《太上洞玄灵宝天尊说救苦妙经注解》

“Taishang” is an honorific of the greatest magnitude and the highest rank. The commentary explains that “Tai” refers to what comes from above the earliest stages of the cosmos, such as Taichu (the Great Beginning) and Taiyi (the Great Change), while “Shang” means higher than all things. This both praises the origin and exalted station of the Dao (the Way) and indicates that the principles of this scripture are exceedingly profound.

Following Daoist cosmogony, the commentary accounts for the origin of the myriad things. At the stage of Taiyi, Yuanqi—the primordial Qi (vital energy), the fundamental breath with which the cosmos begins—has not yet appeared. When Taiyi transforms into Taichu, Yuanqi begins to emerge. When Taichu transforms into Taishi (the Great Commencement), form begins to take shape. When Taishi transforms into Taisu (the Great Undifferentiated), form and substance gradually become complete. When Taisu transforms into Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), heaven and earth remain an undivided chaos. After Taiji transforms, clear Yang Qi rises to become heaven, and turbid Yin Qi descends to become earth. The two breaths of Yin-Yang then mingle and form a Qi of central harmony, which nurtures human relations and the myriad things. By this the commentary explains the saying, “The Dao gives birth to the One; the One gives birth to the Two; the Two give birth to the Three; the Three give birth to the myriad things”: the Dao becomes the one undifferentiated Qi of chaos, which then divides into Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang unite to produce the Three Powers of heaven, earth, and humanity, after which the myriad things flourish in abundance.

Heaven and earth cannot arise of themselves; they require Taiji. Taiji likewise cannot arise of itself, and its source may be traced in turn back to Taisu, Taishi, Taichu, and Taiyi. Taishang, therefore, names that which occupies the most fundamental place in this process of generation—at once vast without limit and raised far above the extremities of the eight directions.

The commentary also draws on the character “Tai” to speak of human nature. It holds that within the human heart there is a single point of numinous clarity, constant and never extinguished. Daoists call it the primordial spirit (Yuanshen); Confucians call it the true nature; Buddhists call it the original nature. Seeing, hearing, speech and action, and every kind of transformation all arise from this numinous clarity. What Laozi nourished in cultivation, what Zhuangzi’s parables point toward, what the Duke of Zhou pondered, what Confucius fixed his attention upon, what the Tathagata awakened to, and what the patriarchs transmitted—all, in the end, are this one point.

Although ordinary people possess this numinous clarity, they are often drawn along by sounds, sights, and desire. Their thoughts rise and fall with feeling and attachment, without pause day or night, so that their innate nature cannot be set upright. It seems to stream outward, and they fall into the cycle of rebirth. The essential point of cultivation is to guard and nourish this inner point, so that the mind is not disturbed by desire.

From the character “Shang,” the commentary further draws out the way of humility and placing oneself below. The component “bu” carries the sense of measuring and judging, while “one” symbolizes innate nature. Only one who can discern one’s own nature and humbly take a lower place is a superior person. The rivers and seas lie beneath the hundred streams, and so are able to gather them; the sage does not push ahead of others, and thereby comes to stand before them. The noble takes the lowly as its root, and the high takes the low as its foundation—this is precisely the humble way by which the sage meets the world. If one boasts and exalts oneself, supposing oneself higher than others, one in fact falls to the lower grade.

Finally, the commentary says that if one can accord with Taixu (the Great Void) and reach a state in which inside and outside are both forgotten, above and below are both relinquished, and there is no clinging to a self, one may realize the Way of the utmost sage. Since the Dao already resides within one’s own nature, there is no need to look outward and seek it from above.

Dong (grotto) has the sense of opening a passage through: above it connects with Heaven, below it connects with Earth, and within it immortals come and go through the hidden dark. Under Heaven there are the Ten Great Grotto-Heavens and the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto-Heavens.

Dong also means what is deep, secluded, and hard to fathom. The Ten Great Grotto-Heavens and Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto-Heavens of Heaven and Earth rest within the vast, boundless Great Void (Taixu) and open into one another. When immortal sages gather, they manifest bodily form; when they disperse, they change into Qi (vital energy). They pass back and forth of themselves, with nothing to obstruct them.

The sage infers what is near—his own person—from things far away, and so the human body also contains dong. The head has the Nine Palaces, and above them lies Liaotian (the Vast Heaven); together these are called the Ten Great Grotto-Heavens. The spine has twenty-four joints, divided into the Twelve-Storied Tower, and together these are called the Thirty-Six Grottoes. They connect upward with the Nine Heavens that correspond to the Niwan (the inner palace of the head) and reach downward to the Nine Earths that correspond to the Weilu (the lower end of the spine). Between them, True Qi (the subtle vital energy latent in life) comes and goes in the most hidden and minute places.

Therefore, in a state of utmost emptiness, stillness, and concentration, the sage turns the Xuanji (the pivot of the qi-mechanism within the body), so that spirit and the movement of Qi communicate freely. Connection above with Heaven is precisely the rising and descending, the coming and going, of the Three Palaces (the three palaces within the body), circulating without end.

The character dong is formed from the elements for water and for “same”; from this the commentary associates dong with water. The water of the great sea gathers the streams of the eight directions, the nine regions, and the Heavenly River. Drawn upon, it is never exhausted; poured into, it never overflows. Vast and boundless, its depth cannot be measured. Cultivation of the Dao (the Way) must likewise move from the coarse to the fine, and from the fine to the subtle. Only when the subtle reaches its extreme does one enter the wondrous (miao); only when the wondrous reaches its extreme does one enter the mysterious (xuan). When the Dao reaches the realm of mystery and wonder, there is no place it does not penetrate.

Thus one says “dong” because it is deep and unfathomable, and “xuan” because it is subtle without end. These profound and far-reaching meanings are as deep and secluded as Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery). If one is not born with the root capacity of an immortal perfected being, who could comprehend them?

Lingbao Tianzun Shuo Jiuku Miaojing (The Scripture Spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure on Wondrous Salvation from Suffering)

The Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Tianzun) is the Supreme Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun). Viewed in terms of the human body and mind, “numinous” (ling) refers to Shen (spirit), and “treasure” (bao) refers to Qi (vital energy); the physical form is the place where spirit and Qi take up residence. Human beings have ears and eyes, which are the portals through which the primordial spirit (yuanshen, the innate spiritual consciousness) comes and goes. By day, when mind and spirit are awake and clear, the spirit moves between the ears and the eyes; at night, when the eyes close, the spirit returns and is stored in the Crimson Palace (Jianggong, the inner chamber where the heart resides).

Ordinary people fix their attention on the external world, and the spirit races outward along with it. The sounds and sights they perceive continually disturb the inner mind, turning innate nature into emotion, and emotion then tangles on without cease. Thoughts therefore arise in the heart, and action becomes attached; by day their deliberations are confused and many, and by night they often dream, the spirit chasing wearily on without rest. Desire has no end, and so the many spirits within the body grow fatigued and scatter, while the physical form that houses spirit and Qi also declines. All of this comes about because the spirit is employed outwardly and cannot be gathered back within.

Those whose cultivation has borne fruit, by contrast, forget external things and devote themselves wholly to guarding the spirit. They contemplate by means of inner observation, and the light of the spirit shines upon the Jade Palace (Yuque, the palatial dwelling within the body that symbolizes the abode of divinities); they draw in the sense of hearing and listen back inwardly, and wondrous tones seem to sound in the Jasper Chamber (Qiongfang, the pure and quiet chamber within the body). Their spirit is settled and lucid, no stray thoughts arise in the mind, and they nourish body and mind with tranquil wisdom. Cultivated in this way over a long time, the nature of the Dao (the Way) comes forth, joining above with Heaven and running through below to Earth. Spiritual powers grow vast and wondrous functions inexhaustible, untouched by the workings of creation and hard to fathom amid the changes of Yin-Yang. From this one can ride the clouds and mount the wind, ascend to the True, and unite with the Dao. The crux of it all lies in the nature of the spirit, and so it is called “numinous.”

Human beings also have nose and mouth, the portals through which the Qi of life enters and leaves. Breathing communicates with Heaven and Earth and is the route along which primordial Qi comes and goes: on the exhalation, grain Qi (guqi, the Qi produced by the transformation of food and drink) is expelled; on the inhalation, primordial Qi enters. The key to long life lies stored within the breath. When ordinary people let mind and spirit rush outward, their emotions grow restless and their breath short and hurried; they breathe only with the throat, and the fetal origin (taiyuan, the fundamental Qi of life) is stirred and lost, while true Qi gradually weakens. When Qi is exhausted, life comes to an end—truly a pity.

Those whose cultivation has borne fruit know deeply the root of creation and transformation. They harmonize the breath so that it communicates with the Qi of Great Harmony (Taihe), recover the root and restore primordial Qi, and return to the root to restore life. Their breathing seems to reach down into the heels—a way of describing breath that is deep, continuous, and prolonged. Nothing is more precious than Qi. One who understands this principle will see that the Mud Pill (Niwan) and the Jade Palace are where the spirit is settled, while the Mysterious Gate and the Female Door (the portals within the body through which breath enters and leaves) are where Qi is nourished. Qi can restrain the spirit, and the spirit can govern Qi; the two keep to each other like mother and child, so that nature and life are fused. In this way the many spirits are not scattered, and body and mind can remain numinous and clear. When the one Qi coalesces, it becomes a treasure—and this is the “numinous treasure” within one’s own person.

Of all the sufferings of living beings, none is greater than wandering in the cycle of birth and death. Moved by great compassion, the Heavenly Worthy proclaims principles that are deep and subtle, opens the gate that had been stopped, and points out the bright road, so that those who come to understand may leave birth and death behind and forever escape the round of transmigration. Hence he is called “the Reliever of Suffering.” Jing (scripture/classic) bears the meanings of a path and of constancy; it expresses the hope that those who seek to learn will follow this path and cultivate it over a long time.

At this moment, the Heavenly Worthy Who Saves from Suffering (the venerable deity who delivers all beings from hardship) manifests.

The Heavenly Worthy is none other than primordial Qi (Yuanqi, the original vital energy from which the universe generates all things). His Dharma-body has no fixed form or appearance: when primordial Qi gathers, it manifests as his true form and thus becomes a venerable deity of the heavens; when primordial Qi coalesces, it can take on bodily form, and when it disperses, it returns once more to Qi.

Primordial Qi fills the worlds of the ten directions. So vast is it that nothing lies beyond its embrace, and so subtle that there is no place it cannot enter: the mountain valleys are filled with it, and the hollows and pits are filled with it as well. It pervades the farthest reaches of the eight directions and is present everywhere.

The Heavenly Worthy Who Saves from Suffering constantly employs the power of his awesome spirit to rescue beings and uproot their suffering. Of all such awesome spiritual power, the greatest is primordial Qi; as primordial Qi moves, it alone holds the power of creative transformation, of coming into being and of passing away.

The beings spoken of here include the four classes of life—those born from the womb, from eggs, from moisture, and by transformation—as well as flowers, grasses, and trees, birds and beasts, fish and turtles, and creatures that crawl, fly, or wriggle. Whether sentient or insentient, all depend on primordial Qi for nourishment and life. Where primordial Qi is present, life is soft and supple and continues to grow; when primordial Qi disperses, life hardens, withers, and dies. Laozi said: “What is soft and weak belongs to the class of the living; what is hard and strong belongs to the class of the dead.” Whatever possesses shape, form, sound, or color can grow only by receiving primordial Qi. Hence it is said that the Heavenly Worthy saves and uplifts all beings.

Beings are thereby able to leave the path on which they have gone astray. Yet beings do not understand this principle; they are like the blind who look upon the sun and moon yet cannot recognize them.

Sentient beings are immersed in sights, sounds, and every kind of desire, and, lost on a misguided path, they do not realize this: the fish lives in water, and water also surrounds the fish; the human being lives in Qi (vital energy—the life-force of which Daoism speaks), and Qi also exists within the human body. If a fish loses water, it dies; if a person loses Qi, that person perishes. A great fish capable of swallowing boats, once stranded and deprived of water, can be made to suffer even by ants. Hence it is said that a fish cannot leave the deep abyss, and a human being cannot leave Qi. If a fish could inhale and exhale and live by transforming water, it would not die; if a human being can inhale and exhale and live by transforming Qi, that person can attain long life.

People of the world know only how to nourish life each day by eating grains, meat, fruits, and vegetables, yet they do not know that all these foods are things possessed of form, that they belong to Yin, and that they are the quintessence of the earth; only primordial Qi belongs to Yang. With each exhalation, Qi goes out three cun; with each inhalation, Qi comes in three cun. One exhalation together with one inhalation counts as a single breath, and in one day and one night there are thirteen thousand five hundred breaths in all. True Qi rises and falls, passing back and forth between the nose and the mouth, amounting altogether to eight hundred and ten zhang. Ordinary people cannot master it, and so the Qi scatters into the air; once the breath can no longer return, a person’s life comes to an end.

This Jing (scripture/classic) speaks of the secret of nourishing Qi and retaining Shen (spirit) so as not to die. People of the world are foolish and do not understand its meaning; they are like the blind who face the brightness of the sun and moon yet cannot see it. Hence it is said: it is as though the blind behold the sun and moon.

I originally abide within Taiwu (Great Nothingness), and from there I draw things forth and hold under unified command all that is boundless and without limit.

Primordial Qi (Yuanqi, the original vital energy at the beginning of cosmic generation) abides in the vast void, moving without cease like the working of a bellows. It seems empty and nonexistent, yet it can enter wherever nothing obstructs it. Thus it is said to exist while having no form, and though formless it harbors a subtle power. To lose it is to die; to obtain it is to live. From ancient times to the present, those who have attained the Dao (the Way) and become immortals are beyond number. All of them took the Qi of harmonious balance (Chonghe Qi) as their foundation and only thereby cultivated the true Dao. Hence it is said that it can bring transcendence, with a boundless path ahead.

Auspicious clouds (Qingyun, propitious clouds of Qi) open the Gate of Life, and auspicious mist (Xiangyan, propitious vapor) seals the Door of Death.

These two lines are the essential point of a scripture (jing) and the key to the Way of deliverance from suffering. Auspicious clouds and auspicious mist are both alternative names for the wondrous Qi of Great Harmony (Taihe Miaoqi, the peaceful and exquisitely subtle primordial Qi). The Gate of Life and the Door of Death are different names for the Mysterious Gate and the Feminine Portal (Xuanmen Pinhu, the mysterious yin gateway); some also call them the Gate of Heaven and the Door of Earth, or the portals of Qian and Kun. What is meant by a portal is that a certain power passes in and out through it.

“To open” means to unclose, and “to shut” means to close. The Yijing (Classic of Changes) says that closing the portal is called Kun and opening the portal is called Qian; one opening and one closing is called transformation, and coming and going without cease is called the Dao. Heaven and Earth can continue in operation for so long precisely because of this transformation of opening and closing, coming and going. If one wishes long life and lasting vision, with a lifespan equal to that of Heaven and Earth, one must likewise begin from the opening and closing, the going out and coming in, of the Gate of Life and the Door of Death, investigate the critical junctures of free passage and obstruction, grasp the wonders of creative transformation, and enable the two Qi of Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang), to come and go, rise and descend, in unceasing motion. This is also called “the sun going out and the moon coming in,” or “clarity going out and mystery coming in.”

Without the guidance of an adept who has attained the Dao, even vast learning makes it hard to hear the profound meaning within. The principle of nature in cultivation must be realized by oneself, while the methods of cultivating nature and life must be received from a teacher. I formerly accepted my teacher’s instruction and came to know the deep and subtle secret within; I therefore set down the true mechanism and secret formula transmitted by the Most High (Taishang), which are not lightly disclosed. Students should study them with care. The secret formula says:

The Gate of Life and the Portal of Death go by many different names: one is called the Vermilion Abyss (Zhuyuan), the other the Spirit Cottage (Shenlu). Those who do not understand the Dao (the Way) of cultivation know only how to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth; immortals of profound attainment grasp the essential point within this and hold that, among the myriad things, nothing is more important.

When the practitioner senses auspicious clouds and propitious mists, the breath rises and falls, coming and going, so that the whole body flows freely and grows full, and Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), fine as cloud-blossom, nourish the body. Pure Jing is gathered, and one flies through the air; once Qi enters the body, its savor surpasses that of tihu (a pure and mellow milk curd). By emulating the tortoise’s slow breathing, one may commune with the numinous and lengthen one’s years; by emulating the clam’s drawing in of moonlight, one may nurture Jing and congeal the Neidan (internal alchemy). A heavenly secret is disclosed here, and whoever encounters it ought to keep it confidential. When the practice is accomplished, the body grows light and one ascends in flight, riding a qiongyu (a carriage made of jade). Cultivation begins from the three original Qi—Xuan (Mysterious), Yuan (Primordial), and Shi (Inaugural)—and from these one reaches auspicious Qi and responds to the hidden pivot of creation and transformation.

The Great Dao first arises from the “One Qi” (the original vital energy at the beginning of the cosmos); the One Qi then changes into the three Qi of Xuan, Yuan, and Shi, which is why it is said, “At the outset, Xuan, Yuan, and Shi issue forth.” The three Qi congeal into the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three supreme deities venerated in Daoism; their three hues blend and transform, shining with splendor in the Great Void. Each of the three Qi in turn gives rise to three Qi, multiplying level upon level into nine Qi, which then form the Nine Empyreans and the Nine Heavens. The Shengshen Zhang (Chapter on the Generation of Spirits) says: “Xuyan presides over the Three Numina; the Qi of Xuan, Yuan, and Shi divide.” The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says, “The three Qi turn to the right, and the nine paths grow bright,” and also, “The nine Qi shine forth and emerge amid the empyreans.” That is to say, the three Qi are the root of Heaven and Earth, and the nine Qi are the source of the myriad things. If a person can seek out and cultivate the three subtle Qi of Xuan, Yuan, and Shi, and resonate with them when auspicious clouds and propitious mists appear, that person is said to have grasped the key of creation and transformation; hence the saying, “Thereby one connects with the auspicious and senses the pivot.”

All sinful karma is saved and delivered, and every calamity and affliction is released; one transcends distant and deeply secluded immortal realms and enters the vast, pure realm of the Natural. All of this is borne by the power of the Great Dao, and thereby demons, monsters, and sprites of every kind are subdued.

Among all sins and afflictions, none is greater than death; among all calamities, none is more severe than death. Although the circumstances of human death differ, in general there are three destinations: after death the sage becomes a spirit (Shen), after death the worthy returns to the origin, and after death the ordinary person follows the transformations of form and substance.

What is meant by the sage becoming a spirit after death? Within the “spirit chamber” inside the body—the state, in cultivation, in which the original spirit is nourished—the sage forms a sacred embryo, so that within the body there is another body. After the yang spirit leaves the physical form, one dies yet is not extinguished; shedding the embryo, one is transformed into spirit. This is what is called a divine immortal.

What is meant by the worthy returning to the origin after death? While alive, the worthy is not drawn along by external things, and mind and nature are free of attachment. Life is regarded as a temporary lodging, and death as a return. What is called return is a going back to the origin: the spirit enters its original gateway, and the bones return to their fundamental place—what, then, is there for one to cling to? Such people can set aside every attachment, so that spiritual consciousness is clear and bright. They transcend the material world, no longer enter the cycle of rebirth, and are not constrained by the officers of the underworld, remaining free and at ease. Even to be a sovereign enjoying glory and splendor cannot compare with this state.

Worthy gentlemen and practitioners of Chan meditation who illuminate the mind, see their nature, and thoroughly penetrate original nature are able to transcend the secular world, realize the constant Dao (the Way), and remain forever unencumbered. But if insight is unclear and cultivation is deficient—if one remains only in empty talk, or clings to visualization—one may in the end become a ghost-immortal of the kind called a yin spirit or a suffering soul. Should one wish to leave the present world, one may also be reborn by seizing another’s body or by entering a womb.

What is meant by the ordinary person following the transformations of form and substance after death? While alive, the ordinary person’s ethereal and corporeal souls, dreams, and thoughts are constantly drawn by external things and cannot pass beyond their bonds. Therefore, at death, form and spirit are hard to separate, and the pain is extreme, like a living turtle stripped of its shell or a crab thrown into boiling soup. After death the realm is utterly dark, like a bird flying at midnight, blundering about in confusion and not knowing where to go. Governed by the transformative power of creation, they are reborn according to karmic consciousness, sometimes taking birth as other kinds of beings without knowing it themselves. The changes produced by thought often compel a person to change along with them: one who is extremely violent may turn into a fierce tiger; one who is extremely lustful may turn into a woman; one may also be reborn as livestock, birds, insects, and the like. Even if one is later reborn as a human being, this still belongs to what is here called “things.”

When a person is at the point of death, if every part of the body has grown cold and only the crown of the head remains warm, this shows that the person has attained the Dao and returns directly to the realm of purity and stillness. If every part of the body has grown cold and only the region of the heart remains warm, one will be reborn again as a human being.

If people do not aspire to cultivate the Dao, but all day long rush about in pursuit of fame and profit and indulge in sensual pleasures, then day after day they are like oxen and sheep being led to the slaughter: each step brings them one step closer to death. While they have not yet died, should they not quickly seek the supreme Dao and cultivate diligently, so as to realize the true, attain deliverance, and be freed from the sins and calamities that birth and death bring? Therefore it is said that cultivating the Dao is for the sake of delivering all from sins and afflictions and of removing all calamities.

After one attains the Dao, one’s name is entered in the Golden Register (Jinlu, the ledger in which Daoism records the names of immortals and perfected beings), and one takes a place among the immortal ministers. Jade maidens carry banners to clear the way, and immortal lads beat drums and make music, so that one may wander freely in the Shangqing—the pure immortal realm of which Daoism speaks—and ascend to the lofty, distant realm of Daluo. The Fanqi (pure primordial Qi) of the various heavens is vast and limpid. Therefore it is said that the immortal realm is remote and sublime, enabling one to transcend the origin of the dusty world; vast and luminously clear, it spontaneously dissolves calamity. Wearing a talisman, then.

When the hosts of demons hear of it, they are all stricken with terror; when the golden light spreads abroad, every kind of essence-specter loses its bodily form and is destroyed. Thus it is said that all of this receives the power of the Great Dao (the Way) and is used to subdue the various demons and essence-specters.

What is it that shines so brightly in the void? It is called the “Muddy Pellet Immortal” (the Shen [spirit] who dwells in the Muddy Pellet Palace of the head).

“Void” means that the myriad dharmas are all empty, while wondrous function is yet contained within them; hence it is called “in the void.” The inner vision is brilliant and resplendent. When one turns the gaze back and illuminates within, only oneself can see it; hence it is called “how blazingly bright.” The Muddy Pellet (Niwan) lies between the two eyebrows, about three cun (Chinese inches) inward. It is the precious palace where the Jing (essence) and blood of the brain reside, and also the jade chamber where the hun and po souls, together with Jing and Qi (vital energy), dwell. It is regarded as the abode of the hundred spirits and the source of the bodily fluids. It is also called the “Upper Red Infant,” the presiding deity of the upper body, and so it is called the “Muddy Pellet Immortal.”

Purple cloud-Qi covers the Yellow Elder Lord (the Yellow Elder deity of the center).

When the two Qi of Metal and Wood meet, and blue-green and white combine, they transform into azure mist; when the two Qi of Water and Fire mingle, and black and red are harmonized, they transform into purple cloud. In refining and nourishing the body, the first concern is the use of true Water and true Fire. The true Water spoken of here is not the turbid water formed from tears, saliva, bodily fluids, or food and drink, but the “Water of the True One” gathered from the wondrous Qi of Great Harmony, called the “Mysterious Spring.” The practitioner should discern whether the source of the water is clear or turbid.

Fire originally has no fixed form; it arises in dependence on external things. If it is used improperly, disaster will follow. The immortals have many methods of conducting fire, employed to destroy the filth of the corpse, refine and transform the hun and po, and turn the body into a body of pure Yang. In conducting fire one must also follow set numerical tallies, bringing them into accord with the movement of the celestial circuit and the degrees traversed by the sun and moon. These methods are transmitted from mouth to ear and are hard to set down on bamboo and silk. The immortals have a saying: “In the way of divine immortality, what is easy need not be kept secret; only what is difficult must be secretly transmitted. The sage transmits the medicines, but does not transmit the method of using fire.”

If one conducts only Water and not Fire, Qi can hardly rise; if one conducts only Fire and not Water, the effect of steaming cannot be produced. Therefore, only when Water and Fire are harmonized does the richly interfused Qi transform into purple cloud. Wherever spirit and Qi gather, Qi is sure to converge. Thus a dense, luxuriant purple cloud rises to the Muddy Pellet and covers the Yellow Elder Lord of the center; hence it is said, “purple cloud covers the Yellow Elder.”

This is what is called the “Three Treasure Lords.”

The formation of the Three Treasure Lords (Sanbao Jun) comes about through the harmonization of Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy), like water and fire assisting one another. Once Shen and Qi have intermingled, they transform into purple clouds; wherever Shen gathers, Qi likewise converges and turns toward that place. The purple clouds then rise thick and dense, ascending toward the Mud Pellet Palace (Niwan Gong, the site of cultivation in the head) and covering the Yellow Elder Lord of the Center (Huanglao Jun, the venerable deity who dwells in the center of the body). This is why it is called “purple clouds covering the Yellow Elder.”

This is the Three Treasure Lords.

The Three Treasure Lords are brought into being by the condensation and transformation of Shen, Qi, and Jing (essence). Shen is distinguished as Yin and Yang; Qi is distinguished as clear and turbid; and Jing is distinguished as moving with the ordinary course or moving in reverse.

What is meant by Shen having Yin and Yang? That which, through visualization and concentrated thought, communicates with the numinous realm, and which can pass in and out of the Gate of Heaven (Tianmen) and foresee the future, is called the Yin spirit. If one accumulates the Qi of Yin and Yang, condenses it into a subtle and numinous bodily form, and causes another body to arise within the body, becoming an embryo immortal (Taixian) and manifesting the transformation of casting off the embryo, this is called the Yang spirit. The Yang spirit becomes an immortal; the Yin spirit becomes a ghost.

What is meant by Qi having the clear and the turbid? Heaven and Earth produce things that possess form and substance. Among them, the grains, meats, fruits, vegetables, and the like that contain blood and Qi nourish the earth and grow. These are called grain Qi, also called earth Qi, and therefore belong to turbid Qi. The wondrous Qi of Great Harmony (Taihe), by contrast, generates Heaven and Earth, and also enables spirits, ghosts, divinities, and sovereign lords to become manifest. It is only provisionally called the “Dao” (the Way); that is, it is Qi, and Qi is the Dao. It cannot be seen, heard, or touched, yet it can penetrate metal and stone and fill the eight directions. The scripture says that this Qi is the clear Yang Qi within emptiness and void. Accumulating Yin Qi brings a person to decline and death; drawing in Yang Qi enables a person to attain life.

What is meant by Jing having an accordant course and a reverse course? When Jing moves along the ordinary course, it forms the body of an ordinary person; when Jing reverses its movement, it becomes the foundation of refining the elixir. All of this is bound up with conducting the fire and causing it to rise and descend. Sexual union between man and woman is called “kalpa fire” (Jiehuo); it also causes Jing and Qi to pass through the Three Passes (Sanguan, the three gateways spoken of in cultivation) and to run through the Tail Gate (Weilu, the gateway at the lower end of the spine). When Jing and Qi leak outward along the ordinary course, an ordinary person is formed. If one lifts, draws in, and contracts Jing and Qi, this is called civil fire (Wenhuo); retaining the breath and circulating Qi is called martial fire (Wuhuo); and keeping time with the rhythm of the revolutions of the sun and moon is called talisman fire (Fuhuo).

The cultivator opens the Golden Lock (Jinsuo) and penetrates the Jade Pass (Yuguan), sets the Jade Pivot in motion (Xuanji, referring to the circulation of the Qi mechanism within the body), and harmonizes the Qi of the sun and moon, so that golden essence pierces the crown of the head and silver waves surge up to heaven. This is called “going against the current” (Suliu), that is, causing Jing and Qi to move in reverse and ascend. Therefore it is said that the reverse movement of Jing is the foundation of refining the elixir: following the ordinary course causes the bodily form to decay, while reversing the course can make the bones firm.

A person’s eyes are the gateway of Shen, the nose and mouth are the gateway of Qi, and the Tail Gate is the passage of Jing. The subtle operation of Shen and the efficacy of cultivating celestial authenticity (Tianzhen) are both stored within these gateways and apertures. Therefore, one who has succeeded in cultivation turns contemplation inward and withdraws the hearing in order to concentrate Shen, breathes the Qi of Great Harmony in order to nourish Qi, and further causes the Flowing Pearl (Liuzhu, referring to the Jing and Qi within the body) to move in reverse in order to gather Jing. These Three Treasures—Shen, Qi, and Jing—coalesce in the Spirit Chamber (Shenshi, the place within the body where Shen is preserved and Qi is refined), and in the end all are transformed into Shen. They are therefore called the “Three Treasure Lords.”

Furthermore, one employs “Shangtianhei” (the Qi [vital energy] of the upper heaven, that is, the primordial Qi [Yuanqi] of the celestial realm) to govern the hun-spirits of the Nine Heavens (Jiutian).

The human head contains the Nine Heavens, also called the “Celestial Valley” (Tiangu). The hun-spirits dwell here and belong to the inner divinities of which the Yellow Court (Huangting) speaks. As the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting Jing) says: “Above are the hun-numina; below is Guanyuan.” The bodily form delights in eating richly flavored food, while the spirit delights in absorbing Qi; celestial Qi is the food of the yang spirit (Yangshen). The Stanzas on Generating Spirits (Shengshen Zhang) say: “When the hun comes into being, it gathers roaming Qi, drifting aloft to refine the pure florescence.” The “roaming Qi” (Youqi) spoken of here refers to the Qi of the upper heaven. The hun-spirits take in this Qi because they must feed on Qi; therefore one uses the Qi of the upper heaven to govern the hun-spirits of the Nine Heavens.

If Shen (spirit) does not obtain the “One Qi” (Yiqi) with which to be nurtured, it cannot be numinously bright; if the Celestial Valley does not obtain the One Qi to fill it, it cannot become full. When spirit loses its numinous brightness, it may decline and leave the human body; when the Celestial Valley loses its nourishment, it may wither and become empty. Once the valley spirit (Gushen) departs, a person’s life span comes to an end. In the past, people had not yet encountered primordial Qi, and the hun-spirits drifted away; now that the true Dao (the Way) is understood, the hun-spirits that had departed have a place to which they return, and this is therefore called the “Great Return” (Dahuan). Only by governing the hun-spirits of the Nine Heavens with this Qi of the upper heaven can one cause the valley spirit not to die. This is what is meant by “Spirit attains the One and is numinous; the valley attains the One and is full.”

The various Qi of salvation from suffering (Jiuku) had once utterly departed; now that the true Dao is understood, what had departed has a place of return, and this is therefore called the “Great Return.” One again uses this Qi of the upper heaven to govern the hun-spirits of the Nine Heavens, and only thus can the valley spirit be made undying; hence it is said: “Spirit attains the One and is numinous; the valley attains the One and is full.”

The various wondrous spirits of salvation from suffering are adept at manifesting at the time of saving from suffering. In heaven above, primordial chaos remains one undivided whole, not yet differentiated.

Cultivating the supreme Dao (the Way) depends above all on preserving the spirit (Shen). Those whose spirit is abundant are luminous without display; they conceal and nourish themselves so as to hold to the correct Way, and thus can return to pristine simplicity, maintain emptiness, stillness, and plain detachment, become wholly one with the Dao while standing independent and unmoved, and let their innate nature rest in a realm of utmost stillness. They do not give rise to the slightest stray thought, so the spirit does not scatter and separate; they do not stir even the most minute notion, so the spirit does not dissolve and disperse.

The Zhuangzi says that when a person’s heavenly nature is kept whole and intact, the spirit will not be lost. Those who guard their heavenly nature possess an unbroken radiance of spirit that transforms and gives birth to a host of spirits, and are therefore called the “various wondrous spirits.”

What is called “deliverance from suffering” means, first of all, saving oneself; if one cannot save oneself, who else can save that person? When the Dao is about to be realized, even floodwaters covering the sky will not drown one, and even a great drought that scorches mountains and stones will not make one feel the heat. Life and death cannot shake one—how much less dying in the course of a great calamity? Thus one can transcend disaster, and is said to be skilled at seizing the moment of deliverance from suffering.

The method of cultivation known as “Returning Wind Mixed with the Sovereign One” consists in gathering the many spirits back into the heavenly realm within oneself and uniting them as one so that they cannot be separated; hence it is said, “in heaven, mixed and without division.”

When the primordial Qi (vital energy) of heaven returns into the single body, it is entirely transformed into the person of spontaneity.

Heavenly Qi (Tianqi, the primordial Qi [vital energy] of Heaven) had already come into being before the myriad things of the universe appeared, and it lies beyond all phenomena. It moves in and out together with clear and bright Qi, gathering and releasing in accordance with wondrous transformations; high in the sky it is limpid as azure, and at sunset it takes on a faint flush of red. It is undisturbed by wind and rain, and unsullied by dust. Practitioners breathe in and out through the gate of the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin, the subtle source by which Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things), cleansing body and mind until they return to Xiyi (a realm so faint and remote that it can scarcely be seen or put into words). This Qi can still hunger and thirst, clear away turbidity, expel the Three Corpses (Sanshi, the spirits or foul influences said in Daoism to dwell in the body and obstruct cultivation), and eliminate a hundred illnesses. It is primordial Qi that is pure, empty, and possessed of the Dao (the Way).

The Yuhuang shenyong mijue (Secret Formula of the Jade Emperor’s Divine Application) says: “Heaven will not cause one who understands the ultimate Dao to die; Earth cannot destroy one who ingests primordial Qi.” If one grasps the principle of Tuna (regulating the breath and taking in Qi for cultivation), one can unite with oneself the refined Qi of the celestial realm—the rosy glow of the sun, solar Jing (essence), the luminous aura of the moon, and the lunar florescence, together with the Three Pure Essences, the Five Sprouts, and the orthodox Qi of the Primordial Sovereign. All of these belong to Heavenly Qi. Once the Qi of Great Harmony (Taihe, the balanced and pure primordial Qi) enters the body, bone and flesh grow light, clear, and refreshed; a full and perfect celestial image appears above the crown; and the bodily form can appear and vanish of itself. Only when cultivation reaches this point does one count as a “natural person.” Thus it is said that when Heavenly Qi returns into the whole body, it can transform a person into a natural person.

If one rises and rests in unclean places, dwells where it is dry or damp, eats mixed foods that are rank and filthy, or is steamed by the corpse-Qi of graves, what one encounters is turbid, foul, heavy, and stagnant death-Qi, which the Way of the immortals shuns. Immortals therefore often dwell high in towers and pavilions, so as to draw near to Heavenly Qi. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “What is most to be avoided is death-Qi, together with every kind of filthy and base thing.”

The natural (ziran) originally has differing forms, yet their source lies entirely within the hollow void. Within that void, traces of form seem at once to be and not to be; the forms that pervade the myriad things in fact all abide in emptiness.

Laozi said, “Heaven emulates the Dao (the Way), and the Dao emulates nature.” The Dao of Heaven, just as human beings learn from nature, follows the principle of nature. How could people fail to realize this?

The so-called “body without a body” is the true and original body that transcends physical form, like an infant in its original state. Taking itself as its root, it has abided constantly since ancient times. Laozi said, “Profound, remote, and subtle, it seems to exist; I do not know whose descendant it is, and it seems to precede the Celestial Emperor.” What is spoken of here is a fundamental reality distinct from physical form.

The palace chambers within the brain are spacious, empty, and still, precisely suited for the true nature to abide in peace; therefore the Imperial Lord dwells within them. Thus the Niwan, the spirit chamber in the brain, is called the Mansion of the Hollow Void. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says, “Ask whose family’s child this person is. Why does he leave this place and enter the Niwan?” This is exactly what is meant.

To guard the Shen (spirit) is to gather in scattered thoughts. When one holds the Shen and does not let it disperse, becoming one with the Shen, one forgets the very traces of one’s guarding; hence it is said, “Within the hollow void, traces themselves leave no trace.” Once the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the One flow through unhindered, one passes beyond the myriad forms. The Shen roams in the vast and remote realm of true emptiness, and the whole of body and mind opens into spacious clarity, as if the entire body were void.

The first is to be established by receiving primordial Qi (Yuanqi); the second is to be born by according with primordial Qi; the third is, from this, to bring all phenomena to completion; the fourth is to become the sovereign of light.

Liezi says that a person’s life is not under one’s own control, but is lodged and formed through the workings of Heaven and Earth and the harmonization of Yin-Yang. Tracing life back to its beginning, there was originally no fixed “self.” The human body is gathered from two streams of primordial Qi (vital energy)—that of Heaven and Earth and that of one’s parents—the vital energy that constitutes the human body and all things. It is therefore called “the first: Wei Qi Li” (establishing by entrusting Qi).

Once one understands that this body is generated from Qi, one should not go against or injure the Qi within the body, causing life to decline before its time. One ought in good time to regulate and circulate the Qi of Heaven and Earth so that it returns to the body and continues without cease; through taixi (embryonic breathing, a deep, fine, and prolonged method of respiration) one returns Qi to its root and accords with the movement of Qi. In this way life can naturally be nurtured and preserved for a long time. It is therefore called “the second: Shun Qi Sheng” (generating by according with Qi).

The so-called perfected person (zhiren, one who has attained success in cultivation) can comprehensively hold Heaven and Earth and master Yin-Yang. The cosmos seems to rest in the palm of the hand, and the transformations of the myriad things seem to arise from oneself. Such a person can transform bodily form into Qi and is therefore not subject to exhaustion, and can further, through transformation, become Shen (spirit), so that spiritual awareness has no end. When Shen accords with transformation, one accords with the Dao (the Way); according with the Dao, one accords with ziran (the spontaneous natural order). If one enters the realm of the Dao by means of techniques, the techniques are easily penetrated; if one employs the techniques by means of the Dao, the techniques are easily brought to completion. Master but a single famen (gate of method), and all the various gates of method can be interconnected. It is therefore called “the third: Cheng Wan” (accomplishing the myriad).

After the cultivation of the Dao (the Way) is complete, it is as if the crown of the head bears the full circle of the celestial patterns, and the body itself manifests radiance; this is why it is called the fourth principle, “presiding over radiance.”

The Wujing Tigang (Outline of the Five Jing [scriptures/classics]) says that the Jiuku Miaojing (Wondrous Scripture for Deliverance from Suffering) comes from the Qingxiao Yinshu (Hidden Writings of the Azure Empyrean) and is a secretly transmitted scripture concerned with liandu, the Daoist practice of delivering the souls of the dead and freeing them from suffering. The scripture sets out four guiding principles, and the crux lies in “presiding over radiance.”

The first is “establishing by commissioning Qi” (wei qi li). By means of the One Qi (vital energy)—the primordial energy that constitutes heaven, earth, and all things—Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning) separated heaven and earth, set their transformations in motion, and generated Yin-Yang; this is the root of the myriad things. What Zhou Dunyi meant when he said, “The Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), in moving, gives birth to Yang, and in stillness gives birth to Yin; Yang transforms and Yin unites, and thereby Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth come into being,” is precisely this.

The second is “being born by according with Qi” (shun qi sheng). After heaven and earth have been divided and Yin-Yang established, human beings are born by receiving the harmonious Qi of heaven and earth. What Zhou Dunyi meant when he said, “The Jing (essence) of the Two and the Five wondrously unite and congeal; the way of Qian forms the male, the way of Kun forms the female, and the myriad things are transformed and born,” is that the Qi of Yin and Yang intermingle and coalesce, giving rise to men and women and to all things.

The third is “bringing the myriad norms to completion” (cheng wan fa). After human society has taken shape, sages and worthies appear, laying down the constant principles of human relations and establishing institutions, so that people may set right their De (Virtue/Power) and conduct, make good use of material resources, and improve their lives; only thus can the human way long endure. The Zhongyong says, “Cultivating the Dao is what is called teaching,” and the meaning is of a piece with this.

The fourth is “presiding over radiance” (zhu guangming). Here “radiance” refers to a person’s innate nature, and “presiding” means that one ought to honor it as one honors a sovereign. If a person can take this radiance as the master of the whole body, then in movement and in rest, in speech and in silence, everything follows its guidance; the mind becomes open and unobstructed, nothing external can cloud it, and the fundamental substance of the Dao is thereby fully revealed. What the Zhongyong calls “honoring the nature of De,” what the Daxue calls “illuminating bright De,” and what the Zhuangzi calls the “True Lord,” all point to this same meaning.

This radiance is originally possessed by every person. It does not increase because of Yao, nor does it disappear because of Jie; it does not grow because of Yan Hui, nor diminish because of Robber Zhi. Hold to it, and one is worthy and wise; abandon it, and one is foolish. Gain it, and one may ascend to the heavens; lose it, and one sinks into the hells. The fierce sufferings of the hells—being boiled, butchered, and the like—are all the result of losing this radiance.

In heaven there are thirty-six Jing (scriptures/classics), and beneath the earth there are likewise thirty-six. The Dao (the Way) of the Great Mystery is without bounds, and the Scripture of the Great Cavern (Dadong Jing) is truly profound and wondrous.

The “thirty-six” spoken of here means that the scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) each comprise twelve divisions. In the first year of Longhan, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning transmitted the twelve scriptures of Dongzhen, setting forth the Dao of the Nine Sages. In the first year of Chiming, the Most High Lord of the Dao transmitted the twelve scriptures of Dongxuan, setting forth the Dao of the Nine Perfected. In the first year of Shanghuang, the Most High Lord Lao transmitted the twelve scriptures of Dongshen, setting forth the Dao of the Nine Immortals. These scriptures amount to more than eight thousand chapters. They were formed by the condensation of the Qi (vital energy) of Soaring Mystery—the wondrous primordial energy of which Daoism speaks—and appeared as the purple seal-script of the five directions, sacred purple talismanic characters, their splendor illuminating the Grand Empyrean. The Tianzhen Huangren, a sacred figure of legend, took up the brush and recorded these scriptures.

The thirty-six scriptures were secretly stored in the Golden Palace of Purple Tenuity in the heavens above, the palaces of the celestial realm, and were guarded together by the Limitless Exalted Perfected, the Ten Shen (spirits), and the Five Elders. Three times each month, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and the exalted sages of the various heavens paid homage to these numinous texts. They had not yet been transmitted to the human world, and so were called the “thirty-six of heaven.” The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning further secreted the thirty-six scriptures in the Dragon Palace, in order to secure and protect the seas, the sacred mountains, and the grotto-heavens; they were therefore called the “thirty-six beneath the earth.” These scriptures embody the boundless Dao of the Great Mystery, and for this reason the Scripture of the Great Cavern is praised as profound and wondrous.

The author modestly acknowledges a shallow understanding and explains “thirty-six” only by conjecture. Some say it is the yang number of four nines and the yin number of six sixes; others account for it by the seventy-two seasonal pentads. All such explanations, however, stray from the profound intent. The scriptures of the higher vehicle speak of the Dao; they do not set it forth through elaborate numerical reasoning.

To take refuge in the Most High Worthy is to extinguish every karmic offense.

For body and mind to take refuge in the Most High means that one must not leave the Great Dao for even a moment. So long as one never departs from the Great Dao, Shen will extend their protection, great blessing will follow, and all that one does will accord with the auspicious; naturally, there is no offense of which to speak.

In the east is the Celestial Worthy of Royal Treasure and August Sovereignty; in the south, the Celestial Worthy of Mysterious Perfection and Myriad Blessings; in the west, the Celestial Worthy of Supreme Subtlety and Utmost Extremity; in the north, the Celestial Worthy of the Jade Dawn above the Mystery; in the northeast, the Celestial Worthy, Exalted Sage Who Ferries Immortals; in the southeast, the Celestial Worthy Who Cherishes Life and Delivers Destinies; and in the southwest, the Celestial Worthy of Great Numinosity, Sovereign of the Void.

The Celestial Worthies of the ten directions (honored deities who preside over the various quarters and save all beings) are as numerous as grains of sand and dust. They manifest throughout the worlds of the ten directions, universally rescuing and delivering celestial persons (those with the aptitude to cultivate the Dao (the Way)).

The Celestial Worthies of the ten directions are the Lingbao Celestial Worthies of the ten directions. The two characters “Daoyan” (“the Dao speaks”) indicate that what follows was spoken by the Lord of the Dao. This scripture (jing) is expounded by the Celestial Worthy of Lingbao. He is called the ancestral master of the myriad heavens and the physician-king of the Three Realms; he is the Yuchen Lord of the Great Dao of the Most High (Taishang Dadao Yuchen Jun). He dwells in the pure realm of Shangqing and carries out his teaching within the Medicine-Pearl Sun Palace (Yaozhu Rique). Transforming into auspicious light and Qi (vital energy), he spreads through the worlds of the ten directions, universally saving and delivering celestial persons.

The “celestial persons” spoken of here are those who are humble and reverent, glad to give, humane and tolerant, whose minds are tranquil, mild, and gentle, who treat others with kindness, who respect teachers and friends, and who, having heard the Great Dao, believe in it with firm resolve. For such people the Celestial Worthy will take form and descend, transmit the supreme Dao, and help them attain deliverance and realization. Hence it is said that the Celestial Worthy universally rescues and delivers celestial persons.

If a person’s root nature is turbid and wicked, if he neither keeps the precepts nor upholds right conduct, if he is sunk in licentiousness and killing, and if, on hearing the Great Dao, he instead laughs aloud, then he is no different from one who has lost the Dao. It is not that the Great Dao has failed human beings, but that human beings have failed the Great Dao.

“Entrusting Qi and gathering merit and virtue” (wei qi ju gongde) means according with and following primordial Qi (the fundamental Qi that constitutes the myriad things) and accumulating merit and virtue. The commentary cites the Liezi, which says that when Qi gathers it can generate the myriad things; according to the sense of the text here, when a cultivator accumulates primordial Qi together with merit and virtue, he can attain deliverance and realization.

Liezi said: When primordial Qi (vital energy)—the fundamental Qi that constitutes life—gathers, a person is born; when primordial Qi disperses, a person dies. Neither birth through the gathering of primordial Qi nor death through its dispersal can be prevented by human effort. Seen in this light, a person’s life seems to depend on the creative transformations of nature and not to lie in one’s own hands.

Those of profound cultivation, however, understand the crucial point and are able to master the breath. Once the breath’s going out and coming in can be regulated by oneself, one may say, “My life is in my own keeping and is not decreed by Heaven.” The common saying “jiangxi” (regulating and resting the breath) was originally a sacred teaching handed down by the immortal perfected to enlighten ordinary people—how many can truly comprehend it? Those who comprehend it can of themselves regulate the breath so that Qi is not lost, gathering a peaceful Qi within a single breath. Through long cultivation and the accumulation of merit, they naturally attain realization. Thus the saying “settle the Qi and accumulate merit” means causing primordial Qi to coalesce and thereby accumulating merit.

“Save sinners of the same voice.”

Laozi said: “One who accords with the Dao (the Way) is also received by the Dao.” If someone earnestly seeks instruction from teachers, concentrates on comprehending the supreme principle, studies the Jing (scriptures) in depth, and turns wholly toward the Dao without letting the will scatter, this is called like sounds responding to one another and like Qi seeking its like. Only such people may be taught the supreme Dao and delivered; hence it is said, “Save sinners of the same voice.”

Sinners are truly worthy of pity. For this reason I now proclaim this wondrous Jing.

After a person is reborn, for ten months in the mother’s womb, when the mother exhales, he exhales with her; when the mother inhales, he inhales with her. When Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) are sufficient and the consciousness of Shen (spirit) is complete, he leaves the fetal membrane and is born. At birth it is as if heaven and earth are startled, and only then does he become a human being, called an infant. The infant’s mind is concerned only with nursing; beyond that he understands nothing. This is precisely the time for preserving original authenticity and holding fast to pure simplicity.

One hundred days after birth, the infant begins to be influenced by external things. Emotions gradually appear, and before long he begins to smile, thus growing from an infant into a child. From this time on, he begins to lose the great Dao (the Way) and pure simplicity. Later he reaches the age of fifteen and becomes a youth, and at twenty he undergoes the capping rite (the ancient coming-of-age ceremony for men). The eyes are bewildered by every kind of color, and the ears are disturbed by every kind of sound. The seven emotions rob a person of innate nature, the six desires submerge true nature, and the heart of pure simplicity is utterly lost.

Day and night, a person seems to pass through ten thousand deaths and rebirths. The soul and Shen are driven about, without a moment of peace. This is how worldly people, even while alive, suffer punishment in the Uninterrupted Hell (the hell described in Buddhist and Daoist texts as suffering without cease): they sink and are overwhelmed, and see no day of deliverance. If one does not cultivate and attain the great Dao, who can escape this suffering? Such people are truly pitiable. Therefore the Celestial Worthy throws wide the gate of salvation from suffering and broadly expounds the subtle Jing (scriptures/classics), so that people may calmly turn toward the sacred realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing; the highest sacred realm venerated in Daoism).

Recitation never ceases, and the cultivation of returning the body does not pause either.

The mind contemplates the great Dao and recitation continues; one studies the immortal scriptures and does not cease from reflection. When recitation is uninterrupted, one can enter deeply into hidden, subtle, and profound principles and accord with the natural. The Scripture of Inner Observation says: “When Jing and Qi enter the body, this is called life; when the consciousness of Shen leaves the physical form, this is called death.” Therefore the sage draws in the Jing and Qi of Heaven and causes them to return to his own person. The efficacy of cultivation is far-reaching and its use is inexhaustible. Within a single day and night he cultivates repeatedly, three times, unwilling to pause for even a moment. Hence it is said that “the cultivation of returning the body does not pause either.”

In the heavens one enjoys great blessings; in the hells there is no sound of grief and suffering.

Celestial immortals do not leave heaven, spirit immortals do not leave Shen, earthly immortals do not leave the earth, and immortals of medicines and minerals (those who attain immortality by ingesting medicinal substances) do not leave the ingestion of medicines. One is unwilling to pause in cultivation; hence it is said that “the cultivation of returning the body does not pause either.”

In the heavens one enjoys great blessings; in the hells there is no sound of grief and suffering.

Heavenly Immortals live in the celestial realm; Spirit Immortals correspond with divine spirits; Earthly Immortals live upon the earth; Medicine-and-Stone Immortals cultivate by ingesting medicines and minerals; and Ghost Immortals belong among the yin spirits of the dead. Practitioners follow different paths, and so their destinations also differ, just as water always flows toward damp places and fire always tends toward dry places, and just as clouds rise with the dragon and wind arises with the tiger.

Those of higher attainment concentrate the mind and Shen (spirit), cultivate primordial Qi (vital energy), return life to its source, transform the body into a body of pure Yang, and transcend the calamities of the mundane world. They go further, swallowing the mist of dawn and the dew of night, interweaving the two Qi of sun and moon, gathering the six primordial Qi within the body, breathing the essential Qi of the Great Brahma Heaven, and partaking of the wondrous fare of the celestial realm. Thus they naturally attain long life and return to the heavenly halls, which is why it is said that they enjoy supreme blessings in heaven. They neither eat the produce of the five grains nor absorb the Jing (essence) and Qi of the soil, and so the body does not die; they return to the earth without suffering the pain of sinking and falling, which is why it is said that there is no sound of suffering.

The Fire-Veil Hell (Huoyi, one of the southern hells) is transformed into a realm of purity.

“Fire-Veil” is the name of a hell. Living beings are constantly burned within by the fire of desire, and their eyes are veiled by craving, so it is called “Fire-Veil.” When the eyes see external things and the mind is stirred, the hell appears accordingly. If one comprehends the true teaching, the nature of the mind becomes bright and lucid and thoughts grow pure and settled, and the so-called Fire-Veil Hell is transformed into a realm of purity.

The Sword Trees are transformed into the Qian Forest (a beautiful grove).

“Sword Trees” is the name of a hell. Living beings contend for fame and profit and strive to outdo one another, harming and being harmed by external things. Their speech is like spears and halberds, and face to face they are like enemies, so they suffer the torments of the Sword-Tree Hell. If one can realize the great Dao (the Way), open the heart, and act without contention, the thorns within the mind are transformed into jade trees of the Qian Forest.

They ascend to the Vermilion Mound Bureau (Zhuling Fu, the office of the southern immortal realm) and, below, enter the Gate of Opening Light (Kaiguang Men, the portal leading to the realm of brightness).

This passage explains the cultivation method of “circulating the fire”: guiding the movement of fiery Qi (vital energy) in the body by means of the heart’s Shen (spirit). The heart is called the Vermilion Mound Palace and is the “sovereign fire of the upper samādhi”; sitting quietly while holding the breath and guiding it with the heart’s spirit, the fiery Qi can reach every part. The kidneys are called the Palace of Mysterious Darkness and are the “ministerial fire of the middle samādhi”; holding the breath and circulating Qi so that the fiery Qi rises to the waist, the flanks, and the abdomen allows it to course throughout the body. The bladder is called the “people’s fire of the three samādhis”; by setting the body’s inner mechanisms in motion and using the method of the “Golden Turtle Spitting Flame,” the fiery Qi is made to surge upward. When the upper corpse—one of the Three Corpses within the human body—is refined and transformed, the fiery Qi rises to the Crimson Palace, the region where the heart is located, which is why the text says “ascending above into the Vermilion Mound Palace”; when the lower corpse is burned and refined, the fiery Qi passes through the Tail Gate, the region at the lower end of the spine, which is why it says “descending below into the Gate of Opening Light.”

“Transcending the hardships of the Three Realms” means surpassing the difficulty of transmigration through the Three Realms. Ordinary people have the heaven of the Realm of Desire above their heads and the earth of the Realm of Desire beneath their feet; dwelling in the midst of the Realm of Desire, they turn without cease in the wheel of karma produced by the six desires—the desires of the six senses—because desire is never forgotten in the heart. If one can remain constantly free of desire, one may at once transcend the hardship of rebirth through the Three Realms.

“Ascending directly to the Heaven of the Primordial Beginning” means rising straight into the Heaven of the Primordial Beginning. The Heaven of the Primordial Beginning is the Sacred Realm of Jade Clarity. Once cultivation of the Dao (the Way) reaches the highest attainment, spirit-consciousness ascends into Jade Clarity and one becomes a Perfected; when one goes forth, the divinities of the various heavens attend the carriage and the myriad spirits stand guard, a station higher than that of the Perfected of Grand Clarity and Supreme Clarity.

Thereupon countless Flying Heaven Perfected look up toward the venerable sacred countenance of the Celestial Worthy and chant together in unison:

The bones of the crown of the human head are formed of eight pieces, called the “Eight Heavens” and also the “Eight Gates.” Within them are palaces such as the Golden Tower, the Precious Hall, the Jade Watchtower, and the Purple Chamber. In themselves they have no form or appearance; they are under the general command of the Perfected, and the host of spirits dwells within them. When the cultivation of the Dao (the Way) is accomplished, spirit-light shines forth from within the body, the Gate of Heaven opens of itself, the infant sheds its former form, and the Perfected flies out through the Gate of Heaven—and is therefore called the “Flying Heaven Perfected.” Within the body are countless true numina who command the host of spirits; these countless true numina are precisely the “innumerable multitudes” spoken of in the Scripture of Universal Salvation. The Scripture of Universal Salvation says, “Above, the Eight Gates open; the dharma-wheel of the flying heavens.” The Stanzas on Generating the Spirits says, “We celebrate this shedding of the infant,” which refers exactly to the casting off of the former form. The spirit ascends to the Mysterious Capital and has audience with the Empty Sovereign; hence one speaks of “gazing up in reverence at the honored countenance,” and with ballads and songs extols the virtuous conduct of the Great Sage.

The Celestial Worthy expounds the scriptural teachings, guiding and receiving the beings of the world.

Heaven is charged with covering, Earth with bearing, and the sage with teaching and transforming. That the Celestial Worthy widely proclaims the scriptural teachings and receives the beings of the floating world is precisely the duty of the sage.

One must diligently cultivate and study the Way of Wuwei (non-action).

To act through Wuwei is the Dao; to speak through Wuwei is De (Virtue/Power). Through Wuwei, Heaven is clear and bright; through Wuwei, Earth is calm and at rest. When the Wuwei of Heaven and of Earth come together, the myriad things are thereby brought into being through transformation. How can human beings fail to cultivate Wuwei? Thus, tranquil simplicity and silent stillness, emptiness and Wuwei, are the state of peace of Heaven and Earth, and also the very essence of the Dao and of De. If superior adepts who cultivate with diligence, and lofty persons who have risen above worldly learning, are able to follow Wuwei, they will accord with the peace of Heaven and Earth and also fit the essence of the Dao and of De. Is this not truly remarkable?

To comprehend the true Dao is naturally to attain the Dao.

Only one who comprehends the truth understands that all the various causes and conditions of the world are illusory, and that only the Dao is real. Holding to this reality, one is naturally able to attain the Dao.

One neither goes astray nor lets it fall into neglect.

People of the world are deluded by fame, profit, and desire, and they sink ever deeper into the pleasures of sound and sight and of the mouth and belly, until they lay waste to the original mind. What is called “desolation” means that a person’s Shen (spirit) is no longer clear and bright: the mind chases external things, drifts and is lost, and cannot return. When Laozi says, “How desolate—it has not yet come to an end,” the point is that people never hold fast to the centered uprightness within the heart.

Those who possess the Dao (the Way) walk amid what is level, easy, and secure, and they dwell in a state of tranquil joy. They keep to plain simplicity and respond in accord with the luminous spirits. They regard all the toil and vain illusion in the world as a lamp-flame in the wind, foam that gathers and scatters, dew and lightning, bubbles and shadows: none of it is firm or lasting, and none of it is worth clinging to. Therefore they enter a realm that is settled, true, and constant. Not a single thought arises in the mind, and every entanglement comes to rest. Once such a realm is reached, how could confusion and desolation still remain?

There is no self, and one does not pursue reputation.

If one does not exalt the name of talent and virtue, one can place oneself outside one’s own person, set the self aside, and follow what is so of itself; hence it is said, “there is no self.” The Dao abides constantly, yet it has no fixed name. Therefore the sage gathers in his radiance and conceals himself, fearing that the work of the Dao is not yet accomplished while reputation has already exceeded the reality. Reputation is only an adjunct of substance. If there is merely an empty name and no genuine cultivation, Dao and De (Virtue/Power) cannot be said to be complete. Thus it is said that the Dao stretches on without end and cannot be limited by any name. The Zhuangzi says: “The person of Shen has no thought of merit; the utmost person has no self; the sage does not seek a name.” (In the original commentary this quotation is repeated once.)

Clearly and brightly one chants and expounds the lines of the Jing (scripture/classic) that tell of transgression and blessing.

This is to proclaim the transforming teaching.

By reciting them again and again, the dust and defilement in the heart are cleared away.

By carefully studying the classics of the sages and worthies, one makes the inner mind pure, clear, and luminous.

Thereupon the Flying Heaven Divine Kings (divine kings of the celestial realm) and the host of immortals, having finished speaking this hymn, bow in homage to the Celestial Worthy, take their leave, and withdraw.

The Flying Heaven Divine Kings are the Imperial True Ones (the honored spirits within) that I originally possess. Although numinous powers and transformations appear as many, they can still be gathered back into one; and when the one is transformed into the ten thousand, nothing is added thereby. The “host of immortals” refers to the myriad spirits within oneself. Bowing to the Celestial Worthy means forever following and taking refuge in the Great Dao; taking leave and withdrawing means returning once more to Wuji (the boundless, inexhaustible source).

Here ends the Annotation to the Wonderful Scripture of Salvation from Suffering Spoken by the Most High Celestial Worthy of Lingbao of the Dongxuan (Cavern Mystery, one of the Three Caverns).

Preface to the Most High Dongxuan Lingbao Wonderful Scripture of Salvation from Suffering.

The key to cultivating the Dao (the Way) of longevity and enduring vision lies in refining Qi (vital energy)—that is, cultivating the breath or the inner primordial energy—and nourishing Shen (spirit), and the two must be carried on together. The root of refining Qi and nourishing Shen, however, lies in the one mind; so long as one applies the mind and practices diligently, why should one worry that the study of becoming an immortal cannot succeed? The Zhengao says, “Becoming an immortal is cultivated and learned in the mind and nature.” How profound the import of these words is!

From my early years I admired the Dao of cultivating the True, yet I had never met a teacher of high attainment. If there were someone who truly understood life and death and penetrated the principles of nature and life, I would respectfully seek instruction from him.

I once traveled through Mount Wuyi and West Lake, and along the way I chanced to meet Master Lü of Siming. At first sight we felt like old friends, and so we became companions in the Dao, returned together by carriage, and stayed in a pure and quiet dwelling. Master Lü’s sobriquet was Dongyangzi. In his early years he had met an extraordinary adept, devoted himself to the teachings of Zhuangzi and Laozi, and widely studied the classics of the immortal path; of whatever he was asked, there was almost nothing he did not understand.

One day he said to me: “The Jiuku Jing (Scripture of Relieving Suffering) current in the world is in fact the profound essential teaching of the Dadong—the higher system of Daoist scriptures and methods—and the secretly transmitted discourse of the superior Great Dao. Because it is hidden, subtle, and mysterious, and the wondrous principles within it are hard to exhaust, although it has come down from antiquity its commentaries have never been clear enough. I wish to do my utmost to uncover the principles it contains and to set them forth.”

Before long the commentary was completed, running to a full ten thousand words. At the opening of the whole work he first sets forth a single essential point: he interprets the auspicious clouds and propitious mists as “Taihe” (the primordial Qi of peace, harmony, and concord); he distinguishes the relation of the gate of life and the door of death to the “Xuanpin” (the mysterious portal that gestates the myriad things); he differentiates the clear and the turbid of the two Qi of Yin-Yang, and explains the fire-timing formulas centered on the true fire of samādhi; he further takes the Niwan—the upper Dantian (energy center) in the head—to indicate the place where immortal brightness and true nature come to rest, and speaks of the return to the Qi of Heaven above as the gathering place of the treasure of life. In sum, this is an exposition of the crucial essentials of the superior Dao; brought together, they are almost entirely contained in this commentary. Not only…

This passage is intended to alert those who have not previously read this scripture, and also to help later students understand the Dao (the Way) of cultivation and quietly apprehend the secret workings of Heaven. It holds that this is neither speech invented out of nothing nor empty writing meant to display rhetorical ornament.

The wondrous Dao and ultimate principles set forth in the scripture were long obscured and unknown, and only now have they come to light. The Honored One in Heaven (a deity who dwells in the celestial realm and is supremely venerable) expounds the teaching and broadly extends salvation. What is called “saving from suffering” is not merely the deliverance of underworld souls and the suffering dead, but also the relief of all living beings under Heaven: so that each person may realize the great Dao, depart from delusion, render the mind clear and thoroughly lucid, and awaken to the truth that true nature is originally Wuwei (non-action).

Thereafter, the practitioner ingests the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and steals from the void (absorbing the Qi of Heaven and Earth and apprehending the great Dao of emptiness), condenses the sacred embryo (in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), a symbol of form and Shen (spirit) inwardly perfected), attains communion with the divine, brings form and Shen to a subtle and wondrous state, and at last ascends in broad daylight. This is how a person of true stature transcends the secular world, escapes the suffering of rebirth in the Three Realms, and truly attains salvation.

Nothing surpasses this scripture in transcending death and saving life. If, upon encountering this commentary, one studies it with single-minded devotion and does not lightly abandon it, there is hope of attaining the Dao.

Respectfully prefaced by Zhou Zhun, Baozhenzi of the Jin River.