《上回耀飞光日月精华上经》

The Palace of the Seven Treasures (a palace in the immortal realm) is vast beyond measure, and lotus flowers arise of themselves. Brilliant and resplendent, it sends forth light in the darkness of night, faintly illuminating the dwelling places of the divine.

Gazing up at the Terrace of Mysterious Truth (a lofty terrace in the Shangqing immortal realm), one sees towers and pavilions rising tier upon tier amid the clouds. Radiance circulates and flows, lighting the deep and secluded sky and subduing the host of demons and evils.

It can rescue beings from suffering and the calamities of transgression, so that the fragrant infant spirits may accumulate and grow. To praise and recite this Jing (scripture/classic) can deliver the seven ancestors (seven generations of forebears) and amass blessings and De (Virtue/Power).

The realm of supreme wonder emits a sacred radiance, without form or shadow, still and without sound. Its light washes clean without bound or limit, and all at once universally saves the dead.

It delivers the seven mysterious ancestors (seven generations of forebears) from suffering, releasing them from the dark underworld into a realm of clarity, stillness, and long endurance; it also ferries all beings across the Ford of the Five Sufferings (the river of hardship that leads toward liberation), so that, responding to it, they ride the clouds and ascend to heaven.

The light of the Lamp King (a venerable deity likened to illumination) shines throughout the ten directions; even in darkness there is nothing it cannot brighten. The Terrace of Mysterious Truth stands lofty and majestic, radiant and brilliant, shining upon the ten directions.

Pure, still, and profoundly secluded, the Cold Pass (the realm of the underworld) is thereby released; suffering beings, too, can be secretly moved and brought into communion. The seven ancestors are able to leave the Three Paths (the three evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) and no longer endure sorrow and affliction.

I reverently bow before the Lamp King, wishing that the names of those to be delivered be entered in the Palace of Eastern Excellence (a palace of the immortal realm).

I am the boatman who crosses the sea, and therefore I can ferry all beings so that they turn toward the Three Treasures: the Dao (the Way), the Jing, and the masters. Night light shines through the secluded valleys, cleansing and opening body and mind; fleeting smoke and dust scatter to the eight directions, and bright radiance enters the Taiwei (the celestial realm). To revere and recite the supreme teaching—how vast the blessings obtained!

Radiances swift as a gale interweave and run through one another; within stillness they fill the eight directions. The Three Pure Essences (three kinds of essential Qi (vital energy), or radiances, spoken of in Daoism) give rise to cloud-shadows, and the light of empty clarity shines upon the Great Nothingness (boundless void).

Seeing through and surveying the ten directions, one wanders free and at ease, and suffering, vexation, and sorrow disperse.

The Flying Wheel (the wheel of light that turns without cease) unfurls in the great void, without form or trace. Letting its tracks revolve with the wheel of light, one quietly enters the realm of profound depth and stillness.

Clad in coarse cloth, one chants the chapter “Night Radiance” at night, and the deities of the various heavens descend to bestow blessings.

The causes and conditions of transgression and blessing are not fixed and unchanging. A person must rely on their own cultivation and accumulation in order to obtain a human body. The merit that must be accumulated need not be very great: to cultivate blessings and do good morning and evening is to open a field of merit (to accumulate blessed virtue).

I turn toward the Dao (the Way) of Wuwei (non-action), and in the end I shall surely realize the realm of ultimate truth. The light is brilliant, shining through the four directions, with no place left in darkness. When its radiance reaches beyond the underworld, blessings descend, and the calamities long stored up recede as well. Calmly surveying the ten directions, one universally relieves all sentient beings.

I set in order the reins of my mysterious truth (symbolizing the reins by which the path of cultivation is guided) and, hand in hand, raise the jade tally (the credential token used in Daoist ritual). The bright lamp is lit and the jade bell is struck; the bell tones answer one another, and mind and Shen (spirit) have already returned to the realm of emptiness.

Once contemplative vision is brought to bear, one can clearly behold the Three Treasures (what Daoism calls the Dao, the Jing, or scripture, and the Master) and release the dark obstructions of offense I have accumulated over successive lifetimes.

Calamities recede and blessings descend, and the misfortunes long stored up are carried away as well. Calmly surveying the ten directions, one universally relieves all sentient beings.

I set in order the reins of my mysterious truth and, hand in hand, raise the jade tally. The bright lamp is lit and the jade bell is struck; the bell tones answer one another, and mind and Shen have already returned to the realm of emptiness.

Once contemplative vision is brought to bear, one can clearly behold the Three Treasures and release the dark obstructions of offense I have accumulated over successive lifetimes.

I take up residence in the Palace of the Seven Treasures, coming and going among the winding mountains. Dwelling at ease in a house formed by causes and conditions, how could one know that so many years have already passed?

Rinsing and refining in the mouth the Jing (essence) of the golden liquor, only after years of practice does one begin to manifest the infant flowering (a state in cultivation symbolizing newly born spiritual nature). Those whose practice is still shallow merely chase worldly glory and truly do not understand what they should do.

Wondrous radiance shines upon the secluded, winding valleys, suddenly bright and penetrating straight to the deep springs. Light plays upon the flowing water, weaving together into broad stretches and coiling about Jade Capital Mountain (the immortal realm of Daoist legend).

Ancestors of seven generations are able to be reborn in womb-born bodies and to ascend into the uninterrupted realm (here meaning to leave the sufferings of the underworld and enter a higher realm).

Dense luminous Qi (vital energy) fills the air, surging upward and entering the Grand Clarity (the higher celestial realm spoken of in Daoism). The Celestial Hunters (spirits who guard the heavens) array themselves on left and right, circle in their course, and turn toward the south.

In a hazy trance, nine years pass; on briefly awakening, numinous clarity has still not opened. Ancestors of seven generations obtain the bodies of womb-born immortals and are born anew in the Southern Palace.

Luminous Qi like flying wheels fills the empty void, looking down into depths of hundreds and thousands of ren.

Once principle is realized, the myriad things are one and the same, and resonance connects them. The five-colored vapors, once inhaled, disperse of themselves. The body grows light and reaches the realm of Wuwei; the four directions are bright, and every sight appears clear and distinct.

Sentient beings in the hells and the Three Evil Paths (the three destinations of suffering: the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals) all escape sufferings like those of a prison cage.

Whistling and singing upon the Terrace of the Nine Mysteries (a lofty terrace in the immortal realms of Daoism), one rinses and refreshes oneself with swift streams among the cliffs and ridges. Mind and Shen are lucid, the six awarenesses (the six capacities of perception) flow freely, and one gradually abandons the filth and turmoil of the dusty world.

Rosy auroral light streams and illuminates the golden chamber; through the spacious hall drifts a mysterious fragrance. Utmost sincerity calls forth a response, and the divine spirits therefore descend; if a person stands alone, a solitary shadow, the path of cultivating the Dao (the Way) may also part from that of others.

In a flash a fish passes through ten thousand kalpas—how could it perceive that a hundred million years have already gone by?

In the graceful gardens the divine terraces flourish, and red jade shines upon the purple courtyard. A clear breeze passes through the empty grotto dwelling, and jade horns sound faintly in the air.

Purple mist winds about the twisting halls; red radiance encircles the green carriages. Spirits who have ascended in flight gather beneath the dark canopies, and feathered processional regalia light up Taiqing (the pure, empty celestial realm spoken of in Daoism).

A clear, luminous scene spreads to the boundary where the Nine Heavens meet. The immortals roam as the spirit moves them and sport in the City of Wind.

They wheel and drift across the ridges of the Five Marchmounts, and gallop on horseback toward the region of Yongcheng (the immortal city of Daoist legend). Raising their gaze to the Gate of Mysterious Truth, they see towers and pavilions soaring high among the clouds.

Fragrance circles and surrounds the palaces; bright lamps shine, and people sing hymns in praise of the spirits.

The sun and moon cast forth their light, and people turn their hearts to revere the Lamp King Jing (scripture/classic). Radiance shines all across the region of Yongcheng; looking up at the Gate of Mysterious Truth, one sees cloud towers rising lofty and majestic.

Fragrance circles and surrounds the palaces; bright lamps shine, and people sing hymns in praise of the spirits.

The sun and moon cast forth their light, and people turn their hearts to revere the Lamp King Jing. Light reaches the farthest extremes of the eight directions, and from this the lotus comes into being.

The Dragon King holds seawater in his mouth, and so can rinse the incense vase with seawater. The Fanzhi (the practitioner) receives this hymn and thereby is able to ascend to heaven and be reborn.

When a ruler of the human world receives this Jing, he may enjoy a lifespan of a hundred million years; the blessing extends to seven generations of ancestors, who no longer suffer sorrow and affliction.

Descendants of later ages likewise accumulate immeasurable good causes on this account, and generation after generation they can become people who are respected, worthy, faithful, and upright.

Three Hymns of Praise, Each Sung Separately

The Song Composed by the Lady of Purple Prime of the Southern Pole

Mysterious waves surge across the boundless sea; the broad ford gathers and drives onward the myriad streams. I ride a radiance like that of the sun and moon, look down upon heaven, earth, and the four quarters, and long in my heart to wander together with the Perfected.

The beautiful song finds no one to answer it, and the clear music finds no kindred spirit to match it. I race on jade wheels amid the clouds—who in the dusty world can travel with me?

White clouds gather and veil the numinous light of heaven; dense clouds rise into Taiwei (a stellar region of the celestial realm). Green reins secure the feathered wheels, and the kingfisher canopy turns with the wind.

Golden palace gates open upon the jade chambers; wind terraces and jade towers stand tier upon tier, inviting me and my companions to mount the dragon carriage.

White clouds gather and veil the numinous light of heaven; dense clouds rise into Taiwei. Green reins secure the feathered wheels, and the kingfisher canopy turns with the wind.

Golden palace gates open upon the jade chambers; wind terraces and jade towers stand tier upon tier, inviting me to enter the dragon carriage and ascend the celestial steps where Xuhuang (a venerated deity of Daoism) abides.

Although the body changes as generations succeed one another, the soul and Shen (spirit) are not extinguished for even a moment.

Merit and blessings, together with the deep karmic bonds accumulated in the past, allow the wishes of former days to be realized now. The wisdom of the Dao of emptiness is truly marvelous; the Perfected embrace the true Dao and manifest from within it.

The dragon’s saliva of heaven—the fragrant essence said in legend to flow from a dragon’s mouth—washes the embryonic substance I have refined and nurtured. Who would believe words so subtle? The numinous moment has arrived, and the profound summons from afar has likewise come to an end.

The mind of the Dao (the Way) transcends the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—and blends as one with primordial Qi (vital energy), revealing the original unity. Realizing alone that there was never any fixed form, one then roams in perfect freedom upon the Way of the Great Vehicle.

Shangqing Scripture of Returning Radiance, Flying Light, and the Essential Brilliance of the Sun and Moon.