《洞玄灵宝真人修行延年益算法》

Method of the Zhenren for Cultivation, Longevity, and Increased Years, from the Dongxuan Lingbao Scriptures (Dongxuan Lingbao is one of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) of Daoist scriptures; this chapter describes methods by which practitioners extend their lifespan)

Names of the Six Jia Spirits

The names of the Six Jia Spirits (six guardian deities of the sixty-day cycle whose days begin with the stem "Jia") are as follows: on Jiazi days, the spirit Wang Wenqing; on Jiaxu days, Zhan Zijiang; on Jiashen days, Hu Wenchang; on Jiawu days, Wei Shangqing; on Jiachen days, Meng Feiqing; and on Jiayin days, Ming Wenzhang. If a practitioner regularly visualizes (contemplates in the mind) the names of these six spirits, the seven apertures will remain unobstructed, illness will not arise, and calamity will not be encountered. When confronted by bandits, call upon the spirit presiding over that day to come to one's aid.

Names of the Spirits of the Four Seas

The spirit of the Eastern Sea is named Aming, that of the Western Sea Jucheng, that of the Southern Sea Zhurong, and that of the Northern Sea Xuanming. Each day at dawn, when the rooster crows, the practitioner should recite these names three times according to this method, and the great spirits of the four seas will drive away malevolent demons and sweep away misfortune. "Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and commands" is the closing formula of Daoist incantations, meaning a request that the spirits carry out the order without delay.

Each day at the crowing of the rooster, first invoke the Three Ones (the spirits who guard the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy center) within the body). The upper Dantian, located in the head, is guarded by "the Upper One, the Red Child"; the middle Dantian, located in the chest, is guarded by "the Middle One, the Child of the Zhenren"; and the lower Dantian, located below the navel, is guarded by "the Lower One, the Infant of the Primal Yang Valley."

Practitioners should visualize and invoke these spirits' names according to this method both at the crowing of the rooster each day and at night when first lying down; this wards off malevolent demons and dispels misfortune and illness. While reciting the names of the Three Ones aloud, one should simultaneously envision their forms in the mind: they appear as infants, each three inches tall, in the likeness of newborns, all dressed in red. On Jiazi days, one must not contemplate the Three Ones; this is a grave taboo.

Laozi's Method for Governing the Body and Guarding the One

At the crowing of the rooster, regularly rub both eyes, first reciting this incantation: "Daughter of the Queen Mother of the West, named Yiyu, grant me medicine for the eyes; I receive it through my mouth." Then rub and massage the body with one's essential Qi (vital energy). Rubbing fourteen times (twice seven) at the crowing of the rooster each day, one uses the spiritual fluid to dispel dimness and clouding of the eyes, so that one's sight can reach ten thousand li and see everywhere in all directions.

After the incantation has been recited, bring the hands together and breathe onto the palms three times, at the same time letting a little saliva flow out. Then rub the hands until the palms grow warm, and with the hands rub the eyes fourteen times. The scripture holds that doing this brightens the eyes and opens a way through to the realm of the immortals. The body is also to be rubbed. Every day at cockcrow, use the numinous fluid (here referring to the saliva in the mouth) fourteen times; this can dispel dimness of the eyes, enable one to see very far, and also to look throughout the four directions.

After the incantation has been recited, bring the hands together and breathe onto the palms three times, at the same time letting a little saliva flow out. Then rub the hands until the palms grow warm, and with the hands rub the eyes fourteen times. The scripture says that this brightens the eyes and opens a way through to the realm of the immortals.

Every day at cockcrow, close the eyes and silently recite the incantation:

“Huangshangzi, Huangshangzi, the Perfected of the Yellow Court (the venerable Shen (spirit) who guards the Yellow Court and the inner divinities of the body) ever abides in my person. Please fetch for me sweet wine, dried fatty meat, nonglutinous rice, millet gruel, the divine elixir, jade mushrooms, and every kind of thing that can be eaten; let them all come to me, enter my mouth, fill the five viscera, and nourish the various Shen within the body, so that I neither hunger nor thirst, my lifespan stands equal with Heaven and Earth, I share the radiance of the sun and moon, my bodily form is preserved, and I endure for ten million years.”

Every day at cockcrow the practitioner first recites this silently three times, then swallows Qi (vital energy) five times. Before each swallowing of Qi, first rinse the mouth with the numinous fluid in the mouth and slightly puff out both cheeks; visualize yellow Qi filling the mouth, and then swallow the Qi. The scripture says that in this way a feeling of fullness naturally arises, and that one can also regulate the hundred illnesses and add to one’s lifespan.

Every morning, click the teeth three times, call the names of the three hun, and recite the incantation:

“Taiguang, grant me length of years; Shuangling, grant me increase of blessings and emolument; Youjing, keep me far from death. Quickly, quickly, carry this out in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.”

If the practitioner does this every day, the scripture holds that the three hun will keep watch at one’s side, so that calamity, evil ghosts, and baleful Shen cannot do harm. After clicking the teeth three times and calling the three hun, recite the same incantation again. The scripture also says that this can prevent strange transformations in dreams and bring peace to the bedchamber.

The Scripture of the Immortals says that one who cultivates the Dao (the Way) should, on rising in the morning, regularly speak auspicious and fine words, and will thereby receive blessings granted by Heaven. In the morning one must not say such things as “alas, what can be done,” nor may one sing or play music; the scripture regards these as acts that invite misfortune, and especially warns the practitioner to avoid them.

When lying in bed, do not sing or chant, and do not lie face down. These three things are all regarded as great taboos and will harm one’s lifespan. Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) should first widely practice hidden De (Virtue/Power)—doing good without seeking fame—treat the myriad things with a compassionate heart, rescue those in danger and relieve the sufferings of others, hold wealth lightly while valuing righteousness, bestow kindness, and broadly accumulate good De.

When practicing the method of “guarding the One” (single-mindedly preserving and holding the “One” within body and mind), if one meets with danger, one may, after contemplating the “One,” bow twice toward the direction in which one’s master is and pray for aid, and the crisis will soon be resolved. It is enough simply to hold the thought in mind and perform the bows.

Guarding the One takes endurance of humiliation as its foundation. When one wishes to kill someone, think of the flying immortals; when a jealous heart arises, think of the great deities; when one covets wealth, think of the zhenren (Perfected Persons, those who have attained the Dao), and thereby draw the mind back under restraint.

In cultivating the method of guarding the One, one may not always succeed in remaining single-minded and undistracted; at such times one should constantly concentrate on the contemplation. If one is suddenly startled by some evil matter, or feels beset by terror and yanmei (malevolent hauntings, the disturbances by evil specters of which the ancients spoke), one should rise and look toward the Assistant Star of the Northern Dipper—that is, the sixth of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper—while inwardly contemplating the guarding of the One. In this way evil influences can be driven off, and one may oneself avoid disaster. If overcast or rainy weather hides the stars, it is enough simply to concentrate on contemplating the “One.”

Laozi said: Anyone who wishes to cultivate the Dao must not harbor two thoughts in the mind. When Heaven holds to the “One,” it can cover the myriad things without any show of effort; when Earth holds to the “One,” it can be quiet and stable; when the high mountains hold to the “One,” they do not fear heat or cold; when the great sea holds to the “One,” it flows on without cease; if a person can hold to the “One,” that person will surely attain the Dao and become an immortal.

The Queen Mother of the West said: When combing the hair, regularly face one’s benming direction (the direction fixed according to the year of birth). As one begins to comb, softly recite: “The Great Emperor spreads numinous Qi (vital energy); the Five Elders return to divine Shen (spirit); the Niwan Palace (the divine residence in the head) has a mysterious radiance, so that Jing (essence) and Qi may be preserved and long retained; the left hand gathers the Jing of the hidden moon, and the right hand draws the root of the sun; Heaven, Earth, and the four directions are purified and refined, and the hundred spirits all receive grace.” When the recitation is finished, swallow the saliva in the mouth three times. If this is done often, it is said that the head will not ache.

When sitting or lying down, the nostrils should also regularly face the benming direction; the same applies when eating, drinking, and taking medicine. If one cannot face the benming direction, one should regularly face east to regulate the breath and cultivate, so that the hundred spirits receive grace. After the invocation has been recited, swallow the saliva in the mouth three times. If this is done often, it is said that the head will not ache.

When sitting or lying down, the nostrils should face one’s benming—the direction fixed by the year of birth, or by the heavenly stems and earthly branches—as far as possible. The same applies when eating, drinking, or taking medicine. If one cannot face the benming, northeast or northwest will also do, for these two directions are regarded as the passes through which hun and po, the ethereal and corporeal souls, come and go between heaven and earth.

When lying down or getting up, first sway the body left and right several dozen times. Then cross the hands, brace them behind the back, tilt the head toward the sky, and breathe; next, sway the neck left and right twenty times. After that, sit upright, raise both hands, and hold them for a while; then rub with the hands from either side of the eyes out to the ears, and hold that for a while as well.

Then silently recite the incantation: “Gather in front and pat behind; a guest on high of heaven and earth; glance left and look right; long life, vast in measure; raise the head and draw breath; Taiyi (the Great Unity) reaches the utmost; the moon withdraws and the dragon reclines; Siming (the Controller of Fate) shares the same carriage; partake of the embryonic origin; the passes meet at Kunlun; circle, turn over, and kneel on both knees; the Zhenren (Perfected Person) is of one mind.” When the incantation is finished, immediately draw in Qi (vital energy) and hold the breath, visualizing in the navel a thread of red Qi, fine as a slender line, emerging from the navel and entering the nose. Do this three times.

The scripture again lists the words “Siming shares the same carriage; partake of the embryonic origin; the passes meet at Kunlun; circle, turn over, and kneel on both knees; the Zhenren is of one mind,” and says that after the recitation one likewise draws in and holds the Qi, visualizing the red Qi in the navel passing into and out of the nose three times. Once all the foregoing methods of massage, breath regulation, and visualization have been completed, they are said to open the joints and the Qi channels throughout the body, lengthening one’s years and adding to one’s lifespan without illness.

The Dengzhen says: One who wishes to lengthen the years and add to the lifespan should wash the face and settle the heart and Shen (spirit). When the sun has risen about two zhang high, face the sun, open the mouth, and expel the “dead Qi” within the body, then inhale through the nose the “solar essence”—the essential Qi of the sun. Stop when the nose sneezes. This is called making the breath flow freely, and is also regarded as a method of cultivation that replenishes Jing (essence) and Qi and restores embryonic breathing.

The Dengzhen further says: One who wishes the heart and Shen to be upright and steady may, when the sun has risen about three zhang high, cross the hands and place them on the two shoulders, turn the center of the chest toward the sun, and let the sun face the heart directly. Visualize the radiance of the sun entering the heart; if a faint warmth is felt in the heart, the heart is taken to have been set right. Doing this often is regarded as beneficial.

Laozi’s Method of Regulating the Body and of Guarding the One (shouyi)

At this point the original text gives the quotation “When one is about to eat, first silently recite an incantation,” but the wording that follows seems to repeat the earlier passage about the sun rising three zhang and visualizing sunlight entering the heart, and the sense of the sentence is left unfinished. On the basis of the text as it stands, it may be rendered as follows:

Before eating, first recite in silence: “I, so-and-so—the reciter names himself—cultivate the Dao (the Way) by means of this body, making the body a residence that bears the Dao of Heaven.” What is joined to this afterward—“within the Way one senses warmth; visualize the radiance of solar essence coming to enter the heart…”—is the earlier material on visualizing sunlight entering the heart so as to settle the mind.

Before eating, quietly recite an incantation: “I, So-and-so (the reciter names himself), cultivate the Dao (the Way) with this body and make the body a celestial storehouse. The Father of the Dao and the Mother of the Dao, together with the Perfected, the divine persons, the immortals, the adepts of the Dao, and the sages, all unite with me in the Great Dao, share in food and drink, and enjoy endless longevity.”

Before each drink of water, first blow outward three times, then recite: “Qian: originating, penetrating, beneficial, and correct. My body is like the sun. The king’s divine water enters the abdomen and cools the five viscera.” Every time one drinks water, recite the incantation before drinking.

Lord Wang says: While eating, and while compounding or firing and refining medicines of every kind, one must never speak of death or of inauspicious things. These are taboos that must be observed.

When taking medicine, one should ordinarily face one’s own natal direction (the direction corresponding to the year of birth). After the medicine has been taken, one should still not speak of death. Otherwise one offends the fetal spirit (the deity that protects the fetus and is also believed to govern birth and reproduction). Even if the medicine is taken, the effort is wasted, and in the end there is no benefit.

Laozi’s Method of Ordering the Body and Guarding the One

Whenever one eats or takes medicine, first recite the incantation “Huangshangzi!” Call the name three times, and ask him to fetch rich meat, fine wine, nonglutinous rice, millet gruel, the divine elixir, and jade zhi (a kind of immortal lingzhi), and place them in this food vessel and this medicine vessel.

Then visualize the deities of the Three Ones (spirits within the body associated with the idea of the “Three Ones”) dwelling respectively in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the food vessel and the medicine vessel, each coming forward to eat. They feed one another and also nourish one’s own body. At the same time, visualize three infants, each three inches tall and dressed in red, eating inside the food vessel.

If one is eating together with other people, do not recite the incantation. Only visualize the three infants tasting their way, one after another, all through the food, and only then eat oneself. By day or by night, one may often visualize the deities of the Three Ones in this way. This can increase blessing and prolong life, and can also ward off evil and dispel illness.

One should also recite: “The hundred medicines enter the stomach, unite with Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy), and fill and nourish the body.”

One also recites an incantation, saying: The various medicinal substances enter the stomach and unite with Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy), replenishing and benefiting the blood, so that the corpse-evil (shixie, the pathogenic qi that harms the body) disperses, falls away, and perishes. One may thereby attain long life, become a divine immortal, ascend in flight to the Golden Palaces (Jinque, the palaces of heaven), command the Six Ding (Liuding, the six yin deities spoken of in Daoism), and be guarded by numinous lads.

The Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected) says: In the Dao (the Way) of nurturing life, one must first come to know one’s own body. When visualizing the body, one should see it clearly and accurately, just as if it were truly appearing before the eyes. Let the face seem always to bear the radiance of the sun and moon, shining over the whole body: visualize the sun on the left and the moon on the right, about nine cun (Chinese inches) in front of the face. Then click the teeth three times and softly pray: “Supreme Perfected of the Primal Embryo, Twin Luminaries and Two Mysteries: on the left embrace the seven po (corporeal souls), on the right restrain the three hun (ethereal souls); make my spirit luminous, to endure together with my form.”

When the prayer is finished, click the teeth three times more, swallow the saliva (jinye) three times, and then stop. This is called the “Dao of the Great Thearch Lord (Taidijun) for recording the form, confining the hun, and controlling the po,” meaning a method of cultivation that records the bodily form and restrains the hun and po. Practiced continually and without slackening, it can keep the hun and po from leaving the body. This is an important method for seeking long life and attaining immortality.

The Taisu Danjing Jing (the Jing [scripture/classic] of the Cinnabar Radiance of Great Simplicity) says: In ordinary times one should repeatedly rub the face with both hands, from top to bottom and following the contours of the face. There is no need to be rigid about time or number; doing it often is enough. This helps the ears and eyes remain clear and unobstructed. Frequently press with the hands the hollows behind the two eyebrows, three nines (twenty-seven) times at each place; then rub beneath both eyes and along the cheeks with the palms and fingers, the more times the better. Next, rub the ears with a rotating motion of the hands thirty times, and then, starting from between the eyebrows, push upward in the reverse direction across the forehead three nines times, all the way to the hairline. During this one may swallow saliva at will. Done regularly, the eyes become clear and bright; it is said that after a year of practice one can write at night.

The Zhengao says: When some part of the body is in pain, one may, at the time of generating Qi (here referring to a suitable moment for nurturing life), swallow saliva fourteen times while pressing and rubbing the painful place. Facing the direction proper to the ruling season, recite: “Mystery on the left, mystery on the right; the three spirits unite with the True. Yellow on the left, yellow on the right; the six florescences correspond. Wind-qi and malign illness lie hidden in the four directions. Jade fluid flows and moistens, circulating freely above and below. Within, water and fire are sent forth; without, the inauspicious is warded off. Long life as a flying immortal; the body ever strong.”

One should also immediately press and soothe the three spirit-positions so that they unite with true Qi (vital energy). On the left and on the right alike, visualize yellow radiance, six rays of light corresponding to one another. In this way wind-evil and malignant illness will subside and disperse; the jade fluid within the body—the term used in Daoist cultivation for saliva and bodily fluids—will spread and nourish, circulating freely above and below. Within, water and fire are harmonized; without, the inauspicious is expelled. One may then attain long life and ascend as a flying immortal, the body remaining ever robust and strong.

One should also immediately knead any painful place thirty-one times. If this is done regularly, illness will not arise.

The oral formula of Lord Peng says: Each morning, just upon waking and before rising, and each night just upon lying down, one should visualize the Perfected Zidan (Zhenren Zidan)—here the image of the perfected being under contemplation—between the two eyebrows, wearing a blue-green headcloth. If one can maintain this visualization regularly, one may live to the age of eight hundred.

Lord Wang says: When walking at night or lying in the dark, if fear arises in the heart, visualize the sun and moon re-entering the Bright Hall (Mingtang), the site of the body’s inner landscape in Daoist teaching. After a short while, all manner of baleful influences will disperse of themselves. When one dwells in the mountains, it is better still to practice this often.

The master says: When walking at night, recite, “Lord of Great Yin (Taiyin), Lord of Great Yin, please come to my side, please come to my side.” This spell can drive off and ward away all manner of baleful influences. Before setting out to walk at night, first invoke: “One divine lord is before me, two divine lords are behind me; no baleful influence or malignant being may draw near me.”

The method for seeking long life is as follows. On the night of the month’s end (the dark of the moon), in the deep stillness of night, lie with the head toward the north, guard and press the chest with the hands, and invoke: “Lords of the five viscera, seven spirits of the Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue/Power), Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, Lord Sun and Minister Moon—may the divine spirits of all the heavens descend and guard the Perfected; a thousand gods and a hundred numina protect my body. I seek only long life, casting off the old and taking on the new. Gongzhao seven, shuzhao two.” Men use the phrase “gongzhao”; women use “shuzhao.” At this point in the scripture the invocation and the ritual instructions are repeated once.

The oral formula of the Blue Ox Daoist says: Each evening upon lying down, visualize the sun upon the forehead and the moon below the navel, so as to drive off and ward away tens of thousands of ghosts, specters, and baleful influences, and to summon the Jade Maidens of the Heavenly Treasury, deities of the Daoist pantheon. This is a secretly transmitted method, said to be efficacious. Upon lying down in the evening, invoke: “Vast and without bound, calamity departs and blessing comes; vast and without bound, the baleful and the wicked are dispelled. The Most High (Taishang) bestows lifespan upon me, and the Director of Destinies (Siming) presides over the matter; let my name be entered in the Jade Register (Yuli), the celestial roster of names in Daoist teaching, and bound with blue-green silk. The gods are all assembled, and the hundred calamities are wholly eliminated.”

When you are about to sleep at night, after getting into bed, set your shoes with the toes pointing outward. Recite the incantation: “Turn the shoes so that their backs face the bed, to drive out malign Qi (vital energy) and avoid the calamity of war. The jailers of the Celestial Emperor forbid ghosts and specters from going about at night: those whose crimes are grave shall be cut in two at the waist; those whose crimes are light shall be executed and exposed in the marketplace; those whose crimes are neither light nor grave shall have both ears cut off. Immediately obey the statutes and commands of Taishang Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao).” When the recitation is finished, click the teeth three times.

Each night at bedtime, click the teeth twenty-one times, press the left hand over the heart, and call the names of the Three Corpses: “Upper Corpse Peng Ju, come out; Middle Corpse Peng Zhi, come out; Lower Corpse Peng Jiao, come out.” In this way the Three Corpses cannot work their harm.

When you have just lain down at night, lie on your back, place both hands over the heart, and recite the incantation: “Divine beings, divine beings, cause the five viscera to give forth light, guard and preserve my bone marrow, and nourish my Jing (essence). The light of Shen (spirit) is already secure, sparing me from aging and prolonging my life. Peng Jiao, come out.” In this way Peng Jiao cannot work harm.

When you have just lain down at night, lie on your back, place both hands over the heart, and recite the incantation: “Divine beings, divine beings, cause the five viscera to give forth light, guard and preserve my bone marrow, and nourish my Jing. The light of Shen is already secure, sparing me from aging and prolonging my life. Celestial talisman, celestial talisman, please protect my body. Wherever Jing and Shen reside, the spirit-light travels there; whatever I desire, I can obtain; whatever I detest, I can subdue. Immediately obey the statutes and commands of Taishang Laojun.”

Then recite: “Celestial numina, glory of the seasons—may I obtain long life; Taiyi (the Great Unity), true and mysterious, guard my body; the lords and marquises within the five viscera, each rest in peace.” Men recite this seven times, and women fourteen times.

The Zhenren (Perfected) customarily, at midnight, remove the pillow, lie flat, form the wogu grip (a health-preserving gesture of tightly clenching the hands), relax the whole body, and let the breathing be even and very slight. In this way the spirits within the body can all be present. If one feels that the spirits are not all present, one should quickly get up and burn incense, sit down with the eyes closed, form the wogu grip, place both hands on the knees, and visualize in the mind the spirits within the body; let a white Qi the size of an egg appear in the two eyes and remain before them, and thus one returns to normal. This is done once every five days. It belongs to the cultivation of cunsi, the contemplative visualization and retention of the twenty-four bodily spirits.

Whenever putting on new clothes, raise the collar toward the sun and recite the incantation: “Light vast and glorious—my body bears spirit-light. Putting on this garment, may I have wealth, honor, and good fortune, and may my life be lengthened.”

After waking in the night, immediately close both eyes, then click the teeth nine times, swallow the saliva nine times, and press both sides of the nose with the hands, toward the left…

When putting on new clothes, raise your head toward the sun and recite: “Brilliant and majestic is the light; the radiance of Shen (spirit) is upon my body. Having put on these clothes, may I enjoy wealth, honor, and good fortune, and may my life be lengthened.”

After waking in the night, immediately close the eyes tightly, tap the teeth nine times, and then swallow the saliva in the mouth nine times. Next, with the hands, massage along both sides of the nose, from top to bottom and from left to right, several dozen times, while softly offering this prayer:

“Taishang Siming (a divine title in Daoism), Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) that open the nine gates: make the ears and eyes profound and fully open, able to commune with the true Dao (the Way) and to reach the divine spirits. O lofty terrace in the midst of heaven, let the breath circulate and come into harmony. Jiaonü and Yunyi (names of deities here): the child-spirits within the eyes are bright; hearing is keen and sight is clear, discerning all things. May the Qi of the Upper Prime be nourished, and may the thought of Shen move among the nine cities; may the roots of the five viscera stand firm, so that the ears and eyes are naturally bright and strong. The heavenly terrace is pure, and its beams and pillars do not lean; the seven po are washed and refined, and the three hun are at peace. May the Infant, bearing the radiant light, ever accompany me. If anyone seeks to cloud my ears and eyes, Taishang will surely crush and subdue that one with the flowing bells. Every baleful evil disperses, and what is sought will surely be fulfilled; sun and moon guard the gates, and the five stars are stored within the heart. This is the prayer of the True Sovereign; all the gods should reverently obey.”

When the recitation is finished, swallow the saliva nine times more. Then massage and wipe the face and the eyes until they grow slightly warm, and make this a daily habit. Each time you wake in the night, immediately massage and pray in this way; do not omit a single awakening.

Practiced regularly, this is said to make the ears and eyes acute, the memory strong, and the thought of Shen open and lucid; to harmonize the breath through the nose, so that one neither runs at the nose nor spills saliva; and to keep the countenance youthful. It can also restrain the hun and po and ward off every kind of demonic evil.

Note: “Tapping the teeth” and “swallowing the fluid” in the text are common practices in Daoist cultivation for nourishing life; they refer respectively to lightly tapping the teeth and to swallowing the saliva in the mouth. The scripture as given repeats a passage before and after “When finished, swallow the fluid nine times more”; the translation has retained that material in keeping with the original.

If a person who has only just begun practice often has nightmares, the Perfected One of Great Simplicity (Taisu Zhenren) says that this may come from three causes: the first is po-xian (a malign disturbance regarded as connected with the unrest of the hun and po); the second is a trial of the heart (the inner mind being put to the test); and the third is corpse-bandits (evil influences viewed as harassing the person).

The method for dispelling nightmares is as follows. As soon as one wakes, sit up at once, face north, and with the left hand press and pinch the Renzhong, the philtrum, twice seven times—that is, fourteen times. Then, with the second and third fingers, press and pinch Shanyuan, the place beneath the nose at the Benji point, silently counting fourteen times without lifting the hand; afterward, knock the teeth fourteen times. Then softly make this invocation:

“True Mystery of the Great Cavern, please regulate and refine the three hun: let the first hun swiftly guard the po, let the second hun swiftly hold Niwan, the mansion of Shen (spirit) in the head, and let the third hun submit to the restraint of the heart’s Shen. Swiftly petition the Most High Lord of the Three Primordials. The inauspicious dream just encountered is the wandering corpse of the seven po, bringing the source of the myriad evils. Urgently summon Taokang to protect life, and report above to the Imperial Lord, the Five Elders, and the Nine Perfected, asking them to guard the Gate of Life. Divine Commander of the Yellow Gate and General of the Purple Door, please take axes and halberds and bell-implements in hand, destroy the evil Qi (vital energy), turn the baleful into the auspicious, and let life and death no longer be entangled by it.”

If at night one dreams of auspicious things, and upon waking also feels that this is a good omen, it means that the sense of auspiciousness has already appeared. After waking, one should rub the eyes fourteen times and knock the teeth fourteen times, then softly make this invocation:

“Exalted Essence of the Most High, Elixir Numina of the Three Emperors, please make the Crimson Palace—the dwelling of the heart’s Shen—bright, pure, and thoroughly clear, so that the sense of auspiciousness may reveal its meaning. Please let the Three Primordials guard the hun and po, and let the Celestial Sovereign transmit the methods of the Jing (scripture/classic), so that wherever I go all may proceed smoothly and in harmony, that I may ascend in flight to Shangqing, ever accompany the Jade Perfected, and meet together in the Purple Court.”

This is a secret instruction of the Dadong (Great Cavern), transmitted to those who are just beginning to enter the gateway of cultivation.

After being startled awake by a nightmare in the night, turn the pillow over, or change to another pillow, and at the same time offer this prayer: “Jade Maiden of Great Darkness (a goddess of the netherworld), please attend the Zhenren (Perfected Person) and guard my hun and po souls; Golden Lads of the Six Palaces, please come and protect my Gate of Life (the portal that sustains life). May the nightmare turn into an auspicious sign. Please convey my wish upward to the Three Origins (the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water in Daoism), so that I may live long, riding the sunlight and driving the cloud-Qi (vital energy).” When the prayer is finished, swallow the saliva in the mouth seven times, then tap the teeth seven times, and go back to sleep. If this is done four or five times, the effects brought by the nightmare will disappear of themselves. This prayer can also turn a nightmare into good fortune.

The Zhenren says: When going to the latrine, on first entering, first recite the incantation: “Lord of De (Virtue/Power) on the left, Lord of De on the right, Superior Director of Destinies, Lady of Purity, please remove so-and-so’s Register of Death (the roster that records death), and let me enter the Gate of Life.”

The Method of Using Grass at the Latrine

First place one stalk of grass on the left to stand for the Lord of De on the left; then place one on the right to stand for the Lord of De on the right; then place one in the middle, praying that a person’s Register of Death be removed and that they enter the Gate of Life. The grass used at the latrine must not exceed nine cun (Chinese inches) in length; if it exceeds this length, it will diminish a person’s lifespan, and this must be strictly avoided.

If one defecates in the wild, recite the incantation: “Lady of the Woods and Wilds, Lady of the Woods and Wilds, please remove someone’s Register of Death and let them enter the Gate of Life.” If the grass for the latrine is used, the method of reciting the incantation is the same as stated above.