《洞玄灵宝自然九天生神玉章经解》Vol. 1

The physical form cannot endure forever; what sustains it is Qi (vital energy) flowing within it. Qi, too, cannot flow forever; the foundation that enables it to continue is Jing (essence). When form, Qi, and Jing merge into one, attaining the Dao of becoming an immortal is not difficult.

The Ninety-Day Scripture for Bringing Forth the Spirit (Jiutian Shengshen Zhang) teaches four main things: cherish the body, preserve the spirit, value primordial Qi, and secure the root.

The human body is like a house. Even though it is formed temporarily through the coming together of causes and conditions, we must not let it be damaged or grow weaker with time; otherwise, no one in the world could live securely. The body is where the hundred spirits dwell, and it is the foundation of a person’s nature, understanding, and abilities. For a practitioner to achieve anything, they must first care for their body each day. Yang Qi gathers and gives rise to spirit; Yin Qi gathers and forms the body. Body and spirit cannot be separated, even for an instant. A strong body allows the spirit to dwell for a long time, just as a sound house lets its occupants live there securely. It is a common worry among practitioners that their bodies may decline before their cultivation is complete.

The ignorant do not understand this. They think the body is merely an outer shell, and that what the eyes see and ears hear is no more than dust and chaff. They then imagine themselves to have seen through the world. Yet if they throw themselves into disputes over gain and loss, honor and disgrace, and accomplish nothing throughout their lives, what difference is there between them and the dead? So we must not only care for the body but also bring body and spirit into harmony and make use of them together, valuing their union. Do not expose yourself to cold drafts in hot weather, or sleep in damp places in summer. Sitting too long harms the bones; overexertion harms the sinews. Extending this principle to all daily conduct, there is no moment when we should not care for the body. We should neither be like Shan Bao, who harmed his body by restricting his diet, nor like Zhang Yi, who fell ill through indulgence. Beginning with care for the body and ultimately putting it fully to use is no idle talk. Since body and spirit belong together and must not be parted, the second teaching is to preserve the spirit.

The spirit is the finest essence of Yang Qi and belongs to what Heaven bestows. The Zhuangzi says, “Not departing from essence is called spirit.” Where does a person’s spirit come from? It comes from the endowment received at birth. The scripture says that in the ninth month, the spirit Qi spreads through the body, and the endowment of life is complete. Once the spirit has come to dwell in the body, it is like a person living in a house: the house has beams, pillars, doors, and windows, while a person’s seeing, hearing, eating, drinking, and breathing all depend on the body. When life stirs, it is as if Heaven and Earth are roused; when we move, our hands can grasp and our feet can walk. If we understand and make use of these abilities, then sitting, standing, moving, and resting can all serve us.

Some people rely on the activity of spirit and body throughout their lives without knowing what the spirit is. Then, when they suddenly die, the body turns to dust and the spirit no longer dwells within it. Such people never understand what spirit is, and this is truly lamentable. The scripture asks, “Why let yourself die and make the spirit weep?” The spirit can govern Qi; therefore, the third teaching is to value primordial Qi.

Heaven and Earth are vast, but without Qi they cannot function; even the light of the sun and moon depends on Qi. Humans and all things perceive and respond through Qi, and the difference lies in whether that Qi is pure. Turtles and cranes live long because they receive clear, harmonious Qi; pine trees do not wither in winter because they receive firm, vigorous Qi. Humans receive upright Qi, but do not preserve it in full. The scripture says, “The Three Qi are revered by Heaven and Earth; the Nine Qi are the root of all things.” If a person can preserve the root of the Nine Qi and unite with the Three Qi revered by Heaven and Earth, this is exceedingly precious. Sadly, people often fail to understand this. To know only that Qi should be valued, without knowing where it comes from, is shallow understanding. Qi comes from essence, and essence is stored in the kidneys; therefore, essence is the root of Qi. Only by knowing the root can one speak of preserving life. Thus, the fourth teaching is to secure the root.

The scripture says, “All things flourish, and each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to the source of life.” Practitioners should use stillness to guard the root, so that their foundation becomes deep and firm. Thus the Zhuangzi says, “Do not disturb your vital essence, and you can live long.” The body can dwell securely when it has the spirit; the spirit becomes numinous when it has Qi. In this way, one can return to the original source, form the Golden Elixir—the result of internal Daoist cultivation—and unite with the Three Primordial Forces (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, or three kinds of original Qi), in resonance with the Nine Qi.

The Ninety-Day Scripture for Bringing Forth the Spirit was originally a scripture kept in secret in the celestial realm. It would not be transmitted lightly except at a time of cosmic upheaval. Its purpose is to change the mistaken customs of the world, lead people toward benevolence and long life, and awaken those who have not yet attained understanding. The scripture first sets out the Three Treasures and explains how Heaven and Earth, humans, and all things receive nourishment. It then describes how the Nine Chapters give rise to the Nine Heavens. Humans receive the Nine Qi as the root of life: the head corresponds to the Nine Heavens, arranged as the Nine Palaces; the body contains the Nine Viscera, corresponding to the Nine Provinces; and the body’s nine openings correspond to the Nine Regions of the world. How could any use of the whole human body be separate from the Nine Qi? Those who make full use of the Nine Qi can ascend to the Nine Heavens. Those of lesser attainment may ultimately undergo shijie—the Daoist transformation in which the mortal body is shed and left behind. Those who do not know how to use it have only a body, living as though sustained by a single breath. Everyone possesses this Dao, yet cannot attain it. Why? Because selfish desires are too strong, and worldly affairs pull the mind away and take hold of it.

In the age of the Three Sovereigns, customs were simple and affairs few. The Great Dao had not been obscured, and people understood the essentials of cultivating the body. Some therefore lived to the age of twelve hundred, then, weary of the mortal world, ascended to Heaven. The scripture says, “In ancient times there were perfected people. They grasped the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth, breathed in essence, and alone preserved the spirit. Their bodies were whole and unified; their lifespans matched Heaven and Earth and had no end.” After the Qin dynasty burned the books, the writings of the Three Sovereigns disappeared and were no longer passed down. Only the Classic of Difficult Issues (Nanjing) and the Basic Questions (Suwen) remained in the world, becoming chiefly works of medicine. Their preface says that the books of the Three Sovereigns taught the Great Dao. Later, when those books were lost, methods for cultivating the body and nourishing life survived only through a tenuous line of transmission, which had by then grown very weak. After Buddhism entered China, it took extinction of existence as its joy; some even cut off fingers or arms. This carried them still further from the foundations of the Great Dao, and the Daoist art of cultivating the body became increasingly obscure.

The author says that he recently returned from the southeast, where his fellow villager, the worthy Ren Gong, told him: “The Scripture for Bringing Forth the Spirit is in fact a fundamental Daoist classic, but most people merely recite it. In the past, Master Yuchan wrote a commentary. Its wording was concise, but it was difficult for students to understand in depth. If it could be explained in detail so that everyone could understand it easily, that would be a worthwhile contribution.” The author found this argument persuasive and was willing to explain the scripture to the best of his ability, in the intervals between burning incense and practicing cultivation.

In the past, Ouyang Xiu, whose courtesy name was Wenzhong, disliked Daoist teachings throughout his life. Only in his later years, when serving in Bozhou, did he gain some understanding. One day, he sought guidance from the recluse of Shitang. The recluse said, “Your house has already fallen into disrepair, so it is difficult to speak of this matter any further. But if you can understand the circumstances before you, there may still be hope.” Ouyang Xiu’s virtue and writing were unmatched in his age. Surely he had the capacity to receive the Dao, yet because he missed his chance, he could only understand the circumstances before him. What, then, of those whose capacities are inferior to his? Those who attain the Dao can enable nine generations of their ancestors to become immortals along with them. Why, then, worry about the circumstances before you? Stubbornly forcing your way ahead brings humiliation; yielding and withdrawing brings constraint. How can practitioners fail to strive diligently?

On the first day of the fifth month of the yichou year, the first year of the Kaixi era of the Song dynasty, Wang Xichao, Daoist priest of Chongxu Abbey in Mianzhou, known by the title Hidden Worthy, wrote this preface.

Commentary on the Scripture of the Jade Chapters of Natural Nine Heavens Giving Birth to the Spirits from the Cavern Mystery Lingbao (Dongxuan Lingbao Ziran Jiutian Shengshen Yuzhang Jingjie), Volume One

Commentary by Wang Xichao, a Daoist priest at Chongxu Abbey in Mianzhou, whose courtesy name was Yinxian.

The Lord of Heavenly Treasure is a revered deity within the Great Cavern, one of Daoism’s highest divine realms. The Elder of Heavenly Treasure is the ancestral Qi, the source from which the Lord of Heavenly Treasure was formed. The Elder of Heavenly Treasure condensed from the Qi of the Vast Primordial Void and the Primordial Beginning, the High Jade Void. This Qi amounted to 999,990 billion myriad units. In the first year of the Longhan era, a cycle in Daoist legendary chronology, the Lord of Heavenly Treasure came into being from it. When the Lord of Heavenly Treasure appeared in the world and transmitted scriptures, he was titled “High, Supreme, Great Abundance, Jade Purity Palace.”

Heaven and Earth are the greatest of all forms, while cosmic cycles are the greatest measures of time. Everything that has form is governed by a fixed allotment; everything that exists in time undergoes change. When its allotment reaches its end, time shifts, and all things ultimately fall into ruin. Only the most sacred Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and the True Kings of the Nine Heavens are unconstrained by form and untouched by fixed allotments. Thus they endure through cycle after cycle, transcending the seasons of Heaven without growing old.

The Lord of Heavenly Treasure is the ancestral master of the myriad Dao and is honored by the title Supreme Spirit of the Great Cavern. In Daoist teachings, above the Three Caverns scriptures there is also a method called the Great Cavern. It concerns the Dao of turning the wind back and bringing things into union. This is a higher level of practice, beyond the reach of ordinary lesser immortals. When manifest within the human body, the Lord of Heavenly Treasure is the Sovereign Lord Taiyi. The Scripture of the Great Cavern of Shangqing says: “Above, he joins with the Three Origins; below, he joins with the myriad things. In stillness he is the body; in movement he is the spirit.” He is also called the “Elder,” meaning the father of all beings.

The Three Origins are: first, the Origin of the Vast Primordial Void; second, the Origin of the Red Vast Primordial Void; and third, the Origin of Dark Stillness and Mysterious Communion. The Scripture of Zhengyi says: “The Great Void transforms, and the Three Qi appear.” The Great Void is the state before the very first beginning has begun; the Three Origins are the source from which all things arise. The source lies in nonbeing, and beginning takes shape in the Origin; from this, the Three Qi come forth. The title “Primordial Beginning” probably derives from this. Thus the Three Origins produce the Three Qi, which are the Qi that arise naturally in the vast expanse of space. The void arises from the Mysterious; the Mysterious arises from the Origin; and the Origin arises from the Beginning. That is why the Scripture of the Opening of Heaven says: “The primordial Qi turned, and Heaven and Earth were established.” Although the Three Qi had come into being, they were not yet divided into separate parts, so they were called the “Vast Cavern.” This is what the Scripture for Delivering People means when it says: “The Vast Cavern’s red script, the supreme truth beyond all being, opens and illumines the ancestral kalpa, transforming into the heavens.”

The three principal deities in the Palace of the Three Origins are the source essences of Water and Fire. In the human body, they correspond to the heart and the two kidneys; in the heavens, they govern the Northern Dipper and oversee talismans, sacred texts, covenant documents, and related matters. When a person cultivates the Dao and nurtures the true, and their merit and virtue are complete, the three deities can ascend together with that person. This is the Dao of union. The three deities referred to here are the three generals Tang, Ge, and Zhou.

In the Zhihe era, Emperor Renzong of Song was ill for three days. After his condition eased somewhat, he said that he had dreamed of walking through a thicket of brambles and losing his way. A divine being clad in golden armor said to him: “Heaven recognizes in Your Majesty a benevolent heart devoted to instructing the people, and grants you twelve more years of life.” Renzong asked, “When will I return?” The divine being replied, “Please ride in my carriage, and I will take you back.” After boarding, Renzong asked who he was. The divine being answered, “I am General Ge.” When Renzong awoke, he ordered someone to consult the Daoist Canon. There, indeed, was General Ge, who governs the Gate of Heaven. Renzong therefore bestowed a higher title upon him and built a temple in the capital. Sadly, no one at the time submitted a memorial explaining that these divine generals are also deities within the human body.

The Qi of Jade Void was originally a single Qi—the primordial breath before the myriad things were divided—so several titles refer to the same thing. The Daoist Canon contains titles such as “Jade Void” and “Jade Emperor,” all of which are honorifics: “Jade” is a metaphor for virtue, and “Emperor” refers to Heaven.

The first year of the Dragon-Han era was the Ancestral Kalpa, the first great cosmic catastrophe. “Dragon” refers to transformation, while “Han” refers to vastness. Before Heaven and Earth had taken shape, a single Qi flowed through the vast expanse of space, winding in form and changing without limit as it gathered numinous breath and essence. The Heavenly True Emperor saw the cosmic cycle begin and called it “Dragon-Han.” Thus the Scripture of Divine Transformations records that the Three Sovereigns all had dragon bodies and human heads. At the beginning of the kalpa there were the Great Emperor of the Dragon Ancestor and the Star of the Dragon Ancestor. Among the Thirty-Two Heavens there is also the Emperor of Dragon Transformation Brahma-Ford Heaven. All these refer to the same idea.

The Lord of Numinous Treasure is a revered deity of the Dongxuan lineage. The Elder of Numinous Treasure, in turn, is the Lord’s ancestral Qi, that is, his original source of energy. The Elder took form from the “Qi of Red Turbidity, Great Nonbeing, Primordial Mystery, and Supreme Purple Void,” of which there were ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand. When heaven and earth began to open at the start of the Longhan tribulation, this ancestral Qi gave birth to the Lord of Numinous Treasure. After another tribulation had passed, in the first year of Chiming, the Lord at last revealed the scriptures and taught the people. At that time, his title was “Seven Treasures of the Purple Tenuity Palace in the Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis of Highest Clarity.”

The Jade Clarity corresponds to the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure, the Highest Clarity to the Lord of Numinous Treasure, and the Great Clarity to the Lord of the Divine Treasure. From this, we can see that each of the Three Treasures has its corresponding title for a revered deity. On this account, the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure should be called the revered deity of the Dongzhen Cavern. Why, then, is he here called only the revered deity of the Great Cavern, and not the revered deity of Dongzhen? Because the Three Registered...

Yuqing corresponds to the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure, Shangqing to the Lord of the Numinous Treasure, and Taiqing to the Lord of the Divine Treasure. Once we understand the titles of the Three Treasures, we can see that the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure should properly be called the Venerable Deity of Dongzhen. Why, then, is he now called only the Venerable Deity of the Great Cavern, without the title “Dongzhen”? Because before the Three Caverns—the three classifications of Daoist scriptures—were distinguished, they were collectively called the Great Cavern. This is like calling the state before Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang were separated the Supreme Ultimate. The Great Cavern was originally the Way of Whirling Winds and Fusion; “fusion” refers to the state in which the Three Caverns had not yet divided.

The Dharma King of the Primordial Beginning governs the transformations of creation, and the name “Sage Before Heaven” derives from this. The title Dongzhen appeared only after the Three Caverns had been established as distinct divisions, and the Dharma King of the Primordial Beginning also bears this title. In this scripture, “Great Cavern” refers to the root and source, while “Lord of the Numinous Treasure” refers to what has taken visible form.

According to the Preface on the Meaning of the Various Sections of the Canon, Dongxuan is the root, while the Numinous Treasure is what takes visible form from it. This account speaks from the perspective of manifestation. The Qi of the Great Cavern—the primordial, original Qi—arose in emptiness. As it spread, it became Dongzhen, and then, in turn, Dongxuan. The teachings of Dongxuan are specifically called “Numinous Treasure,” and the Lord of the Numinous Treasure is the founding patriarch who established this teaching. “Visible form” here means writing. In the first year of Longhan, the ancient cosmic age described in Daoist tradition, there was no writing. Writing appeared only when the charts were first revealed. The Origins of Daoism says that Daoism arose from the Three Primordials—the three sources or levels of the cosmos—and gradually took visible form from its root; only afterward were scriptures and teachings expounded. The Lord of the Numinous Treasure was born at the beginning of Longhan, when writing appeared and the teaching of salvation began. His title and the time of his appearance show that he was the patriarch of this teaching. He is also said to dwell in the Seven-Treasure Purple Tenuity Palace of the Jade Capital, where the scriptures are stored.

Yet when the Qi of the High Jade Void reached ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety hundred-million units, it had already diminished by a hundred million units by the time it became the Qi of Red Chaos and Great Nonbeing. This shows that the Qi allotted in the cycles of time varies, and is no longer what it once was. This is the consequence of human beings’ own actions. In ancient times, some lived for ten million years; even in the eras of Tang and Yu, people could live beyond a hundred years. People today, however, live only about seventy years. Are people today really different from people of the past? If they receive the same Qi, why do their lifespans differ? It is because life and death turn in cycles: after birth comes death, and after death comes birth again. Human understanding and awareness grow dim, and one’s allotment of Qi is gradually depleted. The present is not as it was in ancient times, and later ages will be worse than the present.

This is like pouring a measure of water from one vessel into another again and again. A little leaks away each time, until the amount is no longer a full measure. As the sun and moon complete their cycles, the water will eventually run dry. Thus the recurring passage between life and death turns like a wheel and never stops; it is truly worthy of compassion. We should revere the Flying-Heaven Divine King, a Daoist deity who took it upon himself to save living beings from the cycle of life and death. He disregarded prohibitions and pleaded earnestly so that people might learn the root of bringing spirit to life, escape the cycle of life and death, and ultimately return to the Way of the immortals. His intention was profoundly compassionate. Since we have already been born as human beings, we should not let ourselves drift through the cycles of life and death. We should turn our attention inward and gather our spirit, so that we do not lose the human form and fall into another kind of existence. In this way, we may hope to follow the Way of the immortals.

Shenbao Jun is a deity revered in the Dongshen lineage of the Three Caverns. The Elder of Shenbao, meanwhile, is the ancestral Qi of Shenbao Jun—that is, his original Qi. The Elder of Shenbao is himself a pure and empty Qi: deep and still, mysterious and all-pervading, primordial and supreme. It is called “the Qi of nine hundred and ninety million.” In the first year of Chiming, this ancestral Qi gave rise to Shenbao Jun. After two more kalpas had passed, when Shenbao Jun appeared in the first year of Shanghuang to transmit the scriptures, his abode was called the “Palace of Supreme Purity and Supreme Ultimate in the Three Sovereigns’ Dongshen Cavern.”

The text later says that Yuchanzi Zhao Xuantong, too, came from the primordial and supreme pure, empty Qi, which is likewise called “the Qi of nine hundred and ninety million.” In the first year of Chiming, it gave rise to Shenbao Jun. After two more kalpas had passed, when he appeared in the first year of Shanghuang to transmit the scriptures, his abode was called the “Palace of Supreme Purity and Supreme Ultimate in the Three Sovereigns’ Dongshen Cavern.”

Master Yuchan, Mr. Zhao, holds that Jade Clarity (one of the Three Pure Ones) belongs to the Metal Office, Supreme Clarity to the Fire Office, and Great Clarity to the Earth Office, but he makes no mention of Wood or Water. Those who study the Dao often doubt this view without investigating its underlying reasoning. Among the Five Phases, Metal is primary. Metal itself has no generative vitality, so it borrows the Qi of Wood at the Zhen position in the east to bring it forth. Metal can also overcome Wood, and the two stand in a husband-and-wife relationship of mutual restraint. Metal and Water generate one another, sharing the affection of mother and child. Things in the Five Phases all wear down, but Metal alone is hard to damage: it does not scorch in fire, become wet in water, suffer harm in earth, or sustain damage from Wood. Those who attain the Dao understand these principles and use them to refine the elixir, reasoning by analogy from the interaction of Metal, Fire, and Earth. As for Water and Wood, their principles can likewise be understood from this. An ancient immortal’s verse says: “The Five Phases are all contained in Earth; the Four Images never depart from Metal.”

The ancestral Qi—the original source of Qi—of the Three Treasures Lords comes from the Three Primordials, the three original energies spoken of in Daoism. On checking the scriptural texts today, I find that the word “Primordial” is missing from the phrase “still and silent, wondrously penetrating.” This is not found only in printed editions from Shu; versions from other regions have the same omission. Even the Nine Heavens Chapter on the Generation of the Spirits, though collated by such high officials of our dynasty as Wang Qinruo, contains this kind of error. What, then, of other scriptures? There are also editions that mistakenly write “precept and contemplation” for “Taiji observes”; errors of this sort are numerous.

The scripture says: “The Qi of the Primordial, Highest Jade Void, in the vast, undifferentiated Great Nonbeing; the Qi of the Supreme Purple Void, in the Red Turmoil of the Great Nonbeing.” Since the preceding phrase says “Highest Jade Void,” the words “Red Turmoil of the Great Nonbeing, Primordial” may also be missing a character; it should read simply “Supreme Jade Void Qi.” The Heavenly Treasure Lord is called “Highest,” so the Numinous Treasure Lord should correspondingly be called “Primordial Highest.” The words “Supreme without equal” should not appear here. The phrase “still and silent, wondrously penetrating” is also missing the word “Primordial”; it should read “Supreme Jade Void Qi.”

While collating texts recently, I considered that the written forms of “without” and “Primordial” in the Daoist Canon have similar strokes and dots. Perhaps, when the text was first copied, the scribe thought the characters were redundant and deleted one of them; it may also simply have been omitted in copying. Otherwise, how could the Qi of the Three Primordials contain only two instances of “Primordial”? That makes no sense. Therefore, the word “Primordial” should be restored after “still and silent, wondrously penetrating.” As for the phrase “its Supreme Jade Void Qi,” we should wait for someone who understands the matter to correct it. This follows the principle expressed in the Spring and Autumn Annals: “Where there is doubt, leave the doubt unresolved.”

The account of the Three Primordials appears in the Scripture on the Origins of the Three Caverns. Since entering the Dao, Xichao has often felt that the teachings are too broad in scope, while students have no guiding master; consequently, more than half their understanding is mistaken. At times one happens upon someone knowledgeable, but that person may be arrogantly self-important—like elaborately adorning the ugly woman Wuyan, only to spoil things through overdoing it. Consider the Zhaijiao ritual texts printed in recent times: they often call white black and claim that what is absent is present. Anyone with discernment can see this.

Although they have three names and differ in age and title, in essence they were originally one. They divided into the three forms of Qi—Mystery, Origin, and Beginning—and govern the Three Treasures. Each of the three revered deities is a deity of one of the three forms of Qi; together they are said to “give birth to the three forms of Qi.” Their three titles, combined, give rise to nine forms of Qi. The nine forms of Qi existed before space appeared, hidden within the void: without light or image, form or name, color or trace, sound or breath.

“Yi was skilled at shooting from the center of the target” means that Hou Yi excelled at archery and was highly accomplished with the bow. Yet even he could not explain how the three forms of Qi came into being, or how the three titles combined to give rise to the nine forms of Qi. The nine forms of Qi had already lain hidden within the void before space appeared, without light or image, form or name, color or sound.

Yi was skilled at archery. Even when he stood near the center of the target, he could not keep others from praising his skill. Likewise, when the Dao transforms and gives birth to Qi, it cannot keep the myriad things from naming it.

The Dao divides from One into Three, and the Three Qi combine again to become Nine Qi. Though the three venerable deities have different titles, their roots are one, and in the end they return to the same source. Try to touch it and you cannot; is this not an existence beyond physical form, invisible to sight? To give it a name and speak of it is to know it on the level of form and name.

The three venerable deities are: Lord of the Heavenly Treasure, titled the Palace of Great Being in the Jade Clarity of the Highest High; Lord of the Numinous Treasure, titled the Seven Treasures Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis of Highest Clarity; and Lord of the Spirit Treasure, titled the Palace of the Three Sovereigns, Cavern Spirit, Great Clarity, and Supreme Ultimate.

At the beginning of the Origin, Heaven and Earth had not yet taken shape. The Heavenly King of the Origin transformed himself and gave birth to all things, and was therefore called the “Palace of Great Being in the Jade Clarity.” In the Dragon-Han kalpa, the remote age of cosmic tribulations described in Daoism, Heaven and Earth began to separate. The Lord of the Numinous Treasure was born on Mount Yucha in the Western Numinous Region. At that time, the Heavenly King of the Origin dwelt on Mount Jade Capital, absorbing the Qi of Heaven above and drinking from the springs beneath the earth. The palace buildings on Mount Jade Capital were adorned with the Seven Treasures, gold, and jade, and the Purple Tenuity Palace above was their central seat of authority. After the Lord of the Numinous Treasure was born, the Heavenly King of the Origin appointed him to oversee these affairs, giving rise to his title.

In the Red Brightness kalpa, an intermediate age, the Three Sovereigns were manifesting in different forms. The Lord of the Spirit Treasure was born just as the Way of the Cavern Spirit began to descend and manifest, and was therefore called the “Palace of the Three Sovereigns, Cavern Spirit, Great Clarity, and Supreme Ultimate.” The Supreme Ultimate Palace is one of the Nine Palaces, where immortals who have attained the Dao reside. Within it, Perfected Ones, Grand Masters, ministers, and other officials each have their own duties and rank. Though the three venerable deities have different titles, in their source they remain a single body: the Heavenly King of the Origin.

Dragon-Han was the preceding kalpa, Red Brightness the middle kalpa, and Kaihuang the present one. The Mysterious, Origin, and Beginning Qi are as follows: Mysterious Qi arises from Nonbeing, and when Clear Qi gathers, it forms the color green; Cavern Qi gives rise to Origin Qi, and when Empty Qi gathers, it forms the color white; Beginning Qi arises in the midst of Emptiness, and when Luminous Qi gathers, it forms the color yellow. Once the Three Qi are complete, they combine and give rise to the Nine Qi. The Nine Qi are also called “the Qi of Yellow One’s Diffusion.”

The Three Qi all originate in the “Three Emptinesses”: Great Nonbeing belongs to Jade Clarity, Great Emptiness to Highest Clarity, and Cavernous Emptiness to Great Clarity. One Qi arises from Great Nonbeing and is called “Great Inception.” It appears before Great Emptiness and is called “Great Beginning”; hidden within Cavernous Emptiness, it is called “Great Simplicity.”

In ancient times, the Heavenly King of the Origin and the True King of the Nine Heavens were born together, before the Nine Qi had formed. At that time, there was no concept of years or months, so a year was measured by the distance of 999,910,000 li between each Qi. The Dao appears before Great Emptiness and is hidden within Cavernous Emptiness. Face it and you cannot see its beginning; follow it and you cannot see its end. It has no light, image, physical form, name, color, beginning, or sound. How, then, could people know it? Hence it is said that the Dao is so of itself.

Daoist Qi (vital energy) courses through and governs the world, bringing Heaven and Earth into being and allowing the mysterious Dao to flow throughout all things. Before Heaven and Earth were divided, the blue-green, yellow, and white Qi blended together, appearing and disappearing, seeming both to exist and not to exist. As their movement and transformation reached its utmost point, the three Qi gave forth light. The clear, light Qi rose and became pure; Yang Qi gathered to form Heaven. The condensed, heavy Qi sank and accumulated to form Earth. The nine Qi then took their appointed places, giving rise to the sun, moon, and stars. Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) likewise fell into order, and the people and all things in the world came into being.

Who governs the movements of Heaven and Earth? They can move only by means of Qi. When Heaven and Earth had just separated, the Divine Treasure Lord (Shenbaojun) wielded the deep, tranquil, mysterious, and all-pervading Qi to govern the myriad things and open up Heaven and Earth. Closing the gates is called Kun (the way of Earth, symbolizing gathering and bearing); opening them is called Qian (the way of Heaven, symbolizing creation and generation). When the gates close, all things begin to gestate and take shelter within; when they open, all things begin to grow. In this way, the three Qi transform and bring forth the myriad things.

After the primordial chaos was divided, the blue-green, yellow, and white Qi began to appear, yet seemed both present and absent, with no visible form. To say they exist is not to say they exist in a substantial sense; to say they do not exist is not to say they are wholly absent. What sets them in motion? When the time comes, they stir. What causes Heaven and Earth to close and open? When the measure of Qi reaches its utmost, Heaven and Earth are opened up. Thus Heaven and Earth are established, and the sun and moon shine. The nine Qi then each return to their appointed places: when properly arranged, they are orderly and undisturbed; when each keeps to its proper course, each has its own bounds and does not overstep them. Yin-Yang and the Five Phases interact to form an ordered world, and the people and all kinds of living beings are born, together fulfilling the work of Heaven and Earth’s creation.

The myriad transformations between Heaven and Earth could not come about without being gestated by the Three Origins (the three primordial sources of Qi, associated with Heaven, Earth, and humanity) and guided by the nine Qi. The three Qi are the most exalted foundation of Heaven and Earth; the nine Qi are the source of all things. The three Qi join to accomplish their power: this is the culmination of Heaven and Earth’s creative transformation.

When Qi enters the body, this is called life; when Qi leaves the body, this is called death. All living and sentient beings, and the transformation that brings forth all things, can appear only through gestation by the Three Origins and guidance by the nine Qi. The three Qi are the most exalted foundation of Heaven and Earth; the nine Qi are the source of all things. The three Qi join to accomplish their power: this is the culmination of Heaven and Earth’s creative transformation.

When Qi enters the body, this is called “life”; when Qi leaves the body, this is called “death.” This holds without exception for all living things, whether they have teeth and hair or move about as spiders, insects, and other creatures. Unless they are brought forth by the “Three Primordial Forces,” the three sources that form Heaven, Earth, and all things, and guided by the “Nine Qi,” the primordial energies that generate all things, they cannot attain life.

Human beings are the most spiritually endowed of all creatures. They occupy one of the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—and may therefore be called supremely noble. This is what Zhuangzi meant when he said, “Heaven and Earth were born together with me.” Although all people receive life from the same source and have no difference in the origins of their birth, what they do after receiving life varies greatly. Why do Heaven and Earth endure without end while human life is brief? Because people do not understand the principle of “the Three Uniting to Form De,” or the fundamental way Heaven and Earth operate.

The “Pole” is the centered and balanced point. The Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals says, “Only by receiving centered and balanced Qi can a person establish life.” The Book of Documents says that the Lord on High bestowed “the Center” (the Way of balance) upon the people below. This is what Daoists call the “Yellow Court,” the central region within the body. Yellow is the color of Earth, and “court” refers to the center of the four directions. Heaven generates Water first; within the human body, this corresponds to Jing, which is stored in the kidneys. The kidneys lie on either side, with a space between them. The Yellow Court Scripture says, “The left is Lesser Yang, the right is Greater Yin; behind is the hidden gate, and before is the gate of life.”

The kidneys are the gates of life and death, so the practice of nurturing life must begin with the Yellow Court. Jing is stored in the kidneys, Qi arises from Jing, Qi joins with the heart, and the heart’s fluids mingle with it; these are then refined and cultivated in the Yellow Court. If one understands the principles of these unions and practices them without error, Jing can unite with Qi, Qi with Shen, and Shen with the Dao. In this way, the principle by which life endures will not depart from the centered Way of Heaven and Earth. Thus, “the Three Uniting to Form De” means attaining the foundation of Heaven and Earth.

While a person is developing in the mother’s womb, the Three Primordial Qi nourish the body, and nine kinds of primordial energy congeal to form it. In the ninth month, the spirits are fully distributed and the breath is abundant, so the baby can make a sound. Once the sound is heard, the spirits are complete, and the Nine Heavens celebrate together. Taiyi, the deity who governs the source of life, holds the talismanic mandate; the Sovereign Lord determines the allotted years; the Registrar records the name in the registers; the Director of Life sets the lifespan; the Five Emperors oversee the birth; and the Holy Mother protects the birthing chamber. Heavenly deities, earth spirits, and the gods of the Three Realms all stand guard nearby.

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. If the child to be born is a boy, all the gods sing “Respect” in unison, and the Director of Life respectfully assents. If the child is a girl, all the gods sing “Receive” in unison, and the Director of Life respectfully complies. Only after the ritual is complete can the baby be born. If the Marshal of the Nine Heavens does not proclaim the chapter of destiny, and the gods do not sing “Respect” or “Receive,” the baby cannot be born.

A careful reading of the Hidden Book of the Great Elixir says: A person receives life from the heavenly hun soul, takes shape within the Primordial Spirit, and then passes through the revolutions of the nine Qi. Taiyi bestows life, opens the Three Paths, and gathers the spirits in the Netherworld Palace. Thus the Mysterious Fluid, which nourishes life, coils around the body layer upon layer; bodily fluids spread throughout it and nourish it. The sun and moon illuminate the Six Void Spaces—the heavens, earth, and the four directions—while the mouth and eyes set the body’s spiritual functions in motion. Breath moves like clouds and rain, and one’s De may be compared to Heaven and Earth. The fetus gradually takes shape in the womb, and the Five Causes come into being with it.

The formation of the human way is a momentous process. The “Five Causes” refer to the Five Spirits; the “Three Paths” refer to the Three Perfected Ones. The Five Spirits are the heavenly hun souls; the Three Perfected Ones are the Way of Heaven; the nine Qi are Heaven’s womb; Taiyi is Heaven’s source; the sun and moon are Heaven’s eyes; the Mysterious Fluid is Heaven’s nourishing moisture; the Six Void Spaces are Heaven’s radiance; the Netherworld Offices are Heaven’s palace; spirit and Qi are Heaven’s transformative nurture; and the Primordial Spirit is the Emperor’s transformation. It is also said that the Primordial Father and the Mysterious Mother bring life to completion together. The Primordial Father governs Qi, initiating transformation and regulation; the Mysterious Mother governs Jing, causing Jing and Qi to transform and congeal into the womb. Taiyi blends the two, while the Five Spirits uphold the register of names. The five talismanic mandates each have their own role and domain.

The master, or sovereign, therefore governs the Three Officials, who oversee Heaven, Earth, and Water, so that every part of the body receives numinous Qi. The Emperor Lord determines the register of names, fixing a person’s allotted lifespan so it remains stable. A thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen rise together to welcome the dawn.

On close reflection, the meaning of this passage is much the same as that of the “Chapter on Generating Spirit.” A person’s birth in the womb is nourished by the Three Origins—the original Qi of Heaven, Earth, and Water—and takes shape through the gathering of the Nine Qi. That is, the Mysterious Mother, the feminine source that gives birth to all things, produces Jing and Qi, which transform and condense into an embryo. The Nine Qi then circulate, forming three spiritual powers. By the ninth month of pregnancy, Shen and Qi fill the whole body and the breath is sufficient, so the child can make sounds. The light of the sun and moon shines on the body from all six directions; the mouth and eyes also begin to perform their functions. These are all signs of a person’s birth in the womb, nourished by the Three Origins and formed by the Nine Qi.

The Nine Heavens celebrate this event. Taiyi, the sovereign deity of the Shangqing Great Cavern, holds the talismanic mandate; the Emperor Lord assesses the endowment bestowed at birth; the Registrar records the name; the Director of Destiny determines the allotted years; and the Five Emperors oversee a person’s birth, until that person is ultimately born no more. This means that Taiyi blends the Qi of the various deities, while the Five Spirits bear the talismanic mandate. The Emperor Lord fixes the register of names and stabilizes a person’s allotted lifespan; a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen rise together to welcome the dawn.

According to the “Classic of the Mysterious Mirror,” Taiyi is the great sovereign of longevity. Daoist scriptures give him such titles as Emperor Lord Taiyi, Perfected Lord Taiyi, Primordial Lord Taiyi, Immortal Taiyi, and Venerable Spirit Taiyi. The Taiyi spoken of here is not an external deity, but the Taiyi of the Shangqing Great Cavern. He appears as a newborn boy, naked and four inches tall. He is the deity of the Great Cavern’s initial return-to-the-womb state, named Wuyou Shou, and keeps watch beneath a person’s Jade Pillow, at the back of the head. At birth, he holds the talismanic mandate, bringing the Qi of the various spirits together.

The Emperor Lord is also called the Sevenfold Spirit, or the Divine Elder. He keeps watch above a person’s eyebrows and assesses the quality of the endowment received at birth. The Director of Destiny is the Elder of the Center. He dwells in the heart, determines the allotted years, and records their number. The Five Emperors are the Azure Emperor Diaoliangji of the East, the Red Emperor Changlaijue, the White Emperor Peng’anxing, the Black Emperor Baochengchang, and the Yellow Emperor Hanguanglu. They oversee a person’s birth. The Holy Mother is the Holy Mother of the Nine Heavens, sovereign of utmost Yin. All things come into being through the union of Yin and Yang. She delights in bringing life forth, protecting the place of childbirth, and dispelling inauspicious influences.

The Sima who recites the “Chapter on Generating Spirit” facing east in the courtyard is the Great Sima, a Master of the Way of Longevity. His surname is Baicheng and his given name is Xusheng; he is a Perfected Being of Shangqing. Men respond respectfully with “Gong,” while women express respectful compliance with “Feng.” These forms distinguish rank, much as the jade tablet and tile in the Book of Songs symbolize different customs for men and women.

All the beings described above are spirits within the body. When the breath is sufficient, they gather together. Spirit takes Qi as its mother: spirit is born from Qi. Spirit can dwell in Qi, and Qi can preserve the physical form; in this way, a person can live long and maintain clear sight. Sadly, people do not understand this principle. They damage their nature and life for the sake of desire, and treat life lightly for the sake of profit. This is truly lamentable.

When people are reborn and come into the human world, their bodies are as if refined by the sun. Their arrival is powerful enough to move Heaven and Earth, and their dignity is beyond measure. The Perfected Ones of Heaven, the deities of Earth, and the gods of the Three Realms all descend together. Such a birth is clearly no ordinary event.

People are not born into lowliness. They should therefore cherish their bodies, preserve their spirit, value their primordial Qi—the vital energy at the root of life—and strengthen their foundations. Only then can they avoid death and ruin, ultimately attain immortality, and ascend with both form and body to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), joining with the Three Qi and resonating with the Nine Qi.

Yet although people are granted birth, they often fail to honor their primordial Qi, cherish their bodies, preserve their lives, or care for their spirit. Instead, they bring death and ruin upon themselves, turning away from life’s true nature. While alive, they pursue only desires and profit, treating life lightly. This is truly lamentable.

The Treatise on the Confused Endowment of the Primordial Origin says: Human beings live between Heaven and Earth, receiving the harmonious balance of the two Qi (vital energies), Yin and Yang. Of all things, they are the most spiritually endowed, gathering the essences of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). Human beings take part in the workings of Heaven, Earth, and humanity—the Three Powers—and can stand alongside Heaven and Earth. They may rightly be called the most honored, without equal.

Since we have been fortunate enough to receive a human body, we should cherish and care for it, for the boundary between life and death is full of error and confusion. A human life is as difficult to steady as walking on a sloping board or rolling like a pellet. Gaining a human body is as difficult as sailing upstream. The Divine Kings, revered deities in Daoism, therefore feel profound compassion for all living beings. Yet people do not understand this truth: they slight life, pursue death, and fail to cherish the human body. This is why such questions arise.

After first receiving a human body, one must go to the Southern Cinnabar Fire-Refining Pool, where the body is washed with water from the Yellow Flower, before entering the womb and beginning life as a human being. This scripture calls the process “washing the body in the Sun,” rather than “the Yellow Flower.” Why? The Yellow Flower is the essence of Yang Qi. Its dwelling lies above the Sun and is also called the Palace of the Cavern of Yang. There is a pool of flowing fire there, filled with water from the Yellow Flower. Divine beings often use this water to bathe and cleanse their bodies. The longevity slips and talismans used in Daoist rites to deliver the dead refer to this very process.

From the moment one receives human life, many stages must be passed through. Heaven and Earth, together with the Three Realms—the heavens, the earthly realm, and the human world—are indeed stirred to take part. This is no ordinary matter. Whenever I read this passage, I close the book and sigh: the human body can stand alongside Heaven and Earth, and the Qi it receives can connect with Yin and Yang. This body is a body of the Three Treasures; this Qi is the Qi of Yin and Yang. Nothing is more honored than the Three Treasures, and nothing more wondrous than Yin and Yang. Once the pivot of Yin and Yang turns, all things come forth through transformation. So it is no exaggeration to say that this matter stirs Heaven and Earth and brings the Three Realms together.

Since we have received this life, we should surely count ourselves fortunate. How could we treat it lightly? Yet if people do not care for their bodies, preserve their spirits, cherish their original Qi, and keep firm hold of their foundations, they will find it difficult to unite their De (Virtue and Power) with the Three Qi—the three primordial energies spoken of in Daoism—and to harmonize with the Nine Qi, the nine primordial energies that make up Heaven, Earth, and all things. The reason is that selfish desires are too strong and wisdom too limited. Foolish acts like using the Marquis of Sui’s Pearl, a priceless gem, to shoot at a sparrow high in the sky are common everywhere. How could people who act this way avoid straying far from their own true nature?

The Nine Heavens’ Chapter on the Generation of Spirit is a numinous text that naturally coalesced from the flying, mysterious Qi of the Three Caverns, the three major divisions of Daoist scripture. The three kinds of Qi combine and produce sound patterns, which form the scripture. The scripture, in turn, joins with the hundred spirits, implicitly containing inner names and rhythms; it gathers life-generating Qi and manifests in visible form. Hence it is called the “Chapter of Nature.”

The workings of Heaven and Earth depend on Qi, as does a person’s ability to establish themselves. The Three Caverns’ precious scriptures, too, coalesced from Qi. Calling this a “Chapter of Nature” means it did not originate in human speech. According to the Twelve Categories of the Great Truth, the text of Nature is listed first and indeed belongs to the teachings that precede Heaven. The Venerable of the Nine Heavens told the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens: “The Record of the Original Elixir and Embryonic Essence speaks of the beginning of the generation of all things. It gathers the natural Qi of the Great Void and transforms it into a precious scripture: what is now called the Chapter on the Generation of Spirit.”

“Flying, mysterious” refers to the mysterious Qi among the three kinds of Qi. Mysterious Qi is like clouds, wheeling and drifting through the Great Void. Only after the three kinds of Qi combine do sound patterns take shape. There are several interpretations of “threefold union.” The Scripture of the Original Beginning says that form, body, and breath make up the three; only when form, spirit, and Qi are all present does a complete person come into being. Another interpretation is that spirit, Qi, and Jing (essence) unite, after which one can become a spirit. A third is that Heaven, Earth, and humanity unite, thereby establishing the Dao and De (Virtue/Power) between Heaven and Earth. Hence the scripture says, “Threefold union gives rise to sound.”

Here, “sound” means the coordination of sound patterns, through which this scripture was formed. The scripture coalesces from Qi, and spirits unite through Qi. Since Qi of the same kind responds to itself, the text says, “the hundred spirits mingle.” For example, the Purple Tenuity Palace in the Upper Origin has a Talisman for Extending Life. Place it in the eight directions and the Qi of each direction will swiftly respond, each taking on human form. When the talisman is put away, these forms transform back into Qi. To “mingle” means to return to a single body. The Scripture of Deliverance from Suffering says: “The perfected person mingles with the undifferentiated; the Qi of Heaven returns to a single body.” None of this is possible without natural Qi.

Reciting this scripture of the Heavenly Treasure can open the Qi of Heaven and Earth, causing it to respond in an instant and gather into forms that become the myriad things. Once the talismans and registers are withdrawn, these forms turn back into Qi. This is what “blending together and returning to a single body” means. The Scripture of Deliverance from Suffering says: “The perfected person merges with the formless Dao, with no distinction remaining; the Qi of Heaven and Earth returns to a single body.” All of this arises from the Qi of nature.

Reciting the Heavenly Treasure can open the light of Heaven and Earth; reciting the Numinous Treasure can awaken the souls in the long night of the Nine Netherworlds, those remote and shadowy depths; reciting the Divine Treasure can bring all spirits under command; reciting the Great One can set the deities within the body in their proper places; reciting the Imperial Lord can condense the body into form; reciting the Nine Heavens can enable a person to come into being; and when a cultivator of the Dao recites, they can ascend to Heaven.

The Dao does not lie far from people. It is only when they seek the Dao that they make it seem distant. In truth, Heaven and humanity have always been connected, with no barrier between them. Reasoning from these principles, the Heavenly Treasure is the Primordial Celestial Worthy, the Numinous Treasure is the Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy (Daojun), and the Divine Treasure is the Celestial Worthy of the Dao and its De (Laojun).

The Lord of the Heavenly Treasure came into being at the beginning of the Longhan era, when Heaven and Earth had just separated. At that time, there was no sky above and no abyss below. Heaven and Earth were vast and undivided, shrouded in darkness. The Lord of the Heavenly Treasure used the Jade Writ of the Natural Birth of the Gods to open Heaven and Earth, whereupon above and below separated and each took its proper place. This is like what the Scripture on the Salvation of Humanity says: “Without the scripture, there is no light.” It means that the Dao’s teachings contained in the scripture brought light to Heaven and Earth.

The Lord of the Numinous Treasure came into being at the beginning of the Longhan era’s opening of charts and registers. He was the first honored deity to save living beings, and so it is said that he opened a way out for the souls of the dead in the long night of the Ninefold Darkness. The Scripture on the Salvation of Humanity says, “Without the scripture, there is no salvation,” meaning that the scripture can save living beings.

The Lord of the Divine Treasure came into being in the first year of the Chiming era. By then, the patterns governing all things had spread throughout the cosmos; the Great Void—the vast, empty space of Heaven and Earth—had given birth to subtle wonders, and the Great Forms—the immense shapes of Heaven and Earth—had revealed their numinous radiance. The vital essence of Yang gave rise to the highest sages and perfected beings; the balanced, tranquil Qi gave rise to the Primordial Ladies and holy mothers; and fierce, forceful Qi gave rise to the celestial soldiers and mighty warriors. The remaining Qi nurtured the myriad numinous beings. That is why the Lord of the Divine Treasure is said to govern them all. This is also the meaning of the Scripture on the Salvation of Humanity when it says, “The five writings open and expand, universally nurturing the spirits.” Here, “govern” means that the myriad numinous beings each remain in their proper place and do not wield their powers recklessly.

In the human body, the Qi of the Lord of the Heavenly Treasure resides in the Niwan Palace, the seat of the spirits in the head. Shen and Qi appear as light through the eyes, so it is said to open the light of Heaven and Earth. The Qi of the Lord of the Numinous Treasure resides in the Crimson Palace, the palace located in the heart. This is the numinous residence, and the place where blood and Qi are generated. Blood belongs to Yin and is stored in the liver; the liver governs the ethereal soul. That is why the Lord of the Numinous Treasure is said to open the way for souls in the long night. The Great Cavern Scripture offers this prayer: “For me, block the gate of death; let the Jade Radiance of the Supreme God secure my village of Cinnabar Origin, free the hidden souls of my ancestors for seven generations, and raise them to the Southern Palace.” The “upper Qi” mentioned here resides in the Crimson Palace, again referring to its role as the numinous residence, where blood is governed and the ethereal soul is stored.

The Qi of the Lord of the Divine Treasure resides in the lower Dantian, also known as the Yellow Court—the place within the body where life is cultivated and spirits are nurtured. It is the palace where spirits are generated. The scripture says, “Disperse and transform the five forms; transform the myriad spirits.” This describes the function of the Yellow Court as explained in the Inner Chapter of the Yellow Court. That is why the Lord of the Divine Treasure is said to govern the myriad numinous beings.

Taiyi presides over all the gods, which means that he gathers and brings them under his command. The Lord Emperor is Fengling Fan. All the figures discussed above are spirits within the human body; their details will be explained below.

Once a person’s body has formed, the limbs and five bodily parts gradually become complete. By the ninth month, the spirits have spread throughout the body, and the fetus is about to become a person. If those who practice the Dao understand this principle, they will know that the Three Officials are the Three Treasures, and that the Nine Heavens are mutually connected and united. Through such cultivation, they will ultimately avoid death and decay and ascend to the Nine Heavens. How could the Dao be far from people? It is only that people have not put it into practice.

When spirits and ghosts hear this scripture, they can rise in rank; when ordinary people hear it, they can prolong their lives; when wandering souls hear it, they can be delivered; when withered plants and trees hear it, they can sprout with renewed vitality; when infants hear it, they can begin to speak; and when the remains of the dead hear it, they can return to human form.

The examples from “Heavenly Treasures” to “Academicians” describe those who have attained “my Dao”—the Daoist teaching set forth in this scripture. They may rise to become emperors or descend to become feudal lords. The examples from spirits and ghosts to dead remains describe those who have not attained my Dao: at best, they can glimpse the light; at worst, they return to dust. Yet personally reciting this scripture and merely hearing it have different effects. If those who recite it can understand and put its teachings into practice, they are like people who recite the words of Yao and also follow Yao’s example; only then can they be said to have truly attained the Dao. If, unfortunately, they fail to attain it, they remain among spirits and ghosts, ordinary people, and wandering souls—far removed from the Dao.

Once these beings hear this scripture, their circumstances can change. Spirits and ghosts can rise in rank, have their names entered among the officials of Donghua, the Daoist celestial realm, and cease to fall under the authority of the Three Officials, deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water. They no longer remain among the ranks of ghosts. According to the Scripture of the Flying Immortal’s Treasure Sword, even those of outstanding talent and renown remain under the Three Officials’ jurisdiction after death and are recorded as benevolent ghosts. Only after four hundred years do they become eligible to serve as underworld lords, after which they rise one rank every three hundred years. Those who hear this scripture can now be promoted without waiting through these spans of time.

Ordinary people are those in whom all six desires are present and who remain subject to their pull. After hearing this scripture, if they can avoid being tainted by the six desires, they can enjoy long life in the human world. Wandering souls are those imprisoned in hell. On hearing this scripture, they can be delivered and enter the Southern Palace, the celestial residence of the immortals in Daoist belief. “Withered and decayed” refers to plants and trees. Once they have withered and died, both their original form and vitality are gone. This scripture is a sacred text formed from Flying-Profound Qi. Plants in the world live by means of Qi. When withered things hear this scripture and begin to give off vapor again, it means the scripture’s breath nourishes them, gradually restoring their vitality and form. The vapor is like the Qi of plants. By analogy, when a person’s spiritual Qi disperses, that person too becomes like something withered and decayed.

When Su Dongpo composed a poem in harmony with Tao Yuanming’s “Poem of Form and Shadow,” he wrote: “You are like fire upon smoke; when the fire burns out, you too depart.” It is here that we can see how the wondrous power of the scripture reaches all things. Chongyang once told a story: a Daoist who had attained the Way carried a gourd containing a Great Elixir, a Daoist sacred elixir, and mixed it with millet, handing it out freely to everyone. By evening, the millet was gone, but the Great Elixir remained. He lamented that people in the world had too little good fortune, then left the elixir atop a withered sea-coconut palm tree at the Jade Bureau. The next day, people saw that the dead tree had begun to grow again. Is there not good reason, then, for withered plants and trees to regain their vitality?

Although infants can cry, they cannot yet speak. That they can speak after hearing this scripture means that their senses, such as their ears and eyes, and the openings of their minds have been awakened. Dead remains are the bodies of those whose hun and po souls have separated and who have departed from the human way of life. On hearing this scripture, they can be reborn as human beings. Long ago, Xu Jia had been dead for many years when Laozi placed in him the Great Mysterious Life-Giving Talisman, a Daoist protective talisman, and he came back to life. Xu Jia was revived through the power of a talisman; here, the dead are said to be revived through the power of the scripture. The means differ, but both ultimately restore life.

The Heavenly Treasure, Numinous Treasure, and Spirit Treasure—the three supreme divine treasures spoken of in Daoism—are wondrous and profound. They are the root from which all things grow, and so neither ghosts and spirits can fully comprehend them nor can ordinary people hear of them easily.

The “Three Treasures” are the Heavenly Treasure, the Numinous Treasure, and the Spirit Treasure. They bring Heaven and Earth into being and enable spirits, ghosts, and divine sovereigns to take form. They are utterly still and unchanging, perfectly pure and unmixed. They encompass the vast expanse of Heaven and Earth without leaving anything out, yet are also hidden within the deep world of ghosts and spirits, beyond description. The myriad things are many; they ceaselessly grow and perish in cycles, and their transformations have no end. This is what may be called wondrous and profound. As the scripture says, “The Dao is the hidden mystery of the myriad things.” The Three Treasures are a mystery deeper still within the Dao.

“Ao” refers to a deep, hidden place, and also to the place from which the root of all things comes into being. The Taixuan says that Heaven’s mystery lies in the northwest, where Jing-Qi gathers and gives rise to life; Earth’s mystery lies in the Yellow Springs, where souls and spirits lie hidden and move; and the human mystery lies in thought, which holds within it an exceedingly wondrous spirit. The Nanhua Jing also says that auspicious Qi arises in a hidden place. Earlier commentaries explain “wei” as “ao” and take it to refer to Kun, which represents the Earth; the Taixuan, in turn, uses “yellow” to refer to Kun.

The Qi of Great Brahma—the primordial, pure Qi spoken of in Daoism—rises from the northwest, and all things depend on it for nourishment. This is the establishment of the Way of Heaven. Souls and spirits move within the Earth of Kun, through which all things attain their potential and grow. This is the establishment of the Way of Earth. Only once Heaven and Earth are established can Yin-Yang be complete. Whatever is meant to come into being among the myriad things comes into being; whatever is meant to change undergoes change. Hence the Three Treasures are wondrous and profound, and are the root from which all things grow.

Earlier, it was said that when ghosts and spirits hear this Dao, they can ascend and transform, while ordinary people can endure. Here, it is also said that ghosts and spirits cannot comprehend it and ordinary people cannot hear of it. These statements describe the difference between what comes before and what comes after comprehension and hearing; they must not be confused. The state of one who has truly attained this Dao cannot be explained in words. How could it be something one might casually hear of in the mundane world? The highest principles are not easily attained, and those who truly achieve the Dao of the immortals are few.

Those who study the supreme Great Dao yearn for the path of becoming an immortal. Even if they undergo corpse liberation—a Daoist means of leaving the physical body and ascending—and pass through extinction and rebirth, in the end they will return to the immortal path. Then body and spirit unite and never part, entering together the realm of the Dao’s reality.

Without the method transmitted in this scripture, the womb will congeal and become obstructed, dead Qi will settle firmly at the root, and the true inner realm cannot be kept. The source that nourishes living Qi will be lost, the nine gates—openings in the body through which spirit and Qi move—will be blocked, and the body will be unable to generate spirit and Qi. Such a person has merely acquired a body, as though clinging to a breath and going through the motions. By learning this method, one can sit in stillness and attain the state of nature.

There are seven paths of the Highest Real Ones, three paths of the Most High, six paths of the Middle Real Ones, and one path of the Lower Real Ones.

There are seven kinds of the path of the Highest Perfected, three kinds of the path of the Most High, six kinds of the path of the Middle Perfected, and eight kinds of the path of the Lower Perfected. The principles of the Scripture of the Chapters on Generating the Spirits complement those of the Thirty-Nine Chapters of the Great Cavern. Examining the Thirty-Nine Chapters of the Great Cavern, we find that it belongs to the path of the Highest Perfected, and so it is called the “Higher Way.”

Those who practice the Higher Way and aspire to become immortals may fear that their cultivation is too shallow to shed their mortal bones and ascend to the realm of immortals, leaving them to attain only corpse liberation—a method of becoming immortal in which the physical body remains temporarily while the spirit departs. They may then be left to wander through death and rebirth. As long as the cycle of rebirth continues, the root of life and death remains, and they cannot escape the Six Paths of Rebirth, through which beings circulate among different forms of life according to their karma. Thus Lord Qingtong said, “If you wish to plant the root of liberation, you must pull out the shoots of life and death. Sinking down into the Nine Springs is only because you cling to this body.” The “plant of life and death” mentioned here refers to the cycle of rebirth.

Entering the cycle of rebirth carries the risk of falling away from the human path and finding it difficult to regain human form. If even human form is hard to recover, then it is harder still for those who aspire to become immortals to fulfill their wish. This scripture says that those who attain corpse liberation can escape rebirth and ultimately still become immortals. But if their merits in cultivation are not yet complete and their names remain registered in the underworld, they cannot avoid being pursued by the Three Officials, divine authorities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water. Those who attain corpse liberation therefore temporarily lodge their bodies in perilous mountain crags or secluded valleys. Taiyi, the spirit who protects the corpse, guards the body; the Three Hun souls protect the bones, and the Seven Po souls protect the flesh. In this way, the embryo spirit gathers primordial Qi, and after a long time, new life is attained.

There are many methods of corpse liberation. Some take a small amount of elixir and then transform into insects and depart; some swallow fetal fluid and then feign death; some drink jade nectar and knock on their coffins; some take the Golden Elixir and bid farewell to the world; and some are found with their head apart from their body, or with their body gone but their hair left behind. In general, these cases arise because a lifetime of cultivation has not yet been completed. The Immortal Lord had to pass through seven lifetimes before ascending to perfected status, while Taiji attained the fruit of immortality only after a hundred bodies. By using corpse liberation and strengthening the corpse form with the Chapters on Generating the Spirits, one can keep the life-giving fluids from drying up and close the gate of death.

The Scripture of Listed Accounts says that the human body dies and decays because ghosts’ Qi assails it in thirty-nine places. The body has openings, its blood and Qi are depleted, deathly Qi gradually invades, and malign influences seize the opportunity to enter. As a result, the spirit cannot flow through the body, fluids stagnate, and the spirits depart. Thus the scripture says that deathly Qi holds fast to the root, the true radiance—the true spirit—cannot guard it, and life-giving Qi consequently loses its fluids.

A person merely receives a physical form, as though carrying a breath of Qi while walking through the world. Though one has a body, without knowing the way of generating the spirits, what difference is there from a walking corpse? If one can obtain this method, one can peacefully accord with nature. Here, the reference is specifically to using the Scripture of Generating the Spirits as a shortcut in cultivation, entering the Great Vehicle—the higher realm of the Dao—directly, without passing through corpse liberation. Where is this method? The scripture says:

The Jing of the Nine Heavens on the Generation of the Spirits is a sound formed through the union of the Three Caverns’ subtle, primordial Qi (the three wondrous forms of primordial energy described in Daoism). This sound condenses into numinous script and can gather the hundred spirits. Every part of the human body is formed from the Three Qi. Having received these primordial energies, a person is in accord with Yuanshi, a revered Daoist deity, and can therefore gather the hundred spirits. Wherever the primordial Qi flows, the spirits follow.

At first, the Three Qi generate three deities. The Three Departments and Eight Radiances—the system of spirits and Qi phenomena within the body—then form the twenty-four spirits. If the twenty-four spirits can be brought together continually, they can transform into the Three-Five Perfected Ones. From there, they can further blend and return to Orthodox Unity, joining together as an Emperor Lord. Even when the spirits number in the hundreds of millions, they can all be gathered. In this way, Yang Qi can summon Yin Qi, and movement in and out is no longer restricted by direction: Yang Qi becomes a dragon chariot, while Yin Qi takes the form of jade maidens, who drive and dance above the empty, mysterious heavens. Simply sitting in stillness can bring one to a state of naturalness. Could these words really be false?

The Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the master—are supremely precious, and the Dao of the Nine Heavens is supremely true and precious. This scripture is secretly enshrined within the ninefold golden lattice of the Great Abode, on the Purple Yang Jade Terrace. It will not be revealed until the world is first opened. It is a forbidden book of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, beyond the hearing of ghosts and spirits. Anyone who steals the scripture will suffer countless calamities, as though cut by blades of wind; their soul and spirit will perish, never to be reborn. Those who respectfully follow it in accordance with liturgical rules and methods will become immortals in both body and spirit.

The sage’s resolve to save all beings never ceases, at any moment. Yet the sages dwell high above the myriad heavens; who in the world could understand them? So the sages spread the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the three major classes of Daoist scriptures, throughout the world. These scriptures all express the sages’ intent. By reciting them today, we can grasp that intent; by following it, we can connect with the sages. Since the scriptures have been passed down in the world, it is as though the sages themselves stand before us. Surely these scriptures are worthy of cherishing.

The Scripture of Generating Spirit is the foundation of the original Qi of Heaven and Earth, and the parent of all beings. Even the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters—cherish it. How much more should people in the world do so? In the six cavern palaces of Fengdu, the Daoist underworld, there is a place specifically set aside to punish those who slander the Great Vehicle of the Three Treasures. This scripture conveys the words of the Three Treasures. What difference is there between failing to honor it and slandering them?

In the phrase “the utmost truth of the Nine Heavens,” “utmost” means “highest.” “Secreted in the Great Existence” means that the scriptures were kept hidden in the Palace of Great Existence. A careful examination of the Scripture of the Seven Transformations of the Dancing Heavens records three hundred scrolls of the precious scriptures of Shangqing, nine thousand chapters of jade instructions, seven thousand sections of talismanic diagrams, and the chapters of spontaneity, all secretly stored in the Palace of Great Existence above the Nine Heavens. The Palace of Great Existence is the Jade Clarity Palace.

The Scripture of Golden Truth and Jade Radiance also speaks of the ninefold golden lattice and the purple sun jade platform. “Ninefold” describes a seal kept under the strictest guard; a “lattice” is like a small table. According to the Scripture of the Dao Treasure, there are jade lattices and golden lattices, both belonging to the Nine Heavens. Above the Three Passes stands a jade platform, on which a jade lattice is placed to hold the jade names of the Supreme Emperor, the Most True One of the Highest Sovereign.

From this, we can see that these scriptures are not only cherished but also secret writings. Had the Dragon-Han era not opened the scrolls—when the cosmic tribulation began and the scriptures were revealed—and had the divine kings not risked breaking the prohibitions to make their earnest appeal, how could people in the world ever have seen these writings? Therefore, those who secretly steal the scriptures deserve punishment, while those who honor them may join the ranks of the immortals. Those who steal them should indeed take this as a warning; how could those who uphold them fail to strive to put them into practice?

In the Three Origins Palace, the divine court that oversees the examination of the upper, middle, and lower Three Origins, some people have long been entered in the registers of immortals under names written in gold and characters written in purple. They are destined in a future life to become divine immortals of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), and should therefore receive this scripture. If the opportunity to receive its transmission arises, they should offer gold and treasures to their master, establish an oath and receive the scripture in accordance with the liturgy (keyi), then gather their mind and spirit and practice with devotion. They must guard it carefully and never reveal it casually; otherwise, they will undergo the “trial of wind and blades,” a severe punishment described in Daoism.

The Three Origins’ examination does not apply only to the souls of the dead. Those who have attained the Dao and those who have not are both subject to it. Names in gold and characters in purple are used specifically to mark people who study the way of immortality. For this reason, the examination authorities and places such as the underworld recorded in the texts are called the “ink registers.” Those whose names are written in gold and characters in purple are indeed distinct from those listed in the ink registers.

Long ago, Li Jue was an ordinary resident of Jiangyang. He had cultivated merit and good deeds for many years and was already entered in the register of immortals. Though he had not yet ascended to Heaven, his name had been recorded in gold in the Huayang Grotto-Heaven. Such distinctions were not reserved solely for those who studied the way of immortality. Secular books record that when Emperor Yuan of Liang was the Prince of Xiangdong, he divided loyal ministers, righteous men, and people of outstanding literary talent into three grades: those known for loyalty and filial piety were recorded with a gold brush, those known for virtue with a silver brush, and those whose writing was elegant with a mottled bamboo brush. The Scripture of the Supreme Lord’s Jade Instructions says that the Ziwei Palace has records such as golden registers and jade books, red-gold writings, and blue-green jade slips. These, too, mark similar grades.

If someone accumulated good deeds in a previous life, then after the end of their karmic life in this one, they will become a divine immortal of the Three Pure Ones in the next. They will naturally encounter this scripture. To receive it, they must bring gold and treasures, establish an oath according to the prescribed rules, and only then begin their practice. Otherwise, they will undergo the trial of wind and blades. These points are repeated for practitioners of the middle and lesser vehicles. Earlier passages mention the trial several times, saying that those who suffer this punishment will endure it through ten thousand kalpas, their souls and spirits destroyed and unable to be reborn. A later passage also says that wind and blades punish one another, so these warnings must be taken seriously.

Only in the passage where the Flying Heaven Divine Kings receive homage does the Primordial Heavenly Worthy speak differently: “This treasure book is supremely precious. The numinous sound of the nine heavens is transmitted only to the highest sages; even ghosts and spirits cannot hear it. The transmission of the true scripture follows its own rules: it is transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas. Today I make an exception and transmit it to you. Treasure it, and never transmit it lightly.” These words say only, “Take care not to transmit it lightly”; they do not mention the trial of wind and blades. Could it be that this trial was established specifically for practitioners of the middle and lesser vehicles?

The Supreme Lord’s Ordinances say that transmitting the books of Heaven and thereby bringing calamity upon one’s ancestors serves to make the offense of those who proclaim scriptures without authorization more severe, and to prevent people from revealing scriptures after swearing an oath. The upper section of the Black Register records the Water Official and the Fire Official. It also names two officials who oversee punishments by wind and blades: the Left Official of Wind, who punishes those who receive scriptures, talismans and registers (fulu), or precious instructions but fail to swear an oath and practice; who take payment to sell Daoist teachings; and who harm the laws of Heaven; and the Right Official of Blades, who punishes those who violate their sworn oaths, betray their masters and companions, casually switch to other lineages, make reckless judgments about good and evil, or attack the foundations of Daoist teachings. These prohibitions are far removed from the statement in The Book of Lang of the Great Empyrean that “when one encounters a worthy person, one should transmit the teachings, with no fixed limit on the number of times.”

The method of cultivation is to observe a strict vegetarian fast for a thousand consecutive days, remaining undisturbed by worldly affairs so that all forms of defilement and dissipation of body and mind may cease. Calm the heart, recite silently, burn incense, and keep the precepts. Once inside a quiet chamber, face east, click the teeth nine times, regulate the voice and breath, and then chant the precious scripture.

Chanting scripture can summon the true spirits and train the body. When the body is purified, Qi is more readily harmonized. Hold the Great Dao in the heart and cultivate the breath; when Qi is clear and harmonious, the spirit becomes tranquil. This is the purpose of clicking the teeth nine times, regulating the voice and rectifying the Qi, and chanting the precious scripture.

This is also the method of prolonged fasting. The Zhuangzi says, “When the heart is vast and still, the light of Heaven appears.” To still the heart is to bring it into peace. The essential point of the Way of Generating Spirit goes no further than this; beyond it lie only worldly affairs.

Before the hearts of living beings have been brought into order and stillness, they are like drifting dust, constantly colliding and entangling with external things. They race like the wind and blaze like fire, continually stained by defilement, unable to rest for even a moment. Only after fasting do spirit and Qi become unified. Spirit ordinarily follows the activity of the six faculties—the ears, eyes, tongue, heart, and mind—coming and going, wandering for a long time among the senses. Now, by preventing the six faculties from taking in external things, one can bring all forms of defilement and dissipation to an end.

In Daoism, the “Eight Leaks” are said to include tears, which are a leak of the liver; nasal mucus, a leak of the lungs; saliva, a leak of the kidneys; sweating on the body’s surface, a leak of the heart; night sweats, a leak of the small intestine; drooling during sleep, a leak of the brain; sexual intercourse with ghosts in dreams, a leak of the spirit; and sexual desire, a leak of the body. These forms of dissipation are all related to contact between the Five Skandhas, the six entrances, and the twelve sense objects and faculties. If one can make the body full while keeping the heart empty and still, prevent the ears from being drawn by sounds, and let the heart abide in talismans and decrees, then external defilements will have no way to enter.

In ancient times, Ge Xiangong observed a prolonged fast on Mount Tiantai. In less than a year, he had made contact with the spirits and was able to summon the Highest Sages to visit his secluded abode. Later methods of fasting began with this. True Lord Yan said, “Empty and still the heart to seek clarity in the Dao and De; settle the mind to bring about communion with the spirits.” The hearts of living beings have not yet aligned with the Dao, so the method of fasting was taught first: through fasting, people could quiet their distracting thoughts, and from quieting those thoughts they could enter the realm of the Dao. Later generations, however, made the fasting method complicated, mixing in many worldly affairs and external rites. To understand fasting in this way is to depart from its true purpose. The Daoist who presides over the fasting rite is then left with no more than the role of an officiant who makes ritual proclamations at a sacrifice.

Facing east upon entering the quiet chamber is meant to receive the vital energy of birth. Regulating the voice is meant to rectify the breath; gathering the spirit is accomplished through subtle resonance. These are all essential parts of chanting scripture.

With one recitation, the sound carries to the Nine Heavens, the highest celestial realm in Daoist belief. With two recitations, Heaven and Earth show reverence. With three, the Three Realms—the heavens, the earth, and the waters in Daoist belief—come to pay homage.

Four recitations mark an important stage in chanting the scripture. With four recitations, the Heavenly King descends. With five, the Five Emperors, the celestial rulers of the five directions, pay homage to the True Dao. With six, the demon kings restrain themselves. With seven, the stars bring the passes to a halt. With eight, even the deep darkness of night grows bright. With nine, the heavens descend, and all the spirits protect the Xuan—the place where the scripture is being recited, or the ritual carriage.

The methods of cultivation described in the previous chapter ultimately teach people to turn their attention inward and practice with sincerity. By turning inward, one can become one with the Way of Heaven. By understanding how the Way of Heaven operates and how human conduct can accord with it, one reaches a profound level of cultivation. “Ultimate” means bringing Heaven and humanity into harmony as one, with no barrier between them. Thus, after one recitation of the scripture, its sound can reach the Nine Heavens: it is recited here, and heard there. This describes communication between above and below.

At the second recitation, Heaven and Earth offer formal respect. The Scripture on Deliverance (Duren Jing) says, “Heaven and Earth offer formal respect,” which means much the same thing. “Reverence” and “formal respect” are not identical: reverence is somewhat less formal, while formal respect is more complete. Only when one is reverent and observes proper rites is the respect complete. At the third recitation, the Three Realms—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—greet the reciter with formal respect. This shows that formal respect is more solemn than reverence.

At the fourth recitation, the Heavenly King descends to welcome the immortals and perfected beings. The terms “Dharma King” and “Heavenly King” in the scriptures are honorific titles for exalted sages. The Heavenly King’s descent means that the recitation resonates with the immortals and summons them to gather. When Ge Xuangong, also known as Ge Xuan, was studying purification rites, he once summoned the Taiji immortal Xu Laile to descend into his meditation chamber. This is an example of such a response.

At the fifth recitation, the Five Emperors come to pay their respects to the perfected ones of the Dao. For example, when Lady Wei attained the Dao, the Lords of the Five Elders descended to her chamber and transmitted ritual objects such as the staffs of the Five Emperors.

At the sixth recitation, the demon kings bind themselves and submit to restraint. The “Incantation for Guarding the Numinous” (Weiling Zhou) uses phrases such as “the demon kings bow their heads” and “bind themselves.” Though the wording differs, the meaning is the same: to “bind” is to restrain. Only by the sixth recitation are the demon kings subdued and prevented from acting recklessly and causing disruption. Those who study the Dao often undergo trials by demonic obstacles, first smaller ones and then greater tests. After passing these trials, the demon kings vouch for them, enabling them to ascend to the rank of immortals.

Why are the demon kings restrained at the sixth recitation, rather than the fifth or seventh? The Six Great Demons of Heaven are believed to have taken form from the stale Qi of the Six Heavens. They are commanders of ghosts, supremely Yin in nature, and their power rivals Heaven’s. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning commanded them to transform, while also causing them to come into being along with all things. Daoist scriptures on purification rites and liturgies generally require demonic obstacles to be subdued before the ritual can be completed. Six belongs to old Yin, whose force is powerful; this is why purification rites often begin by commanding the demons at midday. Yin Qi begins to grow at noon, so it must be checked before it gradually strengthens. If one waits until later, it is difficult to reverse its growth.

I have often seen ten incense tables set up at a Yellow Altar, with the opening invocation held at the beginning of the night. It starts from the due north, the Zi position. In cultivating the Great Elixir, the fire cycle is also set in motion when the first Yang begins to arise, then proceeds through the directions in order. The sixth position is Gen in the northeast, directly opposite the direction of ghosts—the position where the Six Demons dwell. This is how the Jade Toad of Mount Fu commands the demons. Those who do not understand this think it is merely a summons to the demons of the earth, not realizing that the Six Great Demons of the Caverns are great demons of Heaven.

After the Celestial Masters of the Han dynasty distinguished humans from ghosts, they first drove out the demons and ghosts of the Six Heavens, ordering them to return to Northern Feng. Though the place is called the Six Caverns of Fengdu, it in fact also belongs to the celestial realm, so one should not cling to its literal location. Northern Capital Luofeng is a place of utmost Yin, but it also contains the immortal officials of the Six Caverns, who examine the records of those cultivating toward immortality and administer the registers of the Three Realms. The Scripture on Deliverance says, “The person sings the Cavern Chapter, thereby commanding Northern Luofeng.” If singing the Cavern Chapter can resonate with Northern Luofeng, how could it have no connection with Fengdu? To “command Northern Luofeng” means that the demons of Luofeng are the leaders of the demon host. The scripture continues, “Bind and send away the demon spirits; behead the sharp vanguard of the six ghosts.” The meaning is clear.

The incantation for commanding the demons now includes the words, “The Three Heavens’ fortune shines; the Six Heavens’ fortune ends,” yet many people do not understand what they mean. If one speaks of “commanding the demons,” one should understand what the demons are being ordered to do. Many, however, merely imagine that they have grasped the hidden meaning. A recent reading of the Collected Teachings (Tongjiao Ji) shows how this interpretation has been passed down. When the Jade Toad taught his students, he transmitted the words orally and did not write them down, perhaps fearing that the formula might be divulged. I, too, would not dare reveal it recklessly.

At the seventh recitation, the stars cease their movement. The Scripture on Deliverance says that when the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning preached the scripture, the Xuanji and Yuheng—the ancient instruments for observing the heavens—stopped turning for a time. This scripture calls it “stopping the pass,” probably referring to the handle of the Northern Dipper. Its seventh star is called the Star of the Celestial Pass, also known as the Star of the Broken Army. Ghosts and spirits retreat from the direction it points. Practitioners call the force it exerts “firm Qi.”

At the eighth recitation, even places of deep darkness become bright. In places of extreme Yin, beyond the reach of the sun and moon, the souls trapped there are difficult to deliver. Li Ruochong’s recitation of the scripture to secure deliverance for Zhang Lihua is an example.

At the ninth recitation, the various heavens descend to observe, and all spirits guard the practitioner. When the nine recitations are complete, the accumulated merit brings forth a response. Even sitting quietly, the practitioner can display spiritual powers; even in silence, they can have an impact like thunder. Such responses often arise on their own, without deliberate seeking. In the past, Li Shunxing regularly recited the Great Cavern Scripture for three years. One night, several thousand flying immortals suddenly gathered in the sky, and divine light illuminated the room. The recitation is performed here, yet the response appears there. How could such events be called false?

The merit of reciting the scripture once can reach the Nine Heavens and open the way for the fetus’s source to flow freely.

The foundation of the Dao is used to cultivate and regulate oneself; other methods may be used to govern the state, and more accessible principles may then be applied to govern the world. This is the sequence of cultivating oneself first and then extending one’s efforts to things beyond oneself. Yet this scripture says that practitioners should observe a strict fast for a thousand days, withdraw from worldly affairs, sweep away distracting thoughts and desires, and quiet the mind. Only then should they count the recitations and record the merits and responses they bring. When this chapter is discussed, it also records the effects of reciting the scripture nine times before turning to the self. Does this not confuse the order of things?

Methods of cultivation may proceed from within outward, or from without inward. To proceed from within outward is to cultivate and regulate oneself first, making one’s Virtue genuine. To proceed from without inward is to put oneself last and thereby bring oneself to completion. A close reading shows that the meaning here is not entirely the same as in the previous chapter. The effects of reciting the scripture once can proceed both from within outward and from without inward. The account says that a single recitation could connect with the Nine Heavens and also open the flow of the fetus’s source. These express two different principles, and so they are recorded separately.

The Scripture on Deliverance of Humanity (Duren Jing) makes a similar claim: after one recitation, the great sages of all the heavens together praise it; after ten recitations, even dry bones come back to life, rising up as human beings. This records the effects of reciting the scripture ten times. The scripture also says that after one recitation, the Perfected Great Gods of the Eastern Limitless and Immeasurable Orders, along with countless divine beings, descend through the air. This describes the responses brought about by recitation. Its sequence is the same as the one recorded in this scripture. Students should not cling rigidly to a single interpretation.

“One recitation reaches through to Heaven; the womb’s source opens and flows freely” describes the state of a person at the beginning of life. When the scripture has been recited nine times, the joints and the root of life arise together with divine Qi; this is used to explain the way of cultivating the self. Only here does the meaning of the title “Chapter on Generating the Spirit” become clear.

Before birth, a person dwells in darkness, unable to see the light or take action. Though free of entangling cares, even after thousands of eons one would be no more than a wandering soul or a suffering spirit, with no benefit for cultivation. Zhuangzi once likened this to metal in a furnace and lamented that, once cast into an object, it would eventually decay along with plants and trees; it would have been more peaceful never to have been born. If students fail to understand these words and use them as grounds for rejecting life, mocking those who seek longevity, they commit a serious error within the religious tradition. If cultivation falls short of its aim or is cut short midway, how can that be a reason to despise life?

Some people do not cherish life. They treat the body as a temporary lodging, enduring thirst without drinking and hunger without eating. They neither use methods to ward off cold nor seek to satisfy their hunger. They let the body grow thin and waste away, speaking only of “suffering” and “emptiness”—Buddhist terms that sum up life’s suffering and impermanence—and sit waiting for death. This is like having a house but tearing it down to sleep outdoors, or being healthy but deliberately taking medicine to make oneself ill. Is such conduct in keeping with ordinary human feelings? If people persisted in it, scarcely any life would remain between Heaven and Earth.

The Heavenly Worthy, the Divine King, took pity on people’s mistaken view and therefore explained the “Chapter on Generating the Spirit” in order to show that human beings receive life from the same source as Heaven and Earth. To follow the conditions life has bestowed and practice the Dao that should be practiced is the way to longevity. Otherwise, the metal in Zhuangzi’s furnace remains worthy of lament. Shao Kangjie, a Northern Song thinker and poet, wrote in a poem: “Even if one dies unjustly a thousand times, it is no different from never having been born.”

At conception, Jing and blood combine to form the fetal sac, which remains within the mother for three hundred days, until the fetus is fully developed. As soon as Jing and blood unite to form the embryo, a current of “Yellow Evolving Qi”—the scripture’s term for the Qi at the beginning of life—sets life in motion. If this Qi circulates freely and its ascent and descent follow their proper course, life can gradually grow. But if the fetus’s source is blocked, some may die before birth. Thus the Hidden Book of the Great Elixir says: when the Great One (Taiyi), the primordial Qi spoken of in Daoism, congeals and ceases to move, the Nine Qi stop transforming. The Three Ones (Sanyi), the three primordial forces associated with the generation of life, can no longer nourish and sustain it; death Qi then enters through the opening, and life cannot come to completion.

After the second month, the fetus takes shape, and within it the foundation that sustains life is formed.

“Heaven is one, Earth is two” describes the order in which Heaven and Earth came into being. “A sound is uttered, and a response follows” is a metaphor for Yang Qi emerging and Yin Qi responding. In the early stages of conception, the fetus gradually takes shape during the second month; this marks the beginning of visible bodily form. Yet life also contains the root of death: once the fetus’s form has developed, deathly Qi lies hidden within it. Thus some people die in the womb because the fetus fails to mature. Chapter Two says, “Cut away the root and close the gate of death; calm and harmonize the body, and nurture the young child.” This means cutting off the causes of death, bringing body and mind to peace, and nurturing life from its beginning.

If the root within the womb can be released, vitality gradually takes shape. Here the text draws on the account of Lord Taiyi untying the “Three Passes and Twelve Knots”: a talisman is written in cinnabar on the membrane of green bamboo, and its ritual power is used to untie the knots and blockages. See the Shangqing Dongxuan Jing.

After the third month, spirit and Qi gradually transform, and the gates of the hun and po souls are refined and nurtured, enabling one to cultivate the path to immortality. “Heaven is one and gives birth to water” means that Heaven’s one generates water; in the human body, this serves as a metaphor for life gradually taking form. The text again cites Lord Taiyi’s talismanic method for untying the “Three Passes and Twelve Knots”: a talisman is written in cinnabar on the membrane of green bamboo and used to undo the knots. See the Shangqing Dongxuan Jing.

Heaven One gives rise to Water, which in the human body corresponds to Jing (essence); Heaven Three gives rise to Wood, which corresponds to the hun soul. It is only at the third stage that the hun begins to take form. The Yuzhi Immortal Scripture says that when a person has been in the womb for three months, Yin and Yang separate. Once separated, the hun is born on the left and the po soul on the right. This is an inevitable principle.

Those who cultivate must first gather in the hun and restrain the po. The hun belongs to mercury, and the po to lead. Mercury is prone to disperse, so when a person dies, the hun departs first. The Scripture of Salvation says, “Lofty and pure, clear and bright, it sings a mournful song through the vast void.” These words express grief over human death. After conception, the hun takes form, and only then does the body develop. This is called the “Gate of Great Simplicity”; Yin and Yang also separate here and enter and depart. On the left is the Gate of the Hun; on the right, the Portal of the Po.

Through the cultivation of the hun, the dead may be brought back to life, while the living may become immortals. One must therefore sustain the life-giving breath bestowed by Heaven. This is what is called the “breath that reveals immortality.” Here, “practice” means “washing silk,” as in zeng lian, and the scriptures often use this character instead of the one meaning to forge or temper. It refers to Great Simplicity, the source of human life. Once life’s foundation is established, the Dao arises from it. In the state of Great Simplicity, hardness and softness have only just separated. By taking what is pure and unadorned—clean as silk after washing—one can readily become an immortal. Thus the later phrase “drifting, the washed silk’s radiance” means the same thing.

At the fourth stage, the Heavenly King descends to the immortal realm, and the Portal of the Po closes.

The fourth divine lord in the heavens governs Metal Qi. In the human body, this corresponds to the lungs, which store the Po (one of the components of the human spirit and soul). The scripture speaks of the Gate of the Hun for the third time and the Door of the Po for the fourth, because both are gateways within the human body.

At birth, the kidneys form first, followed by the spleen. The spleen then gives rise to the liver, and the liver in turn gives rise to the lungs. The liver and lungs are gateways that convey the breath. The kidneys belong to Water, and Water contains Fire. Fire rises and transforms into Qi, which ascends and travels to the heart. The heart produces fluids, which carry Yin Qi downward and return it to the kidneys. Without the liver and lungs to convey them, how could this ascent and descent meet? And how could the state of the Dragon and Tiger joining be formed? In Neidan (internal alchemy), the Dragon and Tiger are metaphors for the two Yin-Yang energies.

The greatest obstacle that kept the ancient immortals from succeeding in Neidan practice was the separation of Metal and Wood Qi. If the liver can convey kidney Qi upward to the heart, and the lungs can convey the heart’s fluids downward to the kidneys, with the movements occurring at the proper time, then the Yellow Sprout—the nascent, subtle vitality in Neidan practice—will arise. This is called the Golden Elixir. Clearly, this is of great importance.

If the liver and lungs are responsible for conveying these substances, why does the text also say, “the Door of the Po is closed”? The Door of the Po is a gateway formed when the human body first takes shape. Before cultivation begins, opening it may admit deathly Qi and damage the life-giving energy, so it must be kept closed.

The fifth mention is of the “Five Emperors paying homage to the True,” alongside the purification of the organs and bowels and the closing of the Door of the Po. In the fifth month of life, the five organs take shape, and the number associated with the spleen is also completed. “Organs” refers to the inner aspect; “flesh” refers to what appears outwardly. The Five Emperors then naturally pay homage to one another: the Azure Emperor protects the Hun, the White Emperor attends to the Po, the Red Emperor nurtures Qi, the Black Emperor keeps the blood vessels flowing, and the Yellow Emperor presides at the center, with each spirit in its proper place.

The six bowels form in this order: Earth-two gives rise to Fire, which is followed by the formation of the small intestine. The small intestine gives rise to the large intestine, the large intestine to the gallbladder, the gallbladder to the stomach, and the stomach to the bladder. With the Triple Burner added, these are called the six bowels. Alas, without the other there can be no self, and without the self there is no way to make use of the other. They depend on one another: the other exists through the self, and the self becomes apparent through the other. This wondrous principle by which spirits are generated is hard to fathom; one might say it happens spontaneously.

The sixth mention is of the demon kings being subdued and brought into submission, and of fluids arising in the stomach channel.

All five viscera contain fluids, but only the left kidney governs them. The stomach belongs to Earth; water stops when it meets earth, so the stomach is where fluids are received. The Xianjing Cunxiang Jue (Instructions on Visualization from the Immortals’ Scripture), a Daoist text on visualization practice, says: “Quiet the mind and imagine a young girl in the stomach, naked and upright at the stomach’s entrance. With her mouth open, she receives the numinous fluid flowing down. Then tilt the head back and draw in the Five Qi, gather it in the mouth, swallow it, and send it into the mouth of the Mysterious Woman.” This means precisely that the stomach is regarded as the place where fluids are received.

All the food and drink a person consumes gathers in the stomach, where it is silently refined and digested by the intense Fire. The clear, light part becomes fluids and rises to the Nine Heavens, nourishing all things like clouds and rain. The heavy, turbid part sinks and is discharged to the Nine Earths like filth. Fluids gather in the mouth as water, become saliva in the lungs, blood in the heart, and essence in the kidneys; all of these arise through the transformation of fluids. The Zhixuan Pian calls the heart and kidneys the Cinnabar Origin—the foundation associated with the workings of the elixir in internal alchemy—and regards the liver and kidneys as the Fire Phases, the principles for regulating the intensity and progress of cultivation.

A practitioner may sit quietly in a peaceful room at midday, close the eyes and gather the spirit, hold fluids in the mouth, and breathe gently through the nose. On exhaling, slowly guide the breath to its end, while holding the fluids in the mouth to keep it steady so the True Dragon does not rise. Then draw the breath back in, so the True Tiger does not descend. As the breath passes through the Yellow Court, an important inner site in Daoist cultivation, it becomes the ever-present Mysterious Pearl, a symbolic term in internal alchemy. Use it to cleanse the chest and abdomen. The scripture says: “The numinous steadies the fluids; the source opens and nourishes the child.” True adepts often use these words to remind people that the human body needs to be moistened by fluids. Sadly, many people do not understand this.

Seventh: When the stars and constellations shine clearly, the body’s apertures also open and become responsive.

In the heavens are the Sun, Moon, and five planets—the Seven Luminaries, seven celestial bodies that give off light. In the human body are seven apertures: the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and the mouth. At night, the Seven Luminaries move ceaselessly through their courses; within the body, the seven apertures function and connect with the five viscera.

When a person reaches seven months in the womb, the essences of the Seven Stars open the seven apertures, enabling the person to see, hear, eat, and breathe. The form of these apertures is broadly similar in everyone, but people differ in their degree of intelligence. Intelligence arises chiefly from the heart: the heart belongs to spirit and corresponds to Fire, which illuminates things. Seven is also the number of Lesser Yang and belongs to Metal; only after Metal is fashioned into tools can it be used for carving. For this reason, the ancients used the number of apertures in the heart as a metaphor for intelligence: the most intelligent were said to have seven, those of average ability five, the less capable three, the perceptive two, and ordinary people one; the foolish were said to have none.

The Zhuangzi says, “Is it only the body that can be deaf or blind? Wisdom, too, can be deaf and blind.” Being muddled and slow-witted, with intelligence not yet awakened, does not actually depend on the number of bodily openings. Rather, it reflects the thickness or thinness of one’s innate endowment.

After passing through darkness eight times, light appears. When the Three Sets of Eight Radiances—the Daoist term for the spirits and inner visions of the body—are fully in place, body and spirit are complete.

Human life receives its endowment from the One Primordial Qi, the fundamental vital energy between Heaven and Earth. One Qi transforms and gives rise to three; these three then combine with five. This is called the “Eight Views.” The three sets of Eight Views together make up the Twenty-Four Spirits. This is the result of Yin-Yang transformation. Understand this transformation, and it is as if the workings of the cosmos were in your hands and the power of creation could also be embodied within you.

The Daoist Mengwei Register explains substance and function through the Three Origin Generals and the Five Virtue Generals. It matches their transformations to the twenty-four stages and the twenty-four solar terms. This is precisely the principle at issue. The transformations of the myriad things never extend beyond the scope of Yin-Yang. Three and five are also the numbers of the Sun and Moon; the two Heavenly Stems Wu and Ji correspond to the Kan and Li trigrams. Human beings receive the Qi of Yin-Yang, and the Three Origins and Five Cycles likewise converge within the body. By carrying transformation through oneself, one can accord with the twenty-four Qi that move naturally within the Taiji. The Huangting Jing says: “The way to cultivate and nourish life is not difficult. One need only practice the Dongxuan Jing and the Yupian, while also attending to the Eight Views spirits within the body; then the twenty-four perfected spirits will appear naturally.”

The Suling Jing says that the twenty-four Qi mingle and gather, then congeal and transform. Within the Qi are twenty-four spirits, formed by gathering numinous energy; they are not conceived in the womb. They all derive from the Qi of the “Three-in-One Imperial Stars.” Thus, the three sets of Eight Views are fully present in the human body and spirit. If they are said not to come from the mother’s womb, how can ordinary people obtain them? They must begin with cultivation. The immortal Xu Changshi’s oral instructions say: “At dawn, visualize and preserve the upper set of Views; at noon, the middle set; and at midnight, the lower set.” Here, “visualizing and preserving” refers to a Daoist cultivation practice in which one uses the mind’s attention to contemplate the spirits and Qi within the body.

The Baoxuan Yulu says that those who do not visualize and preserve the twenty-four Qi, and do not know the names of the three sets of Eight Views, cannot be counted among the people of an age of great peace, nor can they become subjects of the sages of later generations. Lord Wang of Xicheng and the Perfected One of Tongbai also practiced this method and thereby attained the Dao.

The names of the twenty-four spirits are recorded as follows:

The upper set of Eight Views: the spirit of the head, the spirit of the hair, the spirit of the skin, the spirit of the eyes, the spirit of the nape, the spirit of the forehead, the spirit of the nose, and the spirit of the tongue.

The middle set of Eight Views: the spirit of the throat, the spirit of the lungs, the spirit of the heart, the spirit of the liver, the spirit of the gallbladder, the spirit of the left kidney, the spirit of the right kidney, and the spirit of the spleen.

The lower set of Eight Views: the spirit of the stomach, the spirit of the large intestine, the spirit of the small intestine, the spirit of the torso, the spirit of the chest and diaphragm, the spirits of both knees, the spirits of the left Yin and left Yang, and the spirits of the right Yin and right Yang.

The forms and incantations of the other spirits cannot all be set down here. In the past, I saw a commentary by Wang Shichen of Poyang that described the “three sets of Eight Views” as the “Eight Trigrams.” The author considers this claim laughable, and has therefore stated the matter here as well, so that later students will not be misled.

The divine beings of the Nine Heavens descend into the human body many times, entering the Three Passes, the five viscera, the six bowels, the Nine Palaces, and the thirty-six thousand joints, as well as twelve gateways layered one upon another like golden towers and jade chambers. From these the root of human life arises, and at the same moment the gods are born within it.

Before a person is conceived, they exist in an indistinct, undivided state called “Great Change.” When change gives rise to Qi, this is called “Great Beginning.” When Qi changes and forms the body, this is called “Great Commencement.” When Yin receives Yang and life is generated, and Qi moves along with the developing fetus, this is called “Great Simplicity.” When numinous light enters the body, separates from the mother, and develops fully over ten months of pregnancy, this is called “Supreme Ultimate.” At birth, all the divine beings within the body are already complete. How do these gods come into being? This is the great De of Heaven and Earth. The Way of Heaven prizes life, and the gods are present because life has come into being.

There are several explanations of the “Three Passes.” The Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting Jing) calls the mouth the Heavenly Pass, the hands the Human Pass, and the feet the Earthly Pass. Some scriptures of the immortals, however, call the Mudball Palace—the seat of the gods within the head—the Upper Pass; the Crimson Palace, where the heart is located, the Middle Pass; and the Lower Origin, the Dantian area of the lower abdomen, the Lower Pass. The Perfected One Zhengyang takes the spine as his basis: since it has twenty-four vertebrae, each pass consists of three. The point below the brain is called the Jade Pass, the area between the shoulder blades the Middle Pass, and the point opposite the internal kidneys the Lower Pass. Another explanation identifies the eyes as the Upper Pass, the nose as the Middle Pass, and the mouth as the Lower Pass.

The five viscera, six bowels, and Nine Palaces are all places within the body where divine beings reside. The six bowels are named as follows: the large intestine is the Jade Hall Bowel, the small intestine the Primal Yang Bowel, the left bladder the Great Harmony Bowel, the right bladder the Great Simplicity Bowel, the stomach the Central Yellow Bowel, and the gallbladder the Great Clarity Bowel.

The Nine Palaces are as follows: the kidneys are the Cinnabar Origin Palace, the small intestine the Vermilion Mound Palace, the liver the Merchant Terrace Palace, the gallbladder the Heavenly Numen Palace, the spleen the Yellow Court Palace, the large intestine the Mysterious Numen Palace, the lungs the Palace of the Exalted Scribe, the bladder the Jade Chamber Palace, and the heart the Crimson Empyrean Palace.

The Scripture of the Cavern of Truth (Dongzhen Jing) also gives names to the chambers within the head, arranged in layers. Three parts inward from between the eyebrows is the Twin Cinnabar Palace; one inch farther in is the Bright Hall Palace; three inches farther in is the Dantian Palace, also called the Mudball Palace; four inches farther in is the Flowing Pearl Palace; and five inches farther in is the Sovereign Palace. One inch above the Bright Hall is the Heavenly Court Palace; one inch above the Cavern Chamber is the Utmost Truth Palace; one inch above the Dantian is the Mysterious Cinnabar Palace; and one inch above the Flowing Pearl is the Great Sovereign Palace.

The Golden Tower is the throat, also called the Layered Tower. The throat has twelve rings, each guarded by a divine being holding a jade halberd. Perfected beings dwell there and govern the passage of breath above and below. Su Dongpo once wrote, “The Jade Tower freezes over, and cold raises gooseflesh”—he was referring to this place. The Scripture of the Yellow Court also says that the Layered Tower contains twelve tiers of palaces, with Perfected beings filling them from top to bottom.

The Jade Chamber is another name for the palace of the brain; the Scripture of the Yellow Court calls it the Jade House. The “twelve layered gates” also refer to the twelve rings of the throat.

The Purple Portal is described in the Middle Chapter of the Scripture of the Plain Numinous (Su Ling Zhongpian) as lying within the area above the eyebrows. The Inner Scripture of the Cavern Chamber (Dongfang Neijing) says that a Purple Portal lies between two passages and leads to Mysterious Essence. Its god is named Tranquility, with the courtesy name Dharma King.

The Jade Union is called the Jade Hall in the Scripture of the Yellow Court.

The thirty-six thousand joints are the root and beginning of bodily life, and the gods are generated there at the same time. The divine beings described above are all gods of the human body: there are eighteen thousand Yang gods, belonging to the body’s outer form, and eighteen thousand Yin gods, belonging to its inner body, making thirty-six thousand in all. They are supremely honored and beyond compare. Those who understand that gods dwell within the body can move in accord with the workings of creation and enter a subtle realm without trace. Those who do not know that gods dwell within the body will toil throughout their lives without seeing the results of their practice. This is truly a sorrowful thing.

Reciting the same chapter nine times counts as one full recitation. Once the full recitation is complete, the Three Realms—the different levels of worlds described in Daoism—will record the reciter’s name, and the Five Emperors, the Celestial Emperors of the five directions, will befriend and acknowledge them. They are then called a perfected person. After ten full recitations, the breath can flow freely and all spirits can be brought under control. The Demon King will also recommend the reciter, granting them a place in the celestial realm. After a hundred, they can communicate with the divine, sit in stillness and respond to nature. Taiyi, a revered Daoist deity, grants them a talismanic mandate, and the Primordial Lady bestows new life upon them. After a thousand, they can reach the subtle and wondrous; seated or standing, they can travel freely. Immortal youths and jade maidens attend to their commands. After ten thousand, their cultivation of the Dao is complete: they can ride a dragon chariot and ascend to the celestial realm in broad daylight.

Any discussion of the Dao begins with Yin-Yang; to speak of Yin-Yang is to probe further into their interaction and transformation. I dwell between Heaven and Earth, and my life exists alongside them. The patterns of life, too, accord with Yin-Yang. Front and back are connected, while east and west correspond to one another. Once cultivation of the Dao is complete, one can ride a dragon chariot and ascend to the celestial realm in broad daylight.

To explain the Dao (the Way), one must begin with Yin-Yang; to explain Yin-Yang, one must go further and explore how its two forces connect and transform. I exist between Heaven and Earth, and my life moves in step with them; the patterns of my body, too, correspond to Yin-Yang. What comes before is linked to what follows, what is high continues into what is low, and gain and loss have no fixed measure. Nothing remains unchanged forever. All things harmonize with one another, generate and restrain one another, and regulate one another; in the end, all arise from a single Qi (vital energy).

If one understands how transformation works, one will see that the workings of creation are not beyond change. To regard “sitting and vanishing while standing” (through visualization in quiet sitting, one can in an instant travel elsewhere or manifest) as something excessive is to misunderstand the scripture. According to its text, reciting the scripture nine times makes one round; ten rounds bring the Qi mechanism into free circulation, a hundred make the spirits manifest, a thousand open the way to spiritual efficacy, and only after ten thousand recitations is one’s cultivation complete and one able to “ascend at dawn” (rise into the celestial realm). The number of recitations is set at nine because nine is the highest Yang number; when things reach their limit, they change. The human body has nine palaces and nine openings; Heaven has nine heavens and Earth nine layers; alchemy speaks of nine reversals, and ritual arts of nine completions. Seven and eight symbolize the shifting of Yin and Yang, while six and nine symbolize their transformation at the utmost limit: shifting continues, but at the limit, change occurs.

After nine recitations, spirits arise throughout the Three Passes, Five Viscera, Six Bowels, and Nine Palaces, and the thirty-six thousand spirits of the whole body are thereby made complete. This does not mean forcing spirits into an arbitrary total of thirty-six thousand. It is the natural result of the Qi mechanism reaching every part and transforming on its own. After one recitation, the scripture says, the baoyuan (the source within the body from which Qi is generated and transformed) is opened and made free-flowing. The key lies in the word “flow.” If the body’s Qi cannot circulate freely, how is a person any different from a clod of earth? And how could one speak of traveling elsewhere or manifesting while sitting in stillness?

Thus, ten recitations bring the Qi mechanism into free circulation, and Qi congeals to form spirits. A hundred make the spirits manifest; when spirits arise, spiritual efficacy follows. A thousand open the way to spiritual efficacy, enabling transformation and unobstructed movement, effortless use, and the full exercise of wondrous powers. Only then can one comprehend the Great Dao. At ten thousand recitations, one’s cultivation is complete: one can ascend to Heaven in broad daylight, have one’s name entered among the Three Realms, and be registered in the celestial rolls. There is sound reason in this teaching.

The scripture says, “The Five Emperors distinguish among their companions, who are called perfected beings.” This means that cultivators may become companions of the Five Emperors, with their rank determined by their level of cultivation. If they are companions of the Five Emperors, why are they also called “perfected beings”? Because even among those of the same path, who may call one another companions, their respective realms must still be distinguished according to their cultivation. The Scripture of the Yellow Emperor’s Forty-Four Methods records that anyone who reads the Hidden Book of the Great Cinnabar, the Golden Flower Grotto Chamber, and the Precious Writ of the Female One may be called a Master of the Three Caverns and a Perfected One of Primordial Radiance. The rank of the Perfected One of Primordial Radiance corresponds to that of the High Immortal of the One Emperor and the Master of the Dongxuan Cavern. The Perfected One of Upper Radiance corresponds to the Grandee of the High Immortals of the Nine Palaces. According to the Scripture of the Forty-Four Methods, one may also be called a Master of the Three Heavens and a Supreme Perfected One, with a rank equivalent to that of an Immortal Minister of the Supreme Ultimate.

“The Demon King recommends and guarantees the cultivator” means that at the beginning of practice, one undergoes trials; once one’s merit and practice are complete, the Demon King vouches for and recommends one. “By sitting, one naturally obtains” means that after completing one’s cultivation, one can naturally summon the Six Jia spirits to provide provisions. “Taiyi grants the talismans, and the Primordial Lady receives life” refers to Taiyi bestowing Fulu (talismans and registers), through which the Primordial Lady is brought to life. Taiyi has five spirits who bear the talismans and registers. These teachings belong to the Way of the Shangqing emperors, who merge into one, and they are methods for seeking longevity and becoming an immortal. According to related teachings, the Five Talismans can be written in blue characters on white paper, made on one’s birth-year day, placed in a brocade pouch, and worn on the body to attain longevity and immortality. “Primordial Lady” is a title for a woman who has attained the Dao; the “spirit of the Female One” mentioned in the Great Dao refers to a perfected divine being of this kind.

According to the Wondrous Scripture of Great Being, the human head contains nine palaces. The Palace of the Jade Emperor is inhabited by the Divine Mother of Jade Clarity; the Heavenly Court Palace by the Perfected Woman of Highest Clarity; the Palace of Utmost Perfection by the Imperial Consort of the Supreme Ultimate; and the Great Sovereign Palace by the Queen of the Most High Lord. These four palaces belong to the Yin palaces of the primordial era, when Heaven’s origin first came into being: at that time, primordial Qi had not yet taken form, the order of the Five Phases had not yet appeared, and all things remained in a state of undivided transformation. The continued existence of Heaven and Earth is connected with these four perfected divine beings. Without knowing the inner names of the feminine perfected beings, one cannot become an immortal. These four palaces are originally present in everyone; if one does not cultivate, the perfected officials within them remain only vacant positions. After a hundred recitations, spirits naturally arise. Thus the Scripture of the Yellow Court says, “Within the jade chamber, the eight essences gather; the Lady of the Muddy Pellet stands in the center.” This means that the spirits within the body gather in the Jade Chamber, with the Lady of the Muddy Pellet residing at its center.

“Seated, one vanishes while standing; immortal boys and jade maidens serve, traveling east and west” refers to the method of guarding the Three Ones (visualizing and maintaining the three key perfected beings within the body). After a thousand recitations, nothing is beyond one’s reach. This is what is meant by “though the paths differ, they meet at the same essential end”: different methods of cultivation ultimately return to the same essential principle.

According to the True Scripture of the Mysterious Cinnabar of the Shangqing, if a Daoist cultivates the Most High method of summoning the Three Ones and guarding the body and spirit, and uses talismans for five years, they will be able to meet perfected beings. After nine years, they will possess spiritual perception and penetrating vision, be able to travel and manifest while seated, command the Six Ding spirits, and receive twelve jade boys and twelve jade maidens bestowed by the celestial realm. Riding clouds and dragons, they will travel and feast in the Jade Palace. Upon reaching the state of ascending at dawn, their cultivation is complete.

“Dawn” refers to the time when the rooster crows. According to the incantation in the Mysterious Cavern Scripture of the Great Profound Emperor, “Raise the whole body and ascend at dawn; rise in broad daylight.” Here, “broad daylight” refers to the sky, while “ascending at dawn” means the time when the first rooster begins to crow. For this reason, methods of visualizing Taiyi and bringing body and mind into harmony are often practiced at this hour, since it is when the Qi of life begins to stir. The Scripture of the Yellow Court says, “Once the feathered robes are in order, the eight winds clear the way; guiding the chariot, one rides the Three Sublime Essences upon the morning clouds.” To put on the feathered robes, have the eight winds open the way, and ride the Three Sublime divine energies upon the morning clouds is a truly exhilarating state.

The upper scroll of the Explanation of the Scripture of the Jade Chapters on the Natural Generation of the Nine Heavens in the Cavern Mystery Lingbao tradition is complete.

The middle scroll of the Explanation of the Scripture of the Jade Chapters on the Natural Generation of the Nine Heavens in the Cavern Mystery Lingbao tradition.

Written as an explanation by Wang Xichao, a Daoist priest at Chongxu Abbey in Mianzhou, who was known as Hidden Worthy.

The upper scroll of the Explanation of the Scripture of the Jade Chapters of the Primal Origin is complete.

The middle scroll of the Explanation of the Scripture of the Jade Chapters on the Natural Generation of the Nine Heavens in the Cavern Mystery Lingbao tradition.

Written as an explanation by Wang Xichao, a Daoist priest at Chongxu Abbey in Mianzhou, who was known as Hidden Worthy.

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning dwelt quietly in solitude within the Yellow Chamber of the Cloud Palace. He lay at rest inside a canopy adorned with the Seven Treasures. Calm and practicing Wuwei (non-action), he nurtured his original nature and refined his true nature in a realm of empty clarity. He carefully contemplated penetrating wisdom, and looked down to study the Way of generating the spirits. He regulated the subtle, profound Qi of the Great Beginning, and his long cry rang clear through the Nine Heavens.

This scripture has no separate preface. It begins by explaining how the Three Treasures—the Dao, the Jing, and the Master revered in Daoism—set the primordial Qi in motion, establishing Heaven and Earth and bringing people and all things into being. Among all things, human beings are especially honored. The “Chapter on the Generation of the Gods of the Nine Heavens” is therefore regarded as a numinous text formed from the wondrous primordial Qi of the Three Caverns’ Flying Mystery. When the Celestial Treasure, one of the Three Treasures, recites it, Heaven and Earth are illuminated. This shows that even after Heaven and Earth have been established, they depend on this scripture to become manifest. Since this is not developed through exposition, the scripture has no preface section. Yet without a preface, readers would have no way to enter into the purpose of the whole work, so this passage may be treated as its preface.

Scholars who seek the Dao and practitioners who have attained corpse liberation—the Daoist method of leaving the physical form behind and transcending into immortality—are like travelers relying on only a wisp of primordial Qi if they lack this scripture. After reciting it nine times and receiving the text, they must still observe fasting and precepts for a long time, until worldly desires and the dissipation of body and mind have been exhausted. Only then, with a calm mind and quiet thoughts, can they practice this method. Once they have mastered it, they must recite the scripture nine times before their names can be entered in the registers of the Three Realms—the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm. They will then commune with the Five Emperors, who rule the five directions, and be granted the title of Perfected One. Even as Perfected Ones, they have not yet reached completion. They must practice until they have recited the text ten thousand times and perfected their cultivation. Only then can they ascend to Heaven in broad daylight and truly manifest the substance and function of this Dao. This section is the main body of the scripture.

At this point, the Primordial Heavenly Worthy bestows the scripture upon the Flying Great Sage, the King of Infinite Spirits. Once the scripture has been transmitted, the rite is complete and the heavens each return to their proper place. The Primordial Heavenly Worthy then cautions the Flying Spirit King, explaining that this Chapter of the Nine Heavens is a numinous text formed from the wondrous primordial Qi of the Three Caverns. This section belongs to the dissemination portion. Although many words are spoken in between, the main body has already explained the scripture’s efficacy repeatedly. The Heavenly Worthy gives repeated warnings because this is a forbidden book of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy and must not be transmitted lightly. The Flying Spirit King asks again and again, and the Heavenly Worthy cautions him again and again, which accounts for the length of the passage.

Although the Nine Chapters form part of the scripture’s central teaching, they are appended at the end. This is just as the “Hidden Writings of Great Brahma” in the Scripture of Deliverance, composed by the Dao Lord, is appended after that scripture’s preface. There is no further significance; scholars should understand this for themselves.

The sages wish to save all beings and would gladly rush out to help them at once. Yet they do not seek to impose themselves in advance or cling to what they have transmitted. They teach only when a request calls forth a response. Thus the Primordial Heavenly Worthy dwells quietly in a secluded place, waiting for someone to ask before transmitting the Dao. “One, without change” describes stillness brought to its utmost point; dwelling in the Medicine Pearl and composing in seven-character lines describes leisure brought to its utmost point. The Numinous Palace and Yellow Chamber are places of rest and quiet cultivation. The Scripture of the Numinous Writings says that the Azure Emperor Lord of the Eastern Sea once fasted for three years in the Vermilion Tower and Yellow Chamber. The Scripture of the Inner Sounds of the Heavens says that the chamber of the Yellow Chamber governs the opening of the sun and moon and the achievements of the Flying Perfected Ones.

The “seven-treasure canopy” has two meanings. One refers to the seven treasures of the Dharma body: Heaven and Earth’s Five Phases generate this body, and none of the seven can be lacking. For practitioners, the seven treasures are Jing, tears, saliva, bodily fluids, blood, sweat, and tears. “Nurturing simplicity in harmony and quiet” means cultivating one’s nature in peace and calm. “Dwelling in the deep” means living in profound stillness. “Refining the true in empty clarity” means cultivating one’s true nature in emptiness and clarity. “Savoring the penetrating wisdom” means carefully tasting the complete wisdom of the Great Dao. “Bending low to study the generation of spirit” means devoting oneself to studying the way spirit is generated, nurturing Shen through stillness.

“Subtle principles in the Great Chaos, a clear whistle through the Nine Heavens” is later written as “Subtle principles in the Great Text, chants of resounding jade.” The wording differs slightly, but the meaning is much the same. Having nurtured simplicity in harmony, refined the true in empty clarity, savored penetrating wisdom, and studied the generation of spirit, the Heavenly Worthy understands this Dao’s profound subtlety and its lack of form or trace. Since it has no form, there is no concrete trace on which it can be fixed. Thus the Heavenly Worthy whistles freely above the Nine Heavens, taking delight in this realization. Who, then, can truly understand this principle? A “whistle” is a sound formed when breath is driven through the throat. The practice of long whistling described in later generations has its origin here.

At this time, the Great Sage Who Flies Through the Heavens, the King of Boundless Spirits, the Jade Assistant and High Minister (a high-ranking divine official who assists the Celestial Emperor), and the four attendant Dawn Gods all fasted and purified their minds. Holding the ritual implements, they waited nearby in attendance. In the presence of the immortal’s jade-like countenance, they experienced subtle spiritual responses. They looked up to the sacred gaze and received its attention; inwardly, they obtained wondrous scriptures and felt joyful in their hearts. They listened to the sounds of the heavenly realm and were thereby inspired. Seizing this opportunity, they understood the principles within and, under the sacred gaze, opened their hearts.

The text later repeats: Through subtle spiritual response, they came to understand; looking up to the sacred gaze, they received its attention. Obtaining the wondrous scriptures, they felt joy in their hearts; listening to the sounds of Heaven, they were inspired. They seized the opportunity to grasp the principles within and opened their hearts beneath the sacred gaze.

“‘At that time’ means then. Wherever the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning is, myriad spirits naturally gather to pay homage, with many perfected beings surrounding and attending him. The scripture also mentions the Spirit-Footed Ones, the Jade Assistant High Ministers, and the Four Coordinators Who Attend at Dawn. They are all close attendants of the Celestial Venerable.

The Spirit Kings are the flying Spirit Kings recorded in the Classic of the River Chart. They dwell in the ten directions of the celestial realms, lead the gods, fly among the Three Realms, and command the spirits of every region. They fall broadly into three kinds. Some arise through the condensation of primordial Qi rather than through birth from a womb. Others earned good merit among ghosts and spirits in a past life, received blessings in this life, and were invested as Spirit Kings. Still others were born as Spirit Kings through the karmic forces and conditions accumulated over many lifetimes.

At the Golden Portal there are four Heavenly Emperors, known as the Assistant Ministers. They are like fathers and are treated with reverence. Since they adjudicate affairs of state and transmit commands, they are also called “Ministers.” The Four Coordinators hold positions like those of the court officials who advise the ruler from before and behind, and the left and right assistants. “Coordinator” carries the sense of harmonizing and assisting. The Attendants at Dawn are like the court officials appointed to attend the emperor at daybreak, serving at the ruler’s side.

When serving the emperor, one should wait humbly to be questioned. This is why one must undertake pure fasting: cleanse body and mind, abstain from food, and settle the heart. The ceremony of raising the insignia is a rite for summoning the ghosts and spirits of the Three Realms. The insignia held by the Spirit Kings is the token used to call them forth.

Gazing up at the Celestial Venerable’s jade-like face brings a subtle response in the heart. Revering his numinous eyes opens and clears the mind. “Jade countenance” describes a face as pure as jade; “numinous gaze” describes a vision that reaches everywhere and illuminates all things. When sages dwell at ease, they can nourish the spirit with an empty mind and keep the heart clear enough to embrace all things. When they encounter things that do not accord with the Dao, they can guide others to understand their principles through a generous and patient attitude.

Thereupon, the flying Spirit King quietly contemplated all things and watched the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning. Bowing low, he sought to fathom the mystery of “generating the spirits.” From above the Nine Heavens, he gave a clear, ringing cry, his heart leaping with joy as he longed to ask a question. First he said to himself: “If I seize this opportunity, perhaps I can express the question I have long kept hidden in my heart. Though doing so may seem presumptuous toward the Celestial Venerable, if I let this chance pass, the chapter on ‘Generating the Spirits’ will never be taught. Now I have purified myself and come to seek instruction. How could the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning refuse me?””

Then the Great Flying Heaven, King of the Boundless Spirit, stepped forward, bowed, and said: “Heavenly Venerable, I have been fortunate to serve at your sacred chariot. Though my talents and understanding are limited, I have received your grace, which has cleansed me of obscurity and allowed me once more to understand the profound Dao. I now hold the rank of Spirit King, oversee life and death, and command the Celestial Immortals. I have received the Jade Emperor’s commendation and protection, possess the wisdom of the Seven Awakenings, and can see far in all directions. Together with the High Ministers, senior officials of the celestial realm, I deliberate and assist in the duties of the Dawn Attendants.”

This passage describes how, before asking for the transmission of the “Chapter on the Generation of Life” (a scripture about the arising of life and spirits), the Flying Heaven Spirit King first tells the Primordial Heavenly Worthy who he is and what he has in mind. Saying, “I have been fortunate to serve at your sacred chariot … and have received your grace, which has cleansed me of obscurity,” is an expression of the Spirit King’s humility. By speaking of his understanding of the profound, his position as Spirit King, and his charge over life and death and command of the Celestial Immortals, he shows that he is responsible for taking on this task. As Mencius said: “In this age, if not I, then who?”

The Scripture of the Mysterious Writ of the Dragon’s Radiance also records that when the Perfected One of Taiji served the Lord of the Dao and asked for the transmission of a precious scripture, the Lord replied: “You have risen to the rank of Taiji and command the spirits. Now I will tell it to you; you must diligently put it into practice.” The two passages have similar meanings.

“Received commendation and protection” means receiving the Jade Emperor’s mandate. The “Seven Awakenings” refers to seven kinds of awakened wisdom, discussed in the Scripture on Dispelling Demons. “Seeing far in all directions” means that wisdom is clear and far-reaching, enabling one to observe all things. “Deliberating together with the High Ministers and assisting the Dawn Attendants” refers to the scene described earlier in the scripture: the Spirit King was present with the Jade Assistant High Minister and the Four Attendant Dawn Ministers. The Spirit King was moved by an insight and wished to ask that the “Chapter on the Generation of Life” be transmitted to later generations. The High Minister and the Dawn Attendants shared the same intention.

At the turning point between life and death, good and evil must be judged with the utmost precision. Who could be equal to this task without exceptional wisdom? The Spirit King steps forward to bow and request the transmission, despite the risk that he may be seen as overstepping his station. This shows that a person of benevolence can also be courageous.

At the moment when destiny calls, ascend to the sun’s realm above the Nine Heavens, discern the principles of the Yin Talisman, and bring peace to the people. The great cycle of Heaven and Earth is about to arrive. The count of the Jia-Shen year is nearing its end, and floodlike calamities will sweep away corruption, while peril and disaster spread across the sky. The Three Palaces—the abodes of the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water—will take up their writing brushes to record and assess all beings, reckon their merits and faults, and make good and evil clearly distinct.

The sword of Gan and Yue, an ancient famed blade, is kept in its case; this does not mean it is useless. But to draw it before its time would be an ill omen. The seeds of Zhulìng, a medicinal plant, may seem lowly and unlike medicine; yet when used appropriately, they too can serve as implements in the Imperial Palace, where records are made, beings assessed, merits and faults reckoned, and good and evil distinguished.

The sword of Gan and Yue, a precious blade forged in the Gan-Yue region, is kept in its case. This does not mean it is useless; it is simply inauspicious to draw it before the time is right. The fruit of Shiling, a medicinal plant, looks lowly and unlike a medicine, yet when the occasion calls for it, it can become a teacher to an emperor. Those who set their hearts on learning do not lack the desire to accomplish great deeds and save all living beings. Whether their efforts succeed, however, often depends on timing.

The Flying Celestial Spirit King, a Daoist deity who governs life and death, takes the people’s welfare as his charge. When a great cycle is nearing its end, the teachings are in decline, and both heavenly beings and mortals are suffering, how could the Spirit King forget compassion? The “subtle beginnings” are the faint signs that appear when things first start to change; good and ill fortune often show themselves there in advance. When the moment is recognized, one acts without waiting for the day to end—how much more so for a divine being?

The Flying Celestial Spirit King, however, is charged with governing the Three Realms. The scripture says that he “treads the Nine Suns and penetrates the principles of the Yin Tally.” Here, “treads” means to encounter or undergo, and “nine” is a yang number. “Sun” is also said to refer to the hours from Mao to Wu, when yang energy is at its height. “Penetrates” means to understand thoroughly, while the “Yin Tally” refers to the registers of the underworld. To “penetrate the principles of the Yin Tally” is thus to understand and administer the underworld’s registers. When yang energy reaches its height, it turns into yin energy; this is why great floods occur.

“The great cycle is nearing its end, and the count ends at Jia-Shen” refers to a calamity cycle. Daoist scriptures offer many accounts of such cycles, and their calculations do not always agree. The Scripture of the Red Writings says that thirty days make one intersection, twelve intersections make one degree, 3,300 degrees make a minor calamity, and 9,900 degrees make a major calamity. According to calculations based on the “Great Extension Number,” nineteen years make one chapter; four chapters make one section; twenty sections make one system; and three systems make one era. Three eras, lasting 4,620 years, make one calamity. The dates given in the Imperial Commentary on the Scripture of Salvation from Perplexities differ: the cycle of Jade Clarity spans 3,000,000,951 years; the transformation of essence in Highest Clarity spans 700,000,039 years; and the refinement of Great Clarity spans 500,000,012 years.

The Scripture of the Orthodox Law says that Heaven has twelve governing bonds and Earth has twelve periods. The bonds of Heaven complete a circuit after 360 cycles, while the periods of Earth shift through 330 cycles to make one degree. When Heaven has completed 3,600 cycles, this is called “yang surge”; when Earth has turned through 3,600 degrees, it is called “yin eclipse.” When the qi of Heaven reaches its limit, it becomes Great Yin; when the qi of Earth reaches its limit, it becomes Great Yang. Yang qi in agitation gives rise to “surge,” while blocked yin qi gives rise to “eclipse.” When surge and eclipse appear in Yin-Yang and the qi of Heaven and Earth changes, this is called a minor calamity. At the turning of minor calamities, many emperors are replaced, the courses of the nine kinds of qi change, and the movements of the sun and moon contract. This account does not mention a Jia-Shen cycle.

The Taiping Excerpts, by contrast, say that within the numbers nine and six there must be both major and minor Jia-Shen periods. At Jia-Shen, ghosts and people confront one another. Since this refers to the meeting of life and death, why speak specifically of Jia-Shen rather than Jia-Zi or Jia-Yin? On the basis of his own investigations, the author concludes that this is a time when cycles of fortune change. Sometimes a cycle has turned, but the calamity has not yet run its course; this too is called a “calamity.” The Jia-Shen period refers precisely to a calamity brought about by the turning of a cycle.

This scripture says, “The great cycle approaches its appointed time; the count ends at Jia-Shen.” It also says, “The great number has its appointed time; Jia-Shen nears its end,” and “The great cycle opens its appointed time; the Three and Five announce the hour.” From this, the author concludes that although Jia-Shen brings catastrophic floods, it is not the same as a complete calamity cycle. Jia-Shen belongs to Water and lies in the direction of Kun, beside the Well Mansion. The Well Mansion belongs to the place where the six yin forces converge. Astronomical calculations from the Jin dynasty say that the Well Mansion has eight stars. It is a celestial watchtower that governs matters of water. It is therefore unsurprising that great floods occur when a cycle reaches this point. The floods wash away filth, while disaster spreads across Heaven and Earth. The scripture speaks of floods but says nothing of fire. “Washing away filth” also means eliminating evil people.

The scripture says that when major and minor Jia-Shen periods arrive, the wicked will be eliminated and the good transformed. The good will become “seed people,” while the wicked will become “mixed weeds.” Virtuous people should take this as encouragement to strive onward.

From the beginning of the Red Radiance era until the first year of the High Sovereign era, the Jade Coffer of Primordial Yang records that 240,000 people were to receive salvation.

Although sages knew about the affairs of the four quarters of Heaven and Earth and what lay beyond them, they did not discuss them in detail, since such matters were impossible to exhaust or fathom. The Jade Chapters on the Generation of Spirits is a forbidden book of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. It is not something ordinary people can generally hear of, so many of its contents are only mentioned briefly and not explained further.

The sequence of the various kalpas should originally have been clearly stated, yet people often muddle and reverse their order. This scripture says that in the first year of the Dragon-Han era, the Lord of Heavenly Treasure was born. Only after his birth did the Dragon-Han era begin to reveal scriptures and charts, and from this the Lord of Numinous Treasure was born. After one kalpa, in the first year of the Red Radiance era, the Lord of Numinous Treasure began to save people; at that time, the Lord of Divine Treasure was born. After two more kalpas, in the first year of the High Sovereign era, the Lord of Divine Treasure began to transmit scriptures. This is the sequence of kalpas described in the scripture: first Dragon-Han, then Red Radiance, and then High Sovereign. It makes no mention of the Yan-Kang era.

According to the Songs of the Great Mystery Dao, the period of undivided chaos between the end of one kalpa and the beginning of the next is collectively called “Yan-Kang.” If so, were there no transitional periods between the Dragon-Han, Red Radiance, and High Sovereign kalpas? Why does this scripture make no mention at all of a Yan-Kang kalpa?

The Scripture on Deliverance says, “Dragon-Han and Yan-Kang, vast through countless kalpas.” It mentions Yan-Kang but records neither Red Radiance nor High Sovereign. Another account places Yan-Kang before Dragon-Han. The Scripture on the Sequence of the Daoist Tradition and the Primordial Register of Turtle Mountain speak only of three kalpas, without recording High Sovereign or Yan-Kang. Dragon-Han is dated only to its first year, while different accounts give the High Sovereign era as lasting three years, eight years, and other lengths. Examining the Scripture on Deliverance further, its account of Dragon-Han…