《太上洞玄灵宝天地运度自然妙经》

The Dao (the Way) says: The Supreme Lingbao (the supreme and unsurpassed Great Dao of Lingbao) came into being before Heaven and Earth, and only afterward did Heaven and Earth exist. Number begins from one, is established by three, is brought to completion by five, flourishes by seven, and reaches its utmost at nine. Thus Heaven and Earth stand ninety thousand li apart, and Yang Qi (vital energy) accumulates in Heaven. The Yin Qi of the Great Dao congeals into form and, arranged and set in order, forms Mount Kunlun, which serves as the earth-pillar supporting the great earth. The place where Qi rises and reaches Kunlun is the center of the earth. From Kunlun the distance east, west, and south is 100,006,500 li in each direction, and northward it is 100,006,750 li; the four sides of the earth together measure 400,026,250 li.

The Dao says: The sun and the moon are about one thousand li in diameter and three thousand li in circumference. They travel through eighty-one regions, alternately hidden and revealed, and light and darkness between Heaven and Earth change with them. The Northern Dipper has nine stars, two of which are Yin stars invisible to the naked eye and stand ninety thousand li apart; they moisten eighty-one provinces and eight hundred ten regions. The Northern Dipper lies above Kunlun and circles around it, distributing Qi throughout the world: in spring and summer it becomes dew, and in autumn and winter it becomes frost and snow.

Human beings are the same as Heaven and Earth. Beyond the eight directions of Heaven and Earth, the myriad things receive their heavenly nature, yet all harbor grief and suffering, which constantly brings harm upon the people. Every living being that has blood and Qi and that creeps and moves is unable to be at ease, and must in the end contend with Heaven and Earth over its allotted span of life, returning at last to death. The bones dissolve and merge into the soil, while the Shen (spirit) ascends, wanders, and in turn passes through the Five Paths (the five destinations of the cycle of birth and death). Those who do good ascend to Heaven; those who do evil fall into the abyss. The good and evil that a person does while alive all affect the Shen and the hun and po souls, so that they receive recompense according to guilt and blessing. Only by cultivating and studying the methods of the Dao, seeking long life, and penetrating the ultimate principle of the cycles and transformations of cosmic measure can one hope to endure and to pass through the revolution of Yang Nine (the cycle of cosmic calamities of Heaven and Earth).

The Dao (the Way) says: A person is born from the mother’s womb only after passing through ten months. Death, however, comes like a great wind suddenly sweeping in; when it will strike without warning cannot be foreseen, and the time of death is never fixed. One ought at every moment to prevail over one’s own selfish desires, and not hesitate when doing good. Therefore I exhort, by means of the Jing (scripture/classic) and of principle, those who cultivate the Dao and pursue learning: things the eyes cannot see and the ears cannot hear, together with rare and precious treasures—what benefit are they to oneself?

Those who cultivate the Dao should sincerely trust the teachings of the Jing, hold to good conduct even unto death, and do no evil. Death may descend suddenly, and its time is hard to foresee; therefore one must at every moment prevail over selfish desire and not hesitate in doing good. I exhort, by means of the Jing and of principle, those who cultivate the Dao and pursue learning: things the eyes cannot see and the ears cannot hear, and rare treasures—what benefit are they to oneself? Those who cultivate the Dao should sincerely trust the teachings of the Jing, keep to the good until death, and not cling to a makeshift life by doing evil.

The Dao must not be lost, and De (Virtue/Power) must not be violated. To go against the Dao and lose De is like a child who, once born, has no mother, and like a fish that has left deep water. If one resolves to cultivate and study, one can transcend the cycle of birth and death; otherwise one is like a silkworm trapped in its cocoon, muddled and dull. Should there come a day when the bodily form is changed and one’s allotted life is altered, attainment of the Dao begins from what is subtle and minute. Long-continued fasting and purification, together with the recitation of the Jing, are the root of accumulating De. In this way one naturally comes to understand the mysterious principles and the patterns by which things move and transform; the realm of spiritual illumination will also pass beyond ordinary regions, and in the end one may pay homage before the exalted deities of the Most High in the Jade Capital.

Thereupon a hymn was composed, saying:

I am now old and frail, and must pass through every kind of illness. Ice and snow melt away, and fire rises up again; calamity beats upon my body. The bones of my whole frame gradually come apart, and the great kalpa is about to overturn all. I therefore fear such suffering, and seek the methods of the Dao, wishing to obtain long life. I would cast off the entanglements of the dusty world and return to a state of utmost stillness and purity, firm and unchanging. I wish, through lofty practice, to pursue the Dao of the Great Vehicle, and naturally to succeed in learning the Dao. Cultivating the supreme and unsurpassed De, I forget the self, and therefore no longer cling to names and titles. With pure and quiescent wisdom I pass through the eight difficulties, wandering free and at ease—in the end, what remains to be sought?

The Dao says: Among all that lives, human life is the most precious. Since one has already obtained life, one ought to cherish it and help it grow. Yet some people covet wealth and cling to it stingily, unwilling to give it away and distribute it.

As for the closing line—“serving the treasured master, the eight difficulties; wandering free, what in the end is pursued?”—the sense appears marred by textual error or omission, and it cannot be explained coherently.

The Ancestor of the Dao (the Way) said: Among all that lives, what is most precious is the human being. Once one has received a human life, one ought to cherish it and bring it to some real attainment. Yet some people cling to wealth and cannot bear to give any of it away in charity. They devote themselves wholly to serving their teacher and the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing (scripture), and the Master—in hope of deliverance and ascent to immortality, but they will not stop to think carefully: the body one now has is not truly under one’s own command, and treasures do not truly belong to oneself. Rank and salary, far from helping, become a heavy burden on the body; what good do they do? Aging, illness, and death are not things that any of these can ward off in one’s place.

If one cannot resolve in person to cultivate the Dao and win one’s own liberation, and instead only dresses and adorns oneself while supposing such a life already enough, one is like a bird on land that cannot bear to part with its tail feathers and is shot by the hunter all the same. Those who study and cultivate the Dao should take the Great Dao to heart. Wealth and things outside the body do not depart together with a person’s soul and Shen (spirit); to wear oneself out for them only adds, in the end, to one’s misery. One should seek the root of release from suffering, cut off the road to the Three Evil Paths—usually the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—and enter the Three Good Paths. The goal of which the scripture speaks is this: not to age, not to fall ill, and not to die; to live long and pass beyond the world, far from calamity, to meet the fortune of the Dao, and to become a guest in the presence of the Taishang, a revered deity of Daoism. A verse was then made, saying:

I consider that aging and illness will come at last; they are the greatest affliction within the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm. When one’s store of blessings is spent and life draws to its close, the breath ceases and one enters the coffin; in the dark obscurity one turns to dust, and the hun and po souls have not a moment of peace. It is because I fear all this that I cultivate the Great Dao, unwilling to die young or suffer injury and ruin.

I gather in my thoughts and hold to the correct Way and to true nature; a mind made good and pure is truly worthy of praise. Dwelling in the garden of the Three Treasures—the teachings of the Dao, the Jing, and the Master—one can naturally subdue the demon officials, those demonic beings that obstruct cultivation. Therefore I am willing to give up all that is mine and resolve to cross beyond the shore of birth and death. Reaching the state of utter non-dependence, one may long keep the peace and joy of hundreds of millions of years.

The Ancestor of the Dao said further: Whoever cultivates longevity, resolves on ascent and deliverance, and seeks the Way of Wuwei (non-action)—accordance with the Great Dao without reckless action—and wishes to lift oneself clear of the world’s defilement and withdraw from its crowds, must first reach the state of non-dependence. Only then can one long keep the peace and joy of hundreds of millions of years.

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) of long life and resolve to transcend the world, wishing to seek the Dao of Wuwei (non-action) so as to free themselves from the defilement of the dusty world and remain far from secular turmoil, ought first to understand the general cycles of the movements of heaven and earth and of the coming of calamities. Only by knowing the patterns of disasters such as “Yangjiu and Bailiu” can one avoid misfortune and preserve oneself. If one does not do so, then even if one seeks the Dao year after year in the hope of ascending to heaven and becoming an immortal, one’s efforts may be wasted and in the end come to nothing.

Now I explain to you the time limits of kalpic destiny and the regularities of flourishing and decline, of growth and diminution, so that people may preserve themselves, find a way to survive, and prolong their lives. This concerns not only one person’s safety or peril, but also whether the ancestors of seven generations can be reborn. The Immortal Lord (Xiangong) says: If those who devote themselves to studying the methods of the Dao can understand the measured cycles of heaven and earth and the timing of the calamities of “Yangjiu and Bailiu,” they may hope to pass through the perils of the world. The key lies in prolonged fasting and purification, in quieting the mind for reflection, in withdrawing from worldly affairs, and in setting aside as well every kind of attachment that has accumulated; only then may one look forward to the ascent in flight of the bodily form. If even a single thread of attachment has not been fully severed, one cannot be called lasting and unchanging.

Below are ten verses of instructional words (fayan), which the Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) was asked to recite and expound:

A crimson document emerges from the earth, and thereafter gold and jade become the masters. At the jiashen time in the year of the Azure Dragon, catastrophe suddenly descends—who can know it in advance? Even if writings of water appear in the heavens, one must still reverently await the time of the prince. When the chen year arrives, the colors of the celestial signs will change; before that, the Hu people will first be seen. In the land of Kunyuan the disaster is most severe, and the region of Jishi will next also be unsettled. The austere practitioners of higher learning ought to recognize these portents. Even if writings of water appear in the heavens, one must still reverently await the time of the prince. When the chen year arrives, the colors of the celestial signs will change; before that, the Hu people will first be seen. In the land of Kunyuan the disaster is most severe, and the region of Jishi will next also be unsettled. Practitioners of higher learning ought to accord with the seasons of Heaven and follow the Dao of Heaven. Blessings are not obtained in a single morning or evening, but are founded upon the accumulated goodness of seven generations. The appointed time of peace under Heaven will be fulfilled at Mengjin—how joyful and at ease the people will be!

When the mysterious numbers of destiny reach the end of the Metal Horse, the image of the Ancient Moon will harass the Divine Continent. On land there will no longer be descendants, and brothers will scatter one after another; the people of the He-Luo region will be emptied away, and the regions of Yan and Zhao will become a flooded marshland. Jingzhou and Yangzhou will afterward also suffer disaster; when the si year arrives, the Central Marchmount will display omens. The calamity in the region of Mang will last ten years, and the shores of the Eastern Sea will likewise fall into changes in which mulberry fields become open seas. People ought to enter the blessed lands early and, with the aid of the “Eight Minerals” (mineral medicines or prepared materials used in Daoist cultivation), refine and nourish the body. Liucheng is the place where one may survive; the saying of the Hidden Dragon is not unfounded. Jade Bamboo Shoots lie close at hand in the world, and Tongbai is also easy to seek out.

Note: This passage of instructional words uses cryptic expressions such as “Metal Horse,” “Ancient Moon,” and “Hu child” to foreshadow calamities and prodigies, and it mentions specific place names and terms of Daoist cultivation; their precise correspondences are difficult to determine from this passage alone.

In the year Dinghai, the calamity had not yet passed away, and the perfected immortals of the eight directions gathered together. Xuansheng (the title of a perfected immortal) came riding on a purple cloud and instructed the assembly by means of the Jiulingzi (a wondrous method in Daoism, or the name of a deity). If people cannot take the disaster upon themselves and dispel it, thunder and lightning will not cease. This calamity appeared between the years Shen and You and spread on for ten cyclical years. Only in the year Renchen, the “time of the water dragon,” did the immortal lords begin to arise.

“Gongkou Shibazi” chanted aloud, and they joined efforts to set affairs in order. The hundred officials stood in solemn ranks, their expressions grave, and all were persons of De (Virtue/Power). They devoted their admiration to immortals such as Master Red Pine and Prince Qiao. When the cataclysm had ended, they themselves had already passed through the disaster. In ordinary times they loosened their robes and sashes and wandered at ease, and they also wrote down in careful detail the scenes of that time.

Fangping recorded that a great bird was about to fly in from the southeast. The foolish could not read the course of events, while the wise pored over wondrous books of methods. The countryside and the borderlands were flooded, and Xiashou (a place name) sank beneath the water as well; the star Taibai moved contrary to its proper course. Clouds and mists all changed, and fish and turtles roamed the broad waters. In a moment the multitude sank into the Eastern Sea, and there was no longer anyone who could rise as Zishang once had. In the year Renwu, the region of the Southern Marchmount was outwardly dark, yet in reality it manifested Yang Qi (vital energy). Yangzhou could become a place in which to withdraw from the world and pass through the cataclysm; at that time one should recite the Shengshen Zhang, a Daoist Jing (scripture/classic) used for visualization and for summoning Shen (spirit).

The Zhang clan composed the Hu Ming—perhaps related to Daoist prophecies or scriptures of the “crane’s cry” kind—and from the theories of the chenwei apocrypha discerned the signs of the latter age of the golden horse. People falsely accused and slandered one another; their lapels were in disarray, and they had no time even to fasten their sashes. Government troops scattered and fled, and the power of bandits grew more rampant day by day. Although the imperial palace still held splendid robes and ornaments, its walls were continually damaged; thorns grew up in the courtyards, and princes and nobles were carried off by bandits. Wives and women drifted into foreign lands, and amid forced labor there was no day of peace. To get by hawking one’s goods and begging to sell them was truly lamentable; after a thousand years, where could they meet again? Better to study the Dao (the Way) early, and entrust one’s aspiration to the high and distant clouds.

The jijiu who cultivate the methods of the Dao—in Daoism, officers charged with teaching and with presiding over rites—ought to practice diligently. If one does not carefully observe the one hundred and eighty precepts, then when disaster comes it will be like torment in a fierce fire. Such things were already close at hand in the age when the Jin clan held power; reflecting on them, there is indeed something to be said. Armed force will strike from all four sides, and not a single day can be delayed. Afterward a great flood will descend, its mighty waves vast and boundless, as if joined with heaven. Those who have fallen dead amid the disaster walk on, yet see nothing at all; the sages knew of this long beforehand, and these words may truly be trusted.

One should first study and awaken to the mysterious principle, and within the square inch—the heart-mind—join with the numinous Qi of the famous mountains. Setting one’s lapels in order, one comes to a pure and exalted sanctuary of the Dao; the supreme Dao is, from the beginning, the root of numinous wonder.

Pingdu, a place name, has left written records, and it may indeed be visited as a blessed land. In the year Gengchen the Qiang and the Hu will rise in disorder; in the year Renwu there will be a strange bestowal. One should first go to the blessed land and chant aloud, and thereby nourish oneself. Gazing afar across ten thousand li, one sees no smoke of human fires; when the year Renchen comes, the calamity will still not have been removed. Once the immortal lord has pacified the world and brought it to order, the snare-like afflictions of the four quarters will subside. If one can receive my favor, like that of a jade axe, one will forever take leave of the dusty world. How are glory and official salary worth craving? Within the mysterious Dao (the Way), one should cut off deep and hidden delusions.

Kongsheng, a person of the Kong surname, left behind clearly intelligible writings that had been stored away; trees grow facing one another, as if each had its own causal affinity. Zengshan, a mountain name, is a place one may visit and roam, and the Nine Yi, the ancient name for the various peoples of the east, brush away the light dust. Dwelling in a humble hut, one keeps to emptiness and stillness; silent and without words, the mind is deep, far-reaching, and lucid. Spring water wells up, yet cannot continue from its source; Maojin—by dividing the characters “mao” and “jin,” a hidden reference to the surname Liu—will not harm people. The blade bends, and one does not yet feel the pain; when this age arrives, however, it will injure your body.

Mount Taihe, a mountain name, may be gone to, and at Yanmen, a place name, the true Dao is made manifest there. Lutang, a place name or a site of cultivation, is truly precious. The people are harmonious and content in emptiness and stillness; silent and without words, the mind is deep, far-reaching, and lucid. Spring water wells up, yet cannot continue from its source; Maojin will not harm people. The blade bends, and one does not yet feel the pain; when this age arrives, however, it will injure your body.

Mount Taihe may be gone to, and at Yanmen the true Dao is made manifest there. Lutang is truly precious. The people remain harmonious until the year Renchen. Eighteen years later a new ruler appears; you come and join those who make the true Dao manifest. In the land of Hao, a place name, immortals are especially numerous, while the regions of Jing and Xiang are the most distressed and impoverished.

How can one draw close to Liugu, a place name? That is an age three times that of Fangxun, Emperor Yao. Only then will you understand the toil and bitterness within it. A sage and enlightened emperor has already appeared and governs the world; this change begins in the year Renchen. The Bright Star illuminates Shuimu, the name of a star or a deity; Shenhou, a title or a personal name, leaves ten epochs, and great birds gather in the southeast.

Fresh blood stains the inside of the city gate, and swarms of rats climb the green trees. They are too numerous to be stopped; a woman enters the palace offices. Clouds and dragons cannot be compared with one another. The foolish say that matters are not so, while the worthy each remain firm and self-possessed.

The Dao (the Way) says: In what Lingbao (Numinous Treasure; Daoist scriptures and methods) teaches of the natural workings of Heaven and Earth, a distinction is drawn between the “great yang-nine and great hundred-six” and the “lesser yang-nine and lesser hundred-six.” Three thousand three hundred years make one lesser yang-nine and lesser hundred-six, and nine thousand nine hundred years make one great yang-nine and great hundred-six. When Heaven suffers calamity, it is called “yang-nine” (yangjiu); when Earth falls into loss and depletion, it is called “hundred-six” (bailiu).

In the jia-shen year after the Jin clan, Heaven and Earth stand precisely at the threshold where their cyclical numbers turn from Pi (Obstruction) to Tai (Peace), and the calamity of the yang-nine is about to arrive. After three thousand three hundred years comes the lesser yang-nine and lesser hundred-six; after nine thousand nine hundred years comes the great yang-nine and great hundred-six. When Heaven suffers calamity, it is called yang-nine; when Earth falls into loss and depletion, it is called hundred-six. In the jia-shen year after the Jin clan, it is exactly the moment when the cyclical numbers of Heaven and Earth pass between Pi and Tai, and the calamity of the yang-nine is at hand. Only then will the Way of Dao and De (Virtue/Power) be made plain, and the wicked will swiftly be removed; a sage and enlightened sovereign will receive the mandate in the ren-chen year.

These are the ten chapters of method-words spoken by the Perfected of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate). Their purport is profound and marvelous, and moves freely without obstruction; their fine tenets are lucid and expansive. As for the numbers of the kalpic cycles, and the essentials of advancing and withdrawing, of taking up and setting aside, one may say the account is very full—indeed, one may say it has already been spoken to the very end.

The Dao says: If one can regularly recite this scripture (jing) and enter into the deep, hidden resonance of its meaning, one will be able to pass through the great disaster within the kalpa of the yang-nine, and in the ding-hai year receive the mandate and take office. One should first keep a prolonged fast, recite and intone with a quiet mind, and cut off clamor and worldly affairs; only then should one seek the subtle principles within the scripture and bring them forth in a pure and upright voice. In this way, ancestors of seven generations may be reborn and return to the womb, and one oneself may live long and not die; even in passing through the kalpic cycles one will suffer no disaster, and in the end become an immortal and ascend as a Perfected. How subtle this principle is—it cannot be wholly expressed in words. If you are fortunate enough to meet with this scripture, you will be able to grasp its subtle principles and bring them forth in a pure and upright voice. In this way, ancestors of seven generations may be reborn and return to the womb, and you yourself may live long and not die; passing through the kalpic cycles without harm, you will in the end become an immortal. Supremely marvelous, and yet fine and subtle, it truly cannot be exhausted in speech. If you are fortunate enough to meet with it, you will be able to ascend to the Jade Capital (Yujing, the celestial capital of the immortals spoken of in Daoism) and become an official through whom the sage emperor governs the people.

The Dao says: The rule for transmitting this scripture should follow the old canon as I have set it forth: keep a pure fast for twenty-four days, and in addition prepare five taels of gold and one hundred feet of red-ground brocade (brocade with a red ground), to be used in establishing the oath. The one who receives the scripture should carry this out with reverence. If one does not act according to the rule and transmits it at will, one will suffer the trial and punishment of the wind-knives. The one who receives the scripture must be diligent, meticulous, and cautious.

The Wondrous Scripture of the Natural Cycles of Heaven and Earth of the Supreme Lingbao (Taishang Lingbao Tiandi Yundu Ziran Miaojing).