand acts of merit, one may ascend to become an immortal.

This is the supreme secret incantation, through which the myriad spirits continue without end. It is also the incantation of the heart’s deepest recesses and should be proclaimed again and again. The Dao of Tanluo shines through all things, bringing people into union with the Dao and its truth. In the highest reaches of the Jade Clarity Heaven, sacred, pure primal Qi billows upward. Distribute the numinous Qi and pour it into this servant, so that body and spirit alike attain the mysterious realm and transform in flight.

Proclaim this incantation: The Dao of Tanluo shines through all things, bringing people into union with the Dao and its truth. In the highest reaches of the Jade Clarity Heaven, sacred, pure primal Qi billows upward. Distribute the numinous Qi and pour it into this servant, so that body and spirit alike attain the mysterious realm and transform in flight. By command, marshal the myriad numinous beings.

Hasten to obey the decree of the Primordial Beginning Emperor, Lord of the Mysterious Capital.

The Supreme Dao Lord of the Mysterious Origin summons from within this servant’s person the Three-Five Meritorious Officers, who convey documents; the left and right official envoys; the incense-attending Golden Youth; the message-bearing Jade Maiden; and the talisman envoys and incense officials who oversee the Five Emperors and their appointed days, thirty-two of each. Let them convey and report the matters spoken of. Today is an auspicious day. In the quiet fasting hall, this servant observes the fast, cultivates the Way, and recites the scriptures. This servant now submits a memorial, praying that the petition concerning a certain matter may be fulfilled, and that the memorial may ascend directly before the Most Venerable Primordial Beginning Emperor in the supreme Thirty-Two Heavens.

There are two kinds of practicing the Dao. One involves burning incense, reciting scriptures, and performing buxu—walking the ritual steps while chanting hymns—and is also called practicing the Dao. The other involves refining body and mind and putting moral principles into practice, and is likewise called practicing the Dao.

Bathing means washing the head and body. There are also two ways to bathe. In one, the body is washed with water made from five kinds of aromatic substances after a spell has been recited; this is external bathing. In the other, one circulates Brahma Qi, the pure vital energy described in Daoism, until it flows through the ten directions. This harmonizes the five Qi within the body and brings the myriad spirits into unity; this is internal bathing.

Fasting means more than abstaining from meat, fish, and impure foods, and avoiding greed and sexual misconduct. It also means keeping one’s thoughts upright to guard against wrongdoing, disciplining one’s temperament, and putting an end to improper conduct.

Entering the chamber means going into a quiet room and shutting out the distractions of the world, so that body and mind can focus and communicate with the spirits. One faces east because the east is regarded as the direction of longevity. This is done to summon true Qi and to take the generative breath as one’s foundation.

There are different ways of clicking the teeth. Clicking the left teeth is called the “Heavenly Bell,” and clicking the right teeth the “Heavenly Chime”; both are used to summon immortals and spirits. Clicking the middle teeth is called the “Heavenly Drum” and is used to pay homage to the Highest Holy Ones. A heart bow is performed without moving the body: one concentrates on making the salute inwardly. Closing the eyes means withdrawing one’s outward gaze and turning one’s attention inward, so that Qi gathers and settles into stillness.

Blue represents the Qi of Mysterious Unity, yellow the Qi of Primordial Unity, and white the Qi of Beginning Unity. These three colors are modeled on the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities revered in Daoism. Sit quietly and visualize these images, and the divine spirits will appear. In this way, inner and outer visions become clear and mingle in profound harmony; hence the name “Azure Mystery.”

Next, visualize the Azure Dragon appearing from the liver on the left side of the body; the White Tiger appearing from the lungs on the right; the Vermilion Bird appearing from the heart in front; and the Black Tortoise appearing from the kidneys behind. Then visualize lions and white cranes, contemplating each in a group of six, as they emerge from the six bowels and take their places to the left, right, front, and back of the body.

Then visualize the left eye transforming into a disk of the sun, radiating nine layers of purplish-red light, and the right eye transforming into a disk of the moon, radiating ten layers of yellow-white light. The sun and moon are nine feet from the body. Their light shines brilliantly, enters the nose, reaches the back of the brain, and then enters the Palace of Golden Radiance, where it condenses into a circular glow the size of a wheel. The blue, yellow, and white colors visualized earlier remain distinct and combine to form a nine-colored sphere. Then let this light shine throughout the worlds of the ten directions.

Next, in a faint voice, visualize the spirits appearing one after another from the crown of your head and taking their places in front of you; recite your wishes and invocations. Then visualize the Thirty-Two Heavens, drawing in and swallowing the Qi of each heaven in turn. The ritual is then complete.

The verse says: Close your eyes and observe yourself carefully. In a settled mind, it is as though another realm of heaven and earth appears. When inner light shines forth and immortal spirits gather, one may ask: Who is the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning?

“Primordial” is the root of all things, the beginning of the great form. It is vast and profound, its movement and transformations without end. If people can seek deeply into their own root and hold firmly to their foundation, they can endure alongside Heaven and Earth.

The verse says that even if you traveled across countless mountains and rivers seeking to know the truth at its root, your efforts might still be in vain. It is like a child who has lived in a house for a thousand years yet recognizes its master only today: people may dwell within something for a long time and still fail to recognize their own original source.

“Beginning” is the elusive, inexpressible source: the state in which all things first emerge in minute form, before change takes place. All things arise from the “Beginning,” eventually reach their end, and return once more to the Primordial. The “Beginning” is clear and still, self-sufficient and exalted. From it the transformations of all things unfold, and only then do they gradually acquire form and inherent qualities.

The verse says that at first, in ignorance, one does not understand what wisdom is, and so is drawn into the entanglements of worldly life. Those with resolve will eventually see through these entanglements, coming and going freely, without clinging or attachment.

“Nonbeing” also contains “being,” and “being” is never apart from “nonbeing.” Being and nonbeing contain one another: this is the root of the Dao. Face it, and no beginning can be seen; follow it, and no end can be found. Though hidden and silent, it has always been there.

The verse says that within the elusive, indistinct state there is a wondrous operation, and within it lies a true root capable of forming shapes. There is no need to search fruitlessly in the external world. Amid the blending of all things and the swirling of Qi, what is it that appears?

“Measure” refers to the Dao’s function, vast and without limit. Heaven’s number is one, Earth’s number is two, and the number of all things is three. From where, then, do one, two, and three arise?

“Measure” is a function of the Dao (the Way). It reaches its utmost yet is never exhausted. Heaven’s number is one, Earth’s number is two, and the number of the myriad things is three. Though Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things are diverse, in the end they should all return to the One. To take this as one’s measure is what is meant by “measureless.”

The verse says: Climb high and gaze into the distance; what you see stretches for tens of thousands of miles, yet you cannot know its extent. Heaven and Earth are vast beyond bounds, deep and unfathomable. Looking down and then up, you still cannot know how wide and broad they are. You must grasp the myriad things and return them to the one true root.

“Measure” also means that the Dao has no fixed form, yet contains light through which people may come into being; it has no root, yet can transform the unreal into the real. The Primordial One transforms and gives rise to spirit; spirit transforms and gives rise to the True; the True transforms and gives rise to the Dao. The myriad things take material things as their basis and so are formed; human beings take the True as their basis and so attain the Dao. To know the myriad things and preserve one’s true nature: this is “measure.”

The verse says: Forms of earth and wood must ultimately return to emptiness. People are swept along by veils of delusion, chasing after things in the midst of chaos. Only through a special method of cultivation that transcends the ordinary world can one ascend and escape the bonds of the earthly realm.

“Human beings” dwell in a realm that is obscure and indistinct, subtle and difficult to describe. In that indistinctness, spirit is born from fire; in the darkness, essence is born from water. Fire by nature rises upward, and through seven transformations becomes spirit; water by nature flows downward, and through six transformations becomes essence. The transformations of seven and six allow above and below to fulfill one another. Essence and spirit move back and forth and mingle, so that the subtle body thereby contains the True. When essence and spirit each return to the True, one is called a “Realized Person.”

The verse says: The human body is precious beyond measure. Originally pure, still, and silent, it can communicate with Heaven and Earth. Creation operates through Yin-Yang, while the body formed from Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind is ultimately impure.

“Supreme” refers to the wondrous aspect of the Dao. Swallow the red Qi, absorb the yellow Qi, breathe in the green Qi, and consume the white Qi; gather the primordial Qi in the Primordial Palace, the place within the body where primordial Qi is cultivated and preserved, and spirit and form will come forth. Then set aside the myriad things, transcend the countless transformations, and alone attain the mysterious Dao. This is called “the Supreme beyond the Supreme.”

The verse says: When three hundred meritorious deeds are complete and every kind of cultivation has reached distinction, one finally claims victory in the human world. The Jade Terrace, a lofty platform in the realm of the immortals, has already entered one’s name in the registers of immortals. Only then does one reveal a resolve that is extraordinary and a spirit that never belittles itself.

“Grade” refers to discerning the fundamental principle shared by the many methods, holding fast to the One and experiencing the One, until one finally returns to the supreme unity within oneself. The Dao has no form to begin with, so how could it have different grades? These grades were established only as a convenient way to teach and guide people.

The verse says:

There are as many as three thousand six hundred methods of cultivation;

the key is to recognize clearly the right path among them.

The Great Dao is not something one can complete simply by setting aside a thousand days;

do not let the years pass by in vain.

“Wondrous” is the root of the myriad things. Thus Heaven and Earth are clear through their empty wonder; Yin and Yang are pure and unified through their shared wonder; the sun and moon shine through their joined wonder; the Five Phases—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—are refined through the wonder they contain; and the myriad things are real through the wondrous principle they embody. “Wondrous contemplation” means seeing the forms of Heaven and Earth that have no outward shape: Heaven and Earth are clear through their empty wonder, Yin and Yang are pure and unified through their shared wonder, the sun and moon shine through their joined wonder, the Five Phases are refined through the wonder they contain, and the myriad things are real through their complete wonder. “Wondrous contemplation” is seeing forms without shape; “wondrous hearing” is hearing a sound without sound. It can be neither seen with the eyes nor heard with the ears; one can say neither that it exists nor that it does not exist. This is what “wondrous” truly means.

The verse says:

It is neither absent nor truly existent, but pure and genuine from the beginning;

neither form and color nor sound, it lies beyond ordinary things.

A realm whose shape is difficult to depict or describe—

within the mystery, its forms and positions are nonetheless clearly seen.

“Jing” refers to the guiding principles governing the movements of Heaven and Earth. The sun and moon move; day and night continue without pause, revolving in cycles, bringing forth the myriad things without end. The ancients looked up to observe the celestial signs and looked down to examine the land. They followed the Dao, never straying from its course or violating its constant patterns, and never losing their nature through external things. This is the fundamental meaning of “Jing.”

The verse says:

To recount the transmission between teacher and disciple, one must speak of aspiration, strength, and compassion;

the teacher does not withhold the Dao’s precious methods, treasured like a dragon’s pearl, but passes them on freely.

He clearly showed me the path to becoming a flying immortal;

this mysterious grace, deep as a mountain, must be repaid without fail.

The words “consult and compare, praising the Primordial Beginning” serve as a reference and supplement to the scriptural meaning of “Primordial Beginning.”

The verse says:

To recount the transmission between teacher and disciple, one must speak of aspiration, strength, and compassion;

the teacher does not withhold the Dao’s precious methods, treasured like a dragon’s pearl, but passes them on freely.

He clearly showed me the path to becoming a flying immortal;

this mysterious grace, deep as a mountain, must be repaid without fail.

Speaking of the “Primordial Beginning,” the encomium says: Before any forms appeared, it was forced into a name: “Primordial.” It is the ancestor of Heaven and Earth, the source of the myriad things. Only after the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—stood apart could there be talk of a “beginning.” If people understand how to return to their original nature, they will ultimately return to the root. It is a state of empty stillness that can also illuminate the myriad things, existing before the Great Kalpa, the vast transformations undergone by Heaven and Earth.

Speaking of the “Unmeasured,” the encomium says: Before the forms of the myriad things had taken shape, the Dao already existed. People did not know its name, so they could only call it “Nonbeing.” It is so profound that it cannot be questioned or measured. Calling it “Unmeasured” means that its vastness cannot be gauged. Mysterious upon mysterious, it is where the awakened ultimately return.

Speaking of “Delivering People,” the encomium says: Once the forms of the myriad things have taken shape, change arises from them. What could bring change to the myriad things, if not the Dao? It can turn the false into the real and transform decay into wonder. Among the multitudes, why are some able to transcend the ordinary on their own? Because they cast off the worldly and enter the sacred, returning to the Dao’s “Level, Rare, and Subtle”—descriptions of its formless, soundless, invisible nature.

Speaking of the “Highest Grade,” the encomium says: Since no one knows how high it is, it is called “Highest.” The Dao, undivided and whole, existed before Heaven and Earth. Looking up from below, who could have been before it? This is the state conveyed by “Grade”—how could words ever express it fully? It stands supremely above its peers, beyond compare.

Speaking of the “Wondrous Scripture,” the encomium says: The morning sun rises in the east, and the night moon hangs high in the sky; jade emerges from stone, and pearls form within mussels. Most precious of all is the Dao: how could its wonders ever be exhausted? It unfolds and appears as scripture, while the truth that is constant and eternal remains unchanged. Heaven and Earth undergo kalpas of transformation, but this Wondrous Scripture has no end.

Chapter on the Primordial Beginning: Expounding the Dao, Opening Transformation, and Universal Deliverance

To expound and propagate the Dao and De, to teach and transform the people and spirits between Heaven and Earth, and to govern the Three Realms—the celestial, terrestrial, and aquatic realms—is called “Universal Deliverance.”

The collator says: The words “The Dao says” appear in the scripture as the heading for these two chapters; the scripture commentary by Perfected One Qingyuan uses these words to mark one of them.

Establishing Images and Beginning Cultivation: 457 Words

Ordinary people’s original nature is clouded. They turn away from the root and lose their true nature. Therefore, the scripture begins by establishing images and methods—using forms and principles to point the way in cultivation—and showing people the path of practice. This is the foundation of cultivating the Dao.

The collator’s entry records: “Images and Methods for Beginning Cultivation,” 457 words. Ordinary people’s original nature is clouded; they turn away from the root and lose their true nature. Therefore, the scripture first establishes images and methods at its opening, pointing out where the path of cultivation begins.

The commentator says: The Preface to Qinghe Old Man’s Commentary on the Qingyuan Scripture of Delusion mentions “dividing it into eight sections.” The passage discussed here is one of them.

The Dao of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning is profound and mysterious. The Lingbao Original Chapter is among its highest teachings and the source of myriad mysteries. It repeatedly saves and delivers living beings. Hidden within its text are the secret names of a hundred kinds of demons and perfected beings; these gather and disperse, changing in accordance with nature.

This is the Celestial Perfected Sovereign’s explanation of the scripture’s central meaning: the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning embraces and proclaims the mysterious Great Dao, receives the principles of nature, shelters all things, and holds the most exalted position. He perceives the mysterious Dao as a unity and teaches and saves beings in the heavens and in the human world; hence the name “Primordial Beginning, Profound Cavern.” The radiance of his vast wisdom shines through the ten directions. In heaven it is called “numinous,” and in the human world it is called “treasure,” hence the name “Lingbao.” Since the scripture was spoken by the Celestial Worthy himself, it is called the “Original Chapter.” It records in full the fundamental methods for cultivating the perfected and uniting with the Dao. It ranks highest, as the foremost of all mysteries.

The scripture also conceals the secret names of various demons and perfected beings. When joined with Brahma Qi (primordial Qi), it congeals into written forms; when dispersed, it becomes Qi; when gathered, it becomes writing. This describes the transformations of Qi and the principles by which it waxes, wanes, and moves. It is unlike ordinary writing in ink. It is the source of all methods and a revered scripture of the Three Caverns (the three major categories of Daoist scriptures). Those with wisdom understand its principles and, through cultivation, can attain the treasure. The Yellow Court Scripture (a Daoist cultivation classic) says, “The way of nourishing life is in fact not difficult; its foundation lies in cultivating the Profound Cavern and the Jade Chapters.” This is what it means.

The hymn says:

To know how the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning saves living beings,

Understand that Lingbao was originally called the “Original Chapter.”

Who can grasp the hundred secret names of demons and perfected beings hidden in its text?

If you understand its gathering and dispersing, you can reveal the light of nature.

The Red Script of the Chaotic Cavern (the red celestial writings revealed within primordial chaos) is the supreme true Dao. At the beginning of the kalpa, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning brought forth the heavens and opened and illuminated the three lights—the sun, moon, and stars—making them the foundation of Heaven and Earth. Above them there is no further source; only the Dao is its own source. The five celestial signs unfolded, widely giving birth to and establishing the spirits.

“Hundun” refers to the state before Heaven and Earth were separated. Before the Primordial Beginning, the original Qi (the primordial vital energy present when Heaven and Earth first arose) was pure and unified, and appeared red. The breaths of wind and marsh were fused together; this was called the “Great Cavern.” When writing and symbols first took shape, only the Celestial Worthy stood still at the highest place, beyond form and image. Having attained the truest and most fundamental “Truth,” the Celestial Worthy was therefore called the “Supreme True One beyond all existence.”

The Primordial Ancestral Kalpa, also known as the Lesser Kalpa of Longhan, was called “Yankang.” At first, the One Qi transformed into three Qi, which became the upper realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). The three Qi then gave rise to nine Qi, forming the Nine Heavens. Beyond the Nine Heavens lay thirty-two further heavens, from which the various tiers of the celestial realms came into being. The sun, moon, and stars were then set in their places to govern the myriad things. Their light appeared, giving shape to Heaven and Earth, yet all things within them remained subject to the laws of change and transformation.

The Celestial Worthy then nurtured the true Qi of the Five Phases within the primordial Qi of Hundun’s beginning. This Qi was condensed into talismanic characters—documents inscribed with sacred symbols—to stabilize Heaven and Earth, bring forth the spirits, and distribute them throughout the Three Realms to govern the myriad methods. These talismans could therefore hang in the heavens without falling and endure without being destroyed. The Celestial Worthy also derived five thousand characters from these five kinds of script, recording the foundations of the Dao of wondrous, primordial, divine Truth. Corresponding to the Five Phases, these characters were the basis for opening the way to transformation and creation.

Before a person’s body had taken shape, where was their consciousness? At that time, there was no division or distinction in the undifferentiated chaos. It could be said to exist, yet could not be said not to exist. This formless, undifferentiated source is called the Dao. The Dao is the root of the human person. When the Dao disperses, it forms a simple, unadorned substance; that substance disperses in turn and becomes Qi. As Qi gathers, it gives rise to Shen (spirit); once Shen is complete, the body takes shape. This is the human being’s original essence and first source.

Afterward, the human body forms the Three Dantian (upper, middle, and lower energy centers, associated in Daoist cultivation with Jing, Qi, and Shen), opens the nine orifices, and develops the five internal organs and six bowels. These, too, symbolize the formation of the heavens. The Three Dantian are the source where essence and blood gather and the myriad Qi arise. From them appear the body’s “Three Luminaries,” often associated with the lights of the sun, moon, and stars. They are the basis for the movement of Yin-Yang within the body and for the Qi that circulates and protects it.

Though a person is born from the womb, the source of life begins at the Primordial Beginning. A person does not come solely from the flesh and blood of their parents: they receive the Dao’s Qi as their foundation, then take shape through essence and blood, dwelling in the body as they undergo change. Once the Five Spirits, corresponding to the five organs and the Five Phases, are each established in their places, spirits also arise in the body’s thirty-six thousand joints and its vital parts. Thus we can see that spirits are present throughout human life.

The Dao, therefore, is never far from a person. Human beings originate in the Primordial Beginning; by understanding this and cultivating themselves, they can ascend to immortality. The ignorant remain deluded and fail to awaken. They do not honor their own Qi or cherish life’s foundation, nor do they know how to preserve life and strengthen the body. In the end, their bodies decay and their lives come to an end. They depart from their true source and, as a result, become distant from the Dao.

The hymn says:

This is the true Dao, supreme above all and beyond all things. It has endured from the Dragon-Han era to the present. It neither increases nor diminishes, and remains eternally clear and still. This is called the “Great Dharma Body,” the fundamental form manifested by the Great Dao.

Without numinous writings—the sacred script of the Dao—the myriad forms would have no light. They could not manifest or take shape, nor could they be brought to completion, used to deliver living beings, or give birth to the myriad things.

When the primordial, undivided Great Dao dispersed, Heaven and Earth came into being as distinct realms. When the numinous writings gathered, the jade characters—the sacred script—appeared. Only then did the myriad forms receive light, the myriad ways become established, and all things come to fulfillment in their own way. Living beings could be delivered, and the many kinds of life could be born. If the primordial One Qi, the original breath of the universe before differentiation, had not yet divided, and the five kinds of numinous writing had not appeared, how could the myriad things have come into being? Human life is the same: without the Dao’s Qi descending to nourish and awaken true numen, the innate spiritual nature, and bring about its transformation, how could this body of visible form be established?

The hymn says:

The numinous Lingbao tradition began to differentiate and reveal its light; the sacred writings shone brilliantly, beyond the limits of past and present. They bring stability to Heaven and Earth and make clear how the myriad things come into being. They are no idle words written on paper.

This is the “Great Brahma,” the vast heavenly realm formed from the gathering of the Dao’s Qi: heaven within heaven, the Yuluo Xiaotai and the Jade Mountain’s Upper Capital, rising above to the supreme realm of Daluo Jade Purity. Vast and remote, it endures through countless cycles of cosmic change, seeming both to exist and not to exist. There are the Three Flowers’ Lifting Platform, the Marvelous Court of Great Being, the Golden Towers and Jade Chambers; palaces and halls stand in profusion, pure and profoundly still.

The mighty Brahma Qi, the primordial clear Qi of the heavens, flows throughout the ten directions. Within it are the gods who deliver people from death, the Lord of Long Life at the Southern Pole, the Great Divine Marshal who delivers the world, and the venerable Lord Han, who cherishes life. There are also the Southern High Lords of Destiny and Records, along with the revered gods who extend life, increase one’s allotted years, and deliver people from calamity. They can revive withered bones, return the dead to life, and save immeasurable numbers of beings. Today, as registers are examined and names recorded, the spirits and gods of all the heavens gather before the imperial presence.

The heavens above the Formless Realm are all called Brahma Heavens. The “Great Brahma” spoken of here refers to the realm where the Dao’s Qi has only just begun to gather.

The realm above all formless and colorless states is called Brahmā Heaven. The “Great Brahmā” mentioned here is the realm where Dao Qi (the primordial vital energy of the Dao) begins to gather. “Heaven within Heaven” refers to the sacred realm of the Three Pure Ones and the Great Luo. “Great” means that it encompasses all the heavens; “Luo” means that it extends throughout the Three Realms. Because it is supreme and beyond compare, it is called the “Great Luo.”

Within the Great Luo realm stands Jade Capital Mountain, eighty thousand li in circumference and facing Mount Kunlun far below. On the mountain is the Yuluo Xiaotai Terrace; upon it stands the Seven Treasures City, and within the city is the Jade Clarity Hall, where the Celestial Worthy resides. The mountain’s highest point is called the “Upper Limit,” the realm of the limitless. There, all is vast and profound. Only the highest immortals can see it; those of the middle and lower ranks cannot. Its height cannot be measured. It appears and disappears, seeming at once to exist and not to exist. This is the Dao of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning as it transforms, conceals, and reveals itself. There are also the Palace of the Three Blossoms and the Courtyard of Great Abundance, places of rest and repose. When the emperors of the heavens gather, they must tread through the air while chanting and circle the courtyard three times before they may behold the Jade Countenance. The Golden Towers and Jade Chambers, and places such as the Jade Pool and Emerald Waters, are arrayed there in solemn profusion. They are sustained without end by the circulation of Brahmā Qi, and so endure through time.

Within the palaces dwell divine beings who govern the deliverance of people and their freedom from death. They are also distinct honorific forms into which the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning has transformed. The Lord of Long Life is the Great Emperor of Zhu Ling, who governs the Taiwei Enclosure and oversees deliverance through the refinement of fire. The Lord of Deliverance from the World governs the calamities of the Yang Nine and Hundred Six. Lord Sima is responsible for destroying evil spirits and removing ordeals. The Lord Who Cherishes Life is another name for the Emperor of Azure Florescence, who governs, examines, and verifies. Lord Han governs Nanchang and assesses the ranks of those who cultivate the Dao. The Lords of Destiny and Record oversee merit and fault, determine increases and reductions in lifespan, and register and extend people’s years. The Spirit Who Delivers from Calamity governs the removal of misfortune. The Lord Who Restores Bones and Raises the Dead oversees the deliverance of departed souls, enabling the dead to ascend and their remains to rise. When the Celestial Worthy expounds the Dao, these divine beings are summoned to gather at the Imperial Pavilion. They examine charts, registers, and records, and assess and rank those who cultivate the Dao.

The human body, too, is like a small cosmos: precious as the Seven Treasures and no different from Jade Capital Mountain. The palaces of the head are like the Yuluo Xiaotai Terrace, while pure realms such as the Golden Towers and Jade Chambers are arrayed throughout the body, where the deathless gods dwell. If Brahmā Qi circulates without ceasing within the body, the body will remain steady like the celestial bodies and endure without decay.

The hymn says: Primordial sacred Qi, the pure energy of before Heaven, flows throughout the ten directions. The Jade Capital and Golden Palaces, the celestial halls of Daoist teaching, shine in solemn splendor. Forget worldly attachments and turn inward to contemplate the Three Pure Ones’ realms—Jade Clarity, Highest Clarity, and Great Clarity. Everywhere one looks lies an immortal realm of eternal life.

The textual notes say: The scripture mentions the heavens brought into being through transformation, and also calls this the heaven within the Great Brahma Heaven, extending as far as the Great Luo Jade Clarity realm. The commentary on the scripture has already explained this, and there are other records as well. It also records the names of the Nine Heavens, the Nine Empyreans, and the heavens and empyreans of Primordial Sacred Qi. All these places are immortal realms of eternal life.

The annotators say that the scripture speaks of “bringing forth the heavens through transformation.” It also calls this “the heaven within the Great Brahma Heaven,” and says it extends upward to the Great Luo Jade Purity Heaven, the highest celestial realm in Daoism. The commentary on the scripture has already explained these matters and compiled them separately. Here it also records the names of the Nine Heavens, the Nine Empyreans, and the Brahma Qi heavens—the primordial Qi from which the heavens are formed. They are appended together below:

The Heaven of Beginning Blue is also called the Empyrean of Radiant Brightness and Flowing Light, Plain Scenery. The Heaven of Blue Origin is also called the Empyrean of Original Truth and Precious Radiance. The Heaven of Beginning Vermilion is also called the Empyrean of Total Generation, Opening the Numinous and Transmitting the Dao. The Great Vermilion Heaven is also called the Crimson Empyrean of Great Peace, Responsive Transformation, and the Ruler of the Dao. The Heaven of Beginning White is also called the Scenery Empyrean of the Central Ultimate, Sublime Mystery, and Transformation into Emptiness. The Great White Heaven is also called the Jade Empyrean of Bright Origin, Majestic Virtue, and Luminous Crystal. The Heaven of Beginning Black is also called the Lang Empyrean of Flying Blue, the Original Pass, and Broad Salvation. The Great Black Heaven is also called the Purple Empyrean of Joined Scenery, Double Passes, and the Heaven within the Heaven of Incarnate Transformation. The Clear Subtle Heaven is also called the Divine Empyrean of Jade Purity and Sublime Realm; it governs the Brahma Qi of the Nine Empyreans below.

Another version of the scripture’s commentary includes diagrams of the Three Heavens, the Nine Heavens, and the Thirty-Two Heavens, placed after the “Chapter on Generating the Spirits.” The Nine Heavens lie below the Three Heavens and above the Thirty-Two Heavens. In order, they are: the first, the Boundless Heaven of Yudan, in the south; the second, the Boundless Longevity Heaven of Supreme Meditation, in the northwest; the third, the Heaven of Brahma’s Supervision and Suyan, in the east; the fourth, the Heaven of Silent Tranquility and Doushu, in the southwest; the fifth, the Heaven of Paranimita and Untroubled Joy, in the southeast; the sixth, the Heaven of the Grotto of Non-Transformation and Responsive Sound, in the north; the seventh, the Heaven of Numinous Transformation and Brahma’s Assistance, in the west; the eighth, the High, Void, and Clear Bright Heaven, in the northeast; and the ninth, the Heaven of No Thought, No Bondage, and No Desire, also in the north. Another account calls it the Heaven of Bali.

These Nine Heavens all belong to Brahma Qi. They are simply alternate names for the Heaven of Beginning Blue, the Great Empyrean, and the like, so they are appended here together.

In the east, south, west, and north; the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest; above and below—in all ten directions—there are the Limitless Flying Heavenly Divine Kings, Great Sages of Long Life, who are charged with saving living beings far and wide. In the scripture, “the ten directions” means east, south, west, and north, the four intermediate directions, and above and below. In one passage, the title “Northwest Measurer of Humanity” appears in the middle; judging by the surrounding text, it still refers to the Divine King of the northwest.

From the east through all ten directions, the Divine King’s Dao Qi—the vital energy through which the Dao transforms—divides and manifests in forms of unfathomable mystery. These are all titles of the Flying Heavenly Great Sages, the Limitless Divine Kings. The Divine King was born from Primordial Beginning. Before the Longhan Kalpa, when Primordial Beginning first brought forth transformation, he appointed this deity above all others to govern the Qi of Heaven, lead the celestial immortals, oversee life and death, understand the hidden laws of Heaven, and protect living beings. Whenever a kalpa comes to an end, the Divine King shapes and assesses those who cultivate the Dao, and presides over their recommendations. He governs every rank and grade by which practitioners are elevated or demoted.

The hymn says: The Divine King’s Dharma Body has no distinct form in its original state, and appears alike in all ten directions. Because this Great Sage can live forever and never perish, his deliverance of living beings is without limit.

The Perfectly True Ones of the Ten Directions—the supreme divine beings from the heavens of the ten directions—the Flying Heavenly Divine Kings, and the countless great gods who grant long life and deliver beings from the world all arrive riding flying clouds. They travel in vermilion carriages and green palanquins, with feather-adorned canopies and jade wheels, drawn by vermilion phoenixes and five-colored dark dragons. They raise nine-colored ceremonial standards and the Ten-Extinction Spirit Banners, flags used in the processions of immortals. Nine phoenixes cry out together at the front, while eight luan birds call in unison behind. Lions and white cranes, too, give forth long, melodious cries. The Divine Lords of the Five Elders lead the way, and the assembled immortals guard the carriages. Hundreds of millions of carriages and tens of thousands of mounted attendants come through the air. They draw in their radiance, turn their carriages, and oversee the Perfected Immortals as they deliver living beings from suffering.

The carriages, palanquins, wheels, and canopies are all formed from gathered Yang essence Qi, the vital energy of Yang. Phoenixes, dragons, cranes, and other divine birds and beasts, by contrast, are transformations of Yin essence Qi. Those of the highest sagehood possess the true, constant Dao. With a breath, they can gather and disperse Yin-Yang Qi, causing forms to appear as they please. When Yin and Yang Qi harmonize, they become songs and music. All these arise from the pure and true Dao; they are not external objects. If people cultivate the inner accomplishment of the Lingbao method, drive away Yin demons, and gather their Yang spirits, they can enter the state of refining the Real. As soon as the primordial Qi is exhaled, all the gods obey. The spirits of the five organs appear, each in its proper direction and color, and the carriages and ceremonial procession arrive to welcome them. Then the gods within the body’s hundred bones lead the way and follow behind as the person ascends to Heaven to pay audience to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, just as the scripture describes.

The hymn says: The immortals’ ceremonial procession is so vast and grand that it is hard to count; its songs and music interweave in a way that no worldly art can reproduce. Who can make such a scene appear? In the end, it is never separate from oneself.

“Deliverance from Life and Death” comprises 158 characters.

The previous passage used the scene of the Perfected Immortals’ procession to encourage people to cultivate the Real. Now it turns to saving living beings and freeing them from the suffering of life and death, showing how the scripture carries out its work of deliverance.

According to the collation, this is Qingyuan’s commentary on the scripture, the second of eight topics listed.

The ministers of the heavens, officials of the Upper Palace of Nanchang, Han Si, the divine registrar who oversees the registers of names, and the Great God who supervises birth all come together before the Emperor. Holding name registers and ledgers, they proceed according to those whom each is charged to deliver…

The heavens conduct their examinations with great care.

Each of the thirty-two heavens has a chancellor, an assisting official in the celestial realm responsible for overseeing registers and records. Nanchang is the Vermilion Mound Fire Court in the world of Cinnabar Heaven, where the dead are brought across and practitioners are refined and delivered. Han Si is a civil official in the palace who manages the documents and registers used in this process. The supervising spirit gathers life-souls for the dead and forges them into complete souls, granting them new life; this is also another name for “renewal.”

The gods of the heavens, moved by the vow-power of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, each bring their registers and records before the Heavenly Emperor to examine who should receive deliverance. Some have names entered in wondrous immortal registers from a former life and bones suited to becoming immortals; some have practiced purification and upheld precepts, accumulating merit; some have revered the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—and their good deeds have reached the heavens; some have made offerings to the Treasure of the Masters and gained the approval of the Three Officials—the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official. All whose names appear in the registers of the heavens must undergo strict examination. Their order of ascension and deliverance is then determined according to their grade of merit.

The hymn says:

The heavens, summoned by the call, gather in the imperial court. What is the purpose of their meticulous examination of the registers? For those in the world who accumulate good deeds and profound merit, the divine officials of Nanchang will refine and deliver them.

A universal proclamation is issued to the Three Realms, the boundless divine realm, the offices of the Springs and Rivers, the Northern Capital of Luofeng, the Three Officials’ nine bureaus, and the twelve sources of the rivers: release ancestors, deceased relatives, and kin from past generations from illness; clear their records of sin and eradicate their roots of evil. Do not detain them or force them to mingle with the ghosts. By the talismanic command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, they are to be promoted and delivered at the appointed time.

The Three Realms are the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The “divine lands of the Limitless” refers to the domains of the spirits under the jurisdiction of the various divine courts and local temples throughout the Three Realms. Quan Qu lies in the deepest part of the Northern Sea, the vast waters of the far north, and is an important administrative seat for rivers and seas. These places all record and detain the souls of the guilty.

The Northern Capital of Luofeng came into being when clear Qi rose to form the heavens, while heavy, turbid Qi condensed into Mount Luofeng. The mountain stands in the north, between Heaven and Earth. It is 555,555,000 li high and 30,000 li around. It reaches upward to the Azure Heavens and descends to the Wind Spring; dark, dense Qi fills its surroundings.

Within the mountain are six celestial palaces and grotto dwellings: the Palace of the Heaven of Severed Yin, the Palace of the Heaven of Enshrined Execution and Deliberation, the Palace of the Heaven of Bright Dawn and the Enduring Offender’s Martial City, the Palace of the Heaven of Tranquil Illumination and Sinful Qi, the Palace of the Heaven of the Seven Errors of Ancestral Spirits, and the Palace of the Heaven of Daring Officials and Linked Courts. A Great Demon King presides over each palace, governing the divine offices of the Three Origins and the Five Sacred Peaks.

Mount Luofeng also has three palaces. The Upper Origin Palace stands high on the mountain, nearer to Heaven. It is governed by the Celestial Official, who assesses merit, records good deeds, and determines promotion or demotion in rank. The Middle Origin Palace lies on the mountain’s left side and is governed by the Earth Official. It contains spirit prisons for punishing guilty souls and is also where they are detained and summoned. The Lower Origin Palace stands on the mountain’s right, near the Wind Rampart, and is governed by the Water Official. Beneath it are nine great prisons, the Court of Cold Waters, and the Field of Eight Calamities. These are reserved for punishing imprisoned ghosts who committed grave offenses in the human world, such as rebellion against their parents or rulers.

Each of the three palaces has three offices, and each office has 120 underworld bureaus. Together, these make up the officials of the Fengdu realm. Their total number is 999,999,000, and all are appointed from among people in the human world who possess spiritual awareness. The Nine Offices are the bureaus governed by the Nine Earthen Emperors of the Ramparts and the Nine Commands. The Twelve River Sources are places like Daogian and Daobo, where guilty souls are dealt with separately.

Now the Celestial Worthy has ordered the heavens to conduct strict inspections and assessments, and has enabled students of the Dao to ascend and be delivered. He has also issued the Nine-Dragon talismanic decree, making it known throughout the Three Origins that they must release students from the sins of their ancestors and kin across all generations, swiftly remove their names from the registers of the condemned, and eliminate the causes that would lead them to fall into the Three Evil Realms. They must not detain or obstruct these students, nor drive them into the ranks of imprisoned ghosts, so that they may be promoted at the proper time.

Only by carefully examining the “Talismanic Mandate” (a Daoist Fulu [talismans and registers] used to convey the commands of deities and carry out ritual methods) can one understand its function: it enables those who cultivate the Dao and study its methods to deliver their ancestors and kin beyond this world, freeing them from the accumulated karmic sins of countless eons. It swiftly removes their names from the register of the condemned, eliminates the causes that would make them fall into the Three Evil Destinies, and frees them from confinement and obstruction, so they are no longer forced to keep company with imprisoned ghosts. In this way, they can ascend in rank at the proper time.

Consider carefully: who proclaimed this Talismanic Mandate? It can release the bonds of suffering and sin in the prisons of the netherworld.

It enables departed souls to return to their origin and recover their primordial state, restoring their life-supporting powers. Everyone can ascend in rank at the proper time.

The deities of the Cold Pool in the Northern Capital (a general term for the northern netherworld) guard bodies and souls, subdue the hosts of demons, and vouch for the departed, enabling them to be delivered beyond this world and ascend to the Southern Palace (the celestial palaces of the immortal realm in Daoist teaching). Once refined through the ritual of transcendence, the souls of the dead can become immortals. The bodies of the living, too, can be delivered beyond this world, enduring through generations and eons, turning with the cycles of the kalpas and sharing the longevity of Heaven.

Within the Cavernous Yin Realm of Fengdu (the Daoist netherworld) lies a netherworld place called the Capital of Shuo Dan Yujue, governed by the Five Spirits, the Mysterious Elders, and the Lords of the Five Qi. The Lord of Northern Yin governs the Nine Earths, while the Water Emperor of the Great Deep governs the Nine Waters. Together, these places are called the Northern Capital. There, numerous deities—including the Great Demons of the Three Realms, the Generals of the Three and Five, the Clerks of the Six Jia, the Assessors of the Five Emperors, the divine troops who carry out executions, and the mighty celestial strongmen—administer the examination of the dead and their registers of sin.

If, while alive, a person’s cultivation and learning are shallow and their karmic sins heavy, after death they are bound to enter the Northern Capital. While alive, they are called a yang soul; after death, a yin soul. If the roots of delusion and sin are not brought to an end, the yin soul will scatter and become difficult to gather. The deities must therefore guard the body of the deceased so it does not fall apart, and subdue the demons and vouch for the soul so it can be delivered beyond this world and ascend to the Southern Palace. Afterward, the dead soul must undergo refinement in a great fire; only when its ghostly substance has been consumed can it transform and become an immortal.

To say that the dead soul undergoes refinement means that the deceased can regain a body of flesh and blood. This is not merely the fleshly body born of one’s parents, but a Dao-body, formed through cultivation and refinement. That is why it is called a “life-giving body.” Once the Dao-body receives deliverance from the immortal realm, it can endure through the cycles of the kalpas and share the longevity of Heaven.

The hymn says:

So long as I support body and soul, they can subdue the demons and suffer no oppression.

In this life, you must cultivate and save your own body and mind; if you merely wait for others to recommend you, you may lose precious time.

May you forever escape the “Three Paths”—hell, the realm of ghosts, and the realm of beasts—the “Five Torments,” such as mountains of blades and trees of swords, and the “Eight Difficulties.” May you transcend the Three Realms and roam freely in Shangqing, the Pure High Heavens. In Daoism, Shangqing is a pure realm of the immortals. Here it depicts the formless realm where the Heavenly Emperor Yuzhen dwells, as well as the state of pure practice. Torments such as mountains of blades and trees of swords may refer both to suffering after death and to hardships encountered in life.

“Three Destinies” refers to three places of rebirth: hell, the realm of ghosts, and the realm of animals—that is, nonhuman living beings. The “Five Sufferings” include the torments of hell, such as mountains of knives and trees of swords. In the human world, they refer to birth, aging, poverty, illness, and death. The “Eight Adversities” are eight predicaments that make it difficult for people to cultivate goodness: being born as a different kind of being, having low social standing, having an irregular appearance, living in a remote region, having a violent disposition, lacking a benevolent and virtuous ruler, frequently suffering from warfare and disasters such as fires, and continually encountering obstacles when doing good.

The Scripture on the Three Destinies and Five Sufferings says that when the three karmic actions of body, mind, and speech are pure, one will not fall into the Three Destinies. These three actions are the source of the ten evils and the basis of all forms of karma. When thoughts are pure, there is no cause for hell; when speech is pure, the ghostly influence dissipates; and when bodily actions are pure, one will not be reborn as an animal. Removing the “Five Poisons” can eliminate the Five Sufferings. Here, the “Five Poisons” are the attachments that arise when the five faculties meet their objects: the eyes crave the five colors, the nose the five fragrances, the tongue the five flavors, the ears the five sounds, and the mind the five desires. If even one of the eyes, nose, tongue, ears, or mind is pure in relation to its object, the Five Sufferings and evil destinies cannot arise and will naturally dissipate.

Cultivating the Eight Virtues can eliminate the Eight Adversities. These eight practices are benevolence, filial respect, loyalty, trustworthiness, integrity, gentleness, patience in the face of humiliation, observance of the precepts, and impartiality. They are the foundation of all goodness and the source of salvation in the world. Some also interpret the “Eight Adversities” as the state of being imprisoned and tormented in hell. But this interpretation clings to outward appearances and fails to encompass the underlying principle, so the explanation in terms of the eight practices above should be adopted.

“Highest Clarity” refers to the Jade Emperor’s capital, as well as to the formless and colorless realm of the Great Dao. “Brahma conduct” refers to cultivating oneself in accordance with the teachings: because there is a teaching to practice and a path on which to advance, it is called Brahma conduct. After death, all souls who are delivered from suffering must first pay homage in the Imperial Capital, then ascend to the heaven appropriate to their respective merits and cultivate themselves there in sequence.

The hymn says: “Sins and defilements all arise from a clouded mind; the Three Destinies and Five Sufferings weigh upon body and soul. Once washed by the light of Heaven, the faculties and their objects are purified, and one can be transformed into an immortal spirit and pay homage to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.”

This section discusses the heavens and contains 413 characters.

The previous passage has explained how the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—govern life and death and enable those who cultivate the Dao to ascend beyond them. Next, it will clarify the hierarchy of the heavens and the grades of ascent and descent, showing the different stages reached as cultivation advances.

The collator says: This is Qingyuan’s commentary on the scripture, which explains its contents under eight headings. This is the third heading.

The Eight Heavens of the East.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), having gathered the Nine Yang Brahma Qi (pure and sacred primordial energy), formed this heaven. It corresponds to the six eastern heavens and comprises two of the heavens in the Realm of Desire. Within the Realm of Form, the Yellow Zeng Heaven stands at the head of the Vacant Brahma heavens; its position among the constellations follows Kui and Bi. The constellations corresponding to the remaining seven heavens are, in order, Dou, Niu, Nü, Xu, Wei, Shi, and Bi. A comparative edition says that the Thearch wears blue ceremonial robes and a blue crown, and that the six heavens belong to the Realm of Desire.

The Nine Yang Qi has both clear and turbid aspects. The lighter portion formed this heaven, which lies below the other heavens, five hundred and twenty billion myriad li from the human world. It is called the Realm of Wind and Clouds. People who practice the three forms of pure conduct and accumulate a hundred good deeds may be reborn here. The lifespans of its celestial beings vary. Having only recently left the mortal world, their desires have not yet entirely faded, so they still have visible bodies.

The beings of this heaven fulfill their desires in different ways: some join hands, some do so through speech or a glance, and others through bodily union. For this reason, it is called the Realm of Desire. Its pleasures far surpass those of the other heavens, making it easy to become attached to them. Signs of decline appear quickly, and when life ends, beings fall once more into the various realms of birth and death. Those who cultivate step by step and completely remove desire can ascend to the Realm of Form. Practicing the Lesser Vehicle path can lead one to realize this heaven and become a celestial being. The scripture’s phrase “cultivate the Six Perfections” refers to practicing giving, upholding the precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. This is the path followed by those just beginning their training.

Within the heaven are the Three Hundred and Sixty Precepts of Great Clarity, which regulate the celestial beings. At the end of a great cosmic kalpa, a raging fire will rise from the base of Kunlun Mountain and consume the world. Its flames will spread upward as far as Yang Heaven. At that time, primordial Qi will disperse, and the heavens will be destroyed along with it.

The verse says: Pearl and jade palaces, jeweled towers, and immortal pavilions can also become sources of desire; beautiful consorts play celestial music. If one does not become lost in the things one covets, the circular radiance behind the neck and across the back will gradually appear.

The Great Sovereign Yellow Zeng Heaven is also called Pure Heaven, and is sometimes known as Dushi. This heaven is yellow and lies in the east; its position among the constellations follows Kui and Bi. People who practice the Ten Good Deeds and have only just left the mortal world can be born here.

The Thearch of this heaven is named Yu Jian Yu Ming.

“Yu Yi” is the esoteric name of the Heavenly Emperor Jue, kept secret and never revealed to outsiders. “Yu Ming” is the hidden name of the imperial demon. This heaven is yellow and corresponds to the East; it lies between the Kui and Bi lunar mansions. Those in the world who have accomplished the ten virtues and have only just left the ordinary realm may be reborn in this heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Yu Jian Yu Ming.” “Yu Yi” is the esoteric name of the Heavenly Emperor Jue, while “Yu Ming” is the hidden name of the imperial demon. These characters are cloud-seal script, the seal script used in Daoist Fulu (talismans and registers). The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning concealed them in jade slips and golden books in the Purple Pole Palace in heaven.

A note comparing textual variants says that another commentary describes this Heavenly Emperor as overseeing the registers of those destined for long life.

The Heaven of Great Clarity and Jade Perfection, also called the Heaven of Supreme Wonder, is green and corresponds to the East, in the Bi lunar mansion. Those in the world who have accomplished twenty virtues and purified two faculties—the senses, such as sight and hearing, and the desires associated with them—may be reborn in this heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Xu A Nati.” “Xu A” is the inner name of the Heavenly King, while “Nati” is his hidden name. These four characters are concealed in golden books in the Purple Chamber Palace in heaven.

A note comparing textual variants says that another commentary describes this Heavenly Emperor as overseeing the release of souls from their former state and their renewal through rebirth.

The Heaven of Clear Brightness and He Tong, also called the Heaven of Light, is black and corresponds to the East, in the Shi lunar mansion. Those in the world who have accomplished forty virtues and purified three faculties may be reborn in this heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Yuan Yu Qijing.” “Yuan Yu” is the Heavenly King’s hidden name, while “Qijing” is the inner name of a perfected person. These four characters are concealed in golden books in the Nine Dawn Palace in heaven.

A note comparing textual variants says that another commentary describes this Heavenly Emperor as overseeing the establishment of religious teachings and the salvation of heavenly beings and people in the world.

The Heaven of Mysterious Embryonic Peace and Nurture, also called the Brahma Heaven and the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, is red and corresponds to the East, in the Wei lunar mansion. Those in the world who have accomplished sixty virtues and purified four faculties may be reborn in this heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Liu Du Neixian.” This is the hidden name of the Heavenly Emperor Lord. The four characters are concealed in golden books in the Primal Radiance Palace in heaven.

A note comparing textual variants says that another commentary describes this Heavenly Emperor as overseeing the summoning and subduing of demon hosts and the raising up and deliverance of immortals and perfected beings.

The Heaven of Primal Brightness and Literary Eminence.

Some accounts call it the Heaven of Transformation and Bliss. Its sky is dark and corresponds to the east; its stellar mansion is Xu. After accumulating eighty good deeds and purifying the five senses, people of the world may be reborn in this heavenly realm.

“Dichou Falun” is the inner name of the Heavenly Emperor. “Chou” is the inner inscription of the Heavenly Lord, while “Falun” is another name for the Heavenly Emperor. These three characters are written in gold and kept secret in the Lunar Palace in heaven.

The reference edition records that a commentary in another version says this Heavenly Emperor governs the circulation of primordial Qi (vital energy).

The text above discussed the Seven Luminaries Heaven of Moyi.

Another name for it is the Heaven of Transformation and Bliss, meaning that sensual pleasure has reached its utmost height. Its sky is dark and corresponds to the east; its stellar mansion is Nü. After perfecting one hundred good deeds and purifying the six senses, people of the world may be reborn in this heavenly realm.

“Ditian Tianwaiqieyan” is the inner sound of the Heavenly Emperor; “Yan” is its hidden name. These three characters are written in gold and kept secret in the Taiyin Palace in heaven.

The reference edition records that a commentary in another version says this Heavenly Emperor governs the deliverance of those in peril in the netherworld.

The eighteen heavens are collectively called the Realm of Form. After Heaven and Earth were divided into the clear and the turbid, light and pure Qi formed the many shapes and forms of the Realm of Form. It lies beneath the Realm of Primordial Form, three hundred thousand li from the Realm of Desire, and appears like red clouds at dawn.

Among the Six Heavens of Deer Dust, those who cultivate the three hundred precepts of the Lower Origin and accumulate three hundred good deeds may ascend there. Among the Six Heavens of Fine Dust, those who cultivate the five hundred precepts of the Middle Origin and accumulate seven hundred good deeds may ascend there. Among the Six Heavens of Light Dust, those who cultivate the seven hundred precepts of the Upper Origin and accumulate eight hundred good deeds may ascend there.

Although sensual desire is absent from the Realm of Form, visible bodies and forms remain, which is why it is called the “Realm of Form.” If one continues cultivating and gradually removes all worldly defilement until forms are no longer manifest, one enters the Realm of Formlessness. If one develops craving and attachment, however, one will fall again into a lower heaven.

Those who perfect the Middle Vehicle Way may attain this state and are called Celestial Immortals; those at a higher level are called True Immortals. According to the Explanation of Names, each of the Four Fruit Heavens has two hundred and forty Upper Clarity precepts to guide and discipline its celestial beings.

When a Great Kalpa brings a flood, the waters rise from the region of the Dongjing star mansion. Huge waves submerge the world and reach as far as the Heaven of Extreme Wind. Primordial Qi then disperses, and this heaven too is destroyed.

The hymn says:

Practice diligently, accumulating merit and the fruits of cultivation.