《元始无量度人上品妙经通义》Vol. 2

The mastery of cultivation practice being complete, one can transcend the rank of the Zhongmin Heaven. The Taiyi Zhenke (Taiyi True Liturgy) says: ascending to the four upper heavens and entering the realm of the Dao, following the rise and fall of the primal qi (yuanqi), calamities can no longer reach one. Xue Youqi (Xue Youqi) says: each of the four directions has eight heavens, thirty-two in all, and these are the four Brahma Heavens (sifan tian). The Heavenly Emperors and the High Perfected (gao zhen, venerable realized beings who have attained the Dao) all have clearly defined forms; though they manifest true bodies, they can still come and go through empty space as freely as the void, without any obstruction. The heavens of each of the four directions consist of eight tiers, each formed by the accumulated Brahma qi (fanqi, the pure and mysterious primal qi). Every Heavenly Emperor also has a hidden inner name, and each is likewise an image condensed from Brahma qi and manifested in the void. The Heavenly Venerable (Tianzun) proclaims these teachings to deliver the world, so the scriptures are inexhaustible, and living beings are able to rely on them to escape the suffering of birth and death.

The thirty-two heavens have thirty-two Heavenly Emperors, and each heaven has its own secret taboo names and designations. Within the heavens there are the empty and natural numinous seals (lingzhang), the hidden resonances (yinyun) of the various heavens, and the heavenly sounds (tianyin); there are also the heavenly venerable deities, spirit beings, great demons (damo), and numinous perfected (lingzhen). "The Nine Harmonies and Ten Unions" (jiuhe shihe) refers to the mutual harmonizing and convergence of the various forces and transformations, ascending and transforming until they reach the Highest Clarity (Shangqing) realm. The thirty-two Heavenly Emperors, the hidden taboo names and secret designations of the heavens, together with the numinous seals, hidden resonances, heavenly sounds, venerable deities, spirits, great demons, and numinous perfected, all contain immeasurable profound meanings, too deep to be fully explained. The divine perfected (shenzhen) manifest and spread their presence, universally delivering living beings in both the heavens and the human world.

Today, they joyfully receive deliverance. After the heavens have been informed and petitioned, they ask that the Three Evil Realms be eradicated, the roots of falling into hell be cut off, and the five kinds of suffering be transcended, so that their names may be entered in the realm of Great Mystery. The Demon Kings bear witness and recommend them; thus, they are no longer confined by the gates of Heaven.

“Today” refers to the day the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning entrusted this scripture to the Dao Lord. The Dao Lord joyfully received the scriptural teaching and then informed the heavens in turn. When the Celestial Worthy preached the scripture, the heavens all descended together. They therefore had to be informed and petitioned to protect the celestial beings receiving deliverance, helping them eradicate the Three Evil Realms, cut off the roots of falling into hell, and transcend the five kinds of suffering. Once this was accomplished, their names could be entered in Great Mystery.

The “Three Evils” are the Three Paths of Torment: the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. The “roots of hell” are the causes by which people suffer in hell and fall into it. The “five households” refers to the five kinds of suffering. After celestial beings receive the scriptures and teachings of deliverance, the Three Evil Realms and the five kinds of suffering are eliminated, and the roots of falling into hell are cut off. Their names are then entered in the Jade Capital of Mystery, and the great Demon Kings of the Three Realms bear witness and recommend them, enabling them to ascend through the gates of Heaven without further restraint.

If people understand how to practice the scriptural teachings, comprehend within themselves the Way of the “Great Elixir of Ten Returns,” and purify the three actions of body, speech, and mind along with the six senses, then the suffering of transmigration and the roots of karmic wrongdoing can return to stillness and emptiness. The Golden Mother—the foundation of the Yin primordial energy symbolized in Neidan practice—begins to stir; the sacred embryo, the innate true nature cultivated within, reaches completion; true Qi, the vital energy at the source of life, moves among the heavens; the Yang spirit, the spiritual form cultivated through practice, leaves the body; and the Three Realms merge into one. Even the mighty Demon Kings will raise their hands in approval and protection, enabling the practitioner to ascend through the gates of Heaven without restraint. How, then, could such a person still retain the roots of falling into hell?

Yet without accumulating merit and practicing for a long time, one cannot reach this state. If external demons obstruct one’s practice, one cannot even cut off the roots of falling into hell, let alone ascend through the gates of Heaven. How could those who study and practice fail to be cautious?

The Eastern Dipper governs the length of life; the Western Dipper records people’s names; the Northern Dipper governs death; the Southern Dipper governs birth and the prolonging of life; and the Great Chief of the Central Dipper commands and supervises all spirits.

The Eastern Dipper consists of five stars, the Western Dipper of four, the Northern Dipper of seven, the Southern Dipper of six, and the Central Dipper of three. Some also call the star groups in the east, south, west, and north the Four Directional Dippers, and call the Northern Dipper the Central Dipper.

The Treatise on the Celestial Offices says: “The Dipper” (the Northern Dipper) is the chariot of the Celestial Emperor. It moves through the center of the heavens, governs the four directions, and observes signs of good and ill fortune. The Essential Instructions on the True One says that within the Northern Dipper’s star group are the Five Dippers: Yangming is the Eastern Dipper, Yin Jing the Western Dipper, Danyuan the Southern Dipper, Beiji the Northern Dipper, and Tianguan the Central Dipper. In Daoist ritual traditions, Heaven takes the Dipper as its heart; accordingly, the direction indicated by its handle revolves without pause, day and night.

The Great Kui Star of the Central Dipper is Kui Xing. The Northern Dipper is also called the Celestial Pivot. It is suited to the central position, where it serves as ruler of the myriad spirits and oversees them all. The human heart, too, corresponds to the Dipper in heaven: the seven apertures of the heart symbolize the seven stars of the Northern Dipper. The heart lies at the center of the body, governs the five sense organs, and is the dwelling place of the spirits.

After receiving ordination into the Daoist tradition, practitioners have their names entered in the registers of the Four Dippers, which also record their allotted lifespans, freeing them from death and granting them new life. The Central Dipper oversees this work and has the myriad spirits protect the body. Those who cultivate Neidan (internal alchemy) circulate the firing process through the celestial cycle, following the course of the Celestial Dipper—the direction indicated by the handle of the Northern Dipper. As they pass through the cycles of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions and the Seventy-Two Pentads, they bring the Yang Fire and Yin Talisman into harmony. Only then can they refine the elixir and bring their cultivation to completion.

The Azure Emperor protects the Hun soul, the White Emperor protects the Po soul, the Red Emperor nourishes primordial Qi, and the Black Emperor courses through the blood vessels. The Yellow Emperor resides at the center and governs them all, ensuring that the myriad spirits each remain in their proper place and do not exceed their duties.

Master Mo’an says: What is discussed here is the fundamental correspondence among things, in keeping with the Yellow River Diagram (Hetu), a chart that uses numbers and directions to explain how Heaven and Earth come into being. The mystery of “three and five” embodies the underlying principles of generation and transformation. In Heaven, the Five Emperors correspond to the Five Phases; on Earth, to the Five Sacred Peaks; and within the human body, to the spirits of the five organs.

The Azure Emperor’s surname is Chang, and his taboo name is Jingming. He protects the hun souls and governs the liver. The White Emperor’s surname is Hun, and his taboo name is Zangshou. He attends to the po souls and governs the lungs. The Red Emperor’s surname is Yan, and his taboo name is Dongdan. He nourishes original Qi and governs the heart. The Black Emperor’s surname is Xuan, and his taboo name is Mingmeng. He courses the blood vessels and governs the kidneys. The Yellow Emperor’s surname is Ma, and his taboo name is Zhongshen. He dwells in the central Yellow Palace and commands all the spirits.

The Record of the Five Emperors of the Great Cavern says that the Five Emperors have existed alongside Heaven and Earth from the beginning. When Yin and Yang first divided, the Five Emperors came into being as the Five Phases through the Lingbao teachings. The phrase “red apricots grind needles, wax socks dark as ink” appears as written in the original, but its meaning is unclear. The following words, “Lingbao gives rise to the Five Emperors,” mean that the Five Emperors are important deities within the Lingbao teachings.

The liver protects the hun souls and restrains the three hun; the lungs attend to the po souls and command the seven po. The heart governs the nourishment of Qi, while the kidneys store Jing. Water and Fire support one another, and the two Qi of Yin and Yang unite. Those who cultivate the Dao and attain deliverance are transformed through refinement and receive new life: the Five Emperors send down original Qi, which gives rise to the five organs and brings the Five Phases into being. They may then enter the Southern Palace, a celestial palace in Daoist belief. This is also what is meant by the five organs coalescing into an embryo infant, a symbol of inner life taking shape through cultivation.

Those who practice alchemical methods gather the Five Phases and employ techniques of reversal and transformation, allowing the One Qi to circulate through the Central Yellow Palace, the inner cultivation area at the center of the body, and the spirits to converge within the nine apertures. The Five Emperors send down their spirits to refine the Golden Liquor and send down original Qi to form the embryo infant. After prolonged cultivation, the five Qi converge at the Origin; lead is gathered and mercury subdued. In the end, all returns to true Earth and the Elixir is completed. The Immortal Master says that Jing, Shen, hun, po, and intention ultimately transform into “purple-gold frost,” the refined substance obtained through cultivation.

The Azure Heaven Demon King is named Bayuan Choubo; the Red Heaven Demon King, Futian Danshi; and the White Heaven Demon King, Fanshan Liumu. The original repeats at the end the phrase “all returns to true Earth and the Elixir is completed,” followed by the Immortal Master’s statement that Jing, Shen, hun, po, and intention transform into purple-gold frost. It then lists the names of these three Heaven Demon Kings.

The Demon King of the Azure Heaven is named Ba Yuanchoubo; the Demon King of the Red Heaven, Fu Tiandanshi; the Demon King of the White Heaven, Fan Shanliumu; the Demon King of the Black Heaven, Jian Choulangfu; and the Demon King of the Yellow Heaven, Heng Tiandanli. These five Demon Kings of the Heavens command the assembled gods, lead their hosts through the skies, and govern the ghost soldiers. Their ceremonial retinues are fully arrayed as they patrol the heavens in imposing splendor, wielding their supernatural powers alongside the gods of the various heavens.

By command, they descend from Heaven to save the people and keep the Northern Feng, the underworld realm that governs ghosts in the north, under strict control. The Divine Lord carries out his orders, sweeping away inauspicious things everywhere. The Eight Might Generals spew poisonous Qi, while fierce horses charge from all four directions. The celestial troops clear the way ahead, and the Great Marshal bears the banners. Their hurled flames reach ten thousand li, and the ringing of their bells resounds through all eight directions. Anyone daring to offend or obstruct the Highest Perfected Ones—those who have attained the Dao, or revered deities—is first cut down by the golden battle-axe, then punished by the Great Heaven. Ghosts, demons, and evil spirits are annihilated; attacks by wind and fire never cease. Thousands upon thousands of ghost heads are severed, and tens of thousands of ghost forms are cut down.

Demons and evil forces may not trespass, and ghosts may not cause mischief. The Three Officials, deities who oversee the affairs of Heaven, Earth, and Water, and the Northern Feng keep close watch over the ghost host and permit none to hide. Everything must be carried out swiftly in accordance with the orders delivered by the Golden Horse courier. This decree is proclaimed throughout the boundless void, and all the gods must obey. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms must also report the matter to the Highest Clarity, the upper celestial realm in Daoism.

Moran says: This passage discusses the circulation and application of the scripture’s efficacy, corresponding to the numerical pattern of “nine-one” in the Luo River Writing. In “the Five Heavenly Demon Kings,” the first four characters indicate their titles and ranks, the middle two are their personal names, and the final two are their courtesy names. The Azure Heavenly Demon King’s surname is Fu and given name Chicheng; the Red Heavenly Demon King’s surname is Fo and given name Yousu; the White Heavenly Demon King’s surname is Chi and given name Zhangshi; the Black Heavenly Demon King’s surname is Xu and given name Zhishi; and the Yellow Heavenly Demon King’s surname is Tianmen and given name Bo Kuang.

These five Demon Kings govern human greed, deplete and disturb people’s spiritual energy, and obstruct opportunities to cultivate the Dao; hence they are called “Demon Kings.” The “Great Demons of the Five Emperors” are the Demon Kings subordinate to the Five Heavenly Demon Kings. They stand at the head of all the spirits, and so are called “the Ancestors.” Here, they are also likened to a person’s five sense organs. The Hidden Book of Jade Purity says that the Demon Kings of the Five Emperors command their respective retinues and were born at the same time as Heaven and Earth. They often disturb those cultivating the Dao, making it difficult for them to attain completion.

The Demon Kings of the Five Emperors once relied on their own powers, believing they could stand alongside the emperors of the heavens. Later, when the Longhan kalpa opened the Way of Heaven, they submitted to the teachings of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Thus the Hymns of Walking in Emptiness—Daoist songs praising the divine—says: “The Demon Kings respectfully accept their commands, and so are able to pay audience to the heavens.” The meaning is that the Demon Kings once sang to disrupt those cultivating the Dao. After submitting to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, they were assigned specifically to test those who cultivate the Dao.

They fly and march with drums, commanding the ghost troops. This means that they fly across the Three Realms, beating drums as they lead their retinues and ghost troops in attendance. Waving banners and standards, they parade through the great void, proclaiming their illustrious achievements and fame equal to that of the heavens.

“From Heaven, saving people and sternly controlling Beifeng” means that when Heaven undertakes the work of saving people, it first issues strict orders to the officials of Beifeng—the Northern City of Luofeng, where the underworld’s ghost officials reside—not to diminish people’s allotted years or cut short their lives. It also commands the Ghost Emperors and the checkpoints of the underworld to obey the Celestial Worthy’s decree to save people, issue proclamations, and make the prohibitions clear: they must not harm those who are just beginning to study the Dao.

Youqi says that “Divine Lord” means the Divine Lord of Great Luo and Non-Ultimate. Once the Divine Lord receives the command, the Great Demons of the Five Emperors sweep away inauspicious forces and protect those cultivating the Dao. The Great Demons carry out their orders by sending the Eight Majestic Spirit Dragons to breathe out poison and subdue evil spirits, while fierce horses draw their chariots at speed in every direction. The heavenly troops clear the way; the great marshal follows, holding a banner; and the Great General of the Fire Bells hurls fire ten thousand li into the distance, its flames spreading across the eight directions.

Anyone who dares to defy the Celestial Worthy’s decree and obstruct the work of the True Ones will face execution by a golden battle-axe from the front and punishment by a great heavenly axe from behind. Ghosts, demons, spirits, and other malevolent beings are cut down swiftly, like wind and fire, without pause. Wherever divine might reaches, tens of thousands of ghosts and demons are beheaded and destroyed, leaving no trace. In this way, demons can no longer harass those cultivating the Dao, and ghosts, monsters, and spirits are wiped out. The cultivator ultimately completes their merit and perfects their work in the Dao, bringing the inner and outer into unity.

“The three palaces of Beifeng inspect the ghost registers and camps; none may be concealed. The golden-horse relay carries the reports to the Three Officials and Nine Offices.” This means that in places such as the Northern City of Luofeng, officials in the underworld and the human world examine people’s sins and blessings, and their good and evil deeds, and investigate the registers of crimes and black books held by the ghost camps. If those cultivating the Dao have karmic debts from past lives, or if their deceased ancestors have not yet been granted pardon, these records must not be hidden or delayed; they must all be cleared away. Afterwards, relay horses carry the reports upward, and the cultivator may freely journey to Shangqing, a high celestial realm revered in Daoism.

The Celestial Worthy’s command must be proclaimed throughout the boundless realms, so that all the spirits may hear it. It is to be transmitted through the ten directions and the Three Realms, and all divine beings must obey. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms and the great demons of the heavens will jointly testify to and recommend those who have received salvation, then promptly send their reports upward to Shangqing.

Moran says: This passage explains that those who have received salvation will not be detained or obstructed at Heaven’s gates, nor will they be harassed by demons.

End of Volume Two of the Tongyi Commentary on the Wondrous Scripture of Supreme Quality for Deliverance Without Limit by the Primordial Beginning.

Volume Three of the Tongyi Commentary on the Wondrous Scripture of Supreme Quality for Deliverance Without Limit by the Primordial Beginning. Commentary by Zhang Yuchu, the forty-third Celestial Master (Tianshi) and hereditary teacher of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition, an accomplished perfected master who joined the Dao with Wuwei (non-action), illuminated the ancestral model, and oversaw Daoist affairs.

The Jade Register of the Primordial Cavern records the original Qi of Heaven and Earth and the cycles of tribulation. It speaks of the Longhan and Yankang eras, spanning immeasurably distant billions upon billions of kalpas within primordial chaos.

Shaowei says: This passage discusses how cycles of tribulation arise and come to an end, and so it mentions Longhan and Yankang. The Mysterious Record of Turtle Mountain says that “Primordial Cavern” refers to the Qi of the August Sovereign. The Celestial Worthy gathered the Qi of the Primordial Cavern and fashioned it into a Jade Register, taking the Longhan tribulation as the first. When Heaven and Earth were opened, the era was called Chiming; when the cycle of tribulation ended, it was called Yankang. The cycles turn without end: when one concludes, another begins. At the end of a cycle, the Three Realms lie empty and ruined, while the spiritual essences of all things endure in the vastness of space. Thus Yankang is the name of a destructive kalpa, while Chiming marks the beginning of the opening of Heaven and Earth.

The Scripture of the Nine Grades says: In ancient times, the Qi of Primordial Unity was vast and undivided, and the heavens had not yet taken form. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning first manifested a body, and the Five Kalpas began to transform and give rise to life. He then commanded the Lord of the Way, Morning of the Brahma Origin, to record the Celestial Origin and set it in motion through the Five Kalpas. Thus “Primordial Cavern” refers to the ancestral Qi that gives rise to all things, while the “Jade Register” records the Celestial Origin.

From the division of one Qi, three joined to form nine. Their shapes were like dragons and serpents, coiling into nine paths that stretched into boundless depths and encompassed the foundation of the ancestral Qi of the Nine Yangs. The Most High then set the Brahma Qi in motion and joined it with the original Qi, initiating the ancestral Qi of the eastern azure heaven. The East received nine Qi and formed a heaven called Longhan; the South received three Qi and formed a heaven called Chiming; the Center received twelve Qi and formed a heaven called Shanghuang; the West received seven Qi and formed a heaven called Yankang; and the North received five Qi and formed a heaven called Kaihuang.

Once the Five Kalpas had run their course, Haotian manifested its form. One Qi merged with the Dao, radiant light spread through the eight directions, the Eight Emperors manifested their bodies, and the Nine Heavens took shape. Then the five Yang Qi of the Primordial Cavern were gathered and fashioned into the Jade Register. The Celestial Perfected Sovereign commanded the Celestial True Man to use it to record the origins of the Primordial Cavern, the foundations of the cycles of tribulation, and the deeds of the Celestial Perfected and Celestial People in cultivating immortality, along with the laws governing their advancement and decline.

“Primordial Cavern” means the ancestral Qi of the great cavern of Primordial Beginning. When this ancestral Qi gathered, it formed the Jade Register. The Celestial True Man used the Register to record the number of cycles of tribulation, from Longhan at the beginning to Yankang at the end, across immeasurably long ages. The formation and destruction of Heaven and Earth follow no fixed pattern: all things gather and disperse without constancy; after dispersing, they gather again, and ultimately return to primordial chaos. How many thousands of millions of millions of times this cycle has repeated is unknowable; it stretches back through vast depths of time and has no end.

Above, there is no longer a realm of form; below, no longer an abyss. Wind and marsh fill the void, and Heaven and Earth ultimately return to Yan Kang, the time of the final kalpa. Through long ages, the world undergoes destruction and formation. All things come together and disperse without any fixed order; after scattering, they gather once more, returning again to chaos. No one knows how many millions upon millions of times this transformation has repeated. It is remote and profound, beyond all measure.

Above, there is no longer a realm of form; below, no longer an abyss. Wind and marsh fill the void, while vajra, the indestructible power, supports Heaven. Between Heaven and Earth there is nowhere dark or hidden, no forms or images, and no boundary or end. Heaven and Earth remain undivided in chaos, like the Great Brahmā realm, a vast and boundless primordial state: empty, still, and far-reaching, without light.

Master Mo’an says: Here the account of the primordial Longhan kalpa is cited to explain the purpose behind the opening of Heaven and Earth in the second Chiming kalpa. At the end of the Longhan kalpa, Heaven and Earth had already been destroyed; neither above nor below could be described in terms of visible forms and colors.

Yan Dong says: Whenever the allotted course of a kalpa comes to an end, the sun, moon, and stars grow dim and lose their light, and Heaven and Earth become indistinguishably chaotic. This is why the text asks, “What color is above, and what abyss is below?”

Xue Youqi says: “Wind and marsh” refer to the Qi of the Dao (the primordial energy generated by the Dao); “adamantine” refers to the Qi of Jing (pure and solid vital energy). The Qi of the Dao is supremely gentle, able to penetrate and unite with the void. The Qi of Jing is supremely strong and vigorous, able to bear and set Heaven in motion.

Xiao Guanfu says: “Wind” has Qi but no form, while “marsh” has form but no substance. These describe the principle of natural emptiness, which is what is meant by the Qi of the Dao. “Gold” remains unchanged from antiquity to the present, while “adamantine” is firm and indestructible. These describe pure and subtle Jing, which is what is meant by the Qi of Jing.

“Darkness” refers to a dim and obscure realm; “utmost limit” means a boundary; and “primordial expanse” refers to the original state before Heaven and Earth had separated. After the allotted course of a kalpa ends, Heaven and Earth, though vast, still belong to the realm of form and transformation through Qi, and they too change with the movement of the kalpas. Thus Heaven and Earth above and below can no longer be described by visible colors or abysses. Only the Qi of wind and marsh is empty and void, while the Qi of adamantine is firm and indestructible. The Qi of Heaven and Earth rides upon them and moves, as the Way of Heaven is strong and never ceases.

The strong, vigorous Qi of Yang within Qian moves inwardly, and darkness gradually disperses. Heaven and Earth then merge into a single Qi, with neither obscurity nor shape or shadow. It moves without ceasing and has no boundary. At that time, Heaven and Earth are dim and chaotic, as if they were at the beginning before separating. The vast, all-pervading state of primordial gestation is filled throughout by the Qi of the Great Brahmā—the universe’s fundamental primordial energy—as it circulates. “Vast and open” means extending far beyond the eight directions, beyond the reach of words; hence it is said to have no light manifesting. Light is held within and has not yet emerged.

Practitioners should regard the body as foam on water, destined in the end to arise and perish. They should gather and refine the precelestial True One Qi—the original energy that existed before their parents gave them birth—as Heaven and Earth were still in chaos and just beginning to divide. They should then receive the supremely strong Qi of Qian Metal and form a Golden Embryo. The numinous, subtle nature formed in this way can endure through the kalpas. Even as the kalpas change, the Three Realms are destroyed, and all things return to emptiness, this nature remains settled in the mysterious void: independent and unchanged, circulating without weariness. Thus it strengthens itself without ceasing and has no end.

The Qi of the Great Brahmā congeals within and becomes the foundation of the Elixir—the basis of Neidan cultivation. Vast and boundless, it contains light without displaying it. This symbolizes the beginning of the division of Yin and Yang: when Yin Qi has been exhausted, Yang Qi becomes pure and undivided.

The Red Radiance Kalpa set the order by which Heaven and Earth operate, and all changes unfolded naturally. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning brought Heaven and Earth into stability and sent down five chapters of celestial writing. Written in vermilion and jade-colored characters, these writings were called the “Eight Awe-Inspiring Dragon Writings.” They could protect Heaven and Earth, regulate the course of the kalpas, and ensure that Heaven endured.

Mo’an explains: “‘The outer four chapters’ refers to the scriptures of the first four heavens, while ‘the one middle chapter’ refers to those of the remaining four heavens. Red Radiance is the name of a kalpa. Qingyuan says that when the Red Radiance Kalpa began, the great cycle opened. The Jade Calendar, which records the order of celestial time, established the framework of years and months, and Heaven and Earth were created anew. Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, stars, mountains and rivers, and the forms of all things thereby became distinct. The alternation of day and night, cold and heat, and the four seasons also fell into orderly sequence. This is why it is called ‘the natural course of cycles.’”

“Primordial Beginning brings stability” means that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning restores the order of Heaven and Earth through ancestral Qi, the source of vital energy, making Heaven peaceful and Earth firm. “Five chapters” means that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning condensed and took form from Brahma Qi, forming cloud-seal celestial script that carries five subtle, essential truths of Primordial Spirit. Hence the name “Five Chapters.”

As for “vermilion writing and jade characters,” Mo’an explains that the outer chapters stabilize the outside, with the vermilion “writing” symbolizing the sun, while the middle chapter stabilizes the inside, with the white “jade characters” symbolizing the moon. The phrase also refers to the Red Script of the Primordial Cavern: after Heaven and Earth were created, the red script was transmitted once more and inscribed on jade to bring stability to Heaven and Earth.

Mo’an explains that the “Eight Awe-Inspiring Dragon Writings” refer to the outer four heavens and inner four heavens, together forming eight directions, each with its own dragon writing. The phrase also refers to the registers of the eight dragons—talismans and registers endowed with supernatural power. They can subdue strange beings and command ghosts and spirits, and so protect Heaven and Earth, constrain the changes of the kalpas, and ensure that Heaven and Earth endure.

Within the human body, nature and life depend on one another. The life span of the physical body, however, must eventually end, while a person’s original nature is not destroyed with it. Thus, those who cultivate stillness and wisdom must investigate deeply the principles of life and death, the visible and hidden realms, until they fully realize their nature and bring their life to rest. In this way, the root of nature remains undying and its foundation endures. They can then verify the mystery of “seven returns and nine reversions,” and, even after passing through billions of kalpas, escape the cycle of suffering and rebirth to attain long life and enduring vision, with a life span beyond the ordinary allotment of Heaven.

“Fanhei Mila” means that the primordial Brahma Qi—the vital energy from which the cosmos began—spreads far and wide, encompassing all things. The various laws between Heaven and Earth unfold from it. The original guiding order circulates and flows throughout the thirty-two heavens. It revolves onward to the Formless Realm and travels through the ten directions. It shifts like the Northern Dipper in its course past the Ji Lodge, and likewise sets the Five Constants—the enduring patterns reflected in the movements of the five planets—into cyclical motion.

Mo’an explains: This passage describes how Heaven and Earth functioned during the second kalpa, after the red script was reestablished. When the red script appeared once more, Heaven and Earth returned to order, and all things began to grow again. The Brahma Qi of the primordial ancestral kalpa filled the four quarters and covered the heavens. Living beings of every kind were transformed into existence from this Qi; Heaven and Earth unfolded into view, and only then did the myriad things gradually come to completion. As Brahma Qi spread, it appeared as writing and laws, becoming models, precepts, scriptures, and written records that transmitted standards from generation to generation. Though there are countless laws, all were nurtured and formed by Brahma Qi. Once the myriad laws had unfolded, the guiding order of Heaven and Earth was established accordingly.

“Primordial guiding order” is like an overarching framework. Once the laws had unfolded, this order continued to circulate and spread. It therefore reached throughout the thirty-two heavens, revolved on to the Formless Realm, and extended through the ten directions, ending only to begin again. It never ceased for an instant, and there was nowhere it did not cover.

“Revolving around the Dipper and passing the Ji Lodge” means that the Northern Dipper revolves around its center and passes the Ji Lodge. Here, “Dipper” refers to the hub of the Northern Dipper and also symbolizes the human heart. The Ji Lodge lies in the northeast, in the direction of Gen-Yin. At the beginning of spring each year, at dusk, the Dipper’s handle points toward Yin. As the celestial bodies move leftward, it begins at the Ji Lodge and passes in turn through the twelve Earthly Branch directions. “Five Constants” refers to the five planets. The scripture says “Five Constants” rather than “Five Phases and five planets” to stress that the Northern Dipper revolves at the center, while each of the Five Phases performs its function, together forming the enduring patterns of Heaven and Earth. Over the course of a year, the twelve time divisions complete one cycle; the Sun, Moon, and five planets also follow the celestial measure, traversing 365 degrees.

When the Dipper’s handle points toward the ground, the precelestial True Qi—the vital energy present at the beginning of Heaven and Earth—also moves inward in step with it. It arises from beneath the Nine Earths and transforms into the myriad things. The human body, too, corresponds over the course of a day to the seasonal changes of the year. The breath moves through the twenty-eight lunar lodges, the twenty-four solar terms, the seventy-two pentads, and the sixty-four hexagrams, forming the firing times of the celestial cycle—a metaphor in Neidan practice for the rhythms of Qi moving within the body.

Viewed through the human body, the Dao of Heaven shows Yang Qi emerging at the hour of Zi and becoming the Three Yang at the hour of Yin. This symbolizes the Tai hexagram in the Book of Changes, as the movement of Qi gradually rises from the lower Dantian. It then passes through the Dipper and the Ji Lodge and flows through the six directions. This is all the True Qi of the One circulating everywhere in accordance with the enduring patterns of the Five Phases. When it is set in motion through the empty stillness of the heart-mind and allowed to continue without cease, there is nowhere it cannot reach. This is what is meant by movement and stillness having no fixed beginning, and Yin and Yang having no first origin.

The number divided into thirty-five parts is gathered into the Qi of the Supreme Origin. The eight kinds of luminous Qi merge subtly, and Qi enters layer upon layer of profound and mysterious realms. In the mysterious realm, the Great Sovereign appears together with the Supreme Deity and the High Perfected Ones. They drift amid the radiance of the Great Clouds, chanting and singing the Cavern Chapters—the passages of the Cavern Mystery Scripture referred to below.

Mo’an says: “‘Origin’ means what is primary and fundamental. The Eight Radiances are the Qi of the eight seasonal divisions. Each of the four seasons and four directions has its own Eight Radiances; together, these form the sixty-four hexagrams, eight times eight.” Guanfù says: “‘Thirty-five divisions’ refers to Yin-Yang, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and the twenty-eight lunar lodges. The method of measuring the movements of the Sun, Moon, and five planets and assigning degrees to the twenty-eight lodges is called ‘thirty-five divisions.’ The Sun and Moon unite, the five planets align, and the Qi of the twenty-eight lodges gathers. Taken separately, these make thirty-five; taken together, they are one Qi.”

“Supreme Origin” refers to the calendrical epoch that begins at midnight on the winter solstice, which falls on the first day of the eleventh month in the ancient calendar. At this time, the Sun, Moon, and five planets converge in the position of Zi. The “Eight Radiances” are the three groups of eight radiances described in the Scripture of Generating Spirit. The “Great Sovereign within Mystery” is the Three Treasured Lords of the Qi of Mystery, Origin, and Beginning—that is, the Supreme Deity and the High Perfected Ones. Their radiance of the Great Clouds lies above the three Qi of the Brahma-Clear Radiance. The “Cavern Chapters” are the scripture passages mentioned below, which shine with golden light and are chanted and sung.

In internal cultivation, the Sun and Moon joined as one symbolize the harmonizing of Water and Fire; the five Qi paying court to the Origin symbolize the regulation of lead and mercury. The cultivator gathers the Qi of Heaven and Earth’s transformations in the furnace and cauldron, follows the twenty-eight lunar lodges through the cyclical course of the fire phase, gathers the elixir at the onset of the winter solstice, takes hold of the seasonal Qi of the year, and seizes the moment when the first Yang begins to stir. This is called “gathering Qi into the Supreme Origin.” Thus “Origin” means both the foundation and the beginning.

As the One Qi rises to the Niwan, the cultivation site within the crown of the head, the seasonal Qi of the eight divisions subtly converges, and one enters directly into layer upon layer of mysterious realms. Even amid the hazy depths of trance, subtle things remain present. The cultivator’s Original Spirit and ancestral Qi gather at the summit of the Great Abyss; that is, the Supreme Deity and the High Perfected Ones appear above the three Qi. The scene is like the flowing radiance of the Great Clouds: sounds arise naturally in the void, inspiring joyous chanting and song.

The golden radiance is clear, bright, and resplendent; its sound echoes among the clouds. Jade-like tones gather the Original Qi, while numinous wind brings the vapors together. In the purple void, refined vitality gathers and flourishes, supporting and guarding the immortals. Countless kinds of harmonious energy and myriad forms of Original Qi converge, naturally condensing into a true body.

Mo’an says: From here through “each has its own gate of life” is a profound chapter handed down by the High Perfected. “Golden Perfected” means golden essence: the numinous root of Heaven and Earth, the source Qi of Yin and Yang, and the essence of the innate True One, the most Yang Qi. “Jade-like tones” refers to sounds like the dragons’ roar and tigers’ cry. “Purple void” refers to the Palace of Central Yellow, the central Yellow Court in cultivation.

Once the Golden Mother returns to the spirit chamber, the foundation of the Elixir becomes visible, and the golden embryo begins to sprout. The True Spirit shines with a light as bright and clear as golden essence. When the Qi of the Dragon and Tiger’s two strings joins, it enters the stage in which Fire emerges and Water is generated. Jade-like tones then reverberate, and numinous wind stirs within. The Original Qi returns to the spirit chamber and gradually nourishes the Yine (the foundation on which the internal Elixir congeals). Purple light and crimson hues appear within the Central Yellow earthen crucible; the Original Qi is gathered and the vapors brought together, allowing refined vitality to condense into the Real. The Qi dynamics within and without grow abundant, and all Qi returns to one place, like rivers flowing into the sea or the spokes converging at the hub. The spirit-mind becomes at ease, and the breath harmonizes. A thousand spirits join as one spirit; myriad forms of Qi join as one Qi. This all happens naturally, without deliberate effort. The inner union condenses into a true body: this is the most subtle and wondrous mechanism of Reverting the Elixir. The scripture says, “The returning wind blends them together; in a hundred days, the work is done.” The Cantong qi says, “Nourish and tend the Yine; gather the spirit to form the body.” Both describe this process.

Within the True Nature resides divine intelligence: the Great Lord of Long Life, the Young Lord Wuying, the Venerable Spirit Baiyuan, the Great One who governs destiny, Taokang, and Heyan. These spirits wield Fulu (talismans and registers), protecting life and sustaining its vital force.

The Primordial Spirit (the original spirit within a person) is the foundation of one’s innate nature and life. Because it endures through vast ages without decay, it is called the “Great Lord of Long Life.” Amid the indistinct and hard to discern, it appears as something real; in the deep and distant reaches, it holds Jing and Qi. This Jing and Qi are genuine, not illusory, and they also have signs that can be verified. This is what is meant by the Primordial Spirit.

Wuying is the spirit of the liver, Baiyuan is the spirit of the lungs, and Taiyi is the master spirit who commands the hundred spirits. Siming is the spirit of the heart; Taokang and Heyan are the spirits of the two kidneys. Gu Yu says: The scripture mentions these spirits in summary to show that Metal and Wood are not cut off from one another, and Water and Fire do not overcome one another. It does not mention the spirit of the spleen because the spleen occupies the center and harmonizes the four directions. If the Four Images—the four forces formed by the pairing of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases—cannot be brought into harmony, the spirits cannot dwell there in peace. Thus Taiyi occupies the center, symbolizing the Five Phases returning to unity.

In alchemical cultivation, the Kan trigram belongs to Water and contains Wu Earth, while the Li trigram belongs to Fire and contains Ji Earth. Hence the saying, “Kan-Wu, the moon’s essence; Li-Ji, the sun’s radiance.” The union of Water and Fire, the joining of lead and mercury, and the conjunction of Metal and Wood all depend on a harmonizing force at the center to bring them together. The subtlest key to cultivation lies in the principles of the Five Phases moving in their ordinary and reverse courses. If people can discern the subtle transformations within the ordinary flow of daily life, harmonize the Four Images, and gather the Five Phases, the foundation of life will grow more secure, and the source of innate nature can endure. This is the utmost spirit contained within the utmost truth. Guanfu says that the True Spirit safeguards a person’s nature and life, while numinous Qi (the wondrous original vital energy) nourishes the foundation of life. This is precisely what is meant.

Fulu (Daoist talismans bearing sacred commands through symbols and written characters), in their visible form, are talismanic mandates of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. If one seeks inwardly for their formless source, they are all one’s own true Qi. By maintaining them without slackening, one can protect and strengthen the original life, deliver departed souls, and restore the foundation of life.

The Primordial Spirit travels upward through Shangqing (a high celestial realm in Daoism), entering and leaving the Flowery Chamber and moving through the hidden realms of the eight directions and the subtlest reaches. Below, it guards the Niwan (the head’s chamber of spirit) and the Jiangong (the palace of the heart) within the body, regulates the Five Qi (the Qi of the Five Phases), and brings together the hundred sources of life.

The Primordial Spirit travels upward through Shangqing, entering and leaving the Flowery Chamber and moving through the hidden realms of the eight directions and the subtle reaches. Below, it guards the Niwan and Jiangong within the body, regulates the Five Qi, and brings the hundred spirits into harmony. After ten cycles of movement, turning back the numinous mechanism, the myriad Qi all return together to the immortal Way.

Master Mo’an says: This passage explains how practitioners cultivate and attain realization. “Upper Clarity” refers to the Niwan Palace, the inner area at the crown of the head used in cultivation. “Flowery Chamber” refers to the Flowery Chamber among the Three Realms; “Eight Obscurities” means the farthest reaches in the eight directions; “Niwan” means the crown of the head; “Crimson Palace” means the heart; “Five Qi” means the Qi of the Five Phases; and “hundred spirits” refers to the various spirits within the human body. These are all signs of attaining realization through cultivation.

Once realization is attained, the numinous functions of the spirits within the body are fully present, enabling them to rise and descend, circulate everywhere, and operate without pause. Rising upward, they reach the Gate of Heaven—that is, the space between the Upper Clarity and the Flowery Chamber—and move throughout the eight directions, reaching even the tiniest, finest places. Descending, they settle and stabilize the human body, returning within oneself: from the Niwan they descend to the Crimson Palace, then return to the Mysterious Pass of the central palace, the cultivation aperture at the body’s center.

“The center” is the center of the whole body. Holding to the center, guarding the center, regulating the center, the encircling center, the One Center, and the Yellow Center all express the same principle. When the true breath—the subtle, natural breath cultivated in practice—has settled, the mind is empty and still, the outer aspect is clear, and Qi harmonizes of its own accord.

The “Five Qi” spoken of here also refers to spirit, hun, po, intent, and thought. When breath regulation reaches the state of breathlessness, the mind becomes pure and Shen becomes settled. The Five Qi harmonize within the body, and the hundred spirits gather there. As this cycle repeats and continues without ceasing, and the circulation completes ten rounds, the wondrous transformations of one’s true nature become immeasurable, and all the Qi within the body returns to the immortal Way. These are the signs that the ten months of Neidan cultivation are complete, the work fulfilled, and the Way fully realized.

“To pursue the two Qi along the Yellow Path and bring the three natures together in the Primal Palace” means to bring Yin and Yang Qi into union along the Yellow Path, and to bring Jing, Qi, and Shen together in the Primal Palace. One then gathers in one’s desires and returns to one’s original nature, going back to the root and restoring life to its true condition. All these mysteries are contained within the practice of the ten turns.

The Way of cultivating immortality prizes the cherishing of life and can save and deliver living beings without limit. Above, the gateways of the eight directions are opened, and the Dharma wheel turns with them. The offenses, blessings, precepts, and karmic ties from past and present lives of all beings are examined and resolved there. The souls of the dead are universally delivered and given life anew; once reborn, they may ascend to the heavens. Beyond the heavens, each has its own gateway leading to new life.

Mo’an explains: This passage speaks of the retribution for the offenses and blessings of people in the world, and of how all may ultimately receive the grace of universal salvation. “The Way of the immortals” means the Way of long life. Thus the Supreme Venerable Divinity takes the cherishing of life as its foundation and delivers beings without limit. The eight gates are the Dharma-wheel gateways of the eight directions.

Good and evil, offenses and blessings in the world are all brought about by thoughts of the mind; hence the distinction between heaven and hell. When people are clouded by greed and other desires and fail to uphold the precepts, or are entangled in ingrained habits and attachments accumulated over past and present lives, they undergo the fruits of transmigration. Now, through the compassionate universal deliverance of the Heavenly Venerable, the gateways of the eight directions are opened and the Dharma wheel turns. Its numinous light and wisdom swiftly shine like sunlight into the deepest darkness. In this way, the souls of the dead can be delivered and given life anew.

After a soul has been reborn, it must also be announced to the heavens by the talismanic decree of the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning—a sacred talismanic command. The heavens then arrange its rebirth according to its virtuous deeds, merits, and endowment, giving rise to different ranks and grades among the immortals. The souls of the dead, each according to its own causes and effects, enter the appropriate gateway of rebirth and are delivered accordingly. The “gate of life” is the “gate of life and portal of death” mentioned in the Scripture of Generating the Spirits. Beyond the heavens, each has its own affiliated gateway.

Within this are the principles of emptiness and mystery, passages in the style of hymns, and numinous writings of the Demon Kings. The meaning of these texts accords with that of the High Perfected.

Master Muo’an explains that this passage is the preface to the songs of the Demon Kings of the Three Realms. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning believed that the wording of these songs accorded with the Cavern Chapters transmitted by the High Perfected, and therefore selected them for inclusion among the scriptures of the High Perfected, calling them “Numinous Chapters.” “Hollow Cavern” here refers to the “Hollow Cavern in the midst of Heaven” mentioned earlier, while “songs and chants” means the songs sung by the Demon Kings.

The ritual texts record that the Cavern Chapters are the Cinnabar-Yellow Writings of Turtle Mountain and the Purple Writings of Flying Mystery; they were not composed by the Demon Kings. The Great Beginning believed that the wording of the Demon Kings’ songs accorded with the Cavern Chapters, and so selected them for inclusion among the scriptures of the High Perfected. The Most High circulated these three chapters throughout the world, enabling people to awaken through them and transcend the Three Realms.

Long ago, after the Celestial Worthy subdued the Demon Kings, they all bowed their heads and accepted his commands. He ordered them to rule the Three Realms, each singing its own songs and flying through the air in transformed forms. Their purpose was to warn the heavenly people and the beings of the celestial realms, and to drive away the demons of desire. When people hear these songs soaring through the air, they can turn away from the distress brought by sensual desire and enter the gate of purity. The earlier passage says, “Above the various heavens, each has a gate of life,” followed by, “Within them are songs and chants of the Hollow Cavern.” This means that among the heavens there are also songs of the Hollow Cavern. Although the songs were composed by the Demon Kings, their intent is reverent and cautionary, and their principles accord with the Way of Heaven. They are therefore worthy of comparison with the words of the High Perfected.

First: The Sounds Flying Through the Air in the Desire Realm

Master Muo’an explains: “The Desire Realm” is the sphere where the heavenly and human realms meet. In the human body, it corresponds to the domain governed by the heart and kidneys. By transcending the realm of ghosts, one becomes human; by entering the Way of the Immortals, one can fly through the air. Master Guyu says that the Demon King’s name is Yumo. Daoist scriptures say that when ordinary people purify their speech and accumulate the merit of more than ten good deeds, they can be reborn in the six heavens of the Desire Realm. The Lingbao Ritual Texts say that the heavens from Huangzeng Heaven to Moyi Heaven belong to the Desire Realm. Once all six desires have been purified, one can ascend to the Form Realm.

The human way is small and insignificant, while the immortal way is vast and unfathomable. Though the way of ghosts may seem pleasurable, it stands at the very threshold of human life. The Way of Heaven values life, while the way of ghosts values death. The immortal way often leads toward good fortune, whereas the way of ghosts…

The human path is obscure and difficult to understand; the path to becoming an immortal is vast and hard to fathom. The path the ghosts take may seem peaceful, yet it is the very gate through which people enter death. The Way of Heaven cherishes life, while the way of ghosts cherishes its end. The immortal way often brings good fortune; the way of ghosts often brings danger. Above the high heavens, in clarity and radiance, a mournful, far-reaching song resounds through the vastness of space. May the immortal way be fulfilled; may the human path never reach its end.

In the Northern Capital’s Office of Dark Springs and Songs (a netherworld court in Daoist belief), ghosts gather in great numbers. They seek only to shorten human lifespans and block the gates of life. So we chant the Cavern Chapters (verses from Daoist scriptures) to subdue the Northern Luo Feng (the ghost court of the northern underworld). We bind and escort away demons and spirits, and cut down the fierce blades of the Six Ghosts. The Qi of the heavens surges in abundance, and our Dao grows stronger day by day.

Mo’an says: The “Northern Capital’s Office of Springs and Curves within my body” mentioned here is the Northern Capital of Luofeng within the body, the netherworld office described in Daoism. The “host of myriad ghosts” refers to the malign force of all kinds of demons, spirits, and the Six Ghosts. If practitioners can subdue them, bind and dispatch them, and ultimately cut them down, then the innate, clear, upright Qi within them will grow day by day, and the path to becoming an immortal will gradually be fulfilled.

“Miaomiao” means tiny and obscure; “mangmang” means lofty and far-reaching. The “Gate of Life” is the passage between life and death, while “numinous souls” refers to ghosts and their kind. The “Office of Springs and Curves” is the Northern Yin within the human body, and the “Gate of Destiny” is the root of life, the foundation of one’s fate. The human path is subtle and profound, impossible to fathom fully; the immortal path is lofty and deep, likewise difficult to comprehend.

Once people have a body, they are easily drawn to external things and bound by them: the eyes crave colors, the ears sounds, the nose scents, and the mouth flavors. These are the roots of the Three Poisons and Six Desires, which bring retribution in the Three Paths and Five Sufferings. Those who do not cultivate the immortal path fall into the path of ghosts. At the passage between life and death, the ghost path waits for its chance and leads people toward death. The Way of Heaven cherishes the vitality of life, while the ghost path gives precedence to death. Those who seek the immortal path should therefore honor De and accumulate good deeds; the consequences they thereby bring about can only be auspicious. Those who sink into the ghost path damage De and harm goodness, ultimately drawing calamity upon themselves.

“Lofty, supreme, pure, and numinous” describes the vast, elevated place where the Demon King dwells, beyond the reach of even numinous souls. “Brightly singing a sorrowful song, flying and roaming through the Great Void” means that the Demon King grieves for people who have turned away from the immortal path, hopes that those who study the Way may attain it, and does not wish for everyone to reach the end of the human path.

The Northern Capital’s Office of Springs and Curves is also called the Northern Capital of Luofeng. The Netherworld Pass and Mount Tai administer punishments for offenses and investigate faults. The divine offices of the Three Realms and Four Bureaus, the mountains and rivers, and the city gods and earth gods examine people’s merits and transgressions on the Daoist sacred occasions of the Three Primal Days, the Eight Seasonal Nodes, the Five La Days, and the Three Assemblies. They show no favoritism, even over the smallest details. Those who uphold goodness and cultivate blessings may extend their lives; those who do evil and bring calamity upon themselves have their lifespans shortened, their names entered in the registers, and are sent to Fengdu’s Office of Springs and Curves.

The host of myriad ghosts in the Office of Luofeng seeks to cut off people’s lifespans and the root of their destiny, preventing them from attaining the immortal path. Luofeng within the human body may be likened to a river of craving and a sea of desire. If people cannot restrain their desires and nurture their minds and spirits, delusive thoughts will arise in profusion, and each will become a demon or spirit. Practitioners recite the “Chapters of the Empty Cavern,” Daoist scriptures, to gather in and subdue the ghosts of Luofeng, bind and dispatch them, and cut them down, so that the malign force of the demons and Six Ghosts immediately dissipates. As inner cultivation and outward good deeds accumulate without cease, De becomes ever more complete, and the upright Qi of the heavens spreads far and wide. In this way, the Way I cultivate flourishes.

Mo’an says: The “Realm of Form” is the heavenly realm above the Middle Heaven. In the human body and mind, it corresponds to the realm perceived by the heart and the eyes. When defilement and attachment are absent, one can transform and ascend.

Shaowei says: The demon king is named Molu. Daoist scriptures say that those whose bodily conduct is pure and who have accumulated three hundred good deeds may be born in the Realm of Form. From Yuexing Heaven to Tanshi Heaven there are eighteen levels of heaven, collectively known as the Realm of Form. Beings there still have bodies, but no desires; their material forms are subtle and light, as if composed of eighteen kinds of minute particles. Once all dust and defilement have been cleansed away, they can ascend to the Formless Realm.

Vast and open, the bright primordial Qi spreads in all directions. The heavens of pure practice, whose divine beings uphold purification, surround the ten directions; countless great gods all emerge from my body. I possess the Dongzhang, a secret Daoist scripture: reciting and upholding it ten thousand times makes one immortal. The Immortal Way takes delivering living beings as its essential purpose, and the path of ghosts is linked to it. Heaven and earth are vast, remote, and obscure, filled with foul Qi. The joys of the Three Realms endure forever once one has transcended them. When the body is delivered into my realm, its form merges with nature. How much of the joy at that moment is due to my grace? The age of Longhan is boundless and vast; how could one tell who has truly attained the Dao? My realm is difficult to enter through deliverance, so I have written this Dongwen. It will make you transform and ascend, testing your cultivation. After success or failure, after slackening and falling back, how many will be able to attain deliverance? I laugh that you have not yet been delivered, and so I have composed this song.

“Boundless and vast” describes the immense expanse of the celestial bodies. “Luminous Qi” refers to pure, clear Brahma Qi—the primordial energy that is clear and bright throughout the universe. It pervades all four directions and moves through the heavens in every direction, reaching everywhere.

“Numberless great gods” means that the transformations of the divine beings are infinite, and that they are all gods within oneself. “Cavern Chapter” refers to the Turtle Mountain cinnabar yellow and the Flying Mystery purple script mentioned earlier. These are recorded in the Lingbao scriptures and teachings; they are not songs sung by demon kings. “Ten thousand recitations” does not simply mean repeating the text many times. It means steadily and sincerely accumulating practice over a long period, until one’s cultivation is complete; only then can one become an immortal.

The Immortal Way values longevity and helping beings cross beyond the world; the ghostly way, by contrast, entangles people in suffering. If people do not cultivate themselves, then after death their bodies decay and their Qi disperses. Their souls and spirits will still face judgment and punishment, bringing hardship upon their ancestors as well. Heaven and earth are vast without limit, yet filled with impure Qi. Among the Three Realms, only those who transcend this realm can endure forever and attain supreme joy.

“My realm” is the name the demon king gives to the domain under his rule. To transcend it is to unite with Nature, forget the habits accumulated over time, and rise into the formless realm. There, the six faculties—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are purified; the eight consciousnesses, as described in Buddhism, are empty and still. One abides in a state of pure, undivided clarity and boundless joy. Although this is the result of completing the merit of cultivation, it is also said that the demon king recommends one for immortality. Hence the phrase, “I have received a little of your kindness.”

“Longhan” is the name of the primordial kalpa, meaning vast and boundless. At the beginning of the kalpa, heaven and earth were simple and undivided, and original nature was whole and pure, with no distinction between coarse and fine, pure and mixed. Later, human desires arose, and perceptions and feelings began to obscure one another; original nature then showed differences. As karmic consciousness—the consciousness formed and driven by actions and thoughts—continued to circulate, people found it difficult to transcend this realm. Therefore, this Cavern Text, or song chapter, was written to encourage and guide people in cultivating the Dao and realizing the Real, so that they might transcend this realm.

The demon king says that he can transform and fly through the air, with powers beyond measure, in order to test the resolve of those who study the Dao. At times he tempts them with what they desire; at times he threatens them with what they fear; and he also tests them with things they neither crave nor fear. After a long trial, if their resolve remains firm as iron and stone and never falters, their Dao cultivation can be fulfilled. Yet how many practitioners have failed midway, grown lax, or turned back when obstructed by the demon king, and ultimately failed to transcend the Three Realms? Those who give up halfway invite the demon king’s ridicule and fail to cross beyond. These song chapters were created for this very reason: to encourage and guide practitioners.

Those who cultivate must accumulate merit through their daily conduct, enabling themselves to commune with the divine. In this way, inner demonic obstacles will not arise, and disturbances from external demons will cease. Their Dao cultivation can then be fulfilled, and they will ultimately transcend this world.

Mou’an says, “The Realm Without Form lies at the summit of the heavens; in the human body, it corresponds to the upper part of the Niwan Palace.” Shaowei says, “The demon king’s name is Shao.” Daoist scriptures say that those whose mind is cleansed of karmic defilements and who have accumulated six hundred good deeds may be born into the four heavens of the Realm Without Form. From Vast Courtyard Heaven to Boundless Joy Heaven, these are collectively called the Realm Without Form. The Scripture of the Fundamental Origin says: “Afflictions are bonds, and what one studies and practices becomes habit. When both bonds and habits have been entirely severed, one can rise beyond the rank of the Seed People, enter deeply into the realm of the Dao, and ascend and descend with Qi (the primal energy that moves through Heaven and Earth), untouched by calamity.”

Above the Realm Without Form lies the vast, remote, and profound Great Luo Heaven. There is no foundation of the Realm Without Form there, and its clouds tower high. Only the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning dwells there; it is a place that endures through countless kalpas. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning governs my realm and presides over and inherits the tradition of the Mysterious Capital. Beyond my realm, one enters Jade Void. I occupy the position of Supreme King, commanding and restraining all demons.

In the heavens, transformations are manifold, while foul Qi swirls and spreads everywhere. Few can guard their true nature, while many are deluded. The Immortal Way is difficult to hold fast to, whereas the Ghost Way readily leads people astray. The key to the human way lies in one’s own mind; indeed, it cannot be entrusted to another. The Immortal Way prizes genuine cultivation, while the human way prizes outward glory. If you are unwilling to cultivate the Immortal Way, how can you transcend the Three Realms? If you insist on entering the cycle of rebirth through the Five Paths, what can I do?

Miao’an says, “‘The immeasurable heights of Daluo’ refers to the highest reaches of the thirty-two heavens. The celestial realm is governed by the North Pole, which rules over all the heavens. ‘Above, there is no root of form’ refers to the crown of the body, at the top of its three hundred and sixty joints. In the human body, the Baihui point governs the whole body.

“Guanfu says, ‘Above the Three Realms’ means above the four heavens of the Seed People—that is, the Heaven of Great Luo. Above the Heaven of Great Luo stands Mount Yujing, veiled in layer upon layer of clouds. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning has dwelt there since ancient times, governing the Three Realms and administering the realm of Xuandu, Great Luo, and Jade Clarity. ‘My realm’ means the Formless Realm; ‘Jade Void’ means the empty, unreal Mount Yujing. If practitioners can transcend the Formless Realm and enter the four heavens of the Seed People, they may be said to have entered the realm of the Jade Void.

“‘I rank above the kings’ is the demon king’s claim that his rank and authority surpass those of the other demon kings, who are therefore all under his command. Looking down into the void, he sees the dust of form—the thoughts stirred up by visible things—and the grime of karma, left behind by karmic forces, ceaselessly arising, ceasing, and changing. Defiling energies churn and mingle in confusion. Few can hold fast to their original nature and remain undisturbed; those who are deluded and disoriented grow ever more numerous. Thus the Immortal Way is difficult to uphold, while people readily stray onto the false and deviant path of the Ghost Way.

“As for the human way: when the mind gathers itself, all distinctions return to a single root; when the mind runs unchecked, that one root disperses into myriad differences. Each thing possesses its own Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the root of its generation and change; there is nothing that does not manifest this mind. The human mind, the Dao mind, and the practices of keeping, nourishing, rectifying, cultivating, observing, clearing, and illuminating the mind—all that the Three Teachings discuss is the same method of mind. There is nothing else.

“The Immortal Way prizes truth: it is sincerity without deceit. Worldly people, however, delight in empty display and rivalry. If you do not love the Immortal Way or seek to cultivate yourself, how can you transcend the Three Realms? You must therefore turn away from the suffering of samsara through the Five Destinies: gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. When the demon king says, ‘What can I do to you?’ he is earnestly warning and urging everyone onward.”

Above the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—and amid the reaches of empty space, the songs chanted by the Demon Kings accord with the wondrous passages of the Cavern Chapters (Dongzhang), Daoist scriptures of profound mystery. Recite them one hundred times, and your name will be entered in the Southern Palace. Recite them one thousand times, and the Demon Kings will protect and welcome you. Recite them ten thousand times, and when your cultivation of the Dao is complete, you can ascend through the vastness of space, transcend the Three Realms, and take your place among the Immortal Lords.

This is a general praise of the songs and chapters above. The Demon Kings dwell beyond the Three Realms and fly through the vastness of space; their songs accord with the subtle meaning of the Cavern Chapters, helping practitioners advance day by day. Reciting these chapters again and again, from one hundred times to one thousand and then ten thousand, is meant to keep people from growing lax or turning back, and to guide them constantly toward the true Dao. Attaining the path of immortality is not easy: one must be resolute in purpose and diligent in practice. Only after reciting the chapters ten thousand times and completing one’s cultivation of the Dao can one ascend through the vastness of space, transcend the Three Realms, and attain the rank of Immortal Lord. This is a high rank among the immortals of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate). The ten thousand recitations do not mean reciting aloud alone. One must also cultivate inner skills and practice goodness in one’s conduct, building up merit over a long time and laying deep foundations. Only then may one ascend into the vastness of space and attain an immortal rank. Thus the Celestial Worthy placed this song after the orthodox scripture and praised it, declaring that both its text and its sound have efficacious power to move and summon: its words accord with the High Perfected, and its sound accords with the Cavern Chapters.

When the Demon Kings hear these wondrous sounds, they respect the practitioners and command the Earth Spirits to escort and protect them. Practitioners can then escape the gates of the underworld and be freed from the Five Sufferings and Eight Calamities—that is, from all manner of hardship and disaster. Their ancestors of seven generations may also rise to a higher station and leave the offices of the ghosts forever. Their souls pass through Zhuling, the Daoist realm where the souls of the dead are refined and delivered, undergo refinement, and regain life. This is what is called boundless universal deliverance: salvation without end. This scripture is a secret text kept by Heaven and revered by all the heavens. Anyone who carelessly reveals it or treats it with disrespect will fall into hell, and the calamity will extend to their ancestors of seven generations.

Mo’an says: This passage explains that the Demon Kings’ songs can deliver all beings, freeing people from the Five Sufferings and Eight Calamities, raising their ancestors of seven generations to a higher station, and removing them forever from the offices of the ghosts. After their souls pass through Zhuling and undergo refinement, they are reborn. This is boundless, inexhaustible universal deliverance. This scripture is a secret text kept by Heaven and revered by all the heavens. Anyone who reveals it irreverently will fall into hell, bringing calamity upon their ancestors of seven generations.

Master Mo’an says: This passage speaks of the efficacious power of the Demon Chapters to deliver all beings, and of the retribution borne by those who study the Dao but disclose or treat the scriptures with disrespect. Here ends the Primordial Heavenly Worthy’s teaching of the scripture.

“Numinous sounds” refers to songs that praise and honor the Demon Kings. If someone hears these sounds and then diligently cultivates without becoming lax, the Demon Kings will honor and protect that person’s body and spirit. Guanfu says: “Hearing” does not mean listening with the ears alone. It means that one’s mind is in accord with the scripture’s meaning and one’s conduct matches it. One must keep its teachings in mind at all times and never forget reverence and awe; put an end to disturbances in the outer world and cultivate stillness within.

After long practice, when one’s cultivation and merit have grown deep and complete, the Celestial Emperor will command the local spirits and deities honored in the sacrificial rites to protect the cultivator’s dwelling and to greet and escort them whenever they come and go. Even if their cultivation is not yet complete and they cannot transcend the Three Realms to become an Immortal Lord, they will certainly escape the underworld’s constraints, leave the register of the dead, and suffer no more the Five Sufferings and Eight Calamities. Their merit will also extend to seven generations of ancestors, raising them up together. They will forever be freed from the prisons of the underworld and no longer be seized and interrogated by ghost officials; their souls and spirits can pass directly beyond the Vermilion Mound Fire Court—the Daoist place of refinement and deliverance in the underworld—and be reborn in a realm of peace and joy.

Thus, both the living and the dead may receive this immeasurable and inexhaustible merit and deliverance. When internal cultivation reaches this level, the sacred embryo—the inner divine body formed through cultivation—is complete. The physical body is shed and the spirit appears; Yin energy is exhausted and Yang energy made pure. One ascends directly beyond the Three Realms, and seven generations of ancestors ascend as well.

Yet despite the scripture’s remarkable efficacy, the heavens still keep it secret, and all the heavens honor it together. If anyone discloses it or treats it with disrespect, not only will they fall into hell, but their seven generations of ancestors will surely suffer calamity too. How could one fail to be cautious?

The Daoist scripture says: These two chapters are secret words of the Celestial Emperors and the supremely numinous Demon Kings. They belong to the Great Brahma’s utterances and are not ordinary language used in the world. Their wording has none of the metrical ornament of worldly verse, and their chapters contain no ornate or graceful turns of phrase. For this reason, they are called profound and mysterious, difficult to investigate and explain in detail. Heaven regards them as treasures and keeps them hidden in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Mysterious Capital, a celestial palace in Daoist cosmology. According to the regulations of the Mysterious Ordinances, they are transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas. A person who has attained the Dao may receive them only after offering gold and jewels as a pledge of sincerity and, following established rites, swearing an oath of alliance before the divine beings of the Ten Heavens.

Mo’an says: The five passages from this point through “Illuminating the Utterances of the Highest Truth” explain once again the profound and far-reaching effects of this scripture. They are prefaces placed after the main text. These two chapters are postfaces to the Lingbao Scripture, explaining that the scripture may be transmitted only in accordance with the prescribed rites, after an oath has been sworn before the heavenly realms of the ten directions.

The “two chapters” Mo’an refers to are the preceding chapter, “The Primordial Beginning’s Cavernous Mystery: The Lingbao Chapter,” and the following chapter, which contains the “Songs of the Empty Cavern.” In explaining the scripture’s wondrous effects once again, the Dao Lord also conveys Heaven’s reverence for it.

Guanfu says that the two chapters are “The Vermilion Writ of the Primordial Cavern” and “The Jade Register of the Primordial Cavern”: one speaks of the precelestial Dao, the other of the postcelestial Dao. “The Vermilion Writ of the Primordial Cavern” gives the titles and taboo names of the Heavenly Emperor and the heavenly realms of the five directions. It focuses chiefly on how to deliver one’s ancestors, receive deliverance and regain life, extend salvation widely, and transmit divine commands in due order. “The Jade Register of the Primordial Cavern” describes the rise and decline of kalpas, the opening of primordial chaos, the movement of primordial Qi, and the ways of returning to the root and restoring life, and of transcending the ordinary to become a sage through cultivation. These are therefore hidden sounds and utterances of the Great Dao, beyond the reach of ordinary language. “The words have no measured elegance” means that the intentions of the Celestial Worthy’s scripture are pure and subtle; “the verses have no ornate flourishes” means that the Demon King’s songs express themselves plainly and directly. Though the writing may seem concise, its meaning is profound and mysterious, and scholars cannot exhaust its subtleties.

Patriarch Mo’an holds that the texts from “The Lingbao Chapter” through the chapter containing the songs are collectively called the “two chapters,” and that they also include “The Vermilion Writ of the Primordial Cavern” and “The Jade Register of the Primordial Cavern.” These scriptures are all hidden words of the Great Brahma, and so Heaven treasured them in the Purple Tenuity Palace of the Mysterious Capital. Their transmission must follow the prohibitions and precepts of the Mysterious Code; they may be passed down only after many kalpas have elapsed, and must not be disclosed carelessly or received presumptuously. A cultivator who wishes to receive the scriptures must approach with sincere reverence and swear an oath before the Heavenly Perfected and the highest sages, in accordance with the ordinances of the Heavenly Perfected. Only then may the scriptures be received and transmitted. How, then, could they be passed casually to others and treated as ordinary words? These are the Dao Lord’s earnest and solemn admonitions.

The Dao says: The workings of Heaven and Earth can decline and come to an end. The Sun, Moon, and Five Planets—the planets the ancients called Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—can wax and wane. Even the most perfected holy beings may encounter times of ease or hardship, and beginners cannot avoid illness and injury. When such calamities occur, fellow cultivators should fast together in unity, burn incense at each of the six watches of the day and night, and recite the scripture ten times on each occasion. Then blessings and De will descend, and every kind of ill omen will disperse. This immeasurable scripture can save all beings everywhere without end.

Heaven and Earth are the root of the myriad things, yet they are ultimately constrained by form and Qi. Their cycles of change also rise and decline, so they may encounter the calamities of Yang Nine and Hundred Six, the cycles of disaster in the workings of Heaven and Earth. The Three Realms may perish, then arise again after their destruction. The courses of the Sun, Moon, and Five Planets may also be obscured; they may wane, be eclipsed, or wax and shrink. Even the most perfected holy beings may experience progress and obstruction, good fortune and hardship. How much more, then, may beginners suffer illness and injury? When illness or calamity strikes, one should accept it willingly, without resentment, and accord with the Dao of Heaven.

Yet human beings and all things in Heaven and Earth arise from the same Qi, the primordial Qi that constitutes all things. This means that all things are one in their source, though they take different forms. The Confucian scholars of old said that Qian is the father and Kun the mother, that all people are my siblings, and that all things are one with me. This is precisely the principle at issue. Therefore, whenever calamity occurs, fellow cultivators should fast together in unity, burn incense at each of the six watches, and recite the scripture ten times. In this way they can dispel Heaven’s calamities, save people, ward off disaster, and support the weak. Whatever they pray for will receive a response. Blessings and De will thus descend, and every kind of ill omen will disperse: these are the effects of reciting the scripture ten times. This immeasurable scripture can save heavenly and human beings everywhere, without end.

The Dao says: Some beginners have made only shallow progress in cultivating the Dao, and their rank among the immortals is not yet complete. When their allotted lifespan comes to an end, their bodies enter the Great Yin, the netherworld in Daoist usage. At the time of death, perfected beings among their fellow cultivators burn incense and recite the scripture ten times to deliver their remains. If they follow the prescribed ritual, their hun and shen will rise directly to the Southern Palace, one of the abodes of the immortals. Their days are reckoned according to the merits of their cultivation, and they are granted life anew. Passing through reincarnation without perishing, they may ultimately become immortals.

This passage speaks specifically of those whose cultivation of the Dao is still shallow. Because their practice is insufficient and their rank among the immortals is not yet complete, they may still undergo death when their allotted lifespan ends. But if they receive deliverance through the ritual described in the scripture, their hun and shen can be granted life anew. Passing through reincarnation without perishing, they may ultimately become immortals.

This passage is addressed specifically to beginners on the Dao whose practice is still shallow. Because their attainment is limited, their cultivation of the immortal way is not yet complete. When life draws to a close, their bodies have not yet been transformed into pure Yang bodies, so they must undergo the trials and hardships of the Great Yin—the shadowy realm of the underworld.

When someone is nearing death, a fellow practitioner who has already attained the Dao should burn incense and recite the scripture ten times on their behalf. Here, “fellow student” means someone from the same lineage or one who follows the same path of cultivation. Reciting the scripture ten times is a rite prescribed by the text to deliver the deceased. Drawing on the True Yang they have cultivated within themselves, the adept practices and recites this scripture to help the deceased transcend their untransformed Yin body, allowing their soul and spirit to ascend to the Southern Palace, one of the abodes of the immortals. The “corpse” refers to the Po, or corporeal soul, that has not yet been transformed; the “form” refers to the Qi that has not yet been transformed. Only by relying on the merit of the scripture and the power of the cultivator to refine their bodily substance and nurture their soul and spirit can the deceased hope to ascend directly to the Southern Palace.

How many days the deceased must pass through before being reborn depends on the depth of their practice in life, the extent of their learning, and the level of their merit and virtue. They are then reborn according to the corresponding grade. Although transmigration cannot erase their original nature, their spark of spiritual awareness will not grow dim. By accumulating profound merit and cultivating over a long period, they too may eventually ascend to the Southern Palace and attain the immortal way.

The scripture says: When the cycles of Heaven and Earth approach their end, one should establish a purification retreat, burn incense, and recite the scripture. The same should be done when the stars fall out of their courses and the Sun and Moon become irregular; when the seasons lose their order and Yin-Yang falls out of balance; when a ruler suffers calamity and war breaks out; when epidemics spread and the people die or are injured; and when a teacher or fellow practitioner passes away.

The merit of purification and scripture recitation is great: it can dispel calamities in Heaven, protect and bring stability to rulers, drive away poison and harm, and deliver the people. It benefits both the living and the dead. This boundless merit and virtue is therefore called “immeasurable,” for it can save beings throughout Heaven and the human world.

Qingyuan says: In this chapter, the Dao Lord explains that the merit of reciting this scripture is profound indeed. Above, it can dispel calamities from Heaven and protect the ruler; below, it can ward off poisons and harms and save the people. Both the living and the dead can find support and aid in it. This blessing and De (Virtue/Power) are beyond measure, hence the term “boundless”; they can save all beings throughout the heavens and the human world.

Qingyuan also says: In this chapter, the Dao Lord explains that this scripture is not meant only to save oneself. Heaven and Earth, ruler and ministers, the people, and all things should all be helped together. Only then is one’s practice of the Dao complete, and the universal, impartial meaning of “saving people” made clear.

The workings of Heaven and Earth also have their end. According to the calculations of the “cycles and ages of the Imperial Pole,” Heaven and Earth likewise undergo formation and destruction, beginnings and endings; neither can escape the fixed course of their cycles. The Book of Changes says, “When Heaven and Earth are destroyed, there will be no way to see the principles of the Changes.” The human body and the transformations of Heaven and Earth share the same nature. Thus, people can take part in the workings of Heaven and Earth, help all things grow, fulfill the Way of transformation, and assist Heaven and Earth in arranging all things so that each finds its proper place. What ancient Confucians called “the unity of principle between Heaven and humanity” means that the human heart is connected with the principles of Heaven and Earth. Calling the ruler of all things “the Sovereign” and their wondrous workings “ghosts and spirits” ultimately points to the same principle.

Therefore, when the cycles decline and calamities approach, one should also hold a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and recite the scripture to ward them off. When the stars move out of order, their positions and courses are disrupted, and the timing of the Sun’s shadow also deviates. When the Sun and Moon are out of order, their movements become abnormal, or they are eclipsed or obscured. These events are also tied to the fixed cycles in which celestial bodies slow, lie hidden, or move in reverse. One should hold a purification ritual and recite the scripture to ward them off.

When the seasons are out of order, cold and heat do not follow their proper times. When Yin-Yang is unbalanced, droughts and floods rage. These are all caused by a loss of harmony in Heaven and Earth, and should also be warded off through a purification ritual and recitation of the scripture.

When a ruler faces disaster and war breaks out on all sides, the various omens and conflicts are often connected with disharmony between Yin-Yang and the improper execution of government orders. Cultivating De, putting government in order, using punishments with restraint, caring for the people, governing the army, appointing the worthy, and bringing stability to the state are all ways to dispel changes in Heaven and quell calamities among the people. These are the first duties of a wise ruler and worthy ministers. In the face of such disasters, one should also hold a purification ritual and recite the scripture, praying for calamities to be lifted and failings to be restrained. Since this is a prayer offered to Heaven, Heaven will dispel disasters and bestow blessings.

When epidemics spread and people die or are harmed, “epidemic poison” refers to the pestilential Qi that carries disease among the people and brings them harm. One should then hold a purification ritual and recite the scripture to ward off the epidemic and remove illness. When the seasonal climate returns to normal, the pestilential Qi will subside.

When teachers, elders, or friends pass away, one should also hold a purification ritual and recite the scripture, praying for their deliverance. Teachers and elders pass on principles and learning, while friends help one cultivate benevolence; both are important human relationships. And when teachers and friends are mentioned, one should also remember one’s parents and ancestors and pray for their deliverance as well.

The merit of holding a purification ritual, observing the precepts, and reciting scripture is profound indeed. This is why the Dao Lord repeatedly praises the merit of this scripture: inwardly, it can quiet the mind, refine Qi, harmonize Shen (spirit), and nourish one’s true nature; outwardly, it can dispel calamities from Heaven, protect the ruler, ward off poisons and harms, and save the people. Ruler and ministers, the people, and all things can receive its beneficence. Its merit is boundless, and it can save all beings throughout the heavens and the human world.

The Commentary on the Meaning of the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Beginning, Boundless Salvation, and the Highest Rank says: Anyone who possesses this scripture and cultivates merit for Heaven and Earth, the sovereign, and the people—if disaster strikes and they sincerely establish a purification retreat, burn incense, and recite the scripture ten times—will have their name recorded by all the Heavens, while the gods protect them at their side. Those who have advanced to a certain level in studying and practicing the Dao may in time become sage rulers and serve as officials in the Golden Palace. The Heavens record people’s merits and faults, missing no detail; even the demons of the celestial realm will recommend and protect you. Only after attaining the Dao can one truly understand these words of ultimate truth.

Mo’an explains: Here the Dao Lord again describes the benefits of reciting the scripture and cultivating the practice, while also summing up what came before. His words reflect his earnest instruction. When disaster strikes, those who burn incense, recite the scripture, and cultivate merit for Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the sovereign, and the people will have their names entered in the registers of immortals by all the Heavens, and the gods will protect them at their side. These are all the results of merit accumulated through the scripture. The phrase “those who have reached the state of the perfected” refers to practitioners who have advanced to a certain level and can attain the rank of immortals. In an instant, they may become officials serving the Three Realms and let their spirits roam the Golden Palace.

Each Heaven has offices responsible for inspecting and recording people’s deeds. No matter how small a person’s merits or faults, nothing is overlooked. Merit brings advancement in the ranks of immortals; faults are entered in the register of sins. There is no favoritism or error. Those who practice in accordance with the scripture will also be recommended by the demons of the celestial realm, and their names entered in the registers of immortals kept by the Heavens. These words repeatedly urge practitioners to apply themselves diligently. Those who attain the Dao awaken to it through the scripture and can then fully understand its words of ultimate truth and explore the Dao’s deepest mysteries. In terms of inner cultivation, this refers to the spirit residing in the Mud Pill (an inner cultivation site within the head) and the practice of nurturing and refining it.

This concludes volume three of the Commentary on the Meaning of the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Beginning, Boundless Salvation, and the Highest Rank.

Volume Four of the Tongyi Commentary on the Supreme Sublime Scripture for Delivering Countless Beings According to the Primordial Beginning. Annotated by Zhang Yuchu, the forty-third Celestial Master (Tianshi) of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity). The hidden words quoted in the text are said to have been composed by the Dao Lord of Countless Sounds, the Great Brahma Hidden Words Among the Heavens.

Mou’an explains: This passage is the preface to the middle section of the Book of the Numinous Writ, quoting material composed by the Jade Dawn Dao Lord. “Among the heavens” refers to the Outer Four Heavens. The Scripture on Inner Teachings records that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, in the Bright Red World, …

Master Mo’an says: This passage is the preface to the middle section of the Ling Shu, written by the Dao Lord Yuchen. “Among the various heavens” here refers to the Outer Four Heavens.

According to the Jing of Inner Teachings, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning once took his seat at Bailingshe in the World of Red Brilliance. At that time, dense clouds and mist covered the sky for seven days and nights, and daylight remained dim. The Five Elders came forward and reported to the Celestial Worthy: “Today, as we attend upon you while you expound the Dao, we see a sight we have never seen before. When you teach the Dharma, rivers and seas grow calm, and clouds and mist clear from the mountains. But now the daytime is dim, and the heavenly beings and all the people are fearful and unsettled. What is the reason?”

The Celestial Worthy replied: “Today, auspicious signs are appearing among the various heavens, and wondrous portents have arisen of themselves. The jade characters shine brilliantly and have obscured the light of the sky, so everyone here has temporarily closed their eyes.” Soon, the Qi of the heavens suddenly flowed freely, and the darkness vanished at once. Five-colored light illuminated the ten directions. Suddenly, a scroll of the spirit text appeared in the air. Each character was a zhang square, its pattern dazzlingly radiant. Light streamed from its eight corners, shining so brightly that it could not be looked at directly.

The Celestial Worthy announced to everyone: “This scroll of spirit text has eight assemblies—that is, eight groups of sacred characters. Its forms have no fixed pattern, and its meaning is profound and subtle, difficult to investigate fully. It may be explained and annotated.” Then the Celestial Immortal Emperor, acting under the Celestial Worthy’s explicit command, explained its essential meaning and passed it on to the Dao Lord, who was to teach it among the various heavens to those likely to attain the status of Perfected Ones and already listed among the immortals.

Master Guanfu says: “Great Brahmā” refers to the great primordial Brahmā Qi, which gathers and disperses, transforming into Brahmā sounds. “Hidden words” are words concealed in the heavens and beyond the understanding of ordinary people. “Boundless sounds” means that the subtle meaning of these characters can reach different regions and all kinds of beings, with no limits to its reach. The text contains 265 characters in all, distributed across the thirty-two heavens, with eight characters in each heaven. They are also inscribed on the towers, gates, and palaces of the Mysterious Capital and throughout the various heavens. Beings follow their own cultivation and practices, ride the Qi suited to them, and each return to their appointed place. Thus the sound of Great Brahmā carries throughout boundless worlds while remaining concealed among the various heavens. Without the Celestial Immortal Emperor’s written annotations, it could not have been transmitted.

Some people also added the upper and lower sections of the spirit text, along with the main text in dragon script. Lei Xiao did not include them, so they are not discussed here.

In the “Central Chapter of the Numinous Scripture,” “Numinous Scripture” refers to the Scripture of Jade Characters, the Inexhaustible Sounds of the Hidden Language of Great Brahmā, and “Central Chapter” means the chapter positioned at its center. Mo’an held that the scripture was proclaimed by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, annotated by the Perfected Heavenly Immortal at the latter’s command, and then transmitted to the Dao Lord. The “Central Chapter of the Numinous Scripture” is therefore the central chapter of the Hidden Language of Great Brahmā.

Guanfu says that Perfected Ones of earlier generations believed this Numinous Scripture accorded with the Book of Changes. Its text took shape before Heaven and Earth, before the trigrams appeared. The Queen Mother of the West says, “For nine days, she guides Qian and Kun; the Mother covers the two trigrams in the east.” This shows that the Qian and Kun trigrams originate here. They are followed by Zhun and Meng, continuing through Ji Ji and Wei Ji, to outline the guiding principles of creation and transformation.

The chapter next sets out the sixty combinations of the sexagenary cycle, explaining the beginning and end of the cycles of Qi and its allotted periods. It then lists the twelve trigrams corresponding to the months and seasonal markers, showing the alternation of Yin and Yang and the passage of cold and heat over the course of a year. The waxing and waning of the moon, from new moon to full moon, explains the changes within a month. Finally, the twelve double-hours are given as a means to infer the advance and retreat of the firing times and water tallies during cultivation over the course of a day.

Here, different measures of time correspond to one another: the seasonal markers of a year are compressed into a month, with two and a half days corresponding to one month; then the twelve trigrams are matched with the twelve double-hours, condensing a month’s changes into a single day. Since one double-hour corresponds to two and a half days, the two sets of trigrams above and below serve different purposes: the sexagenary cycle paired with the upper trigrams belongs to the “warp,” while the seasonal markers and times paired with the lower trigrams belong to the “weft.”

If practitioners turn their attention inward and carefully observe movement and stillness, growth and decline, waxing and waning, they can grasp the subtle principles that are difficult to put into words. The meaning of this chapter naturally accords with the profundity of the Book of Changes. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning proclaimed this scripture before Fuxi drew the trigrams; he did not rely on the Book of Changes to explain the characters of Great Brahmā. The principles are simply one and the same, so the two naturally accord rather than being forced into agreement.

It is clear, then, that commentators across the generations, from the Queen Mother of the West to Mo’an, Shaowei, and others, have discussed the relationship between this scripture and the trigrams of the Book of Changes. Later, some attributed the origin of this view to Guanfu; Mo’an considered that attribution shallow. A complete diagram will be presented at the end of the chapter for readers’ reference. It also resonates with Shaozi’s “Before Heaven,” Wei Gong’s “Joining the Three,” and Peng Gong’s “Mirror of the Heart,” and is especially helpful for understanding the cultivation principles governing the advance and retreat of Yang fire and Yin tally.

The inner-tone incantation of the eight heavens in the east is: “Danlou Axi, Wuhe Qusheng, Guanyin Guanyin.”

These eight words are the inner tones of Huang Zengtian, one of the eight heavens in the east. The commentary explains that “Dan” describes openness, breadth, and depth; “Lou” is the long tower beneath Mount Yujing, whose upper level connects to the Palace of Xuandu. “A” refers to the god Anana in Xuandu, who governs towers and pavilions and presides over the Great Brahma Qi, the primordial vital energy of Heaven and Earth. When the Qi completes one cycle, the god Anana beats the drum of the Tower City, summoning the assembled Perfected Ones to pay their respects together to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. “Cang” is the name of the terrace where the Thearch rests and wanders; it is lush with verdure and beautiful in appearance. “Wu” refers to Taiyuan and means that true sages can arise naturally from the Great Nonbeing. “He” is the gateway through which the sun and moon pass, where they meet in the heavens. “Guan” means to contemplate and perceive, and is also the name taboo of this Heaven’s sovereign. “Yin” refers to the pronunciation of these eight words.

The scripture says that when these eight words are recited, the Perfected Ones ride golden wheels to open the dark realm, while Jade Maidens raise flowered banners and draw their precious swords. Guanjue keeps the registers of names through the long night, and four Perfected Ones relieve the suffering of beings in the Nine Depths, the deepest reaches of the underworld. As a result, seven generations of ancestors are also brought to light, and their withered remains are restored to life.

“Xuyan Mingshou, Falan Putan.”

The eight characters “Fa Lan Pu Tan” are the inner sounds of Yuwan Heaven—the secret sounds and meanings used in the celestial realm. “Xuyan” is the name of a palace complex in the northwest of Yuwan Heaven. When the cycles of great kalpas converge, the Xuyan palace opens, and the Supreme Sages of Jade Truth return through it. “Mingshou” is the chief marshal of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. When the Celestial Worthy sets a new cosmic cycle in motion, the chief marshal opens the way, and the various vital energies of the Brahma heavens become bright at once.

“Fa” refers to the Dharma Wheel, the place where offenses and merits are set in motion and causes and effects recorded. “Lan” means awakening. “Heavenly Emperor Lord” is the title of a deity who oversees the deliverance of departed souls and their rebirth. “Pu” refers to Bodhi, who carries a nine-colored ritual staff; “Tan” refers to Tanyi, who carries the ten-banishment banner, a flag used in ritual. These divine perfected ones, together with the Perfected Ones of the Upper Origin, safeguard this scripture. If one recites the sacred chapters of the Cavern scriptures regularly, the Dharma Wheel guides the registers, the awakened one delivers departed souls, Bodhi turns the Dharma Wheel, and Tanyi raises the banner. In this way, Heaven and Earth are kept from collapse, and all things endure. Qingyuan said, “‘Fa Lan Pu Tan’ refers to the Perfected Ones of the Four Courts of Jade Clarity.”

“Jia Na A Yi, Hu He Liu Yin.”

These eight characters are the inner sounds of Hetong Heaven. “Jiana” is the title of the one in Heaven who oversees charts and registers. This figure governs the records of life and death in the human world and directs the affairs of the immortals, residing in the Golden Flower Palace. “Ayi” is the name of a tree in the Seven-Treasure Grove, whose branches and leaves spread in all directions. The grove is also a garden where the Supreme Sages roam and the Perfected Ones delight in play. “Hu” means awakening and is also the title of a flying celestial being who oversees the great and lesser kalpas. “He” refers to Hemo; in Heaven, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning is called Hemo. “Liu Yin” means to spread and sing.

When a cycle of kalpas nears its end, Hemo opens the way of instruction and saves the beings of Heaven and humanity everywhere. Foreseeing the approach of future calamities, the Perfected Scripture will vanish, so the Celestial Worthy has prepared the teachings in advance in the form of sung verses. If one recites the sacred chapters of the Cavern scriptures regularly, the perfected immortals who oversee the registers will, in the long night, reduce one’s record of offenses and enter the names of the living in the Southern Palace.

“Hua Du Qu Li, Xian Pu Yu Zhen.”

These eight characters are the inner sounds of Pingyu Heaven. “Huadu” is another name for the Azure Radiance Gate of the Supreme Ultimate Palace in Heaven. “Qu” refers to the divine beings of the Brahma heavens. They fly above the Supreme Ultimate Palace, borne by the vital energy of the refreshing wind, and sing the melodies of the sacred chapters of the Cavern scriptures, causing the sound “Xian Pu Yu Zhen” to spread throughout the heavens.

“Huadu” is another name for the “Qinghua Gate” of the Taiji Palace in the Center of Heaven. “Qu” refers to divine beings of the Brahma Heaven in the Center of Heaven, who fly above the Taiji, riding a refreshing, nimble wind as they chant the Cavern Scriptures. “Li” is the name of the Jade Maiden of Great Harmony. “Fresh Clouds” means auspicious clouds, a symbol of good fortune. “Pu” is the name of a heavenly tower, “Yu” is the hidden name of the Emperor Lord of the Center of Heaven, and “Zhen” means to arrive.

The Emperor Lord Yu often rides the Wheel of Eight Radiances, touring beyond the eight directions. He then turns back the Ten-Extremities Spirit Banner to summon heavenly demons and deliver celestial beings from suffering. When this passage from the Cavern Scripture is recited often, the Flying Celestials will sing in response from afar, the divine officials of the Three Realms will come to welcome the reciter, and seven generations of ancestors can leave the long darkness of the underworld and ascend to the Southern Palace.

“Daluo” is the name of a Jade Gate Tower in the Center of Heaven; “Luoluo” describes its lofty, spacious halls. “Great Amnesty” refers to a universal pardon. At the beginning of the opening and unfolding of the cosmos, the Celestial Worthy of Great Amnesty granted a pardon, emptying the Three Evil Paths—the hells, hungry ghosts, beasts, and other unfortunate states of rebirth—and freeing guilty souls from confinement in the Ninefold Depths of the underworld. “Fan” refers to the Qi of Brahma practice. It initiated the Dragon-Han era and set in motion the fortune of the Red Brightness era. “Scattering incense smoke” refers to perfected beings spreading fragrant smoke at the Jade Pass; “auspicious clouds” are clouds of five colors. Auspicious clouds link the Purple Hall, while Flying Celestials dance upon the Dharma Wheel in the sky.

Qingyuan says: In the beginning, the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning proclaimed a universal pardon, releasing guilty souls in the court of Daluo.

“Scattering and sprinkling through the Jade Capital, illuminating demons at the gate” means that spiritual power scatters through the Jade Capital, bringing clarity to the demonic realm and drawing demons to the Gate of Heaven.

A change occurred in the celestial realm, and Heaven and Earth fell into the cataclysmic cycle known in Daoism as Yan Kang, a period of great cosmic upheaval. Darkness enveloped everything; there was no light. The Flying Celestial Divine King, who opens the light of the heavens, then sent forth radiance. The heavens received the primordial Qi (the original, precelestial vital energy), as though washed and moistened by sweet dew. The cataclysmic cycle of the Longhan era soon passed.

“Jade” refers to Yuzhen, the sage who governs the opening of the long night; “Capital” refers to Fengdu of the Nine Netherworlds, the realm of the dead. For those who have accumulated good deeds and merit, Yuzhen opens the gate of the long night, allowing them to escape the eight calamities of Fengdu. Their ancestors going back seven generations can thereby be reborn, and the souls in the netherworld can regain the light.

“Bright” explains the meaning of these eight characters; “Demon” means the Demon King, “Above” means the Lord on High, and “Gate” means those who belong to the gate. If they understand the meaning of these eight characters, the Demon King will submit to them, and the Lord on High will protect and nurture them at the gate where life begins. Among those under the gate is Lord Han, who holds the offices of Director of Destinies and Director of Records. In the Southern Palace, the celestial institution that oversees merit, faults, and lifespan, he determines people’s years and destiny records. His blessings extend to nine generations of kin, benefiting both the living and the dead.

The eight characters “Without action, the supreme head; turning, treading, flowing, and mystery” are the inner sounds of Yueheng Heaven. “Without” refers to the Supreme Dao: the primordial Qi opens and reveals the unsurpassed Dao. “Action” refers to the celestial laws governing the movement of Heaven. These uphold the eight directions, extend throughout the Brahma Qi (pure, pervasive precelestial vital energy), and circulate without end. “Supreme head” refers to the Palace of Recorded Sins in the Northern Dipper, which turns the celestial pivot and calculates cataclysmic cycles and their measures. When the cycles reach their end, one great cataclysm gives way to the next.

“Turning” means shifting the course of destiny; “treading” means walking and setting foot upon. At the beginning of a cataclysmic cycle, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning walks through the empty expanse, turning Heaven and Earth and teaching the ten directions. “Flowing” refers to the radiance of the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—which illuminates the palace of the long night; “mystery” refers to the void. In the scene of the Mysterious Capital atop Yueheng Heaven stands Kongfeng Mountain, where the assembled sages dwell and roam, and where the souls of the living and dead return. Those who die before their cultivation of the Dao is complete and still require salvation have their souls ascend to Kongfeng, where they undergo refinement and deliverance before rising to the Southern Palace.

“Adhā Longluo, the Four Forms cry out in fullness” is an inner sound in the scripture.

The eighth heaven is called “Emptiness.” Beyond the celestial capital of Xuandu on Heng Heaven stands Kongfeng Mountain, where many holy perfected beings roam and dwell, and where the dead ultimately return. If a Dao cultivator’s practice is not yet complete, the physical form must first perish. The soul then rises to Kongfeng Mountain, undergoes refinement, and ascends to the Southern Palace.

“A Tuo Long Luo, Si Xiang Xu Yuan” is the inner sonic text of “Mengyi Heaven.” Its sounds and symbols describe the mountains and rivers of the heavens, the divine perfected beings, and the offices that deliver the dead:

“A” refers to nine winding, unbroken mountain ranges in the heavens. “Tuo” refers to the towers on those mountains, which rise into the Qi of Jade Clarity and command a view over the Three Realms. The Lord Emperor once traveled through the ridges of Aqiu, where he inspected the sins of living beings. “Long” refers to Long Mountain, nine hundred million li from A Tuo Mountain. “Luo” refers to the sun and moon, and also describes the interlacing mountain ranges, whose peaks are illuminated by their light.

“Si,” or “four,” refers to the palaces at the four extremes: the Eastern Florescence, Southern Pole, Western Numinous, and Northern Perfected palaces. The perfected beings of the four extremes govern the registers of life and death. “Xiang,” or “image,” refers to the elephant chariot. The perfected beings often ride elephant-drawn carriages through the Three Realms, checking the lives, deaths, and records of sins of people in the world, and delivering those who cultivate the Dao. “Xu” means “bent nurture” and is the title of the Lord of Life’s Deliverance in the Southern Palace, who oversees the refinement and deliverance of withered souls. “Yuan” refers to the Emperor—that is, the Youth Born in the Sun—who governs the infusion of Jing and Qi into celestial beings and humans.

The scripture says that if people can recite the Dongzhang (scriptures of the Dongzhen Cavern), their names will be entered in the registers of the Celestial Emperor. Matters of life and death can then be transformed and delivered by the Lord of Life’s Deliverance in the Southern Palace, and withered souls can undergo refinement. The perfected beings of the four extremes will bestow natural feathered chariots, so that seven generations of a person’s ancestors may joyfully ascend to the Hall of Blessing.

The Eight Heavens of the South

The first of the southern heavens is called “Nanyan Dongfu,” and it is home to multitudes of deities with jade-bright eyes.

This passage mainly describes the sacred functions of the Southern Court of Flowing Fire and the Upper Palace of Nanchang, and explains the origins and duties of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and Perfected One of the Nine Spirits.

“Southern Yan” refers to the Southern Court of Flowing Fire, where flames surge and light shines in all directions. “Cave-Float” refers to the Palace of Cavernous Yang, where the Qi of flowing fire rises in intense heat. “Jade Eyes” refers to the ointment of flowing fire: it refines and nourishes the body, giving a person a jade-like radiance, bright as the eyes. Perfected One of the Southern Pole presides over this palace. All practitioners who have newly attained the Dao must go to the Court of Flowing Fire, where the Perfected One washes and refines them with fire ointment, cleansing away their impurities. “Shenshen” means “numerous.”

“Brahma-form falls into emptiness; the Nine Spirits press forward” refers to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and Perfected One of the Nine Spirits. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was called “Brahma-form” in the Longhan era, “Lord Primordial Name” in the Chiming era, and “Elder of Primordial Beginning” in the Shanghuang era of the opening of the cosmic cycle. The scripture says that he manifested from Brahma-Qi, appearing in response to the changing cycles of calamity. He manifested in a single body and was not born from a womb; “falls into emptiness” means that he appeared from the void.

“Nine Spirits” refers to Perfected One of Nine Flores. He resides in the Upper Palace of Nanchang and oversees the karmic ties of past lives connected with the dead souls in the Nine Depths, the realm of the underworld. “Press forward” means that he governs the registers of fate and the reckoning of lifespan, and examines the merits of the dead in their former lives.

The commentary also uses Yin-Yang cultivation as a metaphor: Yin Qi first arises like mercury extracted from sand; true Yin descends, taking the form of the moon. It returns to the central palace—that is, Yin Qi returns to a Yang position—like mercury returning to lead.

The final phrase, “Duopu Terrace, Green Gauze Great Thousand,” simply lists a set of phonetic glosses. According to the commentary’s format, “Duopu Terrace” is the inner sound of Heyang Heaven, while “Green Gauze Great Thousand” is the inner sound of Gonghua Heaven.

“Duo” is the name of a mountain in the heavens. On the mountain are caves inhabited by groups of dragons, as well as yellow palaces. “^” is the secret title of the Perfected Lord of True Dawn. The Perfected Lord of True Dawn governs the Yellow Chamber and will not perish even through great kalpas. After the Longhan kalpa—the primordial cycle of tribulations described in Daoism—he will once again become manifest. “Pu” is the secret title of the Flying-Heaven Perfected Ones, who have countless attendants. “Tai” refers to the Jade Terrace, located south of Marsh Mountain.

“Green Gauze” is the sobriquet of Lady Luo Ying of the Moon. She oversees the measures of the Great Yin—the system governing the movements of the sun and moon—and, riding the energy of Brahma’s Way, turns the celestial mechanism that governs the motions of the heavens. She accords with the Celestial Origin without the slightest error. At the turning point between great kalpas, the sun and moon gather together above the Jade Hall. When the cycle of tribulation opens anew, they once again move and transform.

“Great Thousand” refers to the number of worlds: one thousand worlds make a Small Thousand World; one thousand Small Thousand Worlds make a Middle Thousand World; and one thousand Middle Thousand Worlds make a Great Thousand World. Those who can recite the Dongzhang can ascend to the chamber of the Yellow Chamber, wander through the Jade Terrace, and behold the Great Thousand World.

In a remote and mysterious place, the Nine Uglies appear, while songs like the music of Shao circle and echo without end.

The “Miaomang Eight Characters” are the inner sound of the Imperial Flute Heaven, one of the celestial realms in Daoism. “Miao” refers to the Yan’kang kalpa, when the jade characters of the heavenly book were hidden and indistinct, seeming profound and remote. “Mang” refers to the opening of the Longhan kalpa, when the characters of the heavenly book appeared once more, vast and flourishing.

When people encounter the true Dao at the peak of a cycle of tribulation, another kalpa passes, and the nine kinds of primordial Qi each transform into a beast to punish the wicked. After the cycle of tribulation begins, these nine beasts are called the “Ghosts of the Nine Evils.” The Northern Emperor, a Perfected One who governs the registers of life and death, oversees the charts and records of life and death, and so established the Nine Evils to assist the Three Officials, the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water. Their number multiplied to 810,000; after the alternation of heavenly Qi, they came to be called the “Messengers of the Nine Capitals.”

“Shao” is the inner name of the Divine Empyrean King of the Imperial Flute Heaven. The Divine Empyrean King is a god of demons who often tests those cultivating the Dao, to see whether their intentions are upright. He also composes songs and ballads to confuse people’s minds. Those whose resolve is firm are recommended by the Divine Empyrean King to ascend to the Imperial Flute Heaven.

“Yuan” is another name for the Southern Dipper, a stellar deity; “zhan” is another name for the Northern Dipper. When someone performs good deeds and accumulates merit, the Three Officials record them and report them to the Southern Dipper. The Southern Dipper then dispels the person’s troubles across the Three Realms, rescues them from the suffering of the Nine Depths, and warns the demon kings not to harm or ruin them. When someone does evil, the Three Officials record it and report it to the Northern Dipper. The Northern Dipper then orders the demon kings to destroy that person’s soul and consigns them to the depths of the Nine Depths, where they serve through the long night with no end to their sentence.

From among the clouds, one rises to the Nine Capitals; those who ascend fly upward of their own accord.

The eight characters “Tangyao Heaven” belong to the “inner sounds,” cryptic expressions used in Daoist scriptures to explain divine names and the meaning of the texts. “Clouds Above” is the secret honorific title of the King of the Flying Celestials. The King of the Flying Celestials ushered in the Longhan Tribulation, an ancient era of cosmic upheaval described in Daoism, and the Chiming era, another such period. He laid out the Book of Nature and established the foundations of Heaven and Earth.

After the Three Forms took their places, nine tiers of high terraces came into being above Yujing, appearing in the deep and mysterious void. Flying Celestial spirits often scattered the fragrance of a hundred harmonies and spread clouds of five-colored flowers from these terraces, honoring the Flying Celestial perfected beings. The terraces are home to the Jade Youth of Great Perfection, who circles them three times a day holding a Banner of Ten Absolutes. Each time he completes a circuit, the Heavenly Emperors in the heavens pay homage to the Mysterious Terrace three times, circling it three times each.

When practitioners regularly recite the Cavern Chapters, Feisheng opens a path to immortality for them and sends down the Qi of longevity, refining and nourishing their five souls so that the Eight Radiances—the eight divine beings or luminous visions associated with cultivation within the body—may endure. Qianlin is a sacred forest of divine trees in the immortal realm. Practitioners who ascend to the Mysterious Terrace and journey through Qianlin, carrying heavenly scriptures on their bodies and reciting the Cavern Chapters, can, through long and sustained practice, ascend to pay audience at the Palace of the Mysterious Capital.

“Nayu yufu, Molu falun” is a secret sacred utterance in the scripture, evoking the image of subtle fragrance and the turning of the Dharma Wheel.

The eight characters “Duanjing Heaven” are the inner sounds of the heavenly realm, secret names used only there. “Na” is the name of the Attendant Gentleman in Heaven, who governs the Qi of the four seasons and sustains its movement with the framework of emptiness, keeping the measures of Duanjing Heaven orderly and stable. “Yu” is the name of the Empty Wheel at the Heavenly Pass, and “Yufu” is the name of the numinous youth within the Dipper. Yufu continually turns the Yu Wheel and summons the Celestial Perfected, the true sages of the heavenly realm. When the Heavenly Pass has turned ten times, the great sages of the ten directions ascend to court at Jade Capital. The gods arrive together, and Yufu chants the rites. At each chant, the demon king Molu, the secret name of the great demon in Heaven, binds his form. Those who study the Dao, if they understand the Qi of the four seasons and the Heavenly Pass’s ten turns, can enter the gate of the Eight Dharma Wheels, ride in a carriage up to Jade Clarity, and attend court at the Purple Tenuity Terrace.

The eight characters “Hongchi Wujing, Lanzi Yunrong” are the inner sounds of Gongqing Heaven. “Hong” is the inner name of the heavenly Chief Inspector spirit. “Chi” is the name of Dragon Abyss, where the dragons dwell in coils. Dragon Abyss turns the splendor of the Eastern Well constellation to pour it into the Celestial Perfected. This is the essence of the moon’s yellow splendor, flowing into the stream of the Eastern Well. “Wujing” is the Flying Heavenly Spirit King. He can emit light without color, oversees the registers of life and death, and opens the way to deliver those who study the Dao. Guanfu says: The period from the hour of the Monkey to the hour of Geng is called “half a catty of Water.” Yin Qi returns to the chamber of Yang; before it has been cast into Lead, the substance of Lead has already melted into silver.

“Lanzi” is the name of the gate of the Three Realms. Whoever knows this title will have the demon king open the abode of the long night for them and use magic to summon the souls of the Ninefold Darkness, allowing them to pass through the gate of the Three Realms. “Yunrong” is the name of the Jade Maiden Xuanhe. Once a person has passed through the gate of the Three Realms, the Jade Maiden Xuanhe guides their body with the Qi of Vermilion Mound and nourishes their spirit with the fluid of Great Harmony, enabling them to ascend to the Hall of Blessings.

Fulang and Kuoyi are inner sounds, the hidden sounds of the celestial realm. Fulang is another name for the Jade Capital’s Dark Terrace in the heavens. The Perfected One of the Western Numinous Realm often recites the Cavern Chapters and dwells there in wandering retreat. Kuoyi is the inner name of the Divine Lord of the heavens. The Divine Lord was born at the same time as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. He is the model embodiment of the principles of the Mysterious Qi, the vital energy at the source of the cosmos, and he also instructs those who cultivate immortality. If one can grasp the sound and meaning of these eight characters, the Divine Lord will open the gate of the long night and lead one to the gate of renewed life, enabling one to ascend to the terrace of the Jade Capital.

The Divine Tassel is a Purple Tenuity numinous youth who oversees the bodies of those who have passed beyond death. If one can obtain the hymn “Boundless,” sung by the Divine Tassel, one can restore one’s form in the chamber of the Three Refinings, receive the Qi of Nature, and enjoy endless longevity.

The Eight Heavens of the West

“Daoli Chanyou, Boni Jiuyin Gaotong” is the inner sound of Kongsheng Heaven. Daoli is the name of the southern world of the Infinite, also known as Chanli. There stand the Palace of Cavernous Yang and the Court of Flowing Fire. The numinous writings begin in the Court of Flowing Fire, where they undergo refinement. When cultivation has become clear and complete, the Kingdom of Daoli is renamed the Hall of Blessings and Virtue.

You is the inner name of the Lord of the South Above, who cherishes life; Boni is the name of the numinous youth of the Fire Refining Pool. All who attain deliverance go to the Palace of Cavernous Yang to undergo refinement in the Fire Pool, after which they are reborn in the Hall of Blessings and Virtue. Jiutong is the name of the demon king’s deity in the world of Daoli, who often blocks the path to life. If one knows the name of the Lord who cherishes life and goes to the numinous youth to undergo refinement, one can be reborn in the Land of Blessings and Virtue, and the demon king’s deity will submit.

If one can recite the sounds of these eight characters, the Primordial Ultimate Numinous Officer of the world of Daoli will protect one’s body and guide one directly to the Southern Palace; immortals will come to welcome one. Within three years, one will be able to ride the wheel of cinnabar clouds and ascend to the Heaven of the Three Qi.

“Wansou Dise, the Hall of Great Vastness” is the next group of inner sounds of the celestial realm.

These eight characters are the Inner Sounds of the “Heaven of Imperial Cliffs,” a secret sound and meaning transmitted from the celestial realm. Wansou is the inner name of the Emperor of the Heaven of Imperial Cliffs, who oversees the opening of the Scripture of the Great Desolation and thereby explains the meaning of these eight characters. Dixi is the title of a flying celestial adept of the Form Realm. Often riding in a chariot drawn by dragons, Dixi travels in and out of Jade Purity, guiding and transforming those with roots of goodness. The Hall of Great Subtlety is the Hall of Transformation and Birth: amid the empty, wondrous transformations of things, natural patterns take shape. The hall is vast and open, and from it begins the process of guiding and transforming all things. If a Dao practitioner can understand the sounds and meanings of these eight characters, the flying celestial adept will descend in a cloud chariot, carry the practitioner’s body, and ascend into the Hall of Transformation and Birth.

The eight characters “Liuluo Fanmeng, Jingwei Xiaoyu” are the Inner Sounds of the “Heaven of Utmost Wind.” Liu is the inner name of the Heavenly King, and Luo is the name of the Moon Maiden. They oversee the ceremonies of celestial feasts and excursions, spreading radiance throughout the Heaven of Utmost Wind until it shines through the True Ones of the Nine Mysteries. Fan is the title of a flying celestial adept who oversees the opening of the gates of the Nine Heavens. Meng is the name of the Celestial Divinity of Primordial Beginning, who is responsible for setting right the Brahma Qi, the primordial energy of the Brahma heavens, and opening the Heaven of Utmost Wind, where flowing radiance shines through the True Ones of the Nine Mysteries and transforms celestial beings and all living creatures, securing the foundations of the Heaven of Utmost Wind.

The Guanfu explains: Gen belongs to Earth; it is the root from which all things arise and the source of creation and transformation. Jing refers to Jinghuang, an adept above the Four Extremes. Wei refers to the immortal of Jingxiao, Weixiu. Together they govern the Terrace of Jade Capital, inspecting and verifying the souls in the Long Night and transforming those with roots of goodness. Xiao refers to Ren, the palace of the White and Pure Primordial Lady. Yu refers to a place within Xiaoren where guests gather. Those who can regularly recite the Dongzhang, scriptures of the Dongzhen Cavern, may ride nine-colored clouds up to the Terrace of Jinghuang.

The eight characters “Xiaomang Heaven” belong to the inner sounds of Xiaomang Heaven—the secret meanings and pronunciations passed down in the celestial realm. “Yimiao” is the honorific title of the King of Xiaomang Heaven; “Wuji” refers to a courtyard of emptiness and stillness. The meaning is that this Heavenly King came into the world from the Longhan era and revealed himself in the Chiming era, dwelling in a quiet courtyard within the void.

“Wanshou” is the inner title of the Supreme Lord of the Dao. The Lord often expounds the methods of the Great Dao through the profound principles of the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, guiding living beings toward liberation. “Shaodu” is the name of the numinous youth who dwells in the sun. He often disperses the sun’s essence to nourish the body and its Qi channels, and sweeps away impurities with dancing radiance. If those who cultivate the Dao can understand the meanings and pronunciations of these eight characters, the Heavenly King will descend in a chariot that flies among the clouds, bring down a chariot of the Three Primes, and lead them beyond the Three Realms into the quiet courtyard.

The eight characters “Alanyuzhu, Huamoyanyou” belong to the inner sounds of Wengzhong Heaven. “Alan” is the Heavenly King’s hidden name. The King often rides the wheel of radiant clouds, touring the nine tiers of elevated platforms. Dwelling above a jade tower, he chants Cavern Chapters—the scriptures of Daoism—to subdue the demons.

“Yu” is the hidden name of the demon king in Yumotian Heaven. “Zhu” refers to the Desire Realm, where beings remain bound by desire. The demon king Yubo often dwells above the Desire Realm, reciting verses of empty song. “Hua” refers to the radiant landscape of the Form Realm; “mo” describes the vast, indistinct expanse of the Desire Realm, difficult to fathom. “Yan” is a courtyard where ghosts and spirits are bound, and “you” is a chamber where they are confined.

When the Heavenly King ascends the cloud tower and chants immeasurable verses, the heavenly demons bind themselves in response, while the assembled ghosts are checked by restraints and subdued. Those who uphold these scriptures bring peace and good fortune to nine generations of ancestors; those who cultivate them can even restore life to remains reduced to ashes.

“Jiukai zibian, ana” are the opening words of the next chapter.

These eight characters are the inner sounds of Jiang You Tian, the hidden sounds and meanings used in the celestial realm. “Nine Openings” refers to the beginning of the great transformation, when Heaven and Earth had not yet separated. The three primordial Qi, the fundamental energies that make up Heaven, Earth, and all things, revolved and unfolded into nine layers. Once the order of these nine layers became clear, nine ranks were arranged in turn. Yin-Yang and all things then arose naturally, and their boundaries became distinct.

“E” is the inner name of King A-Qiu. He often rides in a dragon chariot, ascends to the peak of Dragon Mountain, and roams through the Nine Mysteries. “Na” is the hidden name of the flying celestial being Na-Xie. Na-Xie travels between the Three Realms, inspecting the registers in the dark long night and delivering the souls of the virtuous. Those who understand the sounds and meanings of these eight characters will be assessed and guided by the king into the ranks of the flying celestial beings; they may even see decayed bones transformed into a youthful appearance.

“Limitless Canopy, Floating Net Joined with the Spirit” is the inner sound of Ruan Letian. “Limitless” is the first god among the countless great gods of the celestial realm and governs all the flying celestial deities. Everyone is assessed by him and thereby advances in rank. “Fu” is the inner name of the Perfected One of Rebirth, who often checks the registers of the dark night and distinguishes the causes of good and evil. “Gai” is the name of the Hall of Blessings within the Mystery. “Fu” refers to the souls of the dark night being guided and elevated by the Perfected One. “Luo” refers to the Great Luo Heaven: opening the vast world, summoning the guests of rebirth to ascend to the Great Luo Heaven, recording their names, and removing them from the register of the dead. “He” means to celebrate together; “Shen” refers to the Lord of the Spirits, an assistant minister of the Great Luo Heaven. Those who know the sounds and meanings of these eight characters may celebrate with the Lord of the Spirits and receive deliverance, becoming guests of rebirth.

“Jade Birth, Long Mulberry; Cypress Void, Deliverance to Immortality” is the inner sound of Tanshi Tian. “Jade Birth” is the name of the Jade Capital in Tanshi Tian. “Long Mulberry” refers to the Qian Grove in Heaven, also called the Mulberry Grove. The Qian Grove is sheltered beneath the Eastern Florescence Palace. Its leaves bear the chapters of the Great Cavern, written in purple script and jade characters, whose radiance appears in the Upper Clarity realm. When the divine wind stirs, the Cavern chapters sound; hence the name “Cypress Void.” “Deliverance to Immortality” refers to the flying celestial beings: they examine the registers of life and death of those who seek immortality, deliver souls from the Ninefold Darkness, and cause them to ascend to the Gate of the Dharma Wheel.

The eight heavens of the North.

Juewu, the flying god of the Longhan era, did not bring the myriad things into being through his own power; the Nine Suns guided the Qi of Qian-Yang.

These eight characters are the inner sound of the Heaven of Firmament Crossing, a secret Daoist teaching about inner meaning and sound. Juewu was a flying god of the Longhan era. When the beginning of the Primordial opened, the original Primordial Qi existed amid chaos, without color. Juewu emerged in accordance with the times and took shape by gathering the Primordial Qi. After the Nine Heavens were established, he alone withstood the endless calamities.

“Giving birth” is the inner name of the King of the Heaven of Firmament Crossing. “Nine” refers to the King of Giving Birth riding an elephant chariot and traveling through the gates of the Nine Mysteries, setting the Nine Mechanisms in motion to meet the arrival of calamities. “Sun” refers to the Sun Youth in heaven, who guides and harmonizes the Primordial Qi. When the cycle of Heaven is nearing its end, the Sun Youth draws in his light and saves those who cultivate the Dao: he pours the essence of the Water Mother into them, guides them with the Qi of Great Harmony, and purifies the Five Spirits so they may enter the Vermilion Palace, the dwelling place of the spirits within the body.

Guanfu says: “Qian” is the beginning of the myriad things. It refers to the single Qi of emptiness and spontaneity, pure, essential, and true, called the “Golden Embryo of Empty Qi.” This is like silver ore hidden in the kidneys—that is, the Primordial Spirit. The Primordial Qi transforms and returns to the central palace, becoming the Mother of the Elixir, while the Metal Lord sets it in motion. “Metal” is the innate, spontaneous Qi, also called the Golden Embryo; “fire” is the Yang Qi generated in the course of daily activity. Returning to the root and restoring the origin is like refining silver.

The Mother of Kun, the mother goddess of Great Yin, covers the east and uses form to hold the Supreme Mystery.

These eight characters are the inner sound of the Heaven of Primordial Caverns. The Mother of Kun is the governor of the Great Yin capital, also known as the Immortal Mother of the Nine Spirits. She governs the Eastern Sea; the Yang Qi generated in the course of daily activity returns to the root and restores the origin, like refined silver.

The Mother of Kun covers the east and uses form to hold the Supreme Mystery.

The eight characters “Inner Sound of the Primordial Cavern” refer to the Mother of Kun. She rules over the Great Yin, the divine power associated with the moon and Yin qi, and is also called the Immortal Mother of the Nine Spirits. She governs Fusang and the abyss of Yanggu in the Eastern Sea, directs the pivot of the Earth’s movements, sets the primordial qi of Heaven and Earth in motion, and corresponds with the Heavenly Gate. When the Heavenly Gate turns, the Earth’s mechanism begins to move. With each circuit of the heavens, the waters surge and rise by three thousand three hundred degrees. The qi of Heaven and Earth then converge, leaving the Nine Seas in chaos, until the waters spread across the sky.

“East” refers to the place in the Eastern Sea where the forces converge, which regulates the sources of the rivers. “Covering” refers to the water deity. The deity governs Mount Kunlun, filling and securing the seas and blocking the Eastern Well. In this way, the pivot of the Earth’s movements does not sink, and the enduring stability of Heaven and Earth is maintained.

Guanfu says: Kun represents the formation of all things. After conception, Shen is stored in the kidneys; this is called the Palace of Kun. Nature joins with lead and its movement returns to the central palace. The generative mechanism is the Yang qi that arises in the course of daily activity, and it can serve as the foundation for refining the elixir. The Ancestor of the Medicine gathers and contains cinnabar and mercury, making them the ingredients of the elixir. Creation and transformation mean bringing something forth from nothing. Kun is therefore established through Qian, while Qian is also brought to completion through Kun. Qian and Kun give rise to one another, with neither coming first. It is like lead arising through silver, while silver also comes into being through lead.

“Form gathers” refers to the appointed moment when union is established: the Mother of Kun appears above the Eastern Sea and summons the Bird Mother. She then sends a phoenix chariot to receive those who seek the Way and carry them to Mount Kunlun. The Bird Mother is the deity who governs the timing of the waters. “Above” means that the Mother of Kun ascends to meet the Lord Emperor, reports the appointed time when the cycles of calamity converge, transforms those who seek the Way, and records their names in Xuandu.

Guanfu also says: the return of the first Yang is the subtle transforming qi arising from the Palace of Kun. True Yang ascends like the sun to the central palace, where the Golden Mother gathers it in and transforms it into “cinnabar.” Cinnabar belongs to Wood, and Wood also symbolizes the dragon; this is the Azure Dragon receiving the talisman.

“Tuoluo Yumo, subtle qi joins with cloud” means that hidden, subtle qi merges with cloud qi.

“Tuo” is the inner name of the Heavenly Emperor of Miaocheng Heaven. Miaocheng Heaven lies on Yun’e Ridge. “Luo” is the name for the moon when it first appears. The moon hangs above the cloud ridge, as though held in its embrace and shining forth. “Yu” is the name of the divine king of Miaocheng Heaven; it also conveys the meaning of giving birth and bringing forth life. He can summon all the flying celestial beings of the ten directions.

“Miao” is the name of the divine supervisor of the Celestial Feathered Guard. The king of the Feathered Guard often commands and protects the Three Realms, examines the registers of life and death in the human world, and orders demon kings to recommend those who have attained the Dao. “Miao” describes something lofty and deep. After receiving protection and deliverance, cultivators go to the Feathered Guard’s office to receive talismans. With these talismans, they ascend to Heaven and travel through lofty cloud palaces. “Qi” refers to cloud vapors; “he” means to join with the light of Heaven. After entering the Feathered Guard, cultivators gather cloud vapors to make garments, ascend to the Vermilion Palace, and then join with the radiance of the heavens to rise together.

“Flying Celestials, Great Chou, Chief Supervisor of Heaven.”

These eight words are the inner sound of the Heaven of Prohibition. “Flying Celestials” refers to the divine kings of the ten directions. The flying, mysterious Qi in Heaven condenses into the Empty Cavern Scripture, which the flying celestial kings regularly recite and uphold to guide and receive those who study the Dao. “Great Chou” is the chief registrar who governs the Three Realms and keeps the registers of life and death; “Chou” means leader. The great demons of the Three Realms all obey Great Chou. If cultivators can understand this inner sound, the demon kings will protect their true nature, enabling them to ascend bodily to the Three Pure Ones.

“Chief” refers to the office that commands the flying celestials and governs the gathering of the Qi of the Eight Assemblies to set Heaven and Earth in motion. It also commands the officials of the Long Night, opening the path to deliverance for the dead in the Ninefold Darkness. When people understand Heaven’s inner sounds, the demon kings will report their names one by one, and Great Chou will enter the cultivators into the registers of the Immortal Capital, enabling them to ascend to the Heaven of Prohibition.

“Sha Tuo, Measure of the Kalpa; Longhan, Brilliant and Fresh.”

These eight words are the inner sound of Changrong Heaven. “Sha” refers to the Shalan Palace in Heaven.

The eight characters “Sanduo Jieli, Longhan Yingxian” are the inner sounds of Changrong Heaven (the secret meanings of celestial sounds). “Sha” refers to the Palace of Shalan in Heaven, a subsidiary hall of the Ziwei Palace. “Tuo” refers to Mount Tuoqiu. The people on Mount Tuoqiu number in the hundreds of millions; they have recently attained the Dao and received salvation, but their merit is not yet complete, so they remain there for a time. “Jieli” means that when the cycles of tribulation change, the people of Mount Tuoqiu will be assessed according to their respective merits and ascend to Zhulu, where they will receive blessings and become immortals. “Longhan” is the name of the primordial cycle of tribulation. “Ying” is the name of the Flying Heavenly Divine King of the first tribulation, who often saves souls in the underworld and raises them to the Palace of Shalan. “Xian” is an immortal attendant of the Southern Palace. After practitioners have received salvation, the attendant leads them to cultivate above Zhuling.

The eight characters “Biluo Fuli, Kongge Baozhen” are the inner sounds of Yulong Heaven. “Bi” refers to the Qi of azure clouds (the clear, numinous energy of Heaven), which often rises in Yulong Heaven. “Luo” is the name of a Flying Heavenly Spirit. Three times a day, this spirit leads the assembled sages of Heaven to pay court at the Seven Treasures Palace. “Fuli” is the inner name of the Heavenly King; when the sages pay court, the king therefore celebrates. “Kong” is the name of a Shichen (an immortal official who serves the spirits of Heaven). “Ge” refers to the music of the Dongzhang (celestial music). The Shichen gives a long whistle, answered by the numinous wind; the sounds form the Dongzhang and resound through the Seven Treasures Palace. This is why it is called “Kongge.” “Baozhen” means that practitioners who grasp the meaning of these eight characters can ascend to the Southern Palace and become guests of the Flying Heavenly Spirit. They can also pass through endless cycles of tribulation and treasure and preserve the scriptures that arise naturally; hence the name “Baozhen.”

“Eyi Wupin, Dongmiao Zizhen.”

“Eyi” is the celestial name of the Heavenly King of Fandu. During the Longhan era, one of the ancient cosmic cycles, all the causes and conditions of living beings had come to fruition. They transcended the Three Realms and ascended to the Hall of Great Void, where they received the registers of the Nine Immortals—the lists of immortal offices—and the title of Great Sage. When the era of the opening of the Red Radiance began, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning invested him as the Heavenly King of Fandu.

“Wu” refers to the Perfected One of Great Nonbeing. He received the Heavenly King’s talismanic command and liberated the souls of the dead from the long night. “Pin” means assessing the sins and blessings of these underworld souls; “dong” means seeing into the enmities they had formed in past lives; and “miao” refers to the Hall of Wondrous Transformation. Once evil ties had been exhausted and old enmities resolved, the souls ascended to the Hall of Wondrous Transformation. “Zizhen” means joining with the Celestial Truth—that is, ultimately becoming one with the heavens.

The Qi of the Primordial Great Brahma is vast and profound, tranquil and still, and able to transform and save living beings.

The eight characters “The Primordial Brahma is vast and boundless; in deep stillness, it saves people” are the inner sound of Jiayitian. “Primordial Brahma” refers to the Qi of the Primordial Great Brahma: exalted and far-reaching, it penetrates the emptiness, suspended in space without falling. “Vast and boundless” describes its infinite expanse and profound freedom from obstruction: though it exists, it seems formless. “Deep” means profound and remote; “still” means empty, silent quietude. It is obscure and distant, elusive and difficult to fathom, beyond the reach of ears and eyes. Yet it contains the True, and within the True there is essence; therefore, it can universally save living beings in both the celestial realm and the human world.

Master Mo’an said: “The meaning of the Ling Shu is exceedingly subtle and profound, and by its nature is difficult to investigate exhaustively. Each section contains sixty-four characters and comprises sixty-four lines. This number arose naturally and corresponds exactly to the Zhouyi, in which the eight trigrams are doubled to form the sixty-four hexagrams. Qian and Kun are the foundation of the Yi, so the scripture specifically mentions the words ‘Qian and Kun.’ This shows that the transformations of all things between Heaven and Earth do not depart from the Yi, just as the signs of Heaven and Earth, spirits and ghosts, and creation do not depart from the Ling Shu. The two can be understood by analogy.

“Moreover, tradition says that a dragon-horse emerged from the Yellow River bearing a diagram, from which Fuxi—the legendary creator of the trigrams—drew the hexagrams and formed the Yi. Cloud seal script, an ancient Daoist writing said to resemble drifting clouds, appeared in the Great Void as jade characters, and the Celestial Immortal Sovereign of Original Truth, a legendary immortal who wrote the script of Heaven, set them down in chapters. The wondrous way in which sacred teachings were established thus has, from the outset, a mutual correspondence.

“I understand the Celestial Immortal Sovereign of Original Truth to have said: ‘The inner sounds of the heavens and the natural jade characters are all formed by the congealing of Flying Mysterious Qi, and together they contain the sounds of the Five Directions. Their writing is profound and intricate, and cannot be investigated exhaustively.’ From this we know that the jade characters of the Ling Shu arise from Great Brahma Qi, the primordial energy of the highest level, and congeal into writing in the void. The Celestial Immortal Sovereign of Original Truth takes up the brush and develops them into chapters. These characters are the source of Heaven and Earth and the root of the myriad things. They secretly accord with the workings of Yin-Yang, movement and stillness, within the Great Beginning, the primordial state before Heaven and Earth were differentiated. For the principles of all things are contained in the numbers of generation revealed by the Yellow River Chart. Thus, through inner cultivation, one can refine and nourish oneself; through outward application, one can save others. The cultivation of the Dao ultimately comes from a single root.

“The scripture says: ‘These are the Great Brahma’s hidden words within the heavens, sounds beyond measure. The old texts were each one zhang in length. The Celestial Immortal Sovereign of Original Truth once wrote these characters as the correct sounds. If someone can understand their sounds, observe purification and recite them, the heavens will send the Flying Heavenly Spirit Kings down to inspect that person…’”