《洞玄灵宝自然九天生神玉章经解》Vol. 3

When both hands often turn red while both feet remain white, it shows that one is not far from becoming an immortal. The two eyes, the two hands, and the lungs are also collectively called the “Five Spirits.” The child within the left eye is named Flying Spirit; the child within the right eye, Morning Infant; the child within the left hand, Life Receiver; the child within the right hand, Square Fulfillment; and the child within the lungs, Plain Clarity. Pacifying these Five Spirits can dispel the many distracting thoughts. The Zhuangzi says, “The Dao should not be confused; confusion brings distress.” How much more distressing, then, are thoughts that multiply without end? When such thoughts arise, one can forget them by giving a long whistle, and thereby keep company with clear-sighted companions on the Dao. “Whistling” means producing a prolonged sound. In ancient times, those who cultivated body and mind used whistling to guide the breath. Thus the Scripture of Wisdom says, “The spirit banner draws in and scatters the wind; tangled thoughts vanish in an instant.” Once these distracting thoughts are dispelled, the Five Difficulties can also gradually be resolved.

The “Five Difficulties” are these: when poor, it is difficult to give alms and do good; when wealthy, it is difficult to study the Great Dao; it is difficult to extend one’s life and avoid death; it is difficult to encounter the Cavern Scripture, the Daoist scriptures of the Cavern Mystery division; and it is difficult to be born in an age when a later sage appears. All five difficulties are connected with distracting thoughts. Without them, the mind naturally becomes calm and settled. The Scripture of the Western Ascent says, “Remove the dust and grime, still distracting thoughts, purify the heart, and keep to the One.” For those who cultivate the Dao, nothing is especially difficult to overcome; the difficulty lies in regulating the mind. That is why, when the Perfected Yin was about to take leave of the Supreme Lord Lao, he repeatedly asked for a single essential instruction for practice. The Supreme Lord answered: “Remove the dust and grime, still distracting thoughts, purify the heart, and keep to the One.” Purifying the heart is the first task in cultivation. To pursue the Great Dao before the mind has been brought into order is like raising chickens with a wildcat prowling nearby: nothing is likely to come of it.

Why does this chapter discuss the practice of the “Seven Transgressions,” as well as opening the apertures and sharpening perception? Because clarity and acuity have their roots in the heart. If distracting thoughts remain there, they cloud one’s clarity. This is why the earlier passage says, “The mysterious union encompasses the boundless,” and the later one says, “The open, still heart finds joy.” From these lines, the essentials of the practice can be discerned.

The clear soul follows its root and stands for a long time in the sky. Reciting seven times opens the layers of barriers; what is blocked becomes free-flowing, without recourse to supernatural force. The movement of Qi flows unobstructed, set in motion from within the heart. One chants aloud, raises the head, and bows in reverence.

The presence of spirits within the human body is like people living in a house. Before the house is built, the souls wander in the air, as if already close to it but still unable to enter. “Root and source” means that Wuying takes the liver as its root, while Baiyuan takes the lungs as its root. By the time the seven passages have been traversed—the stage in which seven apertures or levels are gradually passed through—the body’s openings have all been unsealed, and blockages dissolve at once. This is like wielding divine martial power: victory is won without a battle.

The Way of generating spirits is, in itself, not two separate things; thus its power to generate the myriad things is unfathomable. Once the workings of Shen and Qi (vital energy) are established, many things happen naturally, because there is a governor within them. Without an inner governor, the root cannot be established; without an outer governor, movement cannot proceed. Thus transformation and circulation arise from within and flow outward: one chants aloud, bows in homage, and performs a full-body prostration.

The Eighth Chapter: The High, Empty, Clear, and Bright Heaven Gives Birth to Spirits

The vital Qi by which the Emperor’s True Ones of the Flowery Palace command the primordial essence and spirit to take form and condense

Above the Clear and Bright Ninth Heaven, it meets with auspicious clouds. The Jade Writ (sacred scripture) gives forth an intention of harmonious Qi; its solitary, lofty radiance summons spiritual beings to gather.

There are nine tiers of cloud heavens above. Beginning with the Dawn Heaven, where the Office of Red Completion on Xuanzhou is located, they continue with the Wind of Dawn Heaven, and then the place where cold Qi (vital energy) gathers and condenses, called the Layered Heaven. The lofty, empty, pure, and clear realm spoken of today lies above even the Layered Heaven. The Scripture of the Radiance of Jade Dawn says: “How can one open the gates of the Layered Heaven and behold the changes of Heaven and Earth from beginning to end?” The Scripture of the Numinous Writ in the Empty Cavern says: “The dragon transforms and ascends above the Layered Heaven; the Brahma realm moves in step with the cycles of the kalpas.” From this we know that the Heaven of Dragon Transformation is the realm inhabited by the seed people—those who have attained the Dao and dwell in the celestial world. Heaven and Earth are pure and clear there, and this realm connects with the Heaven of Dragon Transformation. The Secret Instructions for Ascending to the Real records a poem that Master Xin Xuanzi gave to Lord Yang: “The spirit follows emptiness, bound to nothing; Qi disperses with the auspicious clouds.”

“Jade Writ” here refers to the Writ of Generating Spirits, a scripture chapter that tells how the spirits came into being. Reciting and studying the Jade Writ can make the heart transcend and open out, hence the lines: “The Jade Writ opens the heart to spaciousness; the solitary radiance seeks communion with the numinous.” This is close in meaning to the line in the Upper Scripture of Plain Silk at the Phoenix Terrace: “Jade nectar opens the heart to spaciousness; radiant maidens sing numinous songs.”

Brilliant rosy clouds spread across the sky, and the garments of all the spirits billow and flow. Jade branches send forth melodious sounds as the assembly talks at ease about the subtle and wondrous principles.

The passages above record no specific events; they all describe celestial scenery and festive gatherings. The Inner Biography of Perfected Yang records the Purple Clarity True Consort’s own account: “I raise my hands to pluck the sun’s root, enter the Seven Gates to feast, tread upon the sun, moon, and stars as I ascend together with them, and ride the rosy clouds in flight.” This accords with the scene described by “the spirits’ robes all billow and flow.” The Songs of the Great Cavern also say, “Mysterious songs open the spirit’s robes.” The phrase “Jade branches send forth melodious sounds” is similar to the mood in Master Xin Xuanzi’s poem: “I lift my head to admire the singing branches; in the forest’s stillness, a tranquil joy arises.”

The wondrous music resounds through the empty cavern, while the Nine Mysteries—the lofty, distant heavens—lie far beyond the bounds of darkness. Response comes clear and unimpeded, without stagnation; one goes and returns with ease, as if loosening one’s belt. Understand the principles of the Writ of Generating Spirits, and you can roam high through the celestial realms, never to decline.

The account above describes the wondrous workings of the Chapter on Generating the Spirit. Its effects are so profound that they are difficult to know completely. Those who witness its efficacy can free the Nine Generations of kin, ancestors and descendants alike, from the sufferings of the netherworld. It can also stir a person’s spirit and soul, allowing them to come and go freely without hindrance, as easily as loosening a sash. Those who understand how it generates the spirit can roam beyond the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—and will no longer suffer the calamities of the Yang Nine and Hundred Six, the cycles of tribulation and disaster described in Daoism. Thus it is said that they will never come to an end or fall into ruin.

Its mysterious radiance shines along the cloud road, and its traces reach beyond the dwellings of immortals. Its response is not confined by any direction or boundary; through it, the Four Great Elements—earth, water, fire, and wind, which make up the body and all things—are set in transformation. Those who study it with devotion, bow their heads, and recite it are praised and welcomed with joy by all the sages.

The idea of going beyond the Three Realms appears only with the phrase “roam without end or ruin.” “Mysterious radiance” was explained earlier. To leave traces beyond the realm of immortals is like what the Zhuangzi describes as roaming beyond the Five Lakes and Four Seas. It does not rush ahead of things or initiate action. It responds only when moved, and acts only when there is a response. It is like a drunk person riding in a cart, unaware of getting in and equally unaware of falling out. Thus it is said that its response is not confined by direction or boundary, and that through it the Four Great Elements are set in transformation. Those who study it with devotion, bow their heads, and recite it are praised and welcomed with joy by all the sages. These four lines speak of the Chapter on Generating the Spirit. Ritual propriety and right conduct delight my heart, just as fine food satisfies my palate. How much more, then, must all the sages praise and welcome with joy the Chapter on Generating the Spirit, with its wondrous and mysterious workings.

Chapter Nine: The Chapter on Generating the Spirit of the Heaven of No Thought, No Bondage, and No Desire

The Qi of Mysterious Illumination, naturally bestowed by the Imperial True One of the Sacred Mountain Abode

Free of bonds and attachments, untouched by the entanglements of desire; mysterious upon mysterious, it becomes clear within emptiness and stillness. Its generative transformations and movements are unrestricted by direction or sequence, and the principles that govern its transformations cannot be fathomed.

Everything has some deficiency, and this easily gives rise to desire and attachment. When love grows deep, one becomes entangled with others. In extreme hardship, people may grow cold; when affection fades, resentment can readily follow. Only the perfected person who has attained the Dao does not make others feel that he is approachable or exalted, nor that he is distant or contemptible. He forms no fixed entanglements with others and is not bound by emotion.

Such a person is one of heavenly authenticity. Body and mind accord with the Dao, and he has entered “profound mystery” (the wondrous state beyond the two poles of being and nonbeing). His form is filled with emptiness, quiet and unchanged; his mind settles into clarity of its own accord. He merges with the myriad things as one, yet is not ruled by their transformations.

The movement of the Dao is like a turning wheel: it cycles without end. This is the “pivot of the Dao,” the key to the Dao’s operation. When cultivation reaches nine cycles, one returns to the root and beginning, and all the spirits come into being at the same moment. Once the spirits have arisen, one can transcend the bounds of what can be counted in the world. After ten cycles, when primordial Qi flows through all things, one can command the myriad numinous beings, ascend to Shangqing (a high celestial realm in Daoism), and sit at ease observing the succession of kalpas. The kalpas one has passed through are beyond counting, and so they are called “unreckonable.” “Unreckonable” means “impossible to count.” The Scripture of the Ascent to the West says: “Since high antiquity, the generations through which people have lived have been as numerous as grains of sand. Whenever change occurs, kalpas succeed one another; recalling them is truly arduous. Only those unconfined by place or order can escape these sufferings.”

Who says that between Heaven and Earth there is nothing at all, flat and unobstructed? There, many hills rise high. Quiet the mind and let the spirit wander freely, hoping that clear spirit may rise aloft. True encounter does not depend on age; how could the kalpas one has passed through ever be counted?

Those who attain the Dao roam freely, with no fixed destination. At times they fly among the three celestial lights of the sun, moon, and stars; at times they enter rivers and seas; at times they soar over the Five Sacred Peaks. The beings in these heavenly realms are called “those without thought”: they have no attachments or affections, and go or stay as things naturally unfold. The heavens described here lie beneath the Three Heavens of Great Luo, far from the Formless Realm.

“Who says…” introduces a tale passed down by others: someone from the Formless Realm once visited that place, where there were many hills. “Lofty and towering” describes the hills’ great height. By stilling the mind and focusing single-mindedly, one visit can bring clarity to the spirit. This is a chance to draw near the realm of truth. If one does not go then, one may fear that the cycles of tribulation will shift and the opportunity vanish; this rare occasion should therefore be treasured.

Long ago, Wang Fangping arranged to meet Magu. She replied, “It has been only a little while since we last met, yet suddenly more than five thousand years have passed.” She showed Wang Fangping due respect, but felt her own status was low and did not dare go to him uninvited. Though she missed him and wished to see him, she did not set out at once. Even a rare meeting among mortals may be separated by such a vast span of time. How could one doubt it?

Even when one sets out after stilling the mind, the journey may unfold as Rightly Ying, the Lady, described to Xu Changshi. She said that she “followed the heart through the hollow ford, took the reins, and drove the vermilion carriage.” This means that she followed her heart, passed through the Hollow Ford, and drove onward in the Vermilion Carriage. The Hollow Ford and the Vermilion Carriage are names for Daoist immortal realms and the conveyances of immortals.

The drifting soul takes shape through its affinities, and thus follows an underlying order; returning to the source and being reborn through transformation, too, follow an enduring way. Mysterious spiritual resonance stirs the Great Void, the vast expanse of emptiness, while light steps carry one upward into the heights. The subtle wonder of the ford sets all streams in motion; the true spirit settles into stillness, gathers, and ascends. With no craving or attachment, there is no sorrow. One gazes up toward the lofty realm, bows in reverence, and is thereby borne aloft.

This scripture begins with the first chapter, “The Embryonic Essence Forms and Life Endures,” which describes the fetus taking shape and life beginning to develop. The second chapter speaks of “Cutting Away the Root and Closing the Gate of Death.” The third and fourth chapters describe the soul and spirit drawing in free-flowing Qi. The fifth discusses Qi refining and nurturing the original spirit and the internal organs. The sixth describes removing what has remained lodged in the womb. Once the five viscera and six bowels are complete, the seventh chapter no longer discusses how the body comes into being.

At birth, a person’s beginnings are like those of a new enterprise: they necessarily involve hardship. From the seventh chapter onward, the discussion is largely about preserving what has been established. Thus the ninth chapter says only: “The floating soul follows its original course; the embryo naturally returns to constancy.” This means that the soul and spirit move according to their inherent patterns, and life in the womb naturally becomes stable. Here, the text speaks of waiting for the fetus to mature. Once a person reaches adulthood and has received this body, they can connect and unite with the Qi of the Nine Heavens. The numinous spirit within the body is originally the Three-in-One Spirit of the Taiwei Heaven, a Daoist divinity said to dwell within the human body and correspond to the celestial realm. When it unites with the Great Void, it can walk through the skies; “walking through the skies” means traveling through the air. The numinous spirit says, “I walk through the skies, making my rounds in the Mysterious Capital.” The skies refer to the palaces of the celestial realm.

Lady Yunlin says: “The mysterious waters stir the waves of the vast sea; the mighty currents surge through the waters. Riding the light of the sun and moon, I gaze upon the emptiness of the six directions, and in my heart I imagine wandering with my beloved.” This describes the state of the spirit traveling through the celestial realm.

To ascend into the skies, one must gather the mind and make it still, sharing the radiance of Heaven and Earth and the enduring Way of all things. To still the mind, one must be free of both desire and worry. Lady of the Southern Pole says: “People are born to worry because of love, and because of love they also feel fear. Without love, there is no worry; without worry, there is no fear.”

Once, a man was reciting scripture at night in a sorrowful voice, his heart heavy with homesickness. The Perfected One of Highest Clarity took the form of an ordinary person and asked him, “Do you usually play the qin?” The man replied, “I do.” The Perfected One asked, “What happens when the strings are too loose?” He answered, “They make no sound and cannot move anyone to sorrow.” The Perfected One then asked, “And when the strings are too tight?” He said, “The sound breaks, and the strings may be damaged.” The Perfected One asked again, “What if the tension is just right?” He replied, “Then the different tones can harmonize.” The Perfected One said, “Cultivating the Dao is the same. When the mind is balanced and attuned, the Dao can be attained.”

From this we can see that desire and worry are serious obstacles to cultivating the Dao. That is why the scripture says: “Without desire, there is no worry; with the mind elevated, bow in reverence and ascend.” Those who cultivate the Dao should reflect deeply on this.

The Great Dao is originally without intention, yet it can be sought through a heart that feels; thus, the Dao can indeed be attained. If people harbor greed, attachment, and worry, these will obstruct their cultivation of the Dao. Hence, without attachment there is no sorrow; Gao Guan bows in homage and ascends. Those who study the Dao should give this their deepest attention.

The mysterious delight of the Dao extends without end, while the clear River of Heaven shimmers into profound distances. All things in the world change and transform, as if turning in cycles, while the trunks and branches of trees remain as they are. Quiet the mind and contemplate the perfectly true Dao; accord with change and move with the course of events, free from the snare’s constraint. The principle of resonance remains in constant communion; the spirit is at ease, tracing back to its own beginning. Calmly roaming, one enters a realm without bounds; even tangled thoughts can reach far into the deep and hidden. The root of the Dao sends forth mysterious branches and leaves, then ultimately returns to its original principle; there is no other path.

So long as one regularly recites the Jade Chapter, the mysterious sound of its chanting can reach beyond the clouds. When the great flood comes in the year of Jia-Shen, one can spread one’s wings and fly to the Queen Mother’s abode. There one will enjoy endless years—why care how many kalpas, those vast cycles of heaven and earth, have passed?