《太微帝君二十四神回元经》

The Taiwei Dijun (Great Subtlety Emperor Lord), a revered deity in Shangqing Daoism, is generated from Taiyi and is the inner Shen (spirit) within the Purple Origin. The twenty-four Zhenren (Perfected Ones) transform from Hunyuan Qi and preside over the superior Jing (essence) of the immortal realm; they can dissolve coagulations and blockages within the body and open the Guanyuan (the region associated with the body’s original Qi and Jing).

Only by cultivating according to the methods of the twenty-four Shen can these coagulations be released. If one practices and visualizes their names, one can stabilize and protect the entire body, conserving the original Jing. To loosen the knots and stagnations in the body’s joints and Qi meridians, one must first recite the incantations so that the orifices may open. These numinous Shen are the mysterious origin of the coagulated Qi and are also the genuine Shen that truly exist within the physical form; they circulate the Qi of the Dao (the Way), unfolding like clouds and mist, accompanying the vital Qi as it transforms into rosy vapors. The practitioner can thereby summon jade palanquins and dragon mounts, arrayed in thousands upon thousands, merging with one’s own body, and ultimately ascend to heaven in broad daylight. This is the Shangqing Daoist method of visualizing the twenty-four Shen of the Supreme Zhenren and the Xuanyuan Dijun, riding the wind to fly and ascend.

When cultivating, one should stabilize the body and calm the mind-Shen, making the breath upright and harmonious. Close the eyes and visualize inwardly, forgetting the physical form and appearance, concentrating solely on invoking the Shen. After burning incense and bathing to purify the body, visualize the Shen and guard the true Qi, as if seeing three layers of radiance gradually appearing and enveloping the mysterious essence Qi. Cultivating according to this method for eighteen years, the Supreme One will command the Taiwei Dijun and the Five Shen of Taiyi to generate the Hunling Daojun, accompanied by the twenty-four Zhenren, bringing a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders, riding the wind and driving the clouds, breathing and soaring upward, flying to the heavenly realm in broad daylight.

When practicing the method of visualizing the Shen, do not associate with those of a different kind; dwell in a secluded quiet chamber and avoid miscellaneous affairs. Single-mindedly guard the Jing and Qi, as if soaring through empty space. Visualize in the heart, gaze inwardly with the eyes, and with a subtle mind hold to emptiness and stillness. Stabilize the hun and po souls and nourish the physical form, and one will be free from all manner of harm, causing ghosts, demons, and evil influences to retreat, dispelling disasters and resolving misfortunes, receiving incalculable blessings. First knock the teeth twenty-four times, then begin the visualization:

The brain spirit is named Mingjue Yuanzi, courtesy name Daodu, one cun and one fen in height and purely white in color. The hair spirit is named Xuanwenhua, courtesy name Daoheng, two cun and two fen in height and black in color. The skin spirit is named Tongzhongzhong, courtesy name Daolian, one cun and five fen in height and yellow in color. The eye spirit is named Xujiansheng, courtesy name Daotong, three cun and six fen in height and clad in five-colored garments. The nape-marrow spirit is named Lingmogai, courtesy name Daozhou, five cun in height, white in color, and dressed in white clothing. The spinal spirit is named Yilifu, courtesy name Daozhu, three and a half cun in height and wearing plain garments of white-jade hue. The nose spirit is named Chonglongyu, courtesy name Daowei, two cun and five fen in height and clad in garments of cyan, white, and yellow. The tongue spirit is named Shiliangzhi, courtesy name Daoqi, seven cun in height and purely red in color.

These are the names of the eight scenery spirit children of the upper body. When beginning the visualization, first contemplate these spirits as resembling infants, faintly appearing within the body and each dwelling peacefully in its proper place. After the visualization is complete, knock the teeth eight times, swallow the saliva eight times, and then recite in a low voice:

“The eight spirits of the upper part enter my body together. The Emperor Lord and the Mysterious Mother, the five spirits each manifest. The entire body transforms, following the current to unite with the True Dao (the Way); a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders ascend together to the heavenly palace of the Emperor Lord. Baiyuan and Wuying nourish the Great Guest by means of the Dao, while the numinous spirits of the eight directions protect the body; the Jade Flower contains smoke, and in a trance one traverses tenfold realms, reaching directly the Gate of the Sun.”

When first beginning the visualization, call the names of the spirits three times; after the recitation is finished, call them three more times, the sound issuing from the mouth. This is to be done for all three parts of the body. Every day at dawn, noon, and midnight, one should visualize the twenty-four spirits in sequence, employing the same methods of calling the names and reciting the prayer as above.

The Scripture of the Highest Precious Spirit and Luminous Code (Gaoshang Baoshen Mingke Jing) states that there are different methods of knocking the teeth. Knocking the teeth on the left side against each other is called “striking the Heavenly Bell” (tianzhong); knocking the teeth on the right side against each other is called “pounding the Heavenly Plate” (tianpan); knocking the upper and lower teeth against each other is called “sounding the Heavenly Drum” (tiangu).

If one suddenly encounters something ominous or inauspicious, one should knock the Heavenly Bell thirty times. If passing through mountain forests, one should use the Heavenly Chime (tianqing) to ward off evil and awe the mighty spirits of the mountains. If concentrating the spirit in visualization, contemplating the Great Dao, hoping to commune with the Perfected Ones (zhenren) and summon divine spirits, one should knock the Heavenly Drum.

Knocking the teeth appears to be a single action, but in fact it is divided according to left and right, upper and lower positions and methods. Thus malevolent forces fear the sound of the Heavenly Bell, mountain spirits submit to the movement of the Heavenly Chime, and to summon divine spirits one must make the sound of the Heavenly Drum resound solemnly. The mysterious and subtle principles have their own measures, and the inner responses of the heart also follow their patterns; one cannot use only one method of knocking the teeth to deal with all situations, nor can one expect that doing it correctly by chance will be effective.

All affairs of cultivating the Dao should follow the corresponding rules: the methods of knocking the teeth have distinctions, and the sounds of bells and drums each have their uses. The sequence of Daoist methods cannot be disordered, and the techniques for protecting body and mind cannot be mixed. Disorder in sequence leads to confusion and error; mixing of techniques invites disturbance and harm. This is not because there is no connecting principle in the unseen, but because in practice one has not followed the proper order; in this way the arts of the Dao are difficult to accomplish, and the things one seeks are difficult to realize. If the methods of pursuing the True Dao do not conform to the norms, one’s conduct will deviate, and one will also be subject to worldly criticism.

If it is merely to dispel inauspiciousness, without any additional accompanying incantations, then simply knock the Heavenly Bell thirty times. If performing according to a specific ritual, follow the number of knocks prescribed by that ritual itself, without necessarily knocking thirty times in every case.

The spirit of the throat is named Bai Liufang, style name Daotong. Its form is eight cun and eight fen in length and it wears nine-colored garments. The spirit of the lungs is named Su Lingsheng, style name Daoping. Its form is eight cun and one fen in length and is pure white throughout. The spirit of the heart is named Huan Yangchang, style name Daoming. Its form is nine cun in length and vermilion-red in color. The spirit of the liver is named Kai Juntong, style name Daoqing. Its form is six cun in length and bluish-yellow in color. The spirit of the gallbladder is named Long Deju, style name Daofang. Its form is two cun and six fen in length; its color is bluish-yellow-green and also carries a reddish hue. The spirit of the left kidney is named Chun Yuanzhen, style name Daoqing. Its form is three cun and seven fen in length; its color changes and is not fixed, shifting among white, red, blue-green, and the five colors. The spirit of the right kidney is named Xiang Diwu, style name Daosheng. Its form is three cun and five fen in length and is sometimes white, sometimes black. The spirit of the spleen is named Bao Yuanquan, style name Daoqian. Its form is seven cun and three fen in length and pure yellow in color.

These are the names of the eight spirits of the middle part of the body. Visualize them in sequence through cunxiang, imagining each as an infant faintly appearing within the body and dwelling peacefully in its proper location. When the visualization is complete, knock the teeth eight times, swallow the saliva eight times, and then recite the incantation:

“Eight spirits of the middle body, transforming and flying aloft; refine and nourish the hun and po souls so that the body is made upright; spirit-radiance shines brightly, co-luminous with the sun and moon. The Emperor Lord unbinds my fetters, refines and nourishes the fetal origin, causing it to return to the four directions; it communicates upward with the Mysterious Mother, radiating numinous light and displaying majestic presence. May I ride the same carriage with the eight spirits and together enter the palace gates; accompanied by a thousand carriages and ten thousand horsemen, we jointly ascend to Taiwei (the dwelling of celestial immortals).”

Cunxiang is the Daoist cultivation practice of using mental intention to visualize the forms of the spirits and the locations they occupy within the body; knocking the teeth and swallowing saliva are the accompanying bodily actions performed with the recitation of the incantation. The original text contains repetitions of the passages on the liver spirit, the gallbladder spirit, and the incantation; the above has been arranged according to the sense of the text.

The Shen (spirit) of the stomach is named Tonglaiyu, courtesy name Daozhan; he is seven inches tall and yellow in color. The Shen in the cecum is named Zhaotengkang, courtesy name Daohuan; he is two inches and four fen tall and yellow-red in color. The Shen of the large and small intestines is named Pengsongliu, courtesy name Daochu; he is two inches and one fen tall and red-yellow in color. The Shen of the torso is named Shouhoubo, courtesy name Daoxu; he is nine inches and one fen tall and wears nine-colored garments. The Shen of the chest and diaphragm is named Guangyingzhai, courtesy name Daozhong; he is five inches tall and white in color. The Shen of the two flanks is named Pixiama, courtesy name Daocheng; he is four inches and one fen tall and red-white in color.

The left-side Yin-Yang Shen is named Fuliqi, courtesy name Daogui; he is two inches and three fen tall and appears in the three colors of azure, yellow, and white. When a man visualizes him he is called the Left Yang Shen; when a woman visualizes him he is called the Left Yin Shen. The right-side Yin-Yang Shen is named Baobiaoming, courtesy name Daosheng; he is likewise two inches and three fen tall and appears in the three colors of azure, yellow, and white. When a man visualizes him he is called the Right Yang Shen; when a woman visualizes him he is called the Right Yin Shen.

These are the names of the eight luminous spirit-youths of the lower body. In cultivation one visualizes them in the mind, their forms all like infants, faintly appearing within the body, each dwelling peacefully in its proper place. When the visualization is complete, knock the teeth eight times, swallow the saliva eight times, and then recite softly:

“Eight luminous spirits of the lower body, your forms scattered among the nine numina; purple clouds of Qi (vital energy) rise vigorously, containing primordial Qi and guarding Jing (essence) Qi. From this the Taiyi Primordial Father and the Emperor Lord become manifest; the seven shuang (the seven kinds of hun spirits) are thereby spared the misfortune of the name registers, and Siming (the deity who governs lifespan) records the register of life; hun and po are thereby settled, and the five hua (the essences of the five viscera) nourish and shine brightly. A thousand chariots and ten thousand riders accompany me as we proceed together to Taisu (the primordial realm of Daoism) and bow northward to Shangqing (the pure vacuous immortal realm honored in Daoism).”

The inner Shen of Dao-One is named Daiwuma, courtesy name Daojisheng; he is one inch and two fen tall and purple in color. When a man visualizes him he is called the “Inner Shen of Dao-One”; when a woman visualizes him he is called the “True Origin Central Ling.”

This Shen is the numinous being of the most fundamental and subtle region, and also the superior numinous spirit that guards the center of the body. One then visualizes him as well, his form like an infant, seated peacefully in his assigned place. After this is complete, knock the teeth twenty-four times.

The first Shen (spirit) is called the “Hidden Spirit of the Extreme Root” (Jigen zhi Youshen). It is a superior numinous spirit that guards the center of the human body. Next, visualize this spirit in the form of an infant, seated peacefully in its proper place. After completing the visualization, click the teeth twenty-four times, swallow the saliva twenty-four times, then recite softly:

“Mysterious Superior Inner Perfected, nourish the form and attend the dawn, gather the knots and seize the net, nine measures and eight revolutions, the Dipper stars internally luminous, palaces and lodges arrayed ninefold, the Imperial Lord united in prosperity, nine paths and seven swallowings, emit the fluids and inner Jing (essence), harmoniously irrigate all the spirits, the five viscera generate flowering, reverse aging to a child’s complexion, a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders, ascend to heaven with me, go up to audience at the Grand Steps, and bow high to the Jade Dawn.”

This spirit possesses a precious name within the body, also called the “inner character,” which is a transformed and generated spirit. The scripture says that if this name is unknown, the immortal Dao cannot be accomplished. When untying the knots of the body, if one does not first invoke it, the knots cannot be loosened. If the knots are not loosened, the three hun souls will fall into disorder, the Upper Prime will suffer damage, the Five Elders will lose their sight, and the Imperial Lord will grow distant. When a man visualizes, he regards it as the spirit of a boy; when a woman visualizes, she regards it as the spirit of a girl; the names are identical.

When visualizing the twenty-four spirits, if the bodily knots cannot be untied, this will cause the three hun souls to become disordered, the Upper Prime to be damaged, the Five Elders to lose their vision, and the Imperial Lord to become alienated. Men visualize it as a boy’s spirit, women as a girl’s spirit; the two have the same name.

To visualize the twenty-four spirits, one should at midnight remove the pillow, lie down flat, form the grasping-firmly (wogu) gesture by clenching the hands to gather the spirit, relax the body, and keep the breathing even and gentle. Visualize the various spirits within the body, concentrating intently on the Imperial Lord so that they seem to sit peacefully in their respective positions, then close the eyes and turn the gaze inward. If in the visualization the spirit positions appear incomplete, one should burn incense, sit upright with eyes closed, form the grasping-firmly mudra with both hands resting on the knees, concentrate on visualizing the spirits, and perform the invocation according to the ritual. Visualizations of the spirits at dawn and at noon should likewise be performed while sitting upright, without allowing others to observe. In every visualization one must gaze inward, and before closing the eyes first concentrate the mind in inner visualization.

On the first night of each month at midnight, after completing the visualization of the spirits, further visualize a ball of white Qi (vital energy) in each of the two eyes, the size of a hen’s egg, appearing before one. After a short while, the white Qi transforms into two bright mirrors nine inches in diameter, which from front and back illuminate the twenty-four spirits throughout the entire body, causing them to appear clearly. After a long time has passed, then silently invoke in the heart:

The Great Bright Precious Mirror can differentiate forms and images and scatter forth radiance; it illuminates the Shen (spirit) of one’s original essence, subdues all manner of demonic obstacles, and enables a person to fly up into the Shangqing (Upper Clarity). Draped in a gauze kerchief woven of cloud-Qi (vital energy), it commands numerous spirits and renders all insight clear and distinct. After silently invoking for a time, one then recites inwardly:

“The Great Bright Precious Mirror can differentiate forms and images and scatter forth radiance; it illuminates the Shen of one’s original essence, subdues all manner of demonic obstacles, and enables a person to fly up into the Shangqing. Draped in a gauze kerchief woven of cloud-Qi, it commands numerous spirits, seals off the mountains, and summons the rivers.”

When the ritual is finished, it is to be performed once every five days. The scripture states that this is done in order to verify repeatedly the Jing (essence) and Qi within the body and to inspect the Five Shen (the spirits associated with the five viscera in the human body). Through regular practice, one can be spared from calamities and rise to the rank of a high immortal.

The “Way of Brushing the Youth” is a method that enables one to see thoroughly the Five Shen of the Imperial Lord. Typically, at noon on a Gengwu day within a Jiazi decade, one takes one sheng of clear water, casts one zhu of True Elixir (the medicinal elixir or numinous pill spoken of in Daoism) into the water and stirs it, turning to the left fifteen times, and then recites:

“The mysterious and wondrous water-flow and the vermilion Jing give birth to light and enter the luminous realm; the assembled Shen within the body take their stations and come forth together to appear, enabling me to see through ten thousand li and penetrate the Nine Numina. The Imperial Lord shines upon the youth, enabling me to ascend into the Shangqing.”

When the recitation is finished, facing east, wash the eyes with the water fourteen times. By doing this regularly, one can thoroughly behold the myriad Shen. The invocation is to be recited in a low voice; when washing the eyes, one should face the Yuejian (the direction determined by the earthly branch of the current month), and need not always face east.

The Scripture of the Twenty-Four Shen Returning to the Origin of the Taiwei Imperial Lord is complete. The original text may be found in the Jade Scripture Precious Instructions of the Shangqing Purple Tenuity Imperial Lord and the Southern Pole Primal Lord.