《洞真太上太霄琅书》Vol. 3

The text has largely been copied out, but collation is not yet complete; the talisman diagrams, names, and taboo characters have also not been clarified. Time continues to pass, while progress in cultivating merit and accumulating De remains difficult. Other fascicles, a separate section in three bundles (the measure word “bundle” refers to scrolls), and twenty-five volumes have likewise been copied out, but not fully collated; the names and taboo characters in the talisman diagrams remain unverified. We respectfully ask that an auspicious time be chosen to make a petition to the Imperial Pole—the highest celestial realm—and seek permission to proceed as circumstances allow. The remaining work can be completed later.

We humbly pray that the august powers above, the exalted perfected beings revered in Daoism, will show great compassion, look kindly upon us, and grant their aid. May they issue commands to the Three Realms and Four Offices, the Five Emperors, and the perfected officials within and beyond; to the jade boys and girls who serve the scriptures and illustrated registers and oversee talisman affairs in the Purple Palace and Azure Court; and to the local earth gods, the numinous beings who govern the years, months, days, and hours, and all benevolent deities. May they jointly witness and protect your servant and [name], dispelling on our behalf the old and recent faults and offenses accumulated in past and present lives, in former and present bodies. May our sins be erased and blessings bestowed; may the righteous Way be put into practice and evil influences driven away, disasters averted and good fortune welcomed, and may we escape death and be reborn.

May vital energy and the true spirits enter [name]’s body, so that no demon dares to trouble them and no calamity can assail them. May their cultivation prove effective, enabling them to understand the true Way, commune with the spirits, see through all things, and know in advance what is right and wrong. May they cultivate and deliver themselves, aid others, and achieve lofty merit. Your servant has spoken without deceit and wishes to transmit this method to You□□[name], so that they may be spared the offense of violating the teachings and may ascend together to the imperial court.

Now, in accordance with this request, we respectfully join in fasting and purification. On [date] at [place], following the Upper Origin ritual method, we present this petition during the fast. After completing the ritual bows, we respectfully submit one vermilion petition, written in red ink, and ask the High Ministers of the Nine Heavens, the Attendants of the Immortals, the Supervisors of Spirits, and the Dragon-Riding Clerks to reproduce the submitted document exactly as written and deliver it directly before the throne of the Jade Void Emperor of Limitless Heaven. Your servant respectfully recites the petition. [Name] prostrates and humbly presents this memorial.

According to the ritual, first list the offerings before the petition, then write the text, and next provide a list of the scriptures. Those transmitting the entire collection of scriptures need not provide a list; they should proceed directly to the petition.

The petition uses the “Eight Spirits” format. After reciting it, respectfully gather and hold the document as described below:

I again address the numinous officials within my body—those of the four limbs and five bodily forms—the Flying Dragon Merit Officers (divine officials who transmit documents and carry out ritual duties), and the immortal messengers. I assign twelve attendants from each bureau. On behalf of the male and female Daoists receiving ordination, I respectfully submit one vermilion memorial (a petition written in red ink), together with the one hundred and twenty-five scrolls of the Cavern of Truth Scripture Section (Dongzhen), which have been bestowed upon them. I send these directly to the desk of the Emperor of Limitless Jade Void, presenting them along with the memorial and distinguishing documents of different ranks, such as vermilion and purple. If any words are missing, mistaken, or out of order, please correct them, so that the documents may rise like Qi and not be rejected and returned after censure by higher divine officials. May every petition proceed smoothly and every wish be fulfilled. If violent evil spirits try recklessly to interfere or obstruct, please correct the documents as well, so that they are not rejected and returned after censure by higher divine officials; may the petitions proceed smoothly and the wishes be fulfilled. And may the mounted officials of the Nine Heavens (divine officials who ride on missions in the celestial realm) come to seize the evil spirits and punish them according to the law. My disciples and I hold our breath and press down the documents as we await a response.

When the attendants have finished their duties, face north and hold the scriptures over the scripture table. The disciple stands on the left, holding the ritual token (a credential that signifies faith and the transmission of teachings). The master clicks his teeth thirty-six times and visualizes the descent of the Most High Jade Emperor, whose light, like that of the sun and moon, shines upon the bodies of the scripture master and disciple. Then he recites the incantation:

How distant and deep is the Palace of Great Subtlety (Taiwei Gong)! The perfected beings take shape from the formless void. The Way of Nature moves through the empty and unseen, gathering into the Great Cavern Scripture (Dadong Jing). The truly worthy uphold the ritual token, follow the course of time, and cultivate the Yellow Court (Huangting), the inner landscape associated with the spirits and Qi within the body. Mount Tai strikes the names of the dead from its registers; the Director of Destinies records the immortals in his celestial register. Treasure and guard the scripture and its methods through the long years. Whoever divulges or treats them with disrespect will fall into the hells and suffer; the offense will also implicate seven generations of ancestors, who will endure the punishment of wind-blades and have their bodies torn apart.

When the incantation is complete, the disciple bows three times and receives the scriptures.

The scripture catalog is to be handled according to the prescribed liturgy. If the scriptures are transmitted to a recipient listed below the General Scripture (the catalog or scripture that encompasses the other scriptures), then one of the following rites—purification, paying homage, or offering ritual—will suffice. After the transmission of the scriptures is complete, proceed to the reinstatement ritual as follows:

I make a formal offering with bows. When the transmission of the scripture is complete, the spirit officials, the flying immortals at my left and right, the attendants of Jade Void, the officials of the Five Emperors, and all the other deities that had appeared on my limbs and body each return to their places within me, entering through the “Gate of the Many Mysteries.” Those who had been on the left return to the left; those who had been on the right return to the right. The Flying Dragon Merit Officer leads and escorts them, ensuring that each returns to its appointed palace and office without confusion. They are to guard my body and never depart of their own accord, awaiting a later summons to carry out their duties. Everything follows the established precedent.

Once the divine officials have returned to their positions, the incense burner is restored as customary. Afterward, the deities are sent off with the usual recitation. When the ritual is over, the quiet chamber and the ritual hall are closed as usual. The master distributes tokens of acknowledgment as usual, and the disciples give thanks three days later.

Instructions on Faith Tokens for Fellow Disciples’ Ritual Fasting, Seventeenth

When fellow disciples suffer calamity, hardship, or illness, or become embroiled in legal proceedings or meet with sudden misfortune, they may practice the Zhongyuan rite together. They should prepare lamp oil as a token of faith, inform the presiding ritual master, and submit a petition to the High Void—the heavenly realm—according to the circumstances.

“Fellow disciples” means those who study under the same master. The master is the Mysterious Teacher who transmits the Daoist teachings; those who practice the higher teachings together are fellow disciples. All such practitioners may encounter calamities before they become perfected sages, and should therefore establish a ritual fast to pray for the removal of misfortune. One who invites someone else to preside over the ritual is the guest; one who conducts it oneself is the host. The host should give away wealth to accumulate merit widely. People’s means differ, and the rules should not be violated: the ritual should suit one’s means, with no fixed amount required. The wealthy need not be extravagant, and those of modest means should not make it excessively simple. Both inner intention and outward ceremony should be carried out without cause for regret. In this way, one accords with the hidden principles of the Dao and receives blessings without end.

Instructions on the Requirements for Ritual Fasting, Eighteenth

Whenever one studies Daoist methods, compounds elixirs, enters the mountains to cultivate, transmits scriptures, or observes the Eight Festivals, days held sacred in Daoism, one must undertake fasting and purification. One must also do so on Jiazi and Gengshen days, on days when the Grand Marshal of the Year is in office, and on one’s own birth-sign day. Whether rich or poor, joyful or sorrowful, one should fast and purify when faced with illness, lawsuits and disputes, hardship and calamity, unrest in the state, or when one’s master is troubled or falls into misfortune. The same applies when hardship arises in matters connected with sworn pledges. In all circumstances of this kind, one should act accordingly; the merit is immense. If one can cultivate in this way regularly, after three years a Perfected One will be moved to descend. By keeping to the daily rules of practice, after nine years one will commune with the spirits and be able to ride through the air. This Daoist method is exceedingly secret and precious; one must handle it with care and never disclose it casually.

After receiving a scripture, the foremost task is to undertake fasting and purification. Whether helping living beings or protecting oneself, this should be one’s chief concern. If one has already chosen a date for someone and set up a fasting ritual, but an unforeseen mishap suddenly occurs, it is because one’s karmic offenses are grave: humans and ghosts have been thrown into conflict, obstructing a good undertaking. One should not therefore resent others. Simply keep to an upright heart. For minor faults, one may repent before the Dao, report the matter to the spirits, cleanse the heart, reflect on oneself, and pray for mysterious protection. In the face of a more serious mishap, report it to the spirits, dissolve the ritual, and remove the ritual seat. Once the calamity has passed, establish the fasting ritual anew. During this time, practice visualization by quietly contemplating inwardly, repent and seek grace, and keep this purpose constantly in mind; then one will surely receive compassionate forgiveness. If no obstacle arises while carrying out the fasting ritual, one should continue it over the long term without interruption. Advance diligently day by day, and in time one will attain the Dao.

Instructions for Entering the Fasting Ritual, Chapter Nineteen

When conducting a Zhaijiao (purification ritual), choose someone of high moral character, spiritual insight, and clear intelligence, who can explain subtle teachings, to sit in the place of honor and expound the doctrine. The others should respond in turn. Everyone taking part in the Zhaijiao must sit quietly and listen attentively, accepting the guidance of the teachings without neglect or carelessness. To participate only outwardly while keeping one’s thoughts elsewhere is to violate the laws of Heaven. The official in charge will investigate, punish the offender with the divine troops of the Five Emperors, and transfer their name to Beifeng, the northern underworld, barring them from the ritual hall thereafter.

During the Zhaijiao, participants, both men and women, should be arranged according to how long and how deeply they have practiced. They should carry themselves with composure and walk with measured grace as they circle the incense table, bow, and offer prayers. Sitting, rising, and resting must all follow the ritual rules. There must be no disorder, horseplay, or disregard for the proper distinctions of rank and courtesy; otherwise, the heavens will punish the offenders and spirits and ghosts will look down on them. The ritual official will investigate violations, punish the offenders with the divine troops of the Five Emperors, and transfer their names to Beifeng, barring them from the ritual hall.

Among fellow disciples, those of high moral character, senior age, extensive transmission of teachings, and long practice usually serve as ritual masters. Someone who has received the teachings for many years but does not know the Zhaijiao rites should not lead the ritual. If an elder of high moral character and thorough knowledge of the teachings is unsuited to presiding, they may still be honored as the foremost seat, while someone of the next rank handles the proceedings. A younger person with ability and virtue, chosen by the group, may also serve as ritual master, but must be cautious and avoid competing for the title or position. Those who contend for the presiding role will bring serious calamity upon themselves.

If everyone believes they are less qualified than a certain person but is unwilling to nominate them; if the person nominated is unwilling; or if someone only pretends to defer, they should withdraw promptly. They may decline on the grounds of illness or other obligations, thereby protecting themselves and avoiding calamity. No one should accept the role under pressure. Forcing the matter will invite disaster and bring trouble upon both sides. Everyone should act with caution.

The Upper Origin has nine categories, the Middle Origin has six, and the Lower Origin has three; the three Origins do not have the same number of categories. If one observes the fast over a long period, one should cultivate the three Origins in sequence each month: during the first ten days, cultivate the Upper Origin by visualizing the spirits and compounding the medicines; during the middle ten days, cultivate the Middle Origin by clearing away one’s own transgressions; and during the final ten days, cultivate the Lower Origin by delivering one’s ancestors.

If one can follow the “Nine True Clarifying Precepts” (nine rules of cultivation) and repent and atone for the nine kinds of offenses committed by oneself and one’s forebears, one can undertake three years of fasting and precepts, perform the nine rites according to the ritual method of the “Three Withouts” (Sanwu), and observe the rules of the Three Withouts. Throughout these more than a thousand days, one must visualize the spirits; when visualizing the spirits, one must compound the medicines; before compounding the medicines, one must clear away one’s own transgressions; and after clearing them away, one must deliver one’s ancestors. If one does not deliver one’s ancestors, one’s own transgressions cannot be dispelled. If they cannot be dispelled, the medicines cannot be successfully compounded; even if they are compounded, they must not be taken, for taking them will bring misfortune. Dangerous medicines disrupt the practice of preserving the spirits; once that practice is disrupted, there is no hope of attaining the Dao. Therefore, delivering one’s ancestors is of the utmost importance.

Thus, cultivators of the Dao should promptly establish the practice of the Three Origins. The three depend on one another, like oil and flame working together: if either is missing, the light will not shine brightly and cannot continue to illuminate. Those who aspire to cultivate the Dao and understand this can attain the path of the immortals and perfected beings.

The Twentieth Essential Instruction on the Covenant and Faithfulness of the Fasting Rite (the ritual method for undertaking the fast and precepts, and establishing a covenant of faithfulness).

The perfected beings of the Upper Palace of Xuandu cultivate the Upper Origin in the first ten days of each month, the Middle Origin in the middle ten days, and the Lower Origin in the final ten days. People in the world who study the Dao do not even know the way of cultivating the Three Origins. They merely indulge in idle thoughts about mysterious principles. Why would the true immortals ever descend for them? Such effort is in vain, and the road to immortality will only grow more distant.

Anyone with firm resolve should prepare, as required by the covenant, thirty feet of silk bearing an “x” pattern and nine pairs of gold rings. They should go to their master, make a solemn vow, and ask to receive the true texts. After nine years of practice, they may hope to gain the ability to fly and ascend to the Jade Clarity Palace. If they carelessly disclose these precious scriptures, their ancestors for seven generations will be punished, and they themselves will die without becoming an immortal. Beginners who receive the scriptures should first observe ritual purification. This purification has its own Keyi, or prescribed liturgical procedures, and the specific method must be learned separately from the master. If the master gives them a register, they should follow the prescribed procedure, carefully examine it, and confirm that it is authentic. Then, following this precious text, they should ask the master to transmit it. After purification, they should write a petition and submit it, following the procedure described above. They must not act arbitrarily; otherwise, instead of receiving blessings, they will incur punishment.

Beginners receiving instruction in the ritual procedures must rely on an enlightened master who understands the correct teachings. They should treat the master as family and honor the master as a parent. The highest sages and true immortals all call their master “Master”; a female master is called “Mistress”; the master’s master is called the “Patriarch,” and the Patriarch’s master is called the “Great-Grandmaster.” The Great Dao is lofty and boundless, so one need not fix one’s visualization on a particular exalted master. Yet the Three Qi, the three vital energies that govern the workings of Heaven and Earth, circulate and return to their root in a single Qi; likewise, the honored positions of the three masters may be understood as one. In ordinary practice, one should visualize only a single master: the master who transmitted the scriptures and teachings. For special petitions, one should visualize all three masters. If a master lives in seclusion and does not appear, or if their name is unknown, one should not force the visualization. If one serves the Mysterious Master, who transmits teachings unseen, one need visualize only the two attendant youths.

When visualizing the master, one must be wholly focused and reverent, with concentrated thought and spirit. With sustained practice, one will see the master clearly, as if standing right before one. Even if the master is merely an ordinary person, a spirit being will come in their place and transmit the oral instructions, enabling the practitioner to attain perfected status more quickly. One must never be disrespectful, dull, careless, or negligent. Otherwise, communication will fail, and demonic obstacles and trials will arise.

Whenever a wondrous method is to be practiced, a hall or lodge should be built in the mountains or in the world. Its ornamentation, simplicity, and size may all be determined according to circumstances. When disciples come to seek instruction, the master should not go to them uninvited to teach the method. The Dao is best studied by coming of one’s own accord. Those seeking instruction should also come with sincere hearts and suitable gifts, visit the master in person, behave respectfully, and earnestly ask to receive the teachings and precepts. The master should prepare vegetarian food, ask what the disciples seek, and then arrange their instruction. He should not harbor suspicion or hesitate, lest this invite a trial.

Whether one is an emperor, a noble, or an ordinary person, if there is suitable space in the household, it should be kept clean inside and out, with men and women in separate quarters and the pure kept apart from the impure. A master who practices the Dao or a cultivator who lives in seclusion in the mountains may, when circumstances bring him temporarily out of the mountains, stay in someone’s home if he meets a sincere person seeking scripture and precepts. But a dedicated hall and altar must be set up there. A master who lives permanently in the world and makes teaching the Dao his vocation, and who already has a suitable altar hall, should not casually travel from place to place.

If everyone in a student’s household, including relatives within and beyond the immediate family, is willing to receive the teachings, and the dwelling is clean and has its own altar hall, then it is no different from a dedicated lodge or Daoist sanctuary. In such a case, inviting a master or fellow cultivator need not follow customary rules rigidly.

People differ in the strength of their good intentions. They should encourage one another so that, as far as possible, they may act with one heart. If, after being counseled, some still refuse to accept the teachings, and fathers and sons, brothers, uncles and nephews, or husbands and wives each go their own way, then each bears deep karmic obstructions, and they cannot be forced to change. They may be allowed to make their choices openly according to their own wishes; do not compel them to comply. Compulsion will only bring resentment and conflict, making their offenses still graver. When the teachings should not be proclaimed publicly, they may be transmitted in secret. Yet secrecy can lead people to avoid one another, leaving them unable to transform one another through their example. Theft of property is also forbidden. If a master knows of it and does not stop it, he will share in the severe punishment. If the master does not know, he will not bear the same grave offense, but will still be reprimanded for failing to understand the situation, and his rank in the order of immortals will fall by one degree. This is no light punishment.

Those who practice the highest Daoist methods regard ascending to immortality as the highest attainment: going beyond the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—journeying through Jade Capital, the Daoist land of immortals, rising above the Nine Mysteries, and responding to the four directions. Once they reach this state, they are no longer burdened or troubled.

Beginners cannot yet go beyond the Three Realms, and still experience worries and burdens. These follow one another in succession, so it is difficult to cast them off all at once, but easier to reduce them gradually. One should resolve to lessen these burdens day by day, and keep lessening them. The day and night are different, as are activity and stillness: by day one is active, by night one rests; rest brings ease, while activity brings fatigue. Though exertion and ease differ, body and spirit are one. If you nurture and preserve your mind and spirit, never forgetting them, you will not overexert yourself during the day or crave ease at night.

Not craving ease means not longing to lie down for a long time, stretch out, or let the body go slack. The scripture says that doing so allows ghosts and malign forces to scatter and intrude into dreams, causing fear and confusion. Over time, the spirit grows dull, one’s comings and goings become hazy, one is prone to mistakes, and nothing one undertakes is easily brought to success. At such times, you should promptly contemplate the divine spirits and silently recite incantations and scriptures. When tired, rest briefly; as soon as you begin to drift into light sleep, get up. When you grow weary from being up, rest again. You may lie on your side or with your body curled, but do not let your body go slack or remain in one position for a long time. If you do this regularly, you can avoid both excessive ease and overexertion.

Not overexerting yourself means not competing to outdo others. If desires are too strong, you pursue gratification single-mindedly: this violates Daoist methods above and indulges the passions below. People and spirits will reject you, and calamities will readily gather. Security can invite danger, and success can lead to failure. You should promptly preserve the Dao, hold fast to the One—the focused keeping of the thought of the Dao—and seek the mysteries. Burn incense and recite scriptures, perform purification rites and cultivate goodness, and save living beings. Lessen desire and self-interest, value money lightly and righteousness highly, and honor and practice the Dao of Wuwei (non-action). Act without overexertion, avoiding both fatigue and craving for ease; when body and spirit become one, you can ascend to the heavens in broad daylight.

In practicing the Daoist methods, one should “learn without learning, act without acting,” understand “mother and child,” the mutual generation of Yin and Yang, and uphold “male and female,” the principle of their union. By day, observe the sunlight and the changing forms of clouds and Qi. At night, watch the moon’s radiance and attend to the coming and going of the wind, the warmth and chill of the weather, the gong and shang modes of the musical scale, the rise and decline of circumstances, and the favorable or adverse turns of fortune. Keep far from trouble and move toward ease; avoid danger and draw near to good fortune. If you do not understand these principles, you depart from the methods of the highest cultivation.

Practicing Daoist methods requires observing the precepts, just as crossing water requires a boat: the boat must not leak, and the precepts must not be forgotten. If you forget the precepts as you go about your affairs, you will lose the ability to distinguish good from evil. Sometimes you may mistake a good deed for an evil one and stop doing it; at other times, you may mistake an evil deed for a good one and continue doing it. For this reason, when sage masters pass on the formulas for cultivating the Dao, they always make the precepts essential. Keep the precepts clearly in mind, uphold them, and do not transgress them. If you do transgress, recognize it promptly. Once you have recognized it, repent: correct past faults and improve your conduct from now on. Only by attending to this fully can you enter the gate of the Dao.

Whenever you receive a scripture, you should first receive the precepts. Some precepts are included in the scripture, some are compiled separately in scrolls, and some are passed on orally by the master. In every case, recite them until you understand them in your heart and know them well by speaking them aloud. If you cannot yet memorize them all, at least learn the most important ones; how many you should memorize depends on what your master has transmitted. After receiving the precepts for the first time, purify your mind and observe a fast for seven consecutive days, reciting them day and night so that you can memorize them as soon as possible. If you still remember them only vaguely and easily forget them, recite them for another fourteen or twenty-one days, or even for a month or a hundred days, until you know them clearly. After that, recite them twice each month.

On the fifteenth day of each month, the moon begins to wane and Yin energy reaches its height. On the last day of the month, Yin energy has vanished and Yang energy is about to arise. Yin energy is considered to govern evil, and harmful influences also arise with it. For this reason, both nights call for exceptional purity and solemnity, and only those with faith should attend. When the night is deep and quiet, ascend to the hall and burn incense, then enter stillness together. After sitting in stillness, recite the precepts. If there are only a few people, take turns reciting; if there are many, recite together.

When reciting the precepts, understand them in your heart and know them well by speaking them aloud; there is no need to recite loudly. Before beginning, make sure others are forbidden to eavesdrop, for the offense of listening secretly is grave. This prohibition should also be announced openly before the recitation. The person who ascends the high seat to recite the precepts should bow at both the beginning and the end. As you recite, imagine that you are reading a scripture. If you misread something, review it again; once you can recite it fluently, consider how to put the precepts into practice.

If you have not fully observed the precepts, sincerely bow and repent. Write down one by one the precepts you have transgressed or forgotten. With shame and reverence, weep as you confess them before the Dao, bowing your head to the ground repeatedly. Continue for a long time before stopping.

Daoist practice has different levels, and the precepts vary accordingly. People at different levels of practice must not recite the precepts together, nor should people from different lineages do so. If they live in the same place, they should take turns reciting them.

Whether traveling for official or personal reasons, if you are on a boat or in a carriage on the dark day (the last day of the month) or the full-moon day (the fifteenth day), you should recite the precepts silently. Even in an emergency, do not forget them. Forgetting them incurs blame; remembering and keeping them brings abundant blessings.

If you are interrupted while reciting the precepts by official or personal matters, or are disturbed or intruded upon by people or ghosts, immediately stop reciting aloud and find a way to withdraw. Do not complain. Keep the meaning of the precepts firmly in mind, and observe them with greater focus. If you are frightened, purify your mind and body anew, undertake a purification retreat, and remain still. At the Zi and Wu hours, repent your transgressions. Let down your hair, bow three thousand times, and pray to correct past faults and observe future precepts with care; then make thirty-two reverent bows. In this way, demonic hindrances will not come to disturb you, and all your undertakings will go as you wish. If you still encounter adversity, sincerely repent again according to the earlier ritual, and afterward no further calamity or disturbance will occur.

Strange manifestations may sometimes be trials in the course of Daoist practice. Do not sigh or grieve, and do not speak of them to others. Repent quietly, and you will remain safe and avoid misfortune.

Twenty-Fourth: Instructions on Whether Teaching May Proceed in the Presence of Impurity

When transmitting Daoist teachings, even if the recipient has not observed the purification retreat, the transmission may still proceed if it can be completed without hindrance. The prescribed liturgy must, however, be followed.

If an unusual calamity occurs during a purification retreat and is witnessed by others, it may also be a trial in the course of Daoist practice. Do not sigh or grieve, or speak of it to others. Repent quietly, and you will remain safe and avoid misfortune.

Even after receiving the teaching, if one violates the purification rules, the rites must wait until matters have been put right and the obstacles removed. Then the ritual may be performed and transmitted according to the liturgy. If an ill omen occurs during the purification period, or public or private affairs become troubled and obstructed, one should begin the purification again and hold the ceremony only when the omens are favorable and affairs proceed smoothly. If an inauspicious influence falls on one of the Three Jian days, the group must not assemble again to perform the rite. Instead, one should undertake additional repentance and atonement and do more good deeds. Master and disciples alike must devote themselves to cultivation. If sins were committed in the past or recently, and people have affected one another and transgressed inadvertently, they should examine and reproach themselves deeply rather than blame the gods. Persist in repentance over time and harbor no resentment; good fortune and auspicious signs will then arrive. Only after receiving a divine response and auspicious signs should the purification rite be arranged again.

Both transmitting and receiving ritual methods must follow the liturgy, with no steps omitted. After receiving a scripture, one should bow and inform the gods when going out, returning to one’s lodging, setting out, and coming back, bidding them farewell or reporting one’s return. In every matter, whether auspicious or inauspicious, good or bad, and whether acting or remaining still, one should report to the gods. While moving among ordinary people, one may teach and guide them. Visiting the dying or the sick, and helping those who are injured or bleeding, are all ways to build merit with sincerity. Cultivating the Great Way does not in itself incur defilement. Though one may be involved in worldly affairs, one can still make the morning pilgrimage. When observing purification, bathing dispels all kinds of impurity.

If one has not yet established merit but privately seeks personal gain and encounters inauspicious defilement, this may unsettle the spirit and damage one’s resolve to cultivate the Dao; one should be especially cautious. If one happens to encounter defiling influences, the appropriate ritual methods can dispel them. These methods include submitting a memorial, holding a purification rite, incantations, and bathing, each with its own prescribed procedures. Above all, remain quiet and put aside external affairs. Cleanse the body and change into clean clothes, then stay alone in a quiet room. Do not enter the purification hall or attend ritual assemblies. In solitude, visualize the gods and examine your heart; face north to bow, entrust yourself to the Three Venerable Ones (the three deities revered in Daoism), and repent with repeated prostrations, day and night without interruption. After resting briefly, continue in the same way. Do this ten, twenty, or thirty times each day, reproaching yourself and feeling shame to the fullest, acknowledging that you have no merit and have not yet escaped defiling conditions. Vow to uphold the precepts, study the scriptures, and practice according to them in order to remove the hindrances.

If the defilement received is severe, practice in this way for one hundred days; if it is less serious, for forty-five days; and if slight, for three days. Afterward, one may resume ordinary cultivation. Those whose strength is weak may repent sincerely in a clean, quiet place without necessarily bowing. Those who are physically robust, unharmed by defiling influences and clear in spirit, need not perform rites of repentance.

Before receiving the scriptures, practitioners should prepare ten items.

First, a scripture chest. It is best made of Chinese arborvitae or cypress; where these woods are unavailable, paulownia or catalpa may also be used. The chest should be six cun high, nine cun wide, one chi and three cun long, and four fen thick. It must be new, clean, intact, and tightly fitted. After washing and wiping it clean, use it to store the scriptures. When traveling over mountains and through streams, it should be light and easy to carry; a bamboo book carrier may also be used. If several scriptures are stored together, the containers must still be clean, dignified, and in keeping with the proper standards, with their sizes suited to what they hold. The number of containers need not be fixed.

Second, a scripture table. It should have five legs, though seven or nine are also acceptable. It may be made of catalpa or cypress, and its legs may also be made of iron. The joints may be mortised, the pieces nailed together, and the table painted or left plain, as circumstances warrant. The size and spacing of the legs should be proportionate. The tabletop should be nine cun high, one chi and three cun wide, two chi and four cun long, and four fen thick; it is used to support the scripture chest. A separate table for incense should also be prepared, in the same style and dimensions.

Third, a scripture wrapper, the case that encloses scripture rolls. Make a frame of bamboo and cover it with yellow silk, sizing it to fit the rolls rather than making it unnecessarily large. Use yellow silk for the outer covering and ties as well; if it is unavailable, paper may be pasted over the wrapper and ramie used for the ties. Keep it plain and clean, without seeking ornament. Brocade, embroidery, and decorations of the Seven Treasures may be used, but one should not become attached to them or think they are essential. Such things are minor expedients in teaching and need not be pursued.

Fourth, scripture cloths. Prepare about three: one to keep in the scripture chest, one to spread on the scripture table after taking out the texts, and two more for covering them. They may be made of dark, yellow, crimson, green, or purple silk, lined before use. Any pattern may be chosen, and the cloth should be as wide as possible, about five chi long. A straight seam is sufficient; the edges may also be bound on all four sides. Elaborate knots and tassels are unnecessary. If the scripture cloths are lavishly decorated with pearls, jade, bells, and pendants, they may attract thieves. To keep harmful thoughts from taking root and open the way to good deeds, it is best to remain simple; this is fitting both in the human realm and in the unseen world.

Fifth, scripture covers. Keep three on hand, each made from two widths of fabric, for uses similar to those of the scripture cloths. When traveling, use one to wrap the scripture chest; during purification observances, use another to cover it. Repair or replace them as soon as they are damaged, and do not keep using them until they are ragged. Make them a practical size rather than too long. When an old cover is burned, it should then be purified and must not be put to another use. The same applies to other ritual implements.

Sixth, a scripture canopy. Make it from black or crimson cloth, extending around all four sides. Use the widest cloth available and bind the edges, using cotton if desired. Its form should resemble an emperor’s ceremonial canopy, but it need not have hanging curtains or ties, and it requires no lavish decorations of gold, silver, or jewels. Follow the same principles as for scripture cloths and wrappers. The canopy poles should be made of bamboo and may be painted or left plain. Their height should be proportionate; the shape of the rounded finial at the top may be chosen to suit the circumstances.

Seventh, raised seats. Usually prepare three: one for placing the scriptures, one for reciting them, and one for lecturing on their meaning. They may be made of zelkova, camphor wood, Chinese arborvitae, or cypress. Their height and the width of the seat are ordinarily five chi, but they may be reduced to four chi, increased by five cun, or made six chi high, so long as their proportions suit one another. Other details may be adapted to the place and circumstances. Keep the color plain rather than ornate. Those skilled in painting may depict images used in visualization and contemplation. Follow the earlier principles when deciding whether the canopy curtains should be single or double layered and how richly to make them.

Eighth, an incense table, a small table for incense implements. Its height and length should match those of the raised seats, while the tabletop’s width and the arrangement of its legs should generally follow the model of the scripture table. It may be nailed together, painted, or left plain; its precise form need not be fixed.

Ninth, an incense burner and other offering implements. The incense burner and incense box, which holds the incense, must be kept clean and pure. They may be made of pottery, wood, gold, silver, copper, or iron, according to the time and place. A set should be prepared for the front of each raised seat, and another set should be carried when traveling or going about daily activities. There is no fixed standard for the size or quality of the implements. The incense lamp, burner, and incense box should suit the raised seat, and the mats should be thick and clean. The master’s horsetail whisk, the scripture stand used by the assistant lecturer, tables, cloths, covers, water flasks and baskets, and the mats surrounding the seats should all be clean and plain; none should be lacking. If one is poor and cannot prepare everything at once, begin with the essential items.

Tenth, a refectory. It should face south and may have three or five rooms, built according to one’s means. The surrounding rooms and covered walkways should connect with one another. There should be two doors each on the north and south sides, and one window at each end of the east and west walls. Doors and windows should be closed at the proper times and not left open carelessly. This is the general arrangement for a refectory.

The partitions on all four sides of the house should be connected to one another. There should be two doors each on the north and south sides, and one window at each end of the east and west sides. The doors and windows should be closed at the proper times and not left open at will. A room should be laid out roughly in this way.

The Twenty-Sixth Rule: Family Members, Their Differences and Common Ground

Neither inborn nature nor acquired cultivation can be separated from mutual generation and support. The principle of ceaseless generation is the precious foundation of cultivating the Dao (the Way). People should put it into practice through all manner of good deeds, in keeping with the utmost truth of the Dao.

Parents, spouses and children, brothers, and relatives and friends both within and beyond the household should all understand the practice of the Dao, encourage one another, and study Daoist scriptures together. Even if they cannot make offerings at the same time, they can copy scriptures and precepts together, while each diligently pursues their own practice. Each person receives a different recompense according to how diligent or lax their practice is; good fortune and calamity follow one another like shadows. Fathers and sons, and brothers, cannot practice in one another’s place. Even when the blessings from a relative’s practice extend to others, they are not as substantial as those gained through each person’s own practice. Everyone should set their own nature and life in order, rather than grow lax and rely only on family and friends.

Relatives and friends can support one another, while each person must also set their own conduct in order. These two aspects complement each other like the eyes and the sun. The sun cannot enable someone without eyes to see, and relatives and friends cannot bring someone who does not believe in the Dao to succeed in cultivation. Progress in cultivation requires mutual aid, so people should accept and support one another.

The Twenty-Seventh Rule: When No Terrace Hall Has Yet Been Built

“The rule for when no terrace hall has yet been built.”

If there is not yet a vegetarian hall, you may temporarily set up an altar and honor the scriptures in a quiet room. Arrange a small table, lay out a scripture mat, and light incense on a side table. Prepare as many of the items required by the ritual as you can; do not insist on having everything when some things are not yet available. If you cannot provide it all at once, make preparations gradually.

Do not indulge in wishful thinking or resort to theft or other unscrupulous means. Nor should you compete with the wealthy simply because funds are scarce or life is difficult. Conversely, even if your family is well off, do not refuse to make arrangements out of concern for the expense. In the eyes of the world, you may be rich, but in the Daoist tradition you are poor. This will bring severe trials, whose consequences are difficult to describe fully.

A worthy and virtuous person acts according to reason and understands the urgency of honoring the teachings and cultivating the Dao. Food and clothing should come first. Even if these are meager, as long as the work of honoring the teachings is carried through, the ritual can be completed and its practice sustained. The divine beings will protect those who cultivate the Dao. The assembled Perfected Ones who serve the scriptures and teachings, through their numinous power within and without, dispel calamities and bestow blessings, enabling people to attain longevity. By dwelling peacefully in joy in the Dao, one can save countless beings. People should not fail the Great Dao, and the Great Dao will not fail them.

When you encounter difficulties in cultivating the Dao, they may be trials caused by demonic interference, illness, or calamity; they may also be misfortunes left over from a previous life. Even in danger and distress, hold ever more firmly to your conduct and devote yourself wholeheartedly to the Dao. Do not be frightened into turning back. In this way, danger will eventually become good fortune, and even amid loss you can preserve what matters. Do not doubt these words; doubt may lead to failure. Failure often arises from confusion and an unfocused will. Only those who believe wholeheartedly and persist in their cultivation can understand that the teachings of the sage masters are indeed borne out in practice.

When facing a year of famine or a dangerous region, traveling far through mountains and rivers, or entering isolated and hazardous places to escape disaster or aid those in peril, one must not be without the various scriptures. One must also keep reverence constantly in one’s heart and use the classics to confirm one’s thoughts. The Three Treasures—the precious scriptures or ritual treasures honored in Daoism—should always be kept at hand. Even those already familiar with cultivation should still carry all three copies. If even one of the three is preserved, it can make the demons tremble with awe, bring all things back to the right Dao, and turn danger into safety.

For this reason, these scriptures are kept in all famous mountains and numinous grottoes. But when traveling, crossing mountains and rivers, one cannot carry too much. So place in a bag and wear close at hand a dozen or more scrolls, such as passages from the Daode Jing, the Red Writ of the Five Elders, the Precious Instructions of the Divine Perfected, and the Mysterious Text on Guarding the One. Whether walking or resting, keep them near the chest, close to the heart. If you have a book chest, carry it on your shoulder; when resting, you may use it as a pillow and set it aside for a while. You may also hang the scriptures inside your room, where they face the place where your head rests. Read the texts whenever you can and cultivate in accordance with their teachings. If you commit a transgression, repent and admonish yourself as prescribed.

Before attaining the Dao, these are practices you must observe for yourself. After attaining the Dao, you should also show them to others, so they may have guidance to follow. Receiving and transmitting these methods should continue without end.

The Twenty-Ninth Method: Giving Thanks After Receiving the Teachings—how to express gratitude for the grace received after accepting the teachings.

Do not think that your own merits are already complete, and do not separate cultivating the Dao from drawing close to virtuous people. In daily life, devote yourself to seeking thorough understanding; do not greedily try to master many fields at once. Once you lose sight of this essential point, even intelligence can lead you into great confusion. If you awaken after becoming confused, then work diligently to encourage one another and help each other achieve something. Helping others bring their good work to completion is a virtue to be honored both within and without.

The Dao is everywhere, and wherever you are, you can spread it. If there is temporarily no ritual hall or ritual implements—objects used in ceremonies or practice—you can teach and study at any time, whether on a bed or on the floor. This applies to men and women alike, whatever their status or visibility; what matters is knowing the proper method. When teaching and studying, clear your mind and hold the text respectfully, then ask the master for guidance on its essential points. The master may explain directly; a teaching assistant who helps lecture on the scriptures and organize questions and answers is not required. Even without ritual implements, you can teach and study whenever the opportunity arises. You may lean back or sit, as long as you listen attentively and put the teaching into practice. Examine questions and answers carefully, without limiting their number. Those familiar with a scripture need not unfold the scroll again. The invitation ceremony may be arranged as circumstances permit; incense need not always be burned. Do not let concern over ritual details distract your mind, and do not abandon cultivation of the Dao because some part of the ceremony is lacking.

Daoism established its teachings to help discipline the mind. Because thoughts are scattered and constantly rush outward, methods of practice are used to gather them in. Ritual implements are important aids for settling the mind, but they are not indispensable conditions for the Great Dao itself. If you can remain tranquil and detached, seeking nothing within or without, responding naturally to whatever you encounter and acting without selfish intent, then you accord with the sages and perfected beings and have no need to rely on ritual implements. Those at a level below this need external objects to discipline their minds. It is difficult to have every condition in place at once, so you should discern what matters most and not grow lax.

Preface to the Four Methods and Six Differences, Thirty

All who study the Dao hope to understand one another in the same way. Yet understanding can never be entirely uniform, because each person has a different natural capacity.

Preface to the Four Methods and Six Differences, Thirty

Those who study the Dao all hope to reach the same understanding as one another. Yet their understandings can never be entirely alike, because people differ in their innate capacities, in their intelligence and slowness, and in the directions they take. Even within a single heart there are changes over time, moments of gathering and separation—how much more so among the many people in the world? There is no need to speak further of the past. Those living now and in the future should be taught and guided. Whether they are rulers and ministers, guests and friends, relatives, or people near and far, their intentions should accord and they should work together. In governing a state, the right Way must not be left to diverge in every direction; nor should people living together in one household follow wholly different Ways.

When studying or conducting a fast—whether observing purification or performing a Daoist rite—people should encourage one another. There are four ways to deal with fellow practitioners and those whose views differ.

First, if a ruler or father follows the Daoist methods, he may order his ministers or children to study and receive the teachings with him, and to serve their master according to proper rites. Without such an order, they should not secretly study the teachings. A master should not transmit them to someone who seeks them through theft or deception.

Second, if those above do not follow the Dao, but those below wish to enter the Daoist tradition, they should first explain their wishes to their superiors, then wait for a time before acting as they see fit. If three requests are refused, they must proceed with care and not force the matter. Forcing the pursuit of fame and profit will lead those above and below to deceive and flatter one another, and to deceive other people and the spirits. Some may comply outwardly while resisting inwardly; others may agree in words while their aims remain different. Some will quickly break their promises, while others will violate the rules only after a long time. This may lead to offenses and quarrels, mutual humiliation, or even the use of force to oppress others, turning auspicious events into calamities. If people give no thought to the right Way and insist on mistaken views, misfortune will fall on both sides. Even if this is the result of causes from a former life, failing to awaken in this life will only deepen their suffering.

Third, people whose aims and pursuits differ may not live harmoniously even when they are together for a time. If they contend with one another, they cannot accomplish anything together. In such cases, they should take the initiative to keep apart, neither disturbing nor entangling one another. They may withdraw from the crowds, follow what is reasonable, and privately practice the wondrous methods each prefers. In ancient times, Zijin left the dusty world and roamed around the Yi and Luo rivers; Shushen parted from his ruler and father and climbed North Chang Mountain. They acted this way out of necessity, turning calamity into good fortune. Whether withdrawing from view or appearing openly, they acted as the moment required. They did not harm one another, but sought instead to help one another succeed. They taught people of every rank without allowing resentment or injury to arise. Masters, too, should teach flexibly, helping their disciples develop sincere intentions and guiding them gradually toward the Daoist teachings, while arranging the order of instruction according to each person’s circumstances.

Fourth, if people share one another’s joys and sorrows and can bear both good and evil together, then even if they live in separate homes after gaining wealth and status, or endure poverty, low station, and different hardships, their lines of transmission may differ, but the fundamental Dao they follow should remain the same. What is this shared Dao? It is the Way of long life and immortality.

All living beings hope to escape death. The way to seek immortality lies in removing desire. Why remove desire? Because pursuing personal gain harms others and also harms oneself. Those who can cast off desire do not care only for their own private interests. Free of selfishness, they help others both in action and in stillness. Their merit in benefiting living beings grows deep, and they naturally attain the Dao. The key to attaining the Dao and living long is merit.

The immortals in the heavens, too, will eventually exhaust their blessings and pleasures. If their merit does not grow, they must return to the human world, descend among people, humble themselves to labor, establish all kinds of good deeds, save living beings, and lessen desire and selfishness. Breath absorption, breathing practices, the Two Essences, the Five Teeth, the Golden Elixir, Xuansu, and countless other methods can assist in cultivating merit. Choose among them according to circumstances; do not become attached to one method while doing no good deeds at all. To hope for immortality in this way is fruitless.

People in the world who study the methods often fixate on one particular technique. They see it described in a book and think it wondrous; when their practice brings no result, they call it false. In fact, techniques merely assist the cultivation of merit. The foundation of practice lies in removing desire. If desire cannot be removed, practicing techniques only increases attachment. People convince themselves that following a method will surely make them immortals, treat the art as a treasure they refuse to teach others, and give no thought to saving living beings. They can neither save others nor free themselves from delusion, and in the end they bring about their own ruin. Unable to see that their failure comes from their own faults, they blame the method instead. What wisdom is there in passing this delusion on to later generations?

The wise study without showing off, do good without becoming attached to their merit, and do not praise themselves. Once they have accomplished something, they claim no credit; before it is accomplished, they do not cling to the outcome. By acting without attachment, they can act without competing, benefit others without harming them, follow the example of the earth, accord with the Way of Heaven, and shine like the sun and moon. The methods people follow should be brought into accord: when they unite in what they take as fundamental, merit can flourish. The flourishing of merit, in turn, should not be forced; let it follow its natural course. The principles of the Dao are inexhaustible, and practice has degrees of refinement and coarseness. These degrees operate together, and the paths of Daoist cultivation fall broadly into six kinds: remaining in the world, leaving the world, living at home, leaving home, traveling about, and dwelling in seclusion.

Those who dwell in seclusion devote themselves to mountains and rivers. Once they leave, they do not return; they do not submit to rulers and lords, but preserve their integrity through a life apart. Those who travel about sometimes enter the mountains and sometimes approach the waters; at times they live among ordinary people, at times within a household, now serving at court and then living beyond it. Their movements are not fixed: whether to advance or withdraw, to remain silent or speak, to stay hidden or appear openly, all depends on the moment. Those who leave home take leave of their families, set aside their attachments, and live alone, either in mountain forests or in towns. Those who live at home revere the Three Venerable Ones, associate with fellow practitioners, care for living beings under their roof, and strive to do good. Those who remain in the world establish families and serve as officials, making a life in accord with their aims while also cultivating Daoist methods and helping themselves and others. When circumstances are favorable, they spread the Daoist teachings; when they are unfavorable, they support them from the sidelines. They advance without seeking glory and withdraw without fleeing hardship. All six paths revere the Great Mystery and cultivate Dao and De together. Their deeds and ways of life differ, and so these six distinctions arise.

If these six kinds of people cannot be taught in the same way, then skillful means must be used. Skillful means—adapting instruction to the person and the moment—are easy to misuse and difficult to put into practice. Since they are difficult and prone to error, why use them? Because living beings need them, they cannot be set aside. One should remove greed and sexual desire, quiet anger, dispel mistaken views and ignorance, and eliminate the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and delusion. When the Three Poisons are eliminated, one is no longer subject to the suffering of old age, illness, and death. The constraints of limited wisdom create disorder; only the freeing insight of great wisdom can bring merit to completion.

Living beings differ in their causes and conditions. Those with shallow connections are more readily reached by simple teachings. If they are given practices that are difficult to carry out, they may fail to achieve results and instead suffer even greater harm. Teachers must therefore judge carefully when to be lenient or strict, when to advance or withdraw, and take harmony as their guiding principle. Though the principles may be difficult to follow in full, specific actions can still be weighed and adjusted. Understand what gives others pause; do not hastily forbid or obstruct them. Even when it is necessary to intervene, avoid causing harm in the process. Help everyone gradually understand the principles, and strive to take each other’s needs into account so that all may be kept safe.

Giving up one’s own advantage to help others is a common practice among those who walk the Dao. But if there is loss without any benefit, the principles of the teaching do not permit it. The sages warn against seeking one’s own gain at the expense of others; neither should people act recklessly when both sides suffer loss and gain nothing. “Acting through non-action” does not mean preventing every kind of loss; it means following the Way of Wuwei (non-action). “Nothing is left undone” means understanding how to bring about every kind of benefit. Reflect on this, and you will resonate with the subtle principles of the Dao.

The seventh volume of the Dongzhen Taishang Taixiao Langshu is complete.

The eighth volume of the Dongzhen Taishang Taixiao Langshu discusses the practice of cultivation.

The thirty-first instruction: On teaching and discussion. When teaching, one should keep the divine beings in mind, so that the wondrous methods of cultivation may become manifest. In daily life, one should keep a lamp lit, maintaining a steady flame and never letting it go out. If there is not yet a fasting hall—a place for holding purification rites, reciting scriptures, and other ceremonies—and there is also no…

When expounding scriptures, discussing their meaning, visualizing deities, or putting wondrous methods into practice, one should keep a lamp lit so its flame remains bright. If there is no ritual hall or quiet room, one may perform the rites wherever one is, with the head placed there. Whether in the mountains or forest, in a cave, aboard a boat, or on a sandbar, the rites may be performed without any deficiency. If the lamp goes out or has been improperly arranged, one should feel remorse and sincerely ask forgiveness. Transgressions bring obstacles that keep the will from unfolding. By acknowledging one’s faults and removing obstacles, one’s wishes may come to fruition.

If one spends the night outdoors in a courtyard and the moonlight is bright, illuminating the surroundings, the lamp may be extinguished, and there is no need to perform a special rite of apology. What matters in asking forgiveness is sincerity; an outward ritual is not always necessary. If a ritual expresses one’s intent, however, then fulfilling it inwardly and outwardly makes the observance more complete.

Fasten the sash, put on the ritual shoes (lǚbǎn), and prepare all the ritual implements in accordance with proper observance. This is the best practice and the foremost ritual procedure. When circumstances are unfavorable or change unexpectedly, it may be unavoidable that one’s garments are incomplete, but one must not therefore become lax in heart. If it is possible to prepare everything, one should observe the rules carefully and not deliberately leave anything out. Even those who have attained the Dao and possess spiritual powers follow ritual norms to set an example; those who have not attained the Dao have even less reason to take them lightly.

Even if someone understands the principles in one area, they may not know what to do in every situation. If someone takes forceful measures to correct entrenched abuses and get stalled matters moving again, this is only a temporary response to circumstances. As long as the precepts do not forbid it, such measures may be used to correct a deviation. Practices that accord with the right way are the norm; responses to exceptional circumstances are not, and should not be applied casually in ordinary situations. In following the ordinary way, one should be guided by the heart and not cling rigidly to a particular outward form. What is called a deviation may sometimes be only a difference in outward form.

For ordinary practice, one should have a ritual cloth, a coarse robe worn by Daoist priests, ritual shoes, an undergarment, and clean underclothes. The poor need only one set; the wealthy should have no more than three. Garments may be used in rotation, whether new or old, but they must not be worn in combination. Garments that can no longer be used should be burned in a clean place and not lent to others. If giving garments away, one should give them to people who observe the same rules, not to those who do not understand ritual propriety and might wear them indiscriminately, disrupting the rites. If one violates these rules, one should repent and report the matter to one’s master. Then, following the master’s instructions, one should obtain replacements and clean and arrange them as described above. Different garments should be stored separately and kept in order; they must never be left carelessly in an unclean place.

If an emergency arises while performing rites and one must relieve oneself immediately, there may be no time to remove the ritual garments. If there is also nowhere to take shelter and one must do so in the open, one should cover the ritual cloth and cap with one hand and visualize black clouds transforming into walls around a house. One should feel remorse over what has happened, sincerely acknowledge the fault, and pray that the incident be transformed into something good, bringing benefit without causing harm. Afterward, if the matter remains on one’s mind, one should bow and repent, then resume one’s regular practice. If the garments are accidentally soiled, one should likewise sincerely pray that this be transformed into benefit. They should then be washed with perfumed water. Once the matter has been dealt with, one should repent and feel remorse; until one has repented, one should not wear the ritual garments while practicing the Way.

Before practicing the Way, one should first repent. When requesting, copying, or collating scriptures; welcoming or seeing off one’s master; or transmitting or receiving scriptures, one should wear ritual garments or scripture robes. When masters and disciples or fellow practitioners collate scriptures together, they must not allow unrelated people to casually remove, wear, borrow, exchange, or substitute the ritual garments. Nor should they indulge selfish desires and take garments unlawfully. Whether copying or collating, deceiving people and spirits, taking or giving things presumptuously, may invite severe punishment. If an error is found during collation, one should ask the master to decide how it should be handled, rather than changing the text according to one’s own judgment. One should first accept the appropriate consequences oneself, then proceed according to the master’s decision.

When reading scriptures and examining their meanings, one should sit upright and compose the spirit. One must not be arrogant, careless, or distracted; jest frivolously, make inappropriate comparisons, or seek private gain by discussing scriptures. Nor should one explain them recklessly or mock and criticize them in a crude, dismissive manner. If one’s strength is failing or some business requires attention, one should bow before leaving, coming and going, or resting.

During daily walking, resting, and sleeping, the scriptures should first be covered and put away properly. When reading them, hold each text with care and respect. Do not leave individual scriptures or chapters lying exposed. Keep book chests and desks arranged by category, without mixing them together. The written texts, too, come from the way of Huangdi and Laozi. Laozi once discussed ritual with Confucius, while Huangdi established laws and standards for governing the world. They taught people in different ways, yet their teachings are connected inwardly and outwardly: broadly alike, though different in detail. The various scriptures and admonitions should not be piled together carelessly. All deserve respect, as though one were paying reverence to the gods.

Do not use brushes, inkstones, paper, or ink for unrelated purposes. If you inadvertently show disrespect to a scripture, correct the matter at once. If its text is incomplete or contains errors, clean and put it in order. Wash your hands and the cloth used to clean it; keep everything pure. If doubts remain in your mind, do not casually pick up a scripture. When scripture paper must be cut away or replaced, burn it in a dedicated furnace elsewhere, then scatter the ashes in a dense forest. If the forest is too far away, collect the ashes and sink them in a clean deep pool or secluded pond, or bury them in a clean place. Do not leave the ash-covered paper scattered about, where it might be trampled or blown away by the wind.

Even when teacher and disciple live in a remote place, they should cultivate the Dao together. If the region is poor and there are no tokens or material goods with which to honor the teacher, something else suitable may be offered in their place. This should not give rise to divided intentions. If one’s sincerity is genuine and one puts it into practice, humans and spirits can respond to one another. After explaining the circumstances to the teacher, one may receive instruction and later establish merit through one’s own cultivation. If one has material goods, one should offer them; if not, one should serve the teacher and the tradition with sincerity, study diligently, and never slacken. Sharp abilities, clear understanding, and keen intelligence that enable one to teach others and assist the teacher are merits greater than material offerings. Material goods, by contrast, may burden a person and give rise to obscurity and obstruction. Letting go of external things in order to attain understanding does not, at root, require giving away one’s wealth. But clinging to either “I must have something to give” or “I must give nothing” is also unreasonable. What matters is to devote oneself to practice. Act according to an appropriate standard, guided by clear and firm conviction. Follow what is right, settle body and mind, and cultivate the inner life through understanding and practice; then doubts will not stand in the way of cultivating the Dao.

The Daoist scriptures are without number, and whether one obtains them depends on the resonance of one’s intentions. If one’s intentions are not yet fully developed, one may encounter the texts only in fragments: perhaps one volume at first, then two or three; perhaps ten, a hundred, or even more. Sometimes one encounters the more elementary texts first and the profound ones later; at other times, the profound texts come first and the elementary ones later. The titles and order of the volumes also vary. A volume transmitted on its own may not be marked with a volume number, while volumes transmitted together may be clearly numbered. Some texts have volume numbers but no chapter divisions; others have chapters but no volume numbers. The credentials of transmission differ, as do the methods of cultivation. Their differences come from belonging to separate branches; what they share is membership in the same category. To mistake scattered scriptures for contradictions, or to force together texts that are in fact different, is to misunderstand the principles involved and may even bring punishment. Do not make conjectures recklessly. If you can cultivate in accordance with the teachings, you will surely receive blessings. Do many good deeds and practice visualization of the spirits; the spirits will then respond readily, and the work of cultivating the sacred Dao can be accomplished more quickly.

If a person knows and accepts the teachings of the scriptures but does not practice visualization; practices visualization but does not follow the teachings; or fails to investigate each layer of meaning in the text deeply, their cultivation will gradually decline until they may be worse off than when they first began. Even if such a person hopes to receive the reward of attaining the status of a perfected one and ascending to the realm of the immortals, that hope will be difficult to fulfill. They can only continue practicing and receive the scriptures later. Do not rejoice at receiving many scriptures, or grieve at receiving few. Grief scatters the mind and spirit; joy can make a person slack. Once slack, it is difficult to make progress. The Great Dao is quiet and plain; diligent practice is its foundation. Be constantly alert to slackness, and do not simply rejoice in vain.

Devote yourself to cultivating goodness and investigate its principles deeply. If you understand only a little and have not yet grasped it thoroughly, how could understanding more be easy? To understand truly, one must focus. With focus, a response will naturally arise; with that response, one can communicate with the spirits. What is there to grieve over? Set aside both grief and joy, and cultivate diligently with single-minded attention day and night. Vow to advance without turning back: such a person is called a “Daoist practitioner.” One who follows the Great Dao is called a “Daoist.” What does “scholar” mean here? It means understanding principles and putting them into practice: one’s body and mind accord with what is right, one follows the Dao wholeheartedly, and one takes the Dao as the standard for one’s conduct. That is why the person is called a Daoist. Daoists speak of themselves humbly, believing that they have not yet fully understood the Dao, and therefore call themselves “poor scholars.” Their understanding is not yet complete and their cultivation is not yet finished; because they feel that something is still lacking, they call themselves poor scholars. The “scholar” takes cultivating goodness as the foundation of conduct. The matters to be cultivated are inexhaustible. How could good deeds ever come to an end? Since goodness has no bounds, it should be increased at every opportunity. Taken together in their broadest sense, these good deeds fall into ten categories.

Once the ten good actions are practiced consistently, the ten evil actions will naturally cease. By ending evil and practicing good, one can fulfill the virtue of compassion. Thus, the Shangpin Cheng says: show consideration for the dead and save the living; treat the sick; give away wealth to help the poor; set aside your own interests to aid others; serve your teachers and elders; build quiet places for spiritual practice; copy and correct scriptures; observe purification rites and contemplate the Dao; yield humbly and uphold what is right, without competing for fame or merit; teach and guide the ignorant and worldly, admonishing them and helping them turn away from evil; dig wells by the road and plant fruit trees; teach children and encourage people to do good. Your deeds should be worthy of emulation, your conduct worthy of observation, and your teachings and rules should serve as standards; your daily behavior should always accord with them. Even if someone calls themself a Daoist, if they practice all ten evils and cultivate no good deeds, then arduous practice in the mountains and forests is in vain. Those who can trust these teachings should diligently study the various precepts.

There are many precepts, and one should study them as circumstances allow. The various methods of purity, precepts, and rules all help focus the mind and restrain the three forms of action: speech, body, and mind. Through words, deeds, and thoughts, people create immeasurable good and evil karma. Ten actions are the chief sources of evil: first, false speech; second, flowery but insincere speech; third, sowing discord; fourth, abuse. These four are evils of speech, and their opposites are good actions. Fifth, covetous desire; sixth, theft; seventh, sexual misconduct. These three are evils of the body. Eighth, jealousy; ninth, anger and resentment; tenth, false views and doubt. These three are evils of the mind. Karma created by the mind is the most fundamental: it is the source of the ten evils. To cut off evil at its root, cultivate the foundations of the ten good actions.

The ten good actions include speaking truthfully and uprightly, conversing and reciting with kindness, being honest and humble, giving wealth to help others, maintaining integrity and chastity both inwardly and outwardly, rejoicing in and praising the good deeds of others, and reverently trusting the Three Treasures: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. With these ten good actions, the ten evils can be completely eliminated. Turning away from evil and toward good depends on the guidance of an enlightened teacher. A teacher should regard all disciples as their own children, and all living beings as their children too, keeping compassion in their heart and treating beings equally. Only forms of expression and etiquette need differ according to the relationship.

Letters and forms of address may differ when writing to or speaking with one’s own children, disciples, or relatives. When someone takes refuge in the Daoist tradition and becomes a disciple by virtue of the Dao, the teacher should treat them with humility and deference, without claiming a position of superiority. In letters or conversation, the teacher should show the disciple the same respect as anyone else. They may address each other as “you,” “servant,” “disciple,” or “inner chamber disciple”; after a long and close relationship, they may also simply call each other “I” and “you.” If a relative or ruler becomes a teacher’s disciple, the teacher should treat them as a disciple, refer to themself as the disciple’s teacher, and, when necessary, give their own name. Even if a disciple is highly learned, having become a disciple through karmic affinity, they should not become conceited and should continue to honor the teacher as before.

However, the rules of etiquette differ between those who leave home to cultivate the Dao and their worldly relatives. Relatives may treat one another according to their existing family ties, while also observing the teacher-disciple relationship; they should not treat that relationship entirely as a family bond. Some esoteric arts and miscellaneous disciplines forbid fathers and sons from teaching one another. Some prohibit instruction between relatives who are in mourning, while others stipulate that people of the same clan may not teach one another. In such cases, one must study with another teacher. These rules are restrictions specific to particular arts, not natural laws of the Dao. The natural Dao does not necessarily require one to seek another teacher. Throughout the ten directions, its principles are connected and do not become divided by closeness or distance.

The formal courtesies between master and disciple also apply after their families become related by marriage. Although marriage makes the two parties in-laws, their master-disciple roles and mutual respect should remain as before.

For example, if a master marries his disciple’s daughter, he should observe the courtesies of a son-in-law, while the disciple continues to honor his master as before. When they meet in ordinary circumstances, neither should accept the other’s formal bow. Before visiting, the disciple should ask the master to excuse him from bowing; when he arrives, he should still go outside to greet the master. The master should stop the disciple from bowing. Once they reach their seats, if the disciple tries to bow again, the master should once more ask him to refrain, and only then should the disciple stop. If the master does not come outside to greet him, the disciple may wait by the bed and bow when the master arrives. If the master stops him, the disciple should stop and not go against the master’s wishes. During ritual services, however, each should bow according to the ceremony, without declining the other’s courtesy. Greetings in their correspondence should not be omitted. At celebrations and funerals, clothing and ritual observances should likewise follow proper custom.

Even if a disciple becomes his master’s son-in-law, he should continue to repay the master’s kindness and respect as a disciple. Whether the master is of the older generation, a teacher, or a friend, he should be honored according to his established place in the lineage. Marriage between their families does not change this respect. If two people were already acquainted and one later became the other’s master, their former friendship may continue as before; if one honors the other as an elder, they should observe the master-disciple courtesies.

Men and women may also form master-disciple or fellow Daoist relationships. The principles of respectful greeting are the same as in other master-disciple relationships, and the established respect between master and disciple remains unchanged even if their families later become related by marriage. The formalities between men and women are broadly the same, but a male disciple cannot marry his female master, nor can a female master marry her male disciple. If they marry first, they may later become one another’s masters; if they first become master and disciple, they may not later marry. If they were married first and only later became master and disciple, they may continue in their original relationship; there is also a separate method for dissolving the marriage. Each person should follow the teaching of the lineage they received and observe it carefully, without rash criticism or doubt, lest they lose the orthodox rules.

Those of the highest cultivation need not dissolve their marriages; those of lower cultivation should do so. This teaching appears in the Jing of Wisdom. The foregoing concerns master-disciple relationships among those still living in ordinary worldly life.

The rules for a master conferring the transmission on a disciple are as follows:

After receiving the scriptures, one should spread their teachings far and wide. If someone looks up to the Dao and its teachings, one should seek out a transmission master for them—a person who oversees the transmission and guides them in receiving the scriptures. If the transmission master has died or departed, seek the register master, who records the lines of scripture transmission. If the register master, too, has departed, seek the scripture master, who teaches the texts. If all three masters are no longer present, seek someone they jointly instructed. If no such person can be found, seek the leading disciples of the three masters. If none can be found, seek those who once vouched for and witnessed the transmission. Only when all these people are unavailable may one entrust the person to someone of moral character fit to serve as a master.

Those receiving the scriptures should entrust their lives to such a master, accept their instruction and guidance, and establish a master-disciple relationship. When transmitting the teachings, one should count the people in one’s line of transmission individually. Only after the total reaches nine may one take disciples independently; before reaching nine, one should not presume to become a master. Violations of this rule are subject to severe scrutiny in the unseen realm, so the utmost care is required.

The rules governing a disciple’s departure or visits, as attested by a guarantor:

Whenever a disciple feels drawn to a particular Daoist method, they should first tell their current master that they wish to study it and receive instruction. If the master does not teach that method, they should direct the disciple to visit a particular master and, following proper custom, ask for instruction and receive the teaching. Sometimes the master does know the method but cannot pass it on because the disciple has a particular connection with another transmitter. In that case, there is no fixed restriction on the disciple receiving instruction from another master, but they should first inform their own master. Only after receiving the master’s consent may they go as they wish. Those who leave secretly without informing their master, or who leave in anger despite having informed the master but not received permission, cannot truly obtain the Daoist teaching.

If the disciple’s own master knows the other transmitter, they may make the request and entrust the matter to them, allowing the transmission to proceed smoothly and preventing suspicion between the two. If the masters do not know one another, but the disciple truly has the right connection to seek this teaching, they should not obstruct the disciple by force, lest resentment and wrongdoing arise. The transmitter should, however, inquire carefully into the disciple’s background. If the disciple’s own master is still alive, they must not accept the disciple casually. Those who act recklessly, repeatedly change course, study superficially, and lack focus should be jointly turned away, so that this kind of conduct does not begin to spread.

If the transmitter does not know the disciple’s own master, they should correspond by letter, ask in detail about the circumstances, and establish the disciple’s background. Only after both parties are satisfied that there is no cause for concern may the teaching be transmitted. If there are doubts, they should not reach a decision in haste, or they may bring serious trouble upon themselves. If the disciple’s former master has died, or lives far away and their status cannot be confirmed, the disciple’s sincere wish to seek the teaching may be taken into account with due compassion. The disciple should provide a written statement in their own hand, and people of standing at the time should attest to and guarantee their account. After three, five, seven, or nine people have jointly submitted a formal petition, the matter may then proceed according to the rules.

The scriptures and precepts, registers, and liturgical procedures (the rules governing Daoist practice and ritual) transmitted by the disciple’s former master should be preserved and respectfully upheld. They must not be treated with contempt, destroyed, or burned, or misfortune will follow. If the disciple later meets their former master, they should explain their questions truthfully and never conceal or deceive, thereby betraying their master and the divine beings. If the disciple has never taken a master or received a teaching, and truly has no former master, the teaching may be transmitted according to the procedures described above: a written statement in the disciple’s own hand, testimony and guarantees from others, and the other required steps.

The Third Precept Method for Newly Initiated Disciples Who Travel Elsewhere to Receive Teachings (Thirty-Fourth: Three precepts that newly initiated Daoists must observe when traveling elsewhere to receive teachings)

Those who have received the precepts but not the scriptures, or the scriptures but not the precepts, are still beginners diligently studying under their master. They must not leave and travel alone. When traveling, they should follow a virtuous master and separately receive and observe the Three Precepts. They should fast and purify themselves, go to the virtuous master, present a letter of intent, bow three times, and offer a hand towel and a knife as gifts. After receiving the precepts according to the ritual procedure, they should bow three more times and take this virtuous master as their teacher. They must not take on disciples or act as ritual masters on their own initiative. They must obey their master’s instructions and place themselves in the care of someone of outstanding virtue. They must not make their own decision before that person has agreed. In their daily conduct, and in deciding whether to stay or go, they must follow their master’s instructions.

Only after they have fully received both the scriptures and the precepts may they live on their own, gather disciples, and decide for themselves whether to stay or go. The Three Precepts are these: First, do not forget your parents; always remember the depth of their kindness. Second, do not forget the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the master—and always hold a reverent wish to honor and support them. Third, do not slight the Four Friends, your fellow Daoist practitioners; be willing to learn from one another through discussion.

The Thirty-Fifth Method: Celebrating, Mourning, and Other Matters Among Masters and Friends, and Their Advancement Beyond: Masters and friends who attain the Dao, and the Nine Intentions concerning whether to stay or go. (The text then restates the Three Precepts: do not forget one’s parents; honor and revere the Three Treasures; and learn from fellow Daoist practitioners through discussion.)

After their fellow disciples and friends attain the Dao, they ascend to different ranks among the nine grades of immortals. All should fast together to celebrate, encourage one another, and urge one another to persevere diligently. If a teacher or friend dies in accordance with their allotted fate, without any miraculous sign appearing, all should also fast together and pray for the protection of the Dark Dao. They should study the precepts and rules of cultivation with care, seeking long life through cultivating the Dao. If someone leaves home and the world behind, withdraws from worldly affairs, and makes the mountains and waters their dwelling, there is no need to weep; instead, devote oneself to contemplating the spirits.

If someone continues to live at court or among the people, maintaining marriage and official service and carrying on the affairs of the state and family, mourning should follow the rites: mourn for a teacher for three years, and for a friend for one year. Fellow disciples who practice different methods should wear mourning of the lesser five-month grade for one another; those of different schools who share similar aims and have worked together should wear mourning of the three-month hemp grade. One may weep, offer condolences, and hold a fast during the mourning period. The great method of cultivating the Dao is not, in itself, subject to these restrictions.

When performing a rite, first wash and bathe, change clothes, and then cultivate merit. On the first and fifteenth days of each month, and on festival days and auspicious occasions, stop mourning and hold a fast. On other days, if grief wells up, one may weep in the presence of guests. After they leave, restrain one’s sorrow and stop weeping; then wash one’s hands and bathe before taking part in a pure fast. It is not necessary to wash one’s hair every time.

When someone in one’s household dies, the rites should likewise follow the procedures for mourning a teacher or friend. Mourning rites have inner and outer aspects; though their details differ somewhat, they are broadly similar. No book can describe every circumstance, so one may infer what to do from comparable cases. Mourning varies according to closeness of relationship and social rank, and is especially difficult to explain fully. One should act respectfully according to the circumstances, consulting the ancient rites, and this will prevent serious mistakes. One must not set aside mourning for one’s parents, whether they are on the paternal or maternal side. The strengths and shortcomings of ritual systems have changed across the generations, ancient and modern. Moreover, the transmission between teachers and friends has sometimes been interrupted, and ritual rules cannot remain fixed forever. The rites commonly practiced are complete, and their general principles are not hard to understand. To understand them yet fail to put them into practice is not the conduct of a worthy person; to see what is appropriate and fail to do it is a lack of courage. Those with a resolute and courageous aspiration should uphold and promote both inner cultivation and outward ritual.

The Thirty-Sixth Method: Knowing for Oneself the Merits That Lead to Ascension

Those who study the Dao at the highest level and cultivate it for many years must surely become different from ordinary people. With refined understanding and insight into the mysterious, they should in time stand out from the rest. Even if their virtue is not yet complete, they should know how to conduct themselves in their actions. To know what one ought to do in this life and yet fail to do it is a lack of courage. Those with a resolute and courageous aspiration should uphold and promote both inner cultivation and outward ritual.

After many years of cultivating the highest Dao, one will inevitably come to stand apart from others, with profound understanding and lofty insight, and in time naturally rise above the ordinary. Even if one’s De (Virtue/Power) is not yet complete, one’s actions will surely show a clear sense of what is appropriate. One can discern, in a person’s conduct from birth to adulthood, what is good and what is evil; whether they repent after doing evil and continue to accumulate De after doing good; and the number, degree, and visibility of their good and evil deeds.

The principles have become full within the heart, and one’s methods have been put to the test. Even when the physical form has dispersed, the mind and spirit should still know. If one’s cultivated merit is sufficient to benefit the world, one may be reborn once after death, then die and be reborn again. Those of lesser attainment may pass through three, five, seven, or nine cycles of death and rebirth. Those who reach the corresponding level need not grieve at death. They should choose the date in advance, take leave of everyone before departing, and pass their scriptures and talismans and registers to a suitable person. Everything they personally carry should be returned to their original master. If that master has already ascended to immortality and transcended the world, the items should be entrusted to the grotto-heavens and abyssal palaces, the dwelling places of Daoist immortals. Arrangements should also be made for a residence, clothing, and the means of daily life, and descendants and disciples should be given instructions. One should also prepare a Zhaijiao (purification ritual), with altars, scripture recitation, and offerings to the gods among its rites, and use the Five Refinements to protect and stabilize the remains. The body may later be reborn, and in a new life one may also enter a womb. The form this transformation takes depends on the items carried in life, the De accumulated, and one’s achievements in protection and refinement, charitable giving, and meritorious deeds. As merit continues to grow, rebirth will bring one into harmony with the Dao more quickly.

Those who have not reached this level may undergo ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand deaths and rebirths. Their descendants should establish rites of purification and pray on their behalf, give generously, do good, help others, and always hold the wish to deliver the deceased.

If one’s resolve reaches the level described above, but one’s methods differ from the Five Refinements, the body and spirit may depart together, or a sword or staff may remain behind as a substitute. The ways in which such people appear or conceal themselves vary. They leave behind rules for cultivation and a reputation, transmit scriptures, establish laws, and widely aid later generations. They therefore need not rely on others to perform Zhaijiao on their behalf.

Those whose cultivation is still shallow cannot yet depart with body and spirit together. They therefore follow the course of time and practice the art of “leaving the body behind”: refining and nurturing the spirit so that it ascends, while the corpse is left buried underground. At burial, one must choose a suitable grave site and determine how many people will share the tomb, arranging the burial so it does not alarm the common world. This is called “hiding one’s radiance”—remaining concealed and unseen.

As for the more secret methods, one must quietly observe the contours of mountains and rivers, arrange sacrificial rites to welcome and gather the spirits, and find a way to keep the corpse from decaying. If it does decay, one again practices leaving the body behind, refining the spirit so that it ascends while the corpse remains buried underground. The burial likewise requires choosing a site and determining how many people will share the tomb, so that people do not become suspicious or alarmed. This, too, is called “hiding one’s radiance.” If the corpse does not decay, one can be reborn, and in the end become one with the spirits.

The workings of Heaven and Earth show no partiality, and the spirits ultimately return to unity. Beneath the earth, the Azure Dragon guards the breath of life; mysterious Qi dispels evil and wrongdoing. The Black Tortoise preserves the body, while the White Tiger’s roar shakes the eight directions. In this way, the body is temporarily hidden, and flesh can grow again upon dry bones. A failing body regains its vitality, and a withered form is once more renewed. First cultivate the spirit, then cultivate the body, blending spirit and form into one. This is the wondrous method of refining form and spirit, and the essential key to becoming a perfected being. If one practices it diligently and faithfully, its blessings can endure for generations.

The Azure Dragon guards the breath of life, rises to the mysterious realm, and dispels evil and wrongdoing; the Black Tortoise preserves the body, while the White Tiger’s roar shakes the eight directions.

When laying someone to rest, a propitious tomb can be made by measuring nine paces and nine feet from the rear of the grave. This spot is called “Above the Mysterious, Warding Off Wrong.” It is said to summon such spirits as the Spirit of the Imperial Canopy and the King of Qi, and Zhao Zidu of the Hundred Taboos of Tombs, and compel them to obey. In this way, they subdue the earth spirits of the Five Directions and turn misfortune into blessing. If a noble or royal household wishes to use the method called “Summoning and Concealing the Dipper,” measure nine feet from the grave; commoners should measure five. Take a stone three feet square or round, inscribe it with talismanic writing, and bury it three feet underground.

Foolish people in the world copy out thousands upon thousands of taboos to no purpose. Who among them can truly distinguish good fortune from ill and understand the Four Forms? Whether a grave can avoid danger depends on the method of “Warding Off Wrong”: a grave may be made through this method, and it may also be ruined through it. These principles are beyond the understanding of ordinary people. If one can apply this art with care, one’s descendants will no longer suffer the calamities associated with burial. Knowing how to subdue a tomb makes it possible to suppress all manner of taboos and turn ill fortune into good. Possessing this method can keep a grave auspicious for a long time, but it must not be spread indiscriminately.

The inscription on the stone reads: “The Heavenly Emperor commands the King of Qi in the tomb below ground, the spirits of the Five Directions, Zhao Gongming, and the others: A ruler, noble, official, or common man or woman of such-and-such a state, named so-and-so, lived for such-and-such years. In life, they received pure and upright Qi; in death, their body returns to the spirit palace, their form withdraws into the netherworld, and they dwell in stillness within the realm of emptiness and purity. Drive away and keep at a distance every taboo. Do not recklessly cause mischief or harm the vital energy. Ensure that their descendants flourish and multiply, attain the Nine Achievements in civil governance and the Seven Virtues in military affairs, and remain eminent through every generation, enduring without end like Heaven and Earth. Let this command be carried out in accordance with the statutes of the Nine Heavens below.”

When putting this method into practice, one must be extremely careful and let no one else know. When building a tomb, if one encounters an inauspicious configuration such as the Wangxiang punishments and harms, or finds other defects, these can all be suppressed with tomb-protecting talismans. Nothing is beyond their power to suppress; they can even turn ill fortune into auspicious signs.

Fan Youchong was a Gentleman of the Secretariat during the Han dynasty, well versed in the geomancy of land and terrain, and devoted to studying burial sites and residences. He attained the Dao at the end of the Wei dynasty. When he was young, he once said, “At the burial site I have now, the Azure Dragon receives the original Qi; the celestial dark Qi wards off evil and harm; the Black Tortoise, the spirit creature of the north, guides and escorts; and the White Tiger, the spirit creature of the west, roars and shakes the eight directions. This is probably an immortal’s grotto dwelling, a place to refine and nourish the body and to lay away the physical form—a superior and auspicious tomb.”

Xin Xuanzi said, “From childhood, a person may accumulate good deeds and cultivate De, cherish compassion, care for all beings, and at the same time practice the Way of longevity, discerning and guarding the treasures within the body—that is, the Jing, Qi, and Shen of body and mind. Even possessing such a burial site serves only to reveal the principle by which life begins and ends. As for one whose spirit and Qi are complete, whose virtue is perfected, whose radiance of De gathers and shines through the subtle inner gateways, how could such a person remain forever an insentient, decaying thing, never to come forth anew? The person who possesses this tomb may be said to have followed the course of the times.”

The Lord of the Azure Lad said to the Perfected Lord of the Western City, Wang Jun, “Fan Youchong was eager to advance and learn, and devoted himself wholeheartedly and diligently; thus he was able to attain complete understanding and clarity. He knew that the tomb where he had entrusted his body bore four auspicious signs, and spoke of them in order to reveal his own merit with restraint. He had his reasons for doing so, and also meant to encourage those who would attain the Dao in later generations. Those who ascend together with body and spirit into the Dao are called immortals. Those who relinquish the physical body and entrust themselves to the realm of the dead, yet still establish merit, advance in their studies, and attain the Dao, are called numinous beings. The numinous being Xin Xuanzi was also a person of the Han dynasty. His talent, understanding, practice, and accomplishments were sufficient to place him among the sages and perfected beings, but the karmic burdens of his previous lives had not yet been entirely dispelled. Although he once held an office among the ghosts, before long he will become a great immortal. Thus he understands the wondrous virtue embodied in the four auspicious signs. Those who accord with this Way should cherish and preserve these teachings, and must not pass them on casually.”

Those who practice the Great Vehicle of the Upper Way—a path of cultivation whose aim is to save all beings and serve the world through meritorious deeds—should cultivate themselves and guide others. They should not flee to the remote mountains. Mountains and forests are cut off from the human world; at most, they allow people of lesser or middling capacity to avoid desire, prepare medicines, test methods, and investigate unusual secret remedies. These are small acts of virtue, not the foundation for accomplishing great deeds.

There is nowhere in the mountains to establish merit by serving the world. One should therefore enter the towns, markets, and courts, initiate and manage public affairs, copy scriptures, proclaim the wondrous teachings, support the state, and aid people in troubled times. Work diligently with compassion: restrain wrongdoing and promote good, persevere without slackening, uphold the right path and correct what is wrong, and make rewards and punishments fair and measured.

When laws are drawn up and precepts established, some provisions may not all be put into practice. If they are to be enforced, improper conduct must be rooted out. Punishing a fault is meant to warn those who come after; correcting one person can set many others straight. One should feel sorrow and compassion for people, pitying the foolish who have fallen into punishment, and hope they will quickly mend their ways and awaken: while alive, they can still change, but after death it is difficult to recover. They should change their hearts, abandon darkness, and turn toward the light. In this way, even punishment can benefit people without stirring resentment. A punishment that arouses no resentment bears the name of punishment, but is not the same as killing.

The sages do not count killing people as an achievement. Their divine might lies in helping people establish virtue and turn from wrongdoing toward goodness. Without merit and virtue, one cannot attain the Dao. Demons will come to disrupt and test practitioners, making it difficult for them to advance. One must therefore quickly accumulate every kind of merit, eliminate evil and shameful conduct, and pass through many ordeals before one can cultivate oneself into a Perfected Person. To seek perfection recklessly without merit is false cultivation, like hoping to walk with severed feet: one can never take a successful step.

When one’s cultivation of the Dao has not yet reached completion, and one encounters dangerous times or a poor harvest, one should temporarily enter the mountains to take refuge. At such times, it is especially important to understand the appropriate methods, for mountains are inhabited by spirits and beings that must not be offended. One should also avoid staying in the same place for too long, lest one incur their resentment and harm. Strange lights and marvels, sudden calamities, terrifying apparitions, or illness and injury may arise, disrupting one’s cultivation and making it difficult to succeed in one’s efforts. After three years, one may move elsewhere and choose a suitable place to rest and dwell. On arriving at a famous mountain, one should go and pay one’s respects; this applies even if one merely registers one’s name there. One should practice cultivation, burn incense, visualize the spirits in the mind, and use divination to determine what is auspicious or inauspicious. One should report to and pray to the mysterious spirits, and repair and organize the scriptures. One’s living arrangements may vary: one may live with others or alone, in company or by oneself; in every case, adapt to the circumstances. Zhaijiao rites must follow the prescribed liturgy, and all comings, goings, and actions must accord with the rules. In this way, one may dwell there for a long time—even a thousand years—regardless of whether one attains the Dao.

Some people in this life live among mountains and forests, by the water, or in the countryside, whether because of ties passed down through their family from a former life or because of signs and experiences in their early years. This is not necessarily bad, nor is it necessarily good. Good and bad still depend on one’s daily conduct: actions arise from the heart, and the heart, in turn, is nourished through the practice of the Dao. The cultivation of the Dao has orthodox liturgical rules. One should give it one’s full attention, nourish Shen and Qi (vital energy), seek out the scriptures, and follow one’s teachers and elders. At home, one should honor one’s parents; in public life, serve one’s ruler; and in daily life, heed the guidance of teachers and friends. One should set the heart straight and cultivate oneself, beginning with what is simple and gradually advancing toward what is subtle, while studying diligently and without pause. Whether traveling among mountains and waters, riding in boats or carts, traveling by ox or horse, or facing circumstances involving men and women, high and low status, public and private life, one should carefully observe the rules. Clothing and conduct should be simple and appropriate, avoiding excess and deficiency. One should report to and pray to the mysterious spirits, and follow the rules in every action and stillness.

Though such a person lives among mountains and waters, their life remains connected with the human world. Mountains symbolize benevolence, and water symbolizes wisdom. Spirits and humans interact; when people practice benevolence and wisdom, they can accord with the spirits and receive good fortune. Lesser spirits will assist them, and greater spirits will protect them. Through long practice, benevolence and wisdom grow ever deeper. Then, by conducting oneself with the Dao and De, propriety, righteousness, sincerity, and harmony, one ultimately becomes united with spirits both great and small.

Whether they study the Dao and cultivate the Way while living in the mountains or in secular society, their outward lives need not differ greatly. What matters is to devote themselves to cultivation and observe its rules with care. Even while living among ordinary people, they should keep their household quiet and their rooms clean. Altars, halls, rooms, wells, latrines, and bathing places, as well as food, incense, lamps, clothing, utensils, bedding, daily conduct, comings and goings, boats and carts, oxen and horses, and other livestock should all be arranged according to the regulations. They must not follow their own wishes in defiance of the rules. If their conduct falls below that of ordinary people, they will fail to accomplish anything and cannot be called cultivators of the highest order.

Cultivators of the highest order can “blend their light with the dust”—restraining their brilliance and living among ordinary people. They temper their sharpness and resolve conflicts, appearing much like everyone else while pursuing a different inner cultivation. They wear talismans and observe sacred taboo names, regulate their breathing and preserve their original Qi (vital energy), and accumulate De (Virtue/Power) through meritorious deeds. Such cultivation is beyond the measure of ordinary people. After fasting, abstaining, and confessing their faults, they wear and uphold sacred texts, including Daoist scriptures and registers. If their prayers still go unanswered, their offenses may not yet have been pardoned, so they should make a further, thorough confession. The “fasting and confession” mentioned here is a ritual practice of seeking absolution through abstinence, prostrations, and the declaration of one’s faults.

From the emperor down to commoners, everyone has a duty to raise descendants and repay the kindness of their ancestors. To fail to repay kindness, or to focus only on gains and losses and commit further offenses in the act of repayment, brings mutual resentment and distress. This is unwise. Those lacking wisdom are often stubborn and closed-minded, unable to understand how things fit together. They cannot restrain themselves from doing good, tolerate differing opinions, endure humiliation, yield to others, bear hardship, live in poverty, or remain at ease in comfort. Excessive pleasure makes them arrogant; excessive hardship makes them resentful. They grow irritated at the sound of their parents’ voices and hostile at the sight of their elders, remaining restless day and night and looking for ways to escape. Some even dislike the sound of their descendants’ voices, envy and harm the young, and shove one another about to show off their strength. Such violations of the rules all reveal a lack of wisdom.

Cultivators should proclaim the Way of the spirit and Qi, affirm the sacred teachings, continue the Daoist tradition, and extend life. They should support one another, cherish one another, teach one another, stop doing evil, practice good, and reflect on themselves day and night. They should correct their faults at once and firmly follow what they know to be right. They should treat others with humility and deference, neither competing to lead nor fighting; when offering advice, they should speak calmly and not quarrel. They should nourish the spirit with the Qi of Heaven and Earth, speak gently, breathe evenly, walk slowly and composedly, and sit and lie down with proper decorum. Their actions should be clear and deliberate, and they should be careful in their comings and goings. Together they should return to the source, remove what is deviant and uphold what is right, discard the turbid and preserve the pure, erase names from the register of the dead and enter them in the register of the living. They should willingly bear others’ hardships without resentment, take joy in saving people and aiding the world while also exercising restraint and avoiding indulgence. They should not stray from the Dao and then regret it, conceal their own failings, or ask questions merely to prove themselves right. They should not agree to someone’s face and defy them behind their back; they should be consistent within and without. Such people are wise.

The wise can study and cultivate together. Those who lack wisdom should be approached with caution; do not speak to them lightly about the higher Dao. Speaking of the higher Dao at the wrong time may bring blame or even severe punishment, so one should guard one’s words and keep silent in order to secure good fortune. Fortune and official rank gather around one another, and the wise, too, find one another. If there is no teacher or fellow cultivator to rely on, and one encounters precepts and regulations while cultivating alone, one should carefully examine one’s past and present conduct and intentions. Whatever conflicts with the precepts should be repented of and corrected quickly; whatever accords with them should be upheld to the end. Repenting of offenses can turn misfortune into good fortune. A fasting rite may be performed for oneself or for another, and should be adapted to the season and the place.

Headscarves, caps, clothing, shoes, incense, oil, halls, ritual spaces, beds, curtains, scriptures, and the implements needed for offerings should all be provided in accordance with the precepts. What is needed should not be lacking, and what is not permitted should not be used indiscriminately. The arrangements may be splendid or plain, but should observe a suitable measure; both abundance and frugality must follow the rules. The relevant regulations are scattered through various scriptures and are not easy to gather all at once. Cultivators should choose the rules suited to their own level. Three groups of precepts are especially important. The first is the High Holy, Most True, Five Emperors and Four Poles: Clear Regulations, divided into upper and lower palaces. The second is the Great Mystery, Left Palace, Azure Lad of the Four Poles, Thirty-One Scrolls of the Independent Precious Scripture: Clear Regulations and Statutes, which has right, central, and left palaces. The third is the Most High Ninefold Truth: Clear Regulations, divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

The Clear Regulations of the Four Poles say that cultivation should follow the Way of the Seven Classics. It is said that at the hour of the Snake, on the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month in the gengchen year, the True Lord of the Northern Pole removed impurity and welcomed fragrance, bringing the spirits together with the Seven Classics. The Seven Classics teach benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, the Dao, and De. The aim of studying the Dao is to attain utmost De. Utmost De comes from the Great Dao, but the Great Dao is deep and distant, and the journey to seek it is long. Therefore, the practice of goodness begins with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. These qualities strengthen one another and lead, step by step, to the Dao and De.

The text uses the generation cycle of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to explain the sequence of the five virtues: benevolence belongs to Wood, righteousness to Metal, propriety to Fire, wisdom to Water, and trustworthiness to Earth. It then describes their succession as “the Water of benevolence giving rise to Fire, Fire giving rise to Earth, trustworthiness giving rise to Metal through righteousness, Metal giving rise to Water through wisdom, and Water giving rise to the De that opens the way.” From De, one proceeds to the Great Dao. The Great Dao is endless and inexhaustible; it enables eternal life and perpetual stillness and purity. It can be formless or manifest, and is the most exalted state. Benevolence, too, has the power to prolong life; righteousness makes distinctions, propriety sets limits, wisdom enables understanding, and trustworthiness brings harmony. When all five virtues are complete, this is called “the ultimate fulfillment of utmost De.” When the five virtues merge with the Dao, this is called the Great Dao.

The “Seven Classics” refers both to the texts of cultivation and to the ideas of a path, following, constancy, rectitude, and accomplishment. A path is straight and easy to travel; following it allows one to advance; practicing it constantly keeps one moving without obstruction. The right path governs deviant conduct and can turn failure into success. Warp and weft are interwoven and work together. The ancient figures Xuansu, the Yellow Emperor, Rongcheng, Peng Keng, Wu Xian, and Chen She all studied the Seven Classics, explained the principles of Yin-Yang, and placed the nurturing of all things first. They were not the only ones: the deeds they left behind, too, are included in the Way of the Seven Classics. Tianmen and Yuzi also transmitted this teaching.

The scripture criticizes outer Confucian learning for having lost the foundation of the Dao. It does not know that the Dao is the source of Confucian learning and that Confucian learning is only its outgrowth; without understanding the relation between root and branch, it is difficult to attain long life. The text also criticizes worldly customs for descending into licentiousness. Among the Five Confucian Classics, the Book of Songs begins with “Guanju,” while the Rites emphasize marriage and the continuation of the family line. Continuing one’s lineage has long been considered important, and having no descendants has been regarded as a grave offense. Yet when people do not understand the Qi of men and women or the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang, they hear such teachings and respond with suspicion and mockery, thereby bringing misfortune upon themselves. This is truly regrettable.

Those who are wise understand this and can return to the inner Dao while also setting Confucian learning in order through its principles. Beginning with the Book of Songs, the Rites, the Commentaries, and the Book of Changes, they then study the Book of Documents, the Classic of Music, and the Classic of Filial Piety, setting aside the lesser details and honoring the root. Filial piety accords with the Dao, and the teaching of music accords with De. The Dao and De are vast and profound; benevolence and righteousness are made complete, propriety and wisdom are practiced constantly, and trustworthiness is never diminished. In this way one returns from branch to root and from the outer to the inner. This is the work of studying and cultivating the Dao at the highest level.

The “Seven Classics” are the seven fundamental precepts that Daoist practitioners should cultivate together.

The first is the Classic of Benevolence. Men and women marry through mutual affection, become husband and wife, and have children, allowing humanity to continue from generation to generation.

The second is the Classic of Propriety. After birth, people gradually grow up; once they reach adulthood, they must not act without restraint. Husbands should be upright and wives chaste. There should be distinctions between the inner and outer spheres, and people of higher and lower status should respect one another, live in harmony, and observe proper limits.

The third is the Classic of Trustworthiness. Once people understand harmony and restraint, they must also care for those near and far. In court and among the people alike, they should be loyal and honest, neither betraying nor letting one another down.

The fourth is the Classic of Righteousness. Once people understand loyalty and honesty, they must understand giving and receiving, punish wrongdoing and reward good conduct, and help one another so that they can accomplish things together.

The fifth is the Classic of Wisdom. Once people understand rewards and punishments, they must also prevent injustice and the excessive use of either. They should ensure that matters are handled appropriately and that communication flows between those above and below, eliminate evil, and return to the right path.

The sixth is the Classic of Virtue. It governs evil and preserves the right path, keeps the five virtues in balance without favoritism, and does not cause people to suffer. In this way, peace and happiness can endure.

The seventh is Dao and Virtue. It makes peace and happiness last and brings them to the highest level. The highest virtue does not claim to possess virtue. It transforms the people and establishes achievements, then steps back once those achievements are complete. The expedient ways of handling affairs are inexhaustible.

All who study the Dao should cultivate these Seven Classics together. Each person differs in how deeply they understand and practice each one, and each has their own strengths. Someone who understands the Classic of Benevolence more deeply may be less accomplished in other areas. Those whose practice is limited are not given a special designation; those who practice more deeply are named accordingly. The designation “Classic of Benevolence” also includes the contents of propriety, righteousness, trustworthiness, wisdom, virtue, and Dao; these five are broadly alike, while Dao encompasses more. When practice in all areas is modest but balanced, it is called the Great Dao, because everything takes it as its root.

The six kinds of Dao each have their own strengths.

The first is the Dao of Benevolence, whose strength lies in having many descendants.

The second is the Dao of Propriety, whose strength lies in reverence and humility, which quiet greed and contention.

The third is the Dao of Trustworthiness, whose strength lies in honesty and fidelity, which remove deceit and empty show.

The fourth is the Dao of Righteousness, whose strength lies in judging right and wrong decisively, supporting what is auspicious and good, and cutting away what is inauspicious and evil.

The fifth is the Dao of Wisdom, whose strength lies in resolving doubts and obstacles, and bringing falsehood back to truth.

The sixth is “De and the Dao.” Its hallmark is to do good without boasting of one’s merit, and to hold firmly to the right path without going astray, thereby entering the Great Dao. The Great Dao has no fixed name and never departs; it is revered by both the heavenly gods and the people of the world.

Those who understand the inner methods of the Dao bring the Yin and Yang energies into union and circulate their breath according to prescribed rules, with the length of each breath following the instructions in the scriptures. In this way, they can avert calamities and misfortune, treat illness and prolong life, pray for blessings, fulfill their wishes, and seek to become immortals. Even after studying the Seven Scriptures extensively, one should still respond to urgent difficulties with the appropriate methods and put into practice the Daoist ways of benevolence, propriety, trustworthiness, righteousness, wisdom, De, and the Dao.

Practicing the way of benevolence can ward off rebellion and theft, prevent killing and injury, prolong life, and increase one’s number of descendants. Practicing the way of propriety can dispel humiliation, illicit relations, slanderous talk, and envy. Practicing the way of trustworthiness can calm people’s resentments and enmities, and correct broken agreements, betrayal of trust, broken promises, and falsehoods. Practicing the way of righteousness can punish the overbearing, suppress bandits, and drive away acts of cruelty and violence. Practicing the way of wisdom can remove delusion and deceit, resolve grievances, relieve distress and illness, and lengthen life. Practicing the way of De can dissolve envy and resentment, put an end to the pursuit of fame, dispel inauspicious sounds and influences, and bring music into harmonious accord. It makes the principles of the numbers five, six, seven, eight, and nine complete; it holds fast to the One, which governs the myriad things, and remains clear, neither diminished nor excessive. Practicing the way of the Dao means following Wuwei (non-action) while also acting when needed, nurturing and transforming the myriad things, and establishing laws and principles so that matters both hidden and visible are addressed. Its transformations accord with the times, without bounds or end.

End of Volume Nine, Spring Section, The Cavern of Truth: Supreme Lord’s Book of the Vast Empyrean Jade Writ.

The Cavern of Truth: Supreme Lord’s Book of the Vast Empyrean Jade Writ, Volume Ten: Going Forth and Returning on the Way

Instructions for Those Who Have Attained the Dao but Have Not Yet Left the World (Thirty-Eighth)

Those who have attained the Dao should respond to changing circumstances and come into the world to teach and transform people. Before withdrawing and leaving the world, they should regularly speak of the Three Hundred and Sixty Precepts and recite the Chapters of the Mysterious Course in the Ten Directions on the day of their birth-year stem-branch, at noon or at midnight—during the Zi or Wu hour. They should instruct those who have not yet attained the Dao, so that they may cultivate together with one heart. If they do not know their birth-year day, they should choose a Jiazi day, fast and purify themselves, then enter a room. Whether sitting or lying down may be decided according to the person, but they must remain focused, careful, and discreet; in this way, results should come quickly.

Teach the 360 precepts around the transition between zi and wu hours (the “midpoint of zi and wu”), and recite the Chapters on the Mysterious Qualities That Pervade the Ten Directions. Instruct those who have not yet attained the Dao to cultivate together with one mind. If you do not know the date of your natal destiny, observe purification and practice in seclusion on a jiazi day, one of the days in the sexagenary cycle. You may sit or lie down according to your own habits; as long as you are focused and careful, the practice will quickly show its efficacy.

Yunwuzi was born on the first day of the third month and came from the Boundless Heaven. At eighteen, he took his place among the Kings of Great Zhen. After the Three Primordials—the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primordials of Daoist teaching—descended with their instructions, he went to the Jade Heaven to pay homage. He then ascended to the Palace of Great Being and practiced purification in the Hall of Luminous Clouds. Auspicious signs and wondrous manifestations appeared in response, and a round halo formed behind his neck. The Lord of the Void Emperor bestowed the Book of Jade Writing on him. He devoted himself to reciting the Emperor’s Chapters and took charge of the registers listing the names of the myriad immortals: above, he governed the boundless realms; below, he administered the limitless domains. All beneath the heavens belonged to the jurisdiction of the King of Great Zhen.

The Great Zhen established the liturgy, using the Book of Jade Writing to guide practitioners from the beginning to the end of their cultivation. The Jade Emperor of the Void Emperor received this book from the Ninefold Mystery. Its slips were made of gold and its chapters inscribed on jade; golden threads bound together the jade characters, which were kept in a hidden treasury in the Nine Heavens. The King of Great Zhen secretly transmitted this method to bring aid throughout the ten directions, dividing the complete book into ten scrolls and thirty-nine chapters. Recitation enables one to commune with the Dao. The ten scrolls are further divided into thirty-nine sections. Anyone who practices the many scriptures should first study the Book of Jade Writing. By doing so, one can summon the myriad Perfected and subdue the host of demons.

Yunwuzi practiced no other Daoist methods, reciting only the Emperor’s Chapters. In this way, he received the Three Primordials’ instructions and rose to the rank of King of Great Zhen. If he had also practiced other scriptures, after first mastering this method, would he not have reached the Jade Capital—the heavenly palace of Daoist tradition—even more swiftly, and united with the Supreme One?

The Perfected of Mount Taihua, the Lord of Long Life of the Three Heavens, the Perfected of Great Harmony, Laozi of the Eastern Florescence, the Lord Who Oversees Prohibitions at the Southern Pole, the Marquis of the Western Terrace, the Perfected One at the Center of the Northern Emperor, the Jade Son of the Nine Spirits, the Perfect Consort of Great Spirit, the Jade Lad of Red Essence, Master Dark Valley, Red Pine of Mount Heng, Wang Qiao of Mount Zhong, the Perfected of Purple Yang, Lord Wang of the Western City, Master Central Emperor, Zhao Boxuan, and Shan Zhongzong—eighteen people in all—are now transmitting and practicing this method among themselves. If later students in other branches of the lineage obtain this text, they too will surely be counted among the 360,000 and be able to meet the Sage Lord of the Golden Palace. From then on, they will be free of sorrow and trouble.

The Most High of the North, a revered deity in Daoism, has transmitted this scripture through the generations. Later students in other lineages, if they come to obtain this text, will surely be counted among the three hundred and sixty thousand and will be able to behold the sacred lord of the Golden Palace, a revered deity who dwells there. From then on, they will know no more sorrow or calamity.

The Most High of the North praises the Dao:

The Most High reveals the profound and wondrous principles of the Dao, spreading the true text in radiant splendor. Heavenly treasures scatter in abundance and are revered throughout the ten directions. The Dao has neither beginning nor end, and transcends light and darkness. Looking upward, one ascends to the Jade Capital Terrace, a celestial paradise, and rests at ease on Kunlun. One escapes the winding city of springs, the realm of the dead, while even the demon kings long to hear this Dao. The ancestors of seven generations are thereby taught and reborn, and I too can untie the grievances left from past lives. Entering, I ride the radiance of Flying Mystery; departing, I travel upon purple clouds.

The Most High of the Northeast praises the Dao:

Layer upon layer of radiance shines upon Jade Dawn, the celestial realm. Riding the light, one opens the way to perfect awakening. In the lofty halls of the Cavern of Truth, where its scriptures and teachings are enshrined, the seven treasures gleam. With a single turn of the mind, one can cross the eight hardships, the obstacles that impede the practice of the Dao, and remain forever alongside the Most High. Turning in a circling dance, one offers yellow radiance; sunlike brilliance rises from the void. People of the world know only shallow, worldly teachings and have never heard the scripture of wisdom. The precepts of the Cavern of Truth are vast and profound; through wondrous resonance, they can bring even demon kings to submission. Ten thousand eons are like a single breath. Why concern oneself with a lifespan of a thousand billion years?

The Most High of the East praises the Dao:

The Most High embodies the Great Nonbeing, the supreme formless essence, transforms his form, and saves those sunk in distress. He devises and proclaims wondrous methods of protection, praised as well by the celestial immortals. Those with affinity will reveal themselves within the scripture; those without affinity will keep it stored away. Whoever obtains this Great Dao will grow a halo above the head, cast off the body’s bonds, and drift freely into the immortal realm.

The Most High of the Southeast praises the Dao:

In nonbeing, there is no limit, no boundary; in being, one rests in peace and returns to mystery. The celestial writings are unsurpassed in beauty, and the wondrous teaching has its own key. The wheel of the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the master—turns and revolves, illuminating the ten directions. The Most High gazes upon the Jade Capital, while demon kings laugh in the sky. The Heavenly Emperor clasps his hands and sings; the immortals ride through the air and cry out. As flowers are scattered, one holds the mind steady and recites; the eight aspirations are naturally transcended.

Immortals ride auspicious clouds and drive dragons above the hidden, mysterious waters. In harmony with the true Dao, they manifest auspicious signs and wash their feet in the eight great rivers. The fulfillment of blessings was beyond my power to foresee, yet through it I escaped the snares of Heaven. With Dao and De as their mirror, they behold the Three Realms and transcend even the nets spread across the earth. Through spiritual response, they encounter and gather with the numinous and true; with clear wisdom, they pass through the realm of lotuses.

Hymn of the Most High in the Southwest:

The Unsurpassed Awakened One teaches beings in all four directions, carrying them beyond the vast, boundless world. The hidden and the manifest each have their own causes; without the hidden, the manifest could not be revealed. Beings follow the mysterious paths to arrive, while true immortals gather in splendid celestial realms. They often roam through the broad, limitless space between Heaven and Earth. Celestial beings meet them, and the realms they behold have no bounds.

Hymn of the Most High in the West:

The wondrous Dao is entrusted to visible traces; celestial beings, too, have a crossing that leads to the farther shore. They sail across an unfathomably deep abyss, ever fearful that winds and waves will scatter their boat. The fulfillment of this bond springs from strength accumulated in past ages. Who can reckon the wisdom and opportunity it entails? As the mysterious pivot turns slowly onward, the causes of things become clear. The exceptionally perceptive responders to the Dao play numinous zithers in the sky. They quiet their thoughts and reverently pay homage in the ten directions; whether they stay or depart, they feel no longing for what they leave behind.

Hymn of the Most High in the Northwest:

The Most High expounds profound scriptures, ever fearful that winds and waves will scatter their boat. The fulfillment of this bond springs from strength accumulated in past ages. Who can reckon the wisdom and opportunity it entails? As the mysterious pivot turns slowly onward, the causes of things become clear. The exceptionally perceptive responders to the Dao play numinous zithers in the sky. They quiet their thoughts and reverently pay homage in the ten directions; whether they stay or depart, they feel no longing for what they leave behind.

Hymn of the Most High in the Northwest:

The Most High expounds profound scriptures, and the worthy turn toward the opportunities of the Great Dao. The garden of the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters revered in Daoism—is pure and still, while the conditions for my cultivation flourish in splendor. Boshi and rujing, terms for methods of cultivation in the original, purify the substance of body and mind and refine them into a golden body. Through the final kalpa and the new kalpa, their numinous countenances grow ever fresher. Those who hope to be delivered pay homage to the Unsurpassed Great Dao, and wondrous scriptures descend into the realm of utmost truth. The groves of the Dao flourish in the Celestial Capital, their radiance shining down upon immortals everywhere. The Most High calmly displays numinous might and proclaims the Great Dao without limit.

Hymn of the Most High Above:

The Most High surveys the ten directions; a gentle breeze spreads warmth and softness everywhere. The perfect radiance illuminates □ the Three Luminaries, and perfected beings wear celestial robes. The Demon King stands with hands clasped, waiting beside Fengjing, the capital of the underworld. The radiance of the sun and moon is briefly obscured, yet the Seven Treasures shine without end. At this moment, all beings perform acts of goodness; calamities vanish, and the hells are brought to a halt. The realm of the Infinite Venerable One is deep and unfathomable; neither celestial beings nor mortals can fully comprehend it.

The Supreme One below praises:

The perfect numinous light shines upon the sun, moon, and stars; the perfected person wears the robes of the celestial realm. The demon king stands with hands joined in reverence, while the spirit who receives and guides visitors waits beside Fengdu, the city of the underworld. Even the radiance of the sun and moon is obscured, yet the Seven Treasures shine without end. At this time, all beings seek to cultivate and practice; disasters will then be dispelled, and the torments of hell will cease. The great and immeasurable venerable spirit cannot be fathomed by either immortals or ordinary people.

The Supreme One below praises:

The Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the master revered in Daoism—extend throughout the ten directions, circulating clearly through the air and following the principles of transformation. At a single thought, a resonance is made, and the Dharma Wheel rises. Amid the deep, the bright, and the dark, terraces and halls all take form; between the unreal and the real, nothing is beyond manifestation. Mountains and ridges rise in their vast multitude. The Supreme One’s heart clings to no thoughts: dispelling delusion, he returns to the hidden and mysterious realm and ascends.

The “Hymn of Wandering Through the Mystery of the Ten Directions” proceeds in order, beginning in the north, then turning to the east, south, west, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, above, and below. These are the ten directions. In worship, one need only bow once in each direction. If Daoist practitioners bow in reverence with their thoughts rightly directed, that is enough to express their deepest wishes to the Celestial Worthies. Why exhaust the body needlessly amid the dust and turmoil of the world?

The Celestial Emperor of Taiwei said: The “Section on Wandering Through the Mystery of the Ten Directions” arose from the Dao of nature. It was established in empty space more than nine thousand kalpas ago, and only later appeared in written form, grandly compiled by the Primordial Heavenly King. It gathers the Three Treasures in the Upper Clarity Heaven, beholds the ten directions of the Jade Capital, subdues great demons in the Six Heavens, and rescues the suffering in the Springs of Darkness. It instructs those who cultivate the Dao, enabling them to fulfill their practice; probes the hidden roots of the relations between Heaven and humanity; and releases people from the faults and entanglements left by causes from previous lives, so that they may transcend the Three Realms and proceed alone. How could the net of Heaven or the snare of Earth bind them? They accord with nature’s subtle mystery and therefore endure through kalpas without ceasing. The scripture shines brilliantly and its chapters are profuse; words can scarcely express it. Thus it is kept secret and not written down, but passed orally from master to disciple. It transmits wisdom by itself, without being mixed with other chapters.

The Heavenly Emperor of Taiwei said: This chapter is transmitted alongside the “Great Precepts,” the important rules of discipline, and is the foundation of the Three Treasures: the Dao, the scriptures, and the master. Ordinarily, on one’s natal day, the day corresponding to one’s birth year, the three hundred precepts are explained and this scripture is recited. The practice may be performed at noon or midnight. First observe the fasting precepts, then perform the rite. Be careful not to let anyone unfit to hear it overhear you. This matter must not be taken lightly.

If you do not know your natal day, you may choose a Jiazi day. If ten years have passed, you may also perform the rite on the first day of the first lunar month. In ancient times, the Queen Mother of the West, the Azure Youth of Donghua, and the Heavenly King of Primordial Beginning were all disciples of the Most High; even they practiced only at noon and midnight on the first day of the first lunar month. The Immortal King of the Supreme Ultimate and the Immortal Lords and Perfected Ones among his followers usually performed the rite on their own natal day. These methods are therefore set out here for students of the Dao to adopt with care. The practice takes place in a fasting chamber, and may be done sitting or lying down. The Great Method of the Most High prescribes facing north. Those who have attained the Dao are not bound by this: some sit in stillness and forget their bodies; others, in dreams, accord with nature, as though transcending the world in the blink of an eye. The freedom praised by worldly Confucian scholars is merely a sense of ease they imagine within themselves. Those who have attained the Dao, by contrast, devote themselves to refining the profound writings of the Three Treasures. The children of aristocratic families can scarcely glimpse this realm, so such people adapt to the world and conceal their radiance.

The Heavenly Emperor of Taiwei also said: On the first day of the first lunar month, one should recite an incantation to free one’s own spirit and soul from the bonds of the nets of Heaven and Earth and the demonic realm. Recite it shortly before dawn:

“I will roam through the ten directions above and pay reverence to the Most High. How could the nets of the nine Heavens ensnare me?”

Then say:

“I will roam through the ten directions below, join with the terrestrial Perfected Ones, and guide the numinous immortals. How could the nets of the nine Earths entangle my feet?”

Then say:

“I will go to the capital of the Most High, feast and wander in the splendid halls, survey the Heavens, and transcend the Spring-Curve Offices of the Three Realms, the domains associated with the underworld. Do not hold my soul here any longer.”

Recite these incantations three times in all. Once this rite has been performed in the first lunar month, it may be discontinued.

The Celestial King of Primordial Beginning said: Unless a person has deep-seated good affinities passed down through generations—accumulating merit and blessings over many successive generations, with outstanding and worthy people among their descendants; performing good deeds beyond countless kalpas; believing in the Great Dao in every lifetime; having their name recorded on a golden register; and, when their karmic conditions have ripened, earning the recognition of a worthy person and proving fit to join the ranks of the immortals—how could one expect them to keep the precepts, recite the verses of the precepts, and never break them?

The ritual objects required for this kind of transmission should be prepared according to the regulations of the “Great Precepts Liturgy.” In addition, one must offer one hundred and thirty feet of silk decorated with red designs, in place of the “oath of the fallen hairpin”—a covenant sworn by means of a fallen hairpin or similar object. These are the rites for transmitting the teaching to those with a destined affinity for the Dao. If an immortal personally transmits it and has already clarified what was hidden and obscure, there is no need to prepare objects that signify a sworn pledge. But if a numinous spirit comes to impart the teaching, the prescribed objects for the oath must still be prepared. How can ordinary people, with their limited understanding, presume to determine in advance what another person’s intentions must be?

Those who study and practice should first examine themselves. Only if their abilities and resolve are sufficient for the practice, and they can truly keep the written precepts without violation throughout their lives, may they undertake this great teaching. If they break the precepts, their ancestors for seven generations will be imprisoned in hell, and they themselves will suffer calamity. How, then, could they become immortals? Those who study the Dao must be especially vigilant. For this reason, the highest sages recited the precepts aloud and held them in mind, but did not write them down.

The Great Taiji Master said: Those who possess the five supernatural powers still remain within the Three Realms, and therefore cannot yet be considered true immortals. The immortal Way does not cling to “being” or “nonbeing.” Only those who understand the principle between being and nonbeing, and abide there at ease without being confined by either, can personally realize the six forms of spiritual penetration and transcend the Three Realms.

The Three Realms are the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Realm of Formlessness. From Great Yellow Emperor Zeng Heaven, Great Bright Jade Completion Heaven, Clear Bright He Tong Heaven, Mysterious Embryo Equal Nurture Heaven, Origin Bright Literary Exaltation Heaven, to Upper Bright Seven Luminaries Mo Yi Heaven, these six heavens belong to the Realm of Desire. From Voidness Beyond Balance Heaven, Great Ultimate Veiled Heaven, Red Bright Harmony Yang Heaven, Mysterious Bright Respectful Glory Heaven, Radiant Bright Ancestral Fluttering Heaven, Zhu Luo Imperial Eggplant Heaven, Void Bright Hall Radiance Heaven, Observant Bright Upright Serenity Heaven, Mysterious Bright Reverent Celebration Heaven, Great Radiance Ultimate Jade Heaven, Origin-Borne Hollow Ascent Heaven, Great Peace Imperial Cliff Heaven, Manifest Settled Ultimate Wind Heaven, Beginning Yellow Filial Flourishing Heaven, Weng Chong Floating Appearance Heaven, Unthinking River You Heaven, Upper Die Ruan Joy Heaven, to Limitless Tan Vow Heaven, these eighteen heavens belong to the Realm of Form. From Bright Court Firmament Crossing Heaven, Abyssal Passage Origin Cavern Heaven, Great Pattern Literary Splendor Marvelous Completion Heaven, to Great Simplicity Refined Joy Forbidden Heights Heaven, these four heavens belong to the Realm of Formlessness.

Cultivate the Three Treasures—the three fundamental teachings honored in Daoism—recite and study the Huai Xuan, a Daoist scripture, and observe the precepts of the Great Dao; then you can transcend the Three Realms and attain the six forms of wisdom. These six forms of spiritual wisdom include seeing all things clearly and hearing every sound distinctly; discerning the births and deaths of sentient beings and the kalpas of past and future; penetrating the being and nonbeing of the ten directions; understanding the scriptures and precepts, as well as the teachings of the Daoist tradition and the secular world; and discerning nature and the body and mind of human beings. These are the great wisdom of the six spiritual penetrations.

All who cultivate this inner method can become perfected beings of the Great Ultimate, ascend to Jade Capital, the celestial immortal metropolis of Daoism, endure forever without falling back, and remain constant guests of the Most High.

The Great Master of Taiji said: The ninth heaven is called the “Heaven of Red Radiance and Harmony,” also known as the “Heaven of Miao’an Jialou” or the “Heaven of Great Subtlety and Lesser Brahma.” The twenty-ninth heaven is the “Heaven of Great Void, Supreme Constancy, and Perpetual Fusion”; the thirtieth is the “Heaven of Great Release, Jade Eminence, and Soaring Triumph”; the thirty-first is the “Heaven of Dragon Transformation and Brahma’s Crossing”; and the thirty-second is the “Heaven of Taiji, Equal Upbringing, and Jia Yi.” The sovereigns of these four heavens often recite and cultivate the Three Treasures scriptures, revered classics of Daoism. They put the wondrous Dao into motion, observe the most important precepts, and purify body and mind through fasting and cultivation. The heavenly kings of each realm do the same, joining in their protection of those who observe the precepts and cultivate the Way, so that they may become immortals and attain deliverance. For this reason, there are many more names for the heavens.

The so-called “Supreme Great Luo Heaven” is the heavenly realm above five hundred million, five hundred fifty-five thousand, five hundred fifty-five heavens. Since the Qi of the four heavens interpenetrates and combines there, I will not list every heavenly realm one by one. Those who cultivate the Way of the Most High should know of the Jade Capital of the Most High, the immortal abode where the Most High resides. The Jade Capital Terrace that can be seen lies above Great Luo Heaven, in the heavenly realm above the one thousand five hundred fifty-fifth heaven. It is remote and unfathomable, seeming both to exist and not to exist, both present and absent. It is so profound that words cannot describe it, and neither heavenly beings nor humans can grasp it through thought or discussion.

The Green Youth of the Eastern Florescence said: This Dao transcends the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—and governs the six heavenly demon courts. Human life and death, and one’s destination in the Dark Springs, the underworld, are all connected with these six heavens. They direct and dispatch their agents, and correspond to Mount Tai’s hells. Only those who have attained the Dao can escape their jurisdiction. If you do not observe the great precepts, how can you erase your name from the registers of the underworld and endure through vast kalpas? If you do not study the profound scriptures of the Three Treasures, how can you become a companion of the Most High? I once sat beside the Most High and asked him about these matters.

The Green Youth of the Eastern Florescence also said: There are several kinds of demons: heavenly demons, earthly …

The Green Youth of Eastern Florescence says: There are several kinds of demons, including heavenly demons, earthly demons, human demons, and ghost demons. The “Great Demon Kings of the Six Heavens” mentioned here are great demon kings who govern Heaven and Earth. In their previous lives, they accumulated great merit and were therefore appointed as demon kings. Their virtue is equal to that of the August Lords—that is, revered deities—and together they govern the affairs of Heaven, Earth, and the human world. They are subordinate to the Supreme Jade Capital in the High Heavens, serving as officials under the Celestial Emperor, and also have authority over other matters.

Those who study the Dao and its methods are first tested by lesser demons. After they have succeeded in their cultivation, they must still wait for the Great Demon Kings to arrive and put them through a major trial. Those who pass are recommended by the demon kings to ascend to the High Jade Capital’s celestial terraces and heavens. The Nether Capital of the Winding Springs issues registers of the dead, while Mount Tai, the divine bureau overseeing life and death, removes the cultivator’s name from the rolls. Each demon king commands the Three Officials, the divine offices governing Heaven, Earth, and humanity, guarded by demon spirits and ghost soldiers. They are charged with suppressing treacherous forces, demonic apparitions, and unrighteous spirits. They hold ranks in the immortal courts and receive appointments from the Supreme One. The seven-jeweled palaces where they dwell shine like the sun and moon; they are also where people pass between life and death. The demon kings uphold the highest precepts and therefore require people to propagate the Three Treasures, the three fundamental treasures revered in Daoism.

The Green Youth of Eastern Florescence also says: If those who cultivate the Dao lack its Great Precepts and precious texts—the scriptures and documents through which the Dao is transmitted—their names will ultimately remain in the registers of the ghost courts and demon realms, and their ancestors for seven generations will have no way to be reborn in the Palace of Womb-Birth, an immortal realm where one may take birth. This Great Dao is therefore supreme and is propagated by the great sages. Ordinary people should earnestly aspire to it and cultivate it.

“Instructions on Departing and Returning,” Chapter Thirty-Nine

Those who cultivate the Supreme Dao have already accumulated deep roots of goodness in the past, and the conditions for cultivating the Dao are now flourishing. Their practice and attainments surpass those of ordinary people. They attain the Six Penetrations and Eight Comprehensions, gaining a broad and penetrating understanding of things, and reach the Nine Perfections and Ten Extremes, the fulfilled state of cultivation. In harmony with the source of the Dao, their bodies and spirits ascend together, leaving the world of dust for the mysterious realm.

They seem to depart, yet in truth they have not departed; having departed, they return again. They return to respond to the world’s resonances, joining with people without displaying their distinction. “Departing yet present everywhere” means that although they do not appear, they are still able to reach every place. “Being in the world yet said to have departed” simply describes how ordinary people, seeing only outward appearances, perceive them as gone.

All who attain the Dao must undergo the refining of being and nonbeing, cultivating insight into both. They explore being to its furthest reaches through nonbeing, and bring being to completion. Abiding in this, one can attain the Dao; once the Dao is attained, there is no destination to go to and no place to return to. Teachings and stages of practice serve to reveal the steps by which one enters the Dao: those who have attained it depart, while those who have not remain. Those who have attained the Dao return again to practice it for the sake of all beings. These truths are beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

Those who can understand them are true sages. Sages return again, and their intentions and deeds are difficult to fathom. The more one studies them, the deeper and more solid they seem; the more one looks up to them, the farther they seem to reach. They appear to be right before one’s eyes, then in an instant seem to be behind. In all their movements and stillness, their travels and dwelling, their silence and speech, their joy and anger, their giving and taking, their rewards and punishments, their judgments concerning life and death and right and wrong, their dismissals and promotions, their praise and criticism, they take the benefit of others as their guiding principle. They restrain wrongdoing, guide people toward goodness, and return them to the right path and the source. Their teaching is subtle, mysterious, and penetrating, beyond measure.

For those who understand the Great Dao, the key is to follow the sages in practicing it: to humble oneself to fulfill others, to accept loss in order to help people, and to teach patiently without tiring. They do not gloss over faults or conceal them with fine words. When they or others make mistakes, they correct them in an appropriate way. What is worthy can serve as an example; mistakes, too, can be used to make amends. In the end, they leave behind a good name and become a model followed for generations. This is how those who have departed after attaining the Dao return to the world and tirelessly teach and transform all beings.