《洞玄灵宝太上六斋十直圣纪经》

The Dongxuan Lingbao Scripture of the Most High on the Holy Record of the Six Fasts and Ten Upright Days (Dongxuan Lingbao Taishang Liuzhai Shizhi Shengji Jing) records the dates and methods of fasting and abstinence.

The Five Precepts of Daoism are: not to kill living beings, not to indulge in wine, not to speak words in which the mouth says one thing and the heart another, not to steal, and not to sink into lust.

The Ten Good Deeds are: to be filial to one’s parents; to be loyal to the ruler and to teachers and elders; to treat all things with a compassionate heart; to practice forbearance and tolerance; to urge others to cease from evil and to resolve disputes; to restrain oneself, help others, and relieve the poor; to release living creatures, protect sentient beings, and plant fruit trees; to dig wells, plant trees, and build bridges beside the roads; to undertake beneficial works for people, remove harms, and instruct those who do not yet understand; and to recite the scriptural precepts of Daoism’s Three Treasures (Sanbao), always keeping offerings such as incense and flowers with which to pay reverence.

The scripture says that if a person constantly observes the Five Precepts and practices the Ten Good Deeds, celestial beings and benevolent spirits will offer protection, calamities will be removed, and blessings will long be obtained; what matters is to hold to them with firmness.

The Six Annual Fasts are the fasting days in the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh months of each year.

The Ten Monthly Fasts fall on the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of each month. The scripture records, for each of these days, accounts of deities descending: on the first the Northern Dipper (Beidou) descends; on the eighth the ghosts of the Northern Dipper who preside over killing descend; on the fourteenth the emissaries of Taiyi (Great Unity) descend; on the fifteenth the Celestial Emperor and the Three Officials (Sanguan) descend together; on the eighteenth Taiyi descends; on the twenty-third the emissaries of the Eight Spirits of Taiyi descend; on the twenty-fourth the Northern Asterism (Beichen) descends; and on the twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth the Lower Taiyi, the Middle Taiyi, and the Upper Taiyi descend respectively. “Taiyi,” the “Three Officials,” and the like are all titles of Daoist deities. The fast days emphasize fasting, abstinence, and the cultivation of goodness, so as to revere the gods.

On the Three Yuan days—the Lower Yuan, the Middle Yuan, and the Upper Yuan—and on the days when Taiyi descends, all the honored deities of the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Water come down into the human world, tour and inspect the realm, and examine people’s good and evil.

On the Jiazi day, the deity Taiyi inspects the registers of the gods and the earth spirits. On the Gengshen day, the Fushi deity—the god who, as Daoism teaches, reports human faults up to Heaven—reports people’s transgressions. On the Benming day, the day corresponding to the heavenly stem and earthly branch of one’s year of birth, a person’s merits and cultivation are reckoned up. On the Eight Nodal Days—the four seasonal beginnings, the two equinoxes, the two solstices, and related solar terms—eight deities record people’s good and evil. On the Three Yuan days, the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the deities who in Daoism preside over heaven, earth, and water, examine people’s sins and blessings.

The Jing (scripture/classic) goes on to say that the Three Assembly Days are also days of inspection. The seventh day of the first lunar month is the Assembly for Promotion and Reward; the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Middle Assembly for Celebrating Life; and the fifth day of the tenth lunar month is the Great Assembly for Establishing Life.

The Five La days are as follows: the first day of the first lunar month is called the Heaven La; the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is called the Earth La; the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is called the La of Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power); the first day of the tenth lunar month is called the People’s Year La; and the La day of the twelfth lunar month is called the Marquis-and-King La.

On the Three Assembly Days, the Three Officials assess people’s merits and faults. These are suitable days for receiving Fulu (talismans and registers), keeping the fast and the precepts, and submitting memorials and petitions, in prayer for auspicious fortune and blessing. On the Five La days, one should sacrifice and present offerings to the spirits of one’s ancestors; those who do so may be called filial sons and can receive measureless blessings in return. Sacrifices performed on any other days are all called sacrifices that do not accord with the proper Dao. Together with the Three Yuan days mentioned above, these are collectively known as the Eight Days of Release, and on all of them one may prepare pure offerings and pray for blessings.

The essence of fasting and observing the precepts lies in abstaining from sweet, rich, and fatty foods, from meat, fish, and pungent or spicy flavors, from drinking wine, and from craving the pleasures of sound and sight, and also in casting off every kind of evil conduct, such as secretly harming others, jealousy, and delusive thoughts. What one ought to do is burn incense, light lamps, recite the Jing, perform rites of repentance, and pray that all living beings may be spared calamity. Only then can it truly be called fasting and precept-keeping.

In former times Confucius said to Laozi, “My family is poor, yet for a long time I have neither drunk wine nor eaten meat.” Laozi replied, “This is only the fasting observed for sacrifice. You must concentrate your mind. Do not listen with the ears alone, but listen with the mind; do not listen with the mind alone, but sense with Qi (vital energy). Let your mind become open and clear, wash clean your Shen (spirit), and break through your ingrained cleverness and fixed views. Then I will tell you the principle.”

The scriptural text says that the methods of zhai (purification) given in the various classics (jing) may be broadly divided into three kinds. The first is the zhai of setting out offerings, by which one accumulates merit and removes faults through the presentation of sacrificial gifts. The second is the zhai of dietary restraint, by which one harmonizes mind and spirit (Shen) and prolongs life through moderation in food and drink. Both belong to the sacrificial form of zhai and are practiced by cultivators of the middle rank. The third is mind-fasting (xinzhai): clearing and cleansing the inner heart and casting off cravings and desires; washing the spirit clean and freeing it from turbidity and entanglement; and setting aside cunning calculation so that thought no longer runs wild. Only without deliberation can one concentrate on the Dao (the Way); only without craving and desire can one delight in the Dao; only without defilement and burden can one unite with the Dao. When the inner mind no longer harbors stray thoughts, this is called “singleness of purpose.” It is what cultivators of the highest rank practice.

Put more precisely, “zhai” means “qi” (齐, to make even and uniform—not Qi, vital energy). What matters is that the conduct of body, mouth, and mind be made upright and consistent; only this is true zhai. If one merely keeps the rule of eating less while the mind and consciousness are not aligned and single, that is nothing more than the mouth not being greedy. The two methods of dietary restraint and inner cultivation should support each other, outer and inner together. Thus the Scripture of the Great Precepts (Dajie jing) says: “Settle the inner mind, remain quiet and silent, and concentrate on a single thought; after noon, take no further food, so that both within and without are pure and empty.” This is what is meant.

Although Confucius advocated restraint in diet, he did not yet understand how to regulate and compose the inner mind; this method of zhai was therefore explained, so that people might thereby receive the great Dao. Among the shallow learners of later ages, who can truly empty the mind and hold to a single aim? Those who scorn the teachings of sacrifice yet suppose that they understand the principle of mind-fasting are, in all likelihood, merely the arrogant and the indolent. Even when they speak of the mysterious and of silent stillness, they do not grasp its essential point and are only praising themselves. The Classic of Changes (Yijing) says: “The sage uses this to fast and abstain.”

People are born each with a different year, month, day, and hour, and poverty or wealth, high or low station, and the length of life are judged according to the constellation to which one belongs. Yet the six kinds of things in the world all follow the same pattern: where there is gathering, there is scattering; where there is birth, there is death; where there is accomplishment, there is ruin; and where there is flourishing, there is decline. This is the constant law under heaven, and also the natural principle by which opposites stand against one another and complete one another.

The five colors are like awls that pierce the eyes, the five sounds are like hammers that stop up the ears, and the five flavors are like axes that hack the tongue; wealth and profit disturb the human heart. Thus no calamity is greater than death, and no blessing is greater than life. To possess reputation and rank may instead deplete one’s own provisions; not seeking fame is what helps nourish body and mind. When wealth is in hand, that wealth may become a harm that injures oneself; not coveting wealth can instead nurture one’s own good fortune. No offense is greater than indulging the passions, no misfortune is greater than greed, and no fault is greater than overstepping one’s proper station. These three are like carriages that invite disaster: in lesser cases they cause a person to lose life, and in greater cases they bring a family to ruin.

If one orders one’s livelihood, nurtures one’s nature, settles the spirit, and supports life, one can leave suffering behind and move toward peace and joy, so that blessings continue without end. Human life is in every case presided over by Shen (spirit): when Shen is settled, life can be sustained; when Shen disperses, life comes to an end. Therefore, so long as one diligently cultivates the mind and continually accumulates spiritual resonance, one can ascend with one’s body into the Mysterious Palace (the dwelling of immortals spoken of in Daoism).

People know only how to satisfy mouth and belly with abundant food and to glorify themselves with official rank and salary, yet they pay no heed to the fact that craving fine flavors injures life like an axe; and if official rank and salary are pursued in luxury and splendor, they will also draw the resentment and punishment of all under heaven.

Yuanjun said: “The Dao (the Way) is the most numinous and most genuine realm; technique is a profound method capable of bringing about change in things. By means of such techniques, what has form can be made to manifest the wonder of the formless, and thereby the people of the world can be aided. Human beings possess a spiritual nature; so long as they cultivate, they can commune with the Dao. If a person can learn these principles and methods, transformation will arise of itself.

“The essential point of the Dao lies in seeking methods that are simple and easy to put into practice. The secret essentials for guarding the body and preserving life are chiefly talismans (fu), medicines, and Qi (vital energy). Talismans are the numinous script of the sun, moon, and stars, and also the tokens by which Heaven transmits its true intent; medicine is the refined essence of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the essential fluid of the earth; Qi—that is, the life-energy generated through the harmonizing of Yin-Yang—is the qi born of the union of Yin and Yang, and is where the spiritual nature of the myriad things resides. Even if you have already learned one of these, your cultivation is not yet complete; you must still rely on talismans, medicine, and the Dao before cultivation can be regarded as complete. Medicine can refine and nourish the bodily form; talismans can summon the spirits (Shen).

“If a person treasures his own person, Heaven and Earth cannot harm him; if he holds fast to his own resolve, the world cannot make him yield; if he rests content in poverty, the world cannot lure him with wealth and rank; if he is glad to remain in a humble station, the world cannot sway him with lofty position. One who harbors reverence will naturally receive the respect of others; one who yields will not come to harm on that account; one who does not praise himself will obtain genuine commendation; one who understands how to confer benefit will also receive the kindness of others.

“One should deal with the world in uprightness, yet be able to embrace what is crooked and winding; preserve one’s purity, yet not alter it because of disgrace; though clearly skilled in argument, be able to appear modest and sparing of speech; though clearly possessed of ability, be able to seem plain and unskilled. Not vaunting oneself is true fullness; not supposing oneself to know everything is what makes one precious; regard the receiving of favor as a matter that calls for vigilance. Where a place is not safe and free of trouble, one does not set foot, and so the hundred calamities find it hard to arrive; where a road is not level and easy to travel, one does not walk it, and so obstacles cannot cast one into danger. If salary and status are not allowed to stain one’s resolve, punishment finds it hard to fall upon one’s person; if one does not grow glad or angry at praise or blame, slander finds it hard to cling. In this way, when the hundred misfortunes cannot encroach, one has grasped the essentials of the myriad things; when obstacles cannot injure, one can keep a blessing of lasting security; when punishment cannot be applied, one can enjoy long life; when slander cannot cling, one can preserve what is pure and genuinely authentic. If a person can be empty of mind and free of attachment, he can grasp the essentials of the myriad things.

“If a person can attain emptiness and stillness, clarity and purity; kindness and generosity, loyalty and trustworthiness; filial piety and reverence, harmony and yielding; and also diligence and frugality, gentleness and simplicity, he can accord with the Dao. When the Dao is used to cultivate the self, the mind becomes penetrating and the will at ease; one treasures the spirit and cherishes primordial Qi, looks lightly on external things and does not covet reputation; thought is clear and free of confusion, qi and blood are harmonious, sinews and bones are supple, the ears are keen and the eyes bright, the skin is moist, the countenance luminous, the spirit concentrated and firm, the body light, vigorous, and strong, emptiness and stillness in body and mind coordinated with fullness, and even the hair at the temples glossy and lustrous.

“When the Dao is used to order the household, fathers are kind and sons filial, husbands and wives sincere, trustworthy, and harmonious, elder brothers friendly and younger brothers respectful, and the kin in concord; farming and sericulture proceed in their seasons, harvests are abundant, storehouses are full, livestock flourish, every affair is properly arranged, and there is constant surplus. Therefore, when ruler and subject associate according to the Dao, there is loyalty and humane generosity; when father and son associate according to the Dao, there is kindness and mutual affection; when gentlemen and the common people associate according to the Dao, there is mutual love among them. Where the Dao is present, there is harmony; where the Dao is absent, there is estrangement. From this it may be seen that, for human beings, the Dao cannot be left even for a moment.”

Wenzi (a legendary thinker of antiquity) asked Laozi, “What is meant by the Dao (the Way), De (Virtue/Power), benevolence, righteousness, and ritual propriety?”

Laozi answered, “The Dao is the principle of formlessness and Wuwei (non-action). Inwardly one uses it to cultivate oneself; outwardly one uses it to govern the many. When achievements are completed and affairs brought to success, one draws near to the Dao of Heaven. De is what rears the myriad things and helps them grow, so that every quarter receives benefit without partiality, in accord with Heaven and Earth. Standing above, one does not boast of one’s own merit; standing below, one is not ashamed of one’s own shortcomings. In great matters one does not praise oneself; in small matters one is not remiss. One loves widely and without selfishness, and perseveres for long without decline—this is benevolence. Standing above, one supports the weak; standing below, one holds fast to integrity. In success one does not indulge oneself; in hardship one does not change one’s moral conduct. One follows right principle throughout, and does not, from private interest, distort or obstruct justice—this is righteousness. Standing above, one is reverent and dignified; standing below, one is humble and respectful. One yields and keeps to softness, content to remain behind the multitude; one takes one’s stand where one dares not act recklessly, and in one’s conduct does not regard oneself as capable of all things—this is ritual propriety.

“Therefore, if the Dao is cultivated, those below will give allegiance; if De is cultivated, those below will obey commands; if benevolence is cultivated, those below will not contend with one another; if righteousness is cultivated, those below will be fair and upright; if ritual propriety is cultivated, those below will know how to show respect. When all five—the Dao, De, benevolence, righteousness, and ritual propriety—are cultivated, the state will be at peace.

“Some people of the present age are clever and acute, with penetrating insight, yet they come close to danger, because they like to talk about the faults of others. Some are eloquent and broadly learned, yet they bring danger upon themselves, because they like to expose the evil deeds of others. Only if one can model oneself on Heaven and Earth, letting favor reach both animals and plants, neither deliberately clinging nor claiming merit as one’s own, does one accord with the great Dao. Hence it is said that what is practiced most deeply is the Dao and De, what is practiced more shallowly is benevolence and righteousness, and what is practiced only on the surface is rites and music. Seen thus, it is better to hold the Dao in the heart and nourish De, so that one’s nature returns of itself to plain simplicity.”

The Lord Lao (Laojun, the honorific by which Daoism refers to Laozi) said to Lingyangzi, “Previously I discussed with Guanling Yin Xi (traditionally said to have been the keeper of Hangu Pass and a disciple of Laozi) subtle truths and essential principles, amounting in all to a million words, as well as the Nine Chapters of Empty Whiteness.”

Note: In the scriptural passage as given, the section beginning “When above, one does not boast of one’s merit,” together with what follows, shows obvious repetition and faulty joining; the final portion also repeats the earlier discussion of benevolence, righteousness, rites, and music. The above has been set in order according to the sense that can be discerned.

Lord Lao (Laojun) said to Master Lingyang (Lingyangzi): “In former times I discussed the subtle and wondrous true Dao (the Way) with Yin Xi, Guardian of the Pass, set down essential instructions amounting to a million characters, and also wrote the Nine Chapters of Empty Whiteness (Xubai jiuzhang). What Empty Whiteness teaches is this: to be empty yet bright and pure is my dwelling; to be clear, still, and clean is my abode; to follow what is natural and refrain from reckless action is my nature; to return to simplicity and pure unity is my name; to be harmonious and yielding, without any fixed form, is my function; to respond to each affair as it arises and to transform without end is my transformation.

Naturalness is the true condition of the Dao; Wuwei (non-action) is the constant norm of the Dao; emptiness and void are the exalted realm of De (Virtue/Power); plain detachment is the dwelling of De; silence and stillness are the source of De; purity and clarity draw near to the divine spirits; perfect sincerity is the gateway to the divine spirits; centered harmony is the root of all affairs.

When a person cultivates the Dao, if one can follow what is natural, the Dao can be fully attained; if one can practice Wuwei, life can be long-lasting; if one can abide in emptiness, Qi (vital energy) can circulate; if one can remain plain and detached, the will can become single-minded; if one can keep silence, sound can come to rest; if one can be pure and clear, the divine spirits can become manifest; if one can be perfectly sincere, the will can be made firm; if one can hold to centered harmony, teaching and moral transformation can be carried out. Therefore, one who cultivates the Dao should establish a name by following what is natural, nourish the body through Wuwei, nourish Shen (spirit) through emptiness, guard the mind and will through plain detachment, regulate and nourish body and mind through silence, bring the inner heart to peace through purity, hold fast to one’s resolve through perfect sincerity, and preserve the spirit through centered harmony.

To settle the heart and spirit and release one’s intentions should be like great waters growing naturally calm; to dwell deep in quiet seclusion should be like a flood dragon lying hidden; to keep the breast empty and still, unbent by external things, should be like a bellows, hollow within and able to draw in air; to preserve and nourish the spirit even amid change should be like the altars of soil and grain safeguarding their achievements; to honor the divine spirits and rest in their realm should be like the ancestral temple safeguarding humaneness and virtue. To remain unseen by others should be like a great fish hidden in deep water; to remain unknown to others should be like the sun rising, yet as if no east could be found; to make one’s own life inexhaustible should be like the great Dao having no fixed boundary.

The Dao resonates and draws things mutually to itself, just as high mountains and great marshes naturally attract birds, beasts, jackals, and wolves; deep forests and giant trees naturally attract flying birds and the hundred insects; rivers, seas, lakes, and pools naturally attract fish, turtles, and flood dragons; abundant virtue and great peace naturally attract the qilin and the phoenix; pure sincerity and spotless whiteness naturally attract jade maidens and the lingzhi; centered harmony and auspicious goodness naturally attract the signs of De and fortunate events. Conversely, ominous calamities and evil conduct also summon demonic aberrations and disaster.”

People often grow distant from the Dao (the Way); it is not that the Dao leaves people. People often lose their lives; it is not that life leaves people. Only if the Dao and life can uphold and protect one another, so that life always holds fast to the Dao and the two never part, can one endure.

Among all things possessed of form, human beings are the most spiritual. Although their innate nature is the same, differences in cultivation lead them in the end along different paths. Why is this so? If a person cultivates goodness, they gradually develop the character of a Zhenren (one who has attained the Dao); if they do evil, they gradually sink into becoming a wicked person. For this reason, Laojun (the honorific title for Laozi in Daoism), taking pity on all people, teaches them to study the Dao.

The methods of self-cultivation and life-nourishment are a precious treasure of the state, and therefore they must be cherished and held in high regard. The root of human life consists of three things: Shen (spirit), Jing (essence), and Qi (vital energy). All three originate in the Qi of Heaven and Earth: Shen is received from Heaven, Jing is received from Earth, and Qi is received from the centrally harmonious Qi that lies between Heaven and Earth. The three come together to form a single whole.

Shen takes up residence in the human form; Qi is the vehicle of Shen, while Jing dwells within the body. The three support one another and sustain the workings of life. One who wishes for long life should cherish Qi, revere Shen, and treasure Jing. Qi arises from Jing, Jing arises from Shen, and Shen in turn arises from clarity. Human beings are originally endowed with the Qi of Yin-Yang; Qi transforms into Jing, Jing transforms into Shen, and Shen gives rise to spiritual luminosity. Therefore, one who wishes to slow the advance of aging should guard the primordial Qi and harmonize Jing and Qi, not allowing them to leave the body, so that the three coalesce into one.

In the course of practice, one may feel the movement of Qi within the body, the body gradually growing light and easy, and the mind becoming more concentrated. This is what the scripture (Jing) calls “the radiance of Shen about to be born.” The heart grows calm and joyful. If one closes the eyes and lies down, contemplating the interior of the body with undivided attention so that thought does not scatter outward, one can refine and nourish the bodily form and bring about change in body and mind. In this way the principles of cultivating the True may be grasped, and Great Peace will follow.

This way of cultivating the self is exceedingly wondrous. Shen is like the ruler, Jing like the ministers, and Qi like the common people. Cultivation requires settling the spirit and nurturing the primordial Qi, and not allowing the emotions of joy and anger to lose their proper measure. When the emotions can be kept under control, Qi grows robust and the mind grows steady; deviant Qi withdraws, illness lessens, an inner radiance appears, and benevolent spirits respond and arrive. The scripture says: “The Great Dao (the Way) is level and lies close at hand.”

The practitioner should carry out nine kinds of good conduct in sequence; these are known as the “Nine Transmutations of Immortal Practice”: to draw near to good deeds; to put an end to evil acts; to extend aid and rescue widely; to encourage and support those who are good; to give of wealth and of one’s strength; to make a great vow to benefit others; to treat the myriad things with a compassionate heart and do them no harm; to speak with gentle kindness and not injure the myriad things by words; and to keep compassionate thoughts in the heart, constantly intending to do good. These nine forms of conduct should be maintained with constancy, and not one of them may be lacking.

The Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Liuzhai Shizhi Shengji Jing (太上洞玄灵宝六斋十直圣纪经) is the title of a scripture. It means a Jing (scripture/classic) that records the sacred matters associated with the "Six Fasts and Ten Duty Days" (Liuzhai Shizhi), the specific days set aside in Daoism for fasting and observance of the Dao (the Way).