《太极真人敷灵宝斋戒威仪诸经要诀》

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) said: The methods of cultivating the Dao (the Way), attaining immortality, and ascending in broad daylight all take fasting and purification as the foundation for establishing De (Virtue/Power). The great method set forth in the Lingbao Jing (scripture) designates the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh months of each year as the six fasting months, and calls the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of each month the “ten fasting days of the month.” Keeping the fast over a long period and quietly contemplating the Dao is undertaken in order to attain the method of the Dao by which one rises aloft through the void. Thus even a holy worthy such as the Celestial Venerable Huanglao constantly practices the Unsurpassed Lingbao Fast and has never grown slack. How much less, then, can Daoist priests and those who study immortality fail to aspire to it?

Since ancient times, one of the important methods of the way of cultivating immortality has been to honor the Taishang (the honorific title in Daoism for the supreme deity) and, in accordance with the teachings, to set forth clearly the rites, rules, and oral formulas of fasting and purification. The principles of this scripture are profound and subtle; you must quiet your mind and listen carefully.

The Perfected of Taiji said: After entering the fasting hall, face east and pray before the incense burner:

“Most High Lingbao Lord Lao, please summon the perfected officials, the merit-officer envoys (divine clerks charged with transmitting documents and communicating with the spirit realm), the dragon-and-tiger direct-talisman officers of the left and right (divine clerks who protect the rite and convey talismanic commands), and the incense-bearing envoys, to present a memorial on my behalf to the Mysterious Origin Great Dao of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens: we are now entering stillness and burning incense, paying court to the assembled perfected. May the orthodox Qi (vital energy) of the Most High in the ten directions enter our bodies, so that the matters we report may be conveyed upward in good time and presented directly before the Jade Emperor of True Unity.”

Then kneel upright and strike the “heavenly drum” (the practice of lightly tapping behind the ears with the fingers, using the sound to still the mind) twenty-four times.

We respectfully request that there be summoned forth from within our bodies the True Official Merit Officers of the Five Bodily Parts (the divine officers who govern the five parts of the body), the Merit Officers of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens who uphold the law and open and transform Yin-Yang, and the lord-officers who convey the Dao (the Way), dispel calamity, scatter misfortune, and release from distress—twelve of each. We further summon from within our bodies, twelve of each, the True Official Merit Officers of the Five Bodily Parts belonging to the lord-officers of the diocesan offices, to the Great Generals within the dioceses who establish standards and supervise merit, and to the vanguard that renders merit and the rearguard that carries out execution, together with the Merit Officers of the Unsurpassed Three Heavens who uphold the law and open and transform Yin-Yang and the lord-officers who convey the Dao, dispel calamity, scatter misfortune, and release from distress. We further summon the Directors and Assistants of the relay courts belonging to the lord-officers of the diocesan offices, to the Great Generals within the dioceses who establish standards and supervise merit, and to the vanguard that renders merit and the rearguard that carries out execution, as well as the Visitors of the four divisions who supervise merit.

We further request that the transcendent numina, the Direct Envoys, the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Merit Officers, the Merit Officers who treat illness, the Envoys of the Left and Right Offices, the divine officers who decide Yin and Yang, the officers of the liturgical chariots and crimson talismans, the mounted relay officers of the Hard Wind, the officers who ride relay horses to present memorials, the Flying Dragon mounted officers, and their like come forth from within our bodies, two of each.

All the divine officers who come forth must set their dress in solemn order, wearing attire that is bright and dignified, with caps properly arranged and sashes hanging in tassels, and with demeanor upright and correct. The Direct Envoy Merit Officers wear the Crown That Penetrates Heaven and black silk unlined robes; the Zhengyi Merit Officers wear the Vermilion Yang headcloth and deep crimson robes of official rank; the Envoys wear the Crown of Nine Virtues and five-colored unlined robes of longevity, with tiger tallies at their waists and jade tablets in their hands.

The Direct Envoy Merit Officers take their stands separately in the four quarters; the Zhengyi Merit Officers stand at the center; and the Merit Officers who treat illness guard us. The Envoy of the Left Office goes in front bearing a staff of authority, and the Envoy of the Right Office follows behind bearing a banner. The Yang divine officers of decision stand on the left, and the Yin divine officers of decision stand on the right. The Merit Officers of the upper division gaze afar into the celestial realms; the Merit Officers of the middle division survey the eight directions from afar; and the Merit Officers who hasten Qi (vital energy) urge the envoys of the metropolitan offices of the ten directions to surround us.

The gentleman-officers, the tiger braves, the Metropolitan Commandants of the hook-riders who investigate treachery, the armored troops of the celestial grooms, and the stalwart strongmen of Heaven, together with the officers who seize Qi and consume Qi, the officers who seize Shen (spirit) and consume Shen, the officers who seize ghosts and consume ghosts, the officers who seize deviance and consume deviance, the officers who seize Jing (essence) and consume Jing, the officers who seize poison and consume poison, the officers who execute by talisman and destroy temples, the officers of the liturgical chariots and crimson talismans, the mounted relay officers of the Hard Wind, the officers who ride relay horses to present memorials, and the Flying Dragon mounted officers, all take their posts before and behind us and to our left and right.

When the Merit Officer Envoys have finished arraying themselves, they form ranks in the order of the ritual insignia, announce themselves to the official retinue of Lingbao, and request that the lords, generals, and officers under the Transcendent Supervisor of the Retreat be brought forward. The twenty-four dioceses established by the Celestial Master (Tianshi), the thirty-six quiet lodges, the seventy-two blessed lands, the three hundred and sixty-five famous mountains, and the thirty-six thousand divinities of the upper palaces at Mount Kunlun and elsewhere; the sun, moon, and stars; the Rotating Mechanism and Jade Transverse (the ancient instrument for observing the heavens); the Five Emperors of Heaven and Earth; and the lords, generals, and officers of the official retinues of the Three Realms—all must come forth.

There are, moreover, within the Dao, the Two Mysteries, the Three Primes, and the Four Beginnings; the wind-qi and the infused Qi of the four directions; the various official lords and officers of the jiazi, the sexagenary cycle, the Lords of Investigation and Summons, and the Eastern Balance; together with the Venerable Lord of the Hu among the Nine Yi of the east, the Venerable Lord of the Yue among the Eight Man of the south, the Venerable Lord of the Di among the Six Rong of the west, the Venerable Lord of the Qiang among the Five Di of the north, and the Venerable Lord of the Cang among the Three Qin of the center. The divine lords of the Five Marchmounts, the Four Waterways, and the hills, mounds, pools, and marshes; the deities of the temples in every place; the mountains and rivers, streams and valleys, mountain forests, and the Twelve Stream Maidens; the divinities who govern the root and origin of the land; and the generals and officers of the altars of soil and grain—all must at once array themselves and come forth.

Together with the Merit Officer Envoys and Flying Dragon mounted officers from within our bodies, they jointly submit a memorial, reporting to the Most High Limitless Great Dao, the Most High Lord of the Great Dao, the Most High Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, the Unsurpassed Mysterious Elder, the Limitless Great Dao of the Ten Directions, the Celestial Worthies, the many sages of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power), the Great Thearch of Utmost Perfection, the Heavenly Thearch, the Lord Celestial Master, the Great Ritual Master of Lingbao who supervises the Retreat, and all the official lords.

We were born under the protection of the Unsurpassed Mysterious Elder, the Limitless Great Dao of the Ten Directions, the Celestial Worthies, the many sages of the Dao and of De, the Great Thearch of Utmost Perfection, the Heavenly Thearch, the Lord Celestial Master, the Great Ritual Master of Lingbao who supervises the Retreat, and all the official lords. Yet we have grown up in the demonic realm of the mundane world, sunk in an age of decline and final decay, greedy for glory, luxury, and pleasure. By the karmic affinity of our destined lot we have suddenly received awakening and deliverance, and have come to revere and practice the Great Dao. It is not that we are unwilling to cultivate the Way of utmost perfection and ascent to transcendence; it is only that the sinful karma of the past is deep and heavy, binding and entangling us, so that we have not yet been set free.

Now we lead one another in jointly cultivating and revering the Unsurpassed Retreat of Lingbao, respectfully requesting the burning of incense and the recitation of the scriptures (Jing), that what we wish may be obtained. We ask the Merit Officer Envoys and the Flying Dragon mounted officers to make their reports separately and to convey the matter upward at the proper time. When the reports are finished, each is to return into our bodies and go back to the palace chamber where each resides. When they are summoned again hereafter, they shall come once more according to the former precedent. The celestial drum is then sounded three times, and the rite comes to an end.

The Immortal Lord said: This is the opening invocation with which the purification ritual begins. On that day incense is burned in six periods from morning until evening; one need only face the incense burner, offer a prayer, and then bow and prostrate.

When praying toward the incense burner, one says:

Envoys of the Incense Office, Lords of Dragon and Tiger on the left and right (the divine generals who guard the incense fire), and Envoys who present the incense, we ask that within the purification hall and the chamber of stillness there spontaneously arise golden liquor, cinnabar and azure, and the immortal herb lingzhi, so that the many spirits assemble before this incense burner, that we may attain the Dao (the Way) and become immortals, that the whole household may receive blessing, and that grace may extend throughout the world. We ask the immortal youths and jade maidens of the ten directions to attend the incense smoke, convey the words we speak, and present them directly before the Most High Jade Emperor of the Golden Palace (the palace of the Jade Emperor).

Then, in a given period, those observing the purification kneel at length, and the sponsor of the rite declares his identity: “Libationer of such-and-such parish, Master so-and-so; your servant, so-and-so, and the others burn incense today.” He then takes up the incense, burns it, and prays. Each time, three sticks of incense are burned in all, and the vow is made three times.

At the first burning of incense, the vow is:

We burn incense and entrust body, Shen (spirit), and nature and life entirely to the Great Dao. With head and body we knock the ground and take refuge in the Three Venerables of the Most High. We wish to transfer this merit to our parents of seven generations, asking that they be freed from the ten sufferings and eight adversities, ascend to the heavenly halls, have clothing and food spontaneously in abundance, and ever dwell in the realm of Wuwei (non-action). Today we specially burn incense and take refuge in the supreme true De (Virtue/Power) of our revered master and the host of great sages. After attaining the Dao, we ascend to the formless realm and unite in truth with the Dao.

The “Three Venerables” are the Venerable of the Dao, the Venerable of the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Venerable of the Perfected; the Venerable of the Three-in-One pervades a person’s body and mind.

At the second burning of incense, the vow is:

We burn incense and entrust body and Shen to the Great Dao, uniting in truth with the Dao.

The “Three Venerables” are the Venerable of the Dao, the Venerable of the Jing, and the Venerable of the Perfected; the Venerable of the Three-in-One pervades a person’s body and mind.

At this point the original text begins to repeat “The vow at the second burning of incense says,” and does not give the prayer that follows.

We burn incense and, with body, Shen (spirit), and life, take refuge in the Great Dao (the Way). We bow down and knock our heads in prostration, entrusting our lives to the Three Supreme Venerables (Taishang Sanzun), the three deities revered in Daoism. We wish to dedicate this merit to emperors, rulers of states, and their subjects, and also to the masters who transmit the methods of the Dao, to our parents, to our fellow disciples, and to all worthy Daoists, praying that they may be freed from the ten sufferings and eight difficulties—all manner of hardship—that each may retain a share of blessing and the fortune of long life, and that in the end they may enter the realm of Wuwei (non-action). The incense now burned is offered in order to take refuge in the revered masters, the host of great sages, and the De (Virtue/Power) of Utmost Truth. Once the Dao has been attained, one ascends to the formless realm and becomes one with the Dao.

At the third burning of incense, the dedication is as follows.

We burn incense and, with body, Shen, and life, take refuge in the Great Dao. We bow down and knock our heads in prostration, entrusting our lives to the Three Supreme Venerables, and wish to dedicate this merit to ourselves, so that we may become immortals and be delivered from the world, ascend into the realm of Wuwei, and unite in De with the “Four Greats”—usually understood as earth, water, fire, and wind, which constitute the human body and all things. We bow down and knock our heads in prostration, entrusting our lives to the Three Supreme Venerables, and wish to dedicate this merit to all the people under heaven, to birds, insects, and ants, and to every living being, so that they may be freed from the ten sufferings and eight difficulties, and from such calamities as the five poisons, flood and fire, thieves and bandits, plague, and harm from ghosts and baleful spirits, and so that each may retain blessing and fortune and dwell at peace in the realm of Wuwei. The incense now burned is offered in order to take refuge in the revered masters, the host of great sages, and the De of Utmost Truth. Once the Dao has been attained, one ascends to the formless realm and becomes one with the Dao.

At this burning of incense, those present offer incense in turn. A person of high moral virtue is chosen to serve as the zhai host (zhaizhu), also called the ritual master (fashi). The words of dedication need not be spoken by everyone.

When the dedications offered with the incense are finished, the ritual master declares the incense rite at an end. The assembly of the rite together faces east and pays homage, each speaking as follows.

We now entrust our lives to the Limitless Supreme Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure of the East, praying that the matters we seek may be fulfilled as our hearts desire, and that the things we seek may be obtained.

They then face in turn south, west, north, east, southeast, southwest, northwest, above, and below. This is called offering prayers toward the ten directions. Homage and dedication in each direction follow the same form as before; one bows three times toward each direction, or one may bow only once. When the homage is complete, they face due west, bow again, and say:

We now entrust our lives to the host of great sages of the West who have already attained the Dao, to the various lords of Utmost Truth, and to the venerable elders, praying that they bestow upon us the matters we seek and bring them to fulfillment.

Then face north and recite according to the method already set out. Facing each direction, perform three bows; a single bow is also acceptable. When this is finished, face due west, bow once more, and say:

“We, your servants, now entrust our lives to the great assembly of sages of the West who have already attained the Dao (the Way), to the lords of supreme perfection, and to the elders. May they bestow upon us the blessings we seek and bring them to fulfillment.”

Then, in order, face north, east, and south and offer salutations. Facing the scriptures (Jing), pronounce the invocation three times as before, and the rite is complete. All of these observances are to be carried out around the incense burner, with one’s orientation set correctly according to each direction. This is the ritual method of worshipping the ten directions in the Lingbao Zhai, a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual), and it is among the subtle and profound contents of the Great Method of the Most High.

When the bows are performed, the pace should in every case be steady and unhurried, and the bearing dignified and orderly. Men and women must not mingle, so that ceremonial demeanor and ritual measure accord with the statutes of the celestial realm. In this way, ghosts and spirits will look on in reverence, flying immortals will offer praise, and the Three Realms will take this as their standard. Even immortals who cultivate this method of purification never cease from it—how much more, then, should ordinary people and the worthy?

When the worship is finished, those taking part in the purification rite proceed in turn toward the left, circling the incense burner three times. At this time one should also chant aloud the Buxu Nie Wu Pi Kongdong Zhang, the Buxu hymn chapters of the Daoist purification rite. The practice of circling the incense imitates the Spontaneous Terrace of the Seven Treasures, where the Most High Great Lord of the Dao dwells in the Unsurpassed Jade-Cavern Heaven of the Mysterious Root, the Daluo Heaven: the unsurpassed Perfected observe the purification and recite the scriptures, circling the Most High Terrace of the Seven Treasures as they perform the rites, and the ritual of the present day derives from this.

When disciples of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen)—disciples who cultivate the scriptural methods of the Daoist Three Caverns—practice the purification, they should all burn incense and sing hymns, thereby symbolizing the Perfected and the great assembly of sages circling the terrace of the Most High Lord of the Dao. Those who seek the unsurpassed, orthodox, and true Great Dao may also circle the Shangqing Lingbao scriptures upon the high seat and pay reverence to them. The reason for circling the incense burner is that many who study the Dao today are shallow in mind and nature and cannot receive the supreme scriptures; the purification rite is therefore used to guide them toward concentration, entrusting their intention to the smoke of the incense. When one practices the Dao with a heart of utmost sincerity, the wishes one seeks ascend with the incense smoke to the Most High. The eye of the Dao of the Most High ever sees clearly the good and evil of all people under Heaven, missing not the slightest thing—how, then, can one fail to proceed in trembling caution and careful self-restraint?

The Immortal Duke said: “One should constantly visualize the Most High Perfected upon the high seat, opening the scriptures and expounding the teaching.”

The Method of Revolving the Scriptures

Set up a small couch for turning and reciting the scriptures (jing) while facing east. According to the regulations of the Lingbao method, the couch is five chi high, and five chi in both width and length. Another method sets it at four chi and five cun in height, with width and length each of five chi.

If the quiet dwelling is too cramped and one can only arrange the setting in a suitable room, this is merely a temporary way of practicing the Dao (the Way) on the day of the purification fast. If one wishes to keep the fast over a long period, cultivate for a long time, and seek the immortal Dao, a separate fasting hall should be established and kept quiet, clean, solemn, and orderly. In the hall, place a scripture table and an incense burner, and then install a high seat.

Then, facing the high seat, one venerates the scripture with three bows in all, and afterward recites: “……”

We now devoutly take refuge in the Most High Limitless Great Dao (the Way)—the supreme and unsurpassed Dao—and in the Dao of Utmost Truth, together with the unsurpassed thirty-six divisions of honored Jing (scriptures) and precious talismans, and the Three Venerables of the Most High (the three venerable deities revered in Daoism). Burning incense and reciting and revolving the scriptures, we look up to the grace of salvation bestowed by the Most High, praying for the deliverance of our parents through seven generations, of emperors and the common people, and of all living beings, and likewise for the deliverance of ourselves and of the old and the young of our households.

May all be granted pardon for the grave sins and evil deeds committed in former lives and in this life within the cycle of birth and death: slaying one’s ruler or one’s father; failing in filial reverence toward one’s parents; betraying one’s teachers and elders; deceiving one’s friends; abandoning the orthodox Dao and giving oneself over to deviance and falsehood; becoming a bandit and attacking the families or states of others; killing living beings and taking pleasure in it; committing adultery with the wives of others and corrupting the moral order of the family; separating mothers from their children and seizing what others cherish; killing the worthy and Daoist priests; acting as a ruler yet conducting oneself without the Dao, or as a minister yet failing in loyalty, deceiving those above and oppressing the people below; cruelly abusing the common people solely to win glory and fame for oneself; kinsfolk harming one another; destroying pure and tranquil dwellings and numinous altars; stealing and burning books of scripture and defiling sacred scriptural texts; mocking and disparaging the teaching of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power) and regarding it as absurd and baseless; ridiculing those who do good and claiming that only oneself is right; envying the worthy and the capable and being unwilling that others should surpass oneself; failing to honor those who possess the Dao, to respect the elderly, or to show compassion to the sick; rebuking wind and rain, and reviling heaven and earth, the sun, moon, and stars, emperors, kings and rulers, masters, and Daoist priests; slighting the Four Greats that constitute the myriad things (the four basic elements spoken of in Daoism); reviling ghosts and spirits and saying that they are without knowledge; and speaking one way while thinking another, even deceiving one’s own conscience.

Great sins such as these are too numerous to be clearly reckoned. Accumulated through successive generations, their entanglements run deep and heavy and are hard to escape, and the grievances and enmities bound up among them cannot be laid to rest. We now pray that, by burning incense and performing the Dao, we may save ourselves, and that from this time forward we may correct our faults, repent our sins, reverently observe the prohibitions and precepts, and never offend again. One may also, according to one’s own wish, set them forth item by item and make confession. In confessing, all together touch their heads to the ground, with hearts sincere and joyful. In this way, those who take part can be released from every kind of suffering and from the Eight Difficulties (the eight kinds of hardship that obstruct cultivation of the Dao), and at last enter the sanctuary of Wuwei (non-action), the realm in which the Way of non-action is brought to completion.

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) said: When the Lingbao purification rite—a Daoist Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—is performed, ten lamps should be lit to symbolize illumination of the ten directions. Ten is the sign that number has reached completion. A person is born after ten months in the womb; performing the purification rite can likewise free a person from every kind of suffering and from the eight difficulties, and at last bring them into the sanctuary of Wuwei (non-action), the state of practice in which one realizes the Way of non-action.

The Perfected of Taiji said further: When the Lingbao purification rite is performed, ten lamps should be lit to symbolize the ten directions. Ten is the sign that number has reached completion, and a person is likewise born after ten months in the womb. Lamps should be lit on both sides of the gate, and seven lamps should be lit before the hall for the ancestors of seven generations; in the chamber of stillness—the dwelling where a Daoist cultivates in quiet—one lamp should burn constantly, with two further lamps lit on either side of the gate. If one only pastes talismans on the doorway and does not light the lamps, then when ghosts and spirits attack a person, will they not come in through the doorway?

Heaven regularly sends the envoys of the Six Ministries—divine officers charged with observing good and evil in the human world—to tour the realm and examine people’s good and evil. When ghosts and spirits see the talismans and lamps upon the gate, they know that this is the household of a good person and must not disturb it at will. In this way good and evil are distinguished, and after death a person receives the blessings that correspond. For the sun, the moon, and the stars, and for the patient’s year-cycle and natal allotment—the fortunes of the present year and the life-category corresponding to the year of birth—one lamp is lit for each.

During the fast, day and night are each divided into three periods for burning incense and repenting faults, while one listens with full attention to the subtle and profound principles of the scriptural teaching, the Jing (scripture). Reciting the scriptures and expounding the teaching is just as the Perfected of old instructed the people; the sages handed down the classics and their instruction in order to transform later generations, so that those who have never heard may hear, and those who do not yet understand may understand. It is hoped that by means of this bridge of the teaching all living beings may be universally saved.

When the ritual assembly is held, one must not speak at random or discuss worldly affairs; one should only consult the ritual master on the meaning of the scriptures and the precepts, and the ritual master should explain their essentials. If a person’s body and mind are settled and they reverently receive a single line of scripture, the Siming—the deity who governs human lifespan and allotted fate—will add ten years of life; if body and mind are restless and contentious and they revile a single line of scripture, the Siming will subtract ten years. Therefore the Perfected do not open their mouths lightly; when they do speak, they speak to the essential point, and their words enable people to cultivate according to the teaching. This is precisely the meaning of the saying, “People can propagate the great Dao (the Way); it is not that the great Dao depends on people to propagate it.”

The Immortal Lord said: Cultivating according to the method of the Great Purification enables one to accord with Dongzhen (one of the scriptural systems of the Daoist teaching). In this way the ancestors of seven generations can leave the hells and ascend to the heavens.

Those who observe the fast and purification, if they speak false words, utter extravagant and groundless talk, or discuss private, trivial, and vulgar matters, are to be fined one jin of incense, five sheng of lamp oil, and three liang of cinnabar. These items are given to the sponsor of the retreat, who explains the matter to the assembly, after which they are put to communal use.

Fasting and purification is the foundation of seeking the Dao (the Way), and cultivating the Way cannot do without it. The merit of fasting and purification is exceedingly great and beyond compare. At the upper level, one may ascend to immortality and attain the Dao; at the middle level, one may dwell in peace, bring stability to the state, prolong one’s years, retain blessings and emolument, and realize the Way of Wuwei (non-action); at the lower level, one may eliminate the karmic offenses of the past, pardon the faults of the present life, rescue those in peril, dispel calamities and disease, relieve the sorrows of the dead, and save all living beings. If one practices the Way for a thousand days and can devote oneself single-mindedly to turning toward the mysterious and wondrous Dao, one will certainly move the Perfected to descend, behold the holy Perfected, and attain the Dao.

Day and night are divided into six periods of worship. In three of these periods one expounds the Jing (scripture/classic); in the other three one visualizes the Shen (spirit) within one’s own body.

The Perfected of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) says: When a worthy and virtuous person encounters calamity or illness, a Daoist priest should establish for that person a Lingbao zhai, a kind of Daoist purification rite, reciting the Jing, burning incense, repenting of transgressions, and praying for extended life. How many days the rite is held may be arranged according to circumstances. The sponsor of the retreat should be wholehearted and sincere, believing with one mind both inwardly and outwardly, and should present the ritual master with incense, lamp oil, and a small amount of cinnabar and paper, so as to express the utmost sincerity. If a person is merely frivolous and ostentatious, one must not casually perform this great method for him. The great method is profound and far-reaching; it is not something a shallow person can undertake. Without lofty aspiration, a delight in subtle principles, and the insight to investigate what is refined and profound, one cannot practice this method.

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) says: When a Lingbao purification retreat is held—a Daoist religious rite performed through fasting, purification, and the recitation of scriptures—the Most High Perfected, the great sages of the ten directions, the sovereigns of the various heavens, flying immortals, and other immortals come in numbers beyond counting. They arrive in tens of thousands of carriages and on countless horses. Jeweled canopies glitter, blossoms drift down like snow, and incense smoke spreads like clouds and mist. The numinous banners of the Ten Perfections—sacred banners used in Daoist ritual—flutter in the wind. The assembled immortals whistle and sing in harmony, flying phoenixes answer them, and myriad dragons draw the chariots together. In a vast procession they descend from the sky to watch and listen to the rite of practicing the Dao (the Way).

Those in heaven rejoice, ghosts and spirits offer praise, and even the demon kings join their palms in reverence and extol the great Dao. All the sages of the Three Realms marvel at this. Wherever the rite is held, spirits guard the gates and protect those who take part, so that nothing evil may occur. When the scriptures are recited, everyone should praise with a single mind: “How good! How good!” The demon kings will also issue a command, saying: “This worthy Daoist who cultivates the Dao of Wuwei (non-action) has lofty merit and is honored by the great sages. We should all do our utmost to protect him, and remove his name of death from the registers of life and death kept by the Three Officials of Mount Tai.” Thus he is able to ascend to heaven in broad daylight, and his ancestors of seven generations likewise receive blessings. The dead are reborn in the heavenly realms, while the practitioner himself long retains a fortune that does not decline through the ages.

The Perfected of Taiji says: The wealth and rank of kings and nobles are all received as the blessed reward accumulated in former lives.

The Perfected of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) said: Kings and nobles are able to enjoy wealth and high rank, and to excel in talent and wisdom, because they have received the blessed rewards accumulated in former lives. Only when their merit is complete do they go further and come to delight in the Great Dao (the Way); this shows that the transgressions of former lives have already been exhausted. Those whose transgressions have been exhausted will surely love the purificatory fast with a sincere heart and study the great scriptures (Jing) and the great methods, and thus draw near to becoming immortals. If one can learn the precepts and hold to them without ever slackening, one can become a superior immortal. That Daoist priests love the purificatory fast is because the transgressions of former lives have already been exhausted; those whose transgressions are not yet exhausted will never truly love the purificatory fast, and remain far from the immortals and sages.

If one wishes to cultivate the way of the immortals and to live long with enduring vision, enjoying a lifespan without end; to secure the ancestral temple and cause the family to flourish; to free the parents of seven generations from suffering and raise them into the heavens; and to bring forth worthy descendants in later generations, one should receive the True Writs of Lingbao (the scriptures and methods upheld by the Lingbao tradition) and, following the teachings set forth in them, observe the purificatory fast. Naturally one will then obtain such blessed rewards. The greatest blessed reward is to help others first. Therefore one should put others before oneself and not keep fortune and misfortune, gain and loss, upon the mind; nor should one cling even to the “forgetting” itself, so that one’s will accords with the profound and hidden Great Dao. Those of superior capacity, on hearing the Dao, practice it diligently; those of middling capacity half believe and half doubt; those of inferior capacity mock the Great Dao.

The Perfected of Taiji said: The greatest blessed reward is to help others first. Therefore one should put others before oneself and not cling to fortune and misfortune or to gain and loss; nor cling even to the “forgetting” itself, so that one’s will accords with the profound and hidden Great Dao. Those of superior capacity, on hearing the Dao, practice it diligently; those of middling capacity half believe and half doubt; those of inferior capacity will mock the Great Dao.

The Perfected of Taiji said: If one would enter into responsive communion with Heaven and Earth, summon the host of spirits, penetrate the way of the immortals, and see into the principle of ultimate truth; release the transgressions of life after life, dispel calamities, and dissolve enmities; cultivate a vast and flourishing De (Virtue/Power), treat illness, and bring relief to the myriad beings—nothing comes closer than the purificatory fast, the purifying and quieting of body and mind, and the recitation of the Jing. The people of old heard of this teaching, yet today one rarely sees anyone who truly practices it.

The Perfected One of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)—a title of a Daoist immortal and perfected being—said: If the worthy wish to cultivate the great Dao (the Way) of Wuwei (non-action), they may recite this scripture; the scriptures and biographies of other perfected beings are also worth studying. Only the five thousand words of the Daodejing, the classic of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power), are the most venerable, supremely true, and unsurpassed great scripture. Its content is so vast that nothing lies beyond its embrace, and so subtle that nothing lies beyond its reach; it is the root of Daoist thought. Surveying the perfected beings who have already attained the Dao, one finds that none failed to study the Daodejing; Yin Xi, Song Xian, and others are examples. It may be called a “scripture of the Great Vehicle.”

The Dadong Zhenjing (Perfect Scripture of the Great Cavern), in thirty-nine chapters, must not be recited casually in the human world. This is because it is a scripture that guides people to penetrate the true Dao and to ascend in hidden mystery into the realm of the immortals. When even a single line is chanted, the sovereigns of heaven come to receive the reciter, set forth the rites, and scatter fragrant flowers; the Great Demon Kings of the Six Heavens, together with their subordinate officials and guards, also come to offer congratulations, bow, and receive their commands, and the spirits of the mountains and seas all submit to being put to service. Therefore, this scripture must not be put into practice at will among human beings.

The Lingbao Jing (Scripture of the Numinous Treasure) is the supreme classic of Daoism and the ancestral source of the mysterious Dao of the Great Vehicle; it contains ritual norms such as bowing down and looking up. Perfected beings of the ten directions who have attained the Dao constantly pay it homage, burn incense, and scatter flowers; it is the foundation of all methods of the Dao. When Daoist priests revere the Lingbao Jing and, in accordance with proper regulations, perform court worship, observe Zhai (purification) and abstinence, and cultivate the practice, they are able to attain the Dao—is this not so?

If this scripture could not enable people to reach the state they long for, to gain long life, ascend as immortals, and transcend the dusty world, then there would be no immortals between heaven and earth. The key lies in bringing external distracting thoughts to complete stillness and focusing the mind inwardly on the mysterious true Dao; only then can one rise above the Cloudy Han (the Heavenly River, referring to ascent into the immortal realm) and preserve long life. The Daodejing can resonate with and gather together the many mysterious principles; in the end it connects with this, and it surpasses the ordinary methods of cultivation in the world. All methods of Zhai take the original Zhai of the Lingbao as their foundation.

The Immortal Duke said: This kind of great zhai (a large-scale purification rite) is a method of cultivation for the highest immortals. It can free seven generations of ancestors from their bonds and raise them to the Palace of Great Mystery. The practitioner will also first obtain the Five Zhi—the five lingzhi-like immortal medicines spoken of by the immortals—which spring forth of themselves like hibiscus blossoms.

The Perfected of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) said: The Five Thousand Words, that is, the Daode Jing, is a Jing (scripture/classic) transmitted by immortals, and the rules of its transmission are the same as those of the Lingbao Jing. A person of outstanding ability and lofty De (Virtue/Power) who delights in reciting this scripture and hopes to seek the Dao (the Way) of naturally ascending as a flying immortal should prepare five thousand chi of plain silk as a pledge and, following the transmission rite of the Lingbao Jing, receive the scripture on the summit of a famous mountain. At the transmission the master faces south and the disciple faces north, and they perform three bows; master and disciple each hold half of a golden ring and wear it on the person. After the scripture has been received, the disciple bows once toward each of the ten directions, beginning in the north and proceeding in order. When reciting the scripture, one must likewise first pay homage to the ten directions. This is an old canon handed down in the Capital of Great Mystery. You should now understand and remember this, and in later times your descendants should transmit it in the same way to worthy people of succeeding generations.

The oral instructions of the Most High must be kept secret. You should often call to mind the Perfected of Empty Nonbeing, the Exalted Great King of the Dharma, and the Worthy of the Great Thousand Chariots—the venerable one whom the world calls Laozi. Laozi is the great master of the Dharma within the mysterious and subtle; with the eye of the Dao he observes the good and evil of all the heavens and of living beings. If you spread this Dao, it may be expected that you will surely ascend as an immortal. On the day you attain the Dao, you will understand that this scripture is no empty talk. The text, at once radiantly manifest and profoundly still, and the essential purport of the Great Dao, are all here.

The Immortal Duke said: If there are people of lofty De in the world who wish to seek ascent to immortality by reciting scriptures, they should receive this together with the Lingbao Jing. The pledges used in the rite are tokens of the covenant sworn when one reverently receives the scriptural method. Thus the scripture says, “Without going out one’s door, one can know the Way of Heaven,” and this is precisely what is meant. Such people are probably few in the world. Those who merely talk of emptiness and nothingness and thereby set themselves above the world need not receive the scripture according to this rite. The Perfected transmits these teachings only in order to instruct people in the study of immortality. If a Daoist priest, in learning to seek immortality, does not receive transmission from a master, the methods of the Dao cannot be put into practice.

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) said: When the perfected realize the empty, void realm of the great Dao (the Way), there is nothing they need fear or guard against. The taboos concerning defilement in the secular world were established by the sages out of concern that the hun and shen (souls and spirit) of ordinary people would be affected. After a person comes into contact with defilement, failure to bathe in fragrant water may bring frequent illness and harm the body; this is also meant to teach the people the difference between cleanliness and filth. The places where ghosts and spirits dwell are often even more defiled, and once defilement has taken effect the related rites cannot proceed smoothly. Yet even metal fears being soiled, damaged, and corroded—how much more so the supreme Dao? From this one can see that the true Dao transmitted by the great teaching is not itself stained by defilement.

The Perfected of Taiji said: Once people of the world encounter defilement, whether slight or severe, they should promptly perform a ritual to dispel it. When the ritual is finished, one may burn incense and practice the Dao; there is no fixed date that must be observed. Here “dispel” means removing, through Daoist ritual, the effects brought about by defilement.

The Perfected of Taiji said: The blessed food offered to the worthy originally had a prescribed number of recipients, and guests from outside might also join the meal first. When the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Perfected, the Ritual Master of the Three Heavens (perfected beings and ritual masters revered in Daoism), was about to ascend to Heaven, he saw that the common people were poor. Fearing that the blessed food would be reduced, he sought a way to pray for blessings on their behalf. In the past, food was sometimes prepared for only ten people; if more than ten guests suddenly arrived, it could not be fully shared with everyone. Even if only a single person was left out, it could not count as a universal distribution of food. The ritual regulations therefore provide that, after the ceremony, the food remaining in the kitchen should be given to all people and to all living beings, so as to pray for blessings for the host. People of later ages do not understand this reason, and so it is specially explained here.

Wine need not be forbidden altogether, but it should be limited in amount and may be arranged according to the number of people; one need not use up the prescribed share. An ancient admonition says, “In drinking wine one need not count the cups, but one must not drink to the point of confusion.” This is the principle in question. Drinking too much makes a person dull and drowsy and disturbs the upright Qi (vital energy), so that the Three Perfected (the three true divinities spoken of in Daoism) lose their dwelling. One must therefore not drink to excess. This should be treated with caution, for the offices in Heaven charged with examining transgressions will also record it.

The True Person of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) said: Some people do not study the methods of the Dao (the Way). When they hear Daoist priests expound the profound, subtle, and grand principles in the scriptures (Jing), they refuse to believe them in their hearts. Instead they slander the scriptural texts left by the sages, calling them absurd, empty, and recklessly invented, and not worth studying. Not believing in the Dao themselves, they also envy others who study the scriptures and cultivate body and mind, holding that none of this makes any sense.

People of this sort formed no affinity in former lives with immortals, perfected beings, or sages, nor did they plant good causes with the worthy. Thus in this life they lack great wisdom and find it hard to grasp the principles that the worthy and the sages have kept deeply hidden. They do not revere the scriptures of the orthodox Dao, yet they delight in studying the empty falsehoods found in witchcraft and miscellaneous writings. At gatherings they care only for wine and meat; their mouths say one thing while their hearts intend another, and they cheat and contend with one another. They indulge in lust, give free rein to whatever they do, and crave without limit. Some even become teachers, yet have no heart to lead others toward goodness. Relying on strength, they bully the weak and think only of oppressing others. In their hearts they harbor greed, jealousy, slander, and the wish to harm; in their conduct they are licentious, thieving, and deceitful, violent and rebellious. Such people often commit the ten evils (grave misdeeds).

Why do some people do so much evil yet receive no punishment at once, and even seem to live in security? And why do others, who have never done anything unlawful and who follow the teachings of the scriptures in all things, still meet sorrow and hardship? After death the body decays, but the soul and the spirit (Shen) do not vanish with it. The good and evil a person does while alive all receive their corresponding recompense. Thus, when someone does evil and rebels against ruler and father yet is not punished immediately, it is because that person is still enjoying blessings accumulated in former lives. When those blessings are exhausted, the retribution for guilt arrives. While alive, one may be punished by the divine officials who oversee good and evil in the human world; after death, one may also fall into hell and suffer every kind of poisonous harm and pain beyond description. If a good person does not receive blessings for the moment, it may be that the evil karma of former lives has not yet been fully repaid. When that evil karma is exhausted, blessings will come. Some are eminent and noble in this life; some are reborn after death into the households of kings and nobles; some are born in the heavens; some become ghosts and spirits. Evil deeds bring evil fruits, and good deeds form good causes: this is the root of destiny. Those who study the Dao ought to understand this as well.

That those who study the Dao have still not attained realization by the time of death is because their merit is not yet complete, because they formed no deep affinity in former lives, and because their karmic conditions for cultivating the Dao are comparatively slight. To become an immortal and attain deliverance in a future life depends entirely on the merit cultivated and accumulated in this life. If, after studying the Dao for only a few years, one expects to ascend as an immortal at once, and then, when the wish long goes unfulfilled, grows slack—even sinking into passion and desire and following the world once more—one will in the end die in body and perish in name, continuing to undergo suffering in the cycle of birth and death. One may also lose the human body, leave the human path, and not know when one might return.

Some are naturally intelligent yet unwilling to teach and transform others; in a future life they may become dull and deluded. The condition of servants and slaves is not fixed by birth either. It comes from having deceived others and seized their property in a former life, so that in this life they repay the debt through labor. As for the six domestic animals, they are slaughtered and eaten by people; this too is a form of karmic retribution. If people of the world do not believe the scriptures of the Dao and doubt the orthodox teaching, they will suffer such bitter fruits. This is truly lamentable.

If a Daoist priest, while doing good, instead meets with misfortune, yet can still endure hardship and hold firmly to these precepts, that priest can preserve the merit gained through present cultivation. Only one who lives in poverty without stepping outside the orthodox Dao is truly a Daoist priest. If cultivation of the Dao succeeds in this life, one may in a future life be reborn into the household of kings and nobles. If one can attain the Dao here, one will naturally understand the root of one’s own destiny: because in a former life one practiced giving widely and studied the Dao without wearying, one is able to become an immortal in this life.

The Immortal Duke of the Left said, “You must strive diligently in cultivation and study. Through all the ages, no one has ever become an immortal without learning. The key to learning immortality lies in whether one applies the mind thoroughly; if the mind is not applied thoroughly, then even study brings no gain. The sage does not mislead people.”

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) said, “One who serves as libationer (jijiu)—an office in Daoism that presides over Zhaijiao (purification ritual) and instructs the faithful—ought to observe the one hundred and eighty great precepts of Lord Lao (Laojun). Only by doing this may one be called a libationer. Thus it is said that those who have not received and upheld the great precepts should not accept the bows of the common people and of disciples. Those who have received these precepts must keep them carefully in mind and put them into practice before they may truly count as libationers. A libationer ought to cut off delusive thoughts, abandon every kind of evil conduct, and promote the precepts; this is only as it should be. The Dao (the Way) of Huang-Lao, the Daoist thought represented by the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, is subtle and profound, and the precepts are the means by which those who cultivate the Way are checked and regulated. Not everyone can truly accomplish this; those who can take part and persist in observance are but a few among myriads.”

The Zhenren (Perfected Person) of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) says: Those who cultivate and study the methods of the Dao (the Way), if they can free themselves from worldly entanglements, resolve to roam far among mountains and waters, seek the root of the methods of the Dao, and transmit and spread those methods, may be called “Masters” (xiansheng). A Master commonly sits on a high seat to lecture upon and recite the scriptures (jing), instructing both the worthy and the foolish, and guiding and leading all who come to learn.

If a person is born in a yin or mao year—yin and mao being the two earthly branches of the east—he is called “Master of the Eastern Peak”; the other directions follow in the same way. Those born in a chen, xu, chou, or wei year are called “Master of the Central Peak.” If someone is pure, tranquil, and genuine, of lofty virtue, and moreover understands the subtle principles of the mystery, fellow disciples may also, according to what he cultivates and studies, honor him as Master So-and-so.

If someone can inquire deeply into principles that are hidden, subtle, and far-reaching, whose learning penetrates the mysterious, and whose aspiration is set upon the vast methods of the Dao, he may be called “Master of Mysterious Appellation,” “Master Who Roams the Mystery,” “Master of Far Roaming,” “Master Who Proclaims the Dao,” or “Master Who Gives Free Course to the Mystery,” and the like. The titles listed here are only examples and cannot be set out one by one. Only when such a person truly exists in the world should students honor him with the title; such, in general, is the rule.

If this title is to be reported upward to the Shangqing (the pure realm where the honored deities of Daoism dwell), one must first keep a pure fast for seven days. The rank of Master is exalted and must not be assumed at will; otherwise the ghosts and spirits will neither acknowledge nor carry it out, and will punish the one who falsely claims it by the scrutiny of the Way of Heaven. What is called a Master is a Daoist priest. A Daoist priest who cultivates the immortal Dao here and attains accomplishment is called a Zhenren; one who can realize the Great Dao and master the methods of the Great Dao is likewise called a Zhenren.

The Perfected of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) says: In the world, those who truly take cultivating the Dao (the Way) seriously—who are willing to observe purification and abstinence, recite the scriptures (Jing), seek out an enlightened teacher to consult, study the classics, inquire into their principles, and then accept and practice them in faith—are truly few. Most people are frivolous and shallow. Their minds are set on the pleasures of sound and sight, their aspirations are not high, and they like only to study shallow and readily accessible methods.

Some wish to purify themselves and study the Dao, yet they have no enlightened teacher beside them to encourage and guide them. They resolve to cultivate the path of immortality and hope to save the many, but instead they are ridiculed by everyone. People all say, “That is something nobody needs. I have hardly seen anyone study this sort of method. The scriptures are mostly empty and false words. It is better to do as people like us do—at least that can avert disaster and escape misfortune.”

A deaf person cannot hear refined music such as the Shao and the Wu, and a blind person cannot see black and white. Can one therefore say that the refined music, or black and white themselves, are at fault? Precisely because the people of the world are like this, the great Dao cannot be put into practice, the orthodox teaching cannot flourish, the true scriptures are set aside, and deviant and delusive trends grow day by day. Some style themselves “maidens of the Three Palaces.” Demonic and aberrant affairs follow one upon another, and the common people will abandon the orthodox Way and chase after false doctrines.

All of this comes about because teachers are not diligent in their studies and do not urge their disciples to study the orthodox scriptures and cultivate the orthodox teaching. When the heart abides securely in the orthodox Way, demons and bewitchments naturally keep their distance. If one does not understand the great meaning of the higher scriptures, one cannot use it to restrain and examine one’s own mind. Deviant demons and ghostly Qi (vital energy) then seize the opening and enter, disturbing mind and intention so that a person stops at nothing. This is like clutching a stone while trying to cross a great river—how could it ever be done?

Taiji Zhenren (the Perfected of Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate) says: Zhuang Zhou is none other than the Most High Nanhua Immortal (an immortal revered in Daoism). When he studied the Dao (the Way) in a previous life, he made a vow: “If I attain the Dao and become an immortal, and if my wisdom is fully penetrating, I shall be born into the human world to expound the five-thousand-character Daodejing—the Jing (scripture/classic) of the Dao and of De (Virtue/Power)—and to proclaim the intent of the Dao.”

Huizi was his disciple, and at that time he too made a vow, saying: “If you, Master, attain the Dao and are able to pass freely in and out of the human world, I am willing to follow you, to praise subtle words, to comprehend profound principles, to discern the source of the Dao, and thereby to undo the bonds of the dusty net of the mundane world.”

Zhuang Zhou observed that worldly people chase after empty splendor and contend for fame and profit, and so he guided them by the Dao of nature. Thus the scripture says, “Mysterious and again mysterious, the gateway of all wonders,” meaning that the Dao is profound and still more profound, the gate that leads to every subtlety. Later, both Zhuang Zhou and Huizi fulfilled their respective vows, and the books they wrote are pervaded throughout by the meaning of the Dao.

People today do not know that Zhuang Zhou was an immortal who had attained the Dao, and they suppose that the Zhuangzi is for the most part nothing but allegory. In fact, the accounts of the great Peng, the great Chun, the Mingling, and the like are all records of real things, not inventions made out of nothing. Vast places give birth to enormous living beings: even now, in Langyuan, Kunlun, Penglai, and the Northern Sea, there are divine and extraordinary creatures of this kind. Narrow places, by contrast, give birth to minute living beings.

If, in every matter, one believes that something exists only after seeing it with one’s own eyes, and takes whatever one has not seen to be nonexistent, then far too many things in the world are overlooked.

The Daoist classics use a form of analogy to show how remote a kalpa (an extremely long span of time) is: suppose there is a stone as large as Mount Kunlun, with a single mustard seed placed beside it. From forty li away, once every hundred years, a celestial being lightly brushes the stone once with a sleeve, until the stone is worn entirely away; with each wearing, one mustard seed is taken away. Only a process this long is used to illustrate the end of a single kalpa. When time stretches to such a length, who could easily believe it?

The Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Perfected said: The Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) Jing (scripture/classic) is the root of all the classics, and the principles within it are difficult to convey completely in words. Although the five-thousand-character classic of the Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power), the Daodejing, is subtle and deeply profound, the principles upon which the various classics ultimately converge are the same.

The Dongzhen Jing, one of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), consists of thirty-nine chapters, expounded by thirty-nine Perfected. These scriptural texts are fundamentally writings of non-arising—that is, spontaneous writings that transcend ordinary arising, perishing, and change—and are only transmitted by the Perfected. Those who transmit these scriptures unite Dao and De with true Qi (vital energy) and merge into spontaneity; thus they become Perfected and may be ranked alongside Laozi. They have passed through innumerable kalpas and are not ordinary students of the Dao.

If people of the world lack profound affinity from past lives and perfected merit, then even if they obtain the Dongzhen Jing, they will find it difficult to understand the principles within. All that the scripture speaks of are the spontaneous palaces within the Unsurpassed Three Heavens, together with the mountains, rivers, and myriad things. Although some of their names are the same as those of the mountains, rivers, and myriad things of the world, they are not ordinary things of the world, but spontaneously generated existences: they may be heard of, yet are hard to discern clearly.

The Dongzhen Yuqing (Jade Clarity) Jing offers only a brief explanation of these principles and cannot set them forth exhaustively one by one; how, then, could the profound meaning within be fully clarified by thought alone? To revere and uphold this scripture with sincerity can bring great blessings, granting long life to oneself and peace to the ancestral temple; to recite and uphold this scripture enables one to become the king of the Perfected. The Dao it transmits is incomparably exalted. All those in the past who became superior immortals and the utmost Perfected were those who upheld the Lingbao Jing.

The Three Heavens call it “immortal,” while the Brahma Heaven calls it the Dao (the Way). Heaven and Earth have a beginning and an end, and so they pass through great kalpas and lesser kalpas; the various scriptures likewise perish along with these kalpas. Later, sages will appear once more and transmit new methods, yet the five thousand characters of the Daodejing (the Scripture of the Dao and De [Virtue/Power]), the Dadong Zhenjing (Great Cavern Perfected Scripture), and the Lingbao Jing (Numinous Treasure Scripture) will not be utterly destroyed, but will continue to be transmitted. For this reason the Lingbao Jing is called the “Text of the Unborn,” and is the king of all scriptures.

Through successive ages, those with the prospect of attaining the immortal Dao have been taught, yet generation after generation they have not known the source of this teaching. This method is lofty, subtle, and supremely exalted; it is not something that ghosts and spirits can behold. Only the “Great Demon Kings of the Six Heavens” come to pay court and flatter the master who transmits the scripture, while the immortal inspecting officials of the Upper Three Heavens are charged with oversight. Nor is this method something that ordinary lesser immortals can hear; only Perfected Persons (zhenren) are able to study it.

People of the world do not know who the immortals are, and they further say that immortality and the Dao are not one and the same. All of this is because their former “accumulated oppositions” (the oppositions and obstacles built up over past lives) have not yet been exhausted. Once these accumulated oppositions are exhausted, one naturally gains profound insight and great wisdom, and the mind suddenly opens into clarity. When one understands, one can attain the Dao. The five thousand characters of the Daodejing are exceedingly difficult to understand; those who can truly understand them will naturally grasp their meaning. Hence it is said that one ought to realize the unsurpassed great wisdom.

The Perfected of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) says: When the Lingbao Retreat (Lingbao Zhai, a Daoist rite of purification and abstinence) is held, one should put forward a person of lofty De (Virtue/Power) who deeply understands the meaning of the Jing (scriptures/classics) to serve as Ritual Master (Fashi). Next, choose a person of outstanding talent and intelligence, conversant with subtle principles and familiar with the ritual statutes, to serve as Chief Lecturer (Dujiang, the one who assists the Ritual Master in expounding the scriptures and presiding over the rite). Then appoint a Retreat Supervisor (Jianzhai), charged with overseeing and punishing those who violate the retreat protocols; afterward arrange the offices of Scripture Attendant (Shijing), Incense Attendant (Shixiang), and Lamp Attendant (Shideng), and assign the seats in due order.

Those who received this Jing earlier are ranked in front, and those who received it later are ranked behind. If only one person in a household has received this Jing, and the others also wish to join the retreat, they may be allowed to listen to the retreat. If a Libationer of the Yellow-Red and the Great One (Huangchi Taiyi Jijiu, an officeholder in Daoism associated with the Yellow-Red methods and faith in the Great One) delights in the methods of the retreat, he too may be allowed to take part, to observe and practice the transformative teaching of the great Dao (the Way); yet he must not be permitted to sit on the same couch as those who have received the Jing. Even if this person’s De is exceedingly high and his renown in the world is great, he should still be placed behind according to order of precedence, for the ranking follows the sequence in which each received the registers of parish office (zhilu, the registers of ritual office conferred by the Daoist tradition). The burning of incense is conducted in the same order. This is because these people in the past formed only a slight bond with the methods of the Dao, and so only now are they able to take part.

The Perfected of the Taiji says: During the retreat, every thought of the mind should be concentrated on the Mysterious Truth (Xuanzhen, the profound and genuine Dao), with no distracting thoughts at all. Keeping the Scripture Master in mind, one first visualizes the Three Ones (Sanyi, the three divine perfected beings within the body, as Daoism teaches) dwelling securely in their respective palaces, clear and distinct; then one visualizes the three hun-souls and seven po-souls complete, with the Great One (Taiyi, a revered deity of Daoism) standing guard in the Mud-Pill Palace (Niwan Gong, the divine chamber of the head), just as in the method of visualization described in the “Method of the Returning Wind and the Thearchic One” (Huifeng Diyi Fa). Then, together with those receiving ordination, one keeps the retreat and listens to the Jing, reciting and receiving it with the mouth while preserving and contemplating it in the heart. In this way the Three Corpses (Sanshi, spirits that Daoism holds lodge in the human body and incite people to evil) will flee and scatter, and deviant Qi (vital energy) will also be dispelled; body and mind, within and without, will all receive the true Dao, and thus one draws near to becoming an immortal.

One should also combine this with methods of exhalation and inhalation (tuna), guiding and stretching (daoyin), and harmonizing the Qi and fluids within the body, cultivating all the wondrous ways set forth above, and the Celestial Perfected (Tianzhen, the true deities of the heavenly realms) may then descend upon you. Practitioners of the highest grade can attain the Dao even within a chamber; yet even if one dwells in a cliffside cave, should a single distracting thought remain in the mind, one only expends one’s energy in vain. The study of the Dao consists solely in making the thoughts of the mind pure; once those thoughts are pure, the immortals will of themselves come before your eyes to observe and test you. You should carefully ponder these principles.

A Daoist priest who withdraws from the crowd and dwells quietly among famous mountains to practice this changzhai—a purification fast maintained over a long period—living alone in a deep and secluded valley, no longer chooses a separate ritual master, but upholds the observance through his own intention and speech.

When this zhai is practiced while one remains in the world, the Daoist may still eat the five grains; complete abstention from all food is another matter. If medicines are taken, they should be taken at noon. After noon one may drink water and other clear beverages, but one takes no further food; in the early morning one may drink gruel, and at noon one eats vegetables. When the period of the zhai ends and the fast is released, matters may be arranged as for a banquet of abundant fare, provided only that cleanliness is maintained. Among seasonal fruits, those that are precious should first be offered with incense and prayer, with the wish that the patron of the zhai may ascend to immortality and be delivered from the world.

The Perfected of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) says that, while cultivating the zhai, one should constantly hold ten kinds of wholesome thoughts.

First, for the sake of the Dao, one calls to mind the Four Greats—the important fundamental powers within heaven and earth—and prays that the parents of seven generations may be freed from sorrow and suffering, ascend to the heavenly halls, and enjoy clothing and food in natural abundance.

Second, one prays that emperors and rulers of states govern the world by the Dao; that schools flourish, instruction spreads widely, and rites are solemn and dignified; that the whole world looks up in reverence and the common people praise an age of peace; that the peoples of every quarter submit, demonic evils are extinguished day by day, and persons who are worthy, enlightened, sagely, and good grow ever more numerous.

Third, one prays that ritual masters possess vast merit and far-reaching powers of instruction, and that in the end all of them may attain the Dao and fly as immortals.

Fourth, one prays that those who cultivate and study together may soon accomplish the way of the immortals, and that they may aid one another and together bring beings to deliverance and transformation.

Fifth, one prays that kinsfolk live in harmony, honor humaneness and righteousness, value the Dao above wealth, and that their words and deeds may serve as a model for others.

Sixth, one prays that there be people who give of their persons and property, bestowing alms upon Daoist priests and upon those who are hungry and cold, and that all the people of the world may each find their proper place.

Seventh, one prays that all living beings, including insects and creatures that crawl, may be brought to fulfillment.

Eighth, one repents of the sinful karma and the grievances and enmities incurred through the cycle of birth and death in past lives and the present life, and establishes merit so as to make good one’s faults.

Ninth, one prays that the clan may flourish, that the ancestral temple may have those who offer sacrifice, and that worthy talents may appear in every generation.

Tenth, the vow to be recited when one reverently upholds and receives the Jing (scripture/classic) and methods transmitted by one’s teacher: I dare not be remiss in the slightest, and I shall always, with a mind of impartial equality, broadly save and deliver all living beings. May I myself ascend as an immortal and rise in flight in broad daylight, pay homage to the Taishang (the revered deity of Daoism), forever become a Zhenren (one who has attained the Dao (the Way) and become an immortal), ingest the five-colored numinous liquor (the immortal medicine of which Daoism speaks), and become one with the Great Dao.

Master Zheng says: When one ascends the mountain to receive the Jing and methods, there is no need to present a formal memorial; it is enough simply to declare the matter aloud.

The hymn: May I rise in flight in broad daylight, pay homage to the Taishang, forever become a Zhenren, ingest the five-colored numinous liquor, and become one with the Great Dao.

Master Zheng says: When one ascends the mountain to receive the Jing and methods, there is no need to present a formal memorial; it is enough simply to declare the matter aloud.

The hymn: In cultivating the Dao, fasting and purification should come first; practice diligently, and ascend to the Golden Palace (the palaces where the immortals dwell). Therefore the Great Bridge of the Law is established, universally saving and delivering living beings of every kind. In requital of the kindness and merit accumulated in former lives, a transcendent mind of the Dao arises from this. One’s own person flies up to the Mysterious Capital (the immortal realm of Daoism), and the ancestors of seven generations all attain liberation.

When the rite of receiving the Jing has ended, this passage must be recited.

Master Zheng of the Southern Marchmount says: My former teacher, the Immortal Duke, always kept this book hidden in secret; only those whose De (Virtue/Power) has reached the realm of ultimate perfection may receive its transmission. Not even ten thousand pieces of gold would suffice to measure its preciousness. Among the immortals it was originally passed from mouth to ear; for this reason I have now written it down. The Immortal Duke said: “Make three copies: one to be sealed and sent back to a famous mountain, one to be transmitted to disciples, and one to be given to the descendants of one’s own family. Copy and transmit it from generation to generation, so that those who truly understand this Dao may carry it on.” This book is to be transmitted together with the Lingbao Original Jing; it is an important and subtly profound classic of the Daoist tradition.

Baopuzi says: I, Hong, am of the opinion that, for the Great Fast, whose period of fasting and purification is long, some participants may be persons of high rank and some may be Daoist priests; their constitutions have long been frail, and they can hardly bear the worship of the six periods of day and night. I hold that this may be changed to burning incense and worshiping during the three periods of the daytime, while the nighttime may be dispensed with and replaced by an exposition of the meaning of the Jing. If anyone is able to burn incense and worship in all six periods, that person may of course follow the complete ritual procedure in full. The only concern is that some have not yet attained the Dao and are very weak in Qi (vital energy) and strength; when they wish to keep a fast of one day and one night, they may practice the Six-Period Performance of the Dao (carrying out the fasting rites of worship, recitation of the Jing, and the like according to the six periods). Those who cultivate and study should weigh the matter carefully and carry it out in a fitting way.

During the period of fasting and purification, one may at most eat dried jujubes, dried venison, and other preserved foods; fresh and raw things may not be consumed at all.

Those who do not live for long periods in the mountains cultivating the Dao (the Way) cannot, while studying the scriptures at home, possibly keep a fast year after year or remain for long stretches single-mindedly absorbed in contemplation of the Dao. One should therefore observe purification and fasting according to circumstances. At the least, one may fast for ten days, nine days, seven days, three days, or a single day, and then practice the Way according to the ritual protocols. Merit gained in this way is vast and far-reaching; it is a superior method of learning the Dao. It can free the seven ancestors—the forebears traced back through seven generations—from suffering and raise them into a realm of blessing and joy. This may be called the supreme way of fulfilling filial piety.

When filial devotion to one’s parents and affectionate regard for one’s brothers and sisters are carried to the utmost, they can move and communicate with the spirits and gods, and the blessings will extend far into later generations, reaching the seven mysteries—a general term for ancestors of many generations. How could this be limited only to one’s parents and ancestors? For this reason the superior immortals, those who have attained the Dao, have kept these methods secretly stored away.

Here ends the Essential Instructions on the Majestic Protocols of the Lingbao Purification Fasts, Expounded by the Zhenren (Perfected Person) of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and Drawn from the Various Scriptures.