《洞真太上八素真经占候入定妙诀》

The Great Emperor told the Four Poles Perfected Ones:

There are now some people who firmly believe in the Great Dao (Dao), diligently cultivate, and never slacken. These people have already accumulated good deeds in previous lives and were once born in the various heavens. Because heavenly existence is peaceful and joyful, it is difficult to continue increasing their merit and De (Virtue/Power). When their heavenly lifespan ends, they are reborn into the world. Some of them actively make vows, wishing to be born among humans to save living beings, establish merit, and diligently cultivate the supreme Dao. These people are not ordinary. Ordinary people cannot perceive them, and they themselves may not know; even if they know, they will not speak of it.

Such people still cannot avoid encountering calamities: perhaps the decline or death of relatives, or illness of their own, or disputes in public or private affairs; they may also encounter dangers openly or secretly, harmed by wicked people, ugly ghosts and demons, poisonous beasts, birds and insects, as well as metal, wood, water, fire, and earth of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), or plants and trees. This is mainly because their merit and De have not yet been perfected, and the methods they have received are still incomplete.

Upon encountering such a situation, one should immediately purify the mind, observe fasting and precepts, reflect on oneself, repent of faults, and pray for blessings and protection. Concentrate in visualization of Taishang, guard the original Shen (spirit), and do not let the thoughts scatter. Practice according to the method of “Three and Five,” and sincerely recall the Mysterious Master. The Mysterious Master, Lord Qingtong, oversees all scriptures (Jing), precious texts, and wondrous diagrams.

Those who cultivate the Dao seek a master but do not meet one, seek scriptures but do not obtain them. Even if obtained, the content may be incomplete; if complete, they may still not understand thoroughly; if understood, they may be unable to practice it, or unable to persist long. Some have unclear memory with frequent omissions, remembering something only to forget it quickly. These situations may be caused by the intrusion of evil essences or tests by demons.

One should quickly choose a suitable day and, on a dingmao day, climb the mountain and enter the chamber. Purely and solemnly burn incense, report to Taishang, and concentrate in visualization of Lord Qingtong. Facing east, settle the mind and spirit, imagine seeing the Fangzhu Palace (residence of Daoist immortals), kowtow and worship as if facing the Upper Minister of the Golden Palace (a noble immortal in the heavenly palaces). If there is illness or misfortune, usually perform six bows; after the bows, kowtow and privately state one’s hardships and vows. Whether public or private affairs are not going smoothly, or the mind is dazed and prone to forgetting, one may pray according to the facts. One should first speak of the present urgent difficulties, and not bring up many non-urgent matters together. If both urgent and non-urgent matters are to be reported, write down the details, and after worship privately read them out; after reading, let no others hear, then burn the document. In the future, when encountering the same situation, proceed likewise.

Those with sufficient physical strength may perform twelve bows, twenty-four bows, thirty-six bows, seventy-two bows, one hundred twenty bows, two hundred forty bows, three hundred sixty bows, seven hundred twenty bows, or even one thousand two hundred bows. If able to complete them at one time with concentrated intention, it is better. Those whose strength is insufficient may, from the yin hour to the chou hour among the twelve double-hours, perform one hundred bows in each double-hour; or select only two double-hours, such as yin and shen, or zi and wu, according to one’s ability. Usually one should practice continuously for sixty days; if unable to proceed on the originally determined dates, then change to other days and other hours for the practice.

Those of like mind are suitable in groups of three to five; do not gather too many, lest there be clamor. Leaking this method may invite tests that are difficult to resolve. Those who cultivate superior Dao methods should practice this method with extra seriousness and caution, and only then may they serve as masters transmitting the scriptures. When transmitting, one must choose the right people, so that there will be no regret in the future.

Whenever a master transmits the Jing (scriptures), if they are not given to a suitable person, or if the recipient is suitable but the transmission is not carried out according to the proper method, then within the twelve xun (one hundred and twenty days) after the transmission, various disasters may follow one after another. At such a time one should promptly confess and apologize to Qingtong (a Daoist deity). If, on the contrary, one encounters blessings and auspicious events, one should likewise report this and give thanks for the grace received.

After receiving the Dao (the Way), if one cultivates according to the prescribed methods and remains free of disaster and illness for ninety days, this shows that the person has accumulated good deeds in both past and present and is suited to become an immortal. After cultivating for four nines totaling three hundred and sixty days, if both public and private affairs proceed smoothly and in peace, this indicates that the person has accumulated blessings throughout and is suited to become a Perfected One. After cultivating for three cycles spanning four years totaling one thousand two hundred days, if merit and virtue flourish and the spirits of both the netherworld and the human world all revere and submit, this shows that the person is a diligent superior adept, suited to become a Shen (spirit).

Thereafter one may transmit the Jing and methods, widely converting worthy and enlightened persons and rescuing ordinary sentient beings. One must also, with a compassionate heart, establish merit through good deeds, widely bestowing relief without seeking personal gain. In this way one can ascend to the honored ranks of Highest Sage, Divine Perfected, Immortal Lord, and even emperors, kings, dukes, and ministers.

The passage “three cycles spanning four years totaling one thousand two hundred…” appears repeatedly in the scripture; the above combines and restates it according to its meaning.

After receiving the Dao (the Way)—that is, after accepting the transmission of Dao methods—if one encounters various disasters and illnesses within one hundred days, this is because of many sins accumulated in the past or more recently; such a person is not suited to cultivate the Dao in order to become an immortal. One should quickly repent and confess one’s faults to the deities or to one’s master, vowing to correct one’s thoughts and conduct, to amend the past and cultivate the future. One should ask teachers and friends for help in washing away remorse, thereby strengthening a sincere resolve, remaining respectful, faithful, and without the slightest doubt. In this way one will surely obtain blessings and protection.

After four nines and three weeks (thus in the original text; the precise referent is unclear), one should conduct oneself according to this principle, accumulating De (Virtue/Power) and establishing merit so as to be spared from danger. One must act with caution and apprehension, always harboring a sense of shame: reflecting on the gravity of one’s own sins, one feels ashamed at not having established great merit. Those whose De and cultivation remain insufficient must not serve as masters, and must be even more cautious not to transmit the methods of the Dao. Only as one’s De and deeds gradually increase, and after five-eights forty years (that is, forty years) have passed, may one then select a suitable person to whom to transmit them.

If one encounters calamity and yet forces the matter, or hastily accepts people as disciples, both master and disciple will be led astray; these are all inauspicious causal affinities. During a period of steadfast cultivation, if one transmits the methods of the Dao to another without first observing fasting and precepts, a karmic entanglement will form between master and disciple. The master should pray and petition on the disciple’s behalf, while the disciple should likewise repent of faults and pray for gracious pardon. Both parties must be sincere and earnest; they must not put on a false appearance, nor act perfunctorily, nor agree with the mouth while dissenting in the heart. Moreover, one must not speak of this matter to others or boast of it as one’s own merit. One should be utterly sincere and strictly keep it secret, so that both master and disciple may receive blessings and protection. Those who cultivate the Dao ought to understand this and jointly observe it.

Sentient beings continue to cycle through birth and death because the roots of their karmic offenses have not been eliminated. Human beings move back and forth between Yin-Yang, and in both action and stillness they frequently commit faults; when these faults accumulate, death follows. The suffering of death is a cause for sorrow, and it is also what those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) fear. Therefore one ought to study and practice with diligence, seeking longevity, receive the teachings of the Jing (scriptures), observe the precepts, and employ the methods of the Daoist tradition to avert disasters, dissolve karmic offenses, and increase blessing, so as to ascend to the realm of the immortals.

Those just beginning to cultivate the methods of the Dao should first confess their own faults, pray for pardon, and trace back their ancestors and their own experiences from time without beginning. This extends far to ancestors of countless generations, and near to the parents of seven lifetimes of the present body; the karmic causes of good and evil are interconnected. If among those seven generations there have been people who attained the Dao, or persons of wisdom and talent whose merit was conspicuous in both the unseen realm and the human world, the blessings they leave behind will gather upon their descendants, making karmic offenses easier to dissolve. If there remain karmic connections left by the stubborn, vicious, rebellious, and unwholesome, then the many disasters will be difficult to remove.

From time without beginning down through the seven generations of ancestors, one may oneself also have accumulated offenses such as imbalance of Yin-Yang and faults of conduct, of varying gravity. Heavy offenses are hard to dissolve; light ones are easier to remove. Those that are easy to dissolve: if one observes fasting and accumulates merit, a response will come after some days. Those that are hard to dissolve may, even after years of diligent and austere practice, still show no response for a time. If on this account one grows slack and turns back, failing to understand that this is due to the deep roots of former offenses, and instead blames the gods for lacking spiritual efficacy, one will only increase evil karmic connections, and the offenses will become even harder to pardon. If one can be still more diligent, vowing never to slacken until death, one will in the end see good results and turn misfortune into blessing.

If in previous lives and in this present life one has already accumulated much merit, and now further cultivates good deeds, the resulting fruition will come more quickly. Some people do not understand this. They consider their own good deeds not yet worthy of mention, yet claim they have already attained the Dao; or they say that cultivating the Dao is empty and false; or they say that attaining the Dao depends entirely on innate endowment and is not obtained through study and practice. Such people are hard to instruct; they will forever lose their karmic connection with the Dao, fall among the demonic classes, and remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death—truly a cause for pity.

Those who clearly understand the principles of things, who are outstanding in talent and wisdom, and whose faith is firm, will not harbor these doubts. They cultivate diligently without slackening, do not change according to ease or difficulty, and by accumulating day by day and month by month they will in the end attain the Dao. The key to attaining the Dao and longevity lies in practicing good: stopping evil and cultivating good, with a firm will, holding to the precepts, not violating the Three Honored Ones (the three deities revered in Daoism), and not abandoning the Five Virtues (the five forms of De, or Virtue, that practitioners of the Dao should follow). One must also silently keep the precepts in mind, practice them in secret, and not forget the teachings of one’s teachers.

Good deeds need not all be accomplished, nor need the practice of good be seen by everyone. If one is met with suspicion and ridicule from others, this may invite jealousy and disaster. Therefore the supreme sages practice good without doing it for others to see; if one knows what is good yet boasts of it, that is not true goodness. Those who know how to practice good do not display it, do not consider themselves in the right, do not use it to seek advantage, and do not treat good deeds as something worth boasting about, but remain detached as if they had done nothing at all—only thus can one hope to attain the Dao. One must not casually discuss the methods of the Dao with those who are not of like mind and purpose; speak of them only to those who can be instructed, and do not force instruction upon those who are not suited.

The Jing uses numerical expressions such as “four nines and three cycles,” “two fours and four sixes,” and “the years of five eights” to indicate the periods required for cultivation: those for whom accomplishment is easy take four nines and three cycles as their limit; those for whom it is difficult require a longer time, even extending to the years of five eights. So long as one cultivates according to these periods, there is no one who cannot attain the Dao. Failure to attain it is always because, after receiving the methods, one does not put them into practice, or practices without diligence, or is diligent but not refined, or in the meantime commits offenses, mixing good and evil; merit is insufficient to offset faults, and De cannot make up for offenses.

Such people may still form good karmic connections after death: when these good connections grow, they may awaken in the unseen realm and accumulate De, becoming ghost officials, continuing to accumulate merit and then ascending as immortals; they may also become spirit-persons, or be reborn into noble families of moral character, no longer subject to the toil of the dusty world. They cannot, however, attain the Dao directly in this present lifetime.

If one betrays the methods of the Dao, slanders the methods of the Dao, first accepts them and later opposes them, and after death follows heretical factions, then the karmic connection with the good will be severed. The reason a good connection is not severed is that there remains a heart of faith and of turning toward the Dao. Even if one’s faith is not yet firm, so long as one does not doubt, does not become lost, and does not turn back, the good connection will grow day by day and in the end can also become true.

The time in which a Perfected One attains the Dao may be four hundred years, four thousand years, forty thousand years, or even as long as ten thousand kalpas. When the methods of the Dao are transmitted, there are corresponding oral formulas and ordinances for each. Beginners should take “four nines and three cycles” as their period, distinguish good and evil according to the codes and precepts, cultivate with care, and not rashly violate them.

To study the superior methods of the Dao, one must first settle body and mind. If body and mind are not at peace, cultivation can hardly meet with success. Those who wish to achieve results in their studies and enter a state of meditative absorption should first practice “guarding the One” (shouyi), a method of concentrating the Shen (spirit) with single-minded focus. This practice is subtle and difficult to master. If one cannot guard the One, one should for the time being firm one’s resolve and turn instead to arranging other affairs. If one still cannot enter absorption, one must carefully observe oneself and the surrounding phenomena: see whether anything unusual appears in one’s own person, and whether abnormal changes arise in the environment. Once such things are noticed, adjust them promptly, then apply the corresponding techniques so that the anomalies subside. When unusual signs no longer appear over a long stretch of time, one may then enter absorption and proceed together with the assembled Perfected, the many divine Perfected who have attained the Dao.

If the vision before the eyes is dim and blurred, the light flickering now bright now dark, so that what is seen is indistinct as if one cannot recognize things, one should burn incense in a clean and quiet chamber and practice visualization (cunsi), a form of cultivation through concentrated imagination, of the spirit of the two eyes, called Daotong Jing (Essence of the Dao Child). He is three cun in height and wears garments of five colors. There is one such spirit in each eye; they face one another with delight, gather together, and come and go from east to west, attended by a retinue of a thousand carriages and horses. Visualize with prolonged concentration; when you reach the utmost, stop, then after pausing visualize again. Practice this visualization through all twelve double-hours of day and night. When the condition improves, one will be able to go six consecutive days without sleep; the Dao Child will manifest his bodily form, together with one hundred and twenty mounted attendants. Continue to concentrate at length, stop upon reaching the utmost, then visualize again, doing so through all twelve double-hours of day and night. When the condition improves, one will be able to go six consecutive days without sleep; the Dao Child will appear clearly and distinctly, and one will be able to see ten thousand li into the distance. After three hundred and sixty days of practice, one will be able to foreknow good and ill fortune and will accord with the De (Virtue/Power) of the spirits and gods. The scripture states that this eye ailment arises from delight in gazing at licentious and deviant sights and from inability to look upon things with rectitude. Correct the fault and cultivate with single-minded concentration, and the practice will prove effective.

If there is roaring in the ears, even to the point of pain and a sensation of fullness, so that distant sounds cannot be heard clearly and speech cannot be distinguished, one should burn incense in a clean and quiet chamber and visualize the ear spirit Daoping Jing (Essence of Daoic Peace). He is eight cun and one fen in height, wears white garments, and, attended by a retinue like a thousand carriages and horses, returns into the two ear orifices. Visualize with concentration until you reach the utmost, then stop; after pausing, visualize again. When the condition improves, proceed according to the method described above. The scripture states that this ear ailment arises from delight in listening to licentious and deviant sounds and from failing to take to heart the teachings of the sages. Correct the fault and cultivate with single-minded concentration, and the practice will prove effective.

If clear mucus flows from the nose, or the nose is blocked and painful, so that one cannot smell fragrance and cannot distinguish foul odors from fragrant ones, one should burn incense in a clean and quiet chamber and visualize the nose spirit Daowei Jing (Essence of Subtle Dao). He is two cun and five fen in height and wears black garments. The original text records only this much of the visualization of the nose spirit, and then concludes with the words “it proves efficacious.”

If clear mucus flows from the nose, or if the nose is congested and painful so that one cannot smell either fragrance or foul odors, one should purify body and mind, enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, and visualize the nasal spirit Daoweijing (the deity in charge of the nasal orifices). This spirit is two cun and five fen in height, wears dark clothing, and returns accompanied by a thousand chariots and horses into the two orifices of the nose. Concentrate the thought to the utmost, then pause for a time; after pausing, resume the visualization, continuing until the pain lessens or disappears. Such ailments are held to arise from greedy consumption of rich, fatty foods and dislike of fragrant aromas; by correcting these faults and concentrating on the visualization, the practice will prove effective.

If one cannot taste flavors in the mouth, or if the teeth, tongue, and lips ache, the throat feels uncomfortable, and swallowing food and drink is difficult, one should purify body and mind, enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, and visualize the tongue spirit Daoqijing (the deity in charge of the tongue). This spirit is seven cun in height, wears red clothing, and returns accompanied by a thousand chariots and horses into the mouth. Concentrate the thought to the utmost, then pause for a time; after pausing, resume the visualization, continuing until the pain lessens or disappears. Such ailments are held to arise from craving delicious flavors, speaking unkindly, and conducting oneself without simplicity or honesty; by correcting these faults and concentrating on the visualization, the practice will prove effective.

If the head is dizzy, painful, or itchy, and hair that has fallen out no longer grows, one should purify body and mind, enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, and visualize the brain spirit Daodujing (the deity in charge of the brain). This spirit is one cun and one fen in height, wears green clothing, and returns accompanied by a thousand chariots and horses to the head. Concentrate the thought to the utmost, then pause for a time; after pausing, resume the visualization, continuing until the pain lessens or disappears. Such ailments are held to arise from frivolous disrespect, offending elders and superiors, and failing to pay homage and thanks to the Three Honored Ones (the three deities venerated in Daoism); by correcting these faults and concentrating on the visualization, the practice will prove effective.

If there is vexation in the heart and abdomen, the mood is angry and unhappy, the abdomen cramps with pain and becomes distended and hard, and food is hard to digest, one should purify body and mind, enter a quiet chamber, burn incense, and visualize the heart spirit Daomingjing (the deity in charge of the heart-spirit). This spirit is nine cun in height, wears multi-colored clothing, and returns accompanied by a thousand chariots and horses into the abdomen. Concentrate the thought to the utmost, then pause for a time; after pausing, resume the visualization, continuing until the pain lessens or disappears. Such ailments are held to arise from restlessness, unpredictable shifts of joy and anger, failure to contemplate stillness, and inability to eliminate jealousy and a contentious mind; by correcting these faults and concentrating on the visualization, the practice will prove effective.

Seven. If the lower back, back, buttocks, bones, knees, calves, and feet become sore and painful, and it is hard to move or turn, one should enter the quiet chamber (jingshi) in a solemn and clean state, burn incense, and visualize the spirit between the two flanks, named Daocheng. Dressed in robes of mixed colors and patterned stripes, this spirit leads a thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted attendants back into the lower back, back, buttocks and legs, knees and calves, feet, and the area between the two flanks. When the visualization becomes intensely focused, stop; after stopping, resume the visualization. Proceed as described above until the pain eases or disappears.

This condition arises from being robust yet restless, from overwork that disturbs the body, and from a lack of sincerity and uprightness. Correct the fault and visualize with single-minded concentration, and it will take effect.

Eight. If the whole body, inside and out, feels pain and distress, to the point of losing sensation, with short and urgent breathing, one should enter the quiet chamber in a solemn and clean state, burn incense, and visualize the spirit (Shen) of the skin joined with the essential qi (Jing and Qi). It is one cun and five fen tall and wears red-and-white robes. Leading a thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted attendants, it returns to the inside and outside of the body, driving out perverse qi and arranging upright qi in its place. When the visualization becomes intensely focused, stop; after stopping, resume. Repeat according to the method above until the pain eases or disappears.

This condition arises from killing living beings, theft, depravity, and ugly conduct, and from disregard for the right path. Correct the fault and visualize with single-minded concentration, and it will take effect.

Nine. If one suddenly collapses with illness, or has long been ill, with a grave condition that never heals, one should enter the quiet chamber, burn incense, and knock the head to the ground, then visualize the kidney spirit, named Daosheng. The essential qi (Jing and Qi) within the two kidneys is two cun and three fen in length for each. Leading a thousand chariots and ten thousand mounted attendants, it returns to every part of the body. When the visualization becomes intensely focused, stop; after stopping, resume. Repeat according to the method above until the illness eases or is healed.

This condition arises from violence, rebelliousness, unrestrained wrongdoing, and a refusal to reflect and repent. Correct the fault and visualize with single-minded concentration, and it will take effect.

Each of the nine illnesses above has corresponding warning signs. If one can observe them well and plan precautions in advance, illness and affliction will naturally be dispelled, and lasting stability and good fortune will be preserved.

Here, "entering the chamber" (rushi) or "entering the Jing" (rujing, the oratory) means entering the quiet chamber to carry out cultivation practice; "visualization" (cunsi) means concentrating on contemplating the spirits, the parts of the body, and their transformations. The scripture links illness with moral faults, and takes incense burning, kowtowing, visualization, and repentance as the content of practice.

Whenever one dreams or goes out and sees gloomy and dark cloudy Qi (vital energy), turbid or dried-up well water, filthy ponds, as well as feces, bloodstains, corpses, ghosts and demons, or people engaging in sexual intercourse, these are all regarded as omens that the eyes are about to fall ill. One should immediately visualize the eye spirits (in Daoist cultivation, visualizing and guarding the spirits of the various parts of the body), rub the hands until they are warm, and apply them over both eyes, repeating this fourteen times. Then gently pinch and press the corners of the eyes with the fingernails: if the vision before the eyes is bright and clear, it is an auspicious omen; if it appears bluish-black, it is an inauspicious omen. One should also concentrate on visualization, massage and warm the eyes, and confess faults and repent to the Head (the deities or masters revered in Daoism), and in this way misfortune can be averted.

Whenever one dreams or goes out and hears unusual sounds coming from the air that cause sadness, terror, or a piercing and uncomfortable sensation, these are all regarded as omens that the ears are about to fall ill. One should immediately visualize the ear spirits, cross the hands and press them over the ears fourteen times. After completing this, clasp the hands and listen quietly, imagining in the mind hearing the sound of the Yun'ao played by Taishang (an honorific title for the highest deity in Daoism)—Yun'ao being the sound of a percussion instrument in Daoist music—and the music of the heavens; one may also imagine summoning teachers and friends and listening to the sounds of them lecturing and reciting the Jing (scripture/classic). Finally, confess faults and repent to the Head, and misfortune can be averted.

Whenever one dreams or goes out and smells unfragrant odors, or unusual fishy Qi or restless Qi, feeling that something has entered the nose without knowing what it is—that thing perhaps being dust or insects, or perhaps suddenly disappearing—these are all regarded as omens that the nose is about to fall ill. One should immediately visualize the nose spirits, cross the hands and pinch the nose, performing the actions of contracting the nose and exhaling, repeating this fourteen times, which will suffice to stop it. One should also diligently guard the incense fire, blend precious incense materials so that the fragrance and smoke continue uninterruptedly without pause, and confess faults and repent to the Head, and misfortune can be averted.

Whenever one dreams or goes out and sees rotting food, is insulted by wicked people, or feels discomfort in the mouth, teeth becoming sour, or even speaking in a disordered and improper manner, these are all regarded as omens that the mouth is about to fall ill. One should immediately visualize the mouth spirits, roll the tongue to rinse the mouth, and swallow the fluids in the mouth, repeating this fourteen times, which will suffice to stop it. One should also become well-versed in reciting important precepts, secretly recite incantations and softly chant, consult the Jing to resolve obstructions and eliminate doubts, and confess faults and repent to the Head, and misfortune can be averted.

If in a dream or while traveling one sees flickering lights and shadows, swirling rain and snow, falling from a height, or overturned objects, this portends possible illness in the head. One should immediately visualize the brain Shen (spirit) that guards the brain, rub the eyebrows with the hands, and successively visualize the palaces on the forehead such as the Bright Hall, the Grotto Chamber, and the Dantian (energy center), the corresponding sites in the body associated with the spirits. Then take the water of the Eastern Well, a specific water used in Daoist rituals, mix it with fragrant herbs, and use it to bathe and comb the hair, transmitting incense three times, thereby stopping the inauspicious omen. One must also sincerely worship and repent, gaze upon the Three Honored Ones, Daoist deities, first reflecting and offering apology, and then there will be no misfortune.

If in a dream or while traveling one sees overflowing water and fire, interwoven nets and snares, overturned boats and carts, or running naked in panic, this portends possible illness in the heart and abdomen. One should immediately visualize the heart Shen (spirit), press the heart area with the left hand and the navel with the right hand, close the eyes and hold the breath; when holding to the limit, slightly exhale, and after the Qi (vital energy) becomes even, hold the Qi again, repeating this nine times, thereby stopping the inauspicious omen. Afterwards one should purify oneself by bathing, cautiously continue the brightness, strictly observe the precepts and eliminate thoughts of killing, face south when acting, and wait to observe the sunlight. One's actions should be pure and upright, and first reflecting and offering apology, then there will be no misfortune.

If in a dream or while traveling one sees fighting and striking, carrying heavy loads, falling and being injured, being struck or knocked down, or the carrying out of caning and punishment, or the mutual invasion of Yin-Yang, this portends possible illness in the waist, back, and bodily joints. One should immediately visualize the flank Shen (spirit) that guards the two flanks, overlay the hands and press the two flanks, kneading twenty times, then swallow Qi (vital energy) and knock the teeth fourteen times each, thereby stopping the inauspicious omen. One must also reflect on one's conduct: if precepts have been broken or liturgical codes violated, they should be amended; when it is suitable to show kindness and help others, take the initiative, also persuade against litigation, be cautious in speech, restrain oneself, and avoid coming and going at random. Walking, sitting, lying, and daily living should all be done carefully, with composed manners, attentive observation, and rectification of body and mind, and first reflecting and offering apology, then there will be no misfortune.

If, in a dream or while traveling, one dreams of people struggling against and injuring one another, of abnormal eating and drinking, of inverted relations between men and women, or of disruption in the Yin-Yang order, these all indicate that one may fall ill. One should immediately visualize the Fushen (Skin Spirit, the spirit that guards the skin) upon the body, rub the two hands together so that the heat of the palms spreads throughout the entire body, rubbing with full effort and then stopping; after a brief pause, repeat the process, performing it three times in all. Afterward one should recite and become thoroughly familiar with the precepts, earnestly study the mysterious principles, dispel the obstructions and doubts in the mind, reduce desires and selfish thoughts, and first repent of one’s own faults; in this way the calamity may be averted.

If, in a dream or while traveling, one sees people fleeing in alarm, great floods or fires, birds and beasts in turmoil, robbers and thieves, drunken madness, weapons and troops filling the land, dogs and tigers pursuing and biting people, or if one meets unrecognized persons who randomly claim to know one another, these all indicate that one may suddenly fall ill. One should immediately visualize the Shishen (the spirit that guards the body and stabilizes Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy)), following the oral formula for women’s cultivation, causing the Qinglong (Azure Dragon) and Baihu (White Tiger)—mythical beasts in Daoist terminology that symbolize Yin-Yang and protective power—to rub and grasp the body in alternation, performing this fourteen times before stopping. One must also diligently observe the Xuansu (the teachings of Daoist cultivation and precepts), not violate the Huangshu (a Daoist classic of precepts), follow the instructions of one’s teachers even in the matter of bearing children, and first repent of faults; thus the calamity may be averted.

There are nine varieties of such omens altogether, among which there are countless further particulars. Even if one is awake and sitting upright yet sees or hears something, it should be understood in the same way as occurrences in dreams or while traveling. By earnestly acting in accordance with these essential points, all diseases and calamities will naturally disperse, without the need to trouble oneself with medicine or to offer separate prayers.

To eliminate disease and calamity and to purify body and mind, one must understand and transform one’s own intent. Once the intent is upright and body and mind are pure, one can enter ding (a state of quiet, concentrated cultivation). Only by entering ding can one cultivate the Dao (the Way); if one cannot enter ding, the true spirit will not descend. If the true spirit cannot descend, how then can one attain the Dao? Attainment of the Dao depends upon the descent of the true spirit, and the descent of the true spirit depends upon the purity and uprightness of body and mind. There has never been a case in which body and mind were pure and upright yet the Dao was still not attained.