《太上洞真徊玄章》

The Supreme, the highest Dao (the Way), reveals the deeply hidden mystery and splendidly unfolds the true Jing (scripture/classic). Precious heavenly treasures scatter in the four directions, and the worlds of the ten directions all respectfully honor them. It has no beginning and no end; it is neither manifest nor obscure. One looks up to ascend the Jade Capital Terrace (the high terrace in the celestial immortal realm) and freely rests at Kunlun. It delivers the Capital of Quanqu (the netherworld), and even the Demon Kings are willing to listen. The seven ancestors (seven generations of forebears) thereby receive teaching and are reborn, and I too am able to resolve the knots of resentment left from previous lives. Inwardly one rides the flying mysterious scenes, outwardly one mounts the floating purple clouds.

Layer upon layer of radiance illuminates the Jade Dawn (the celestial immortal realm), and the mysterious vista opens complete brightness. In the far distance stands the Dongzhen Hall, where the light of the seven treasures shines brilliantly. If a single thought accords with the meaning of the Jing, one can transcend the Eight Difficulties (the eight predicaments that obstruct cultivation of the Dao) and long remain united with the Supreme. Circling and revolving, one offers the Yellow Scene (a vista symbolizing mysterious radiance), and sunlight rises from the void. Worldly people know only the chaotic ways of the mundane and rarely hear the Jing of wisdom. The Dongzhen Precepts (the precepts of Shangqing Daoism) are vast and far-reaching; they can communicate with the mystery, and even Demon Kings sincerely submit. Even ten thousand years pass as if in a single breath; how then could life be bound by a span of billions of years?

The original body of the Supreme is formless and without appearance, yet it can transform its form to save those who have lost the Dao and gone astray. The Supreme actively plans and proclaims the mysterious arts of the Dao, and the Heavenly Worthies join in praise. Those who have affinity with this Jing will naturally reveal their points of accord; for those without such opportunity, the Jing remains as if deeply hidden and unmanifest. If one can comprehend and cultivate this Dao, primordial light (the spiritual radiance of the cultivator) will arise from the crown of the head. Oneself can cross to the other shore without awaiting external aid and float into the immortal realm.

From pursuing “non-being” to its extreme, it remains inexhaustible; from “being” one comprehends and can peacefully enter the mysterious realm. The writings of the heavens are radiant and magnificent, and the Mysterious School (the profound tenets of Daoism) has its own key. One circles and turns the wheel of the Three Treasures (the Dharma wheel of the Three Treasures spoken of in Daoism), and light universally illuminates the ten directions. The Supreme gazes distantly upon the Jade Capital, the Demon King smiles in the void; the Heavenly Emperor clasps his hands and sings aloud, the assembled Perfected Ones ride the emptiness and give long cries. At the scattering of flowers, I rectify my thoughts. The Mysterious School has its own key, one circles and turns the wheel of the Three Treasures, and light universally illuminates the ten directions. The Supreme gazes distantly upon the Jade Capital, the Demon King smiles in the void; the Heavenly Emperor clasps his hands and sings aloud, the assembled Perfected Ones ride the emptiness and give long cries. At the scattering of flowers, I rectify my thoughts, and the Eight Vows are naturally transcended.

Numinous immortals ride auspicious clouds of Qi (vital energy) and drive dragons to tread the mysterious waves. Uniting with the true Dao, auspicious omens appear; one takes steps to ascend the heights of the eight directions of the heavenly realms. The fulfillment of blessings and responses is not something I deliberately seek, and thus one can be liberated from the Heavenly Net (the celestial net that binds practitioners). After attaining the Dao, one transcends the Three Realms, and even the Earthly Net has been escaped. Coming by resonance, one is able to meet the Perfected Ones among the clouds; relying on pure and clear wisdom, one enters the lotus-like realm of the Jing.

The unsurpassed awakening—the highest enlightenment—pervades the four classes of sentient beings (a designation in Buddhist and Daoist literature for different practitioners or groups of living beings), vast and boundless, extending far beyond ordinary heaven and earth. Both the obscure darkness and the manifest brightness have their causes; without the obscure there would be no dimness to speak of. Swiftly steering the mysterious Dharma Wheel (symbolizing the revolving methods of the Dao, the Way), true immortals are fortunate to roam amid the splendid celestial vault, constantly coming and going through remote and unfathomable regions, while celestial beings remain far separated from them and meetings are rare.

The numinous and wondrous methods of the Dao are extraordinary yet thoroughly penetrating, and between the celestial and the worldly there is naturally a path of crossing. It is as if sailing a boat upon an unfathomably deep abyss, always fearing that wind and waves will capsize the vessel. The karmic opportunities herein contain wondrous power; relying on human wisdom and authority, who could calculate them all? Let the mysterious pivot turn of its own accord, and the profound karmic conditions will clearly appear. Outstanding true sons (those who have cultivated and attained the Dao) arise in response to the times, and a numinous qin sounds in the void. They vie with one another in yearning for and revering the realms of the ten directions; the mysterious realm of the Dao leaves one with nothing left to envy or seek.

The Most High (the supreme Dao) proclaims the Dongzhen scriptures (of the Three Caverns), and the worthy and virtuous each return to the original source of cultivating the Dao. The realm where the Three Treasures (Dao, Jing the scripture, and the teacher) reside is pure, still, and profound, yet the karmic conditions I cultivate flourish like abundant blossoms. Bo Shi and entering Jing (essence): when form and substance are purified one can accomplish the golden body (the immortal body attained through successful cultivation). When one kalpa cycle ends, a new cycle opens, and the numinous countenance becomes ever more brilliantly renewed. Practitioners who hope to attain deliverance pay reverence to the unsurpassed Dao; precious scriptures descend and are transmitted to persons of utmost authenticity. The groves of the Dao flourish in the celestial capital and shine downward upon the many earthly immortals. Thereupon numinous majesty freely unfolds, and the vast, boundless great Dharma is propagated.

The Most High contemplates the ten directions; the cloud-Qi (vital energy) of the heavenly realms is obscure yet harmonious, blended, and solemn. Perfect radiance illuminates the sun, moon, and stars; true persons are draped in heavenly garments. Demon kings stand with clasped hands, and the deity of the marketplace attends at one side of Fengdu (the netherworld in Daoist tradition). The light of the sun and moon is obscured, yet the Seven Treasures (symbolizing precious and majestic valuables) shine with inexhaustible splendor. All sentient beings cultivate at this time; disasters are eliminated and the hells are pacified. The distant, floating Wujing Heaven (a name of a Daoist heavenly realm) is difficult even for honored persons to fathom.

The Three Treasures pervade the ten directions, gradually rendering the void lucid and clear. The myriad things circulate according to the principle of transformative nurturing; as soon as there is stimulus and response, the Dharma Wheel rises in correspondence. In the remote and hard-to-distinguish interval between brightness and darkness, the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind arise according to the temporal sequence. Emptiness and existence are all encompassed without remainder; the mountains are numerous and their forms strange. The Most High has no thoughts of obstruction or attachment; eliminate delusive thoughts and one returns to the Great Vehicle (the vast and all-embracing path of cultivation).

Note: In the original text a passage is repeated after the character “yin”; phrases such as “Bo Shi and entering Jing” and “Cui Wei many mountains H” may also contain copyist or recognition errors and have therefore been treated cautiously according to the existing wording.

The Hymns of Returning to Mystery in the Ten Directions (Huixuan hymns recited while facing the ten directions) should begin by facing north, then continue in sequence toward the northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest, the zenith above, and the nadir below. One performs a ritual bow after reciting each hymn.

The Chapter on Returning to Mystery originated from the Natural and appeared only after more than nine thousand kalpas (an extremely vast expanse of time). The Primordial Heavenly King (Yuanshi Tianwang) transmitted the Dao (the Way) to the Most High (Taishang). After attaining the Dao, the Most High selected this chapter in obedience to the command of the Primordial Heavenly King, so that it might accompany the Great Precepts. This chapter likewise appeared only after more than nine thousand kalpas.

One ought to expound the three hundred sections of precepts and recite this text on one's natal day (the day corresponding to the stem-branch combination of one's year of birth). When practicing at midday or midnight, one should first observe fasting and purification, then proceed to practice the Dao (cultivate according to the liturgical protocols). If the natal day is unknown, a Jiazi day should be chosen. After ten years of cultivation have been completed, one may practice the Dao on the first day of the first lunar month.