《洞真太微黄书天帝君石景金阳素经》

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) of longevity should understand embryonic breathing (taixi), the method of holding the breath and regulating respiration so as to make it long, even, and stable. This is an important method for seeking life and extending longevity, which can restore youth, turn white hair black, and grant agelessness. After midnight, when Qi (vital energy) is abundant, sit upright facing east, close the eyes, and hold the breath; stop only when it becomes difficult to sustain. Regular practice of this is said to keep all illnesses at bay, so that ghosts and sprites dare not invade.

When the sun has just risen in the early morning, face the sun and gently inhale through the nose to ingest “solar Jing (essence)” (rijing, the Jing of sunlight as spoken of in Daoist cultivation). Practice for a period of time and then stop. Frequent practice of this is said to make the appearance youthful, the complexion ruddy, and to maintain this long without wrinkles or spots.

Ingesting Qi is said to make one unaware of hunger; the method of ingesting solar Jing is said to prevent aging; the practice of holding the breath and performing embryonic breathing can extend years and increase longevity. One should also frequently visualize the twenty-four Shen (spirits) within the body to keep the body free of illness. If one falls ill, one may silently call the names of the corresponding Shen and offer prayers; it is said the illness will quickly be cured.

The Jinyang Jing states: Frequently visualize red Qi rising from the heart, ascending through the throat, then use intention to seal it in the “Niwan” (the divine palace at the top of the head as termed in Daoism). Continual practice of this can cause the “Three Corpses” (sanshi, spirits that Daoism believes reside in the human body and hinder cultivation) to leave of their own accord, granting long life and lasting vision, and causing the Director of Destinies to record the name in the “Purple Register of Immortality” (a register symbolizing the immortal roster of longevity).

To ascend by dragon into the Dipper (riding a dragon up into the Northern Dipper, meaning to enter the heavenly realm), one should constantly ingest the Nine Terraces Talismans (Jiutai Fu, a type of Daoist Fulu or talismans and registers) and place them in the Niwan, the seat of spirit-consciousness at the center of the head. By persisting without interruption, the Three Corpses (the spirits that, according to Daoism, lodge in the human body and hinder cultivation) will depart of their own accord. One will then attain immortality and long existence in the world, and the Director of Destinies (Siming, the deity who governs lifespan) will record one’s name in the immortal Purple Register of the immortals.

To ascend by dragon into the Dipper, one must constantly ingest the Nine Terraces Talismans, thereby becoming able to meet Taiyi, the great deity venerated in Daoism. If one does not know how to ingest the Nine Terraces Talismans, the Heavenly Gate will close and cannot be opened. After the talismans have been ingested, the myriad spirits and celestial immortals will all descend to one’s dwelling; one may then fly up in broad daylight to the Palace of Taiwei (the residence of the Heavenly Emperor) and take command of the immortal officials.

The Heavenly Emperor of Taiwei said: “There are eighteen Highest Clarity Stone Radiance Talismans in all, together with one additional chapter entitled ‘The Great Emperor Summons the Soul.’ These are all secret writings of Highest Clarity (Shangqing). They originally issued from the Jade Pavilion of Highest Clarity and were later sealed within the Golden Hall and Jade Chambers of Mount Kunlun, to be opened only once every ten thousand years. In former times the Lord Heavenly Emperor of Taiwei obtained these secret writings from the Immortal Earl of the Mysterious Garden, and thereby succeeded in flying up to Highest Clarity, where he was granted the position of Heavenly Emperor. He may now act according to his will, paying court at the Golden Towers of the heavenly palaces and driving cloud-dragons.

“Anyone who wishes to study the Dao (the Way) but fails to obtain these talismans cannot succeed in cultivation; such a person will only toil in vain among the mountain forests and will ultimately succumb to the demonic trials (the tests of demonic obstacles that arise during cultivation). Those who wish to ingest the talismans should write them in orpiment ink rather than cinnabar. After they have been written on paper they may be burned and ingested; alternatively they may be carved upon a piece of paulownia wood one chi and two cun in length, with the talismanic script covering both the interior and exterior of the wood. In this manner one may swiftly ascend to heaven.

“This method must not be casually revealed; it is to be transmitted only to the worthy and virtuous. By practicing and transmitting these secret writings one may command the host of essences, call forth Yin and summon Yang, and see one’s desires swiftly fulfilled. Should the secret method be leaked or the regulations disregarded, calamity will extend to seven generations of descendants. How, then, can one fail to treat this with the utmost caution!”

If one wears the Fulu (talismans and registers) of the Eastern Peak, mysterious talismanic writings will appear from the Shangqing realm, a cloud chariot will come to receive you, and you will be able to foresee all manner of affairs. The Fulu of the Five Sacred Mountains are handled in exactly the same way, beginning with the Eastern Peak and then proceeding in sequence.

Regarding the “Eighteen Audience Talisman Seal Texts,” the relevant talismanic graphs must be written out in full on purple plain silk and first stored safely in a tube. In the first lunar month they are presented in memorial to the renowned mountains. After the memorial, they are placed among large rocks so that no one else knows of them. Seven sheng of yellow earth are then mixed into mud and used to seal them over. Once the seal is complete, this prayer is offered at once: “I respectfully wear the Taiwei Stone-Scene Yellow Text; now I carefully transcribe a copy and return it to the Immortal Lord. May the Immortal Lord enable me to ascend into the void, to ride upon cloudy Qi (vital energy), command immortal spirits to attend as guards, and make me a companion of the Zhenren.”

When the Five Sacred Mountains are all treated by this method, the immortal-related writings in the stone chambers of the famous mountains will appear to you, and divine zhi mushrooms together with extraordinary plants will emerge of themselves.

If one wishes to fashion the Golden Yang Seal, the seal texts should be burned together and ingested along with them; it is said that one will then suddenly communicate with the spirits. The method of ingesting the seals is to write the texts in ink and swallow one each time in the prescribed order; the seal is then used to close the immortal writings and the Fulu so that they combine, after which the Fulu themselves are ingested, preferably first on an empty stomach. The scripture states that once the Fulu enter the body there will be reactions of cold and heat, and vision will grow brighter.

A short while later a jade youth in white robes, or a figure resembling a scholar, may stand upright before you; do not startle him, for he will vanish of his own accord after a moment. One should then concentrate the mind in visualization for thirty days. Thereafter the body naturally becomes light: superior cultivators can leap into the realm of clear vacuity and roam and feast in the Shangqing realm; middling cultivators can rise a hundred zhang; inferior cultivators can rise ten zhang.

After taking the eighteen talismans, practitioners will all see a person wearing seal-marked robes. This shows that their resolve is sincere and steadfast, so that the Jade Boys and Jade Girls who guard the Fulu (talismans and registers) manifest their true forms.

Before taking the talismans, one must first abstain from the five pungent vegetables, blood foods, and sexual relations, and avoid contact with anything unclean. After one hundred days, one then lives alone in a room without others, not mixing in noisy company with ordinary people. In this way the method of the talismans is considered complete.

Those who take the Shijing Jinyang talisman must especially abstain from all that is unclean and from evil deeds; they should cultivate body and mind, devote themselves wholly to the Dao, and place fasting, quietude, and concentrated sincerity first. If one can practice in this manner, one may ascend as an immortal, befriend the Perfected of the heavenly realms, and associate with the host of immortals; one may also summon the spirits, causing the Golden Elixir and lingzhi to descend, and while remaining seated receive the traveling kitchen (meals that arrive of their own accord). Dragon carriages, feathered canopies, spirit youths, Jade Girls, and every kind of spirit throughout the world will come to await one’s commands. At that time there is nothing one does not know and nothing one seeks that is not obtained.

The Heaven-Earth Distinction talisman can keep a person far from the disasters of war; even when traveling ten thousand li it wards off military calamity. If bandits throughout the land plot to harm the wearer of the talisman, they themselves will meet with disaster; if anyone attacks the wearer with a weapon, the attacker will be injured. This talisman may be sealed and stored, burned and then ingested, or placed inside a bamboo tube and worn: take a tube one chi two cun long, write the talismanic characters on a sheet of talisman paper nine cun long and four cun wide, insert it into the tube, and tie it to the arm—men on the left arm, women on the right. Strict secrecy must be observed. Only those cultivators whose names are recorded on the Jade Slips of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) may encounter this talisman.

Those who wear this talisman may roam freely in all directions and suppress every kind of disaster. Ordinary people who wear it enjoy blessings, prolonged years, and flourishing descendants; a Daoist who obtains it may fly up to Shangqing. Those who possess the talisman receive its blessings and protection; those who cultivate it can ascend into the void.

If one wishes to ascend into Taiwei (the palaces of heaven), one should take the Unsurpassed Numinous Talisman and thereby enter the realm of Taiyi Yuanhuang. If one wishes to pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor and rise into the Purple Palace (the palace in which the Heavenly Emperor resides), one should take the Supreme Numinous Talisman.

If one wishes to have an audience with the Supreme Dao Lord, one should take the Mingtang talisman.

If one wishes to enter the Five Sacred Mountains and have the great gods and immortals of the mountains come forth to protect and escort, one should wear the Supreme Numinous Talisman; in this way one can enter into the midst of Taiyi Yuanhuang. If one wishes to pay court to the Heavenly Emperor and ascend to the Purple Palace (the dwelling place of the Heavenly Emperor), one should wear the Numinous Talisman of the Most High.

If one wishes to behold the Most High Lord of the Dao, one should wear the Hall of Light Talisman.

If one wishes to enter the Five Sacred Mountains and have the great gods and immortals of each peak come forth to protect and escort, one should wear the corresponding mountain talismans respectively.

If one wishes to enter the Primordial Pass (the barrier leading to the realm of the Primordial Beginning), one should wear the Yuanxian Talisman, and thus one will be able to behold Lord Yuanxian.

If one wishes to follow the immortal officials and behold one hundred and twenty spirits, one should wear the Myriad Gods Talisman, and thus one will be able to behold the various immortal lords.

If one wishes to descend and pay homage to the Nine Divine Beings of Great Clarity, one should wear the Heavenly Gate Talisman, and thus one will be able to behold the Lord of Great Clarity.

If one wishes to ascend to heaven and plunge into the abyss, to fly among the Eight Whites (celestial regions spoken of in Daoism), coming and going freely, concealing one’s form and hiding one’s body, arriving wherever the heart desires, one should wear the Separate Talisman of Stone Radiance of the Heavenly Emperor of Grand Tenuity. In this way the ghosts and spirits of heaven and earth will be unable to detain you.

The following presents a series of immortal seals and divine seals together with their functions. The original text contains numerous repetitions, and some phrases appear to be names of seals or secret formulas spoken when employing them; they are here rendered according to the meaning of the original.

One raises the seal of the immortals and holds aloft the seal of the spirits, which may serve as a seal for commanding those of the same kind or for leading one’s retinue. There are also the Seal of the Dipper Balance, the Seal of Yuanhuang, the Seal of Myriad Gods, the Seal of the Divine Elixir of Heaven and Earth, the Seal of the Nine Sovereigns, and the Seal of Myriad Immortals.

These seals can assist one in entering the Heavenly Gate, so that the myriad gods do not act contrary, and enable the bearer to communicate with the immortals. There are also the Seal of the Perfected One’s Dipper Gate, the Seal That None Dare Question, the Seal of Galloping into Great Clarity, and the Seal of Directing the Dipper Palace.

Further there are the Seal from Which Myriad Gods Withdraw, the Seal of Receiving Rank, the Seal of Yuanxian, the Seal of Riding the Dragon to Ascend as Immortal, the Seal of Dispatching Great Clarity, the Seal of the Cloud Chariot, the Seal of Cang Yuanhuang, the Seal of Riding the Dragon, the Seal of Solar Radiance, the Seal of the Dipper Lord, and the Seal of Heavenly Welcome.

There are likewise the Seal of the Heavenly Emperor Bestowing Life, the Seal by Which the Qian Gate Opens, the Seal of Presenting the Tallies, the Seal of Myriad Gods Flanking Oneself, the Seal That Causes a Hundred Beasts to Lose Their Qi (vital energy), the Seal of Heavenly Envoys Exercising Authority, the Seal of Controlling Myriad Gods, the Seal of All Following Oneself, the Seal of One Thousand Two Hundred Forms, the Seal of Causing One to Hold Official Rank, the Seal of Issuing Commands, the Seal Distinguishing the Multitude as One, the Seal of the Nine-Turn Lord’s Rank, the Seal of the Divine Chapter Descending, the Seal of Utmost Urgency, the Seal of Huang-Lao, the Seal of Yuanxian, as well as seals used to repel evil influences.

Heavenly fire circulates in order to verify cold and warmth; the changes of winter and summer all come about of themselves.

This is the seal text offered by Dongling Taiyi, obtained through eight kinds of extraordinary signs, with the wish that people do not go against the immortal Dao (the Way).

The seal of the myriad Shen (spirits) of Yuanshi Tianzun, the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, is received by the myriad kingdoms of the four directions, and all manner of misfortunes are eliminated by it; the transformations of winter and summer likewise form naturally.

This is the seal text offered by Dongling Taiyi, obtained through eight kinds of extraordinary signs, with the wish that people do not go against the immortal Dao (the Way).

The seal of the myriad Shen (spirits) of Yuanshi Tianzun, the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, is received by the myriad kingdoms of the four directions, and all manner of misfortunes are eliminated by it.

The Heavenly Emperor Lord of Taiwei said: “The Heavenly Gate Talisman is the fourth talisman spoken of earlier. If you wish to cultivate and wear it, first burn incense on the left and the right. Let forty Jade Boys and forty Jade Girls stand as guardians. Anyone who possesses this Jing (scripture) should worship and revere it, wrapping it in yellow brocade. Do not allow the Jade Boys and Jade Girls to perceive your faults; how then could one fail to strive diligently in cultivation?

When receiving this Jing (scripture), prepare forty chi of yellow-ground brocade and seven liang of gold. On the day of transmission, master and disciple together observe a zhai (fast) for seven days, or they may observe it for four days, after which they make a vow and announce it to Heaven. Those who wear this Jing (scripture) and who visualize and cultivate in accordance with it are practicing the great invocation method of the Jinyang Shijing in the Jinyang Jing (scripture).”

The Jinyang Jing (scripture) states: Whenever one visualizes, cultivates, or wears this talismanic text, knock the teeth thirty-six times, swallow the saliva thirty-six times, then close the eyes and recite the invocation in a low voice:

“Taiwei Heavenly Emperor, numinous worthy of the Purple Palace, Great True One of the Mysterious Void, ancestor of the Heavenly Emperor. Your Dao is vast and boundless, and creation accords with nature; truth is hidden yet it pervades, circulating without cease. Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) enter the Mingtang, protecting and nourishing the fetal origin while increasing the hun and po; the Vermilion Mountain opens once more to welcome the descent of the numinous origin.

The left hand gathers the solar efflorescence, the right hand takes the lunar essence. Raging flames surge ten thousand zhang; clad in golden gauze robes and azure skirts, the waist bound with the Fulu (talismans and registers) of Heaven, the head wearing a magnificent crown. Grant that I may ascend the void and fly up to Shangqing; may I attain immortality and command the myriad Shen (spirits). Of the Shen (spirits) of Heaven and the deities of Earth, none dare not submit.

The left hand gathers the solar efflorescence, the right hand takes the lunar essence. Raging flames surge ten thousand zhang; clad in golden gauze robes and azure skirts, the waist bound with the Fulu (talismans and registers) of Heaven, the head wearing a magnificent crown. Grant that I may ascend the void and fly up to Shangqing; may I attain immortality and command the myriad Shen (spirits). Of the Shen (spirits) of Heaven and the deities of Earth, none dare not submit.

May the myriad directions assemble, with blessings and De (Virtue/Power) like mountains; may the wondrous jade tones resound far and wide, and may all demons be completely dispersed.”

This is a “Tai Di Zhao Hun Fu” (a Fulu talisman for entreating the Supreme Emperor to settle and gather the hun-spirit). At cockcrow, face north, burn incense, incinerate the talisman and swallow it in order to settle and gather the hun-spirit. After ingesting the talisman, softly recite the invocation:

“The radiance of the Supreme Emperor shines forth, harmonizing and settling my hun-spirit. The three hun and seven po are stabilized, guarding the original bodily form; Shen (spirit) and hun are at peace, the body remains intact, thus longevity is attained. All illnesses dissipate, the five viscera are at ease, enabling me to become a flying immortal who rides a cloud chariot. The Red Infant assists me, receiving the subtle Qi (vital energy); a purple floral canopy covers and protects me, allowing the spirits of plants and trees to guide and accompany.”

After reciting, knock the teeth three times, then swallow the saliva three times. Following ingestion of the talisman, one should frequently recite this invocation silently in the mind according to the method, while visualizing the secret of the hundred deities assembled in completeness without separation or loss; it must be cultivated in secrecy.

According to Jiuhua Zhenfei (the Perfect Consort of Nine Flowers): The Taiwei Huangshu originally comprised eight volumes. In former times a Zhenren (Perfected One) on Mount Chicheng transmitted the Balu Jiaodai Zhenwen (True Writ of the Eight Registers Interlocking Belts) to Xu Yuanyou, explaining this invocation together with the secret of visualizing the hundred deities complete and unseparated, and charging him to practice it in secret.

The Perfected Consort of Nine Flowers said: the Yellow Book of Taiwei originally comprised eight scrolls. In the past, a Perfected One transmitted the True Writ of the Eight Registers Interlinked to Xu Yuanyou on Mount Chicheng. This is the scripture in the Enlightened Lord’s possession. The reason the Enlightened Lord still cannot soar up to Shangqing and ride the cloud-dragons is precisely that he has not yet seen the chapters of the Eight Purities of Stone Radiance. Now I transmit it to you; within it there are altogether eighteen talismans and a preface to the scripture. By cultivating in accordance with the text, one can gradually ride dragons into the Mystery and sequentially elevate the bodily form.

This Taiwei Yellow Writ of Stone Radiance is exceedingly precious; it is by no means a minor art of the yellow-and-red kind, and therefore I warn you repeatedly. Your resolve has not yet been disturbed by external things; your everyday conduct has already become manifest; and your jade body has already shown a lofty and far-reaching bearing. You savor the mysterious principles and chew upon the true Dao (the Way), calling forth and drawing in luminous scenes, causing the six spirits to condense in stillness, discerning the brightness of the eight directions, following the numinous root (the inner foundation of life), nurturing and refining the three kinds of Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), nourishing the fluids and harmonizing Shen (spirit) and the hun souls. Even if fierce winds continually strike, they cannot injure your upright nature. How could shutting out clamor and confusion ever alter your pure and simple heart?

Thereupon you recite the scripture of yourself in the emptiness, emptying the mind and quietly awaiting the spirits, gathering in scattered thoughts and abiding in a realm of limpid, ultimate truth. In this way, worries and burdens cannot invade the Mysterious Residence (the inner realm where body and mind dwell), nor can sorrowful thoughts disturb the Crimson Ford (an inner site related to the circulation of spirit and qi). With a mind of bland detachment you contemplate the obscure and subtle, looking back upon your own radiance, and joy arises within the heart. Supreme delight seems to ring with a clangor between the two ears; the cloud-ao (a legendary immortal instrument of the Daoist tradition) and the tiger-plucked strings also seem to sound in the air. The mouth seems to inhale fragrant winds; before the eyes three layers of cloud-qi appear. Wearing the Gold-Yang writ, one can subdue all the fierce. Following the movement of the four seasons, one may gradually become perfected. Though what is seen is subtle and profound, the infusions received have already united with the spirits.

Perfected Ones who attain the Dao often succeed through cultivating in this way; those who have not obtained the true yet forcibly seek it will also fall because of this. Conversely, if sins and illnesses accumulate, sorrow fills the breast, daily vexations cling about one, and one secretly clings to lesser paths, catering to the eyes and ears of the crowd, seeking only inner consolation and the extension of years, yet suddenly utters sounds of grief, long lamenting death and mourning the departed with sorrow—then the vital spirit will be wounded, Shen and the hun souls will scatter, the qi of the three hun will decline, deviant qi will enter through the vacancy, and the po souls will be harassed by wangliang demons. Thus abandoning the Dao-realm of empty stillness and purity and inviting all manner of disasters and hauntings—how can one hold to the way of nourishing life yet rush toward the realm of death? Having already smelted the numinous wind (cultivating spirituality and nurturing clear qi), yet then stepping into the chamber of death; discarding auspicious signs and turning toward a place of ominous filth—is this not to be regretted?

Even having heard exalted principles, one still hesitates indecisively; repeatedly reading clear precepts, yet still unable to dissolve doubt. This will defile the memorials sent upward (petitions that reach the celestial realm) and cover the secret Dawn Documents with filth. The Four Extremes beat the drums; the Three Offices hold spears in pursuit—what oaths did you once swear, yet forget the Dao of the Great Beginning? Thereupon spirit-tigers raise their claws and venomous dragons bare their teeth; though the eight directions are vast, where can one flee?

Only after making confession does one understand that the realm of purity, stillness, and vast distance is worth yearning for, and only then know that the words of the one who transmits the Dao are not empty. Yet sounds of grief will disturb the true nature and harm the upright qi. Why does the Enlightened Lord not constantly dwell in the blessed land, here adjusting robes and cap and returning to the chamber of the Dao? Now I deliver to you the Stone Radiance Gold-Yang Writ, so that you may see in full the opening sections of the eight scrolls.