《灵宝自然九天生神三宝大有金书》

The Tianbao Jun (Lord of the Celestial Treasure) is the venerated deity of the Dadong (Great Cavern), one category of scriptures and methods in the Daoist canonical system. The Tianbao Zhangren (Elder of the Celestial Treasure) is the original Qi (vital energy) of the Lord of the Celestial Treasure, known as ancestral Qi (Zuqi). The Elder of the Celestial Treasure was transformed from the Qi of the Hundong Dawuyuan Gaoshang Yuhuang (the Lofty Jade Emperor of the Great Non-Origin of the Chaotic Cavern) and contains ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety yiwan currents of Qi. Later, in the first year of the Longhan (Dragon Han) era, the Lord of the Celestial Treasure came into being by transformation and manifested the scriptures; this was then called the Gaoshang Dayou Yuqing Gong (Palace of Jade Clarity of Lofty Great Existence).

The Lingbao Jun (Lord of the Numinous Treasure) is the venerated deity of the Dongxuan (Cavern of Mystery). The Lingbao Zhangren (Elder of the Numinous Treasure) is the ancestral Qi of the Lord of the Numinous Treasure. The Elder of the Numinous Treasure was transformed from the Qi of the Chihun Taiyuan Yuanshang Yuxu (the Supreme Jade Void of the Great Origin of Red Chaos) and contains ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine myriads of currents of Qi. Later, when the Longhan era opened its charts, the Lord of the Numinous Treasure came into being by transformation. After one kalpa (jie), in the first year of the Chiming (Red Brightness) era, the Lord of the Numinous Treasure brought forth the scriptures and delivered the people of the world; this was then called the Shangqing Xuandu Erjing Qibao Ziwei Gong (Purple Tenuity Palace of the Seven Treasures of the Two Capitals of the Mystic Metropolis of Upper Clarity).

The Shenbao Jun (Lord of the Divine Treasure) is the venerated deity of the Dongshen (Cavern of Spirit). The Shenbao Zhangren (Elder of the Divine Treasure) is the ancestral Qi of the Lord of the Divine Treasure. The Elder of the Divine Treasure was transformed from the Qi of the Mingji Xuantong Yuanshang Yuxu (the Supreme Jade Void of the Origin, of Dark Stillness and Mysterious Pervasion) and contains ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety myriads of currents of Qi. Later, in the first year of the Chiming era, the Lord of the Divine Treasure came into being by transformation; after two kalpas, in the first year of the Shanghuang (Supreme Sovereign) era, he brought forth the scriptures. This was then called the Sanhuang Dongshen Taiqing Taiji Gong (Taiji Palace of Great Clarity of the Cavern of Spirit of the Three Sovereigns), Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) being the name of that palace’s supreme principle.

Although the three titles Tianbao (Celestial Treasure), Lingbao (Numinous Treasure), and Shenbao (Divine Treasure) appeared in different ages and under different names, they are fundamentally one and the same. This unity differentiates into the three original Qi of Xuan (Mystery), Yuan (Origin), and Shi (Commencement), and comes into being by transformation as the Lord of the Celestial Treasure, the Lord of the Numinous Treasure, and the Lord of the Divine Treasure, corresponding respectively to the venerated deities and scriptural systems of the Dadong, the Dongxuan, and the Dongshen.

These three divine worthies, though their names differ and the ages they represent are not the same, are in origin actually one and the same. They differentiate into the three Qi (vital energy) of Mystery (Xuan), Origin (Yuan), and Commencement (Shi), preside over the Three Treasures, and are all deities revered by the Qi of three kinds of vessels; they are called the gods capable of generating the three Qi. The three divine titles together further give birth to the nine Qi. The nine Qi already existed before the Great Void had taken form, concealed within the empty void: without light or image, without body or name, and without color, beginning, or sound. When the Great Dao (the Way) operates and governs the world, opening a subtle and freely penetrating heaven and earth, the primordial Qi of three colors remains mixed and undivided, now appearing and now vanishing.

As the circulation of Qi advances and the order of time reaches its extreme, the three Qi begin to manifest light. The clear and buoyant Qi rises and grows limpid, and yang Qi accumulates to form heaven; the condensed and turbid Qi settles downward to form earth. The nine Qi each take their stations, and thus arise the sun, moon, and stars, Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), together with human beings and the myriad things, all of which thereby receive their vitality. None of the transformations between heaven and earth can arise unless nurtured by the Three Origins—here referring to the primordial powers represented by the three Qi of Mystery, Origin, and Commencement—and guided by the nine Qi. The three Qi are the exalted lords of heaven and earth, and the nine Qi are the root of the myriad things. The three unite to bring their De (Virtue/Power) to completion; this is the fundamental law by which heaven and earth operate.

A human being is conceived in the mother’s womb, nurtured by the Three Origins, and brought into form by the condensation of the nine Qi. Thus, when the pregnancy reaches nine months, Shen (spirit) and Qi have been fully diffused, and the fetus is able to give voice. When sound appears, spiritual awareness is already present, and the Nine Heavens celebrate the event. Taiyi (a revered deity of Daoism) holds the talismanic mandate in hand; the Imperial Lord assesses the endowments bestowed; the Chief Registrar records the name in the registers; Siming (the deity who governs lifespan) fixes the allotted years; the Five Emperors oversee the birth; the Holy Mother guards the birthing chamber; and heavenly gods, earthly spirits (deities of the earth), and the gods of the Three Realms all keep watch around. The Marshal of the Nine Heavens faces east and, in the courtyard, recites the Precious Chapters of the Nine Heavens on Generating Spirits nine times. When a male infant is born, the gods cry out together in congratulation; when a female infant is born, the gods receive her together in welcome. At the birth of a male, Siming respectfully assents; at the birth of a female, Siming respectfully complies, and thus the child is able to be born. If the Marshal of the Nine Heavens does not proclaim the chapters of destiny, and the gods do not chant in celebration, the child cannot be born.

That a person can be born once more as a human being is an exceedingly precious matter, enough to stir heaven and earth, and precious beyond words. The Perfected of heaven, the spirits of the earth, and the gods of the Three Realms all descend together to stand guard; this is no ordinary affair. Nor is a person base at birth. Therefore, if one can cherish one’s own bodily form, preserve the spirit, value the primordial Qi, and hold fast to the root of life, one need not fall into death and ruin, but may go on to cultivate immortality, so that form and flesh ascend together and one mounts to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing; the highest celestial realm spoken of in Daoism). This is to share the same De as the three Qi and to be in harmony with the nine Qi.

Yet after a person has come to be born, if one does not respect one’s own Qi, does not cherish bodily form and nature and life, and does not care for the spirit, one will bring death and ruin upon oneself with one’s own hands and depart from one’s original true nature.

The Chapter of the Nine Heavens Giving Birth to Spirits (Jiutian Shengshen Zhang), a Jing (scripture/classic) chapter that tells how the Nine Heavens generate and transform the myriad things, is formed by the mutual conjunction of the flying-mystery Qi (vital energy; the subtle primordial Qi) of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen; the three divisions of Daoist scriptural teachings). The three Qi combine into sound and congeal into numinous writ; uniting with the host of spirits, it contains hidden tonal patterns and inner names, and can cause living Qi to coalesce into form. It is a scriptural chapter that arises of itself.

When the Celestial Treasure recites it, the light of heaven and earth can be opened; when the Numinous Treasure recites it, the pathway for souls in the long night of the Nine Darknesses (Jiuyou; the depths of the underworld) can be opened; when the Spirit Treasure recites it, the myriad spirits can be brought under command. When the Great One (Taiyi) recites it, the spirits within the body can be made complete; when the Sovereign Lord recites it, the bodily form can be made to congeal; when the Nine Heavens recite it, a person can be brought to birth; when one who cultivates the Dao (the Way) recites it, that person can ascend to heaven. When ghostly spirits hear it, they can be raised in rank; when ordinary people hear it, they can endure for a long time; when shades hear it, they can obtain deliverance; when withered and decayed things hear it, they can transform and give rise to smoke and vapor; when an infant hears it, the child can open the mouth and speak; when dead bones hear it, they can become human again. The mystery of the deities of the Three Treasures can cause the myriad things to sprout their roots, and therefore is not something that ghosts, spirits, or ordinary people are able to know.

Those who cultivate the higher Dao and revere the immortals, even if they pass through corpse-liberation (shijie; what Daoism calls the dissolving away of the physical remains and the ascent of spirit-consciousness), extinction and deliverance, and rebirth through the cycle of transmigration, will in the end return to the immortal Dao, so that form and spirit unite and are no longer separated, and together enter the true realm of the Dao. Without this scripture, the Qi of the embryonic sac will stagnate, and the Qi of death will harden and fix itself at the root; the true vision (the true realm beheld in cultivation) cannot be maintained, living Qi has no way to circulate, the nine portals (the passes and apertures within the body) are blocked, the body cannot give birth to spiritual luminosity, and one merely obtains a physical form, as if going about while lodging a single breath of Qi.

One who has cultivated and attained this method can sit at ease and draw forth the Dao of spontaneity. The Three Treasures are exalted, and the supreme true method of the Nine Heavens secretly stores this scripture in the Ninefold Golden Lattice of Great Existence (Dayou) and the Jade Terrace of Purple Yang (Ziyang; the secret repositories of the celestial realms spoken of in Daoism). Unless heaven and earth are first opening, the scripture will not appear. This is a forbidden book of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), and not something that ghosts and spirits are able to hear. One who steals it will suffer the punishment of the wind-knives across ten thousand kalpas; the hun and po souls will perish and cannot be born again. If one reverently honors and cultivates it according to the regulations, form and spirit can ascend together to the realm of the immortals.

Only those who already have golden names and purple characters in the Palace of the Three Primes (Sanyuan Gong; a palace of the Daoist celestial realms), and who are destined in a future life to become immortals of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), ought to obtain this scripture. Those who encounter it through affinity should bring gold and treasures to offer their teacher, sincerely swear a covenant and receive the method according to the regulations, practice it with single-minded devotion, carefully keep the secret, and must not divulge it lightly; otherwise they will suffer the punishment of the wind-knives.

Anyone who resolves to cultivate the Way and aspires to become an immortal of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) ought to obtain this scripture. When a fated encounter brings one to it, one should bring gold, silver, and valuables to offer to the master, sincerely swear the covenant and receive and uphold the text according to the Keyi (liturgy), draw in the thoughts of the mind, and practice it with devout reverence. It must be guarded with care and must not be disclosed rashly, or else severe punishment will follow.

The method of cultivation is this: keep a fast for one thousand consecutive days, pay no heed to worldly affairs, and bring every dusty thought and desire to rest; calm the mind and quiet the Qi (vital energy), in silence sustain meditative visualization, burn incense and observe the precepts, then enter the quiet chamber, face east, click the teeth nine times, regulate the breathing and set the Qi in order, and only then recite this precious chapter.

Recite it once, and the sound reaches the Nine Heavens; recite it twice, and heaven and earth grow solemn in response; recite it three times, and the divine spirits (Shen) of the Three Realms pay homage; recite it four times, and the Heavenly Kings descend to the immortal perfected; recite it five times, and the Five Emperors come to audience with the True of the Dao (the Way); recite it six times, and the demon kings are subdued; recite it seven times, and the constellations halt their courses; recite it eight times, and light appears in dark and hidden places; recite it nine times, and the spirits of the various heavens descend to guard and protect.

The scripture further says that each recitation brings a corresponding change within the body. The first penetrates the celestial realm, so that the original source of the embryo is opened and made to circulate; the second resounds through the earth, so that the embryonic knots dissolve and the root is unbound; the third, as the spirits pay homage, refines the gates of the hun and po souls; the fourth, as the Heavenly Kings descend, closes the portals of the po; the fifth, as the Five Emperors hold audience with the True, renders the viscera clear and cool; the sixth, as the demon kings submit, generates vital fluids within the stomach; the seventh, as the constellations shine bright and clear, opens the orifices of the body so that they flow freely; the eighth, as darkness shows forth light, sets the Three Divisions and Eight Effulgences (sanbu bajing) in order, preparing form and Shen; the ninth, as the various heavens descend, causes the Three Passes, the five zang organs, the six fu organs, and the Nine Palaces, together with the Golden Towers and Jade Chambers, the twelve successive gates, the Purple Portals and Jade Pavilions, and all thirty-six thousand joints of the body, to return to their original beginning, while spirits are generated at the same time.

Expressions such as the “Three Divisions and Eight Effulgences” are Daoist terms for the spirits, loci, and movements of Qi within the human body; “clicking the teeth” is a ritual gesture used in Daoist scripture recitation and cultivation. The scripture joins the recitation of the text to the regulation and nourishment of the body’s interior and to the protection of spirits.

Nine recitations count as one full round (bian). When one round is completed, the Three Realms register one’s name, the Five Emperors recognize who one is, and one is called a Perfected (zhenren). When cultivation reaches ten rounds, Qi courses through without obstruction, one can command the myriad spirits, receive the sponsorship of the demon kings, and be enrolled among the various heavens. When it reaches a hundred rounds, one can commune with Shen, sit at rest while the spontaneous Dao is carried into effect, receive a talisman bestowed by the Great One (Taiyi), and be granted life by the Primordial Lord (Yuanjun). When it reaches a thousand rounds, one can commune with the numinous; tradition holds that one may transform while seated or while standing, and command immortal lads and jade maidens. When it reaches ten thousand rounds, one’s practice of the Dao is said to be complete, and one can ride forth in a dragon-drawn carriage and ascend in broad daylight.

The Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), the supreme deity revered in Daoism, dwelt in quiet seclusion, resting at ease within the Yellow Chamber of the Cloud Palace, inside curtains of the Seven Treasures. His mind was peaceful as he nurtured his original truth, cultivating the true Dao (the Way) in the realm of pure emptiness. He entered deeply into the profound and subtle wisdom of the hidden caverns, looked down to observe the principles by which spirits are born, inquired into the faint and subtle truths of the Great Beginning, and conveyed them in a clear, bright voice throughout the Nine Heavens.

At that time, divine beings such as the Great Sage Who Flies through Heaven, the Divine King of the Limitless, the Jade Assistant and Supreme Steward, and the Four Coordinating Attendants of the Dawn all observed fasting and kept to ritual propriety as they attended at the Heavenly Worthy’s side. Facing his holy countenance, subtle responses arose in their hearts; looking up at his numinous eyes, they were filled with awe and stirred to reverence. Yearning to receive the sacred scriptures (Jing), to hear the heavenly tones, and to gain illumination from them, they took the occasion to inquire, opening their hearts and setting forth what was on their minds.

The Great Sage Who Flies through Heaven and the Divine King of the Limitless stepped forward, paid their respects, bowed their heads, and addressed the Heavenly Worthy: “We, your servants, are fortunate to attend upon you. We have not been cast aside for the shallowness of our understanding; rather, we have received your teaching and have been able to advance further in comprehending the mysterious Dao. We rank as divine kings, presiding over life and death, governing the celestial immortals, and supervising the Seven Awakenings (divine offices or states related to the awakening of cultivation), surveying all quarters from afar, assisting the Supreme Steward, and working in concert with the Attendants of the Dawn. Now we ought to seize the moment, make a circuit of the Nine Heavens, master the principles of the Yin Talisman, and bring peace to all living beings.

“A great kalpa is about to arrive, and the year jiashen is the moment when a kalpic cycle comes to its end. Floods will wash away defilement, and baleful disasters will spread throughout the world. The Three Officials (the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water) will take up the brush to examine and judge, distinguishing who among the multitudes is to remain and who is to depart, and reckoning merit and fault so that good and evil each return to their proper kind. From the era of Chiming down to the first year of Shanghuang, according to the Yuanyang Jade Casket (the scripture that records the quotas of those to be saved and ordained), two hundred and forty thousand persons were to receive salvation. After Kaihuang, when the year jiashen arrives, each of the heavenly realms will newly select and enroll immortal officials. Offices in the immortal realm stand vacant and officials are too few; many unassigned posts likewise need persons chosen to fill them.

“According to the Yuanyang Jade Calendar (the scripture that records the calendrical reckonings of the heavens and matters of selection and enrollment), candidates should be examined and selected anew within three generations. Of those who intend to accumulate goodness and establish merit, who are recommended by the Three Realms and sponsored by the Five Emperors, and whose names are listed in the heavens above, one hundred thousand may be chosen to hold office, and another one hundred and twenty thousand may be chosen as officials in reserve.

“Among those selected, some have long had their names entered on the Mysterious Charts; some have bone-forms suited to becoming immortals; some are reborn through the karmic conditions of former lives; some devoutly revere the Three Treasures, their good deeds moving and reaching Heaven; some support their teachers and the Three Treasures and are commended by the Three Officials; some practice purification and uphold the precepts, accumulating merit; some give away wealth and establish halls of the Dao; some relieve the poor and aid beings of heaven and humanity; and some establish merit for the Three Masters, their virtuous accomplishments complete. All such persons, so long as their names are on record with the celestial officials, the audited tallies and registers correspond, and the verification of the Three Officials is in agreement, will have their names registered in advance and be ranked higher or lower according to their merit, without a single one being overlooked.

“In addition, the Bureau of the Nine Darknesses (the office in charge of the unseen underworld), acting on the Nine Dragon talismanic mandate of the Azure Palace of Eastern Florescence, will select the male and female souls of the dead recorded in the Jade Casket of the Nine Darknesses. All who bore a good name in former lives, whose merit is complete, and who ought to receive liberation will be chosen to the number of three hundred and twenty thousand. After the calamities are driven off in the year jiashen, they will become the people of the newly opened age of Dayou. When that time comes, the destinies of the living and the dead will converge, and good and evil will be judged each apart; to be able to pass through the kalpa is truly a cause for rejoicing.

“Yet the Three Officials press their supervision with great urgency, and the case documents are many. Examinations are held at the Dragon Gate; the Bird Mother inspects and oversees the host of immortals; and the myriad sages manifest themselves and make their rounds of inspection, day and night without cease. Merit and fault must be weighed with impartiality, so that judgments of life and death admit no error. This confused and busy state of affairs is also a source of anxiety for us, your servants. The term of the great kalpa is already drawing near, and many matters are not yet complete. We fear that once events break out, we shall be held to account by the official bureaus.

“We have heard that the Heavenly Worthy carries out a teaching of great compassion, pitying all living beings and willing to reveal the mysteries of the Nine Heavens in order to save the people. It is only that the clearly established precepts impose certain prohibitions and limits, and we, of humble station, dare not inquire on our own. But the kalpa has its fixed term, and the period of jiashen is about to come to an end. The juncture is urgent, and the great Law ought to be put into effect, so that those whose hearts incline toward goodness may, when they undergo examination, hear the teachings of the Dao and receive guidance, and so that those not yet awakened may be exhorted. Therefore we presume to present this memorial, fearing lest we offend your holy countenance, and we earnestly beg the Heavenly Worthy to look down in compassion and instruct us in the teachings we have not yet heard.”

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) lightly brushed the table, sat upright, gathered his Shen (spirit) in deep reflection, raised his head to recite the Cavern Stanzas (Dongzhang, the profound scriptures of Daoism), and gave voice to them in a long, drawn-out chant. After a long while he suddenly sighed and said, “The supreme law is vast and empty, and its principles are subtle and far-reaching. The Great Dao penetrates layer upon layer of mystery, and Shen and Qi (spirit and vital energy) rise above the Divine Empyrean (Shenxiao, the celestial realm). The ultimate truth within cannot be put into words, nor can its mystery be surpassed. I pray you will take pity on me and bestow teachings I have never heard.”

The Celestial Worthy then said to the Divine King Who Flies through the Boundless Heavens (Feitian Wuji Shenwang), “You both hold the imperial office and have been commissioned as Divine King. You have ascended to the celestial realm, assist the Four Stewards within the Jasper Palaces, and aid the Bright Wheel; you survey the four quarters from afar, preside over endless affairs, harmonize the transformations of the myriad things, and soothe and care for all living beings. Now the great cycle has opened. The appointed time of the Three and the Five has arrived; the calamity of the Hundred and Six comes in its season; and the disaster of Yang Nine is also rising. Floodwaters surge, and disaster spreads throughout the world. The Four Palaces are selecting people to replenish the Seed People (Zhongmin, those who revere the Dao, cultivate the practice, and carry on the Daoist lineage). Since the Three Dynasties the age has been benighted and disordered, and good and evil ought to be distinguished. You should labor on behalf of the people and exert yourself to the utmost when the Three Officials (Sanguan, the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water) rise and fall in turn. This matter requires a person of ability to preside over it. I now entrust it to you; please strive to undertake it.

“This precious book is rare and mysterious. It is the numinous sound handed down from the Nine Heavens, transmitted only to the highest sages, and not something ghosts and spirits are able to hear. Those who sincerely believe in the Dao must conform to the regulations; it is transmitted and put into practice only once in forty thousand kalpas. Now I risk the prohibition and give it to you. You must keep it secretly stored and must on no account transmit it at will.”

The Celestial Worthy then ordered the Marshal of the Nine Heavens and the Jade Lad Who Attends the Immortals to open the Purple Yang Jade Casket (Ziyang Yuji, the jade case that holds celestial documents) and the cloud-brocade pouch, and to take out the Jade Stanzas of the Nine Heavens Giving Birth to Spirit. The Four Assistants took their places, the Five Elders supervised the rite, Taiyi selected an auspicious hour, and the Jade Emperor proclaimed the covenant. Everything followed the liturgy fixed by Fuyang Mingzhen: all faced south, knelt long in salutation, and delivered the scripture (Jing) to the Divine King Who Flies through the Boundless Heavens. When the rite was finished, the gods of the various heavens each returned to their original stations.

The Celestial Worthy informed the Flying Celestial Divine King once more: this transmission of the scripture was supervised by the Elder Supervisor of the Perfected of the Nine Heavens; Taiyi chose the hour; and the Jade Emperor proclaimed the covenant. Throughout, it followed the liturgy fixed by Fuyang Mingzhen, facing south and kneeling long to confer the book. When the ritual service was complete, the gods of the various heavens each returned to their places.

I will translate according to the original paragraphs and terminology. In the verse passages I will try to preserve their imagery and rhythm, and where the wording is uncertain I will avoid over-interpretation.

The Celestial Worthy once again tells the Divine King of the Flying Heavens (the honored deity who commands the gods that fly through the heavens): these scripture chapters of the Nine Heavens were transformed from the flying-mystery Qi (vital energy) of the Three Caverns (Sandong, the general name for the three categories of Daoist scriptures). Through three gatherings they formed sound and condensed into True Writs. They accord with the hundred spirits and contain hidden pronunciations and divine names. Therefore, after Taiyi (a revered deity of the Dao) has surveyed and taken charge of the living beings of the ten directions, grasped the principle of the Cavernous Void, and sworn an oath in cinnabar and azurite, anyone who lacks the karmic affinity of a hundred million kalpas, and whose name was not long ago entered in the imperial registers, cannot take part in this. Those who are able to see the titles of the scripture will have their ancestors of nine generations attain immortality together with them.

One should select persons suited to the cultivation of immortality and transmit this scripture to them. Before transmission, within a span of seven hundred years one must choose the time, keep a pure and quiet fast for a thousand days, prepare goods and silk, swear with a sincere heart, and transmit it according to the covenant. Observe it with care, and one may enjoy blessing and long life; divulge the scripture, and one will bring on disaster. If the covenant is kept, the blessing may extend to ancestors of nine generations, and the merit will be as weighty as mountains and seas; if the scripture is divulged, one will suffer trials and banishment across a hundred million kalpas, in pain as though boiled in poisonous broth and as though cut again and again by blades of wind. How can one fail to be cautious?

The Celestial Treasure Chapter of Primal Azure and Pure Subtlety

The Qi of the Primordial Beginning appears within emptiness and non-being, and the three kinds of primal Qi rise subtly into the Gate of Heaven. A purple divine countenance looks down upon the Great Void, and light from the four quarters nurtures the numinous root. Mysterious transformations arise from the jade realm of the east, and three forms rise from Kunlun in the west. Its titles correspond to the pure realms of the Nine Mysteries, and five-colored radiance is draped in brocade clouds. The light of Liluo illuminates the divine lamps, and the essence-light of the seven stars shines upon the mysterious realm of the north.

It drifts lightly up to the Heaven of Supreme Clarity (the higher celestial realm spoken of in Daoism), and the revered deity Diyi shines with brilliant splendor. In the lofty distance the venerable scripture chapters appear, and feathered youths come and go in throngs. The flowing fragrance is originally colorless, yet it penetrates deep among the myriad immortals. Turning to the left, it passes through three kalpic transformations; turning to the right, it opens the ninefold passes of heaven. Golden flowers adorn the jade youths, and the winds of the eight directions dance around the dharma wheel in the void.

The four seasons proceed without cease, and the Qi of azure and of white was distinguished very early. Through the number of nine times nine, kalpic fortunes succeed one another; with each passage of three times three, one spring is traversed. Heaven and earth have in the end a time of meeting and return, and the secret essentials finally go back into transformation. One thoroughly understands the methods of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and rigorously cultivates the writs of the Six Heavens (specialized material within the Daoist system of Fulu, talismans and registers, and of scriptures). The age of Great Peace returns to emptiness and non-being, and one reverently serves the resplendent Latter Sage-Lord.

The Numinous Treasure Chapter of Primordial White and Yuyu

From the western gate a numinous wind springs up, and among the jade trees to the east brocade clouds arise. Three kinds of primal Qi (vital energy) shine upon one another over the Jade Isle, and a pure fragrance drifts eastward on the wind. Cloud-Qi like jade blossoms spreads and opens; in a moment the pure realm of the Nine Heavens grows suddenly bright and clear. The Qian forests reflect the red sun, and the Yellow Waters surge forth in step with the moon’s course.

Among them are immortal lads who gather the zhi, clad in feathered robes and crowned with flying azure. They drive cloud-chariots swift as a rushing wind, roaming at ease and feasting within green carriages. They command the wheels of the Nine Heavens, set the winds of heaven in motion, and open the course by which the myriad things revolve. On the left they direct the civil officers of the Three Heavens; on the right they marshal the troops and generals of the Six Heavens. They inspect the primal Qi and return it to the realm of the Hollow Void, while the Six Crossings tilt and shift with the turning of the kalpas.

The changes of the kalpa-reckoning have their own season; who can foresee when they will fail and when they will come to completion? Vast kalpa-waves whirl the numinous Qi of the Celestial Dipper (Tiangang), and nowhere in heaven, earth, or the four quarters can escape. The corpses of the dead drift upon the long waters, and solitary souls thereby receive life anew. Only by grieving that all beings suffer in the coming and going of birth and death does one come to understand the light of the orthodox teaching. Those who have succeeded in cultivating the Dao (the Way) practice with still greater diligence, and so leave a fair name in Donghua (the Eastern Floriate). What gives joy is that the immortal officers who hold the white tablets keep company with the people, and all share together in Great Peace.

Divine Treasure Stanza of the Mysterious Yellow and the Great Scarlet

The Gate of Heaven and the Cavern Pass turn the Celestial Net, and five kinds of primal Qi revolve in turn through the realm of the Three Subtleties. Purple portals emit jade tablets, and the golden Gate of Heaven receives the radiance of the gods. The numinous Qi of the eight directions converges; the true wind meets and mingles; light shines forth, and the layered heavens thereby open their names and titles. Beyond the Nine Pure Realms at the edge of the sky, hosts of exalted gods come and go and make themselves manifest.

Three kinds of colored Qi return to the void, and the seasons of the four times accord with the Jade Capital (Yujing). The River Marquis has already set brush to paper, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) shift one another in secret. The kalpic courses of the Six Crossings stretch on without end; when the allotted numbers reach their limit, one rides the primal Qi and returns to the source. Myriad demons fill the heavens, and the hosts of the baleful at last display their might. The common people suffer calamity; corpses lie heaped across the land, and the sight moves one to grief.

The scriptural texts (Jing) of the orthodox teaching are subtle and wondrous, able to make plain the principle of the kalpic revolutions, and their light does not decline. When the fitting moment arrives, the practitioner will be received and welcomed, in accord with the covenant of the Nine Heavens, and will ascend in flight to the celestial realms. May I covenant with you to share in Great Peace. When heart and Shen (spirit) are settled, even without feathered wings one may fly at ease.

The Spontaneous Numinous Treasure

The hosts of the baleful at last display their might. The common people suffer calamity; corpses lie heaped across the land, and the sight moves one to grief. The scriptural texts of the orthodox teaching are subtle and wondrous, able to make plain the principle of the kalpic revolutions, and their light does not decline. When the fitting moment arrives, the practitioner will be received and welcomed, in accord with the covenant of the Nine Heavens, and will ascend in flight to the celestial realms. May I covenant with you to share in Great Peace. When heart and spirit are settled, even without feathered wings one may fly at ease.

Here ends the Golden Scripture of the Great Existence of the Three Treasures That Give Birth to the Spirits of the Nine Heavens, of the Spontaneous Numinous Treasure (Lingbao ziran jiutian shengshen sanbao dayou jinshu).