《洞真太上仓元上箓》

The Cangyuan Shanglu, also known as the Taiqing Neiwen, Yujing Baozhang, Jintu Qiongzi, Poyan Dongfu, Xuanlan Baolu, Renwu Shanjing, Jinsheng Cewen, and Weiwu Taiyi Fuming. This is the jinglu cultivated by Yuchen Jun, secretly stored in the Suling Shanggong. Those who obtain it and practice its methods can fly or hide, conceal their bodily form or manifest their bodily form, and ultimately rank among the Zhenren.

The Yuan Qi (the original primordial Qi of vital energy) circulates and transforms, condensing into the precious register. This register is also known as the Renwu Shanjing, Jinsheng Cewen, and Weiwu Taiyi Fuming. It is what Yuchen Jun cultivates, secretly stored in the Suling Shanggong. Those who practice this register can fly and sink, hide and appear, becoming Zhenren.

Yuanqi, the primordial Qi (vital energy) that generates heaven, earth, and all things, flows and transforms, condensing above to form the sky. The sky appears bluish-green and is therefore called “Cangyuan.” Heaven and earth operate according to certain laws, within which there is a clear principle: they abhor killing and love life, and they admonish the people of the world through fortune and misfortune so that practitioners may take it as a lesson.

Those who know how to observe auspicious and inauspicious signs can pursue good fortune and avoid calamity. Whether traveling or dwelling, they arrange everything properly and preserve themselves between movement and stillness. By thus teaching and guiding the people, merit is established, De (Virtue/Power) accumulates deeply, and the work of the Dao (the Way) is accomplished. If one does not know this essential secret, all diligent seeking is in vain. Even if other methods yield some small benefits, one cannot escape great disasters; even if one ascends above the twenty-eight heavens, one may still fall into lives such as those of grasses and insects.

Therefore the Shangzhen (supreme perfected ones who have attained the Dao) have tightly treasured this precious secret. If you have the affinity to encounter it, you should keep silent, cultivate it, and not leak it casually. All breathing beings are born by receiving the Qi of Cangyuan. If they do not know gratitude and awakening but instead act willfully and indulge themselves, they lose their own Yuanqi. The deaths of sentient beings in the world all come from wantonly committing evil, accumulating deeds that harm themselves. Brief pleasures do not last, and afterwards one may suffer for long ages with no knowing when liberation will come.

Therefore the Shangsheng (supreme sages) pity the people of the world, expound the mysterious principles of Yuanqi, write the natural numinous texts, and record the important methods of cultivating goodness. Wear and uphold this Jing (scripture), contemplate its principles while reciting it, practice according to the rules, never forget it in thought, and cultivate continuously. The Jing says that if one perseveres without interruption, one will certainly ascend to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest heavens in Daoism, within no more than nine years.

The cosmos is vast and boundless, beyond complete description in language. It is collectively called Nature; when it becomes manifest it is called Yuanqi (the primordial Qi, the original vital energy that constitutes Heaven, Earth, and all things). Yuanqi is capable of resonance; it transforms and thereby takes on bodily form. When these forms acquire nameable shapes, they are in general called Heaven and Earth. Heaven covers, Earth supports, and together they nourish all living beings. Vitality spreads widely, and the forms and colors of the myriad things differ from one another.

By gazing upward to observe the celestial phenomena, carefully distinguishing their colors, and concentrating the mind to visualize the Shen (spirits) within them, one can sense Yuanqi. When Yuanqi descends into the whole body and flows through interior and exterior alike, a person may attain longevity without death and undergo endless transformation.

Human endowments differ as keen, dull, or ordinary; the celestial realms likewise have greater, middle, and lesser levels. The various heavens are arrayed in countless numbers, stacked layer upon layer; the heavens and earths in every direction are likewise boundless and innumerable. Each heaven has its sun, moon, and stars (the Three Lights) and countless true spirits (the Seven Perfected). Each earth has sacred mountain realms such as the Five Peaks, the Eight Extremities, Kunlun, and Sumeru, differing in size. Because people resonate differently, the realms they perceive also differ in presence or absence; and according to their surroundings and their own conduct they receive different fortunes, misfortunes, and karmic retributions.

Worldly circumstances vary in a thousand ways. Some dwell in defilement yet possess a clear and luminous nature of mind; some dwell in purity yet possess a defiled nature of mind. Some have high intelligence yet occupy humble stations; some are dull-witted yet hold noble rank. Some places are vast yet desolate; some are narrow yet abundant. Some of honored status live in anxiety; some of low status live in ease. Some who are men are timid and weak; some who are women are strong and resolute. Some appear outwardly enlightened while inwardly dark; some perceive clearly within while appearing outwardly obscure. Some first occupy a low place and later rise; some are first weak and later become full. Some begin upright and later become deviant; some begin deviant and finally return to the correct path. Some live alone; some gather in groups. Some are alike; some differ. Such circumstances are too numerous to be fully counted.

These differences run through the countless heavens. Only the Three Heavens of Daluo (the highest celestial realm in Daoism) remain constantly pure and unified, their Yuanqi complete and without lack. When one resonates with that realm, corresponding manifestations appear, in forms of a thousand times ten thousand kinds, differing as coarse or subtle, shallow or profound. Although the manifestations differ in weight or lightness, their essence is uniformly pure and one; only the differentiated forms differ, while the source remains a single whole.

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way), owing to different conditions and affinities, receive different revelations. Some attain insight from changes of climate, which is the first rank; some from light and sound, the second; some from the graphic forms of Fulu (talismans and registers), the third; some from written characters, the fourth; some from images, the fifth; some from spoken discourse, the sixth; some from reflected images, the seventh; some from ornate and honored things, the eighth; some from plain and humble things, the ninth; some from prominent and unobstructed circumstances, the tenth; some from obscure and obstructed circumstances, the eleventh; some from things in an intermediate state, the twelfth.

These twelve levels are divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, each grade containing four. The methods of practice differ, and the causes and effects they produce also differ. Completing these twelve realms, one may ascend from the human world to the Wuji Heaven of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest pure celestial realm in Daoism, which lies above all the heavens. Superior practitioners travel through the twelve realms and refine themselves and dwell in the realm of the Three Pure Ones. Upon reaching the Three Pure Ones they no longer engage in action, for acting on behalf of external things is no longer what they require.

Those who have not yet ascended to the Three Pure Ones can still benefit external things, but they usually attend to both external things and themselves. Some practice less for themselves and help external things more; some give less deeply to external things while practicing more deeply for themselves. Inquiries into depth and shallowness differ, and thus the twelve levels take shape. When one reaches the state that no longer distinguishes depth from shallowness, one can ascend to the Three Pure Ones.

The Three Pure Ones are originally one, yet they must respond to the three grades of upper, middle, and lower and manifest separately. When they first appear, the titles of the three have not yet become one; when they finally unite, there are no longer three titles. Those of lower attainment know of its existence and reluctantly call it “the One”; yet “the One” is also not its true name, but only the root that unifies the many titles. If the root has no designation, it is called “the One.” This title unifies hundreds of millions of honored names, including those such as Luosheng, Xuan, Yuan, and Shi.

Titles such as the Most High Honored Deity are names of the principal deities that practitioners must visualize and invoke during cultivation; they are not the true, unchanging original names of the Shen. Yet these titles still have efficacy and cannot be discarded.

Those who seek higher learning in the cultivation of the Dao (the Way) must thoroughly understand causes and conditions, so that once they have grasped them, no doubt remains. Practice must be single-minded; single-mindedness brings results, and the aims one has set are sure to be fulfilled. Accomplishment comes from following the proper methods. These methods are divided into three vehicles, and each vehicle comprises twelve matters, all recorded in the scriptures and ranked as superior, middle, or inferior. The Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen, the three great divisions of the Daoist canon) appear in turn in accordance with the turning of the times, and sometimes manifest together. They encompass every kind of writing, diagram, and register, and all of it belongs to the Three Caverns. The Three Caverns correspond to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), which are also the three vehicles. Each vehicle has twelve categories of scriptures (Jing) and twelve of precepts, together making thirty-six divisions, which are used to deliver countless beings, both heavenly and human.

People's affinities are thick or thin, and what each obtains differs: some receive much and some little, some shallow and some deep. Those who are not persons of supreme De (Virtue), whose names are not inscribed on the Jade Charts, the Green Records, or the White Slips (the slips on which the heavens register immortals), cannot fully hear, see, understand, and practice these teachings. Each person cultivates according to what they have received and advances step by step; only those who are complete and fully endowed can ascend to the Three Pure Ones.

The Three Pure Ones are Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing (three tiers of heaven). The Three Caverns are Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen. The three scriptural corpora are these: Dongzhen corresponds to the Shangqing scriptures, Dongxuan to the Lingbao scriptures, and Dongshen to the Sanhuang scriptures.

The twelve matters are as follows.

The first matter is to expound the various teachings with a mind and conduct that both embody Wuwei (non-action). Everything one does is for the sake of the myriad things and not for oneself; the myriad things come to rely on one, and one is naturally preserved in turn. Though this appears to involve mind and conduct, in truth neither mind nor conduct clings to what is done. One sees no one who seeks and is taught, and no act of giving; this is "seeing without seeing," in which a wondrous state endures and passes understanding. That the wayward are turned toward the true happens through response and resonance, not through any desire of mine; once desire is gone, what entanglement can remain? Conduct free of entanglement is precisely the form in which the Dao manifests and transforms. Sages, perfected beings, spirits, and immortals alike honor and practice it, because what they practice accords with the Dao. This is the first matter.

The second matter is a mind of Wuwei joined to conduct that acts: one forgets the self for the sake of others, and one's virtue is lofty.

The third matter is a mind that acts joined to conduct of Wuwei. One lives in leisure with few affairs, leaves the complicated for the simple, lets the robes hang and folds the hands, and keeps stillness in non-action, while in the mind one holds contemplation, guarding against faults with good thoughts, seeking good and avoiding evil.

The fourth matter is to leave one's home yet dwell among people, casting off attachment to loved ones and living together with ordinary folk, cultivating virtue and building merit, with few selfish concerns and few desires.

The fifth matter is to bring one's family to live in the mountains and marshes, hiding deeply to avoid temptation. One keeps the household, high and low, in good order, uses stillness to dispel clamor, wears tattered clothes and eats coarse food, investigates the principle of being and non-being, pillows one's head on stone and rinses one's mouth in streams, feeds on mist and glow and nourishes oneself with Qi (vital energy) (a practice of consuming clouds and vapors and of breath absorption), and hears of outside affairs without stirring stray thoughts.

The sixth matter is to leave the dusty world and sever oneself from others, no longer longing for ruler or kin. Everything is cut off; one lives alone and cultivates the teachings of one's master's lineage.

The seventh matter is to soften one's brightness and merge with the dust (to dim one's radiance and blend with the common world). In marriage and official career one is no different from ordinary people. One's endowment of Qi may be dim or bright, yet one alone perceives the radiance and simplicity within. One does not merely favor one's own study but also teaches others; whether life brings success or hardship, one follows the times, and one's resolve stays firm and unchanged.

The eighth matter is to cut off desire resolutely: one leaves wife and children and gives up the five grains. When a desire stirs, one rebukes oneself. In poverty and seclusion one constantly bows in repentance, and every thought wishes for desire's severance.

The ninth matter is to cut off desire without deliberately cutting it off, so that it ceases of itself, while the Shen (spirit) remains guarded and unobstructed. Though wives and concubines are arrayed about and song and dance are all present, and high and low enjoy themselves together, one remains balanced and moderate, neither indulgent nor idle, following only the rule. Noble and humble keep to their rites without overstepping. Joys and celebrations are like a clear breeze that gathers and disperses, not lingering but returning to the mysterious Qi, and one remains careful from beginning to end.

The tenth matter is to wander in the empty air, resolved to hold to the center, not clinging to what is below nor coveting what is above. One nourishes one's nature and spirit in contentment and harms none of the myriad things. In moments of leisure one aids living beings without injuring oneself, and so accumulates merit and rises gradually.

The eleventh matter is to dwell beneath the earth, living in a cavern, holding to stillness with steadfast sincerity and seeking spiritual powers, living in seclusion without vexation.

The twelfth matter is to live in the heavens, holding a prominent and illustrious position, spreading grace and relieving the common people, drawing in primordial Qi to preserve long life, with one's dignity undiminished.

These twelve matters are all contained within the three vehicles. Each vehicle's study suits its own kind of person, and the vehicles are named according to the matters most people practice in them: the upper cavern is the Great Vehicle, the middle cavern the Middle Vehicle, and the lower cavern the Small Vehicle. The names merely reflect which matters predominate, just as a brocade is named for whichever color is most abundant in it.

Each of these twelve matters in turn contains twelve categories: first, natural script; second, talismans and tallies; third, commentaries and oral instructions; fourth, diagrams and images; fifth, genealogies and registers; sixth, precepts and rules; seventh, ceremonial protocols; eighth, methods and techniques; ninth, guardian formulas and numbers; tenth, records and biographies; eleventh, hymns and praises; twelfth, memorials and petitions. Those who practice the twelve matters each have these twelve categories, which are arranged in order throughout the Three Caverns and interconnect with one another, their mysteries being more or less profound, and they guide people according to their causes and conditions. When one practices after thoroughly understanding them, the response and verification will surely be swift; if one does not understand and seeks blindly, results will be slow; if one is muddled and imprecise, practice will produce no sign; and if one's conduct is crooked and yet one hopes for reward, one will instead invite punishment. Therefore those with aspirations who seek higher learning must be strict and careful.

Throughout a person's life, each has their own circumstances. Factors of purity and uprightness are few, while those of turbidity and filth are many, with impurities and obstacles mutually entangling. Therefore, cultivating goodness is difficult to accomplish, evil Qi (vital energy) easily invades, and powerful demonic obstacles also come to test one. Even those who cultivate the Dao (the Way), though they study diligently, must still undergo a process in which turbid Qi gradually dissipates and body and mind become progressively purified; they need to observe purification fasting, still the mind and visualize, and isolate themselves from the clamor of the dusty world.

If unrelated people frequently come and go, if someone gives birth at home or elsewhere, if relatives near or far die, if imprisonments and lawsuits occur, livestock startle and flee, or inauspicious events such as gatherings of crows and other birds, weeping and bleeding take place, all these are regarded as filthy turbid Qi pervading and wrapping around, forming obstacles that cannot be resolved, causing the mind and Shen (spirit) to become darkened and disordered. When encountering such situations, one should promptly bathe and still the mind in visualization so that the filthy Qi may dissipate.

However, concentrating the mind in visualization is not easy, and there are methods for maintaining focused observance. One should also select an auspicious day (the hours of wangxiang, referring to times suitable for conducting affairs), perform purification fasting, then report to the deities, receive and wear the “Po Yan Fu” (Breaking Inundation Talisman, a Fulu (talismans and registers) used to eliminate filthy turbid obstacles). According to the Jing (scripture/classic), the Qi of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine phoenixes, each with a phoenix head yet sharing one body, flying through the Three Realms, drawing in the wondrous Qi of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), sweeping away the clamor and dusty filth of the Nine Earths. Wearing this talisman, whether going out or coming in, in motion or at rest, one can remain pure; all manner of turbid Qi cannot invade, various disasters and calamities can be passed through, years may be extended, hun and po souls stabilized, and ultimately one ascends together to Jade Purity.

In the talisman inscription, one must fill in the Taisui year designation, the year, month, day and hour, the prefecture, commandery, county, district and village, as well as the person's gender, name and age. The talisman holder respectfully invokes the “Great Crossing of Calamities, Extending Years, Increasing the Reckoning, Non-Declining Breaking Inundation Divine Talisman,” praying that it guard the yearly fate and lifespan, help pass through the nine kinds of calamities, make the ears and eyes clear and sharp, heal the joints, stabilize the hun and po souls, and prevent all filthy turbid obstacles from invading. It concludes with “Urgently, urgently, in accordance with the statutes and commands of the Nine Elders of the Most High” as the prayer formula for executing the divine mandate.

Dongzhen Taishang Cangyuan Shanglu