《上清太霄隐书元真洞飞二景经》

In cultivating the “Way of the Six Assemblies and Transfer of Degrees,” one should practice during the “Five Dawns” the superior method of flying immortals that enables departure from the death registers and entry into the Palace of Life. The five days known as Renshen, Bingshen, Wushen, Jiashen, and Gengshen are called the “Five Departure Days.” At these times, the High Emperor frequently rides a carriage pulled by luminous dragons, driving a flying chariot of green cloud radiance, accompanied by immortal officials and jade maidens as he tours the ten directions of the heavenly realms and descends to the human world to observe those who seek immortality. He instructs the Northern Emperor’s Taiyin Five Qi (vital energy) Spirit Lord (the spirit in charge of the underworld’s registers of life and death) to carry the death registers and present them to the Pingdu Palace of Master Calculation for verification of the life-and-death records.

The True Emperor Dao Lords of the Five Directions and Five Stars each command one direction, governing those immortals destined to attain the Dao, and inscribe their names in Donghua. Should there be offenses in the yin or yang realms, these are recorded with the Northern Emperor, whereupon the Taiyin Lord reports the corresponding names to the Fengdu Palace (the legendary site of the underworld), thus differentiating good from evil and life from death.

Hence, on the Five Departure Days, one must confess transgressions to the Taiyin Lord, beseech the Taiyang for prolongation of life, petition the Northern Emperor to expunge the death registers, and request the immortal Dao from the Five Star True Emperors. Upon each of these days, one should attire oneself neatly, burn incense and enter the chamber, repent and cultivate goodness; visualize the deities within the mind, focus single-mindedly on apprehending the mysterious principles, and harbor no extraneous thoughts. As the Emperor Lord inspects the five directional domains, the spirit officials will note one’s meritorious deeds and report them to the Jade Emperor Lord. After five years of such practice, one may move the Five Star True Emperors to descend into the chamber.

On that day, at the three intervals of early morning, midday, and midnight, enter the chamber, burn incense, face northward and bow twice, knock the teeth thrice, then visualize and intone the incantation:

Supreme Jade Emperor Lord (the highest Jade Emperor Lord), I earnestly beseech you to pardon on my behalf all the hidden evil deeds and acts contrary to the Dao (the Way) committed from so-and-so’s seven generations of ancestors down to so-and-so themselves, including the taking of life, sexual misconduct, and the group… (here the original text contains garbled characters that cannot be reliably interpreted) the countless thousands of yang sins and yin transgressions. For all charges that have already been reported to the Northern Emperor (the deity who governs the netherworld), I also earnestly request that they likewise be pardoned, that the offenses be reduced, and that the root of deadly calamity be severed, so that I may pass through the Heavenly Pass, enter Donghua (the immortal realm), and have my name registered in the Jade Register (the heavenly roster); and that the seven generations of ancestors and parents may be reborn as southern immortals.

When the prayer is finished, immediately visualize the primal Jing (essence) of the True Sovereign Dao Lord of the Northern Chen Star. He wears a flying skirt of purple brocade, a tiger tally at his waist, and a splendid crown upon his head; he rides a jade carriage of brocade rosy clouds and flying mists, followed by twelve immortal officials, descending from the north to overlay and protect my body. His radiance is dense, abundant, and bright, his essential light shining brilliantly. Then raise the head and recite the incantation: “O Supreme True One of the North, True Sovereign who commands the flying immortals, come riding upon the clouds, please descend upon my person, block the ghostly gates for me, and cut off the root of deadly calamity; please register my name in Jade Clarity, open the Heavenly Pass, cause me to be far from the Northern Emperor and to ascend into the Southern Pavilion, that my lifespan may equal that of the True Sovereign, and that I may forever receive the protection of the Northern Chronogram.”

Then swallow the Qi (vital energy) five times. Face the east, perform two bows, knock the teeth three times, and then visualize while reciting the incantation: “Jade Dawn Supreme Lord, Primordial Radiance Lord of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), I earnestly request that you pardon the yin sins and yang transgressions I have committed since such-and-such year and month, as well as the residual karmic enmities of previous lives and the grave offenses accumulated by the seven generations of ancestors. For all sins bound within the Three Yin (the netherworld of the yin realm), I also earnestly request that they be released together, that the charges be extinguished and the root of deadly calamity blocked. May the Northern Emperor remove for me the karmic knots of previous lives; may Donghua register my name in the Jade Register; and may the seven generations of ancestors and parents likewise ascend together into the immortal realm of the Imperial Dawn.”

When the prayer is finished, next visualize Qingya, the True Sovereign Lord within the Eastern Year Star. This passage continues from the foregoing, praying for the elimination of charges and the blocking of the root of deadly calamity, requesting the Northern Emperor to remove the karmic knots of previous lives, requesting Donghua to register the name in the Jade Register, and causing the seven generations of ancestors and parents to ascend together into the immortal realm of the Imperial Dawn.

After the ritual is completed, one next visualizes the True Sovereign Qingya of the Central True in the Year Star (Suixing, Jupiter, the Wood Planet) of the East. He wears a dragon-patterned robe fashioned from cloud brocade, a phoenix talisman (Fulu) fastened at his waist, a magnificent crown upon his head, and rides a jade chariot wreathed in emerald mist, accompanied by twelve immortal officials as he descends from the East to cover and protect the practitioner’s body. His radiance is dense, abundant, and brilliant, illuminating the East. Then one raises the head and prays:

“True One of the East, rosy light streams from the nine-layered immortal gates, its brilliance shining through the world beyond and descending to protect my body. I earnestly beseech the granting of grace, that you report on my behalf to the Northern Emperor (Beidi, chief deity of the northern underworld), so that I may be freed from the root of death and my name entered in the immortal registers. I wish to become an Inner True of Donghua (a perfected being of the Donghua immortal realm), able to ascend into the immortal precincts and forever leave the path of death. May my ancestors of seven generations and my parents enjoy blessings, their lifespan matching the moon in length and moving together with the sun; riding the void and soaring aloft, ascending to heaven step by step.”

One then swallows the Qi nine times, faces south and bows twice, knocks the teeth three times, and visualizes and prays inwardly:

“Lords of the Three Primes of Shangqing, Upper Primordial Lord of the South Pole, Jade Worthy Primordial Lord of the Nine Qi of the Great Yang, I earnestly request pardon for all sins committed by this one named Yuanmou since first possessing awareness: ferocity, unfiliality, rebellion against the Dao, adultery and theft, as well as faults both hidden and overt. These karmic offenses reach up to the old grievances of the seven-generation ancestors, accumulating and implicating even unto Lord Baiyuan. I earnestly request pardon for all sins committed by this one named Yuanmou since first possessing awareness: ferocity, unfiliality, rebellion against the Dao, adultery and theft, as well as faults both hidden and overt. These karmic offenses reach up to the old grievances of the seven-generation ancestors, accumulated and recorded upon the White Slips; the crimes listed under Taiyin, the charges bound to the Northern Culmen (Beichen, the Pole Star and the celestial divine offices it represents). I earnestly request the dissolution of the registers of sin, that I may be released from the old offenses recorded by the Three Officials (Sanguan, the divine bureaus of Heaven, Earth, and Water), that the root of the death Qi be filled and severed; that I may pass through the portal of the northeast and ascend the heavenly pass that opens in the southwest. May my ancestors of seven generations and my parents all receive the grace of the Heavenly Emperor.”

After the ritual is completed, one next visualizes the True Sovereign Weichun of the Sparkling Delusion Star (Yinghuoxing, Mars, the Fire Planet) of the South. He wears a robe adorned with frost and snow, phoenix patterns, and dragon bells, a tiger register fastened at his waist, a Flying Green crown upon his head, and rides a crimson chariot wreathed in cinnabar mist, accompanied by twelve immortal officials as he descends from the South to cover and protect the practitioner’s body. His radiance is bright and intensely blazing, like the rising sun. Then one raises the head and prays:

The Southern True Sovereign (the True Immortal Emperor-Lord of the South) is clad in mysterious and wondrous luminous forms, his radiance flowing as he lingers among the Three Gates. He rides a cinnabar-colored chariot, ascending together with the host of immortals toward the Upper Prime (Shangyuan). Light manifests from within, shining through and enveloping my body, erasing for me the registers of sin under the name of the Northern Emperor, untying knotted bindings and dissolving stagnant obstructions, extinguishing the ties that bind me in the Great Yin (Taiyin—the underworld and nether realm), freeing me from the Ghost Gate, and cutting off the roots of karmic enmities from previous lives. The Heavenly Pass is opened, and I ascend into the palaces of the South. May my grandparents of seven generations ascend together to the Upper Prime. Light manifests, shining through and enveloping my body, erasing for me the registers of sin under the name of the Northern Emperor, untying knotted bindings and dissolving stagnant obstructions, extinguishing the ties that bind me in the Great Yin, freeing me from the Ghost Gate, and cutting off the roots of karmic enmities from previous lives. The Heavenly Pass is opened, and I ascend into the southern palaces. May my grandparents of seven generations together pay homage to the Emperor-Lord.

Then swallow the breath eight times and cease. Facing west, perform two bows, knock the teeth three times, visualize and recite:

Lords of the Three Primes of Great Simplicity (Taisu Sanyuan Jun), Four Elders and Lords amid the Dao (honored deities of Daoism), I earnestly beg you to pardon all the faults that I, so-and-so, have committed since first becoming conscious. (The original text here contains what appear to be corrupt characters; the general sense of the following is:) I have rashly leaked the scriptures (Jing), trodden upon filth and become stained with dust and defilement, offending the sun, moon, and stars. I have sworn curses and oaths, wept in grief, and transgressed against the Emperor-Lords. Karmic enmities from previous lives are knotted in the Great Yin; charges and sworn covenants are bound to the ghost officials. I earnestly beg you lords to release me, so that the roots of examination and punishment may be eliminated, the road of death blocked off, and my name recorded at the Gate of Life. May my grandparents of seven generations ascend together into the Hall of Blessings.

When this is complete, next visualize the True Sovereign Lord of the Western Great White Star (the stellar spirit-true of the west, the True White Star): He wears garments of pure white brocade and a skirt-robe hung with flowing bells, his waist bound with a tiger-patterned ceremonial sash, his head crowned with the Supporting-the-Dawn (Fuchen) crown. He rides a flying chariot adorned with white clouds and rosy vapors, attended by twelve immortal officials, descending from the west to envelop my body. He is clad in garments whose radiance is like brocade, with a skirt-robe hung with flowing bells, his waist bound with a tiger-patterned ceremonial sash, his head crowned with the Supporting-the-Dawn crown. He rides a flying chariot of white clouds and rosy vapors, attended by twelve immortal officials, descending from the west to envelop my body. The light is thoroughly penetrating, illuminating the west. Then, looking upward, recite:

Western True Sovereign, your pure and unsullied radiance illuminates the mysterious and wondrous celestial images. Together with the host of immortals you ride a jade chariot, and white luminosity spreads across the cloudy heavens. May you turn back the light of dawn, descend to this place, manifest your true form and unite with me, turning open for me the Nine Doors (the passes and apertures within the body or in the netherworld), so that my body may enter the imperial court, be released from the name-registers of the Great Yin, ascend into the Mysterious Palace, and meet at the Jade Terrace (Yaotai). May my lifespan endure as long as heaven and earth, undiminished through a hundred million years. May my ancestors of seven generations all ascend upon the morning clouds.

When this is complete, swallow the breath six times and then cease. Next, facing the center, perform two bows, knock the teeth three times, visualize and recite:

I pray to the High Supreme Great Emperor, the Jade Emperor Lord: from my birth until this day, all the faults and karmic offenses I have committed, together with the grudges and debts accumulated across successive lifetimes, I ask to be released, dissipated, and completely severed. Especially those ties formed with Taiyin (the powers associated with the yin underworld and the realms of darkness), I request that the mysterious name of the Northern Emperor be destroyed and that the root of death qi (Qi, vital energy) in the ghost portal of Gui-earth be cut off, so that my name may pass through the Heavenly Pass, cross the Five Dawns (the cultivation thresholds connected with the journey through the heavens), and that my ancestors and parents of seven generations may all receive the grace of renewal and immortality.

Next, visualize the True Emperor Lord of the Central Stabilizing Star (the divine lord who governs the center and guards the stars of the five directions) remaining in presence, destroying the mysterious name of the Northern Emperor, severing the root of death qi in the ghost portal of Gui-earth, allowing one’s name to pass through the Heavenly Pass and cross the Five Dawns, and enabling the ancestors and parents of seven generations to receive the transformation of immortality.

Then visualize the True Emperor Lord of the Central Stabilizing Star remaining in presence: he wears a brocade robe patterned with yellow clouds and dragons together with a tiger-striped skirt, a golden talisman at his waist and a purple crown on his head, riding a flying chariot of yellow auroras, attended by twelve immortal officials, descending from the central direction. The light of his crown envelops one’s own body, its radiance shining through completely, so that the Central Origin (the middle region of the body corresponding to the qi mechanisms of heaven and earth) appears bright and manifest. Then look upward and recite the incantation: The True Emperor of the Center unifies and commands the Five Emperors, setting in motion the mysterious principles of the heavenly Dao (the Way), riding yellow auroras to tour the four directions. Please extract and cut off for me the root of death, that my name may ascend into the Palace of Southern Yang; let me leave the old realm of “Five” and enter the new realm of “Six,” soaring aloft together with you. May I remain long at peace amid the ten thousand transformations, forever enjoying inexhaustible longevity, ascending to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) and dwelling in the Golden Towers and Jade Halls; and may my ancestors and parents of seven generations likewise receive this blessing, flourishing in peace and well-being. When the recitation is finished, swallow the inner qi twelve times, then stop.

If one can follow the method of the “Five Departures” to make confession and repentance before the Heavenly Emperors of the Five Directions, and also visualize the Five Dawn True Stars (the star spirits of the five directions), one may thereby cultivate this practice to deliver and liberate one’s nature and life. If one persists year after year on the prescribed days, after seven years sincere intention will communicate with the Five Dawn True Stars. The Five Dawn True Stars will then manifest their forms and appear in one’s bedchamber. The Great Emperor will dispatch Jade Maidens of the Five Directions to come and protect one; the Northern Emperor of Great Yin will also arrive at one’s door and no longer pursue one’s offenses. Those who seek immortality and study the Dao ought to cultivate with diligence.

This method of seeking vitality through the repentance of faults is a teaching obtained by the Upper Minister Lord Qingtong (a Daoist honored spirit) from the Emperor of the Golden Palace, intended as a model of practice for later seekers of life; it is not the Great Emperor Lord’s own method of repentance. When one cultivates according to this method, the Emperor Lord will also examine one’s mind. If past offenses have not been fully repented away, the path of seeking life will be difficult to accomplish; the officials of the Six Heavens will not strike one’s name from the register of death, nor will the office in charge of the Gates of Opening and Closing grant deliverance. Therefore heaven and earth have established the Office of Separation and Union and the Gates of Opening and Closing: the Gates of Opening and Closing are the palaces that enable people to be delivered into life, while the Office of Separation and Union is the root that consigns people to death. By cultivating with single-minded sincerity one can obtain the true meaning therein.

Those who nourish life, if they do not know that Opening and Closing exists in heaven and Fengdu (the netherworld of Daoism) exists below the earth, do not understand the affairs each administers: Opening and Closing governs the spirits, while Fengdu governs the ghosts. These two Emperor Lords separately oversee life and death, and the movement of life and death is moreover tied to the pivot of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, so that when the seven stars of the Northern Dipper shift, people are thereby delivered. The Northern Emperor has no designation of “Six Palaces”; Opening and Closing possesses the register recording immortals. The Mysterious Statutes (Daoist precepts and laws) shelter practitioners with the Huagai star, and the Seven Origins (the seven stars of the Northern Dipper) confer the Huoluo method. The road to becoming an immortal is in fact close at hand.

The Lord of the Southern Pole and Upper Origin said: If a person has aspiration, the seven stars and the Nine Sovereigns (Daoist star spirits) will all illuminate and inspect the heart. By concentrating on seeking the Dao, cultivating arduously, and persisting for seven years, one can ascend in broad daylight to the dawn and rise into the heavens. Even if one merely upholds this scripture and has not yet learned visualization (the quiet contemplation of spirits), as long as incense is burned and offerings made nearby, the essence of the seven stars will constantly shine upon the dwelling, and the officials of Fengdu dare not approach the practitioner directly.