《洞玄灵宝自然九天生神玉章经注》

The Jade Chapters on Generating Spirit is a classic through which the Supreme Ruler reveals the virtue of cherishing life. It gives a full account of cultivation methods such as refining the treasures, mixing them, and ascending at dawn. Yet its meaning is profound, and its language is not that of everyday speech; without commentary, it is difficult to understand.

I have heard that the commentaries by Xue Youqi, a Daoist of Mount Heng; Li Shaowei, an attendant of the Great Clarity; and Cheng Xuanying, a master of the Western Florescence, all penetrate the mysteries and probe their subtle depths. Unfortunately, I have not seen them. Many later writers also produced commentaries. Among them, the explanations by Wang Yinxian, Xiao Zhenyou, and Fushan Zhenlü are relatively detailed, but their views still differ, making it hard for readers to bring them together. At times, this only causes confusion. As for the calamity cycle of the Jiashen period, the evidence is difficult to verify. Some commentators nevertheless insist on probing its hidden depths, making startling claims and using them to teach what they call secret knowledge.

Shen is the numinous awareness that functions within Qi. It moves with the transformations of Yin-Yang and can travel freely through all directions of Heaven and Earth. Heaven’s cycles turn the four seasons and bring life to the myriad things. Spirit people, even when confronted by floods that fill the sky, do not drown; when they dwell on scorching earthen hills, they do not feel the heat. Riding clouds and driving the wind, they cannot be harmed by external things. All this displays the workings of Shen. Ordinary people can live when their Shen and Qi gather, and die when they disperse. Thus the scripture is titled “Generating Spirit,” a title of profound significance. There are dozens of old commentaries; some of their finest explanations, however, drift into the remote and obscure…

People of low spiritual capacity become immersed in worldly affairs and often sigh as a result. Once, a guest who had come from Hao brought me the commentary by Huayang Fu. After reading it, I felt that it gathered and reconciled the essential points of various interpretations. It cites scriptures such as the Lingbao and the Huangting to illuminate the elixir path—the Daoist method of inner cultivation—and its concise writing is easy to understand. Reading it is like watching clouds disperse and the bright moon appear overhead: one suddenly sees clearly. Ah, this commentary is a guide for those who study the Dao. What are words themselves worth? If people of the highest capacity are willing to cultivate diligently, they will become as my family’s Laozi described. Written on the fifth day after the Dragon Boat Festival in the Ren Shen year of the Zhishun era, by Zhang Shouqing, the Perfected One of Embodied Mystery, Wondrous Response, and Great Harmony, founding master of the Wudang Taiqing Weimiao Transformation Palace.

Commentary on the Scripture of Spontaneous Generation of the Spirits of the Nine Heavens of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery, Volume One

Commentary by Huayang Fu

“Cavern” means emptiness; “Mystery” means profound and far-reaching. Only emptiness can contain the many mysteries, and only what is profound and far-reaching can give doctrines their depth. “Numinous Treasure,” outwardly, refers to the sacred teaching of the sages, majestic and subtle; inwardly, it refers to spirits descending and manifesting as numinous, and Qi (vital energy) gathering and becoming treasure. Although the scripture speaks of the Three Treasures, it is specifically called the “Numinous Treasure” here to mark the age in which the scriptures emerged into the world to transform and save its people.

“Spontaneous” refers to the timely manifestation of the primordial Three Qi—the three original vital energies believed in Daoism to constitute Heaven, Earth, and all things—which gather in the vast heavens and form phoenix seals and dragon script, sacred characters visible in form yet bearing no trace of human contrivance. These writings came about spontaneously; the sages did not deliberately create them. The “Nine Heavens” are the nine layers of Heaven, from Yudan Wuliang Heaven to Wujie Wu’ai Heaven. “Generating the Spirits” refers to the fundamental way in which all things grow and transform. A “scripture” is a text that carries the Great Dao and a path to cultivating oneself into a perfected being.

Golden Book of the Great Being of the Three Treasures

The “Three Treasures” are the Heavenly Treasure, the Numinous Treasure, and the Spirit Treasure. “Great Being” is the name of the Heavenly Treasure Palace. “Generating the Spirits” refers to the fundamental way in which all things grow and transform. A “scripture” is a text that carries the Great Dao and a path to cultivating oneself into a perfected being.

Golden Book of the Great Being of the Three Treasures

The Three Treasures are the Treasure of Heaven, the Treasure of Numinous Power, and the Treasure of Spirit. “Great Abundance” is the name of the Palace of the Treasure of Heaven. The Scripture on Deliverance says, “the wondrous court of Great Abundance,” meaning that the celestial palace is so splendid that nothing can compare with it. This book was once kept in secret within that palace. Gold is supremely precious and difficult to destroy, so “gold” is used to describe it. These writings are divided into nine chapters, each with its own lineage.

The Lord of the Treasure of Heaven is the revered deity of the Great Cavern. The Venerable Ancestor of the Treasure of Heaven is the ancestral Qi (vital energy) of the Lord of the Treasure of Heaven—the source from which he arose. The Venerable Ancestor, it is said, was transformed from the “Qi of the Primordial, Lofty Sovereign of the Great Void within the Primal Cavern,” and contained 999,900,000,000 streams of Qi. Later, in the first year of the Dragon-Han era, this primordial Qi gave birth to the Lord of the Treasure of Heaven. When he revealed the scripture, the palace where he resided was called the “Lofty Palace of Great Abundance in Jade Purity.”

The Lord of the Treasure of Heaven is the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning of Jade Purity. Originally, he condensed from the Qi of the Mysterious One. The highest realm is called “Heaven”; Heaven has a ruler, called the “Emperor.” The Dao precedes the Emperor, so it is called “Primordial Beginning.” Later, in the first year of the Dragon-Han era, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning transformed and gave birth to the Lord of the Treasure of Heaven. When he revealed the scripture, the palace where he resided was called the “Lofty Palace of Great Abundance in Jade Purity.”

The Celestial Treasure Lord (Tianbao Jun) is the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning of Jade Clarity (Yu Qing Yuanshi Tianzun), formed from the original, singular Primordial Qi. “Celestial” means supreme, and “Emperor” means the ruler of Heaven. Since the Dao existed before the Emperor, it is called “Primordial Beginning.” Within the human body, the Celestial Treasure Lord corresponds to the Imperial Lord Taiyi, that is, the Original Spirit.

“Great Cavern” refers to the foundation of the teachings. “Elder” is an honorific title of dignity and solemnity, denoting high status without a specific administrative role. The Elder gave birth to the Celestial Treasure Lord, thereby establishing his title. “The primordial origin of the Great Nonbeing of the Chaos Cavern” refers to the form of Jade Void Heaven before Heaven and Earth were opened and chaos divided. “Nine” corresponds to the yang number of the Qian trigram.

The Illustrated Chart of the Opening of Transformation records that Longhan, Yan­kang, Chiming, Shanghuang, and Kaihuang were the names of several past kalpas in the celestial realm. “Dragon” refers to numinous power, and “Han” to Heaven. “Revealing the scriptures” means that the five scriptures in the Scripture for the Salvation of Humanity opened the way to transformation, nurturing spirits everywhere. The Jade Clarity Palace is where the Celestial Treasure Lord sits in repose.

The Ancestral Qi is the Dao, and the Dao is the Celestial Treasure Lord. Traced back to its source, the wondrous origin arises naturally, with no ancestral source preceding it. It takes emptiness as its guiding principle and nature as its root. It nurtures the myriad things without ruling them, and has neither form nor name. When sages establish teachings, they must honor the source; so, faute de mieux, they call it the “ancestor of the Dao.”

The Numinous Treasure Lord (Lingbao Jun) is the deity honored by the teachings of the Cavern Mystery tradition. The Numinous Treasure Elder is the Ancestral Qi of the Numinous Treasure Lord, belonging to the Primordial Origin of Red Chaos and the Qi of Mysterious Upper Purple Void. The text says that this Qi exists in an immeasurably vast quantity. Later, at the opening of the chart in the Longhan era, it gave birth to the Numinous Treasure Lord. After one kalpa, in the first year of Chiming, the Numinous Treasure Lord revealed the scriptures to save humanity. He was titled Lord of the Seven Treasures of the Purple Tenuity Palace in the Mysterious Capital of Upper Clarity. The term “Purple Void” follows the Zhao edition.

Lingbao Jun is the Celestial Worthy of Shangqing. “From the One, the Two are born” means that Yin and Yang, the two poles, emerge from the original unity—that is, from the Qi of the primordial One. Here, “numinous” refers to what is subtle and beyond apprehension. The scriptures and teachings of the Cavern Mystery and the Numinous Treasure both derive from the Great Cavern. The Preface on the Meaning of the Collected Scriptures says: “Cavern Mystery is the root; Numinous Treasure is its manifestation.” The Qi of the Great Cavern originally arose in emptiness and flowed forth, transforming first into Cavern Truth, then into Cavern Mystery, and finally into Cavern Spirit. The preceding passage does not call it “Cavern Truth,” but instead says “Great Cavern” to make clear that it is the root of all things.

“Scarlet Chaos, Primordial Origin of Great Nonbeing” describes how, within Great Nonbeing, a luminous image has already begun to stir and is about to appear. From the opening of the charts in the Longhan era, the traces of the scriptures began to emerge faintly; it was only with the appearance of writings in the Chiming era that literary culture among humanity began to shine forth. “Scarlet Brightness” and “Purple Void” describe the manifest patterns of Cavern Yang. “Delivering people” means spreading the teachings of the scriptures in order to save living beings from the cycle of life and death. The Purple Tenuity Palace is where Lingbao Jun expounded the teachings and stored the scriptures.

Compared with Jade Void, the primordial Qi of the Purple Tenuity Palace was short by nine hundred million units. This shows that as the cycles of tribulation changed, Dao Qi dispersed and transformed into the myriad things, no longer remaining a unified whole as it had in primordial antiquity. The author believes that the sages wrote the scriptures because they feared that customs in later generations would grow ever more shallow: people would pursue only superficial details, resort to deception and clever schemes, prematurely exhaust their allotted years, and drift through a sea of suffering. The sages hoped people would return to their unadorned roots, cherish and preserve the primordial Qi, and thereby advance toward the Dao of immortality. For this reason, they composed divine chapters to admonish and awaken people again and again. The De of this teaching is profoundly deep.

The Lord of the Divine Treasure is a revered deity of the Cavern of the Divine (Dongshen) division. The Elder of the Divine Treasure is the Lord’s ancestral Qi, that is, its source Qi. The Elder is a darkly still, mysteriously penetrating, primordial, supreme, and pure, empty Qi, comprising 999,990,000 portions. In the first year of Chiming, this Qi gave birth to the Lord of the Divine Treasure. Two kalpas later, the first year of Shanghuang arrived. When the Lord of the Divine Treasure appeared in the world and transmitted the texts, he was called “the Three Sovereigns’ Cavern of the Divine, Palace of Great Clarity and Supreme Ultimate, Pure Emptiness.” The text above follows the Zhao recension.

The Spirit Treasure Lord is the Heavenly Worthy of Great Clarity. From “two,” “three” came into being, becoming the original “One Qi” (the primordial vital energy that forms heaven, earth, and all things). “Spirit” is a name for the unfathomable transformations of Yin-Yang. The teachings of the Cavern of the Spirit explain the Heavenly Worthy of Great Clarity’s doctrine of peace and Wuwei (non-action). The tradition honors twelve scriptures; other texts, such as the Register of Purple Vacuity, Dispelling Calamities and Averting Disaster, and Pure and Tranquil Heavenly Youth, also belong to this system.

“Dark Stillness, Mysterious Communion, Origin” refers to being free of thought and action, remaining silent and unmoving, yet understanding the principles of things through responsive communion. The old edition omitted the character “Origin.” Wang Yinxian added it to accord with the teaching of the Three Origins (the origins of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity).

“Clear Vacuity” refers to light, pure Qi forming Heaven. Its Qi is ninety thousand measures thinner than that of Red Chaos (the undifferentiated, primordial state of unity), and becomes increasingly thin in the lower realms. The Palace of the Supreme Ultimate is the immortal realm of Great Clarity. Immortals who have attained the Dao come here to pay homage and submit memorials according to liturgy and teaching. The palace’s officials, perfected beings, and celestial ministers stand in orderly ranks.

The Great Cavern method includes officials of the Three Origins. The Heavenly Worthy once appointed the three generals Tang, Ge, and Zhou to guard the palace gates and maintain order at its entrances. In Heaven, they correspond to the Three Qi; within the human body, they govern the upper, middle, and lower regions. They assist the turning of the Northern Dipper’s celestial mechanism and oversee documents such as talismans, sacred writings, and covenant registers. Those who bring their practice of the Great Cavern method to completion are guided by these three divine generals to ascend in flight and pay court at the Imperial Palace. This is the Way of “conjoining and harmonizing.”

During the Zhidao era of the Song dynasty, Emperor Renzong fell ill and dreamed that he was walking through a thorn thicket, lost and unable to find the way. He then saw a deity clad in golden armor, who said to him, “Heaven, because Your Majesty is compassionate, grants you twelve more years of life.” Renzong asked, “Which way should I take to return?” The deity replied, “I will take you in my carriage.” After Renzong climbed aboard, he asked who the deity was. “I am General Ge,” the deity answered. When Renzong awoke, his illness began to improve. He ordered a search of the Daoist Canon, which indeed recorded that General Ge was responsible for the Heavenly Gate. Renzong then bestowed a higher title on him and had a temple built in the capital. Unfortunately, no one at the time submitted a memorial explaining that this divine general also corresponds to the Shen Qi within the human body. Had people used this knowledge to regulate and nourish themselves, they could have strengthened their practice of caring for body and mind.

Although the three exalted deities appeared in different periods and bear different names, fundamentally they are one. They divide into the three primordial Qi—Mystery, Origin, and Beginning—and each governs the spirits associated with it. Practitioners, too, should nurture their own Shen and Qi to deepen their cultivation of self-care.

Although the three exalted deities have different names, they are in truth one. They divide into the three Qi of Mystery, Origin, and Beginning, each exercising its own governance. The Three Treasures—the three exalted deities revered in Daoism—are deities transformed from the three Qi and are said to “give rise to the three Qi.” Together, the three then give rise to the nine Qi. The nine Qi existed before the appearance of the vast cosmos, hidden within emptiness. They had neither light nor appearance, neither form nor name, and no color, pattern, or sound.

The three titles refer to the offices of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). Here, “year” means the year in which the five kalpas brought forth the opening of the world. Though the names differ, the principle they express is the same. First, the Qi of Mystery in its primal unity transformed into the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure. It then divided into the Qi of Origin and the Qi of Beginning in their primal unity, transforming into the Lord of the Numinous Treasure and the Lord of the Divine Treasure. Once the three Qi were complete, they gave rise to the nine Qi. The nine Qi then spread out and transformed into the myriad Qi, laying the foundation for the growth of all things. Before the nine Qi became manifest, their light remained concealed and their traces hidden, blended into one and beyond investigation.

The three Qi circulate and transform, governing the world and opening the wondrous Dao to its full expression. At the beginning of Heaven and Earth, the three colors were indistinct and undivided, appearing and disappearing by turns. As the flow of Qi moved onward and time ran its course, the three Qi finally revealed their radiance. The clear, light Qi rose and became Heaven, gathering Yang energy as it ascended. The condensed, heavy, turbid Qi settled below and became Earth. The nine Qi each took their proper place, and from them came the sun and moon, the stars, Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, humanity, and all things.

From the One, the three divide and transform into the Lord of the Divine Treasure. He sets in motion the mysterious, still, and subtle Qi of Origin, guides the transformations of Yin-Yang, brings to completion the work of nurturing and transforming all things, and governs the life and death of all beings in the world. The “three colors” refer to the Qi of Mystery as blue-green, the Qi of Origin as yellow, and the Qi of Beginning as white. Before the three Qi divide, they are at once present and absent; the potential for generation and transformation has already emerged, awaiting the right time to take form. Once the three Qi divide, Heaven and Earth are established, and humanity and all things begin to grow. Thus Heaven, Earth, humanity, and all things are seen to come from the same source: the Dao.

All transformations among the myriad things between Heaven and Earth would be impossible without the Three Primordials—the fundamental powers that bring Heaven and Earth into being—to nurture them, and the Nine Qi—the nine forms of primordial energy that generate the myriad things—to guide them. The Three Qi are the most exalted foundations of Heaven and Earth; the Nine Qi are the source from which the myriad things grow. When the Three Qi converge, they bring forth the power of transformation and generation. This is the pivot of Heaven and Earth’s operation.

The Three Primordials and the Three Qi are the origin of Heaven and Earth, and so they are called “the exalted.” They transform into the Nine Qi, setting Yin-Yang in motion and enabling the myriad things to grow, and so they are called “the root.” The “threefold union” means that the Three Qi gather and converge, bringing forth transformations without end and thereby accomplishing the generative power that gives rise to the myriad things. “Pivot” means the hinge or foundation. It accords with Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate, and is the fundamental point where Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) gather and meet.

A person is conceived in the mother’s womb, nurtured and sustained by the Three Primordials, while the Nine Qi coalesce to form the body. Thus, by the ninth month of pregnancy, when Shen (spirit) and Qi are fully present and primordial energy is abundant, the fetus can make a sound. This first cry signifies that spiritual awareness has taken shape, whereupon the Nine Heavens—the nine celestial realms in Daoist belief—celebrate together. Taiyi, the revered deity who governs the generation of life, holds the tally; the Lord Emperor determines the allotment of life; the Registrar records the name in the registers; the Director of Destiny sets the lifespan; the Five Emperors watch over the birth; the Holy Mother guards the birthing chamber; and the gods of Heaven and Earth, together with the divine beings of the Three Realms, all stand in protection.

In the courtyard, the Marshal of the Nine Heavens faces east and recites the Precious Chapter on the Generation of Life by the Nine Heavens nine times. When a boy is born, all the gods cry out “Respectfully!”; when a girl is born, they cry out “Reverently!” At a boy’s birth, the Director of Destiny responds with a respectful assent; at a girl’s birth, the Director of Destiny responds with reverent compliance. Only then can the infant be born. If the Marshal of the Nine Heavens does not proclaim the Mandate Chapter, and the gods do not cry “Respectfully!” or “Reverently!”, the infant cannot be born.

Human beings are the most spiritually endowed of all things. They receive the balanced and upright primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. Before birth, a person exists in a state of darkness and stillness. Then, stirred into life through responsive transformation, they enter the womb and gradually take on human form. The Qi of the Three Origins of Heaven and Earth is distributed among the body’s three Dantians (energy centers), where it governs human life. The Qi of the Nine Heavens gathers in succession, forming the hun and po souls, the five viscera, and the bones throughout the body, giving a person a complete physical form. Only after nine months, or two hundred and seventy days, when the number of three times nine is fulfilled, does the fetus separate from the mother. By then, voice, body, awareness, and primordial Qi are all present, and the Nine Heavens’ work of transforming life and bringing the spirits into being is complete. How could this not be cause for celebration?

According to the Mirror of Mystery, Taiyi is the great honored deity who governs longevity; he is also the Taiyi of the Shangqing Great Cavern, who holds talismanic commands and summons the hundred gods. The Imperial Lord is the Lord of the Myriad Spirits, responsible for judging the rank and allotted lifespan of all beings. The Director of Destinies is the Elder of the Center, named Li Mingchu and styled Xuanduqing; he is responsible for determining in advance how long each person will live. The Five Emperors govern the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), sending their true Qi into the human body. The Holy Mother refers to the Holy Mother of the Nine Heavens, a deity who governs the utmost Yin energy and delights in bringing all things to fruition; she therefore rebukes and restrains anything inauspicious. The Marshal of the Nine Heavens once administered and guarded the Jade Writ, facing east to recite the scriptures and thereby commune with the energy of birth.

All the gods sing their assent together and carry out their duties with reverence, as if welcoming a newborn with poems and rites, and using ritual objects such as the jade zhang tablet and the wawa tile to distinguish whether the child is a boy or a girl. If the Marshal of the Nine Heavens did not issue the Writ of Destiny, Heaven’s mandate could not be bestowed; if the gods did not sing their assent and carry it out, the order of Heaven could not flow. How, then, could a person be born? Human life is not easily obtained. How could we fail to strive to do good and safeguard the life Heaven has bestowed on us?

Fu Shan Zhenlü said that when a person does good, the yang spirits congratulate one another: “How joyful today is! We are in accord with the Way of Heaven through this person.” When a person does evil, the spirits lament to one another: “We failed to discern this person’s nature earlier and bestow their destiny properly; now we are all to fall together into the realm of darkness.” Su Dongpo and Chen Lüchang wrote in their “Poem on Abstaining from Killing”: “Before we had even seen Wang Wuzi, the spirits were already weeping for him while he was still alive.” This expresses the same idea.

The “Writ of Destiny” is the life mandate bestowed on a person by Heaven. As the Book of Documents says, “The August Lord on High sent down good nature to the people below.” The Doctrine of the Mean likewise says, “What Heaven mandates is called nature.” Heaven does not speak, but entrusts the power of creation and nurture to the Jade Writ; hence it is called the “Writ of Destiny.”

When a person regains human form and is born into the human world, it is like being washed by the sun, enough to stir Heaven and Earth. This blessing is supremely precious, beyond words. Even if the perfected beings of Heaven, the spirits of Earth, and all the gods of the Three Realms came together, they would not look down on such a birth. A person’s body at birth is not lowly.

Therefore, people should care for their physical form, preserve their spirit, cherish their original Qi—the vital breath that sustains life—and strengthen the root of life. In this way, they can avoid death and the decay of the physical form, and ultimately become immortals. Their physical form and souls ascend together to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest heavens in Daoism. This happens because they unite with the Three Qi, the three original energies that constitute Heaven, Earth, and all things, and the Nine Qi, the nine energies between Heaven and Earth, gather within them.

Yet although people receive life, they do not know how to cherish their original Qi, physical form, life, and spirit. As a result, they bring death and the decay of the physical form upon themselves, and depart from their original true nature.

The human body has birth and death, but true nature has neither. Once people are born into human form and receive life, if they fail to cherish their original Qi, physical form, life, and spirit, they bring death and the decay of the physical form upon themselves and depart from their original true nature.

Human beings experience birth and death, but their original nature does not. Those who can transcend birth and death have probably heard the Dao and seen their nature. Ordinary people have not yet shed their long accumulated habits, and are still pulled by the force of karma, lingering in dark realms. At times, they must also repay karmic debts to one another. When karmic retribution has run its course, their good nature does not disappear. If they are reborn as human beings, they must first go to the sun to cleanse their bodies.

The dwelling on the sun is called the “Palace of Dongyang.” Within it is a pool of flowing fire, containing “Yellow Flower True Water.” The divine beings there also use this water to bathe their bodies. The phrase “Yellow Flower washes the form” in the Writings on the Simple Proclamation of Longevity refers to this.

To regain a human body takes many stages and involves changes that shake heaven and earth. How could this be regarded as something cheap and commonplace? If one can cultivate and nurture the original Shen, return life to its root, restore simplicity, and unite with the “Three Qi” and “Nine Qi” (different levels of primordial energy described in Daoist teachings), then body and consciousness may ascend together and reach the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest celestial realm revered in Daoism. If one does not strive in cultivation, one will ultimately fall into death and decline—a truly lamentable fate.

Ouyang Wenzhong, also known as Ouyang Xiu, never practiced the teachings of Huang-Lao during his life. In his later years, while serving in Bozhou, he suddenly came to an understanding. One day, he asked the reclusive master of Shitang about the Dao. The master replied, “Your dwelling is already in ruins, so it is difficult to speak of these matters now. Yet if you can understand what happened before, there may still be hope.” Ouyang’s writing and achievements were unmatched in his time. Surely he had the capacity to receive the Daoist teachings? He had simply lost the opportunity too early. Even so, the key to understanding the Great Dao lies in realizing one’s nature, but this must be grounded in nourishing the foundation of life. If one cannot honor original Qi, cherish the body, preserve life, and care for the spirit, but lets oneself grow old until the “Mercury” within dries up and the “Lead” is spent (terms in Daoist Neidan that represent the depletion of the body’s Jing and Qi), then the foundation of life has already weakened and one’s true nature has grown dim. To begin cultivation at that point is like digging a well only after becoming thirsty—is that not too late?

The Scripture of the Nine Heavens on the Generation of Shen is a patterned sound formed through the union of the three kinds of transcendent, mysterious Qi of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), condensed into numinous writing. It brings together the hundred spirits and contains hidden sounds and inner names. Formed as life-giving Qi gathers and takes shape, its verses arise spontaneously from nature.

“Flying Mystery” refers to the primordial Qi (the source energy in Daoist thought) rising through the vastness of space and blending the Three Caverns (the three main divisions of Daoist scriptures) to form scripture. Its sounds ring clear as metal and stone, gathering the ceaseless vitality of Heaven and Earth. The scripture contains the names of the hundred spirits within the body. When it is recited, the spirits hear their names being called and gather in response, enabling the person to attain numinous communication. The Scripture of the Jade Pivot says: “There are nine numinous beings within the body—why not summon them? Summoning them brings good fortune. There are three essences within the body—why not call to them? Calling to them brings blessings and joy.”

When the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure recites the Jade Chapter, he can open the light of Heaven and Earth. When the Lord of the Numinous Treasure recites it, he can awaken souls from the long darkness of the Nine Abysses (the depths of the underworld). When the Lord of the Divine Treasure recites it, he can command the myriad spirits. When Taiyi (a revered Daoist deity) recites it, all the gods within the body are brought together. There are three essences within the body—why not call to them? Calling to them brings blessings and joy.

When the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure recites it, he can open the light of Heaven and Earth. When the Lord of the Numinous Treasure recites it, he can awaken souls from the long darkness of the Nine Abysses. When the Lord of the Divine Treasure recites it, he can command the myriad spirits. When Taiyi recites it, all the gods within the body are brought together. When the Imperial Lord recites it, he can coalesce the physical form. When the Nine Heavens recite it, a person can be born. When a practitioner of the Dao recites it, they can ascend to the heavens.

The Three Treasure Lords recite the Jade Chapter to proclaim the mysteries of the Great Dao. The Taiyi mentioned here is the Primordial Lord Taiyi; the Imperial Lord is the Imperial Lord Taiyi. Although the Jade Chapter consists of just one text, it is recited by different beings, each acting in accordance with their own cultivation of Dao and De and their own powers. Thus, the depth of its opening, instruction, and numinous response varies.

When ghost spirits hear the Jade Chapter, they can rise to a higher station; when ordinary people hear it, they can live on for a long time; when wandering souls hear it, they can be delivered; when withered and decayed things hear it, they can turn into vapor; when infants hear it, they can begin to speak; and when the bones of the dead hear it, they can be restored to human form.

“Ghost spirits” here is a general term for ghosts of different ranks.

When ghost spirits hear the Jade Chapter, they can rise to a higher station; when ordinary people hear it, they can live on for a long time; when wandering souls hear it, they can be delivered; when withered and decayed things hear it, they can turn into vapor; when infants hear it, they can begin to speak; and when the bones of the dead hear it, they can be restored to human form.

Ghostly spirits refers to officials of the underworld. The Scripture of the Precious Sword of Flying Immortals records that Xiao Miao was talented and renowned. He became a benevolent ghost official, but it took four hundred years before he could serve as a ruler of the underworld. Those who hear this scripture today need not wait so long to hope for advancement. Ordinary people have all six desires; if hearing the scripture brings them to purity and stillness, they can live long in this world. Wandering souls are ghosts imprisoned in hell. Hearing this scripture gives them the chance to be saved. Zhang Lihua’s prayer for a divine chapter, hoping that the dead might be delivered, refers to just such a case. Withered wood means rotten trees and dead grass; “sending up smoke” means that primordial Qi, the vital energy at the source of life, begins to arise again. Hui Xian used the elixir method south of Yueyang city to bring an old tree back to life; this is the kind of event in question. When an infant can speak, it shows that the bodily apertures have opened and intelligence has emerged. The restoration of a dead skeleton to human form follows the same principle. Xu Jia had been reduced to dry bones, but the Old Lord revived him with the Taixuan Life-Giving Talisman. This is precisely the sort of case being described.

The wondrous, profound Three Treasures are the root from which all things grow. These truths, therefore, are beyond the knowledge of ghosts and spirits, much less something ordinary people can understand merely by hearing of them.

The Jade Chapter is a scripture cherished by the Three Noble Lords, revered deities, and serves as the root from which all things come into being. When one probes its profound principles, even efficacious ghosts and spirits cannot hear them—how much less can ordinary people?

Those who cultivate the Great Dao in its highest form yearn for immortality. Through practices such as corpse liberation, the Daoist transcendence that leaves the physical form behind, they ultimately return to the immortal Dao, uniting body and spirit so that they never part again and enter together into the reality of the Dao. Without this scripture, the embryo-origin remains blocked, death Qi congeals at the root, the true visions cannot be maintained, life Qi has no way to circulate, and the nine apertures close. The body cannot give rise to spirit; one is left with nothing but a physical form, seeming to live by the breath it holds. By cultivating this method, one may sit in stillness and attain the state of naturalness.

There are seven kinds of the way of the High Perfected, three kinds of the way of the Most High, six kinds of the way of the Middle Perfected, and eight kinds of the way of the Lower Perfected. The meaning of this chapter is the same as that of the Thirty-Nine Chapters of the Great Cavern Scripture. If an aspiring immortal’s cultivation is insufficient and they have not yet gone beyond the Three Realms, the most they can attain is corpse liberation: after the body dies, they depart from it by a special means and ascend to the immortal way. Although they cannot escape death and rebirth, they may ultimately return to the immortal way. To cherish the body and nourish the spirit is already to approach the Great Dao.

The Declarations of the Perfected records that some people appear alive even after death: their feet do not turn blue, their skin does not wrinkle, and their eyes remain bright. These are all signs of corpse liberation. Without the teachings described in this chapter, one has not obtained the essential methods of the Jade Chapter and the Great Cavern Scripture, and cannot cut away the impediments inherited through birth. The breath of death may then congeal at the root of one’s life, preventing the true radiance—the inner light and splendor of the spirits—from being preserved for long. Even if corpse liberation is attained, one is merely lodged temporarily in a body, like a withered tree briefly returning to life. Without fluids to nourish the body, one cannot remain for long.

To obtain this method means to master the key to bringing the hundred spirits into harmony. The human body is formed from the Three Qi, the three primordial energies that constitute the person. Having received these energies, one is connected with the Qi of the Primordial Beginning. Wherever primordial energy reaches, the spirits follow. At first, the Three Qi transform and give birth to three spirits, which divide into three divisions, eight radiances, and twenty-four spirits. If one can bring them together and transform them, the Three and Five Perfected can merge into one and return to the way of Orthodox Unity. One can then summon Yang Qi and draw in Yin Qi, moving in and out without fixed bounds. Yang Qi transforms into dragons and luan birds; Yin Qi transforms into jade maidens. Riding a swift wind chariot, they fly beyond the eight directions. By sitting in stillness, one can summon the power of nature. These teachings are no deception of those who cultivate the Dao.

The Three Treasures, the three most revered treasures of Daoism, are supreme, and the Perfected Ones of the Nine Heavens are most sacred. These methods are kept secret in the realm of Great Being, stored within nine tiers of golden registers and the jade terraces of purple Yang. The scriptures will not appear until Heaven and Earth are opened anew. They are forbidden texts of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, unknown even to ghosts and spirits. Anyone who steals them will suffer the torment of wind blades for countless kalpas, their souls extinguished and unable to be reborn. Those who respectfully practice them in accordance with the proper rules can become immortal in both body and spirit.

According to the Scripture of the Seven Transformations That Harm Heaven, the precious scriptures of Shangqing (the high celestial realm revered in Daoism) comprise three hundred scrolls; there are seven thousand chapters of jade instructions and seven thousand sections of Fulu (talismans and registers), as well as the Chapter of Naturalness. These scriptures are kept in secret in the Palace of Great Being above the Nine Heavens. The Ninefold Golden Shelves and the Purple-Yang Jade Terrace are also places where scriptures are stored. “Ninefold” means enclosed layer upon layer, while a “shelf” is something like a bookcase. The Scripture of the Dao Treasures mentions jade shelves and golden shelves. The books are concealed so securely that even ghosts and spirits dare not peep at them. When Heaven and Earth become clear and the mysterious influence of the Dao spreads through the world, the true texts and precious talismans will descend among humanity at the appointed time. Those who revere them over the long term will eventually grasp their principles, and may come to share the form and spirit of immortals.

The Three Origins Palace (the upper, middle, and lower celestial realms in Daoist cosmology) has long recorded the golden names and purple characters of certain people. In their next lives, these people are destined to become immortals in the service of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest deities revered in Daoism), and so they should receive this scripture. Those who are fated to encounter it should prepare gifts such as gold and silk, serve their masters and elders, and sincerely follow the way of the teacher. They should take an oath and receive the scripture according to the prescribed rites, gather their thoughts, carry out its teachings with reverence, and carefully keep it secret rather than revealing it lightly. Otherwise, they will face severe punishment. “Tested and punished by wind knives” refers to the body being tried and punished through the torment of wind knives.

The Three Yuan Assessments—the inspections of people’s merits and faults by the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water—concern not only the dead. Those who have attained the Dao and those who have not are also included. Only people whose names are written in gold and marked in purple are identified as practitioners who study the way of the immortals. The Daoist Canon records the categories of underworld offenses assessed by the Three Yuan, calling the register the “Black Ledger” (Molu). This is very different from the register of immortals, represented by names written in gold and marked in purple.

Long ago, Li Jue, a commoner from Jiangyang, had his merits and practice entered in the register of immortals. Although he had not yet ascended to immortality, his name had already been written in gold by an immortal official in the Huayang Grotto-Heaven, a legendary Daoist realm of the immortals. Such distinctions were not limited to the immortal world. When Emperor Yuan of Liang was still the Prince of Xiangdong, he ranked and recorded loyal ministers, righteous men, and people of exceptional literary talent. Those known for loyalty and filial devotion were written down with a gold tube, those outstanding in virtue with a silver tube, and those whose writing was elegant with a mottled bamboo tube; each group had its own distinction.

The point here is that only those with an innate affinity for immortality, whose names have been entered in the register of immortals, may receive and uphold the Jade Chapters, precious Daoist scriptures. They must observe ritual purification and offer gold and jewels to their master as an expression of sincerity; the scriptures must not be passed on casually. “Guarding the heart and putting the teachings into practice” means gathering the spirit, casting aside distracting thoughts, and quietly cultivating the teachings. Treating the scriptures lightly and divulging them brings calamity upon oneself.

The method of practice is as follows: observe a strict vegetarian fast for one thousand consecutive days and abstain from worldly affairs, so that all worldly entanglements and transgressions are cleared away. Recite calmly and in silence, burn incense, and observe the precepts. Enter the chamber facing east, click the teeth nine times, steady the voice and regulate the breath, then recite the precious chapters.

Fasting means focusing the mind and quieting the heart. The methods of cultivation generally require three years before one can hope to achieve results. Without fasting, thoughts and external things become entangled and contend with one another, like rushing wind and burning fire, never at rest for even a moment. After fasting, one must gather and order one’s thoughts until they become clear and still, merging with the Great Void, the boundless expanse of emptiness.

Daoist books record the “Eight Leaks,” eight ways in which the vital energies of body and mind are depleted: tears are called the Liver Leak, a runny nose the Lung Leak, spittle the Kidney Leak, sweating the Heart Leak, night sweats the Small Intestine Leak, drooling in sleep the Brain Leak, intercourse with ghosts in dreams the Spirit Leak, and lust the Body Leak. These forms of depletion cease when the mind and spirit become settled.

“Yi” means calm and peaceful. Silent recitation and visualization mean quietly repeating the Most True Dao in the heart and contemplating it inwardly. In the past, the immortal Ge Xianweng, revered in Daoism, fasted for a long time on Mount Tiantai. In less than a year, he made contact with the highest sages and received their attention and scrutiny. This was the response brought about by prolonged fasting.

On entering a quiet chamber, one faces east to accord with generative Qi, the energy that brings forth the myriad things. In tooth tapping, the sound made by the teeth on the left is called the “Heavenly Bell” and is used to drive away ghosts and spirits; the sound made by the teeth on the right is called the “Heavenly Chime” and is used to summon the hundred spirits; the sound made by tapping the upper and lower teeth together is called the “Heavenly Drum” and is used to pay homage to the True Sages. Tapping the teeth, burning incense, regulating the voice, and steadying the breath are all important methods for reciting scripture.

After reciting the scripture once, its sound reaches the Nine Heavens; after twice, Heaven and Earth both set out rites to welcome it; after three times, the Three Realms—the realms inhabited by spirits of Heaven, Earth, and Water—come to pay homage; after four times, the Heavenly King descends; after five times, the Five Emperors come to pay their respects to the True Sages; after six times, the demon kings restrain themselves; after seven times, the stars halt at their passes; after eight times, even dark places become bright; after nine times, the heavens descend, and all the spirits come to protect the practitioner.

This chapter speaks of the mystery by which Heaven and humanity communicate and become one: Heaven and humanity follow the same principle. My heart is the heart of Heaven and Earth; my Qi is light. After reciting the scripture nine times, the heavens descend, and all the spirits come to protect the practitioner.

This chapter explains that Heaven and humanity are connected, and that their underlying principle is one: the human mind is the mind of Heaven and Earth, and human Qi—the vital energy that makes life possible and drives the workings of Heaven and Earth—is the Qi of Heaven and Earth. When the mind is focused and sincere, the response to reciting a scripture carries outward. After a single recitation, its sound can ascend to the Nine Heavens.

Ancient people experienced similar responses. When Duke Jing of Song spoke a certain sentence, Yinghuo—the ancient name for Mars—moved away from its position. Shang Tang reflected on himself and reproached himself over six matters; afterward, heavy rain fell across an area thousands of li wide. If human sincerity can produce responses like these, how much more can reciting a scripture transformed from the Ancestral Qi, the Qi from which all things originate.

The Ancestral Qi transforms and gives rise to what is vast and boundless: from Heaven and Earth, the Three Realms, the stars, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), to demons beyond them, and the ghosts and spirits in the netherworld below. All divine beings spread forth and take form from it, each with its own place and its own distinctions of good and evil, rank, and status.

Different numbers of recitations also bring corresponding sacred responses. After two recitations, the heavenly gods and earthly spirits hear the scripture and show reverence. After three, the gods of the Three Realms come to the place of recitation and pay homage. After four, a Heavenly King descends. Daoist celestial gods bear titles such as “Dharma King” and “Heavenly King”; through ritual, practitioners summon them to descend. For example, the Immortal Elder Ge diligently cultivated purification rites, and thereby brought Perfected Xu to descend and transmit the scriptures and teachings.

After five recitations, the spirits who govern the Five Emperors and the Five Qi see where the true scripture is being recited and come to pay their respects. After six, the Yin-numbered Demon Kings—the great demons of the Six Heavens—hear the scripture, restrain themselves, and dare not intrude. Daoist Zhaijiao purification rituals include a method called “summoning demons,” used to drive away the demon host and make them obey commands.

After seven recitations, the stars cease their movement, as described in the Scripture of Salvation: the Jade Pivot stops turning and divine light becomes utterly still. After eight, light appears in dark places, symbolizing Yang Qi dispelling the darkness. After nine, the gods of the heavens descend and protect the reciter’s dwelling.

It is said that after Li Shun had recited the Scripture of the Great Cavern (Dadong Jing) with another person for three years, thousands of flying immortals suddenly gathered in the sky one night. Divine light illuminated the room, and he attained the Dao. These are all responses to accumulated merit: what seems still reveals wondrous change; what is silent and calm resounds like thunder. Such results are not deliberately sought, yet arise of their own accord.

The first step is to thoroughly open the celestial region so that the fetal source flows freely. The preceding discussion concerned external responses; here the focus is on internal practice, explaining the method of returning the elixir in the Great Cavern, a form of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation. The phrase “the fetal source flows freely” corresponds to the saying “Heaven One gives birth to Water.” A person receives form in the womb, beginning at the fetal source, the root of fetal development. The embryo gathers the Qi of Yellow Efflorescence, the primordial energy that nurtures life, which circulates and rises and descends within the body, each movement following its proper course. The impulse of life then gradually grows. If the fetal source is blocked, stagnation may result. When practitioners of the Dao begin cultivating Neidan, they must first settle their thoughts and breathing and gather their spirit. The lower pass of the Gate of Life, a key point associated with the root of life, then gradually opens and becomes unobstructed.

The second step passes through the Resonant Earth to loosen the root where the fetus has formed. “Earth Two gives birth to Fire” corresponds to the second lunar month, when the fetus first takes shape. At this stage, there is still concern that death Qi, the energy that obstructs vitality, may congeal at the root. True Qi, the primordial energy gained through cultivation, must therefore be used to warm and disperse it so that the fetus can continue to grow. The Scripture of the Cavern of Mystery from the Highest Clarity records that the Lord Emperor Taiyi, a Daoist deity, possessed a talisman for releasing the three passes and twelve knots. The talisman was written in cinnabar on the membrane of green bamboo, then activated through prayer to loosen the knots.

The third step passes through the Divine Rites to refine and nourish the Gate of the Soul. “Heaven Three gives birth to Wood” corresponds to the Hun in the human body. In the third month, Yin and Yang begin to differentiate, and the Hun accordingly takes on form. The Gate of the Soul lies on the left and belongs to Yang. At the third turn of elixir cultivation, Yang Qi is abundant. The practitioner gathers the spirit and draws it into the breath to nourish the Hun, and spiritual awareness gradually develops. The Azure Emperor, the deity of Wood in the East, protects the Hun, while Lord Wood, a Daoist deity, writes the talisman slips.

The fourth step brings the Heavenly King to summon the Immortals and close the Gate of the Po. “Earth Four gives birth to Metal” corresponds to the Po in the human body. In the fourth month, the Po begins to form. Its gate lies on the right and belongs to Yin. At the fourth turn of elixir cultivation, Yang Qi is used to nourish and subdue it, and the Gate of the Po closes.

“Earth, the fourth, gives birth to Metal” means that Earth is the fourth of the Five Phases and gives birth to Metal. In the human body, this corresponds to the Po (the spirit associated with the physical body). In the fourth month, the Po comes into being. The Po’s seat lies on the right side of the body and belongs to Yin. At the fourth turn of alchemical cultivation, Yang Qi must nourish Yin Qi, so that the Po and the Hun (the spiritual aspect of a person) can support one another.

In cultivation, the nose is used as the “Heavenly Aperture,” allowing the breath to reach the lungs. The lungs govern the Po. Practitioners should remain still and tranquil, and stop the breath from flowing in and out. This is called “closing the pass”: gathering the body and mind and preventing them from wandering outward. When the naturally generated water of the Flower Pool within the body has filled, it flows downward to moisten the heart channels. The Fire of the heart descends and the Water of the kidneys rises; Ding Fire and Ren Water work together to cultivate the Neidan (internal alchemy). Without closing the pass, the Hun becomes scattered and roams freely, coming and going with dreams, beyond restraint and acting as it pleases. In the end, it falls among the ranks of ghosts.

“Having passed the fifth stage, the Five Emperors pay homage to the True Realm, and the organs and bowels become clear and still” means that when cultivation passes beyond the fifth stage, the Five Emperors come to pay homage to the True Realm, and the organs and bowels become tranquil and at peace.

“Heaven, the fifth, gives birth to Earth” means that Heaven is the fifth and gives birth to Earth. In the fifth month, when the Qi of the Five Phases is abundant, the five organs and six bowels come into being. The five organs are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys; the six bowels are the small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, urinary bladder, and Triple Burner. “Cool and clear” here means quiet and harmonious, free from disturbance.

Those who cultivate the Dao cut off desires, so the kidneys do not leak Jing (essence). They remain silent, so the mind and spirit are not scattered. They regulate the breath, enabling the lungs to settle the Po. They look less at external things, allowing the liver to nourish the Hun. They concentrate their spirit and thought, allowing the spleen to settle intention. When the inner Yellow Qi flows freely and harmoniously, the Qi of Great Harmony is preserved, and spirit, Hun, Po, and intention gather into one. This is called “gathering the Five Phases.” When the Qi of the Five Phases rises to the Niwan (the upper Dantian in the head), this is called “paying homage to the True Realm.” Afterward, the Azure Emperor protects the Hun, the White Emperor attends the Po, the Red Emperor nourishes Qi, the Black Emperor circulates the blood, and the Yellow Emperor presides at the center, ensuring that each spirit remains in its proper place and none oversteps its bounds.

“Having passed the sixth stage, the Demon King submits and gives his assent, and fluids arise in the stomach” means that when cultivation passes beyond the sixth stage, the Demon King is subdued and gives his assent, and fluids are generated in the stomach.

The inner demons (here referring to the six desires) have yielded and been subdued. The scripture uses jade chapters—Daoist scriptures or formulas—to bring them under control, hence the saying that they submit. The stomach and spleen are interior and exterior counterparts. They store and receive food and drink, nourishing the five viscera. The Classic of Difficulties says that the Qi of the five viscera gathers in the stomach. Whether bodily fluids can moisten the body depends on a person’s thoughts. Once the six desires lead them astray and their thoughts lose the right path, all sorts of things occur: they salivate at the sight of food, shed tears when grief comes, sweat when ashamed, and feel Qi and blood surge upward when angry. Once these are expended, they are difficult to recover. The body loses its nourishment, and Jing, Qi, and Shen disperse with it, leaving only dry bones. This is the path toward death. When the six inner demons submit, thoughts are upright and the heart has a governing principle. Bodily fluids can then form in the stomach, nourish the limbs, and moisten the Cinnabar Cauldron—the Neidan site where Jing and Qi are cultivated. Jing, Qi, and Shen also gather and become concentrated. This is the state that leads toward life.

At the seventh passage, the stars shine brightly and the apertures open.

Heaven has the Seven Luminaries—the sun, moon, and five planets—and the human body has seven apertures: the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and mouth. By the seventh month, all seven apertures have opened, governing sight and hearing, as well as eating, breathing, and the passage in and out of the body. Some also say that intelligence comes from the heart, and that seven corresponds to the number of Fire. The exceptionally intelligent have seven openings in the heart and are therefore perceptive; the dull have fewer openings, or none yet open, and are consequently clouded and confused. In Neidan cultivation, the seven transformations open the successive passes and apertures, allowing the movement of Qi to flow freely up and down, clear and unobstructed. The Classic of the Heart Seal says: “The seven apertures communicate with one another, and each shines with its own light. The sacred sun and sacred moon illuminate the Golden Court.”

At the eighth passage, light appears in the dark of night; the Three Sections and Eight Radiant Visions—the three regions of the body and the corresponding divine manifestations—are complete and in proper order, and body and Shen-Qi are harmonized and fully present.

Yan Luozhi says, “‘The spirits of the eight months’ refers to the spirits within the body being divided into three regions: upper, middle, and lower. The Zhongmeng Register records eight spirits in the upper region: the spirit of the hair, the brain, the eyes, the nose, the ears, the mouth, the tongue, and the teeth. The middle region has eight spirits: the lungs, the heart, the liver, the spleen, the left kidney, the right kidney, the gallbladder, and the throat. The lower region also has eight spirits: the stomach, the large intestine, the small intestine, the torso, the chest and diaphragm, the two flanks, the left Yin and left Yang, and the right Yin and right Yang. Together, the three regions contain twenty-four spirits, corresponding to the Qi of the twenty-four solar terms.

The brain spirit governs the spirits of the upper region and should be visualized at dawn; the heart spirit governs those of the middle region and should be visualized at noon; and the kidney spirit governs those of the lower region and should be visualized at midnight. “Visualization” means contemplating the corresponding spirits inwardly and focusing on them during cultivation. After eight sessions of this practice, when the work is nearing completion, the body will naturally emit light, illuminating both dark and visible places. The spirits of the Three Regions and Eight Radiances will also be fully and orderly aligned, without slackening. The Scripture for the Salvation of Humanity says, “The Eight Radiances unite in mystery; Qi enters the profound and mysterious.” This means that the spirits of the Eight Radiances unite in subtle obscurity, and Qi enters a realm of profound mystery.

After nine sessions of cultivation, the spirits of the heavens descend into the body. The Three Passes, Five Viscera, Six Bowels, Nine Palaces, Golden Towers and Jade Chambers, twelve layered gates, Purple Doors and Jade Latches, and all thirty-six thousand joints throughout the body—from root to source—each give rise to spirits at once. Images of palaces, chambers, and gates are used here to depict the body’s interior and express a state of visualization in which spirits pervade the whole body.

The Yellow Court calls the mouth the “Heavenly Gate.” The hands are what is described in the passage: “Golden Towers and Jade Chambers, twelve layered gates, Purple Doors and Jade Latches, thirty-six thousand joints; from root to source, all give rise to spirits at once.”

The Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting Jing) calls the mouth the Celestial Gate, the hands the Human Gates, and the feet the Terrestrial Gates. It also calls the area below the brain the Upper Gate, the two armpits the Middle Gates, and the paired inner kidneys the Lower Gates. The organs are explained in the notes above.

The Scripture of the Nine Palaces and True Caverns (Jiugong Dongzhen Jing) says: Three fen inward from the space between the eyebrows is the Palace of the Twin Elixirs. One cun farther in is the Palace of the Luminous Hall; at three cun is the Palace of the Dantian, also called the Muddy Pellet Palace. At four cun is the Palace of the Flowing Pearl, and at five cun is the Imperial Palace. One cun above the Palace of the Luminous Hall is the Palace of the Celestial Court; one cun above the Cavern Chamber Palace is the Palace of Utmost Truth; one cun above the Palace of the Dantian is the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir; and one cun above the Palace of the Flowing Pearl is the Palace of the Great Sovereign.

The Golden Tower is the throat, also called the Layered Tower. Within the throat are twelve pavilion wardens, who hold jade halberds and guard the passage of breath upward and downward. The Scripture of the Yellow Court says: “Within the Layered Tower are twelve rings; from top to bottom, each is a perfected one.” Here, “perfected one” refers to a Daoist practitioner who has perfected the Way, or to a spirit.

The Jade Chamber is another name for the Palace of the Brain; the Scripture of the Yellow Court calls it the Jade Room. As for the Purple Portal, the Middle Scripture of the Plain Numinous (Suling Zhongpian) says that within the space between the eyebrows are the Purple Portal and the Cavern Chamber, guarded outside by the Emperor of the Myriad Spirits, Fengling Fan. The Jade Union is the Jade Hall, that is, the Lower Dantian (the lower energy center). There are eighteen thousand Yang spirits and eighteen thousand Yin spirits, thirty-six thousand in all.

This passage describes how, in the mother’s womb, the body and breath gradually change, until, upon reaching maturity in the ninth month, the myriad spirits within the body are born at once. The same is true of practitioners who cultivate through nine revolutions: the sacred embryo—the inner embryo formed through cultivation—reaches completion, and the myriad energies return to the realm of the immortals.

Recite it nine times to complete one cycle. Once a cycle is complete, the Three Realms—the different levels of existence, including Heaven, Earth, and the human world—will all register his name. The Five Emperors, deities who govern the five directions and oversee rebirth, will recognize and accept him, calling him a Perfected One. Recite it for ten cycles, and he will be able to connect with primordial Qi, command the myriad spirits, win the Demon King’s recommendation, and have his name entered among the heavens of the Upper Realm. Recite it for a hundred cycles, and he will be able to communicate with the gods and spirits and naturally attain what he seeks. The god Taiyi will grant him a talismanic mandate, and the Primordial Goddess will arrange his rebirth. Recite it for a thousand cycles, and he will reach the realm of the gods and spirits: even while seated, he will be able to travel freely and appear or vanish at will. Immortal boys and jade maidens will answer his commands and travel east and west. Recite it for ten thousand cycles, and his cultivation will be complete. He will ride a dragon chariot and ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

“Names recorded throughout the Three Realms” means that the Three Realms, including Heaven and the human world, all praise his virtue. “The Five Emperors” refers to the deities who govern the five directions and oversee rebirth. After a thousand cycles, he will reach the realm of the gods and spirits, with immortal boys and jade maidens answering his commands and traveling east and west. After ten thousand cycles, his cultivation will be complete, and he will ride a dragon chariot to ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity have all recorded his name. The gods in Heaven and the people in the human world alike praise his De.

The “Five Emperors” are gods who govern the five kinds of primordial Qi in the five directions. “Youbie” means that a practitioner’s good deeds are recorded, that he is regarded as a friend, and that he is distinguished from ordinary people. “Refining the body into Qi” means refining and cultivating oneself until the body is transformed into Qi; such a person is called a “Perfected One.” “Qi flowing through the body ten times” means that Daoist Qi circulates throughout the body, thereby subduing ghosts and spirits.

A beginner in Daoist cultivation will be tested by demon kings. If he withstands these trials without turning back, the demon kings will recommend him, and he will be entered in the registers of Heaven; only then is he considered to have attained the Dao. “Communing with spirits” means displaying supernatural powers that take ever-changing forms, without relying on deliberate thought, but arising naturally—for example, summoning the divine troops of the Six Jia to provide food and drink.

In “The Talisman of the Great One’s Deliverance,” the “Great One” is the lord of the gods, while the “talisman” is a metaphor for the numinous Qi within the human body. The Scripture on Delivering Humanity (Duren Jing) says, “He oversees the registers and safeguards the root of life.” Primordial Lady is a title for female immortals; it also refers to the maternal source of Qi within the human body. The Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue (Daode Jing) says, “Only I am different from other people: what I prize is seeking nourishment from the mother.”

After a thousand repetitions of cultivation, one can reach spiritual subtlety. Once the practice is perfected, its wondrous effects are beyond measure, and supernatural powers can appear whether one is sitting or standing. The Immortal Youths and Jade Maidens obey the practitioner’s commands because he maintains the method of the “Three Ones.” The Perfect Scripture of the Mysterious Elixir in the Shangqing Hall of Light says that when a Daoist practitioner employs the Supreme method of summoning the “Three Ones” to guard the body, he can meet a Perfected One, commune with spirits, see clearly through all things, display supernatural powers while sitting or standing, and command the Six Ding spirits. The Supreme Emperor will also bestow twelve young maidens upon him to attend at his side. After ten thousand repetitions of cultivation, his mind and spirit merge completely with the scripture. He can then ride clouds and dragons and wander in leisure in the realm of Great Clarity.

“Ascending at dawn” means rising aloft on the pure Qi of early morning while visualizing the Great One united with oneself. Practitioners often choose this hour to perform their rites. The Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting Jing) says, “Once the feathered robes are properly arranged, the winds of the eight directions come to serve. Ride the Three Sublimities and ascend upon the clouds of dawn.”

This concludes the upper scroll of the Commentary on the Scripture of the Nine Heavens on the Natural Generation of the Spirits of the Cavern Mystery and the Numinous Treasure (Dongxuan Lingbao Ziran Jiutian Shengshen Zhang Jing Zhu).

The middle scroll of the Commentary on the Scripture of the Nine Heavens on the Natural Generation of the Spirits of the Cavern Mystery and the Numinous Treasure

Further commentary by Huayang.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was then dwelling quietly in a secluded place, resting and nourishing his spirit amid the Cloud Palace, Yellow Chamber, and curtains of seven treasures. He calmly nurtured his original nature and refined true Qi in the realm of azure emptiness. He carefully savored wisdom that penetrated the hidden and subtle, and devoted himself to investigating the principles by which spirits are generated. He perceived the subtle truths deep within the Great Hun, then gave a long, resonant cry to open his heart and make his inner state clear and spacious.

Here, “azure emptiness” refers to the Qi of the Primordial Azure Heaven; the “Cloud Palace, Yellow Chamber, and curtains of seven treasures” are the majestic dwelling of the celestial palace. “Quietly nourishing one’s original nature” means calmly cultivating one’s true self, while “refining the true” means cultivating true Qi. “Savoring” and “examining deeply” both mean carefully considering and investigating; “penetrating wisdom” refers to the profound meanings found in Daoist books. “Perceiving the subtle principles within the Great Hun” means discerning the hidden truths that are difficult to see within the Great Hun. “A resonant cry that opens the heart” means giving a long cry to release the heart and make the numinous mind open and clear.

At that time, the Great Flying Celestial, the King of Limitless Spirits, the Jade Assistant High Minister, and the four attendant Dawn Officials were all beside the Celestial Worthy. They fasted and purified their minds. The Spirit King held a tally of authority and stood respectfully in attendance. Looking up at the Celestial Worthy’s jade-clear countenance, the Spirit King was moved inwardly. When he raised his eyes and met the Celestial Worthy’s numinous gaze, his heart opened at once. He revered the divine chapters and heard the celestial voice, as if receiving new life through them. Seizing the moment, he grasped their deeper meaning; daring to receive the Celestial Worthy’s attention, he opened his heart and stated the wish he had held for so long.

The Spirit King, the High Minister, and the Dawn Officials were all close attendants of the Celestial Worthy. “Four Coordinators” is another name for the “Four Assistants”: the ministers who serve as the Former Doubter, Rear Minister, Left Assistant, and Right Aide. “Purifying the mind through fasting” means fasting with an open mind while awaiting instruction; “holding the tally” means carrying an authority tally and acting under orders. “Numinous gaze” and “numinous glance” describe a look that shines everywhere.

At this time, the Great Flying Immortal, the Limitless Divine King, came forward, bowed, and said to the Celestial Worthy: “I am fortunate to behold and serve your numinous carriage. You did not abandon me for my limited talents and understanding. Instead, you allowed me to cleanse the stains of my heart at the Ford of the Dark Sea—the remote realm of mystery—and once again realize the Way of profound mystery. I now hold the rank of Divine King, oversee life and death, command the celestial immortals, and carry out your orders to reward and supervise those who have attained the seven stages of cultivation. I watch over the four directions from afar and serve the High Minister in harmony, working in concert with the Spirit Attendant of Dawn.”

The commentator explains: The Divine King says that, despite his limited talents and understanding, he was fortunate to cleanse the stains of his heart at the Ford of the Dark Sea and again penetrate the profound Way. His words about overseeing life and death describe his duties. “Rewarding and supervising the seven awakenings” means that, by command of the Celestial Emperor, he grants blessings to and supervises those who cultivate the Dao. Xiao Zhenyou says that the seven signs described in the Scripture on Numinous Treasure’s Settled Contemplation are: first, the mind and spirit grow calm, making worldly troubles and desires easier to discern; second, old illnesses recede, and body and mind become light and refreshed; third, what has been depleted is replenished, restoring one’s years of life; fourth, one attains longevity without losing one’s sight, and is called an immortal; fifth, one refines the body into Qi (the vital energy of life, as understood in Daoism), and is called a perfected person; sixth, one refines Qi into spirit, and is called a divine person; seventh, one refines the spirit and unites with the Dao, becoming a realized person. “In harmony” means to serve the High Minister respectfully and harmoniously. The Divine King’s duty is to do so, just as the Spirit Attendant of Dawn works in concert with the High Minister.

“Now is the time to seize the moment and fulfill the occasion: to tread the realm of the Nine Suns, among the nine heavens; to discern and carry out the hidden talismanic commands; and to govern the myriad people with a steady hand. A great cosmic calamity is approaching. Its cycle will end in the year Jiashen. Floodwaters will wash away defilement, and disaster will spread to the edge of the heavens. The Three Officials, who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, will take up their writing brushes to record events, distinguish among the kinds of beings, and assess merit and fault, so that good and evil each receive their just verdict.”

“Ji” is the occasion when something begins; “hui” is an encounter, and “lü” is putting something into practice. “Nine” refers to Yang Qi reaching its fullest extent, flowing freely without obstruction. “Register” refers to the record of names and status. The passage says that when Yang Qi reaches its fullest extent, Yin Qi then arises, and people enter the Yin register, where they are recorded by the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The Three Officials examine them with their writing brushes, distinguish the good and evil deeds each person has done over a lifetime, and bestow blessings or misfortunes accordingly.

“Seed people,” Xiao Zhenyou explains, refers to the Four Brahma Heavens, also called the “Four Heavens of the People.” They lie above the Twenty-Eight Heavens and are untouched by the Three Calamities. The King of the Gods took pity on people suffering through the floods of that time, and so seized the opportunity to request scriptures, proclaim the power of the Dao, and save the people.

From the Red Radiance era—the period when the Lingbao scriptures transformed and saved the people—to the first year of the August Sovereign, when the Shenbao scriptures appeared, the Register in the Jade Casket of Primordial Yang records that 240,000 people were to receive salvation. Primordial Yang was an official post in the Purple Tenuity Palace. The Jade Casket of the Ninefold Darkness contains the statutes of the Luminous Truth, used to record people’s merits and faults; those who received salvation were all people who had done good.

After the Kaihuang era, in the year jiashen, the heavens began selecting officials for the ranks of immortals. Vacancies had opened in the offices of the immortal realm, and there were too few officials; even unoccupied posts required candidates to fill them.

Kaihuang is the name of a heavenly tribulation era that came after the August Sovereign. Lord Dinglu said, “Yesterday, Donghua summoned the various Lords of Destiny, local Earth Spirits, and divine officials in charge of affairs. They inspected and assessed the registers and found that few people in the world had done good. Fifty kinds of offices all need candidates to fill them.”

Kaihung, the name of a celestial kalpa, comes after the Era of the August Sovereigns. Lord Dinglu said, “Yesterday, the Sovereign Lord of Donghua summoned the Lords of Fate, the local earth spirits, and the officials in charge of various affairs to inspect and review the registers. They found that very few people in the world do good: fewer than one in fifty, let alone those who attain immortality. Posts among the immortal officials lie vacant, with no one qualified to fill them; even the idle officials in the various departments are negligent in their duties. Those found at fault in the review are demoted: high immortals become lower immortals, and lower immortals are reduced to underworld wardens. They are given the chance to amend their ways, repent, and cultivate diligently; afterward, they may still regain their former posts.

“Once, the Lady of the Upper Origin held the rank of Primordial Sovereign, but she was not diligent in carrying out the duties entrusted to her by the Celestial Emperor. She delayed important work and showed disrespect. At court assemblies and banquets she failed to observe proper conduct, and she carelessly disclosed the hidden treasures of Heaven. For this, she was demoted to a lower Perfected One, struck from the register of Perfected Sovereigns, and stripped of her office as an immortal in the Purple Void. This shows that promotions and demotions among immortal officials are carried out without the slightest error.

“According to the Record of Jade Calendars of Primordial Yang, the celestial register of immortal officials and their duties, candidates are to be selected anew within three generations: those with aspiration who have long performed good deeds and earned merit, have been recommended by the Three Realms and protected by the Five Emperors, and have their names entered in the registers of Heaven. One hundred thousand are to be chosen to fill posts among the immortal officials. Another one hundred and twenty thousand are to serve as reserve officials, deputies and candidates awaiting appointment.

“The ‘Jade Coffer’ mentioned earlier is used to examine the souls of the dead. The ‘Jade Calendar’ mentioned here records the duties of immortal officials. ‘Three generations’ means that good deeds have been accumulated across the generations of one’s ancestors, parents, and oneself. Those whose families have earned merit over generations should be selected for service as immortal officials. ‘Reserve officials’ are deputies and candidates awaiting appointment.

“Under this method of selection, some are chosen because their names have long been recorded in the Mysterious Chart, the register of immortals in Heaven. Sima Ziwei, for example, has his name recorded in the immortal register at the Vermilion Terrace and Crimson Palace.

“Others are chosen because their bone structure and features accord with the signs of one destined to become an immortal. A person who receives the pure and clear Qi of Heaven and Earth and is naturally unlike ordinary people—bearing features such as a crane’s neck, tortoise’s cheeks, jade-green pupils, and double ankles, and displaying an ethereal bearing that rises above the clouds—is said to possess the ‘vessel’ suited to cultivating the Dao, and is therefore fit for selection.

“Still others are chosen because they have undergone deliverance beyond death—that is, left the world and passed beyond it—and, through the workings of affinity and cause, have been reborn in the cycle of reincarnation…”

Even if a practitioner dies before completing the work of cultivation, this is still called “release from mortality.” They can be reborn and rise to the rank of an immortal official. Long ago, a man named Zheng Ren, courtesy name An, was born in Chanli. He could speak at three days old and could also recall his previous life. At twelve, his face shone with a jade-like radiance, so he left home to cultivate in the mountains and forests. Later, he attained release from mortality in the land of A in Northern Rong. In the end, he realized the fruit of the Dao and was honored as the “Elder Lord of Cinnabar Radiance.”

Some people devote themselves wholeheartedly to the Three Treasures of the Dao: the Dao, the scriptures, and the teacher. Their good deeds and merit can reach the heavenly realm. The “Three Treasures” here are the Treasure of the Dao, the Treasure of the Scriptures, and the Treasure of the Teacher: the root of the Dao, the scriptures that transmit the Dao, and the teachers who pass on its methods. A student who recites the scriptures to understand the Great Dao and helps those who have not yet grasped it understand the teachings is showing steadfast faith in the Three Treasures.

The Scripture of the Hidden Treasury of Truth says: When greed subsides and the mind returns to stillness, remains free of worldly entanglements, and observes the precepts without lapse, this is called the “Treasure of the Dharma.” When anger does not arise, one is not provoked by external things, and no deluded thoughts flow through meditation, this is called the “Treasure of the Teacher.” When the mind is free of delusive grasping, without distress or anxiety, and wisdom flows unobstructed, this is called the “Treasure of the Dao.” When the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion are eliminated, the Three Treasures naturally become manifest, and one’s good deeds and merit can then reach the heavenly realm.

Some people make offerings to the Treasure of the Teacher and are therefore praised and recommended by the Three Officials. Teachers are responsible for transmitting the Great Dao, establishing its teachings, and explaining the scriptures. Since ancient times, no immortal or sage has attained deliverance without following a teacher. Even ordinary people rely on teachers to learn a craft, so how could one fail to respect, trust, and make offerings to a teacher? Those who serve their teachers diligently and sincerely, and faithfully follow their instructions and precepts, deserve the praise and recommendation of the Three Officials.

Some people practice purification rites, uphold the precepts, accumulate merit, and thereby attune themselves to the Dao.

Those who observe the fast should set their thoughts in order, curb their craving for flavors, and preserve their original nature. Keeping the precepts means following rules such as the Nine Precepts of the Lingbao and the Ten Precepts of Zhengyi. By practicing them over a long time without slackening, one can accumulate merit.

Li Changling said, “Good deeds actually carried out each day are called ‘merit’; making fresh progress each day is called ‘virtue.’” To attain the rank of a Celestial Immortal requires 1,300 good deeds. Doing one each day, this can be completed in four years. To attain the rank of an Earth Immortal requires 300 good deeds; doing one each day, this can be completed in a year. Yet many people give up halfway. Have they never heard the stories of drilling through stone and bowing to a tree?

The Primordial Lady of Purple Emptiness said: “Long ago, when Master Fu was young, he loved the Daoist arts. He entered the stone chamber on Jiao Mountain and practiced there for seven years. Later, he met the Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate. The Perfected gave him a wooden drill and told him to bore through a stone five feet thick, adding, ‘When you have drilled through it, I will come to guide you.’ Master Fu persevered without faltering for forty-seven years. At last the stone was pierced, and the Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate indeed came to receive him.”

The Lady of Mount Heng said: “Long ago, a man resolved to cultivate the Dao but did not know how to seek it. Every morning and evening, he bowed to a withered tree, keeping this up for twenty-eight years. Suddenly the tree blossomed, and from its flowers flowed a nectar-like liquid. The man gathered the blossoms and drank the liquid, and in the end attained long life.”

Alas, plants and stones have no awareness, yet through a person’s perseverance they can still respond. How much more can observing the fast and keeping the precepts, while accumulating merit, move the high perfected ones and divine spirits to respond?

One may also give away money and possessions, distribute wealth, and build a Daoist hall. The value of accumulating wealth lies in being able to give it away to help others. Otherwise, one is merely storing up possessions for one’s descendants, inviting people of discernment to laugh in vain. As for building a Daoist hall…

Those who accumulate wealth and manage property are best served by using it to give generously and relieve need. Otherwise, they are simply inviting thieves upon themselves and drawing the ridicule of discerning people. Building Daoist halls and temples, enshrining sacred images, and teaching scriptures can awaken people to goodness. The Scripture on the Original Manifestation of the Wondrous Dharma says that the Perfected One of Great Mystery and Purple Void became a Perfected One because, in a former life, he built a Daoist sanctuary to welcome the worthy and gather the immortals, copied scriptures in many places, and provided food for purification rituals and clothing year after year without fail. This account is preserved in the treasured collection of Daoist scriptures and is indeed credible.

One may also aid the poor and carry people across to deliver both heavenly beings and humankind.

Everyone has a compassionate heart. How could we bear to see people in poverty and refuse to help them? We should give relief according to our means. In the past, Zhou Xihua delighted in giving, and never slackened even when poverty and hardship weighed on him. The Perfected One Zhi Guan appeared as a beggar to test him. Zhou Xihua willingly gave alms, and that very day was delivered and made a Perfected One of the Western Florescence. During the Shengli era of the Song, a great famine struck Zizhou. The True Lord Who Blesses the Sages appeared as an old man selling steamed wild duck meat, saving many lives. At the end of the Jianlong era, famine struck Hebei Circuit. The True Lord appeared again, this time as a merchant, and brought 150,000 hu of millet and wheat into the city, then suddenly vanished. The local authorities used the grain to provide famine relief, extending aid to neighboring prefectures as well. The True Lord already ranked among the exalted Perfected Ones, yet still performed such good deeds. His benevolent heart, devoted to protecting life, moved without cease, like the operation of Heaven’s Dao.

In another instance, Huang Jianji mixed coarse grain into the rice he sold but did not raise its usual price. The True Lord of the Purple Abode therefore bowed to him and seated him above Prefect Zhang Guaya. Wang Shiliang laid out rice to dry and let those in charge of drying it measure out what they needed. With just one remark from him, a timely rain fell. Their meritorious deeds were both remarkable. If virtuous people act in this way, how could we fail to strive to follow their example? “Carrying and ferrying across” means sustaining all things as the earth does and conveying people across as a boat does.

One may also serve as one of the Three Masters; when one’s cultivation of merit is complete, the heavenly officials will record one’s name.

The “Three Masters” are the scripture master, the register master, and the ordination master. In accordance with ritual rules and regulations, the Three Masters deliver the living and the dead. Those who study the Dao follow the methods they transmit, promote Daoism, and establish meritorious works. As their accumulated merit reaches completion, the heavenly officials enter their names in the registers.

The Three Offices of Heaven, Earth, and Water jointly examine and verify the registers of each person’s merits and faults. Only after their records have been compared and found to agree do they enter each person’s name and allotted lifespan. Entries follow an order and are distinguished by rank; not even the smallest detail is overlooked.

The Three Offices govern the Nine Palaces, and their subordinate agencies comprise a total of seventeen bureaus and 120 departments. The left side belongs to Yang and is the Palace of Life; the right side belongs to Yin and is the Palace of Death. The left bureau records merits in blue registers, while the right bureau records faults in black registers. If someone has both transgressions and blessings or virtues, that person is not assigned to just one department. The periods of examination may be three, nine, or twenty-four years. Once the documents of the Three Offices have been checked against one another and found to agree, the corresponding names and allotted lifespans are entered. Good deeds that have not yet accumulated sufficiently are also recorded in advance.

By command of the Nine Dragon Talisman, the Office of the Ninefold Abyss—the underworld authority that governs the souls of the dead—selects the destined names of men and women who have died, as listed in the Jade Coffer of the Ninefold Abyss, under the authority of the Eastern Florescent Green Palace, the immortal palace that governs the registers of the living. Among them, 320,000 who performed good deeds, completed their merits and virtues, and are due to be saved are chosen. After the expulsion on the jia-shen day, they are granted release and salvation and become “the people of great abundance.” The Office of the Ninefold Abyss lies in the Nine Earths and Nine Yin realms, where the souls of the dead are confined. According to the Scripture of Yellow Qi and Yang Essence, the Eastern Florescent Green Palace is identified with Fusang and Dongyang. It oversees the registers of the living and, by means of the Nine Dragon Talisman, sends its command to the Ninefold Abyss to select men and women who have performed meritorious deeds and can be saved. “Great abundance” means flourishing and prosperity.

At this time, the living and the dead meet, and good and evil are judged separately. Those who pass the examination truly have reason to rejoice. “Dividing and judging” means clearly distinguishing good from evil: wrongdoing inevitably brings calamity, while doing good invites good fortune and averts harm. How could this fail to bring joy?

The affairs of the Three Officials, the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, overlap, and their records and registers are numerous. Longmen is where the rivers converge; there, the Bird Mother, a water deity, supervises those who study the way of the immortals. The myriad sages appear in their divine carriages and patrol without pause, day and night. They impartially assess people’s merits and faults, ensuring that rewards and punishments in life and death are just. Such ceaseless, tangled business also weighs on their officials. The appointed limit is drawing near, and oversights often occur amid the work. I, your servant, am always afraid that one day I will be punished under the heavenly court’s laws because of them.

Here, “interweave” means to overlap and become entangled, while “records and registers in profusion” refers to the complexity of official documents. In a past cosmic cycle, the Bird Mother acted on the command of the Earth Mother: she gathered the source of the rivers at Longmen, then rode a great phoenix carriage to carry those studying the way of the immortals up from the waters to Kunlun. For this reason, she is called the “Supervisor of Immortals.” The myriad sages and perfected beings observe people’s good and evil, ensuring that rewards and punishments in life and death accord with justice. The divine kings’ duties are so weighty that they cannot help fearing that something may be overlooked; this is why they are troubled.

I have heard that the Heavenly Worthy advances teachings of great compassion, taking pity on living beings in the world and revealing the mysteries of the Nine Heavens to save them. The established precepts and prohibitions have their own regulations; a low-ranking servant such as I am is not entitled to take part in hearing them at will. Yet the great appointed limit is near, the year of Jia-Shen is about to end, and the pressure of the times makes it necessary to put the Great Law into practice.

The four principles of cultivation in Jade Clarity place compassion first, and the Three Treasures taught by the Old Master likewise begin with compassion. The sages extend and deepen their compassionate hearts so that all things may receive their kindness. The precepts of the Bright Truth tradition prescribe fixed times for transmitting scriptures and teachings. The divine kings now ask that the scriptures be transmitted ahead of schedule because they are eager to save the people of the world.

In this way, those who are intent on cultivating the Dao can hear the sound of the teaching while being examined and verified. What they see and hear can awaken them, and they can also guide those who have not yet awakened. This is why I have submitted this matter in a memorial. Fearing that I may offend the Heavenly Worthy, I humbly ask for compassion and for teachings not previously heard to be granted.

The request to transmit the scriptures is made in the hope that those who sincerely wish to study the Dao but have not yet awakened may receive its profound instruction, continue to practice good deeds, and move toward awakening. For this reason, I have submitted this memorial. Fearing that I may offend the Heavenly Worthy, I humbly ask for compassion and for teachings not previously heard to be granted.

Invoking this scripture is meant to help those who sincerely seek to learn the Dao but have not yet grasped it receive the teachings of the wondrous Great Dao, continue practicing good deeds, and avoid punishment by the Three Officials, divine functionaries who assess and record people’s merits and transgressions.

Then the Celestial Worthy leaned toward the table, raised his head and gazed intently, and pondered for a moment. He then recited the Cavern Chapter with a clear, resonant voice. After a long while, he suddenly exclaimed, “The laws of the Great Dao are vast and profound, and its principles are subtle and difficult to fathom. The Dao runs through layer upon layer of mystery; primordial Qi, the fundamental energy that gives rise to all things, rises above the Divine Empyrean, one of the Nine Heavens that governs the celestial realms. Its highest realm is beyond words, and its mystery cannot be surpassed.”

“To lean over the table” describes bending toward it; “to gaze upward” means raising one’s head to look above; “to ponder with concentrated attention” means thinking intently. “To recite the Cavern Chapter with one’s face raised, chanting its jade-like verses” means to recite the scripture aloud in a clear, soaring voice. The laws and principles of the scripture are vast and distant; the Dao runs through every kind of mystery, while primordial Qi originates in the Divine Empyrean. The passage is saying that the Jade Chapter possesses mysteries too profound to express fully, and that no other classic surpasses it.

“You govern the imperial offices and have been appointed king of the spirits. You assist the Celestial Emperor in the Jade Palace, and serve as an aide within the Bright Wheel, the celestial order symbolized by the sun and moon. You gaze far in every direction and take in all things, oversee affairs without limit, harmonize the generation and transformation of all things, and nurture and govern all living beings.”

A spirit king who governs celestial offices is called an emperor; one appointed to carry out official duties is called a king. The Commentary on the Thirty-Nine Chapters says that the Jade Palace is a celestial hall in the Palace of Great Subtlety, where the Celestial Emperor’s jade characters are also kept. It further says that the sun and moon in the human realm are called the Bright Wheel, and that both require the spirit king’s assistance in their governance. The spirit king must also harmonize the generation and transformation of all things, survey the four directions, and oversee affairs. His duties are many.

The great calamity has now reached a critical juncture. The number three-five signals that the time has come; the disaster of one hundred and six is also coming to pass, and the calamity of nine yang is surging. Floodwaters rise and crash into waves, while all manner of disasters spread across Heaven and Earth. The four palaces of the celestial realm are selecting candidates to serve as “seed people”—those who will remain after the calamity and carry on humankind. Since the Three Dynasties, the world has been in turmoil; now it is time to distinguish good from evil. You should labor on behalf of the people, wear yourself out in these troubled times, and take on the affairs of the Three Officials—the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. As fortune and decline give way to one another, people of talent must be appointed. I now entrust this matter to you; do all you can.

These were the words with which the Celestial Worthy once encouraged the Divine King, in order to spur him to save the people from the floods and disasters.

This precious book is profound and wondrous: it is a numinous utterance handed down from the Nine Heavens and imparted to the highest sages, beyond the hearing of ghosts and spirits. Those who understand the truth and are qualified to receive the transmission must accept it according to the prescribed rules; it is transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas. Now I risk violating the prohibition by giving it to you. You must keep it secret and never pass it on lightly.

When transmitting the numinous text, the warnings were repeated and the admonitions offered with such earnest care. How could one fail to observe them cautiously?

Then the Nine Heavens Marshal and the attendant immortal Jade Lord, the celestial official in charge of the scriptures, were summoned to attend. The jade casket and brocade scripture pouch in Purple Yang, where the scriptures were kept, were opened, and the Jade Chapters on the Generation of Spirit by the Nine Heavens were brought out. The Four Assistants stood in attendance, the Five Elders supervised the rite, the Great One selected an auspicious time, and the Jade Emperor presided over the oath. In accordance with the ceremonial protocol for transmitting scriptures to those who understand the truth, all faced south and knelt with their bodies bent low as the scripture was handed to the Flying-Heaven, Limitless Divine King. When the rite was complete, the gods of the various heavens each returned to their stations.

“To issue the command” means to give the order immediately, not after a short delay. The attendant immortal Jade Lord is the celestial official in charge of the scriptures; Purple Yang is the place where they are stored; the jade casket and brocade pouch are containers for scriptures. “Four Assistants” means the same as “Four Coordinators.” The Five Elders are the Jade Clarity, Supreme Pole Primordial Elder; the Void Emperor, Numinous Radiance First Elder; the Mysterious Splendor, Precious Heaven True Elder; the Dew-Hidden, Supreme Pole Ancestral Elder; and the Sa-Yu, Vast Capital Immortal Elder. “Selecting the appointed time” means choosing an auspicious day and hour. Supervising the rite, proclaiming the oath, and bowing and kneeling are all ceremonial practices observed when transmitting scriptures to those who understand the truth.

The Celestial Worthy, a revered Daoist deity, again told the Flying-Heaven Divine King: “This scripture of the Nine Heavens is the true writing formed when the Qi of the Three Caverns’ Flying Mystery, the subtle primal energy spoken of in Daoism, passes through the Three Assemblies and takes on the form of sound. It accords with the myriad spirits and contains mysterious rhythms and hidden names. Thus the spirit Taiyi tests those who cultivate the Dao, protects beings in the ten directions, oversees affairs of the Cavern of Emptiness, and presides over oaths sealed with cinnabar and blue silk.”

The phrase “blended, hidden rhythms” was explained earlier. Wang Yinxian considers the character “jie” to be a mistaken writing for “shi,” meaning “to test”: the spirit Taiyi tested those who cultivated the Dao, and only after confirming that their resolve would not waver did he allow them to swear an oath sealed with cinnabar and blue silk. The Instructions for Completing the Transmission records that, in the past, when someone received the divine scripture, another person once struck his hand with a staff for no reason, drawing blood, yet he remained wholly devoted. The transmission rites also included a trial of self-offering: before receiving the teachings, someone might set fire to the candidate’s clothes without cause. If the clothes burned away and he made no sound, his resolve was judged steadfast. The Scripture of the Golden Mystery and Feathered Writings likewise records that, when scriptures were transmitted, the Five Elders always opened the way, while Taiyi tested people in the ten directions. These accounts make it plausible that “jie” was mistakenly written for “shi.”

Among the Six Caverns, the Cavern of Emptiness belongs to the West. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning charged Taiyi with protecting the ten directions and governing the Qi that preserves life, as well as the registers of the dead. This is why Taiyi is said to “oversee the Cavern of Emptiness.” “Cinnabar and blue” refers to using blood as cinnabar and ritual silk as blue: together they signify sincerity and seal an oath.

Without karmic ties accumulated over many lifetimes, and unless one’s name has already been entered in the celestial register of immortals, one cannot take part in the transmission and may see only the titles of the texts. But if one enters the Dao and practices it, all nine generations of one’s ancestors can attain the immortal path together. Those among the people who show promise of becoming immortals should be selected. Over the course of seven hundred years, they must observe a thousand days of ritual purity and bring ritual silk as a token of their oath.

Only those who, through eons of accumulated karmic ties—immensely long cycles of tribulation—and whose names were inscribed in the registers of immortals long ago are qualified to consult and read the contents of this scripture. In this way, their nine generations of ancestors may all attain immortality together. When transmitting the scripture, one should choose those who have the prospect of becoming immortals. Over the course of seven hundred years, one must observe pure abstinence for a thousand days and pledge with gold and silk, transmitting it in accordance with the covenant. Guard the scripture carefully, and blessings and good fortune will be yours; reveal it improperly, and calamity will descend. If blessed, your good fortune may extend to your nine generations of ancestors, and your virtue will be as weighty as mountains and seas. If calamity strikes, you will be punished through eons, suffering as though immersed in boiling poison and subjected to the punishment of wind-blades. How could one fail to be cautious?

“Eons of karmic ties” means that the conditions accumulated through cultivation of the Dao extend beyond a single lifetime. For example, when Perfected Xu (Xu Xun, a Daoist immortal) ascended, the Supreme Emperor issued an edict saying: “You began cultivating the Great Dao many kalpas ago, laboring with utmost diligence and building up profound experience. You have practiced every method and every gate of the teachings. Now you should ascend. Therefore, I command the Left Great-Power Heavenly Officers and the Flowing-Gold Fire Bells to protect you and clear your path to the Central Yellow Palace, without the slightest negligence. I also appoint your distant ancestor Xu You as Attendant Director of the Jade Void, and grant appropriate titles, according to their generations, to your great-grandfather, ancestors, and father.” This shows that Xu Xun is one example of someone whose name had long been entered in the registers of immortals.

If merely reading the contents of the scripture allows one’s nine generations of ancestors to attain immortality together, how much more so through reciting it? Today, some people of shallow understanding laugh when they hear of the Dao. Because they do not believe, they cannot hear the Great Dao. It is not the Dao that bars them; they themselves have severed their connection with it. Their accumulated misdeeds from past lives are so heavy that they obscure their inclination toward goodness. The Scripture of the Inner Truth of the Five Emperors says that those who attain the Dao are not born with immortal bones; rather, their names have been engraved in the Jade Book. Even if, in a future life, they cannot see the contents of the scripture, simply receiving the scripture will enable them to become masters of the Five Sacred Peaks. The Scripture of the Great Grotto says that all who cultivate the Dao should first resolve grievances and entanglements in the netherworld. This is why the scripture says that the nine generations of ancestors attain immortality together.

“Seven hundred years” refers to the time when this scripture would appear in the world. “Pure abstinence for a thousand days” refers to the period of observance required before transmitting it. “Gold and silk” means precious silk goods, used as a token of trust when receiving the scripture. This Jade Chapter is kept hidden in Heaven and is not transmitted lightly. Those who receive and uphold it should revere and honor it, so that they may grasp its profound meaning and not betray the original intention of the Divine Kings who once sought the scripture.

End of the Middle Scroll of the Commentary on the Scripture of the Spontaneous Generation of the Nine Heavens, the Dongxuan Lingbao.

Commentary on the Scripture of the Natural Birth of the Nine Heavens, of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery, Lower Scroll

Huayang provides commentary once again.

The Heaven of Uttarakuru, one of the Nine Heavens, should be reverently honored and followed so that its profound principles may be made clear. Only then will the original intention of the Divine King in obtaining this scripture not be betrayed.

The middle scroll of the Commentary on the Scripture of the Natural Birth of the Nine Heavens, of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery, is complete.

Commentary on the Scripture of the Natural Birth of the Nine Heavens, of the Numinous Treasure of the Cavern Mystery, Lower Scroll

Huayang provides commentary once again.

The First Chapter: The Scripture of the Birth of the Spirit in the Heaven of Uttarakuru Without Measure

The Qi of this heaven is deep blue-green.

The True Scripture of the Three Origins says: A person’s Qi and hun-soul come from Heaven; the body and po-soul come from Earth. They have no form or shape. They come from emptiness, and from nonbeing they come into being. They dwell in the mother’s womb for ten months—though in truth, it is nine. Each month, they receive the Qi of another layer of Heaven, through which the spirit is formed. After nine months, when the Qi is full and the spirit and form are complete, the child leaves the womb and becomes a person.

The Record of the Western Mountain says: Those skilled in nourishing life can bring being forth from nonbeing; those unskilled in nourishing life return from being to nonbeing. When a person’s Qi and blood are strong, if they squander the spirit and Qi they have received on sensual desires, then, once their Qi and blood weaken, their hun-soul and po-soul return to Heaven and Earth, and their body becomes like a withered tree. Only those who cultivate the Dao understand that spirit, hun-soul, and po-soul are all temporarily entrusted to people by Heaven. They therefore cherish, gather, and refine them. If they preserve them over the long term and do not let them return to Heaven and Earth, they can make them their own.

The Secret Characters of the Golden Book says: The Heaven of Uttarakuru is the Kaiyang Qi, opened by the essence of the heavenly hun-soul.

The Imperial True One’s fetal destiny, the primordial One, is the Qi of Yellow Evolving.

The Emperor’s taboo name is “Minhan-yun.”

The Seven Slips from the Cloudy Satchel records: In the first year of the Longhan era, the Lord Huang Yanjun of the Purple Empyrean came into being and dwelt in the Palace of the Great Brahma Emperor of the Purple Empyrean. This passage says that the celestial sovereigns take primordial Qi—the original breath of life—as the beginning of the life-giving source within the womb.

Wang Yinxian says: Each of the nine chapters contains the four characters “Emperor, True, Mandate, and Origin.” The “Primordial King of the Yellow Court” lies beneath the Gate of Life and governs the Qi of reproduction. Because it rules over life, it is called “Emperor”; because it is singular and has no counterpart, it is called “True.” Each of the Nine Heavens has its proper place, and all receive the commands of the Emperor and the True. Once a life’s allotment is fixed, it does not change. “Origin” refers to the state in which Qi first comes into being. The Book of Changes says: “The origin of Qian is vast, and all things begin from it; the origin of Kun is deep, and all things grow from it.” When primordial Qi first sprouts below, the earliest form of the womb resembles a hanging sac attached to the spleen. The spleen belongs to Earth, and all things are born from Earth. The Central Yellow Great One, who dwells in the central palace and governs life, is bound up with a person’s nature and life. Its Qi circulates without cease, and so it is called “Primordial One, Yellow Yanjun.”

Primordial Qi mingles within the hollow void, while the hun and po souls drift lightly through a deep and empty realm. After countless Yan’kang kalpas—vast cycles of tribulation—the souls drift dimly away from the place to which they were originally attached. The suffering souls sunk in the darkness of the Nine Earths ride the coming dawn, hoping to greet the sunlight.

The Dao Lord says: Primordial Qi originates in a dim, obscure realm, is born within the hollow void, and at times gathers and at times disperses. Before a person is born, the hun and po souls wander lightly in a deep and empty place, dim and without support. From the ancient Yan’kang kalpa of the celestial realm to the present, who knows how many cycles of birth and death they have undergone? They are like flowers and fruit torn from their branches, drifting down and scattering, unable to return to the soil. “Nine Nights” refers to the Nine Earths. Ghosts belong to Yin and dwell constantly in darkness; this is where their kind gathers. Long sunk in the depths, the souls all hope to raise their heads and await the morning light of the sun, in the hope of being saved.

The path to the wondrous gateway opens, and the divine Qi of the Limitless Heaven of Yudan descends to the Divine Empyrean. Yellow clouds gather within the numinous mansion as Yin and Yang Qi meet. The primordial embryo—the root from which innate Jing is nurtured—takes shape. Life is prolonged, and accumulated roots of wrongdoing are transformed and dispelled.

This is the practice undertaken at the beginning of cultivating the Real. The Great Being is the Jade Clarity Palace; within the body, it corresponds to the Niwan Palace, the inner divine mansion in the head. When Yang Qi first stirs, draw in the Qi of the Great Being Palace and guide it downward to subdue the Yang essence and open the Mysterious Gate, the hidden aperture behind the navel. Next, visualize within yourself the divine intent of the Limitless Heaven of Yudan, along with the male and female deities represented by the two emperors Tiaotian Chen and Jinxiao: Tianchen is female, and Jinxiao is male. The Jing of Yang Essence says, “In Fuli, circulate the Yang essence; from Yudan, gather the yellow Qi.” The male and female deities are the heart’s fluid and the kidneys’ Qi, likened respectively to an infant and a young woman.

The heart belongs to Fire and is above; the kidneys belong to Water and are below, so they do not readily unite. If you can maintain the central yellow and steady your attention in the numinous mansion—that is, in the heart—so that inner thoughts do not scatter outward and external influences do not enter, Water and Fire, Yin and Yang, will naturally unite. Once Yin and Yang meet, the sequence of the Five Phases shifts, and the numinous sprout naturally emerges. The primordial embryo takes shape, becoming the foundation for the ceaseless generation and transformation of innate, utmost Jing. Life is renewed, and the roots of wrongdoing and misdeeds carried over from past lives are washed away, so they no longer weigh upon you.

The True Candor of Fushan records that Master Min Zhong’s teacher said, “Stillness without reckless movement is the nature of Earth.” This is true Earth: worldly toil and distracting thoughts have been cut off, and every concern has quieted. It is pure and whole, deep and still, like the undivided chaos before Heaven and Earth separated. The Cloud Palace is where the Yellow Chamber is located. The pure, harmonious Qi gathers and condenses, taking visible form; hence it is called “Yellow Clouds.” At this stage of cultivation, the sun and moon seem to join as one, Shen and Qi merge, the Mysterious Pearl is about to appear, and the Great One—the primordial Qi—gradually returns to the true realm.

Taokang joins with Jing and Qi, thereby sustaining life. The harmonious Jing and Qi represented by the two emperors gather and condense, taking visible form; hence they are called “Yellow Clouds.” At this point, the sun and moon seem to join as one, Shen and Qi merge, the Mysterious Pearl is about to appear, and the Great One gradually returns to the true realm.

Peach Radiance (Taokang), the deity who governs life’s vital gate, joins with Essence Harmonizer (Hejingyan), and the two emperors, the Numinous Emperor and the Venerable Emperor, appear in a pure, jade-white radiance. Numinous fluids, the subtle fluids spoken of in cultivation, flow into the vital gate and nourish the primordial embryo, the foundation of life. They refine and nurture essence and Qi, keeping the spirit clear and pure.

Peach Radiance, whose courtesy name is Essence Harmonizer, is a revered deity of the Great Cavern who guards the human navel. The two emperors are the Numinous Emperor and the Venerable Emperor. The Hidden Book says: “Without the Great One, the Numinous Emperor cannot set the Mysterious Void in motion, and primordial Qi cannot flow. Without the Great One, the Venerable Emperor cannot keep the Three Ones, the related triad of deities or three levels of divine Qi, settled in their place.” The powers of the two emperors work side by side without conflict. “Jade brilliance drifting” describes a pure, bright whiteness. Human vitality begins here. Across the twelve double-hours, the deity of the Great One circulates numinous fluids and pours them into the vital gate, nourishing it and strengthening life at its root. This is what is meant by “refining and nurturing essence and Qi, so that the spirit is not harmed.” The Yellow Court Scripture says: “Nourish the numinous root, so it will never wither; seal the vital gate and preserve the Jade Capital, the place within the body where essence, Qi, and spirit gather.”

The Nine Heavens, the celestial levels described in Daoism, issue a command, and the numinous registers are revealed. Through this, the spirits come into being and the spirit and vital energies ascend beyond the mortal realm. The Primordial Lady, an honorific for a goddess, bars the gate of death, while Sima chants the immortal song within the cavern. At the first note, thousands upon thousands of perfected immortals answer in harmony. When the song has been sung nine times, the divine beings of the heavens come to pay homage. All bow their heads in reverence, praise those who endure through the cycles of tribulation, and celebrate this ancient and flourishing lineage.

The Lordly Sovereign of the Nine Heavens, the revered deity who rules the Nine Heavens, sent down a numinous text. Through the power of this scripture, he gathered pure and harmonious primordial Qi to bring the gods into being. Once the gods had appeared, people could rise beyond the ordinary and enter the realm of the sages.

The human body has thirty-nine gates of life and thirty-nine doors of death. Having gained the vitality of life, one must keep the doors of death from opening again, so that the Qi of the Primal Lord, which sustains the life force at its source, is neither obstructed nor sealed off, and so that old Qi cannot enter. The Huangting Jing says: “Only by attaining the utmost truth of the Dao can one turn and gaze freely; above all, avoid dead Qi and every kind of defilement and degradation.” This is the principle it describes.

Sima, the deity who oversees longevity, chants the Dongzhang, praising the virtue that brings all things into being. As soon as he begins, the myriad perfected beings answer together, their voices in joyful harmony. After nine recitations, the merit is complete; the Qi of all the heavens gathers in attendance, rejoicing as one. After passing through many kalpas, at last we encounter this opportunity. Having once departed from the right path, we now sprout anew, as in days of old. How could we not rejoice and celebrate?

Mo Xizi said: “Those who study the Dao should preserve their true nature in this life. The deluded wait until after death to seek life again. Since we have been born human, we must understand the principles of life. Even if we attain longevity, do we know where to seek life?” Reflecting carefully on this poem, we may take it as a hymn praising the way of generating the spirits.

The Second Chapter of the Shangshang Chan Shan Wuliangshou Tian Shengshen Zhang

The Qi of this heaven is red.

The Jinshu Mizi says: This is the soul essence and Yang-bright Qi of this heaven.

The Qi of the Purple Gate of the Emperor’s True Fetal Mandate and Primal Origin, in the Grotto of Darkness.

The Emperor’s taboo name is Chanminchi.

The Yunji Qiqian says: In the first year of the Longhan era, the Lord of the Great Empyrean Grotto of Darkness came into being through transformation. The emperor of this heaven takes true Qi as the beginning of the Fetal Mandate and Primal Origin.

The Perfected One of the Western Mountain said: When a person has been in the womb for two months, the foundations of the body begin to form. This is therefore called the “Origin of Fetal Life.” When a Perfected One forms in the womb, Shen dwells peacefully in the “Purple Portal” (the place of spiritual energy within the space between the eyebrows), while the body’s root remains connected to the Gate of Destiny. The breath is long and subtle, seeming to be present yet difficult to perceive, and never ceasing for an instant. This is called “fetal breathing.” The Scripture of the Southern Florescence says, “The Perfected One’s breathing seems to issue from the heels.” This means that the mind and Shen are calm and the breath is deep and long. Ordinary people breathe from the throat; their minds and Shen are agitated, and their breath is shallow and short. When the breath is shallow and short, the fetal origin is easily depleted, and true Qi is easily lost. The Gate of Destiny lies in the body’s northern position and is called the “Cavern of Darkness.” Qi rises from the Gate of Destiny to the Purple Portal, and is therefore called the Qi of the Purple Portal. The Purple Portal is located between the eyebrows, one inch inward and three fen deeper, within the bone.

The Boundless Heavenly Worthy gathers the Qi of the Purple Portal and becomes the supreme sovereign of the celestial realm. He opens the gate of salvation, enabling departed souls to receive the Qi of Flying Mystery. He also gathers and transforms within the Empty Cavern—the wondrous realm of emptiness in Daoist teaching—and thereby transforms their cycle of lives. Thus, departed souls can cast off their former roots and attachments, take the Great Dao as their foundation, and come to understand anew the original source of their nature and life. In the past, they suffered through attachment, sank into darkness, and endured long kalpas. Now that their karmic retribution has run its course and the great fortune has begun, they may receive new life.

The Imperial Perfected first revealed the essence and Qi, calling them “Original Yang.” After the infant Shi Bohua was formed in the womb, he guarded the Yellow Chamber (the inner palace within the body where primordial Qi is nurtured), severed the root of the cycle of birth and death, and nurtured the pure, harmonious Qi of an infant.

Human beings are born from precelestial Qi, the vital energy present from before birth. After birth, a single spark of original spirit returns to the space between the two kidneys. This is the Imperial True One. At first it is called “essence,” and its name is Primordial Yang. It is the title of the “Primordial King of the Yellow Court” beneath the Gate of Destiny, who governs it. The infant Shi Bohua is the Upper Red Child beneath the Heavenly Emperor of the Mud-Pill Palace, named Mysterious Condensation Heaven. Together they receive true Qi and form an embryo in the Yellow Chamber, which is the Central Palace. Once the embryo’s Qi has formed, divine spirits come to protect it.

The “roots of evil and gates of death” are the roots of bad habits, harmful thoughts, and desires accumulated in the heart. They must be cut off; even the slightest transgression will cause the “lead” and “mercury”—symbolic terms in Neidan cultivation—to disperse. One should keep body and mind in a state of balance, nourishing the sacred embryo until it grows into an infant.

The Heavenly Emperor guides and harmonizes the spirit Qi, nourishing the sacred embryo so that it grows into an infant.

“Chan Shan” guides the spirit Qi, while “Mysterious Nourishment” feeds the fragrance of the flying heavens. Splendid radiance makes the jade-like body beautiful; with long refinement, its features will naturally take shape. Devote yourself to the mysterious Dao, nurturing the embryonic spirit as it grows, until its members take their proper places and are complete in the Hall of Light, the symbolic spirit chamber within the body.

The Heavenly Emperor guides and harmonizes the spirit Qi, nourishing the sacred embryo so that it grows into an infant.

“Chan Shan” guides the spirit Qi, while “Mysterious Nourishment” feeds the fragrance of the flying heavens. Splendid radiance makes the jade-like body beautiful; with long refinement, its features will naturally take shape. Devote yourself to the mysterious Dao, nurturing the embryonic spirit as it grows, until its members take their proper places and are complete in the Hall of Light.

The Heavenly Emperor guides the spirit Qi. The earlier passage describes forming the embryo; this one describes nourishing it. The spirit Qi first descends from the Purple Portal, passing through the Three Passes, then descends from the Mud-Pill Palace to the Flowery Pool. One holds and swishes the fragrant spirit fluid in the mouth; this is why it is called “Mysterious Nourishment.” As the fluid circulates and irrigates the body, the infant’s true Qi gradually becomes abundant, and the body naturally becomes as exquisite as jade. With prolonged cultivation, its features also take shape naturally.

The Yellow Court Scripture says: “The mouth is the Jade Pool, the Palace of Great Harmony. Swish and swallow the spirit fluid, and calamities cannot intrude. The body gives off radiance, the breath is like orchids; all evil influences are dispelled, and the face is like jade. If you cultivate diligently, you may ascend to the Vast Cold.” Wang Yinxian believes that “flowery radiance” means gathering the radiance of the sun and moon to nourish the embryonic spirit and dissolve its blockages, allowing the body to become naturally smooth and jade-like. There are two spirits within the embryo. One is named Lord White Qi, with the personal name Wuxuanzi and the courtesy name…

The Lord of White Qi, named Wuxuanzi and styled Yushangsheng, is also called Xuanguizi and styled Shengchang. His divine spirit came into being together with the life of the fetus, and took its place among the gods in the Hall of Light. Xiao says: The human body has three Dantian (energy centers for refining Jing, Qi, and Shen) in its upper, middle, and lower regions. Each has inner palaces such as the Hall of Light and the Cavern Chamber.

The numinous Qi gathered in response within the Great Void, and commanded me to recite the Chapter on the Generation of Spirits. Reciting it once moved the Nine Mysteries; reciting it twice brought Heaven and Earth into communication. The Yin-Yang energies merged and naturally came into harmony with one another. After nine recitations, the work of generating the myriad things was complete. The great sages celebrated the auspiciousness, scattering flowers and bowing in homage to the vast emptiness. All the heavens rejoiced together, and every living being bowed in reverence.

The Jade Emperor commanded the Jade Chapter on the Generation of Spirits to come into being in the Great Void, bringing the myriad numinous beings into responsive communion. This is like what the Classic of Changes says: the transformations of the Dao of Qian enable the myriad things to establish their own natures and lives. “Moving the Nine Mysteries” means that after one recitation, the sound is heard in the nine heavens. “Heaven and Earth communicate” means that after two recitations, Heaven and Earth are thereby joined. When Yin and Yang harmonize and the text has been recited nine times, all people and things receive the power of generation and nurture. “Origin” is the beginning of goodness; “auspicious” means that nothing is unfavorable. The heavens rejoice because the Way of Heaven prizes cherishing life.

The Third Chapter on the Generation of Spirits in the Brahma-Witnessing Xuyan Heaven

Heavenly Qi is blue.

The Secret Characters in the Golden Book says: This is the primordial Yang energy first produced within the essence of the heavenly soul. It is the foundational power by which the soul, life, and origin of the Imperial Perfected endure and grow. “Origin” is the beginning of goodness; “auspicious” means that nothing is unfavorable. The heavens rejoice because the Way of Heaven prizes cherishing life.

The Third Chapter on the Generation of Spirits in the Brahma-Witnessing Xuyan Heaven

Heavenly Qi is blue.

The Secret Characters in the Golden Book says: This is the primordial Yang energy first produced within the essence of the heavenly soul: the Qi of enduring life and growth, numinous clarity, and becoming an immortal.

The Emperor’s sacred name is Yuwangyun.

The Seven Tablets in a Cloudy Satchel says: In the first year of the Longhan era, the Immortal Lord of the Azure Empyrean manifested into life. He took True Qi as his soul, marking the beginning of the origin of life.

Perfected Dou of the Western Peak says: In the third month of pregnancy, the three currents of Qi complete their course, and the three souls descend into the fetus; then the divine spirit gradually grows. Zhao Yuchan says: The soul belongs to Yang Qi. Because Yang Qi is bright, it is called “Bright Immortal.” “Long and numinous” is like the Classic of the Yellow Court, which says: “Yellow Qi wells up, pure and enduring.”

Xuyan Heaven governs the three numinous powers, from which the Three Qi—Mystery, Origin, and Beginning—differentiate. The vast, boundless realm of Great Brahma unfolds, and amid its splendid radiance the revered god Cuiwang appears.

The Heavenly Emperor must gather and govern the three human souls, allowing their numinous clarity and Qi to endure so they may attain immortality. This Qi first differentiated from the Mysterious Origin, the source of the Dao, and formed a vast, boundless expanse. The “Great Brahma” is the primordial Qi spread throughout the heavens in the ten directions. The soul dwells in the liver; the liver belongs to Wood, corresponds to spring, and is associated with the color green. It is therefore called the “Venerable One of the Verdant Jade of Radiant Scenery.”

Mingfan, the deity who governs the deliverance of souls, ascends riding Xuanjing, a dragon, opening the way and bringing deliverance far and wide, so that souls in the shadowy realm of the long night may escape their suffering. The wandering souls and the soul’s numinous aspects return at their appointed time, and the various forms of primordial Qi all return to their original root.

Human beings receive life by relying on Brahma Qi; the spirit born within them is called Mingfan. The “Great Spell for Deliverance from Suffering” says, “The six Qi all obey; Mingfan unfolds the summons.” This refers to that process. Xuanjing is the name of a dragon. Here, the deity Mingfan rides the dragon through the air to deliver departed souls in the shadowy realm of the long night. “Wandering and numinous souls” refers to souls adrift. Now they are able to receive life, as though, after a long period of wandering, at last their time to return had come. “Every Qi returns to its former root” means that the various forms of primordial Qi that dispersed with a person’s body now return to their source.

The Great Emperor is known as Yang Hall, and his courtesy name is Lord of the Eight Spirits. By opening nine times and turning the registers of life and death, he causes the fetal primordial Qi to arise in the Upper Origin, where the upper Dantian is located. Lingfan delivers people from the registers of fate, while Taiyi assists Jing and Qi so that life may continue. The Numinous Palace, the brain chamber in the head, is laid out with the seat of the Emperor Lord; the Three Departments and Eight Radiances, the deities and energetic phenomena within the body, are each set in their places. From this the soul arises and gathers the scattered Qi. After nine cycles, one may naturally attain immortality.

The vital spirit of the Great Thearch is named “Yangtang Yu,” with the courtesy name “Eightfold Radiance.” The soul of the Ninefold-Opening Heavenly Thearch is named “Returning Record of the Dao,” with the courtesy name “Severed River of Darkness.”

The Jade Record of Great Simplicity says, “The third month is the soul.” Here, “the third month” refers to three places in the body—the upper, middle, and lower—that are associated with the hun and po souls. Their Qi originally arises from the fetal origin. The Great Harmony Sovereign, the Mature Laozi, governs the Qi of the fetal origin. It enters and leaves Ziwei, the palace within the body that corresponds to the celestial court, and resides at Kunlun, where the Great One is located—in other words, the Upper Palace of the Mudball, the chamber of the spirits in the head. Thus, the Qi of the fetal origin gives rise to the upper origin.

Lingfan is the Lord of the Myriad Spirits, also called the Divine Elder, with the courtesy name Lichangling. He guards the inner Purple Gate between the eyebrows and governs the length of human life. Jingyan is the courtesy name of Lord Taokang of the Gate of Destiny. He guards the central portal at the navel and governs the preservation of a single thread of primordial Yang Qi. He, too, meets with the Upper Palace of the Mudball.

The august deity Great One, Wuyou, dwells in the gateway beneath the Jade Pillow and behind the Mudball. He assists and protects the gods, brings them together in harmony, and restores each to its proper place. The gods of the Three Regions and Eight Radiances are then each allotted their place, settled and complete.

The disciplined and reverent cultivator nourishes Yang Qi and gathers the hun and spirit. In this way, the gods of the Eight Radiances unite their light, illuminate the Mudball, and gather in the myriad spirits. At dawn, the cultivator ascends to the chamber of the Heavenly Elder, gathers Jing and focused awareness, dispels the root of the womb, and rises to the Immortal City.

The Great Cavern Scripture says: The upper-origin Qi of the Great Thearch transforms into the Child of the Director of Destiny in the sun. Radiant and resplendent, they ride the rosy clouds to the city of the Thearch. They sit in ordered ranks on the seat of Zhenling and unite in harmony with the spirits of the five days. The light of the Eight Radiances shines upon the Mudball, making the Cavern Chamber—the chamber of spirits within the body—bright and clear. It destroys the root of the womb, and they rise to the Immortal City.

The ringing music of the Nine Heavens makes the jade writ appear, from which the myriad spirits are born. Recite it three times, and the spirits each return to their proper place; the breath then connects with the gates of the Eight Celestial Markers. The Mysterious Pass blocks the gate of death, while the numinous spirit guards the source of the body’s fluids. When the moment of efficacious response arrives, one awakens to the Great Dao and quietly turns the wheel of destiny. Celebrate the infant’s casting off of the mortal body; bow in homage and praise the scriptural words of the Cavern Mystery.

The tones of the Jade Chapters of the Nine Heavens are clear and melodious, and can give rise to the myriad spirits. After three transformations, the myriad spirits return to one body, each spirit and its Qi settling in its proper place. They dwell in eight locations within the body that correspond to the eight gates of the heavens. The Commentary on the Scripture of Transferring the Spirits says that the crown of the human skull has eight bones, each corresponding to one of the eight heavenly gates. The Upper Scripture of the Cavern Chamber of Lord Dao of the Purple Void says that by ascending to the Upper Purple Gate, gazing upon the Eight Celestial Markers, and stirring the Cinnabar Palace, one can bring the spirits to completion.

The eight heavenly gates are: the Eastern Gate of Azure Florescence and Primordial Yang; the Southern Gate of Cavern Yang and Great Radiance; the Western Gate of Connecting with Yin and the Golden Tower; the Northern Gate of Yin Birth and Vast Numinous Power; the Northeastern Gate of Numinous Connection and the Forbidden Heights; the Southeastern Gate of Primordial Yang and the Birth of Qi; the Southwestern Gate of the Dark Yellow Heights and High Dawn; and the Northwestern Gate of the Nine Transformations and Brahma’s Path. Another account holds that the Qi of the body’s Eight Brightnesses rises to connect with these eight heavenly gates.

The “Mysterious Pass” refers to the Lower Dantian, the place of internal cultivation below the navel. The True Instructions say: “Guard and seal the Mysterious Pass; draw the Qi of the Nine Zhen into the body, set the three breaths in motion and transform them into saliva, then pour it into the Dantian to nourish it.” The place three inches below the navel is called the “Gate of Life.” When the Gate of Life can be sealed, the Gate of Death will also close. Then numinous Qi can settle, saliva will continually arise, and the bones and limbs throughout the body will be nourished.

If those who cultivate immortality can skillfully respond to their opportunities, outwardly spreading Daoist teachings and inwardly harmonizing the mechanisms that govern the movement of Yin-Yang within themselves; if they concentrate Jing and Qi, soften body and mind, and complete their work through nine rounds of cultivation, then a body beyond the body may appear, and ultimately they may shed their mortal form and become immortals, like infants.

The Fourth Divine Chapter of the Tranquil Doushu Heaven

The heavenly Qi is green.

The Secret Characters in the Golden Book say: The soul-essence of this heaven is the Qi of the sun.

The imperial Zhen spirit, Po-life, Primordial Yuan, Dangshi, Mingyan, and Youzhi Qi.

The imperial name is Qianmangsu.

The Seven Lots from the Cloudy Bookcase says: In the first year of the Longhan era, Lord Bixiao Yanyou was brought into being.

The Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel (Yunji qiqian) records: “In the first year of Longhan, Bixiao Yanyou was brought forth through transformation.” Thus, the Sovereign Lord in this celestial realm takes true Qi as his Po, marking the beginning of life’s primordial origin. The Po belongs to the bodily form, while the Hun belongs to the spirit. The Hun and its Qi rise; the Po and its body descend. The Hun is light and clear, the Po heavy and turbid, which is why it is called “Dangshi.” “Dang” means firm as stone. “Ming Yanyou” means to roam freely in the underworld. Since the Po belongs to Yin and delights in roaming, it is called “Ming Yanyou.”

The heaven of silent, formless origin lies above Doushu Heaven and below Daluo Heaven. Its numinous, wondrous luminous Qi appears in four forms, spreading out in myriad rays of emerald and vermilion cloudlight.

The earlier passage describes the division of the Mysterious Origin’s primordial Qi—that is, the division of the Three Qi. Here, the “four forms” are the celestial realms formed from Brahma Qi beneath the Three Qi. “Kang” means to screen or conceal: this level of heaven lies beneath Daluo Heaven like a fence or barrier. “Emerald and vermilion cloudlight” describes the scene that appears as Brahma Qi spreads.

The roaming Po does not turn back. Once it departs, it enters a grotto heaven, and demons follow in its wake. The Divine Lord gathers in the scattered Qi, allowing it to drift and transform into pure white essence. Its flourishing beauty endures like the Chinese toon tree through successive kalpas; it follows the times and responds to the numinous talismanic registers.

The Po is the part formed from Yin-like spiritual energy, and it is prone to wander. The scripture says that after a person dies, it seeks to leave the body and follow the Yin demons in the Six Caverns, believing it will find companions there. An immortal scripture records a method for calming the Po: hold the breath seven times while clicking the teeth seven times, and focus on imagining white vapor at the tip of the nose. In a short while, the vapor gradually grows and spreads throughout the body. Then swallow saliva seven times and urgently call out the names of the Seven Po: Shigou, Fushi, Queyin, Feidu, Tianzei, Chuhui, and Choufei. After calling them, sit quietly in meditative absorption, and the Po will naturally become calm.

Master Wang, the Divine Lord, explains that the High Minister of Jade Clarity was once commanded to subdue Beifeng, the northern realm of the dead, and to lead the armies that punish and suppress. For this reason, he was called the “Divine Lord.” Through his authority, he can gather the wandering Po and make it return. The liver spirit, the Young Master Wuying, is named Xuanyuanshu and styled Divine Lord’s Son; he governs the Hun. Practitioners must keep the Hun constantly attached to the Po, as sunlight falls upon the moon’s body. They must also keep the Po constantly restraining the Hun, as the moon’s body receives sunlight. In this way, the Hun will not wander far, and the Po will not disperse, allowing the person ultimately to ascend to immortality. If the Po cannot receive the Hun, or the Hun cannot remain attached to the Po, the Hun will drift away, the Po will descend, and the person will die.

Now that the wandering Po has returned, continued refinement and cultivation can condense it into “Plain Radiance,” pure white vital energy that prolongs life and grants a lifespan as long as that of the great Chun tree. The scripture also says that those who accord with the times and conform to the numinous chart do so because they have a karmic affinity for learning the Way of the Immortals from a former life.

The chapter “The Empty Cavern Gives Birth to Spirit” describes immortal music soaring through the nine heavens. At the first note, ten thousand perfected immortals gather; meeting together, they rejoice and form a joyous company. After nine cycles of cultivation, the luminous spirits become complete, their radiance magnificent and sparkling like jade flowers. Doushu, the celestial realm spoken of in Daoism, opens the domain of Great Being. All celebrate together and share in lasting blessings. The Highest Sage arrives, and an infant suddenly begins to sing. Rejoicing in this auspicious gathering, everyone bows to the Highest Sage and joins in the response.

“From the empty void, spirit is born; jade tones rise beyond the nine rosy clouds.” This means that the sound of the jade chapter—the sacred scripture—gathers the subtle Qi (vital energy) of the Three Caverns and condenses it into the essence of the nine heavens. As it is chanted, all the gods between Heaven and Earth come together. How much more, then, should the Yin-Yang, hun and po souls, and Jing, Qi, and Shen within oneself unite as one? Wang says that the po soul takes the hun soul as its home; when the two unite, nothing is lost or out of place.

“After nine revolutions, the numinous radiance is complete” means that cultivation has reached fulfillment and spirit and Qi are fully present. “Numinous radiance” refers to the empty, bright, and wondrous primordial Qi within the body; “jade blossom” describes its brilliance. “Here one sees the great merit of the Doushu Tian Emperor in delivering people” means that this reveals the vast merit of the Doushu Tian Emperor, a celestial emperor in the Daoist heavens, in saving living beings. “One celebration brings many blessings” means that one may live long and see far, free from calamity. The Highest Sage’s return on his celestial carriage signifies that the work of delivering people is complete; the infant’s song signifies that the Dharma Body—the sacred body formed through cultivation—has appeared. Thus the gods rejoice and respond together.

The Life-Giving Chapter of the Bōluónímì Bùjiàolè Heaven, Fifth

The heavenly Qi appears yellow. The Secret Characters of the Golden Book says this is the upper Yang Qi transformed from the essence of the heavenly hun soul.

The Qi of the Five Immortals, Numinous at the Center, Which Stores the Emperor’s True Essence and Nourishes the Inner Organs and the Source of Life

The Emperor’s taboo name is Zhuoniye.

The Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel says: “In the first year of Longhan, the Five Immortal Lords of Crimson Firmament manifested.” This Emperor stores and nourishes the inner organs with true Qi and governs the source of life.

Heaven and Earth form the human body through Yin-Yang and the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). Within the body are the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, which store and nourish the hun soul, Shen, intent, po soul, and Jing. In Heaven, the Five Phases correspond to the five planets and the Five Emperors; in the human body, they correspond to the Five Constant Virtues—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. In daily conduct, they are expressed through seeing, speaking, thinking, bearing, and listening. Those who cultivate the Dao make the five Qi dwell peacefully within the body and gather into the source of life; hence the name “the Five Immortals, numinous at the center.”

The chariots of the Five Emperors sped lightly through the air and drifted to the Gate of the Mysterious Capital. They wandered across the Plain of Yellow Radiance, arrived at the edge of heaven, and gazed back toward the lower world. They gathered the souls scattered through the air, though few of the bright spirits of former times had survived.

“Turning” and “drifting” describe the way they soared through the air. The Five Emperors here are the Celestial Emperors of the Heaven of Proud Joy, who once rode out in their chariots. The Upper Mysterious Gate is the Gate of the Mysterious Capital; Yellow Radiance refers to the clear, serene realm within the Great Void. “Returning spirits” means that the Celestial Emperors’ spirit chariots lingered at the edge of heaven, surveying the human world and seeking scattered souls so that they might be born again. But after the passage of many years, the bright spirits of old had gradually faded away, and few remained. As earlier commentators said, once one loses a human body, it is exceedingly difficult to regain one even after myriad aeons—a truly lamentable fate.

Taiwei turned back the Central Yellow Banner, and Lord Wuying raised the spirit banner for summoning souls. They called forth the souls from the Palace of Long Night, freeing them so they could be born again.

The preceding passage says that few of the bright spirits of former times had survived, fearing that they might have faded away in the fierce winds after long ages, or sunk into the various realms of birth and death. Therefore, the child Jingjing of Taiwei was ordered to wave the Central Yellow Banner before the Celestial Emperor and gather the wandering souls. Lord Wuying, who governs the hun souls of the liver, was also ordered to raise the spirit banner and summon back their soul-Qi, so that they could undergo refinement and be born again in Taiwei.

According to the Commentary on the Azure Mystery of the Scripture of Salvation, the Great Lord of Southern Extremity and Long Life is the Great Emperor of Zhulings. He governs the enclosure of Taiwei and oversees refining and delivering souls through fire. Souls mired in darkness for a long time must pass through this fiery refinement: it breaks through Yin turbidity, restores Yang Qi, purifies the mind and spirit at their source, and removes the defilements of karma. Then, through transformation from emptiness into spirit, they return to the human realm.

Lord Wuying assists Huangning and oversees the records of complete bodies and spirits. The Jade Inscription illuminates the hidden realm and restores spiritual clarity. After five transformations, Heaven and Earth are thereby divided. Qi refines and nourishes the organs of the primordial beginning; the purple gates open of themselves, and one can become an immortal.

Prince Wuying, the divine name of the spirit governing the Hun-soul, represents the Hun-soul spirit. Huang Ning, the divine name of the spirit governing vital essence and blood, represents the Three Zhen within the essence and blood, known as Lord Yuansheng. The Hun-soul spirit and essence and blood support one another and are brought together under a single command; then body and spirit can be complete. “Illuminating the Hidden” means making what is subtle and concealed visible and clarifying profound principles.

Those who cultivate the Dao cause the primal Qi to circulate, settle the Imperial Zhen—the true spirits within the body—and let golden light shine through as flowing clouds move back and forth. Then the natural signs of a tiger’s roar raising the wind and a dragon’s call gathering clouds appear, and the Great Treasure is perfected. Another account says: Heaven’s One gives rise to Water, which settles nature; Earth’s Two gives rise to Fire, which settles the heart; Heaven’s Three gives rise to Wood, which settles the body; Earth’s Four gives rise to Metal, which settles Qi; and Heaven’s Five gives rise to Earth, which settles the Central Palace. This is called gathering the Five Phases: bringing the Five Phases together.

The “Diagram of the Ten Turns Returning the Spirit” in the Scripture of Salvation says: Qian nine joined with Kan one makes ten; Kun six joined with Li four makes ten; Xun two joined with Dui eight makes ten; and Gen three joined with Zhen seven makes ten. This is “the ten turns returning the spirit”: the numbers complete the utmost cycle of the heavens. It is also a method of cultivation in which the myriad Qi return to their original source.

From this we can see that Heaven’s Three, Wood, joined with Earth’s Two, Fire, makes five; and Earth’s Four, Metal, joined with Heaven’s One, Water, also makes five. The Heavenly Stems Wu and Ji, both associated with Earth, each occupy the center with the number five, harmonizing the Four Images and giving rise to the infant. This is called “the Three Fives returning to the One.”

According to the Diagram of the Yellow River, Heaven’s One, Earth’s Two, Heaven’s Three, Earth’s Four, and Heaven’s Five are the generative numbers of Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth in Heaven. One plus five makes six: Water encounters Earth and comes to rest. Two plus five makes seven: Fire depends on Earth for nourishment. Three plus five makes eight: Wood grows through Earth. Four plus five makes nine: Metal is formed through Earth. Once the Five Phases are in motion, Heaven and Earth are distinguished. The Four Images arise naturally; though they belong to Heaven, they have names but no physical form. Only after being harmonized by Earth do they take on concrete forms and belong to Earth. Through these five transformations, the five Qi, five essences, and five spirits condense and rise to the Purple Gate—a symbol in internal cultivation of the gateway to the realm of the divine—and the work of the Elixir is complete.

All the Perfected gather. After nine cycles of cultivation, the Yang Spirit—the spirit form attained through practice—appears, and signs of resonance and auspicious omens grow more frequent. The Jade Maiden nourishes the practitioner with five fragrances, and the Holy Mother rejoices that all things have come into being. The beings of the Three Realms rejoice together, bowing in homage before the Celestial Worthy.

“Several cycles” refers to nine revolutions. Neidan cultivation depends on mastering the firing times: the practitioner must pass through nine revolutions to refine the Neidan, much as a fetus develops over nine months. “The Yang is born, and signs of resonance abound” means that the Yang Spirit has formed and that the transformations within the body resonate with and communicate with Heaven and Earth, giving rise to many auspicious signs. When diligent practice reaches this stage, its results become visible. “The Jade Maiden nourishes with five fragrances” refers to the Yellow Flower Jade Maiden drawing in the true Qi of the five directions—the primordial Qi that comes from the five quarters—and using it to nourish the practitioner’s body. Another account holds that once the Neidan is refined, fragrance arises, penetrates the marrow, and ascends to the crown of the head. The Holy Mother is the Holy Mother of Qianyuan. When the practitioner was first born, she guarded the birthing chamber and preserved the body; now, seeing the practitioner succeed in the Dao, she naturally rejoices. The gods of Heaven and spirits of Earth have also guarded the practitioner along the way, and so they too rejoice. Human birth and growth depend on the great De of Heaven and Earth; therefore, in the end, all bow before the Celestial Worthy.

The Sixth Chapter of the Divine Registers of the Heaven of Dongxuan’s Transformative Resonant Sound

The Qi of this Heaven is white.

The Secret Writings in Golden Characters say: “This is the Qi of the soul’s essence and primordial Yang in this Heaven.”

The Qi of the Emperor’s perfected spirit, numinous abode, and life origin is harmonious and expansive.

The Emperor’s tabooed name is Lin’e Jiao.

The Seven Slips of a Cloudy Satchel say: “In the first year of the Longhan era, the Lord of Harmonious Expansiveness of Jingxiao was transformed into being. He is the Emperor of this Heaven, whose true Qi is the foundation of the numinous abode and life origin.” The Western Peak Perfected, Master Dou, writes in the Guide to Cultivating the True…

The Yunji Qiqian records that in the first year of the Longhan era, the Lord of Clear Skies and Harmonious Vitality was born through transformation. He is the Celestial Emperor of the Heaven of Responding Sound, and regards primordial Qi—the subtle, original energy between Heaven and Earth—as the foundation of the life force within the spirit palace. The Perfected Master Dou of the Western Marchmount says in his Guide to Cultivating Perfection that when a person reaches the sixth month, the six fluids settle the six inner organs and nourish the spirit. Once practitioners have refined their souls and their Five Viscera, their Yang spirit responds upward to the Qi of the Heaven of Responding Sound, nourishing their own spiritual nature. What is called spirit is Qi. “Harmonious vitality” means that spirit and Qi are in harmony. At this stage of cultivation, the turbid Yin Qi has been entirely dispelled, while the bright Yang Qi flows clear and luminous. Body and mind feel warm and at ease, like springtime.

The Heaven of Responding Sound belongs to the Formless Realm, where the radiance of the cloud-swept sky shines in all ten directions. The cycles of transformation have no form or shadow; in the depths of the unseen, the human heart turns toward the Daoist sanctuary. The spirit carriage needs no reins to guide it, and amid the lucid brightness, the Chapter on Generating the Spirits appears.

“The Colorless Realm that answers without a sound” refers to the heavens of the Colorless Realm. Its radiance shines across the various heavens like a crown upon them all. It cycles through transformations without leaving a trace, accords with the workings of creation, and has no visible form. “In hidden accord, it tends toward the Dao’s field” means a realm that secretly accords with the Great Dao.

The Commentary on the Scripture for Delivering Humanity, by Qingxuan, says that the people of the heavens of the Colorless Realm have completely purified themselves of all worldly defilements and entered deeply into the realm of nature. Their bodies are subtle and wondrous: they can grow larger or smaller at will and no longer appear in any fixed form. For this reason, it is called the “Colorless Realm.” A hymn says: “Gradually enter the highest Dao of Wuwei (non-action); the mind becomes fully rounded and unobstructed, untouched by even a trace of worldly stain. Turn back and look down upon the three thousand worlds: in the end, all things return to emptiness.”

The first five chapters of the Jade Writ discuss the tradition of life; the final four discuss the tradition of nature. They teach people to preserve life and endure, to understand their nature, and to attain transcendence. On the term “numinous conveyance,” the Nanhua Classic says: “Harnessing the transformations of the six Qi, one roams in the boundless. Why, then, would one need reins?” Only by reaching this state of cultivation can one understand that the mysteries of the Chapter on Generating the Spirit are true and real, not empty words.

The elixir instructions say that at the fifth turn of cultivation, pure Yang Qi becomes abundant and the hun soul transforms into Shen (spirit). At the sixth turn, true Yin Qi becomes abundant and the po soul transforms into Qi (vital energy). Once the hun and po are complete within the body, one can move about in broad daylight without casting a shadow, becoming one with the sun’s pure Yang Qi. From then on, ghosts and spirits cannot see one, and the transformations of Yin and Yang are beyond measure.

The empty and open Great Void truly has no bounds; the wondrous, clear realm may also be called supreme. Refine the embryo body and return to the beginning, then ride for a long time upon the Flying-Mystery Bridge, an image of cultivation leading to the mysterious realm. Greedy accumulation causes one to lose one’s innate genuineness; scattered thoughts should instead await the practice of the constant Dao. Cut away attachments that bind like the baoshu tree, letting the mind and spirit roam freely and ascend to the Upper Capital, a lofty realm in the heavens.

How could the vast, boundless emptiness have an edge? “Mystic radiance” is only an approximate way of putting it. When spirits first become human, they are no different from sages and worthies; how, then, could they be frail? It is only after enduring many tribulations and cycles of birth and death that their innate nature, received from Heaven, is depleted by desires and emotions, and they gradually lose their strength.

The Mystic Beam’s Auspicious True Feathered Chapter says, “Beating its wings, it flies up to the Nine Heavens; its mournful cry resounds through the Mystic Beam.” This means that although it is a bird of Heaven, it has a name unlike those of ordinary creatures. Here it illustrates the practice of refining the embryo and returning to the root: one must gather in body and mind and become still, rather than fly lightly and freely like the Mystic Beam. Qi means “to hope.” The Classic of the Southern Florescence says, “A pheasant in the marsh takes ten steps before pecking at food and a hundred steps before drinking, yet it does not hope to be kept in a cage.” Though the pheasant has difficulty finding food and water in the wild, it ultimately refuses to be caged and lose its freedom. When people are constrained, their hearts become oppressed and they lose their innate nature. Only after allowing thoughts and feelings to unfold, following the constant Way, cutting away the embryonic womb, and nurturing stagnant, lifeless Qi—the Qi that has become blocked and no longer flows—can one become free of inner attachments and roam in spirit through the Jade Capital, the celestial realm of the Daoist immortals.

“May I grasp what is already mysterious beyond mystery, and awaken to the forgetting of both principle and self. May great blessings come from the heights of the Nine Heavens; may the rites be joined on an auspicious day on Earth.”

“May I grasp” means to understand and reflect on the Great Dao and to follow the constant Way. After that, one cuts away the embryonic womb, nurtures stagnant, lifeless Qi, and becomes free of inner attachments; then one can roam in spirit through the Jade Capital.

“May I grasp what is already mysterious beyond mystery, and awaken to the forgetting of both principle and self. May great blessings come from the heights of the Nine Heavens; may the rites be joined on an auspicious day on Earth.”

“May I grasp” means that only by understanding the Dao, mysterious beyond mystery, can one fulfill one’s long-held wish. Once it is understood, distinctions between right and wrong, and between self and others, are forgotten. At this point, great blessings arrive without being sought, and the day is auspicious without needing to be chosen. How could anything one encounters fail to be fortunate?

“Bring the Three Origins, formed by transformation, together and return them to the One; ascend to unite with the Primordial Beginning King. I bow to the companion who guides the spirits’ destiny, and forever take leave of the clamor and dust that rise and swirl.”

Bring together the Three Origins of Qi—the three primal energies that constitute Heaven, Earth, and all things—and return them to the One: above, one resonates with the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning; below, one governs oneself. This is what is meant by the saying, “Though the Celestial Worthy is exalted and mysterious, he is near at hand in the Lord of the Muddy Pellet,” the inner spirit located in the head. When the day comes to attain immortality and the Dao, it will naturally coincide with an auspicious time. “Take leave” means to sever ties; “clamor” means noise; “rise and swirl” means to billow upward. The verse means that from then on one forever severs ties with the realm of clamor and swirling dust.

The Divine Spirit-Birth Chapter of the Brahma Attendant Heaven of Numinous Transformation, Part Seven

Heavenly Qi appears purple.

From now on, forever leave behind noisy, bustling places and the dusty realm of worldly life.

The Divine Chapter of the Spirit-Transformed Brahma-Attendant Heaven, Chapter Seven

The celestial Qi of this heaven is purple.

The Secret Writings in Gold says that its celestial Qi is the pure Yang Qi within the essence and vital energy of the heavenly soul.

This is the Qi of the High Immortal’s Cavern Register of the Emperor’s True Primordial Mansion, the source of life. The Emperor’s taboo name is “Mist-Cloud Toad.”

The Seven Tablets in a Cloudy Satchel says that in the first year of Longhan, a calendrical era marking a cosmic calamity in Daoist tradition, the Lord of the Jade Empyrean Cavern Register came into being. He is the Celestial Emperor of this heaven, and takes true Qi as his primordial mansion—that is, as the foundation of the original source of life.

The Perfected One Dou of the Western Marches says that when a person reaches seven months in the womb, the seven kinds of vital energy begin to open, and the seven apertures become clear and bright. The outer ears, eyes, mouth, and nose, along with the inner aperture of the heart, all grow lucid, and awareness arises naturally. When a cultivator of the Dao reaches a state corresponding to these “seven turnings,” they have entered the realm of the “seven awakenings”: profound wisdom opens into clarity; the body and mind’s roots and dusts—the senses and the objects they encounter—are severed; being and nonbeing alike return to emptiness, and all phenomena dissolve. Before and after the cosmic calamities, throughout the Three Realms and the ten directions, the origins of oneself and others, and the past and future, all can be traversed and understood, joined from above to below, with every principle contained within. Hence it is called the “High Immortal’s Cavern Register.”

The mysterious conjunction gathers and encompasses the boundless; all mixed Qi returns to the Brahma-Attendant Heaven. Its wondrous transformations proceed in silence, untouched by changes of cold and heat. Following the celestial order, it brings forth sturdy branches; with a sweep of the sleeve, it brushes against soft, light feathers. From halls like carved jade comes a wondrous melody, and the spirits leisurely ascend from there to lofty realms.

The “mysterious conjunction” is the source of all Daoist methods and encompasses the Three Realms; its wondrous workings cannot be measured. “Mixed Qi” means blending the flying-Profound Qi and returning it to the Brahma-Attendant Heaven, where it moves ceaselessly in hidden operation, unaffected by cold or heat. The text then describes how, in accord with the celestial order, it brings forth branches, how sleeves sweep against light feathers, and how wondrous music is heard in halls of jade before the spirits ascend to lofty realms.

Mystic Communion—the wondrous joining—is the source of all great Dao. It governs the Three Realms, and its subtle workings are boundless. Mixing Qi means blending the soaring, mysterious Qi—the sublime primordial energy—and returning it to Brahma’s Auxiliary Heaven, thereby restoring the Great Beginning, the original state before Heaven and Earth were differentiated.

Wuyou is the honored spirit Taiyi, titled Wuyou Shou. It guards the rear gate of the Mud Pill, the spirit gate within the head. In Heaven, it works the transformations in secret, never ceasing as cold and heat alternate. “Following the number to secure the firm branches” means following the sequence of seven refinements, so that yang radiance gathers and the body’s bones and limbs become firm, like sturdy branches of a tree. The practitioner need only shake the sleeves and brush the light feathers to ascend.

At that moment, music in the modes of gong and shang suddenly sounds of its own accord within the nine chambers of the Mud Pill’s Jade Chamber, the spirit palace in the head. Joyful Qi surges upward, while a fire dragon and a mysterious crane fly and dance together within the body. All the spirits ascend together into the lofty divine palace and unite with a Child of the Red who stands above the Heavenly Emperor. This is called: “The Jade Chamber holds wondrous melodies; one rises freely to the lofty abode of the gods.”

Round halos of light shine without pause, and the perfected immortals stand arrayed in close ranks. The cloud-heaven road stretches far above, while the Cavern of Origin is deep and vast. Lovely branches and leaves screen emerald clouds; their shade rests along cool waterside banks.

According to the Lingbao Bifa, this is a method of transcendence: divine light shines through everything, passes beyond the body, and rises into the Great Void, the boundless expanse, to stand alongside the perfected immortals. As for the cloud-heaven road…