《太上洞玄灵宝无量度人上品妙经》Vol. 2

There is also the fourth heaven, the Silent Doushu Heaven in the southwest; the fifth, the Boluonimi Bujaole Heaven in the southeast; the sixth, the Dongyuan Huaying Heaven in the north; the seventh, the Linghua Fanfu Heaven in the west; the eighth, the Gaoxu Qingming Heaven in the northeast; and the ninth, the Wuxiang Wujie Wuaite Heaven in the center.

After these, the Great Luo Shangqing Jade Truth Thirty-Six Heavens came into being, and beneath them arose the Four Heavens of the People. One million three hundred and fifty-eight thousand li below the Four Heavens of the People, the four heavens of the Formless Realm came into being. Three hundred and sixty thousand li below the Formless Realm, the eighteen heavens of the Form Realm arose. The Form Realm is divided into three levels—light dust, fine dust, and coarse dust—with six heavens in each. Three hundred thousand li below the Form Realm, the six heavens of the Desire Realm came into being. Five hundred and twenty billion myriad li below the Desire Realm, five hundred million heavens and the Eight Encompassing Worlds came into being through transformation.

Above the Four Heavens of the People are arranged the sun, moon, and stars, which govern all things. They are therefore called the “Three Luminaries that Open and Illuminate”—the three celestial bodies of sun, moon, and stars. Human beings come into being in a way resembling the formation of Heaven and Earth: the father’s Jing and Qi and the mother’s blood are enclosed in the mother’s womb. Before the Jing and blood have coalesced, their form is like a bead of dew. Once they congeal, the body gradually takes shape in five parts: the head and four limbs. In males, the left kidney forms first, followed by the life-gate on the right; in females, the order is reversed. The seeds of human nature and life are passed on in this way. Between the two kidneys, the subtle Qi of transformative generation arises naturally. Next, the spirit-fluid of the eyes forms, followed by the transformation of the five zang organs and six fu organs, the nine orifices and hundred vessels, the sinews and bones, and the teeth and hair. When the Qi is sufficient, the body is complete, and the child leaves the womb at birth.

Thus the Venerable Lord said: “Heaven and Earth unite their Jing and Qi; Yin and Yang spread out and bring forth transformation. In the first month of pregnancy, the sac membrane forms, and Jing and blood begin to coalesce. In the second month, the fetus’s body begins to take shape. In the third month, the Yang spirit transforms into the Three Hun souls, setting the fetus in motion and growth. In the fourth month, the Yin spirits transform into the Seven Po souls, stabilizing the fetus’s body. In the fifth month, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) separately form the five zang organs, stabilizing the spirit. In the sixth month, the Six Pitch-Pipes correspond to and form the six fu organs, nourishing the spiritual nature. In the seventh month, the Seven Essences open the seven orifices, making them clear and bright. In the eighth month, the Eight Radiances and spirits…”

In the fourth month, Yin spirits transform into the Seven Po (seven corporeal souls) to stabilize the body. In the fifth month, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) are distributed among the five organs, bringing peace to the Shen (spirit). In the sixth month, the Six Pitch Pipes regulate the six bowels and nourish the spirit. In the seventh month, the Seven Essences open the seven apertures, allowing light to pass through. In the eighth month, the spirits of the eight visions are complete and bring down the true spirit. In the ninth month, the various palaces are arranged to stabilize Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). By the tenth month, primordial Qi is abundant, and the forms of all things come into being. Thus the spirits spread throughout the body and primordial Qi fills it; the thirty-six thousand joints throughout the body give rise to spirits simultaneously from their root source. This is the process by which the heavens are generated and the sun, moon, and stars are brought forth. It is the origin of Heaven.

The Basic Scripture says: “The Dao must possess three things to be complete; only when the three come together can De (Virtue/Power) take shape. If the Dao lacks the three, nothing can be accomplished.” In terms of Neidan (internal alchemy), these three are called lead, mercury, and cinnabar. More specifically, they are a person’s true nature, the subtle workings of everyday transformation, and a third element formed through the union of Yin and Yang Qi. There is no more fundamental principle beyond these; only the Dao is itself.

The Scripture on Lord Lao’s Transformation of the Barbarians says: “The Dao is primordial Qi, empty, nonexistent, and without form. Heaven and Earth are born from it, and all things depend on it to take form; all are the result of the wondrous transformation of primordial Qi.” In the terminology of cultivation, this is called the Golden Elixir. Thus, above all things there is no higher progenitor; only the Dao is itself.

The five kinds of talismanic writing unfold, universally nurturing the spirits. In Neidan, when the One Qi returns, it transforms and generates the Five Phases; when the Five Phases are complete, a golden embryo takes shape. In the scriptures, jade characters appear and condense into red script; when the five kinds of talismanic writing are complete, they nurture the spirits. The Five Phases are lead, mercury, cinnabar, silver, and earth: Heaven’s One gives birth to Water, with lead hidden in the Kan position; Earth’s Two gives birth to Fire, with cinnabar produced in the Li position; Heaven’s Three gives birth to Wood, with the dragon of the Zhen position governing mercury; Earth’s Four gives birth to Metal, with the tiger of the Dui position symbolizing silver; Heaven’s Five gives birth to Earth, with the central palace condensing into the Elixir. Without these, the Dao cannot be made manifest; without these, the scriptures cannot be made clear; without these, the body cannot be formed; without these, the Golden Elixir cannot be refined; without these, primordial Qi cannot circulate; without these, the medicine cannot be generated. This is the highest heaven within the Great Brahma Heaven.

“Great Brahma” refers to the primordial Qi gathered into form, through which the Five Phases are made complete. “The heaven within heaven” means that within the human body there is another realm of embodiment. “Yuluo Xiaotai” refers to the brain; “the Jade Mountain and Upper Capital” refers to the Niwan, the Upper Dantian in the brain. Above the Niwan lies the supreme and exalted Great Luo Jade Purity, the Great Mystery.

Hidden within the Great Mystery is a crucial secret called “the sun and moon rushing aloft,” an important method for spiritual transformation and rebirth. The Scripture of the Yellow Court says: “The sun and moon rushing aloft are my superior path; then I behold the elder of Jade Purity and Emptiness.” This means that practitioners follow this path upward and come to behold the elder of Jade Purity and Emptiness. The Great Mystery is distant and lofty, supremely honored and exalted, seeming both to exist and not to exist. Perfected Zhang said, “Look for it, and you cannot see its form; call to it, and it answers.” The “Three Blossoms” here are the Golden Blossom, the Jade Blossom, and the Ninefold Blossom. Li corresponds to the south and the Horse position. The crown of the head is at the body’s highest point, like a canopy, and is therefore also called the “round canopy.” Once the internal Golden Elixir has formed, the Three Blossoms appear at the crown of the head.

“The Wondrous Court of Great Being” refers to the Upper Dantian, where the body’s various gates and openings converge. In the “Golden Gate and Jade Chamber,” the Golden Gate refers to the Palace of the Sun and corresponds to the left eye; the Jade Chamber refers to the Palace of the Moon and corresponds to the right eye. “The array of stars” refers to the constellations. The sun, moon, and stars arranged within symbolize the clarity and purity of the body’s nine apertures. “The great circulation of Brahma Qi” refers to the movement and distribution of primordial, wondrous Qi, which protects the spirit chamber of the Golden Embryo and warms and nourishes the Great Elixir. These are brief explanations of the workings of the Daoist method; its deeper mysteries must be understood through transmission from mind to mind.

Now that the inner landscape—the visions of cultivation within the body—has been made clear, the outer landscape should also be explained. I will use principles commonly understood in the world, in the hope that people of different capacities may all understand. “The Red Script of the Primordial Cavern” means that the Red Script formed through the condensation of primordial chaos; once the script appeared, the wondrous scripture was transmitted along with it.

When cultivating the Wondrous Scripture (here referring to the Scripture for Saving Humanity), the ancestral Qi—the fundamental original energy of Heaven, Earth, and all things—exists whole within the human body and is also dispersed among all kinds of things. It is therefore called the “Supreme Reality beyond all absence.” At the beginning of the primordial kalpa, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning brought the heavens into being, guarded the great kalpa through the source of the Great Dao, and brought the heavens into being through ancestral Qi. Ancestral Qi divides into three Qi and belongs to the realm of the Three Pure Ones of the Great Luo Heaven; hence it is called the “Three Radiances that Open and Illuminate.” This original energy, you should understand, remains undestroyed even when a great kalpa occurs, and is therefore called the “Root of Heaven.” It is the primordial Qi at the beginning of Taiji, giving rise to Heaven and Earth, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), humanity, and all things. Nothing could be a more fundamental source. The Dao resides within the human body just as original Qi exists between Heaven and Earth; thus it is said, “The Dao alone is the body.”

“The vermilion measure stands, and the five patterns open and spread” describes the establishment of the celestial realm and the unfolding of its five directional patterns. When the scripture and its methods are put into practice, the spirits are arrayed far and wide. Without scriptures, the world could neither make its radiance manifest, establish order, nor save itself. This scripture arose spontaneously: it is the sound of the Great Brahma and the highest, most wondrous celestial music. “Heaven within Heaven” refers to the sacred realm of the Three Pure Ones in the Great Luo Heaven: the Great Luo encompasses the heavens and embraces the Three Realms. Within it stands Mount Jade Capital, eighty thousand li around, facing Mount Kunlun below. On the mountain is the Yuluo Xiaotai Terrace, and upon the terrace a city of seven treasures. At its summit are the Jade Clarity Hall, the Palace of the Three Blossoms and Liyian, and the Wondrous Court of Great Being, all resting places of the Celestial Worthy. Golden gates and jade chambers, the Jade Lake and emerald waters, and other sights stand in ordered array. Sustained by the circulation of Brahma Qi, they endure through the ages.

The spirits said to govern the saving of humanity and immortality are different divine titles assumed by emanations of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. The Lord of Long Life at the South Pole, also called the Great Emperor of Vermilion Mound, governs the Taiwei Enclosure and oversees refinement by fire. The Lord Who Saves the Age governs the transformations of the Yang Nine and Hundred-Six calamities. Lord Sima oversees the destruction of evil influences and the removal of trials. The Lord Who Cherishes Life, another name for Qinghua, oversees examination and verification. Lord Han oversees the ranking of students in Nanchang. The Lords of Destiny and of the Register record merits and faults and determine rewards, punishments, and lifespans.

The Lord Who Transcends the World governs the deliverance of people from the world and presides over the calamities of Yang Nine and Hundred Six, the great disasters between Heaven and Earth. Lord Sima is responsible for destroying evil spirits and dispelling calamities. The Lord Who Cherishes Life is another name for the Azure Radiance Emperor (Qinghua Dijun); he oversees examination and judgment. Lord Han is responsible for determining the ranks of Nanchang and assessing those who study the Dao. The Lords in Charge of Destiny and Records oversee the recording of people’s merits and faults, decide rewards and punishments, extend lifespans and add years, and register and increase the years allotted to people. The Venerable Spirit Who Averts Calamity governs the removal of disasters and the calming of misfortune, and can also bring corpses back to life.

The assembled divine lords are responsible for raising and delivering departed souls, enabling flying corpses to ascend to Heaven. Today the Celestial Worthy expounds the teaching, arriving in the Imperial Hall, where he summons the gods, examines charts, books, and registers, and assesses the rank of those who study the Dao. The human body corresponds to Jade Capital, the celestial realm of immortals: the Golden Gate and Jade Chambers, the Cinnabar Field and Muddy Pellet—the site of internal alchemical cultivation in the head—and other places seem to be arranged in hidden depths within the body. When the divine Qi fills the whole body, the spirit of long life and deathlessness dwells within it. This is like the pure, primordial Qi of Jade Capital, which circulates without ceasing and therefore never decays.

The hymn says: On Jade Capital Mountain stands the Yuluo Terrace; this scripture of the highest grade is proclaimed again and again, ten times over. It universally nourishes the divine spirits, setting them in motion within the pure primordial Qi; the Three Blossoms separate, and the Five Lines unfold.

The Eastern Boundless Flying-Heaven God King, the Great Sage of Long Life, is responsible for delivering beings without limit; the Southern Boundless Flying-Heaven God King, the Great Sage of Long Life, is responsible for delivering beings without limit. This scripture of the highest grade is proclaimed again and again, ten times over, universally nourishing the divine spirits and setting them in motion within the pure primordial Qi; the Three Blossoms separate, and the Five Lines unfold.

In the east, south, west, and north; in the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest; above and below, there are boundless Flying Celestial Divine Kings and Great Sages of Longevity, charged with saving and guiding sentient beings. These supremely perfect Great Gods from the Ten Directions arrive together, riding flying clouds. They travel in vermilion-red carriages and jade-green chariots, crowned with canopies of feathers and adorned with wheels like fine jade. Vermilion phoenixes and five-colored dark dragons draw the vehicles, while nine-colored ceremonial staffs and ten spirit banners are raised aloft.

At the head of the procession, nine phoenixes cry out in unison; behind them, eight luan birds sound their clear, resonant calls together. Lions and white cranes add their far-reaching cries. The Five Elders of the Five Directions clear the way, while the assembled immortals guard the procession. Millions upon millions of carriages and thousands upon thousands of mounted attendants come soaring through the sky. The gods draw in their radiance and turn their vehicles back to observe those who cultivate the Dao, saving sentient beings from suffering and hardship.

Shangyangzi said: The Great Saints Who Fly Through the Ten Directions are all formed through the division and transformation of the Dao-Qi—the primordial energy of the Dao—of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. Their names are: Zong of the East, Fei of the South, Yun of the West, Wujing of the North, Fan of the Northeast, Nayu of the Southeast, Duxian of the Southwest, Jueqi of the Northwest, Ying Above, and Luo Below. They are also called the Great Saints of Eternal Life in the Ten Directions or the Celestial Worthies Who Rescue from Suffering in the Ten Directions. By the command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, they oversee the examination and weighing of merit throughout the Three Realms in the Ten Directions. They bring salvation to all, govern matters of life and death, and shape and cultivate those who practice the Dao.

The Daoist Canon records that each of the heavens in the eight directions has an immeasurable great-thousand world: in the East are Antangxiang and the World of Accepting Goodness; in the South are the Realm of Wanli City and the World of Abandoning the Worthy; in the West are Futangzhou and the World of Universal Conduct; in the North are Yudanye and the World of Clarity and Tranquility; in the Northeast are Fujidu and the World of Everlasting Peace; in the Southeast are Yuanfutian and the World of Employing the Worthy; in the Southwest are Yanfu Township and the World of Benevolent Tranquility; and in the Northwest are Fudeye and the World of Extending the Worthy. Above them is the limitless world of the Mysterious Capital of the Thirty-Six Heavens of Shangqing Yuzhen; below them is the limitless Eightfold Realm of the Thirty-Two Heavens of Huangzeng. These innumerable great deities oversee and examine matters of attaining the Dao, attaining eternal life, and transcending the world.

Qingyuan Zhenren said: The canopies and other objects in a ceremonial procession are all condensed from the essence-energy of Yang. The phoenixes, cranes, dragons, luan birds, and other numinous birds and divine beasts, by contrast, are transformed from the essence-energy of Yin. Those who have attained the highest sanctity possess the true, eternal Dao. Through their breathing, they can gather and disperse Yin-Yang energy, making forms appear at will. When Yin-Yang energy harmonizes, its sounds are like song and music; they are all formed from energy and do not come from external things. If a Dao practitioner succeeds in refining the Elixir, Yin demons—negative spirits or visions that arise during cultivation—can also be transformed into Yang spirits. Once the primordial energy is breathed out, all the spirits obey its command; the spirits of the Five Viscera each appear in keeping with their corresponding direction and color.

The heavenly carriage, ceremonial retinue, and guards arrive to welcome them. The many gods within the body lead the way, and then all ascend together to pay their respects to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, just as described earlier. The Five Elders of the Five Directions open the road ahead: the Eastern Elder of Azure Numen, surnamed Guan, named Kai, with the courtesy name Lingwei Yang; the Southern Elder of Vermilion Numen, surnamed Dongfu, named Jiyan, with the courtesy name Chibiao Nu; the Central Elder of Primordial Numen, surnamed Tongban, named Yuanshi, with the courtesy name Hanshu Niu; the Western Elder of Radiant Numen, surnamed Shangjin, named Changkai, with the courtesy name Yaopo Bao; and the Northern Elder of the Fivefold Numen, surnamed Heijie, named Linghui, with the courtesy name Yin Houju.

The great sages of the Ten Directions and the revered Immortals and perfected beings sense that the Five Elders have opened the way. The assembled Immortals then escort the carriage, while countless millions of carriages and mounted retinues arrive through the air. These, however, are all divine bodies formed through cultivation, transcending the mortal body. The Dan Jing says, “The spirit commands Qi, and Qi enables the body to endure.” Radiance turns back as the carriage proceeds; clouds of jade light surround the Celestial Worthy’s seat. The Celestial Worthy governs and oversees the Immortals and perfected beings, examining and guiding beings of every kind toward salvation.

In the language of the alchemical Way, “turning back the radiance and returning in the carriage” refers to Kan and Li reaching completion together—symbolizing the harmonizing of Yin and Yang—and their union. The True Spirit then comes into being and gradually matures as it is nurtured in the fetal chamber. Hence the passage speaks of overseeing the Immortals and perfected beings and guiding all beings toward salvation.

The hymn says: “The perfected beings of Wuji gather in the Palace of the Elixir. Once the Elixir is complete, they ascend through the air in a carriage adorned with auspicious patterns. Radiance turns back, and the assembled Immortals rejoice; Yang Qi grows as Yin Qi wanes, revealing the wondrous power of transformation and generation.”

The chancellors of the various heavens, Han, the registrar in charge of the Southern Palace Above Nanchang, and the great spirit who oversees the registers and records came together before the Celestial Emperor, bringing their name lists. In accordance with those each was charged to deliver from suffering, they carefully examined the registers of the various heavens and proclaimed the imperial decree throughout the Three Realms, the boundless land of the spirits, the Office of Winding Springs, the Northern Capital of Luofeng, the Three Offices and Nine Departments, and the sources of the Twelve Rivers.

In this way, ancestors and relatives can be saved, freed from the offenses accumulated over many lifetimes. Their records of sin are erased, their evil roots destroyed; they are no longer detained or forced to join the ranks of ghosts. By the talismanic command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, they will be promoted at the appointed time. At the Cold Pool of the Northern Capital, divine officials will guard their bodies and souls, subdue evil spirits and vouch for them, then deliver them to the appropriate rank in the Southern Palace. Through refinement and deliverance, the souls of the dead can become immortals and be transformed into human beings. The living, too, can receive deliverance in body and enjoy life through generation after generation. As the cycles of the kalpas turn, they will live as long as Heaven and forever escape the Three Paths, the Five Sufferings, and the Eight Difficulties, rise beyond the Three Realms, and roam freely in Shangqing.

The Heaven of Shangqing is a formless realm where the Celestial Emperor Yuzhen resides; it is also called the Realm of Brahmanic Practice.

Shangyangzi says: This passage can be understood both in terms of the effects of Daoist cultivation and through the institutions of the celestial realm.

From the perspective of worldly institutions, each of the heavens has its own chancellor. Some accounts identify these chancellors as the divine lords of the Great Luo Heaven. Nanchang refers to the world of Cinnabar Heaven, while the Upper Palace refers to the Vermilion Mound Fire Bureau. The Elder in the Han Office Palace is the Director of Destinies, responsible for refining and delivering souls and handling the relevant records. The Chief Registrar is a celestial minister who oversees the registers of names; the Registrar and Inspector is responsible for entering and checking those names. The Registrar’s assistants ensure that living souls are refined and delivered, and that their souls are formed.

When the Highest Lord expounds the scripture, the various deities bring their registers of names before the Emperor to review and determine who should receive deliverance. Some have long been entered in the Celestial Chart, the register of the heavens, and possess the bone structure suited to becoming immortals. Others cultivate themselves through purification and abstinence, observe the precepts, and accumulate merit. Some honor the Three Treasures (Dao, scripture, and teacher), performing good deeds that reach the heavens; others make offerings to the Treasure of the Teacher and receive recognition from the Three Officials (of Heaven, Earth, and Water). All whose names appear in the registers of the heavens undergo strict assessment. Their rank is determined by their merit, and they receive deliverance and ascension according to that rank.

In terms of the effects of Daoist cultivation, “holding the registers and grasping the records” symbolizes the differentiation of Primordial Qi. Yin and Yang are distinguished through this process, the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are established, and written records come into being. The Inner Meaning says: “When benevolence becomes manifest, it takes the form of registers of names; when its workings remain hidden, they take the form of Yin and Yang.” Without registers of names, the underworld and the human realm could not record merit and transgression; without Yin and Yang, the transformations of Heaven and Earth could not function.

Here, “before the Emperor” refers to the divine chamber of the central palace: the place where the Emperor resides, all Qi gathers, and the deities dwell. It serves as a metaphor for Yin and Yang meeting in this central chamber. Thus the passage says that the deities hold the registers of names and gather together before the Emperor. The teachings expounded by the Celestial Worthy are not empty words; their purpose is to guide people to cultivate themselves in accordance with their principles.

Those who study the Daoist teachings should first correct their faults, do good, and accumulate De (Virtue/Power). They should observe the precepts, guard against sexual misconduct, abandon deception and cunning schemes, and quiet the mind while reducing desire. It is lamentable that people pursue superficial details and forget what is fundamental, treating life lightly and harming themselves. Heroes and men of distinction are driven by fame and rank; the intelligent and perceptive are constrained by ambition; those with plenty to eat and wear are trapped in business and planning; and those who are poor and struggling are burdened with keeping themselves fed and making ends meet. Some who withdraw from the world seek only ease and pleasure, believing that quietude and Wuwei (non-action) are the practice. This, too, is a mistake. How could Yin-Yang Qi (vital energy) then converge in the spirit chamber, the place within the body where Neidan (internal alchemy) is refined?

Practitioners receive guidance according to their circumstances. The way of the Golden Elixir rests on diligent, practical effort, and the fruits gained correspond to the work performed: complete ten parts of effort, and one receives the full benefit; if effort is neglected or slackened, the fruits are diminished accordingly. Even when cultivation is carried out in utmost secrecy, beyond anyone’s knowledge, the Great Luo Heaven, the Daoist realm of the highest heavens, still scrutinizes and records it closely.

Let this be proclaimed throughout the Three Realms. The Three Realms may mean the Desire, Form, and Formless Realms, or the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The boundless divine realm includes the limitless worlds in all ten directions, as well as the divine courts, temples, and offices of the Three Realms, where the gods dwell. In the north lies a great sea. The gods of the internal organs each manifest the color corresponding to their direction. A ceremonial procession arrives to welcome them, while the many gods within the body lead the way and follow behind. The ceremony resembles an ascent to Heaven to pay audience to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

The Five Elders, divine beings who govern the five directions, clear the way: in the east, the Azure Spirit, Primordial Elder, surnamed Guan, named Kai, courtesy name Lingweiyang; in the south, the Cinnabar Spirit, True Elder, surnamed Dongfu, named Jiyan, courtesy name Chibiaonu; in the center, the Primordial Spirit, Original Elder, surnamed Tongban, named Yuanshi, courtesy name Hanshuniu; and in the west, the Bright Spirit, August Elder, surnamed Shangjin, named Changkai, courtesy name Yaopobao.

The Northern Fivefold Spirit Venerable Elder, the revered deity who governs the five directions’ spiritual energy in the north, bears the surname Heijie, the personal name Linghui, and the courtesy name Yinhouju. The great holy deities of the ten directions hold exalted Dao ranks. They all respond to the Five Elders, who come to clear the way, while the assembled immortals escort their carriages. Countless carriages and mounted attendants arrive through the air, but these appearances are all the manifested forms of divine beings, their bodies made visible. The Dan Jing says: “Spirit commands Qi, and Qi sustains the body.”

“Turning the radiance and returning the carriage” refers to divine light turning back and jade light flying through the clouds, circling the Celestial Worthy’s throne. It commands and inspects the assembled perfected beings, examines and saves the living throughout the heavens. In Neidan cultivation, “turning the radiance and returning the carriage” refers to Kan and Li reaching completion, with Yin and Yang harmonizing. The true spirit is thereby born and gently nourished within the womb chamber; hence the passage speaks of inspecting the perfected spirits and saving living beings. The hymn says: “The true immortals of the Heaven of Nonbeing gather in the medicine palace; the elixir, borne in an immortal carriage, travels through the air. Divine light turns back, and the immortals rejoice. Yang grows and Yin wanes, revealing the wondrous efficacy of transformation.”

The chancellors of the heavens hold office in the Upper Palace of Nanchang. Han, Director of Registers, and the Great Deity Who Inspects and Protects Living Beings each hold registers of names and oversee the records; together they come before the Emperor Lord. According to those each is charged to save, they rigorously examine the heavens and proclaim their commands throughout the Three Realms, the divine lands of Nonbeing, the Office of Winding Springs, the Northern Capital of Luofeng—the underworld’s divine administration—the Three Offices and Nine Bureaus, and the twelve sources of the rivers.

They are to rescue ancestors, parents, and relatives across countless kalpas, swiftly erase their records of sin, destroy the roots of evil, and ensure they are no longer detained or forced into the ranks of ghosts. By the talismanic command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, those saved are promoted at the appointed time. In the Northern Capital’s Cold Pool, divine officials guard their bodies and souls, subdue demonic obstacles, and secure their advancement, until at last they are delivered to the Southern Palace. The souls of the dead undergo refinement and deliverance and are transformed into human beings; the living receive salvation and endure through generation after generation. As the kalpas cycle, they share the heavens’ longevity and forever escape the Three Paths—hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts—the Five Sufferings, and the Eight Adversities. They transcend the Three Realms and roam freely in the realm of Shangqing.

The Heaven of Shangqing is the formless realm of the Heavenly Emperor Yuzhen, a realm of pure conduct.

Shangyangzi says: This passage explains both the methods of cultivating the Dao and the laws of the world. In worldly terms, each heaven has its own chancellor. Another view holds that the chancellor is the Divine Lord of the Great Luo.

Shangyangzi says that this passage describes both how Daoism operates and the principles of the world. “Chancellors of the various heavens” means that each heavenly realm has its own chancellor; some also call them the “Divine Lords of the Great Luo.” “Nanchang” refers to the world of Cinnabar Heaven, while the “Upper Palace” refers to the Vermilion Mound Fire Bureau. The “Elder” in the Han Palace of Administration is the God of Destiny, who oversees documents concerning the refinement and deliverance of souls.

“Registrar” is an office in the heavens responsible for maintaining registers of names and statuses. The “supervisor of the bureau that inscribes registers and oversees the living” is responsible for registering the living and for the formation of souls and spirits. When the Most High expounded the scripture, the relevant divine bureaus each brought their registers before the Celestial Emperor to check who met the requirements for deliverance.

Those who may receive deliverance include people already listed in the Dark Register whose bodily features suit them for becoming immortals; people who persist in fasting, observe the precepts, and accumulate merit; people who revere the Three Treasures of the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters, whose good deeds reach the heavens; and people who make offerings to the Treasure of the Masters and are praised by the Three Officials—the Celestial Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official. Everyone listed among the heavens undergoes a strict examination. Their rank is determined by their merit, and they receive the corresponding degree of ascension according to that rank.

In terms of how the Dao operates, “holding talismans and keeping the registers” symbolizes the keeping of records and names. As Primordial Qi differentiates, Yin and Yang are distinguished; once the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—are established, documents and registers come into being as well. The Inner Meaning says: “When benevolence is expressed, it becomes registers; when its workings are concealed, they become Yin and Yang.” This means that when benevolence is manifest, it takes the form of records and registers; when its workings remain hidden, they take the form of Yin-Yang transformations. Without registers, neither the underworld nor the human world could record merit and fault; without Yin and Yang, Heaven and Earth could not bring about the generation and transformation of the myriad things.

“Before the Emperor” refers to the divine chamber of the Central Palace: the Celestial Emperor’s abode, where the deities gather and the myriad forms of Qi merge and coalesce. Here it is a metaphor for Yin and Yang meeting in the divine chamber of the Central Palace, which is why the scripture says that the various bureaus brought their registers together before the Emperor. The Celestial Worthy’s teaching is not empty talk; its purpose is to encourage people to put its principles into practice. Those who study and cultivate the Dao should correct their faults and turn toward goodness, observe the precepts to guard against sexual misconduct, abandon deceit and cunning schemes, and keep their hearts clear while reducing their desires.

It is lamentable that people chase after the branches and lose sight of the root, treating their own lives as worthless. Heroes and eminent men are driven by fame and achievement; clever and capable people are constrained by ambition; those with ample food and clothing are burdened by planning and enterprise; and those in poverty and want are weighed down by the struggle to sustain their bodies and obtain food and clothing.

Some who withdraw from the world seek only ease and pleasure, believing that stillness and Wuwei (non-action) are themselves cultivation. This is mistaken. How could Yin-Yang Qi then unite in the Spirit Chamber, the place where Yin and Yang meet in internal refinement? Cultivation must follow the method suited to each person. The way of the Golden Elixir demands steady, practical effort. The reward one receives depends on the work one does: ten measures of effort bring ten measures of gain. If cultivation is careless or neglected, the results will diminish accordingly. Even when the practice is so secret that no one else can know of it, the distant Great Luo Heaven, the highest celestial realm in Daoist belief, still scrutinizes and records it closely.

The scriptures speak broadly of the Three Realms: the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—that is, the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water. They also describe the Boundless Divine Land, the boundless worlds in the ten directions, and the divine courts, temples, and offices of the springs and winding rivers where spirits dwell.

“String Qi” refers to the Qi symbolized by the northern sea. “Life” carries meanings such as subtlety and lead, and refers to Yang within Yin—that is, the tiger’s String Qi. The scripture says, “Always without desire, observe its subtle principle; always with desire, observe its openings.” Thus the sages of antiquity said that anyone who draws talismans without understanding their openings will be mocked by ghosts and spirits. The Laozi says, “The opening is deep and obscure, yet within it is vital essence. This essence is real and true; within it is its own proof.” Here, “proof” means a talismanic token.

This refers to the talismanic mandate of the Primordial Beginning: the True Qi of the Primordial Beginning unites with the ancestral Qi in the Gate of Life. Why is this so? Because people are born endowed with the ancestral Qi of the Primordial Beginning. In adulthood, as they bustle about and become intoxicated by the dreamlike life of the world, this original Qi is steadily depleted.

Practitioners should first refine “Yin within Yang” to retain true Mercury (a Neidan term for the essence associated with Yin). They should then refine “Yang within Yin” to obtain true Lead (the essence associated with Yang). If Lead and Mercury can be brought together and congealed into an elixir in a short time, the practitioner may rise to a higher rank among the immortals.

“Northern Metropolis” here refers to the root of one’s nature, where true Mercury arises. “Cold Pool” refers to the Gate of Destiny (Mingmen, a Neidan term often associated with the place where the vital energy of life is rooted), where true Lead arises. When Lead and Mercury unite, nature and life merge into one. Practitioners must hold their attention steadily on a single thought to safeguard their bodies and souls. Only when the body is restored to wholeness, the souls return, the pulse grows still, and the breath ceases is the Returning Elixir (the elixir formed through Neidan practice) considered congealed. Practitioners can then subdue demons, receive recommendation to the heavens, and ascend to the Southern Palace.

A withered body and a soul near death, refined and delivered by the fire of true Lead, can attain the wondrous Dao of immortal transformation and become perfected beings. The scripture says, “One is delivered while still embodied; the Celestial Worthy makes this manifest.” This expresses the purpose of the Returning Elixir: the scripture is not only for the dead, but also teaches that practitioners can attain deliverance in life through true Qi. In life, if Yin and Yang are preserved, one may gain mastery over transformation. Practitioners who use their living bodies to reverse the course of the Five Phases and cultivate the Great Elixir may become high-ranking immortals. They endure through the cycles of catastrophe, turn with the cycles of the kalpas, and live as long as Heaven. Forever freed from the suffering of the Eight Difficulties, they transcend the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm, rise above the Four Heavens of the People, and roam at ease in Shangqing.

Xue Youqi says: “Shangqing has thirty-six heavens. The Dao of the Heavenly Emperors there is equal to that of the Primordial Beginning, and they rank among the Jade Purity.” Thus, the Jade Perfected dwell above the Formless Realm and beyond the realm of creation. They move by means of Brahma Qi and enter and leave without hindrance. This differs from the thirty-two heavens within the Three Realms, and so is called “the Brahma Way.”

The hymn says: “The Jade Perfected Heavenly Emperor dwells in the six sixes, the thirty-six heavens. When the Elixir is formed and the Dao complete, one lives as long as Heaven. When body and spirit both reach perfection, and the merit of cultivating the scripture is fulfilled, one endures through age after age and takes one’s place among the highest immortals.”

Some editions use the title “Heavenly Emperor” here as the name of the Upper Section of the Scripture of the Numinous Writ of the Primordial Beginning. This is incorrect. The Scripture of the Heavenly Lord says that the Great Luo Heaven has its own Upper Section of the Numinous Writ; the Middle Section of the Numinous Writ contains the text of the Contemplative Awareness and Flowing Dragon Seal Script.

The Eight Heavens of the East

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning gathered the Nine Yang Brahma Qi (the primordial energy that Daoism says existed before Heaven and Earth) to form the Eight Heavens of the East. Six of these heavens belong to the Realm of Desire, and two to the Realm of Form. The Heavenly Emperors of each heaven wear crowns and blue-green ceremonial robes.

The Heaven of Great Sovereignty and Yellow Zeng

It is also called the Pure Heaven or the Heaven of Seeing Joy. Its sky is yellow, and its position corresponds to the lunar lodges Kui and Bi. Those in the world who complete the Ten Good Deeds and purify one of their faculties may be reborn here. In Buddhism, this is called the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings.

The Heavenly Emperor of this heaven is named Yu Jian Yuming. His proper sacred invocation is “Opening the Mysterious, Embracing the Bright.” The Emperor’s hidden taboo name is “Yulan,” and the demon-emperor’s hidden name is “Yuming.” These four characters are the secret name of the Purple Ultimate Palace in this heaven, which keeps the registers of those destined for long life.

The Heaven of Great Brightness and Jade Perfection

It is also called the Heaven of Supreme Wonder. Its sky is blue-green, and its position corresponds to the lunar lodge Pi. Those in the world who complete the Twenty Good Deeds and purify two of their faculties may be reborn here. In Buddhism, this is called the Trayastrimsha Heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor of this heaven is named Xu Anatian. His proper sacred invocation is “Preserving the Mysterious, the Dao’s Numinous Power.” “Xu An” is the proper written form used in Heaven, while “Natian” is its hidden pronunciation. These four characters are the secret name of the Purple Chamber Palace in this heaven, which oversees the deliverance of departed souls and their rebirth.

The Heaven of Clear Brightness and He Tong

It is also called the Radiant Heaven. Its sky is black, and its position corresponds to the lunar lodge Shi. Those in the world who complete the Forty Good Deeds and purify three of their faculties may be reborn here. This heaven is also written “He Tong.” In Buddhism, it is called the Yama Heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor of this heaven is named Yuan Yu Qijing. His proper sacred invocation is “Brightness Giving Birth to the Nine Truths.” The Heavenly King’s hidden taboo name is “Yuan Yu,” and the perfected being’s inner text is “Qijing.” These four characters are the secret name of the Nine Dawn Palace in this heaven, which oversees the issuing of decrees and the work of teaching and transformation.

The Heaven of Mysterious Embryo and Equal Nourishment

It is also called the Brahma Heaven, and is sometimes called the Trayastrimsha Heaven. Its sky is red, and its position corresponds to the lunar lodge Wei. Those in the world who complete the Sixty Good Deeds and purify four of their faculties may be reborn here. In Buddhism, it is called the Tushita Heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor of this heaven is named Liu Du Neixian.

“Piaohan Moran” is the correct sound of this Celestial Emperor. The Celestial Emperor’s hidden name is “Liu Du Neixian.” These four characters are the secret name of the “Yuanjing Palace” in Heaven; Yuanjing Palace governs the summoning and commanding of demonic hosts and the elevation of immortals and perfected beings.

Yuanming Wenju Heaven

Also called “Hualue,” its color is azure, and it is positioned after the Xu lunar mansion. Those who complete eighty good deeds and purify the five faculties may be reborn in this heaven. Daoist texts explain that this is the heavenly realm that “delights in transformation.”

The Celestial Emperor is named “Chou Falun.” His correct sound is “Kai Sheng Shu”; the Celestial Emperor’s inner text is “Chou,” and he has another title, “Falun.” These three characters are the secret name of the “Guanghan Palace” in Heaven; Guanghan Palace governs the circulation of primordial Qi (vital energy).

Shangming Qiyao Moyi Heaven

Another name is “Hualue,” meaning a heavenly realm formed by the transformation of sensual pleasure.

The Celestial Emperor is named “Chou Falun.” His correct sound is “Kai Sheng Shu”; the Celestial Emperor’s inner text is “Chou,” and he has another title, “Falun.” These three characters are the secret name of the “Guanghan Palace” in Heaven; Guanghan Palace governs the circulation of primordial Qi (vital energy).

Shangming Qiyao Moyi Heaven

Also called “Hualue,” referring to a heavenly realm where sensual pleasure reaches its utmost. Its color is black, and it is positioned after the Nü lunar mansion. Those who complete one hundred good deeds and purify the six faculties may be reborn in this heaven. Daoist texts explain that this is the heavenly realm of “freely transforming at will.”

The Celestial Emperor is named “Tianhui Yan.” His correct sound is “Yan Xuming”; the Celestial Emperor’s inner sound is “Tianhui,” and his hidden designation is “Yan.” These three characters are the secret name of the “Taiyin Palace” in Heaven; Taiyin Palace governs the opening and deliverance from suffering in the dark and hidden realms.

Xuwu Yueheng Heaven

Also called “Chufan,” its color is bluish-green, and it is positioned after the Niu lunar mansion. Although the heavenly beings have purified the six faculties, they are still bound by the dust of form (sensory realms such as shape and color), and therefore ascend to this heaven. Daoist texts explain that this is the Brahma Multitude Heaven within the first dhyana.

The Celestial Emperor is named “Zhengding Guang.” His correct sound is “Jing Wuqiao”; the Celestial Emperor’s inner text is “Zhengding Guang.” These three characters are the secret name of the “Daxuan Palace” in Heaven, which governs the supreme Dao (the Way).

Taiji Mengyi Heaven

Also called “Shangfan,” its color is purple, and it is positioned after the Dou lunar mansion. After heavenly beings purify one kind of coarse and heavy defiling burden, they ascend to this heaven. This heaven is also called the First Dhyana Heaven; Daoist texts explain that it is the “Brahma Ministers Heaven.”

Quyu Heaven

Also called “Shangfan,” its color is purple, and it is positioned after the Dou lunar mansion. After heavenly beings purify one kind of coarse and heavy defiling burden, they ascend to this heaven. This heaven is also called the First Dhyana Heaven; Daoist texts explain that it is the “Brahma Ministers Heaven.”

The Celestial Emperor is named “Quyu Jiuchang.” His correct sound is “Anan Jingming”; the Heavenly King’s hidden designation is “Quyu,” and his general name is “Jiuchang.” These four characters are the secret name of the “Xuandu Palace” in Heaven; Xuandu Palace governs the refining, transformation, and deliverance of decayed corpses.

The Eight Heavens of the South

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning gathered the Three Yang Brahmā Qi (pure primordial energy) to form eight layers of heaven, which belong to the Realm of Form, where forms and colors still exist. Four layers are coarse dust, and four are fine dust. The heavenly beings wear blue-green crowns, red crown tassels, and vermilion robes.

Red Radiance and Harmonious Yang Heaven

Also called the Heaven of Lesser Light, it is white and lies below the Ji and Dou lunar mansions. After purifying the second layer of coarse dust, heavenly beings ascend here. This heaven is also called the Heaven of the First Meditation; in Buddhism, it is known as the Great Brahmā Heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “The Supreme Perfected One Who Governs the Forbidden.” This is his secret heavenly name. He governs the Palace of Everlasting Light and presides over the refinement of immortals into perfected beings. His common, correct pronunciation in the human realm is “Protector of the Immortals Who Brings Order and Peace.” The Heavenly King’s hidden title is “The Supreme Perfected One Who Governs the Forbidden.” These four characters are the secret name of the Palace of Everlasting Light in heaven.

Mysterious Brightness and Reverent Splendor Heaven

Also called the Heaven of Luminous Sound, it is yellow and lies below the Ji lunar mansion. Heavenly beings are born here after purifying the third layer of coarse dust. This heaven is also called the Heaven of the Second Meditation; in Buddhism, it is known as the Heaven of Lesser Light.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Empty Song, Strange Sound”; his correct pronunciation is “Spirit of Flying Sound and Qi.” “Empty Song, Strange Sound” is the Heavenly Emperor’s inner-text secret title. These four characters are the secret name of the Eastern Florescence Palace in heaven, where the transformation of the myriad things is carried out.

The Radiant Brightness, Ancestral Fluttering Heaven gives birth to this heaven. This heaven is also called the Heaven of the Second Meditation; in Buddhism, it is known as the Heaven of Lesser Light.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Empty Song, Strange Sound”; his correct pronunciation is “Spirit of Flying Sound and Qi.” “Empty Song, Strange Sound” is the Heavenly Emperor’s inner-text secret title and also the secret name of the Eastern Florescence Palace in heaven, which governs the transformation of the myriad things.

Radiant Brightness, Ancestral Fluttering Heaven

Also called the Heaven of Immeasurable Light, it is green and lies below the Wei lunar mansion. Heavenly beings are born here after purifying the fourth layer of coarse dust. This heaven is also called the Heaven of the Second Meditation; in Buddhism, it is known as the Heaven of Immeasurable Light.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Resplendent Light”; his correct pronunciation is “Eminent True Hero.” The Heavenly Emperor’s full title is “Resplendent Light.” These three characters are the secret name of the Vast Origin Palace, which governs the cultivation of those who study to become immortals when a kalpa comes to an end.

Zhulou Huangjia Heaven

Also called the Heaven of Initial Purity, it is blue-green and lies below the Xin lunar mansion. Heavenly beings are born here after purifying the fifth layer of coarse dust. This heaven is also called the Heaven of the Second Meditation; in Buddhism, it is known as the Heaven of Luminous Sound.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Moyi, Wondrous Discourse”; his correct pronunciation is “Profound and Mysterious Brightness.” The Heavenly Emperor’s hidden title is “Moyi,” and his inner-text secret title is “Wondrous Discourse.” These four characters are the secret name of the Pure Mystery Palace, which governs the demonic obstacles that test those who cultivate the Way.

Void Brightness and Hall Radiance Heaven

Also called the Heaven of Solemn Purity, it is red and lies below the Fang lunar mansion. After purifying the sixth layer of coarse dust, heavenly beings are born here, though fine dust remains unpurified. In Buddhism, it is known as the Heaven of Lesser Purity.

The Heavenly Emperor is named “Aqiu Shen”; his correct pronunciation is “Upright Person.”

The Heaven of Empty Clarity and Radiant Splendor, also called the Heaven of Solemn Purity, is red in color and lies beyond the Fang Lodge. The heavenly beings born here have cleansed themselves of the six kinds of coarse dust, but fine dust remains. Buddhists call it the Heaven of Lesser Purity. Its Heavenly Emperor is named A Qiaoshen.

The proper sound of this heaven is “Milun Xuanming,” and the Emperor’s hidden sound is “Ashe Qiongbishen.” These four characters are the secret taboo name of the Palace of Double Radiance in this heaven. They govern the salvation and cultivation of those who study the Dao.

The Heaven of Clear Vision and Tranquil Dignity, also called the Heaven of Universal Purity, is blue in color and lies beyond the Di Lodge. The heavenly beings born here have cleansed themselves of one kind of fine dust. It is also called the Heaven of the Third Dhyana. Buddhists call it the Heaven of Immeasurable Purity. Its Heavenly Emperor is named Yu Mi Luo Qian.

The proper sound of this heaven is “Langguan Yaoming.” The Emperor’s hidden text is “Yumi,” and his inner title is “Luo Qian.” These four characters are the secret taboo name of the Palace of Radiant Splendor in this heaven. They govern the opening of Heaven’s gates and the salvation of heavenly beings.

The Heaven of Mysterious Clarity and Reverent Celebration is sometimes also called the Heaven of Immeasurable Purity. It is black in color and lies beyond the Kang Lodge. The heavenly beings born here have cleansed themselves of two kinds of fine dust. It is also called the Heaven of the Third Dhyana. Buddhists call it the Heaven of Universal Purity. Its Heavenly Emperor is named Long Luo Puti.

The proper sound of this heaven is “Weiqing Daoxuan.” The inner sound of the flying immortals is “Long Luo,” and the Emperor’s hidden title is “Puti.” These four characters are the secret taboo name of the Palace of Opening and Closing in this heaven. They govern the fulfillment of those who have attained the Dao.

The Heaven of Great Radiance and Supreme Jade, also called the Heaven of Blessed Love and Excellence, is jade green in color and lies beyond the Jiao Lodge. The heavenly beings born here have cleansed themselves of three kinds of fine dust. It is also called the Heaven of the Fourth Dhyana. Buddhists call it the Heaven of Blessed Birth. Its Heavenly Emperor is named Wan Li Yuan Yan.

The proper sound of this heaven is “Dongzhen Yongguan.” The Heavenly King’s inner text is “Wan Li Yuan Yan.” These four characters are the secret taboo name of the Palace of Imperial Tranquility in this heaven. They govern the instruction of those who study the Dao.

The Eight Heavens of the West

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning gathered seven currents of Yang harmony and Brahma energy, from which the Eight Heavens of the West took shape. Two of these heavens belong to the fine-dust heavens of the Form Realm, while six belong to the light-dust heavens. The gods here wear blue ceremonial crowns and garments of gold and white.

The Heaven of Primordial Support and Rising Emptiness is sometimes called the Heaven of Joy. It is purple in color and lies beyond the Miaojiao Lodge. The heavenly beings born here have cleansed themselves of four kinds of fine dust. It is also called the Heaven of the Fourth Dhyana. Buddhists call it the Heaven of Blessed Reception. Its Heavenly Emperor is named Kaizhen Dingguang.

“Rectifying the Sounds and Revealing the Light” refers to the Sovereign Lord opening the inner sounds and revealing hidden true writings. The “four characters” are secret names of the celestial realm. They embody the name and function of the Palace of Prolonged Life, which governs the refining of souls.

Tai’an Huangya Heaven

Also called “Supreme Bliss,” it is associated with the color white and corresponds in position to the Zhen lunar mansion. Celestial beings are born here after cleansing themselves of the five subtle forms of dust and defilement. This heaven is also called the Fourth Meditation Heaven; in Buddhist terminology, it is known as the Vast Fruit Heaven.

Emperor Polou Atan

Its rectified pronunciation is “Yunmo Ahun.” This heaven is also called “Supreme Bliss”; it is white and corresponds in position to the Zhen lunar mansion. Celestial beings are born here after cleansing themselves of the five subtle forms of dust and defilement. It is also called the Fourth Meditation Heaven, and Buddhists call it the Vast Fruit Heaven.

The Celestial Lord’s hidden sound-name is “Polou,” and the inner taboo name of the Demon Emperor is “Atan.” The four characters “Laotai” are this heaven’s secret name. They belong to the Palace of Illumination and govern the deliverance of those who have performed good deeds.

Xianding Jifeng Heaven

Also called “Vast Joy,” it is associated with the color yellow and corresponds in position to the Yi lunar mansion. Although celestial beings here have cleansed themselves of subtle dust and defilement, a slight attachment remains, and so they are born in this heaven. It is also called the Fourth Meditation Heaven; in Buddhist terminology, it is known as the Heaven of No Thought.

Emperor Zhaozhen Tong

Its rectified pronunciation is “Huiqiao Wei.” “Zhaozhen Tong” is the Celestial Lord’s secret title. These three characters are a secret name belonging to the Great Red Palace, which governs the deliverance of souls who have accumulated meritorious deeds.

Shihuang Xiaomang Heaven

Also called “Supreme Subtlety,” it is associated with the color green and corresponds in position to the Zhang lunar mansion. Celestial beings ascend to this heaven after cleansing themselves of one layer of slight attachment. In Buddhist terminology, it is known as the Heaven Free from Affliction.

Emperor Salou Wang

Its rectified pronunciation is “Junhua Daquan.” “Salou Wang” is the hidden written title of the Jade Perfected. These four characters are a secret name belonging to the Great Elixir Palace, which governs the dispelling of darkness and the illumination of the night.

Taihuang Fangzhong Furong Heaven

Also called the “Heaven of the Ultimate of Form,” it is associated with the color blue-green and corresponds in position to the Xing lunar mansion. It is called the “Ultimate of Form” because the dust of form is gradually eliminated. Celestial beings ascend to this heaven after cleansing themselves of two layers of slight attachment. In Buddhist terminology, it is known as the Heaven Free from Heat.

Emperor Minba Kuang

Its rectified pronunciation is “Huiwei Guang.” “Minba Kuang” is the Emperor’s inner written name. These three characters are a secret name belonging to the Canopy Palace, which governs the summoning of demons and perfected spirits.

Wusi Jiangyou Heaven

Also called “Supreme Wondrous,” its color is red, and it corresponds to the Willow Mansion. Celestial beings pass through three transformations from defilement to purity and ascend into this heaven. Buddhism calls it the “Heaven of Good Vision.”

The emperor title of this heaven is “Mingfanguang.”

The “orthodox sound” is “Langming Fayuan.” The inner name of the sovereign lord is “Mingfanguang.” These three characters are a name secretly concealed in the Mingtang Palace of the heavenly realm, and they govern the opening and deliverance of virtuous souls.

The Shangshe Ruanle Heaven,

Also called “Self-Mastery,” its color is azure, and it corresponds to the Ghost Mansion. Celestial beings pass through four transformations from defilement to purity and ascend into this heaven. Buddhism calls it the “Heaven of Good Appearance.”

The emperor title of this heaven is “Bobojian.”

The “orthodox sound” is “Yuwu Zhenxing.” The inner text of the heavenly emperor is “Bobo,” and his inner name is “Jian.” These three characters are secretly concealed in the Yunling Palace of the heavenly realm, and they are responsible for appraising celestial beings.

The Wuji Tanshi Heaven,

Also called “Great Self-Mastery,” and also called “Non-Returning,” its color is black, and it corresponds to the Well Mansion. Celestial beings pass through five transformations from defilement to purity and ascend into this heaven. Buddhism calls it the “Heaven of Ultimate Form.”

The emperor title of this heaven is “Piaonu Palace,” and it is responsible for appraising celestial beings.

The Wuji Tanshi Heaven,

Also called “Great Self-Mastery,” and also called “Non-Returning,” its color is black, and it corresponds to the Well Mansion. Celestial beings pass through five transformations from defilement to purity and ascend into this heaven. Buddhism calls it the “Heaven of Ultimate Form.”

The emperor title of this heaven is “Piaonu Qionglong.”

The “orthodox sound” is “Feizai Xuying.” The inner text of the heavenly demon is “Piaonu,” and the secret title of the heavenly lord is “Qionglong.” These four characters are secretly concealed in the Zhongwu Palace of the heavenly realm, and they govern deliverance and transformation into immortals.

The Eight Heavens of the North

Yuanshi (the high Daoist deity) gathered the five-yang brahma Qi (pure primordial Qi) and formed the eight heavens of the north. Four of these heavens belong to the Formless Realm, and four belong to the Zhongmin Heavens; their celestial deities wear blue-green crowns and white tasseled robes with black garments.

The Haoting Xiaodu Heaven,

Also called “Not Empty,” its color is jade green, and it corresponds to the Shen and Well mansions. Although celestial beings have already turned from defilement to purity, they still retain residual habitual tendencies, and therefore ascend into this heaven. Buddhism calls it the “Heaven of Boundless Space.”

The emperor title of this heaven is “Huijuehun.”

The “orthodox sound” is “Wu Qingming.” The inner sound of the sovereign lord is “Huijuehun.” These three characters are secretly concealed in the Qiongyao Palace of the heavenly realm, and they govern the deliverance of those who cultivate learning by means of skills and arts.

The Yuantong Yuandong Heaven,

Also called “Great Not Empty,” its color is purple, and it corresponds to the Shen Mansion. Celestial beings have already forgotten the dust of form (attachment to form), but they still possess mind-consciousness, and therefore ascend into this heaven. Buddhism calls it the “Heaven of Boundless Consciousness.”

The emperor title of this heaven is “Fanxing Guansheng.”

“Zhengyin Xiquan Daoguang” is the celestial realm’s true sound. It means washing away dust and defilement and revealing the radiance of the Great Dao. “The inner sound and pure practice of the Celestial Lord, secretly observing the principles of life’s arising and transformation” describes the Celestial Lord’s inward divine sound, pure cultivation, and hidden contemplation of the principles by which life comes into being and changes. These four characters are kept secret in the celestial Zhenyuan Palace, where they govern the deliverance of those who study and cultivate.

The Great Heaven of Literary Splendor, Favor, and Marvelous Accomplishment is also called the “Heaven of Neither Thought nor Nonthought.” Its color is white, and it corresponds to the lunar mansion Zui. The celestial beings gradually forget the distinctions made by mind and consciousness, contemplate subtle principles through Qi (breath and primordial energy), and ascend to Zhenyuan Palace, where they govern the deliverance of those who study and cultivate. The scripture also explains that this level of heaven is the “Heaven Where Nothing Arises.”

“Dina Yuchouying” is the secret inner title of the Celestial Emperor. Its true sound is “Lingxun Huiguang,” meaning “the numinous fragrance of wisdom’s light.” These four characters are kept secret in the celestial Lingyou Palace, where they govern the administration of affairs.

The Great Heaven of Pure Simplicity, Elegant Joy, and Supreme Restraint is also called the “Heaven of Nonperception.” Its color is yellow, and it corresponds to the lunar mansion Bi. The celestial beings gradually forget their accumulated habits and contemplate through Qi; as their state grows ever more subtle, they ascend to this heaven. The scripture explains that this level is the “Heaven of Neither Perception nor Nonperception.”

“Dinglong Luojuechang” is the secret inner title of the Celestial Emperor. Its true sound is “Yangwei Yaoqing,” meaning “the clear radiance of yang’s might.” These four characters are kept secret in the celestial Jiuling Palace, where they govern the command and registration of demon kings.

The Great Heaven of Supreme Emptiness and Constant Fusion is also called the “Immovable Heaven.” Its color is green, and it corresponds to the lunar mansion Mao. The celestial beings suddenly forget their accumulated habits and gradually enter wondrous contemplation, ascending to this heaven. The scripture explains that this level is the “Immovable Heaven.”

“Dijian Guishen” is the Celestial Emperor’s inner sound for subduing demons; it means “overseeing all spirits and ghosts.” The scripture says these four characters are kept secret in the celestial Lifu Palace, where they govern the examination of the merits and faults of those who study and cultivate.

The Great Heaven of Released Jade, Ascendant Triumph, is also called the “Great Immovable Heaven.” Its color is blue, and it corresponds to the lunar mansion Wei. The celestial beings suddenly forget their accumulated habits, and their wondrous contemplation deepens further as they ascend to this heaven. The scripture explains that this level is the “Great Immovable Heaven.”

“Dimiao Miao Xingyuan.”

The correct sacred pronunciation is “Kongwei Daoming.” The Emperor Lord’s hidden honorific title is “Miaomiao Xingyuan.” These four characters are a name kept secret in the celestial realm; the lord of the covered palace uses it to summon the immortals and sages.

Dragon Transformation Brahma-Degree Heaven, one of the heavens, is also called Highest Wondrous Heaven. Its celestial color is red, and it corresponds to the Lou lunar mansion. The beings of this heaven are pure and unstained. After attaining the “fruit of non-emptiness,” they ascend to this heaven. The scripture explains that this is what is meant by “Highest Wondrous Heaven.”

The Emperor Lord transforms and brings forth “Shangxuanxuan.”

The correct sacred pronunciation is “Juling Miaoguang.” In the Heavenly King’s inner text it is called “Yunshang,” while the complete sound of the Jade Perfected is called “Xuanxuan.” These four characters are kept secret in the Palace of Numinous Treasure and can enable those who cultivate the Dao to advance and become sages.

Supreme Ultimate Equal-Nurturing Jia Yi Heaven is also called Highest of the Wondrous Heavens. Its celestial color is azure, and it corresponds to the Kui lunar mansion. The beings of this heaven ascend there after deeply understanding the wonders of the Great Dao and attaining supreme, mysterious awakening. The scripture explains that this is what is meant by “Highest of the Wondrous Heavens.”

The Emperor Lord transforms and brings forth “Shangxuanxuan.”

The correct sacred pronunciation is “Juling Miaoguang.” In the Heavenly King’s inner text it is called “Yunshang,” while the complete sound of the Jade Perfected is called “Xuanxuan.” These four characters are kept secret in the Palace of Numinous Treasure and can enable those who cultivate the Dao to advance and become sages.

Supreme Ultimate Equal-Nurturing Jia Yi Heaven is also called Highest of the Wondrous Heavens. Its celestial color is azure, and it corresponds to the Kui lunar mansion. The beings of this heaven ascend there after deeply understanding the wonders of the Great Dao and attaining supreme, mysterious awakening. The scripture explains that this is what is meant by “Highest of the Wondrous Heavens.”

The Emperor Lord selects the methods of the Great Dao.

The correct sacred pronunciation is “Yongxuan Jiusheng.” The Heavenly King’s complete text calls it “Selecting the Great Methods.” These four characters are kept secret in the Palace of Heavenly Treasure and are used to save and deliver all who study and practice.

The thirty-two heavens, the thirty-two emperors, the heavens’ hidden taboo names and titles, the celestial realm’s empty spaces and natural numinous writings, as well as the heavens’ hidden tones, sounds within the heavens, revered deities, spirits, great demons, and numinous perfected beings are all contained within it. Nine and ten unite, transforming and ascending to the pure realm. Its boundless mysteries are unfathomably deep; it can proclaim the Way of the divine perfected and save and deliver the beings of heaven and humanity alike.

Shangyangzi says: “The Heavenly Emperor’s Inner Writings, hidden names, colored garments, and sense-roots and sense-objects” are matters on which the Heavenly Worthy, taking pity on people of limited understanding, ordered the Celestial Perfected Emperor to write commentaries, so that those who had never heard of this teaching could learn it. Related material appears in such scriptures as the Scripture of the Cavern Spirit, the Scripture of Inner Sounds, the Scripture of the Dragon’s Bridge, the Scripture of Original Foundations, and the Scripture of the Heavenly Lord.

From Huangzeng Heaven to the Six Heavens of the Seven Luminaries lies the desire realm, or lower realm. Those born there are still burdened by ordinary desires, easily stirred and attached to external things. In the first two heavens, desire takes the form of sexual intercourse; in the next two, of holding hands; in the following five, of the mouth; and in the next six, of gazing with the eyes. Because beings are driven by desire for forms and unite Yin and Yang, this is called the “desire realm.” In this realm, pleasure fades and signs of decline readily appear. When life ends, beings sink again into the various destinations of birth and death. Through gradual cultivation, if one completely removes the pleasures of desire, one can ascend to the form realm. This is called the Lesser Vehicle path.

When a great kalpa draws to its close, fire will rise from the Root of Kunlun—the foundation of Heaven and Earth—and consume the world. Its flames will surge up to Heyang Heaven; the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth will scatter, and the heavens will collapse with it.

Beyond the desire realm lies Danshi Heaven, the entrance to the form realm, or middle realm. Beings in the form realm have six kinds of form and eighteen kinds of defilement: sensory objects that burden the mind and spirit. Purifying one defilement allows one to ascend one level of Heaven; once all eighteen are purified, one can enter the formless realm. If even the slightest greed or attachment remains, one will fall back into the desire realm. This path of cultivation is called the Middle Vehicle path.

As a great kalpa draws to its close, a flood will also occur. A deluge will rise from the Eastern Well, its enormous waves surging as far as Extreme Wind Heaven. The primordial Qi will scatter, and the heavens will collapse with it.

The four heavens from Haoting Heaven to Xiule Heaven belong to the formless realm, or upper realm. One can ascend there only after purifying all defilement and desire. The Treatise on the Great Perfected says: “In the formless realm, the Perfected have no desires and do not unite Yin and Yang. If someone is born there through transformation, they feed only on true Qi and no longer have a physical form.”

When cultivation reaches the First Heaven, only mind-consciousness remains—that is, a person’s awareness and mental activity. If even mind-consciousness is eliminated, one can ascend level by level to higher heavens. By contemplating primordial Qi, the original energy that constitutes all things in Heaven and Earth, one cultivates the Great Dao, enters deeply into the realm of nature, and ascends to the Heaven of the Seed People. The scripture’s commentary calls it the “Heaven of Bodhisattvas,” meaning the Way of the Great Vehicle.

When a great kalpa arrives, neither water nor fire can reach that place; only violent winds sweep through. The Heaven of Xiaomang, extending through the Six Heavens of Xiaodu, is destroyed by wind calamity. The Heaven of Yuandong, extending through the Heaven of Xiule, is spared the cycles of calamity: its primordial Qi disperses and then gathers again. The Heaven of Changrong through the Heaven of Pingyu are collectively known as the Four Heavens of the Seed People. Those who cultivate the Dao ascend to these heavens after entering deeply into the true Dao; this is called the highest vehicle. When a great kalpa arrives and the Three Realms are destroyed, these heavens generate sages anew to serve as seeds for all beings. Hence they are called the “Seed People.”

When Neidan is perfected, cultivation of the Dao is complete, and the work of the scripture is fulfilled, one can ascend to the Upper Clarity Heaven. The secret methods of the Heavenly Emperor, demon spirits, and numinous seals—all sacred talismans—are formed by the condensation of empty-cavern Qi. All spirits rely on them to transform and manifest. This is like refining the reverted elixir, or Neidan: one must rely on the primordial ancestral Qi and undergo the cultivation process known as “nine harmonizations and ten unions” before forming the Golden Embryo. The Golden Embryo matures and transforms like a fetus, allowing the cultivator to enter the Upper Clarity Heaven in their own body.

Among the mysteries of the countless Dharma methods, this Neidan is the most wondrous in its transformations, hidden deep and difficult to describe fully. “Fuluo” means that the perfected spirits spread things throughout: “fu” means to scatter abroad, and “luo” means to arrange. In other words, the true writings are spread and set in place throughout the heavens, which uphold them so that they may save heavenly beings and all living creatures everywhere and enable them all to attain the wondrous Dao. This is a general explanation of the workings of the Daoist methods and worldly teachings.

The hymn says: The thirty-two total heavens ultimately return to dust. When the physical form and thoughts are both stilled, the true body appears. After nine harmonizations and ten unions, and when the work of the scripture is complete, one may attend upon Yuchen in the Golden Tower Palace.

Today we rejoice in celebrating the reception of salvation, having passed through the trials of the heavens. May the thirty-two total heavens ultimately return to dust; when the physical form and thoughts are both stilled, the true body appears. After nine harmonizations and ten unions, and when the work of the scripture is complete, may we attend upon Yuchen in the Golden Tower Palace.

Today we joyfully celebrate receiving deliverance and transformation. We pass through the heavens one by one, beseeching them to destroy the Three Evil Paths and sever the roots that lead to falling into them. We soar across the Five Gates—the barriers dividing life and death—and are inscribed among the heights of Taixuan, the lofty celestial realm spoken of in Daoism. The Demon Kings recommend practitioners, enabling them to enter the gates of heaven without hindrance. The Eastern Dipper, a stellar deity who governs the span of life, controls the years allotted to each person; the Western Dipper records their names. The Northern Dipper presides over death, the Southern Dipper over life, and the Central Dipper is the Great Leader, overseeing all the spirits. The Azure Emperor protects the hun soul, the White Emperor protects the po soul, the Red Emperor nurtures the original Qi, the source of life, and the Black Emperor keeps the blood vessels flowing freely. The Yellow Emperor sits at the center, directing all the spirits and ensuring that none exceed their proper duties.

The Demon King of the Azure Heaven is named Ba Yuanchoubo; the Demon King of the Red Heaven, Fu Tiandanshi; the Demon King of the White Heaven, Fan Shanliumu; the Demon King of the Black Heaven, Jian Choulangfu; and the Demon King of the Yellow Heaven, Heng Tiandanli. The Five Emperors’ Great Demons are the leaders of the spirits. They lead their host in flight, follow with drums beating, and command the ghost troops. With their full ceremonial retinues, they patrol the heavens and display their might, joining the spirits of the various heavens in carrying out their work: delivering beings in the heavens above and sternly governing Beifeng, the underworld realm that oversees ghosts and spirits. The Divine Marshal receives orders to sweep away ill omens throughout the land; the Eight Mighty Spirits exhale their fearsome power, while fierce steeds take their positions in the four directions. The celestial troops clear the way, and the great army follows to the beat of drums. Commanding the ghost troops, they patrol the heavens with banners, standards, drums, and signal staffs, displaying their might and joining the spirits of the heavens to deliver beings and set Beifeng in order. The Divine Marshal is ordered to dispel ill omens; the Eight Mighty Spirits unleash their power; fierce steeds guard the four directions; celestial troops clear the way, and the Great Marshal takes command of the banners and standards.

Flames are hurled for ten thousand miles, and the sound of moving bells carries in all eight directions. Whoever dares to offend or obstruct the Perfected Above—those who have attained the Dao—will be cut down by golden battle-axes before them and punished by the Great Heaven behind them. Demons and specters are slaughtered as wind and fire rage without pause. Their heads are severed by the thousands, and their forms are cut away by the tens of thousands. Demons may not intrude; ghosts may not wreak havoc. The Three Officials, deities in charge of the affairs of Heaven, Earth, and Water, and Beifeng keep watch over the ghostly host, allowing none to hide or escape. They transmit their commands by golden horse. This decree is proclaimed to the furthest reaches, and all the spirits must obey. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms must also report this matter to Shangqing, the celestial realm revered in Daoism.

Shangyangzi says: The earlier phrase “today’s registration and examination” refers to practitioners refining themselves—cultivating body and mind and accumulating merit—to build up their achievements. The phrase here, “today we joyfully celebrate receiving deliverance,” refers to refining Qi and returning it to the Elixir: through cultivation, the original Qi is restored and gathered together. What great practitioners find hardest to obtain is this very moment, “today.” All the spirits must obey, and the Five Emperors of the Three Realms must also report this matter to Shangqing.

Master Shangyang said: The earlier phrase “today, examining and recording” refers to practitioners refining and cultivating the mind and nature, and accumulating merit. The phrase here, “today, joyfully celebrating and receiving deliverance,” refers to refining Qi (vital energy)—cultivating the primordial Qi within the body—in order to bring forth the Return Elixir. For a great practitioner, nothing is more precious than encountering an occasion such as “today”: Lead, an inner alchemy term for the medicine symbolizing Jing and Qi, is stirred by Gui water, and the Yellow Sprout, a term for the nascent medicine in inner alchemy practice, begins to emerge. Having gained such an opportunity, one should seize it. Those who also possess the requisite aptitude and cultivation are therefore said to “joyfully celebrate and receive deliverance.”

To pass through the barriers of the various heavens and bring the celestial beings into communion with the practitioner, one must first pray sincerely in words, seeking the destruction of the Three Evils—evil deeds, evil thoughts, and their consequences—and the ending of delusive thoughts that lead one astray. One must sever the roots that bind one to the mundane world and make one’s true nature firm and resolute. Then one gathers and refines the primordial Brahma Qi, the Qi symbolizing the original beginning, flies across the Five Gates, the apertures or portals of cultivation, and returns to the source, thereby taking one’s place in the Great Mystery.

The Gate of Heaven is the Gate of Life, a traditional cultivation term for the gateway of life within the body. During chamber practice, the Demon King watches over the practitioner’s true nature and presides over the associated rites, ensuring that the Gate of Heaven remains unobstructed. When the Qi of Azure Yang first turns back, the Eastern Dipper governs the allotted span of life. When the Golden Flower blooms, the Western Dipper records its name. When Yang Qi is drawn from the Kan trigram, the Northern Dipper erases the name from the register of the dead. When what is lacking in the Li trigram is replenished, the Southern Dipper adds to one’s life force. The Qi returns to the Yellow Court, the central region within the body used for visualization and cultivation, where the Central Dipper oversees and watches over the spirits.

The Azure Emperor’s surname is Chang and his taboo name is Jingming; he protects the hun soul and governs the liver. The White Emperor’s surname is Hun and his taboo name is Rushou; he attends to the po soul and governs the lungs. The Red Emperor’s surname is Yan and his taboo name is Dongdan; he nourishes Qi and governs the heart. The Black Emperor’s surname is Xuan and his taboo name is Mingmeng; he keeps the blood moving through the vessels and governs the kidneys. The Yellow Emperor’s surname is Ma and his taboo name is Zhongshen; he dwells in the central Yellow Hall and commands the myriad spirits.

The Register of the Jade Emperor of the Great Cavern says: The Five Emperors have existed alongside Heaven and Earth. When Heaven and Earth first separated and Yin and Yang were first distinguished, the Five Emperors brought forth the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). A great practitioner summons the Five Emperors to descend as spirits and refines the Golden Liquid, an inner alchemy term for the essence obtained through cultivation, causing Qi to descend and congeal into the Embryonic Infant, the state in inner alchemy that symbolizes the completion of the Elixir.

The Demon King of the Azure Heaven’s surname is Bin and his taboo name is Chicheng; the Demon King of the Red Heaven’s surname is Fo and his name is Yousu; the Demon King of the White Heaven’s surname is Chi and his name is Zhangshi; the Demon King of the Black Heaven’s surname is Xu and his name is Zhishi; the Demon King of the Yellow Heaven’s surname is Tianmen and his name is Bokuang.

The Five Great Demons of the Emperors each govern one of the forms of human greed. They deplete and unsettle people’s spirit and vital energy, and so are called “Demon Kings.” The Five Great Demons of the Emperors are also Heavenly Kings, and correspond to the five senses in the human body. They bring forth and nurture the myriad things, preside over the wondrous Dao of the Golden Elixir, and administer affairs under the command of the Heavenly Venerable. Each appears in the form of an emperor, which is why they are called the “Five Emperors.”

In the Realm of Desire, where beings are governed by their desires, the Five Great Demons of the Emperors test practitioners through the five sensory desires of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This is why they are called “Great Demons.” They are the source of all spirits and the powers that govern the body.

When the Heavenly Venerable subdued these five demons in the past, he left behind the Numinous Writ of the Imperial Demon-Subduing General Truth and commanded the talismanic officials of the Five Emperors to guard the five directions. Their names were: the Azure Emperor’s talismanic official, Qihua; the Red Emperor’s, Mingzhen; the White Emperor’s, Maocheng; the Black Emperor’s, Shouyuan; and the Yellow Emperor’s, Shengming. Each guards a direction and protects the numinous writ against demonic trials.

In terms of the workings of the Dao, the Great Demons of the other four directions belong to those directions. They contain the primordial Brahma-Qi, the source-energy of the beginning of the cosmos, and are also called the various heavens, the Metal Lord, Taiyi, or the White Tiger. Only the Great Demon of the Azure Emperor in the east belongs to this realm. He holds the power over life and death and is also called the original spirit of one’s life, the Real Person without a position, or the Vajra Spirit King.

The Great Demons of the other four Emperors fly through the Three Realms, beat drums to gather their followers, and command the ghost troops of the Realm of Desire, thereby revealing how desire tests practitioners. When testing them, they wave banners and beat their command pennants. Although the Great Demon of the Azure Emperor in the east dwells in the Realm of Form, where visible forms exist, he is not disturbed by desire. Endowed with the true mandate of the primordial Brahma-Qi, he scrutinizes evil deeds and encourages good ones; hence he is called “the one who roams and observes the Great Void.” He proclaims his own awe-inspiring power and unrivaled supremacy, and, together with the other four Emperors and the various heavens, shares in the work of bringing forth and nurturing the myriad things.

When Heaven seeks to deliver living beings, this is the most important task among the Four Emperors and the heavens. Heaven carries out this work of deliverance through wondrous transformations, which must begin with disciplined cultivation: gathering and holding the mind and spirit, inspecting Beidu Luofeng, where the Daoist underworld is located, and investigating and treating the roots of desire. In this way, one refines and nourishes the Neidan (internal alchemy) and restores it, so that the Divine Lord may receive his charge.

The Divine Lord is my Original Spirit. He is titled the Ma Long clan and named Kuoyi. He receives the true mandate bestowed by the primordial Brahma Qi, the pre-cosmic vital energy that is the source of the universe, and is responsible for sweeping away all greed, sexual depravity, and ill-omened ghosts.

The Eight Powers expel harmful poisons. The Eight Powers are the six senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought—together with the storehouse consciousness and the transmitting consciousness, collectively called the eight consciousnesses. They must drive out the poisons brought by the six realms of form, sound, fragrance, taste, touch, and phenomena, so that these realms no longer disturb the mind and spirit. Then the Vajra Divine King rides a fierce warhorse, with celestial troops clearing the way as they advance, brave and disciplined. The Great Marshal carries a banner and presses forward with resolve. Flames shoot for ten thousand miles, their light blazing; the flowing bells shake the eight directions, their shape round as wheels.

Should anyone among the Four Emperors and the heavens offer even the slightest obstruction, defying Heaven’s Way of delivering people and blocking the One Qi of the Primordial Beginning so that it cannot return to its source, the Vajra Divine King advances with a golden battle-axe to slay them. The mighty Celestial Strongman follows with a great halberd and carries out the punishment, swiftly cutting down the lustful ghosts among the Five Turbidities—the five defiling impurities that cause people to become deluded and stained. They move like wind and fire, without pause for an instant. This stresses the need for swift action: thousands upon thousands of demons are beheaded, tens of thousands of monsters have their forms cut apart, and the hosts of demons scatter, no longer daring to defy or obstruct.

The Three Officials are the Three Origins: the officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water in Daoism. Beifeng refers to true nature. The Three Origins govern true nature and investigate every last den where ghosts and demons hide, leaving them nowhere to conceal themselves. The primordial Brahma Qi is also likened to an urgent courier riding the Golden Horse along the Yellow Way. The Qi is sent speeding along this celestial route, back to the Spirit Chamber—the inner place where the Original Spirit is cultivated and preserved—and carries the command throughout the boundless realms. Wherever the primordial Qi arrives, all the spirits obey its order.

The Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—are the Three Fields. The Five Emperors are the Five Officials. Each reports its achievements upward to Shangqing, the Daoist realm of pure and subtle immortals. By ordinary worldly reasoning, the scripture is already clear at this point and needs no explanation.

The hymn says: Majestic and exalted, the commands are carried out. Demons cannot intrude, and ghosts have no way to cause mischief. A single point of ancestral Qi, the original vital energy, congeals into the Returning Elixir, an inner elixir formed through cultivation. The Three Realms then display their achievements and report upward to Shangqing.

According to the Record of the Jade Calendar of the Primordial Cavern, during the Dragon Han and Yan Kang kalpas, through countless billions of immeasurably long kalpas, all was chaos: above, there was no color; below, no abyss. The original energies of wind and water coursed through the void, while the energy of adamantine supported the heavens. Between Heaven and Earth, there was nowhere dark or obscure; there were no forms or appearances, no bounds or end. The vast chaos was filled everywhere with expansive Brahma Qi, yet remained silent and without light.

The Red Brightness Kalpa opened the registers of Heaven and Earth, and all things followed their natural course. Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning settled Heaven and Earth and promulgated five scriptures. The Red Script in Jade Characters and the Eight Majestic Dragon Writings, sacred talismanic writing in Daoist scriptures, protected and regulated the kalpa, allowing Heaven to endure. Expansive Brahma Qi spread throughout Heaven and Earth, from which the various laws unfolded. The ordinances of Primordial Beginning circulated and formed the Thirty-Two Heavens. They revolved through the Formless Realm and encircled the ten directions.

Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning settled Heaven and Earth and promulgated five scriptures. The Red Script in Jade Characters and the Eight Majestic Dragon Writings protected the kalpa and preserved Heaven. Expansive Brahma Qi spread everywhere, and the various laws unfolded. The ordinances of Primordial Beginning moved through the Thirty-Two Heavens; the heavens revolved through the Formless Realm and extended throughout the ten directions.

The stars revolved, passing through the Dipper and Winnowing Basket constellations. The enduring patterns of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases also cycled and flowed with them. Heaven and Earth were divided into thirty-five levels, all gathered under the Qi of the Upper Origin. The scenes of the eight directions converged in the hidden depths, and the original Qi entered a realm of profound mystery.

Master Shangyang said, “The second chapter is the main thread running through the entire scripture and the essence of alchemical practice. Why? Because this chapter discusses refining the Golden Elixir from Liquid Gold, and uses red script—the sacred characters of Daoism—to represent the prescribed method for gathering the ingredients. The divine beings of the ten directions descend through the air and assemble before the Celestial Emperor. The practitioner then gathers Jing and Qi, focuses the Shen, and only after reaching the present day with joy and celebration, receiving transformation, begins to refine the elixir together. Once the One Qi—the primordial breath from which all things arise—has been obtained and returned to its source, the five Dipper Lords and five Emperors within the body each take up their duties. They drive away evil and demons and dispel Yin influences and ghostly Qi. Thus the scripture reveals the power to cut down ten thousand forms of evil. The Laozi says, ‘Those of lower De act, because their minds are set on something.’ This describes the kind of cultivation discussed in this chapter.

“This chapter also discusses refining the Great Elixir from Jade Liquid, and so uses the Jade Calendar—a text that records the cycles of the Dao of Heaven—to mark the beginning of the cosmic era. The words ‘without darkness, without obscurity, and without form or image’ refer to the primordial Qi just beginning to turn back, before it has settled. Once the primordial Brahma Qi—the precelestial Qi transformed by the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning—has been obtained and brought to rest, the various laws and forms unfold. From this the Great Elixir is perfected, until all Qi returns together to the realm of the immortals.”

The Scripture of the Nine Grades says: “In ancient times, Heaven and Earth were undivided in chaos, and the heavens had not yet been opened. The Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning revealed sacred characters. Through five cycles of tribulation and transformation, at the beginning of creation he commanded Lord Daowen of the Brahma Origin and First Dawn to record the Celestial Origin and set the five tribulations in motion. Thus ‘Primordial Cavern’ names the ancestral Qi that brings all things to completion, while the ‘Jade Calendar’ records the Celestial Origin. After the One Qi divided, three foundational forces developed into nine forms, coiling like dragons through the nine pathways. Deep and boundless, they gathered together the source of the ancestral Qi of the Nine Yangs. The Most High then set the Brahma Qi in motion, harmonized the primordial Qi, and opened the ancestral Qi of the Azure Heaven.

“The East received nine Qi and formed a celestial realm; the tribulation it underwent was called Longhan. The South received three Qi and formed a celestial realm; its tribulation was called Chiming. The Center received twelve Qi and formed a celestial realm; its tribulation was called Shanghuang. The West received seven Qi and formed a celestial realm; its tribulation was called Yankang. The North received five Qi and formed a celestial realm; its tribulation was called Kaihuang. When the five tribulations had run their course, Vast Heaven appeared in form. The One Qi blended with the Dao, and the scenes of the eight directions spread forth in radiance.”

After the cycle of the five great kalpas ended, Haotian—the vast, boundless celestial realm—appeared in form. The One Qi, the primordial energy that constitutes heaven, earth, and all things, merged with the Dao, and radiant scenes spread throughout the eight directions. The Eight Emperors took form, and the Nine Heavens came into being. Each gathered the qi of the Five Yangs of the Primordial Cavern, forming the Jade Register, the celestial book that records kalpas and the reckoning of years. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Truth was then commanded to use the Jade Register to record the first cycle of kalpas in the Primordial Cavern world, along with the deeds of those who cultivated immortality among the people of Heavenly Truth and the principles governing their advancement and decline.

The Perfected One of Azure Origin said: “The formation of heaven and earth began with Longhan and will end with Yankang. During this span, heaven and earth have undergone countless cycles of formation and destruction; their number cannot be measured. That is why this process is called hidden and subtle. Whenever a kalpa wanes, heaven and earth disperse: mountains and seas dissolve, and the forms of all things vanish into emptiness, leaving nothing with shape. Only the qi of the Primordial Cavern remains, merged and undivided, as chaos first takes shape. This is called ‘chaos.’

“At that time, the Water of True Oneness, which represents the primordial source, lay concealed in darkness, and the Five Phases had not yet formed. Above, there were no colors or shapes; below, no abyss or boundary. Wind was above and marsh below, while everywhere was empty and formless; the qi of adamant supported the foundation of heaven. ‘Darkness’ refers to what is hidden and revealed, to form and shadow; ‘utmost limit’ refers to a boundary; and ‘vast expanse’ refers to boundless emptiness. Within chaos, the space between heaven and earth, between the hidden and the revealed, stretched into the distance. The forms of all things could not be distinguished, and the boundaries of heaven and earth had not yet been set. There was only the boundless qi of the Great Brahma, the vast primordial energy, without light or shadow.

“Later, the qi of the golden wind rubbed together and produced fire. The Four Forms, the four basic powers that constitute change, joined and produced earth, which supports heaven and earth and nourishes all things. This is an allegory for the way the high perfected beings of the Three Realms transcend calamities and tribulations. Yet living beings remain mired in birth and death, cycling without end. It is like refining the Golden Elixir and returning to the source: that too demands hardship like the passage through kalpas.

“Now, Brahma Qi has returned to its source, but has not yet appeared in form. When the Red Radiance opened the celestial register and the first year of Red Radiance arrived, the Jade Register established the reckoning of years. Only then did heaven and earth, the sun and moon, mountains and rivers, and all things separate out and grow. This is also like returning to the source through elixir refinement, after which each stage takes its proper place. The four seasons proceed in turn, each in its proper order; hence the phrase ‘their cycles proceed naturally.’ This also resembles the functions of the successive stages of the Reverted Elixir. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning settled heaven and earth, and proclaimed and transmitted the five scriptures.”

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning observed Brahma Qi (the primordial Qi, existing before Heaven and Earth, from which all things take shape) gathering and forming. He then carved the cloud-seal celestial script (ancient Daoist talismanic writing) into jade. The scripture carries five layers of profound truth: the Subtle, the Primordial, the Spirit, the True, and the Dao. For this reason, it is called the “Five Chapters.” Those who understand the Subtle enter the realm of the Subtle; those who understand the Primordial enter the realm of the Primordial. Those who understand the Spirit, the True, and the Dao likewise enter their corresponding realms. Thus the Subtle joins with the Primordial, the Primordial with the Spirit, the Spirit with the True, and the True with the Dao.

These words were refined by fire, and so are called the “Red Script.” The “Eight Awesome Dragon Writings” refers to characters shaped like eight creatures: the azure dragon, the giant jiao dragon, the golden lion, the qilin, the white tiger, the black leopard, the vermilion serpent, and the giant xie beast. These writings can protect Heaven and Earth through their cycles of cosmic destruction, allowing Heaven to endure for a long time.

Brahma Qi spreads out and covers the heavens. The Qi transformed from Primordial Qi (the fundamental Qi from which all things take shape) is called Brahma Qi. It existed before Heaven and Earth and is the foundation of the Great Dao. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning relies on it to bring Heaven and Earth into operation, and Heaven and Earth in turn depend on it for their formation. Brahma Qi covers the Three Realms and runs through all the heavens. Once Heaven and Earth have formed, the shapes of all things appear; hence the phrase “the myriad forms unfold.”

Brahma Qi is the guiding principle by which all things come into being. It circulates among the thirty-two heavens, moving in a complete circuit like a wheel, and circles through the ten directions from the Formless Realm. It travels from the Dipper constellation to the Winnowing Basket constellation, turning in accordance with the Five Constants (here, the laws governing the movement of celestial bodies), and aligns with the sun, moon, five planets, and twenty-eight lunar mansions. Hence it is called “the thirty-five divisions.” It gathers in the Primordial Qi of the Lofty Heaven; the Qi of the Eight Radiances mingles in the depths of the unseen world and joins to bring forth wondrous workings. Hence the phrase “Qi enters the Mystery within the Mystery.”

These accounts use the movement of celestial bodies and the mingling of Qi as metaphors for Neidan cultivation, in which the Golden Elixir is about to condense and form the embryo-spirit (a stage of attainment in internal alchemy). The hymn says: “Formless and traceless, yet its course can be discerned; one Qi circulates throughout, revealing sacred powers.” This is the Golden Elixir at its most subtle and wondrous: from it the myriad forms unfold, and from it its marvelous workings become manifest.

The Supreme Sovereign of the Mysterious Realm, the Heavenly Emperor, and the High Perfected Ones—exalted celestial deities revered in Daoism—descend upon splendid clouds and rosy mists, chanting profound Cavern Chapters, sacred texts like books written in gold and jade. The golden true Qi (vital energy) shines in abundance, and the sound of recitation carries through the heavens. Their jade-toned voices summon numinous Qi, while divine winds gather mists and rosy clouds. The purple void fills with numinous splendor, protecting and supporting the myriad immortals.

Countless auspicious currents of harmony converge, and Perfected Ones come into being naturally. Within the true Dao are divine beings, including the Great Lord of Long Life, the Young Master Wuying, the Revered Spirit Baiyuan, the Grand Unity Officer of Destiny, and Taokang Heyan. They wield talismans and registers, guard people’s lives and destinies, and keep the root of life secure.

These divine beings ascend to wander through Shangqing, the exalted celestial realm revered in Daoism, and enter and leave its splendid palaces. They exist in the hidden reaches of the eight directions and in the subtlest places. They also descend to guard the human body, dwelling in the Niwan Palace, the spirit chamber in the head, and the Crimson Palace, the spirit chamber in the heart. They regulate the Five Qi within the body, bringing its divine beings into harmony. After ten cycles, the numinous energy turns back and the myriad Qi gather; then one may become an immortal.

The Way of the Immortals prizes cherishing life and widely saves all beings, freeing people from suffering. Heaven opens the eight gates, and the flying celestial wheel—the law by which the heavens turn and salvation is carried out—begins to move, proclaiming guilt and blessing, precepts and prohibitions, and the causes and conditions of past destinies. All beings can receive its teaching and salvation: the souls of the dead are restored to life, their bodies regain life, and their vital force rises to the heavens.

The Way of life is vast and boundless, able to save all beings. Heaven opens the eight gates, and the flying celestial wheel turns, proclaiming guilt and blessing, precepts and prohibitions, and the causes and conditions of past destinies. It extends salvation everywhere, restoring dead souls to life and granting their bodies renewed birth, so that their vital force rises to the heavens. Above the heavens, each realm has its own gate of life.

Master Shangyang says: This passage describes the effects of Golden Elixir cultivation. Here, “within the Mysterious” refers to the Celestial Heart, the heart at the center of the human body. The “Supreme Sovereign” refers to the Primordial Beginning, that is, ancestral Qi—the source of all Qi—which is called the Treasure of the Dao. The “High Lord” refers to the Dao Lord, that is, the Golden Mother, called the Treasure of the Scripture. The “High Perfected” refers to the Old Lord, that is, the Elixir Body, called the Treasure of the Law. These Three Treasures unite as one.

In Buddhist terms, this corresponds to the pure Dharma body, the perfected reward body, and the hundreds of thousands of emanation bodies. Here, it refers instead to nature, wisdom, and conduct. When nature and life unite, Yin Qi lies hidden and Yang Qi unfolds. Body and mind seem to drift amid the Great Rosy Clouds as one chants the Cavern Chapters—Daoist scriptures. Sacred source Qi begins to arise, quietly nurtured within primordial harmony. As soon as the Golden Duke—a term in alchemy often used for metallic substances—returns to its source, he joyfully chants verses from the Cavern Chapters.

Golden true Qi shines brightly and abundantly, circulating through the body as its sound echoes among the clouds. True Qi gathers at the gates and openings of the Qi channels. Jade tones draw in true Qi; jade liquid refines the lead substance; numinous wind gathers into mist. Lead is held in check by mercury, and spiritual beauty appears in the purple void. Mercury congeals into purple flowers, which assist and protect the immortals. When external deeds have been perfected, the many harmonies gather and merge, refining into one body; thus one naturally attains realization.

The Embryonic Infant—the numinous embryo formed through Neidan cultivation—has come to completion, and spirit dwells within the true realm. Once the embryo has congealed, Longevity governs the heart, Wuying governs the liver, Baiyuan governs the lungs, Taiyi governs the head, Siming governs the spirit, Taokang governs the spleen, and Heyan governs the kidneys. The practitioner holds talismans and registers, refining and nurturing true Qi so that Qi and spirit unite. Then the practitioner ascends through Shangqing, the lofty realm of clarity in Daoism, as sacred source Qi rises and enters and leaves the Flowery Chamber, a divine palace. Qi travels from the crown of the head down to the heels: in the head is the Court of the Three Flores, while in the body there is…

Even the most hidden and remote places, including the shadowy realms in all eight directions, are traversed by primordial Qi—the fundamental energy that forms all things in Heaven and Earth. It reaches everywhere, even into the tiniest spaces. Primordial Qi descends to guard the human body, rises to the Muddy Pellet Palace (the upper Dantian in the head), then descends to the Crimson Palace (located in the heart). It regulates the five Qi within the body, settles in the Yellow Court (an important site for inner cultivation), and gathers the hundred spirits. After ten cycles of circulation, the hundred numinous beings return to their source; after ten months, the myriad Qi become immortals together. A cultivator can also manifest another body outside the physical one, and a perfected person then appears. The Immortal Way prizes long life; the Most High uses the boundless Dao to deliver all beings.

Among the eight gates is the Gate of Long Life; the Dharma Wheel, which symbolizes the circulation of Daoist methods, is the Way’s movement. People in the world receive karmic rewards and retribution for their sins and blessings, while cultivation among the immortals concerns one’s destiny from previous lives. Only by strictly observing prohibitions and precepts and accumulating meritorious deeds can one bring both the physical body and the original spirit to universal deliverance, allowing even the souls of the dead to regain life. Having received this body, one can then bear the Way of Long Life, and one’s name will reach the heavens. The heavens will examine one’s deeds and determine, according to rank, which immortal gate one may enter. Those of profound merit and virtue may serve the Celestial Emperor in the Golden Palace; those whose cultivation is complete are ranked among the highest immortals.

When Shangyangzi was serving Master Zhao on Mount Heng, he heard someone reciting the Scripture for Delivering Humanity and asked, “What is meant by the adamantine?” Celestial Master Cheng said, “Don’t be confused. Begin at the beginning.” First I’ll ask you: What is the Vermilion Script of the Great Cavern—a reference to the profound foundational text in the scripture? I rose, bowed, and asked the master, “As soon as I hear those four words, I break out in a cold sweat.” As soon as he had spoken, he understood, and grasped the meaning of the entire scripture. The master said, “You already understand the principle of the adamantine vehicle ascending to Heaven.” He replied, “Now I’m sweating all over.” The master said, “Your inquiry must be genuine, and your understanding must be real. Now say something still more profound.” He answered, “By now, I have passed beyond the Formless Realm.” The master snapped his fingers and said, “Exactly, exactly. Though this kind of phrase is a pointed riddle, it does not shy away from speaking of sin and blessing, or of prohibitions and precepts; too much has been revealed. The power on which the scripture’s meaning rests will ensure that, when you pass through Pingyu Heaven, even the Demon King will willingly vouch for you.”

This scripture is exalted and mysterious beyond measure. It is therefore ranked among the highest works of the Three Caverns, the Daoist classification of scriptures, and stands at the head of the Daoist Canon.

To follow the original intent of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), the most important thing is for people to keep the Dao (the Way) in their hearts. The scriptures are explained in order to clarify the Great Dao and teach people to revere it. They are transmitted and circulated so that the principles of the Great Dao can reach the world and people can learn how to follow the Dao in their conduct. Thus, the Dao is the foundation of the scriptures, while the scriptures are the Dao’s manifest expression. The Dao can be made clear through the scriptures, and the scriptures can also be understood by following the Dao.

Ordinary people in the world often hear the scriptures and respond with reverence and faith. When they hear of the Great Dao, however, they often laugh at it. When they encounter the scriptures, they recite them aloud; when they hear of the Dao, they gather in groups to slander it. The Dao is like a mother, and the scriptures are like her child: there is no reason to love only the child while slighting the mother. The Great Dao opened up Heaven and Earth, set the sun and moon in motion, brought forth wind and rain, and commands thunder and lightning. Yet people cover their ears when they hear thunder, and laugh when they hear of the Dao. Although the Most High—a title for the highest divine beings in Daoism—is compassionate and does not punish them, if people sink into suffering through their own actions, whom can they blame?

What are the Dao and the scriptures? That which runs through the transformations of Yin-Yang and brings forth the myriad things is called the Dao. That which brings the substance and function of nature and life into complete accord is called a scripture. Yin without Yang cannot be called the Dao; likewise, substance without function cannot be called a scripture. The Dao is the source of Yin-Yang, while the scriptures embody the function of nature and life. When true nature joins with original life—the innate foundation of life—this is like bringing Yin and Yang into balance and uniting the outer form with the inner spirit. Only then are substance and function both complete.

The Way of Primordial Elixir Reversion, a method of cultivation that condenses innate essence and Qi into an elixir, resembles the process of human conception. When a person is first conceived from the essence and blood of the parents, the state is likewise undifferentiated and without form. Once the essence and blood have settled, the fetal membranes form in the first month, the fetus takes shape in the second, the Hun soul emerges in the third, and the Po soul is settled in the fourth. In the fifth month the Five Viscera are differentiated; in the sixth the Six Bowels take shape; in the seventh the seven openings become apparent; in the eighth the Eight Inner Radiances—the deities and energetic phenomena within the body—are complete; in the ninth the body has fully developed; and in the tenth the breath is complete, and the child leaves the womb.

The process of Elixir Reversion cultivation follows the same pattern. When the practitioner first receives the wondrous Qi of the numinous father and sacred mother, nine and ten must come together before Golden Qi—the refined Qi spoken of in cultivation—begins to arise. At first, the state is likewise vast, empty, still, and undifferentiated, with no color or abyss to rely on, and no form or image to depend upon.

The primordial Qi—the original vital energy from which all things in heaven and earth arise—settles and holds firm. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) spread and circulate. Míluó, the vast and boundless celestial realm, extends everywhere, while all things gather and join in profound stillness. Through the movement and harmonizing of primordial Qi, they repeatedly return to emptiness, drawing in and gathering the scattered primordial energy to store and nurture the true primal essence.

From this, the five internal organs are formed, the five Qi are regulated, and the hundred spirits brought into unity. They coalesce into an embryo, called the Yang Spirit, which enters and leaves the body and undergoes spiritual transformation. A person’s physical form is originally produced from the essence and blood of ordinary parents. In cultivating the wondrous Golden Elixir, however, sacred primordial Qi serves as one’s parents, enabling the practitioner to transform and fly. This is called dual cultivation of nature and life: the body and spirit alike reach a subtle and refined state.

The hymn says: To bring the hundred spirits into unity, one must rely on this scripture. This scripture is honored and subtle, its meaning clear. The Brahma Qi of the celestial realm nurtures the embryo; when all Qi gather together, the immortals can step into the Jade Capital, the celestial palace. It also contains chapters of Empty-Cavern songs and numinous writings of the demon kings, whose language draws together the teachings of the exalted perfected beings revered in Daoism.

The First Song of the Desire Realm, Flying Through the Air:

The human way is small and hard to perceive; the immortal way is vast and boundless. The ghost way ends in death, yet in the eyes of worldly people it seems alluring. The Way of Heaven cherishes life, while the ghost way ends in death. The immortal way often leads to good fortune; the ghost way often brings calamity. The exalted, pure, and numinous spirits sing mournfully and at length in the vast sky. They wish only for the immortal way to be fulfilled, and not for humanity to fall into ruin.

In the Northern Capital’s Office of the Springs and Curves, which governs the underworld, crowds of ghosts gather. The immortal way often brings good fortune; the ghost way often brings calamity. The exalted, pure, and numinous spirits sing mournfully and at length in the vast sky. They wish only for the immortal way to be fulfilled, and not for humanity to fall into ruin. In the Northern Capital’s Office of the Springs and Curves, crowds of ghosts gather. They seek only to cut short people’s years and sever their path to life.

Daoist practitioners chant the Cavern Chapter, passages from Daoist scriptures, to subdue Northern Luofeng, the divine domain that governs the ghost realm. They bind and escort away demons and monsters, and destroy the wicked spirits. The primordial Qi of all the heavens surges without limit; our Way, too, will grow more prosperous day by day.

Shangyangzi says that the Lingbao Jingfa records that the Dongzhang—the celestial beings’ songs and verses in the Duren Jing—originated in the cinnabar-yellow, flying, and wondrous purple writings of Guishan. They were not composed by the Demon Kings. The Perfected Yin accompanied the Old Lord westward to the Turtle Terrace. Entering the Garden of Seven Treasures, he saw these writings and understood that cultivation had its own methods. He then made the three chapters known to the world, so that people might awaken and transcend the Three Realms.

In ancient times, after the Celestial Worthy subdued the Demon Kings, they all bowed their heads and accepted his commands. The Celestial Worthy appointed Yumo to rule the Realm of Desire, Molu to rule the Realm of Form, and Wuming to rule the Formless Realm. The Demon Kings chanted verses, flying and transforming through the sky to rouse the celestial beings and earthly creatures and drive away the demons of desire. Those who heard this music resounding through the air could transform the distress caused by sensual desire and turn toward the gate of purity.

From Huangzeng to Moyi belongs to the Realm of Desire. Once the six desires have been purified, one can rise into the Realm of Form. The human way is obscure and small, and its Yang energy is easily lost; the Immortal Way is vast and far-reaching, involving transformations and flight through the air, and is difficult to comprehend. The “Gate of Life” is both the portal through which humans and all things are born and the portal to the attainment of immortality and Buddhahood. The Perfected Zhongli said, “The gate through which I was born is also the door through which I die.” He was speaking of this very gate. If people fail to awaken, the demons of desire will turn it into a place of indulgence. The Way of Heaven prizes the nurturing of life, yet people may fall into the suffering of the realm of ghosts through their greed and desire.

Those of exalted purity and numinous clarity have clear minds and keen, perceptive natures; their speech is frank and generous. They pity the ignorant and deluded, and chant bright, clear verses in the Great Void. The Song of the Flowing Pearl by the Immortal Elder Ge says: “Flowing Pearl, Flowing Pearl, you have worn me out. I am so busy that I forget to sleep and cannot spare time to eat. Now I am sixty, and fear that I am bound for the Three Paths of suffering. If a Perfected One can save me, I shall surely become a true man of courage.” Consider these words closely: they are a sorrowful song ringing through the Great Void.

The Most High left scriptures behind in the hope that people would cultivate and attain the Immortal Way, rather than follow deviant paths and end in hardship and decline. The Northern Capital’s Office of Springs and Curves symbolizes the worldly sea of desire. It is filled with hosts of ghosts, most of them connected with sensual desire. Those who become absorbed in it will see their allotted years diminished and the foundations of their life and nature severed. During their cultivation, practitioners of the Dao may dwell in the Realm of Form or chant the Dongzhang continually, gathering and subduing the powers of Luofeng. Here, the Northern Capital of Luofeng symbolizes the root of desire within a person: when desire stirs, Luofeng rises in dark clouds that fill the sky, the six ghosts do battle, and demons and spirits summon torrents of bitter rain. Practitioners must subdue these desires and transform the Realm of Desire into a realm of eternal joy. Refining and nourishing the returned Elixir—the process of internal alchemy—means transforming ghosts and demons into the heavens. After the numinous medicine is applied, the energy of golden light surges abundantly, and one’s own alchemical path grows ever more flourishing.

The eulogy says: “The clever and quick-witted rush about day and night. Who can tell hell from heaven? Better to regard the world with a calm eye, awaken the people, and chant the Dongzhang together.”

The lofty scripture unfolds in the air, and the Qi of radiance rises in every direction. The heavens of pure and tranquil practice surround the worlds of the ten directions. The countless great spirits all issue from my body. I possess this sacred chapter of the Caverns; reciting it ten thousand times enables you to become an immortal.

The Immortal Way values saving all beings, and the path of ghosts is linked to it. Heaven and earth are vast and profound, yet filled with foul Qi. The Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—hold pleasures, but none can last. Transcend the Three Realms, and you may endure forever. Your body and mind will be delivered beyond them, and your form will merge with the natural Dao. The joy you find then, and even the slightest merit you earn, come from my grace.

The age of Longhan, a symbol of a calamity cycle from the distant past, was boundless and immense. How can the true Dao be discerned? My realm is difficult to enter, so I composed this sacred text of the Caverns. The scripture transforms and ascends, testing your practice. Some succeed, others fail; many grow lax and fall back. In the end, how many will attain deliverance? I laugh at your inability to cross over, and so I sing this verse.

From the Heaven of Yuexing to the Heaven of Tanshi, there are eighteen heavens in all, collectively called the Form Realm—the heavens where beings still have bodies and have not yet transcended material form. Although the beings there have bodies, they have no desires. Their bodies differ in coarseness and fineness, lightness and heaviness, and together they bear eighteen kinds of defilement. Only when these defilements and attachments have been purified can one ascend to the Formless Realm.

The Form Realm is lofty and vast, its heavens boundless. Bright primordial Qi spreads in every direction, and pure, luminous Brahma Qi—the pristine Qi that precedes birth—fills the expanse. Countless great deities dwell there. I, too, will be tested by demonic states. By practicing the Dongzhang, Daoist scriptures, tens of thousands of times, condensing the body and eliminating desire, one gradually dissolves the eighteen kinds of defilement, from coarse to fine, from heavy to light. When every trace of defilement has been purified, one can ascend to the Formless Realm. Go further still, and forget all ingrained attachments.

The immortal way places its emphasis on delivering sentient beings, helping them pass beyond the Form Realm. The ghostly way is bound up with those who have desires and remains tied to the Form Realm. The Nanhua Jing (the Zhuangzi) says, “External things come one after another, yet my mind has its limits.” Turbid Qi spreads everywhere and does not disperse. But if one can transcend the pleasures of the Three Realms, one may endure for a long time. Only by passing beyond the Form Realm and the heavens of the Three Realms, and ascending to the Shangqing realm—the subtle and exalted realm described in Daoism—can one endure forever. When body and mind have been delivered, the body returns to nature. Transcending form and no longer being confused by it, one attains great freedom. These attainments can all come from practicing the scriptures and realizing the Dao.

The Perfected One of Danyang was originally the son of a wealthy family in Dongzhou and spent his days in pleasure. The Patriarch Chongyang, founder of the Quanzhen school, came especially to guide him. Upon meeting him, he said, “I have come to help a drunkard.” The Perfected One of Danyang asked angrily, “What is the Dao?” The Patriarch Chongyang replied, “It is where the Five Phases do not reach.” The Perfected One of Danyang thereupon awakened deeply, followed him in cultivation, and eventually became an immortal. Does this not show how much the immortal way values delivering others?

Heaven and earth are boundless, and the realm of form, constrained by material appearances, has no end either. If one clings to appearances and cannot shed defilement, it is difficult to transcend demonic states. For this reason, the Dongzhang was written to encourage practitioners. During cultivation, one may also face demonic tests such as flying through the air and undergoing transformations. Few pass these tests successfully; many fail, grow lax, and fall back. It is lamentable that so many cannot pass beyond the realm of form. Therefore, this verse was written:

In the heavens of the Form Realm are eighteen kinds of defilement.

If the mind is not pure, it is not true cultivation.

Know that passing beyond my realm is no difficult matter—

Yet how many are truly delivered in this day and age?

The demon king of the Third, Formless Realm sings:

Beyond the Three Realms lies the distant, profound Great Luo Heaven. There is no source of form or appearance there, and its clouds soar high. Only the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning dwells in the primordial realm that has endured countless kalpas. He governs my domain and descends to the Dark Capital. Whoever crosses beyond my domain may enter Jade Emptiness. I am the king of this realm, ruling and commanding the many demons. In the sky, transformations abound, and turbid Qi fills the air. Few can hold fast to their true nature; many are deluded. The immortal way is hard to uphold, while the ghostly way is easy to stray into. The human way depends on one’s own mind and is not decided by others. The immortal way values genuine cultivation; the human way prizes outward adornment. If you are unwilling to seek the immortal way, how can you transcend the Three Realms? If you wish to enter the Five Destinies—the five possible destinations in the cycle of rebirth—what can I do?

From Haoting Heaven to Xiule Heaven belong to the Realm of Primordial Form, one of the Four Heavens.

The four heavens from Haoting Heaven to Xiule Heaven belong to the Realm of Original Formlessness, a type of heaven within the Formless Realm. The Taizhen Code says: The Perfected Ones in the Formless Realm have severed emotional and sensual desires. Forms and desires have both fallen into stillness, and they are no longer troubled by the body. When their practice reaches the first heaven, only consciousness remains, so they enter meditative concentration by contemplating Qi, a method of observing the breath. Once contemplation of Qi is perfected, they ascend to the next heaven. By further eliminating consciousness and attaining Wuwei (non-action), they ascend another heaven. If they still hold all phenomena in their minds, seeing them as though they both exist and do not exist, they ascend yet another heaven. When contemplation of Qi becomes even more subtle, and the habits of affliction accumulated over a long time have been forgotten, they merge with nature and ascend to the Heaven of the Seed People, one of the heavens in the Formless Realm.

The Sutra of the Fundamental Basis says: Afflictions are called “knots,” and habits formed through practice are called “conditioning.” Once knots and conditioning have been exhausted, one passes beyond the station of the Heaven of the Seed People and enters the realm of the Dao. One rises and descends with Qi, beyond the reach of calamity.

Perfected Master Qingyuan says: Although practitioners in the Formless Realm can distance themselves from defilement and forget forms, they have not yet completely dispelled attachment, and remain especially troubled by consciousness. Thus, when impure Qi spreads, the realm of ghosts can readily take advantage and intrude; if control is accidentally lost, one falls back into the Realm of Form. Only by forgetting even thoughts, naturally dispelling attachment, and contemplating emptiness to enter the wondrous can one truly transcend. The Scripture of Lord Lao says: “When what is empty has itself disappeared, even ‘nonbeing’ no longer remains. Clear and settled, constantly still: this is true stillness.”

Long ago, the prodigal Perfected Master Liu Changsheng practiced in Luoyang for three years, contemplating emptiness and letting go of thoughts every day. Whenever the root thought of sensual desire began to stir, he would recite: “In the Northern Capital’s Office of Springs and Curves lies a district where ten thousand ghosts gather. They seek only to shorten people’s years and end their lives.” After reciting this verse, the root thought of sensual desire was immediately cut off. Is this not like someone reciting a chapter from a Cavern Scripture to subdue and command Beiluo Feng, the legendary northern ghost realm? This is authentic practice; this is what is meant by “the immortal Way prizes what is real.” People of the world are all sunk in delusion and unwilling to cultivate the immortal Way, preferring instead to cycle through the Five Sufferings. Even if one wishes to guide and save them, what can be done?

The hymn says: Practice in the Formless Heavens is difficult; this time, guard your original mind and do not be confused. The work of the immortals is no idle pursuit. One must cultivate with one’s true body and enter Jade Void, the Daoist realm of pure and wondrous emptiness.

Above the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—in the sky, the Demon King’s chanting voice accords with the Dongzhang, the verses of Daoist scripture. Reciting this scripture one hundred times is called passing through the barrier of the Southern Palace; reciting it one thousand times brings the Demon King to escort and welcome you. When your cultivation is complete and you have recited it ten thousand times, you can ascend into the vast sky, transcend the Three Realms, and take your place among the Immortal Lords.

Hearing this wondrous sound, the Demon King will show reverence to the practitioner, receive orders to restrain the earth spirits, and dispatch attendants to guard, escort, and welcome them. The scripture further says that reciting it one hundred times enables you to pass through the Southern Palace, one thousand times brings the Demon King’s protection and welcome, and ten thousand times, with cultivation complete, enables you to ascend into the vast sky, transcend the Three Realms, and attain the rank of an Immortal Lord.

In this way, people can escape the gates of the underworld and be spared its five sufferings and eight calamities. Their seven generations of ancestors will rise to a higher state and leave the realm of ghosts forever. The souls of the dead pass through Zhuling, where they undergo refinement and are reborn. This is called “boundlessness”: universal salvation without end.

This scripture, secretly transmitted from Heaven, is revered by all the heavens. Anyone who discloses it or treats it with contempt will fall into hell, bringing calamity upon seven generations of ancestors.

Above the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—are places where demon kings dwell. In the realm of flight through the skies, scripture verses are chanted everywhere. These are trials set by the demon realm to test cultivators; they can help them attain the wondrous Dao. That is why the scriptures also speak of Cavern verses.

The Celestial Worthy proclaimed and had this scripture recited and upheld so that people in the world might understand how to cultivate the Dao. Reciting it a hundred times is like the primordial, pure Qi (vital energy) just beginning to move; hence this is called “crossing the Southern Palace.” Reciting it a thousand times is like the fetus having taken shape; hence it is said that the demon kings will escort and welcome the practitioner. Reciting it ten thousand times means the work of the Dao is complete: one sheds the mortal body and undergoes spiritual transformation, and so it is said that one can ascend through the heavens. This describes what happens when the work of cultivation is complete. Without cultivating the Dao, one can hardly expect to ascend simply by reciting the scripture ten thousand times.

When the merit of the scripture is complete, one can transcend the Three Realms. When the work of returning the Elixir—through Neidan (internal alchemy)—is complete, one can take one’s place among the immortal lords. Those who hear the numinous, wondrous sound of the scripture will be honored by the demon kings, even after ten thousand kalpas, because their Dao is lofty and their De (Virtue/Power) is profound. Through cultivation, primordial Qi stirs and the Earth Gate—the bodily aperture associated with Yin energy—is removed. The Qi of Wu Earth, the Earth phase among the Five Phases, circulates; Wu Earth returns to Ji Earth, returning to the root and restoring the original source. Yin energy then recedes and Yang energy grows. One transcends the five sufferings and eight calamities, passes beyond the constraints of the Five Phases, removes the roots of the eight consciousnesses—the eight forms of mind-consciousness described in Buddhism—and leaves the offices of the ghosts forever, closing the gates to the Yin realm. The hun and po souls are delivered to Zhu Ling, the Daoist realm of deliverance in the south, while Yang energy gathers in the Li Palace, an inner cultivation site associated with Fire.

The scriptures of Heaven are kept secret and not passed on lightly. Those who study the Dao should cherish the scriptures when they encounter them and store them carefully. In cultivating the returning Elixir, they should work in secret and practice with care; this is what it means to guard the secret. These methods of the Dao are revered by all the heavens. When both the Elixir Way and the methods of the scriptures are brought to completion, they are held in even greater reverence by the heavens.

What does it mean to betray the secret through heedlessness? Acting rashly and as one pleases, hearing the methods of the Dao without putting them into practice, or practicing them without keeping them secret—all bring the misfortune of betraying the secret through heedlessness. One may fall into hell, and even bring calamity upon one’s ancestors. The saying “the original Qi is utterly lost” is no idle claim in the Elixir scriptures or empty talk from the Most High. Rather than blaming the scriptures, one should turn back and examine one’s own misconduct and the fault of revealing the methods of the Dao.

The verse says: Why mix songs of reproach into the Cavern verses? Only because there are hells and heavens. Know that hell is created by the mind alone, and strive to walk the path to heaven while still in this world.

The scripture says: These two chapters were secretly transmitted by the gods and spirits of the heavens and by the demon kings. They belong to the “speech of the Great Brahma,” the sacred language of the highest heaven, and are not words used in everyday life. Their wording does not aim for rhyme or ornament, nor do their melodies seek elaborate elegance. For this reason, they seem profound and mysterious, difficult to investigate and understand.

Heaven regards this scripture as a treasure, kept hidden within the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Mysterious Capital, a celestial palace in Daoist belief. According to the Mysterious Precepts, it is transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas. If a person who has attained the Dao brings golden treasures and, with utmost sincerity, follows the established rites to make solemn vows before the heavens in the ten directions, the scripture may then be transmitted to them.

Shangyangzi says: This scripture is placed at the head of all scriptures because its beginning and end respond to one another and form a continuous whole. For example, the upper scroll was recorded by the Celestial Perfected Sovereign, who wrote down the words of the Dao Lord of Jade Dawn as he expounded the teachings of the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning; only afterward was it transmitted.

Shangyangzi says: This scripture holds first place among the scriptures because its opening and ending echo one another, and its beginning and end are interwoven. The upper scroll records how the Celestial Perfected Sovereign (Tianzhen Huangren), a legendary immortal official of the heavenly realm, wrote down the teachings of the Jade Dawn Dao Lord (Yuchen Daojun), a revered Daoist deity. His account, in turn, conveys the teachings of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun). Even in later ages, those who recite and study this scripture seem to witness those events with their own eyes. This is what makes it so wondrous.

This chapter and the “Jade Register” chapter belong to the orthodox scripture. The “Song of the Demon Kings of the Three Realms,” which follows them, does not. Since it mainly describes demon kings testing the cultivation of those who study the Dao, it is appended to the end of the “Origin Cavern” section and called the “Cavern Chapter with Intercalated Sounds.” From this point onward, the Celestial Perfected Sovereign again conveys the words of the Jade Dawn Dao Lord. These two chapters are the “Red Script of the Primal Cavern” and the “Jade Register of the Primal Cavern.” The “Red Script of the Primal Cavern” discusses the precelestial origin and the Mysterious One Returning Elixir, a Neidan term for a method of refining and cultivating precelestial essence and Qi. The “Jade Register of the Primal Cavern” discusses postcelestial Wuwei (non-action) and the Dao of utmost truth.

The teachings in these two chapters concern the sovereigns of the heavens and also encompass the principles of Yin-Yang. The numinous demon kings act entirely through wondrous powers. The hidden sounds, the Mysterious Pass and its single aperture—a key point in Neidan cultivation where body, mind, essence, and Qi converge—and the words of the Great Brahma are not ordinary speech. In the scripture, they are the secret language of the heavenly emperors and demon kings; in alchemical methods, they correspond to Neidan terms such as the Mysterious Female, the Knife and Measure, lead and silver, and cinnabar and mercury. They cannot be understood according to their ordinary meanings.

Foolish people in the world speak of the Dao without knowing what it is or understanding its function. These words have no ornate rhythms or embellishments: true words are often plain, and a melody does not win through ornament; ornate language may instead conceal emptiness. The meaning of the scripture is therefore profound. Even clever men such as Yan Hui and Min Ziqian could hardly fathom it or investigate it fully; without a teacher to transmit the teachings, even the Yellow Emperor and Laozi would find it difficult to grasp. This is a scripture treasured by Heaven, secretly transmitted only in the celestial palaces and not intended for ordinary use in the human world. It is transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas, an immeasurably long span of time, and no mortal can decide to whom it will be given.

This scripture is transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas and must not be passed on to an unsuitable person. A “Perfected One” is a sage who has reached the highest state. One should offer a sincere heart and precious objects as tokens, using material wealth to seek the Dao’s teachings.

Gold, silver, and jewels are what people in the world prize. Fools treat gold and silver as their very lives; those who strive to win treat fame and rank as their lives; those who uphold righteousness and integrity treat their reputation and honor as their lives. The Perfected One, however, treats the Dao and De as life itself. Thus, when Perfected Ones refine the “Divine Elixir of Nine Returns in Golden Liquid”—a Daoist Neidan method of cultivation—they make use of gold, silver, and jewels as the means to seek the teachings. When someone has the teachings but lacks the resources, it is often difficult to accomplish the work; when someone has resources but lacks the teachings, they are no different from a fool. For a scripture to be transmitted, both the method and the means must be present, and the recipient must take an oath according to the prescribed covenant. Only then may it be passed on. If one acts recklessly and forces the matter, it will be difficult to bring it to completion. This is the matter viewed from the standpoint of cultivating the Dao’s methods.

Viewed only in worldly terms, one might search through all forty thousand kalpas without finding anyone who would offer gold, silver, and jewels merely to obtain a single scroll of scripture. Why? How could such people know that this scripture contains the Way of long life and enduring vision—the methods of cultivation for living long and extending one’s years? From the standpoint of cultivating the Dao’s methods, however, such a person may indeed appear. Those with deep innate capacities and karmic ties to the Dao’s methods from past lives may already have gained some understanding from alchemical scriptures, yet still not have grasped their profound central teaching. When they suddenly hear the wondrous principles of this scripture, they will bring gold, silver, and jewels, and accept its teachings without doubt.

The method of “Nine Returns and Seven Reversals,” a Daoist alchemical term for the transformations involved in refining the elixir, requires the outer medicine to be combined with the inner medicine. Without offering gold, silver, and jewels as a token, how could one obtain the profound meaning of this scripture? And how could one subdue the tiger and tame the dragon—the inner forces of Yin-Yang, desire, and the like—and attain the precelestial Qi that arises from the void?

Fools in the world today, as soon as they hear that one must prepare resources to seek the teachings, will surely laugh. They think cultivation means becoming utterly poor and possessing nothing, then sitting inertly until they fall into emptiness and disorder. They can grow old in this way without realizing that they could prepare gold, silver, and jewels to seek the wondrous scripture. This is the principle of using both the teachings and the means.

The Perfected One Xiyi’s “Poem on Entering the Chamber” says: “What is so special about entering the inner chamber to cultivate? Golden flowers bloom day after day; wondrous sprouts emerge from the earth, and fragrant medicines descend from Heaven.” The poem also says: “If you wish to seek the treasures of Heaven, you should make use of the wealth of the world.”

The Perfected One Xiyi of the Penglai Jade Grotto says in “Poem on Entering the Chamber”: “What is so special about entering the chamber to cultivate? Golden flowers bloom each day; wondrous seeds spring from the earth, and fragrant immortal medicines descend from the heavens.” He also says: “To seek the treasures of heaven, one must make use of worldly wealth. Only by refining them in the Penglai Jade Grotto can the Nine-Turn Reverted Elixir be brewed.”

The Perfected One Wang Ding says: “When ordinary people seek things from heaven, they must use worldly wealth in their search.” What are called the “treasures within heaven” and “matters of heaven” refer to the means of cultivation secretly employed by the immortals, not the methods of divination and extraction described by heterodox schools.

After receiving his master’s instruction, Vatsamiga asked, “How should I repay you?” His master replied, “If you can gather five hundred karshapanas, that will be enough to show your sincerity.” So Migā searched far and wide. Once he had gathered the sum, he offered this verse, expressing Buddhist or Daoist teachings in poetic lines: “Wealth and treasures are abundant; all spring endeavors are complete. Surely I shall attain Bodhi, awakening, and abide forever in the true Dharma.”

Vatsamiga left these five hundred karshapanas and this verse for the teacher of gods and humans as guidance for those who would later seek the Dao and attain Buddhahood. This was not the conduct of heterodox outsiders or evil demons. Reflect carefully on these words and you will understand: this scripture must be received with gold, precious stones, and sincere devotion before its subtle wonders can be understood.

The hymn says: “If you give no thought to profit, how can gold and silver treasures save anyone? I am the one who personally received this teaching on Mount Qingcheng; to refine the Reverted Elixir, all that is needed is the union of Dragon and Tiger.”

This concludes volume two of the Commentary on the Supreme Scripture of Primordial Beginning on Deliverance without Limit.

The Lower Volume of the Explanatory Commentary on the Supreme Scripture of Primordial Beginning on Deliverance without Limit from the Cavern of the Most High, Mysterious and Numinous Treasure

Commentary by Chen Guanwu, Master Shangyang.

The scripture says: The workings of Heaven and Earth can come to a halt or fall out of harmony, and the Sun, Moon, and Five Planets—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—can wane or wax. Even the most perfected divine beings may meet with periods of rest or hardship, while those newly beginning the Way may fall ill or be injured. When such calamities occur, fellow cultivators should fast together, offer incense and bow in worship at six intervals throughout the day, and recite the scripture ten times. In this way, blessings and De will descend and dispel all manner of misfortune. This boundless scripture can save all beings everywhere.

Shangyangzi explains: In the workings of the Dao, Heaven and Earth undergo cycles of change, while the human body receives the balanced Qi of Heaven and Earth. The head resembles Heaven and the feet resemble Earth, so the human body is called a small cosmos. The transformations of Heaven and Earth give rise to human beings and all things; the transformations within the human body can bring about Buddhahood and immortality. The Lingbao Bifa says that the Dao gives birth to all things. Of all things, Heaven and Earth are the greatest, and human beings are the most spiritually perceptive. Following this principle, we can see that people correspond to Heaven and Earth: the heart corresponds to Heaven, the kidneys to Earth, the liver belongs to Yang, and the lungs to Yin. The upper and lower correspond to one another. By looking up and observing, then looking down and examining, we can investigate their mysteries; by tracing the beginnings and endings of things and the measures of their movements, we can understand their principles.

The Yi says, “Heaven is exalted and Earth is low; thus Qian and Kun”—the Yin and Yang aspects symbolizing Heaven and Earth—“are established.” The Laozi says that there is something formed in undifferentiated wholeness, existing before Heaven and Earth. Not knowing what to call it, I can only provisionally name it “Dao.” Master Zhang says that when sweet dew descends, Heaven and Earth unite; when the yellow sprouts forth, Kan and Li—the symbols of Water and Fire, and of Yin and Yang—interact. First, Qian and Kun are made into the vessel; then the medicines of the Crow and Hare, which symbolize the Sun and Moon and often refer to the Yin and Yang Qi used in alchemical refinement, are gathered and refined. Thus, in refining the Golden Elixir, Heaven and Earth serve as the vessel.

In ordinary usage, Heaven and Earth undergo cycles of change. The ancients called the greatest thing Heaven. The scripture says that within Heaven and Earth are four great things: the Dao, Heaven, Earth, and the sovereign. The Treatise on the Hun-Tian Model compares Heaven to an egg and Earth to its yolk, holding that the land lies within the celestial sphere. The northern and southern ends of Heaven are like an axle, and the celestial sphere completes one rotation each day and night, turning around the poles without shifting from its position. Heaven is likened to an egg because the ancients believed its shape was similar to one. This is simply a way of explaining that Earth lies within Heaven, which surrounds it.

Yuan Duzhi says: Heaven is like an embroidered ball, with a hemisphere of water inside it. A wooden board floats on the water, representing the Earth. Various things rest on the board, representing the different people and myriad beings in the world. The ball is within Heaven, and Heaven surrounds the Earth.

Yuan Duzhi also says: The ball turns continuously, yet the things on the board do not notice. Heaven, too, revolves day and night. The Earth lies within the celestial sphere, while people and the myriad beings live on its surface, at rest. The ball and floating board make an analogy that comes very close to the true situation.

The “Huntian theory” holds that the Earth lies within the celestial sphere. The sphere itself cannot be seen. Observing that the stars appear and disappear as they move from east to west, that their paths are bounded by the north and south poles, and that they follow fixed courses without ever stopping, people inferred that the place to which the stars are attached is the celestial sphere.

The Gexiang says: The celestial sphere is round like a pellet, and its center is the point toward which the four directions and the upper and lower realms of Heaven and Earth—the Six Directions—converge. The sphere is symmetrical above, below, and all around; this is called the “center of Heaven.” From this point, a straight line rises to the zenith. In ancient times, people measured the sun’s shadow at Yangcheng and believed that the zenith directly overhead there was the central point of Heaven. Looking up at the North Star, they calculated the arc over which it appears above the horizon and disappears below it: thirty-six degrees in all. This is the center of Heaven, not the center of the Earth.

To discuss the center of the Earth’s four directions, one should make an estimate based on the distances to the Four Seas. The Yellow River rises in the Kunlun Mountains, the highest place on Earth. The people of Xifan call them Mount Menmuli. Water from the mountain flows in all four directions. The mountains lie less than twenty thousand li from the Eastern Sea, but more than thirty thousand li from the Western Sea. Yangcheng is nearer to the Eastern Sea and farther from the Kunlun Mountains. Most of the land in the world lies toward the west, yet the Kunlun Mountains are still situated to its east. From this, we can see that the center of the Earth should lie west of the Kunlun Mountains.

The “Huntian” theory compares Heaven to an egg and takes the yolk to be the Earth. This implies that there is less of Heaven above the Earth and more beneath it. The Gexiang, by contrast, says that there is more of Heaven above the Earth and less beneath it. This view also makes sense.

The Book of Jade says that the distance between Heaven above and Earth below is eighty-four thousand li, and that the Qi of Heaven and Earth cannot communicate with one another. Heaven draws Yin Qi along with Yang Qi back into the Earth, while Yang Qi carries Yin Qi upward. Earth draws Yang Qi along with Yin Qi back into Heaven, while Yin Qi envelops Yang Qi as it descends. Yin and Yang rise and fall in this way, moving within the Great Dao.

The Three-Five Record of the Ages says that when Heaven and Earth were first formed, clear Yang Qi became Heaven and turbid Yin Qi became Earth. Pangu was born between Heaven and Earth. His divine De corresponded to Heaven, and his sage-like De corresponded to Earth. Heaven reached the greatest height, Earth the greatest depth, and Pangu’s body grew immensely tall. Later, the Three Sovereigns appeared. Their number began with one, was established as three, completed as five, flourished as seven, and ended at nine. Thus Heaven and Earth were ninety thousand li apart.

The two accounts are broadly similar. From them we can infer that the distance from the Earth’s surface to Heaven is ninety thousand li, and that the distance below ground is also ninety thousand li. The full height of Heaven and Earth together is therefore one hundred and eighty thousand li. The ancients reckoned three hundred and sixty paces to a li. The several million li mentioned earlier in the scripture, in its account of the transformation that gave rise to the various heavens, do not refer to actual distances. Those of superior spiritual capacity, whose innate qualities are high and whose aptitude for cultivation is deep, can become equal to the sages and worthies by cutting off their desires and pleasures. They are far removed from people in the lower realms.

The Earth’s surface is also vast. From the western shore of the Eastern Sea to the eastern shore of the Western Sea is more than fifty thousand li. The sea is thirty thousand li wide, with another twenty thousand li beyond its waters. The total distance from the far east to the far west is thus one hundred and fifty thousand li. Its diameter is close to the height of Heaven and Earth, which is one hundred and eighty thousand li. This is the shape of Heaven described in the ancient “celestial sphere theory”: Heaven is like an egg.

The celestial bodies move in a leftward rotation, completing a circuit of three hundred and sixty-five and one-quarter degrees each day and night. They circle endlessly, beginning again when each circuit is complete. Zu Chongzhi of the Liu Song period was skilled at observing the heavens. He found that the North Star scarcely moved, deviating just over one degree from its fixed position. Calendar scholars used this to measure the position of the North Pole and calculate the degrees of the celestial bodies and the length of a full circuit of Heaven.

In the sixteenth year of the Zhiyuan era, Guo Shoujing submitted a memorial saying: “During the Kaiyuan era of the Tang, Yixing once ordered Nangong Yue to travel to various regions and measure the shadows cast by the sun. The empire is now far larger than it was in the Tang. If we do not measure solar and lunar eclipses in distant regions, the fraction of each eclipse and the time it occurs will differ from place to place, as will the lengths of day and night. The apparent distances between the sun, moon, and stars and the sky will also differ. At present, few people are available to take part in the measurements. We can begin by setting up gnomons along a north–south line to measure shadows and calculate the distances between the sites.

“Using these measurements, each degree of the sky is about 1,390 li. The moon travels about 670 li per degree; over a full circuit of 365 degrees, it covers about 240,000 li in all. From this we can infer that the moon is relatively close to us, the heavens are farthest away, and the sun lies between them. For this reason, calendar calculations take the sun as their reference. The sun’s path is marked by the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the ancient divisions of the celestial sphere.

“During the time of Tang Yao and Yu Shun, at the winter solstice the sun traveled through the Xu mansion. How do we know this? The ‘Canon of Yao’ records: ‘The days are shortest; the star Mao is seen, thereby fixing midwinter.’ This means that when the day is shortest, the Mao star appears in the south, marking midwinter. On the winter solstice, the sun sets around the end of the shen double-hour, when daylight is shortest, while the Mao star appears in the southern meridian around the beginning of the you double-hour. At this time, the sun is in the you direction, and the Xu mansion belongs to the zi position on the celestial disk. Align the zi position on the celestial disk with the you position on the terrestrial disk: when zi is placed over you, you corresponds to the wu position on the terrestrial disk. The Mao mansion belongs to the you position on the celestial disk, so it appears at the terrestrial wu position at the winter solstice. From this we infer that at the winter solstice the sun travels through the Xu mansion; at the summer solstice, through the Xing mansion; at the spring equinox, through the Mao mansion; and at the autumn equinox, through the Fang mansion.

“The ancients determined the sun’s position among the mansions solely by observing which stars appeared due south at midnight. Rong Cheng used this method to devise a calendar, and Che Qu used it to observe the stars. When the Han established the Taichu Calendar, it recorded that at midwinter the sun was in the chou position, traveling through the Qinniu mansion. Between the time of Yao and the Han, the sun’s position had shifted by one palace. In the Jin, Yu Xi held that it shifted by one degree every fifty years; He Chengtian held that it shifted by one degree every hundred years. Liu Zhuo proposed one degree every seventy-five years, while Yixing of the Tang proposed one degree every eighty-three years.”

The Dayan Calendar records that when the Sun was in the Dipper Mansion, at the position of Chou, it moved into the Ox Mansion. Between the time of the ancient Emperor Yao and the Han dynasty, the Sun’s position shifted by one palace. Yu Xi of the Jin dynasty held that it shifted by one degree every fifty years; He Chengtian proposed one degree every hundred years; Liu Zhuo adopted a rate of one degree every seventy-five years; and Yixing of the Tang dynasty gave a rate of one degree every eighty-three years. The Dayan Calendar also places the Sun at thirteen degrees in the Dipper Mansion. The Song dynasty adopted Liu Zhuo’s rate of one degree every seventy-five years.

At the winter solstice in the fourteenth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan dynasty (the Dingchou year), the Sun had moved to ten degrees in the Winnowing Basket Mansion; in the third year of Zhiyuan (also the Dingchou year), it had moved to eight degrees in that mansion. From this, one can calculate that in the time of Emperor Yao the Sun was at the position of Zi, in the Han dynasty at Chou, and between the Jin and Song dynasties at Yin. Over roughly 3,700 years from Emperor Yao to that time, the Sun had shifted by three palaces. By this calculation, more than 9,000 years after Emperor Yao, the Sun would move to the position of Wu; after more than 18,000 years, it would return to Zi. Similar changes must also have taken place before Emperor Yao.

For this reason, Li Chunfeng judged that the cycles and divisions used in ancient calendars—such as the zhang, bu, and epoch—were inconsistent, and began devising a unified method of calculation. Yixing used the pattern in which the new moon sometimes falls in a long month and sometimes in a short month to determine why solar and lunar eclipses occur differently in different regions. Xu Mao noted three kinds of error in calculating solar eclipses, involving the solar terms, the time of day, and other factors. Yao Shunfu found discrepancies in calculating the moment of greatest eclipse—the point at which the Sun is most obscured—and corrected the relevant calculations. He held that the difference between the tropical year and the sidereal year was smaller in ancient times and greater in later periods. Observations from the Tang and Song dynasties onward confirm this view.

The ancients distributed the more than 360 extra divisions of time in a year evenly among the solar terms and pentads, using them as a basis for calculating the months. But since each month was counted from the new moon, the first day of the lunar month, it actually contained only about 356 divisions of time, leaving a difference of more than three ke. A solar term, meanwhile, lasted more than fifteen days. Thus, when a month was longer than the average, it was called “excess of solar terms”; when it was shorter than the average, it was called “deficiency of the new moon.” The excess and deficiency discussed here also concern the movements of the Moon and the Five Planets—Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn—and do not refer only to the dimming of the Sun or Moon, or to the obscuration during solar and lunar eclipses.

The movements of the Five Planets also vary with their distance from the Sun, producing phases of slowing, stopping, disappearing from view, or moving in retrograde. They move faster when near the Sun and more slowly when farther away.

The planets vary in speed and direction, moving both forward and backward. At first they move very slowly, then remain in place for a long time before beginning to move backward. Their backward motion starts slowly, gradually speeds up, and then slows again after reaching its fastest point. Once the backward motion stops, the planet remains in place for a time before resuming its forward motion. When Jupiter reaches its fastest forward speed, it appears in the same position as the Sun.

At its fastest, Jupiter travels one degree in four days, then begins moving backward. This motion starts slowly, speeds up, reaches its fastest point, then slows down until the planet stops and remains in place before resuming its forward motion. At its fastest, Mars travels five degrees in seven days; Saturn travels one degree in seven days. All three move more slowly than the Sun. After they align with the Sun and disappear from view, the Sun moves ahead of them. When Jupiter is about thirteen degrees from the Sun, Mars about nineteen degrees, and Saturn about eighteen and a half degrees, they reappear in the morning.

In general, a planet remains in place when it is close to the Sun and moves backward when it is farther away. When it reaches the point in the celestial circuit opposite the Sun, it turns to backward motion. When Jupiter first remains in place, it is about 109 degrees from the Sun; when it begins moving backward, it is about 131 degrees away. Mars is about 134 degrees from the Sun both when it first remains in place and when it begins moving backward. Saturn is about 94 degrees away when it first remains in place and about 128 degrees away when it begins moving backward. At the fastest point of their backward motion, the planets are opposite the Sun. After backward motion stops, they remain in place for a time before resuming their forward motion.

At its fastest, Venus travels about five degrees in four days; Mercury travels two degrees in one day. Venus never moves more than forty degrees from the Sun, and Mercury never more than twenty-four degrees. The farther they are from the Sun, the more slowly they move; the closer they are, the faster they move. Venus and Jupiter appear relatively large, so they disappear from view and reappear closer to the Sun. Mercury, Mars, and Saturn appear relatively small, so they disappear and reappear farther from the Sun. These are the approximate constants governing the motions of the Five Planets.

Even the most sagely divine beings have times when they must rest and grow weary.

Shun once feared being trapped in a well and a granary; King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned at Youli; the Duke of Zhou lived in the east for two years; Confucius was once stranded between the states of Chen and Cai; the Lord Lao, in an incarnation journeying to the Western Regions to teach the Hu peoples, also encountered obstacles; and the Tathagata, the Buddhist honorific for a Buddha, once cut flesh from his own body to give to thieves. These accounts show that even the most holy and divine people face hardship and the ups and downs of fortune. Beginners, too, suffer illness and injury. To study the Dao without practicing in earnest is to learn only superficially. Without diligence, one cannot attain the Dao; without attaining it, illness and calamity may follow.

When such calamities arise, fellow practitioners should join together in purification, perform incense offerings six times a day according to the purification ritual, and recite the scripture ten times in succession. “Those of the same Qi” means people who share the same path and kind; only by acting with one mind can they accomplish this together. People in the world know how to read scriptures, but do not know how to circulate them: reading a scripture seeks blessings, while circulating it seeks the Elixir—the accomplishment of internal alchemy. When the scripture has been recited, blessings will come; when the Elixir Way is perfected, one’s De will also deepen. Thus it is said that blessings and De arrive at once. This scripture often speaks of “boundlessness,” meaning the universal salvation of infinitely many beings; its central teaching, however, is the Elixir Way. From those with the deepest capacity for cultivation to the most dull-witted, all can enter the sacred realm if they are willing to believe, accept the teaching, and practice in accordance with it. Hence it is called “universal salvation without limit.”

The hymn says: All things that have form and number will eventually come to an end. Cultivate until there is no form, and one returns to the Great Void. If asked what the formless is like, it is to place the whole body within the Millet Pearl, a metaphor for the tiny, subtle inner Elixir.

The Dao says: Beginners whose practice is still shallow, or who have not yet attained the rank of an immortal, will pass through the Great Yin—a realm associated in Daoism with the underworld and the condition after death—if their allotted lifespan has ended and they are destined to pass away. At the time of death, accomplished fellow practitioners should offer incense on their behalf and recite the scripture ten times according to the ritual, thereby transforming the corpse. Their hun and shen can then rise directly to the Southern Palace, a celestial palace in Daoism, and the whole body will be placed within the Millet Pearl.

The scripture says: If someone takes up the cultivation of the Dao late in life, has made little progress, or has not yet attained an immortal rank, and their life reaches its end and death is near, fellow cultivators of virtue should burn incense and recite the scripture ten times for them, then follow the prescribed rites to deliver their remains. Their soul and spirit can then ascend directly to the Southern Palace, the dwelling place of divine beings in Daoist belief. There, the days are reckoned according to the merits of their Daoist cultivation, and they are granted rebirth. They will not be extinguished in the cycle of rebirth and will ultimately become an immortal.

Shangyangzi explains: This passage refers to people of lesser ability who hear the Dao only late in life. They have cultivated for a short time and made little progress, without diligent effort. By the time they grow old, their Jing and Qi have already weakened, and only then do they realize their life is nearing its end; it is too late for them to cultivate at a measured pace. They therefore adopt the methods known as “seizing a body” or “entering a womb.” These are two distinct practices. Although they belong to heterodox schools, those who master them can also have their remains delivered, enabling their true…