《三天内解经》

After birth, the human body takes shape by receiving its endowment from Heaven above and modeling itself on Earth below. The sun and moon differ in brightness and darkness; the cold and heat bring forth the energies of growth and decline; thunder and lightning have their seasons of appearing and vanishing; and wind and rain follow patterns of change between movement and stillness. People, too, differ in their endowments of wisdom or folly, their dispositions toward good or evil, their temperaments of firmness or gentleness, their allotments of long or short life, their social standing of high or low, and their order of rank and status. They also face fortune or misfortune, blessing or calamity, hardship or success.

There can be no people between Heaven and Earth, and people cannot survive apart from Heaven and Earth. Without people, Heaven and Earth would be like a human body without Shen (spirit) in its belly: the physical form could not be established. And without a physical form to rely on, Shen would have no support. Thus, Heaven brings the myriad things into being, and the Dao sets them in motion. Human nature, life, and Shen are originally connected and united as one. Heaven, Earth, and humanity are together called the “Three Powers”; they bring all things to completion and form their foundation.

Heaven must nurture the power of life, Earth must bring forth the myriad things, and people must regulate their breath and care for their lives. If Heaven departs from the Mysterious Origin, the deep root of the Dao, anomalies such as eclipses of the sun and moon will occur. If Earth departs from the Yellow Robe, a symbol of its virtue, wind disasters and earthquakes will arise. If people turn away from the Supreme Dao, they will suffer decline and injury. Essence and Qi rise and float in Heaven, while countless vital energies circulate through Earth. They connect above and below, as calamities and anomalies resonate with human affairs.

When human affairs and conduct fall into disorder, disturbances appear in the heavens. When people’s lifespans are cut short, the sun and moon are eclipsed and the stars move out of their proper courses. These changes are all thought to be connected with wrongdoing in human affairs. Now that the age has declined, people suffer untimely deaths and corpses lie everywhere; they cannot live out their allotted years. This is all because cultivation has lost its foundation: marriages are mismatched, breath and Qi are mixed and polluted, people trust false teachings and abandon the right way, and they turn away from their original path. The people are confused and ignorant, unaware of where calamity comes from.

Some slaughter the six kinds of domestic animals and pray to beings of the void. They sing, beat drums, dance, and make music, seeking nothing more than wine and meat to enjoy.

People seek life yet move toward death because they have taken a crooked path, like scratching their feet when their heads itch: their actions have nothing to do with the problem. If prayers and petitions do not accord with the proper Way, they can bring calamity and an early death. This is truly grievous. For this reason, I compiled the Three Heavens: Essential Explanations to guide those who have not yet understood. It should be kept with care and not passed on indiscriminately. If it is given to someone unsuited to receive it, calamity will extend to their descendants.

The source of the Dao (the Way) arose before any beginning or forerunner, deep within primordial chaos, without anything to depend on. It came forth spontaneously from nothingness and then transformed to generate the myriad things. The title “Elder of Dao and De” means that he was born before primordial Qi (the vital energy that forms the basis of Heaven, Earth, and all things) appeared, and was the most exalted being within the Dao; hence he is called the Elder of Dao and De. From him came a succession of exalted deities: the Great Pure One, Mysterious Origin, Supreme One, the Limitless Great Dao of the Three Heavens; the Most High Lord Lao; the Most High Elder; the Lord of Heaven; the Lord of the Nine Elders of the Immortal Capital; and the Elder of the Nine Qi. Countless Dao energies and twelve hundred divine officials and lords also dwell beneath the jade steps of Great Purity. When people today submit memorials to Heaven, the word “Great Purity” refers precisely to these true deities of the celestial realm.

After this, a void arose within the hidden darkness, and within the void came Great Nonbeing. Great Nonbeing transformed into Mysterious Qi, Primordial Qi, and Original Qi. The three Qi interacted within primordial chaos and gave birth to the wondrous Jade Maiden. After the Jade Maiden was born, the blended Qi gathered and gave birth to Laozi. Laozi emerged from the Jade Maiden’s left armpit, already white-haired at birth; thus he was called “Laozi,” the Old Master. Laozi is Lord Lao.

Lord Lao transformed into Qi, generating Heaven, Earth, and all things. The myriad things then turned and came forth in generation, while forms and Qi were refined and transformed along with them. Lord Lao dispersed the three Qi of Mysterious, Primordial, and Original. At first, pure and turbid were not yet distinguished, and the state of chaos resembled the yolk inside an egg. Later the three Qi separated: the pure Mysterious Qi rose to become Heaven; the dense, turbid Original Qi congealed and descended to become Earth; and the light, flowing Primordial Qi became water. The sun, moon, and stars were arranged and set in place as well.

Lord Lao then used harmonious Qi to give birth to the Nine Kingdoms and established nine figures, three men and six women. In the time of Fuxi and Nüwa, they each established names of their own, and from this came three teachings, used to instruct the people of Heaven.

The yang energy of China is pure and upright, so its people follow the Great Dao of Wuwei (the Way of following nature and refraining from forced action). Beyond its borders, the lands of the Hu peoples comprise eighty-one regions where yin energy is stronger. This energy transformed into nine states, each governed by a ruler: three men and six women. In the time of Fuxi and Nüwa, people established surnames and given names for themselves. From this came three forms of Daoist teaching, used to instruct the people of Heaven.

The yang energy of China is pure and upright, and its people follow the Great Dao of Wuwei. In the eighty-one regions of the Hu lands beyond its borders, yin energy is stronger, so people follow the Buddhist Way, whose precepts are very strict and serve to restrain yin energy. Around Chu and Yue, yin and yang energies are relatively balanced but weak, so people follow the Great Dao of Purity and Simplicity (a quiet and unadorned form of Daoist practice). At that time, the Six Heavens government arose, and three forms of Daoist teaching spread. Laozi descended into the world many times and served as a teacher to the rulers of various states. In the time of Fuxi, he was called Yuhuazi; in the time of Zhurong, Guangshouzi; in the time of Shennong, Dachengzi; in the time of the Yellow Emperor, Guangchengzi; in the time of Zhuanxu, Chijingzi; and in the time of Emperor Ku, Lutuzi. He descended again in the time of Emperor Yao, under the name Wuchengzi; in the time of Emperor Shun, as Yinshouzi; in the time of Yu the Great, as Zhenxingzi; and in the time of King Tang of Yin, as Xizezi.

Laozi’s transformations had no fixed pattern. At times his surname was Li and his given name Hong, with the courtesy name Jiuyang; at times his given name was Dan, with the courtesy name Boyang; at times his given name was Zhong, with the courtesy name Boguang; at times his given name was Zhong, with the courtesy name Ziwen; at times his given name was Zhai, with the courtesy name Bochang; at times his given name was Yuan, with the courtesy name Boshi; at times his given name was Xian, with the courtesy name Yuansheng; and at times his given name was De, with the courtesy name Bowen. Sometimes he transformed nine times in a single day, sometimes twenty-four times. His transformations were limitless, appearing or withdrawing in accordance with the age, and too numerous to count.

In the time of King Wuding of the Shang dynasty, Laozi once again entered the womb of Mother Li. He recited scripture in the womb for eighty-one years and was born from her left side. His hair was already white at birth, which is why he was also called Laozi, “the Old Master.” The Three Terraces Scripture, said to be circulating in the world today, is believed to be the scripture Laozi recited in the womb. The phrase “entered the womb of Mother Li” means that Laozi, in his formless body, took on the appearance of Mother Li and then used his own body to become the fetus. It does not mean that there was an actual Mother Li.

People in the world do not know the truth. They believe Laozi was born from the womb of his mother, Lady Li, but this was not so. By the time of King You of Zhou, Laozi knew that the fortunes of the Zhou dynasty were about to decline. He let his hair hang loose, feigned madness, and left Zhou, traveling west. At the pass, riding in a cart drawn by a blue ox, he met Yin Xi and transmitted to him one scroll of the Central Scripture of Above and Below and two scrolls of the Five Thousand Words—three scrolls in all. After receiving these scriptures, Yin Xi cultivated the Dao and attained success.

Laozi saw clearly into the affairs of the world. Knowing that the people of the West were fierce and difficult to teach, he traveled west with Yin Xi into the kingdom of Jibin. Laozi displayed wondrous transformations and the majestic bearing of a great sage. He taught and subdued the Hu king, composing for him Buddhist scriptures totaling sixty-four million words. The people of the kingdom all followed and revered them. Jibin lay forty thousand li from the Han lands, and everyone in its territory submitted to the Great Teaching.

Laozi then traveled farther west into the kingdom of Tianzhu, another forty thousand li beyond Jibin. The local king had a consort named Qingmiao. One day, as she slept in the daytime, Laozi had Yin Xi transform into a yellow sparrow and ride a white elephant; like a shooting star, Yin Xi flew into Qingmiao’s mouth. On the eighth day of the fourth month the following year, Qingmiao gave birth to a child from her right side. As soon as the child touched the ground, he walked seven steps, raised his right hand toward the sky, and proclaimed: “Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am honored. The Three Realms are all suffering—what joy can there be?” From birth he devoted himself to diligent cultivation. He later became the Buddha, and the Buddhist Way flourished anew through him.

In later generations, customs became arrogant and corrupt, while evil and perverse conduct grew ever more widespread. People offered food and wine to shamans and ghosts, mixing the true with the false until they could no longer be distinguished. In Langya, the Most High entrusted the Scripture of the Way of Great Peace to Gan Ji, Li Wei of Shu Commandery, and others, instructing them to help set the Six Heavens in order and correct the evil influences. But Li Wei and the others failed to restore the Six Heavens to their proper course. By the Han dynasty, all manner of evil spirits had instead grown more rampant. The forces of the Six Heavens erupted into chaos, the Three Ways became entangled, and the pestilential Qi spread unchecked. Medicine and sorcery became ever more prevalent. People abandoned the correct Way and followed delusions, playing music and dancing, slaughtering the six kinds of livestock, and offering food and wine to evil ghosts. As a result, the people of Heaven died young and met violent deaths; corpses of those who had died suddenly lay scattered everywhere.

The Most High dispatched perfected beings, along with Wang Fangping and Dongfang Shuo, to assist the Han dynasty. He had them travel through and observe the Han territories so they could learn about the people’s lives. The Han emperor did not believe them, dismissing their claims as strange and deceptive. As a result, the Han declined, and Wang Mang seized power.

The Han emperors of the Liu clan were descendants of the essence of the Dragon and heirs to a great sage. They were meant to pass the throne through twenty-four generations of rulers and continue for more than four hundred years. The imperial lineage was not to end, so Emperor Guangwu was made to restore the Han house. The Han’s imperial rule was interrupted for a time because its rulers did not believe in the true Daoist teachings or receive proper assistance. Evil spirits and aberrant forces then rose up in disorder, until the realm fell under the authority of ghost officials—the bureaucracy belonging to ghosts and spirits. Since the creation of Heaven and Earth, the Qiang, Man, Rong, Di, and other peoples of the frontier regions had served as a protective barrier around China. Each people’s marriages were to follow its own customs and regulations; all were to uphold the Ultimate Dao and follow their own ways, without mixing them together.

After Emperor Guangwu, public morality gradually declined, and humans and ghosts became indistinguishable. Guangwu’s son, Emperor Ming of Han, said that he had dreamed of a man more than ten feet tall, whose whole body was golden. His ministers interpreted the dream as an appearance of the Buddha. Emperor Ming then sent people to the western countries to copy Buddhist scriptures and had Buddhist temples and pagodas built, spreading Buddhism in China. The Three Ways—here referring to Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism—became interwoven, and the people were divided among them. China and foreign lands blended together, while people followed different beliefs. Some embraced heterodox ways and abandoned the orthodox Way, praying and making offerings to ghosts and spirits. Human order below fell into confusion, while the forces of Heaven stirred above. The Qi of Heaven and Earth consequently grew turbid, and the people lost their original true nature.

During the reign of Emperor Shun of Han, the Most High selected envoys to carry out his instructions. He set the Six Heavens in order—the six celestial hierarchies described in the scripture—distinguished true spirits from false and malevolent ghosts, and revealed the signs of Qi in the Upper Three Heavens. On the first day of the fifth month of the first year of the Han’an era, a renwu year (142 CE), the Lord Lao and the Daoist Zhang Daoling went together to the Great Celestial Administration on Kunlun, the Daoist seat of heavenly government. There, they manifested the new teachings of the Most High.

The Most High—a Daoist honorific for the supreme deity—said that people in the world did not revere the true Daoist teachings but feared evil spirits instead. He therefore called himself the “Newly Manifested Lord Lao” and appointed Zhang as “Master of the Three Heavens, of Taixuan Capital, of Orthodox Unity and Harmonized Qi.” He taught Zhang the “Way of Orthodox Unity and Bright Authority” and the decrees of the “Newly Manifested Lord Lao.” These decrees abolished the old rites of the “Six Heavens and Three Paths,” established the orthodox teachings of the Three Heavens, stripped away ostentation, and led people back to simplicity and their original nature, so that they might receive the Most High’s true scriptures.

After sixteen years spent formulating liturgical regulations and decrees, in the third year of Yongshou under Emperor Huan of Han (the Dingyou year), Zhang and the Han emperor and his court officials swore an oath over white horse blood, using a written pledge on an iron tablet as proof. They also made a covenant with the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water—the celestial officials revered in Daoism—and with the General of the Year Star. They pledged to uphold forever the orthodox teachings of the Three Heavens and never to detain the people of Heaven. The people were not to make offerings indiscriminately to other spirits or let spirits partake of sacrificial food. Ritual masters were not to accept payment or engage in sexual misconduct or theft; they were to treat the sick and were forbidden to drink alcohol or eat meat. The people were not to be detained or make offerings indiscriminately to other spirits, nor let spirits partake of sacrificial food. Ritual masters were not to accept payment or engage in sexual misconduct or theft; they were to treat the sick and were forbidden to drink alcohol or eat meat.

People could make offerings only to their household kin, ancestors, and parents on auspicious days during the five annual sacrificial periods, and to the local earth god and the Stove God in the second and eighth months. All rites and methods outside the orthodox teachings of the Three Heavens and the true ways of the celestial realms were deemed remnants of the old, corrupt influence.

When someone fell ill, they could recount and repent before the spirits for the wrongs they had committed since reaching understanding at the age of seven, then establish a written petition and talismans—documents and charms used to appeal to the spirits and avert illness and disaster. Even those with longstanding or severe illnesses beyond the power of physicians to cure could recover by acknowledging their faults and repenting.

Zhang established the Twenty-Four Administrations, the twenty-four districts or centers of the Orthodox Unity tradition, and appointed male and female ritual officials known as libationers. They administered the orthodox teachings of the Three Heavens, instructed the people, and issued registers of households; five dou of rice served as proof of entry into the Dao. After a hundred days of instruction, those who came to join them were as numerous as clouds. Zhang drew up tens of thousands of liturgical regulations and written petitions, entrusting them to his descendants for transmission through the generations and appointing them as state preceptors. Once all the rites had been arranged, humans and spirits alike found peace. Zhang then ascended to Heaven in broad daylight and personally received the office of Celestial Master.

The Celestial Master’s son Zhang Heng, his grandson Zhang Lu, and their wives and husbands all ascended to Heaven through corpse liberation, the Daoist transformation in which the physical body is left behind as the spirit rises. This is why the tradition speaks of three Celestial Masters and their spouses. After the three Celestial Masters ascended, the local administrations and libationers continued transmitting the Daoist teachings. Those receiving the transmission were to kneel as they accepted the scriptures, then bow in farewell when they returned. The teachings transmitted had to belong to the orthodox teachings of the Three Heavens.

Many people fail to understand this: they happen upon a scroll of scripture, call it a Daoist scripture, and pass it on to one another. Some of these texts actually teach the old doctrines of the Six Heavens, which has caused confusion. These teachings have circulated and been practiced for a long time, and by now they are difficult to distinguish. The Celestial Master’s texts should be offered with reverence; only then can it be confirmed that they are truly the orthodox methods of the Three Heavens.

The Celestial Master received the Way of the Great High One’s Zhengyi Alliance and Authority and the orthodox methods of the Three Heavens, then passed them to his descendants, who served from generation to generation as state preceptors. This inheritance should have continued forever, so how could it have become mixed with corrupt teachings? Yet the tradition has not been passed down for very long, and now the old doctrines of the Six Heavens have gradually become mixed into it. The Celestial Master’s descendants have grown weak, and ordinary people each practice a mixture of different methods. The libationers—Daoist officials who oversee religious affairs and transmit Daoist teachings—follow different lineages. Each claims that its own is the true method, though many of these teachings are probably mistaken.

Today, some people practice the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, while others follow the Way of Wuwei Banner Flowers and the Buddhist Way. The scripture says that all of these belong to the old doctrines of the Six Heavens, which have been abolished. Others practice the Way of Clear Water, which is also not an orthodox method.

It is said that the Celestial Master had a servant who did not understand the scriptures and could not write commentaries. As the Celestial Master was about to ascend to Heaven, he took pity on the servant’s sincere devotion and ordered someone to draw water from a well for him to use in treating illness. This water was not meant to be used for bathing or drinking. Everyone who was treated with the well water recovered, and the results were immediate. Later, the servant returned to the Great Yin—that is, the underworld—and the well dried up. The Celestial Master had once used this water to treat the servant’s illness. Later people did not understand the reason and simply carried on the practice, calling it the Way of Clear Water. When practitioners of the Way of Clear Water made petitions during purification rites, they had no Daoist hall, overhead ritual canopy, petition texts or talismans, or liturgy. They simply burned incense and bowed before a jar of clear water, believing that the Dao was in the water. All of these practices are wrong.

Those who serve the Dao without using the Five Pecks of Rice are not following the Way of the Three Heavens, Zhengyi Alliance and Authority. The Five Pecks of Rice are used to worship the Five Emperors and also show that the people are devoted to the Dao. The sages unite with the primordial Qi and are therefore able to endure without end; thus the sages do not die.

People believe that life is closely tied to grain: without food, a person will starve to death. They offer the rice and grain they treasure to the netherworld and its spirits, not because those spirits need the grain.

Emperor Gaozu of Han was born from the vital essence of a dragon. He began as a minor clerk at Sishui Pavilion and later ascended the throne. In the time of Emperor Wen, Laozi descended by the Yellow River and came to be known as the Lord of the Riverbank. The emperor traveled there himself by carriage to ask about the Dao. Laozi transmitted to him the two parts of the Five Thousand Words of the Dao and De, then departed.

Emperor Wu of Han wished to learn the supreme Way of becoming an immortal who flies through the air and to achieve imperial greatness. The Most High sent Dongfang Shuo to help govern the affairs of the Han court. But Emperor Wu did not know that Dongfang Shuo was a perfected one—a person who had attained the Dao—and regarded him only as an ordinary official and commoner. The Queen Mother of the West and the Lady of the High Origin also descended beside the emperor in their carriages, hoping to help him achieve the Dao. Yet he failed to understand. He merely looked up to the spirits for their blessings, without abandoning his impure desires; he remained attached to worldly splendor. He continued to wage war and kill, entangling himself through blood debts with the Three Offices, the divine order governing Heaven, Earth, and Water. Wronged souls, with their hair hanging loose, brought their grievances before the officials of the underworld. He was also unable to sever his passions and desires, and so ultimately failed to attain the Dao. After death, he went to the Great Yin, the shadowy underworld.

In the time of Emperor Guangwu, the Han fought Wang Mang for control of the realm. Their army was halted by the Yellow River, and the situation was dire: their lives hung by a thread. The Most High manifested a miracle to aid Emperor Guangwu. In the height of summer, in the sixth month, the Yellow River froze, allowing the army and horses to cross and escape danger.

Heaven bestowed the mandate of the Han dynasty, and the signs in the heavens confirmed it: sweet dew descended in the palace courtyard, a perfected one arrived, a divine phoenix appeared, the sun’s shadow seemed to turn back twice, and celestial omens included a three-legged crow and a nine-tailed fox. These miraculous auspicious signs were unmistakable; all the sages lent their support, and the Orthodox Way offered its aid.

After Emperor Guangwu, the Han dynasty gradually declined.

After Emperor Guangwu, the Han dynasty gradually declined. The Most High Lord Lao took pity on the Han house and chose Zhang Daoling, a great-grandson of Zhang Liang, to make the Daoist Qi shine forth and support the Han dynasty. Zhang Daoling established the Great Dao’s teaching at Mount Beimang, north of Luoyang. Emperors, officials, and common people all took refuge in this religion. At that time, the upright Qi spread widely. During the 425 years of rule by the emperors of the Former and Later Han, many people attained the Dao. The Han aristocracy was arrogant and negligent, and could not ascend to the mysterious realm; as a result, more common people attained the Dao.

The six spouses across three generations of the Celestial Masters—that is, Zhang Daoling and his successors—served as the six persons fulfilling the duties of the three revered masters. The three Mao brothers served as the Ministers of Destiny, divine officials who governed lifespans and registers of names. In addition, there were more than a hundred wandering immortals, such as Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng, too many to list one by one.

The descendants of the Liu clan had a foundation in the Dao. Though it was severed for a time, it was continued anew. This was a sign bestowed by Heaven, corresponding to prophetic charts and revelations. Mount Song displayed miraculous auspices: twenty-two jade discs and a cake of gold, offered as proof of the clan’s original surname. A nine-tailed fox appeared; a numinous treasure descended; sweet dew fell in the courtyard; a three-horned ox arrived; and six kinds of miraculous bell-shaped objects, paired giant beasts, and elephants also appeared in the human world. The deities in the ancestral shrine, along with its sacrificial offerings—a piece of gold and a cake—were all abolished together. To govern affairs through the Dao and wash away the old currents of fate: was this not a sign of the Most High Lord Lao’s manifestation?

Emperor Liu of Song was a descendant of the Han imperial clan and often linked the fortunes of the state with the Dao. Many in the Song state revered the Dao. Since there had already been precedents for cultivating the Dao in the Han era, how could those who study the Dao fail to apply themselves diligently?

The saying “the Three Ways share one root but branch into different streams” refers to the Great Dao of Wuwei (non-action), the Great Dao of simplicity and restraint, and the Buddha Way. All three teachings derive from the Most High Lord Lao’s teaching; they differ only in how they transform people, and ultimately all return to the true Dao. Laozi presides over birth and transformation, while Shakyamuni presides over death and transformation. According to tradition, Laozi was born from beneath the left armpit and governs the left. The left belongs to Yang Qi and corresponds to the Green Palace Register of the Living, which governs the records of the living. Shakyamuni was born from beneath the right armpit and governs the right. The right belongs to Yin Qi and corresponds to the Black Register of the Dead, which governs the records of the dead. Thus, Laozi’s and Shakyamuni’s teachings are divided between left and right, and they use different methods. The teaching of the left takes birth from beneath the armpit as its symbol and governs the left; the left belongs to Yang Qi and corresponds to the Green Palace Register of the Living.

Shakyamuni was born from the right armpit and therefore belongs to the “right” side. The right represents Yin Qi and governs the black register that records the dead. For this reason, Laozi and Shakyamuni taught living beings in different ways, corresponding to left and right: the teaching of the left follows the life-giving Qi of the left offices, enabling people to ascend bodily to become immortals; the teaching of the right follows the death Qi of the right palace, allowing people to undergo “extinction and deliverance” before attaining new life.

The ritual garments of the right are entirely black. Wearing black accords with Yin Qi and symbolizes entry into the black register of the dead. The Most High teaches living beings in these three ways. Although the methods differ, they all ultimately return to the true Dao and are no different in essence. Yet people receive primordial Qi to form their bodies, and then undergo decline. They cycle through transformations in the Yin realm, and it is truly difficult to escape.

Though the teaching of the right is not as swift or easy as that of the left palace, one can still return to the truth of the Dao after passing through cycles of rebirth, which is itself good. The right is said to be inferior to the left because the scripture says, “The true Dao cherishes life and abhors killing.” Long life belongs to the Dao; death and destruction do not. Even a king who governs the dead is less precious than a living mouse. Therefore, the sages teach the people to feel compassion for all beings, for life is worth cherishing. Those who understand this principle may study the Five Thousand Words (the Daodejing) closely. This scripture teaches people to abide by the Dao and endure forever, free from the cycle of birth and death; the foundation of the Dao lies within it.

End of Volume One of the Scripture of Inner Explanations of the Three Heavens.

The Scripture of Inner Explanations of the Three Heavens, Volume Two

What is called the “heart of the Three Heavens” may be understood by studying the Five Thousand Words closely. This scripture teaches people to abide by the Dao and endure forever, free from the cycle of birth and death; the foundation of the Dao lies within it.

End of Volume One of the Scripture of Inner Explanations of the Three Heavens.

The Scripture of Inner Explanations of the Three Heavens, Volume Two

Written by Xu, a disciple of the Three Heavens.

Laozi’s teaching centers on preserving life at its root and strengthening one’s own foundation. Everyone is born from Dao Qi—the primordial vital energy brought forth by the Dao—and without Dao Qi, one dies. Therefore, one should constantly keep the true Dao in mind, guard one’s roots, and never forget life’s source. In this way, one can live long and avoid death. The Jing says, “A tower a hundred feet tall must be built from its foundation below.” This is precisely the point.

Dao Qi is exceedingly subtle: it cannot be seen or heard. Face it, and you cannot find its beginning; follow it, and you cannot find its end. It encompasses the Six Directions—above and below, and the four quarters—and covers and sustains Heaven and Earth. Its virtue surpasses that of the August Sovereign, the supreme sacred presence, and its achievements exceed those of Heaven and Earth. It is the sovereign of the spirits and deities. Revering it brings good fortune; treating it lightly invites misfortune. But this does not mean the Dao should be regarded as a servant who can be commanded.

Good fortune does not mean the Dao deliberately bestows blessings, nor does misfortune mean it deliberately brings calamity. The Dao has no favorites and makes no distinctions of closeness. What people receive is simply the result of their own actions. Retribution for good and evil is like an echo answering a sound: violence brings violence, goodness brings good fortune, each according to what one has done.

If the Dao favored some people, or could be possessed or transferred, then those who attained it should be able to offer it to their parents, abandon their wives and children, or present it to their ruler. But this is not so, because the Dao is within each person and does not depend on anyone else.

The Dao is “nothingness.” All things arise from nothingness, and whatever exists takes nothingness as its foundation. The Jing says, “Nothingness—I do not know whose descendant it is; I reluctantly give it the name ‘Dao.’” When things come to an end, they all return to nothingness. Those who can apprehend nothingness can forget themselves; forgetting themselves, they can also forget all things in the world. To forget all things is to cease desiring what lies outside oneself. Once one no longer desires external things, one’s heart draws close to nothingness alone. “Nourishing oneself with nothingness” means not using external things to feed one’s desires and not clinging to the physical body as one’s true self.

When people dwell between being and nothingness, they are no longer troubled by worry and distress. To say that form has no form, color no color, taste no taste, and sound no sound is to say that the Great Dao always remains without form or trace, though people cannot perceive it. Thus the Scripture of Lord Lao says, “I have great troubles because I have this body. When I no longer have a body, what troubles could remain?” This is precisely the point: its meaning is profound and comprehensive.

From this we can see that returning to the primordial beginning of ancient times, and recovering simplicity and one’s true nature, are things people often fail to understand.

Thus the Jing of Lord Lao says: “The reason I suffer great affliction is that I have this body. When I no longer have a body, what troubles could there be?” This is precisely the truth of the matter, expressed with profound insight. From this we can understand that by returning to simplicity and one’s original nature, and restoring the formless state of primordial antiquity, one can become one with the Dao.

A perfected person has a physical form but is not bound by it. Thus they can appear or vanish, travel through the empty sky, and cast no shadow beneath them even at midday. All this is called “having no body.” When physical form accords with emptiness, it no longer has a fixed shape or shadow.

The Jing also says that if those who study the Dao remain attached to thoughts of family, body, and mind, they cannot dispel desire or put an end to jealousy and the impulse to harm others. Though the spirits and perfected beings may roam high and far, their thoughts cannot resonate with them, and they cannot subdue the many demons. Such people may be said to cling inwardly to “being”; in the end, they cannot enter “nonbeing.” Only by clinging to neither being nor nonbeing, keeping the mind tranquil and practicing Wuwei (non-action), relying neither on verbal argument nor on a show of cleverness, and appearing outwardly dull and unadorned, can one transcend the cycle of life and death. This state is exceedingly mysterious and profound.

The first thing required in studying the Dao is purification and abstinence. One must avoid the defilements of the mundane world outwardly and make the Five Viscera pure and still inwardly, so as to welcome the true spirits, resonate with the divine, and become one with the Dao. Only those who maintain purification and abstinence over a long period can truly accord with the Dao and avoid violating its prohibitions. For this reason, the Celestial Master (Tianshi) left this teaching: “To study the Dao without practicing purification and abstinence is like traveling at night without a torch.” Purification and abstinence are indeed the foundation of studying the Dao.

Those who wish to open the gates of the spirit realm, pray to the deities of the underworld, and perform purification rites should first undergo san zhai (“dispersed purification”), the preparatory cleansing before entering formal retreat. They must allow the foul vapors left by food within the body to dissipate and make the body clean and free of impurity before formally beginning the retreat. Otherwise, even after bathing, if foulness remains within the skin, clean water cannot wash it away. When the Tiantai household makes offerings at temples to the spirits, it first performs san zhai; how much more should this be required of those who cultivate the true Dao and seek the spirits’ descent?

I often see that today’s jijiu—Daoist officiants who preside over rites—wear many Fulu (talismans and registers) but rarely bow in worship, whether morning or evening. They call themselves adepts of the Great Dao and claim to have become perfected beings, believing that they need not fear contamination by impurity.

Another scripture says, “Those who have truly attained the Dao fear nothing. They can enter fire without being burned, enter water without feeling cold, go into filthy places without being polluted, and encounter weapons without being wounded.” But it is laughable to think that, because one has attained the Dao, one therefore has nothing to fear.

Being unafraid of filth does not mean that wearing many Fulu (talismans and registers), used in Daoism to ward off misfortune and protect the body, can drive filth away. Rather, it is because a person is sincere within and without, harbors no evil thoughts, is filled with spirit and vital energy, and behaves with integrity. Filth may touch such a person, but it cannot harm them. Only someone like this can be said to fear no filth. It is like the difference between an unpolished stone, whose coarse texture makes it hard to wash clean once mud has stuck to it, and a jade disc, whose pure, solid substance cannot be penetrated by dirt. The difference between attaining the Dao and not attaining it, and how one fares when confronted with filth, follows this same principle.

There are different levels of Daoist cultivation. In the Mahayana approach, one should bring the mind to a calm and quiet state, yearn for the true Dao, and focus on the mysteries of the Way. Though outwardly seeming empty and still, inwardly one should be as steadfast as a fortress. Use incense to convey one’s breath, restrain speech and let go of words. Treat all beings with compassion, first seeking to save others and then seeking one’s own salvation; in this way, one can set out on the path to becoming an immortal. Do not dwell on money, and when turning inward to bow in gratitude, there is no need to exhaust body and mind. Seek truth within, and the mysteries of the Way will become clear. When thoughts accord with the Dao, there is naturally no need for endless talk. Such a person may be said to have breath that reaches throughout heaven, earth, and the four directions, and to have attained a lofty realm rarely heard of in the world.

The Hinayana approach is different: it treats speaking at length as a virtue and doing many things as diligence. One bows repeatedly until body and mind are harmed, and argues to make one’s case aloud while the mind remains unfocused. A pinch of incense ash or powder, held between three fingers, is offered in prayer, yet the requests number in the thousands: to become an immortal, save the world, and ascend to Shangqing, the Daoist realm of the highest heavens; to gain office and rise through the ranks, and to travel with five horses yoked abreast; to prosper in every generation and have many descendants; to acquire abundant wealth and crowds of servants; to live long, avert calamity and misfortune, and keep every member of the family, young and old, safe and healthy.

People seek a life of abundance and success in all things, while also wishing for an open mind and keen senses. They hope that a hundred ghosts will flee far away and plague will never enter their homes; that fathers will be loving and sons filial, husbands caring toward their wives and wives faithful to their husbands. They hope to see ten thousand miles into the distance and discern the roots of the Dao of Heaven. They hope to stop worrying over lost possessions and to live in harmony and joy with their friends. They also hope to focus their minds on truth and their thoughts on the Dao, and to receive the descent of a Jade Maiden into their chamber—an image of divine response in Daoist cultivation. The things they seek are too numerous, and the desires they prize too varied. This runs counter to Laozi’s fundamental principle of “guarding the One”: holding fast to one’s original nature and keeping the mind and spirit focused. Thus the mouth grows weary from ceaseless supplication, the body tires from bowing and performing rites, the heart is troubled by its many desires, and the spirit is exhausted by constant activity.

The scripture says: prolonged exertion harms the spirit; prolonged speech harms Qi; prolonged walking harms the sinews; prolonged gazing harms the eyes; carrying heavy loads harms the bones; eating too much brings illness; and excessive worry damages nature and life. None of these accords with the principles of cultivating the body and nurturing one’s nature. The saying, “Many desires bring confusion; few desires bring gain,” expresses precisely this truth.

Practitioners of the Lesser Vehicle seek spiritual efficacy through knocking their teeth together and praying in silence. This is a method for guiding people, intended to encourage them to do good, dispel their sins, and correct their faults. It is not a method for tending the body, prolonging life, or attaining transcendence, and is therefore called the “learning of the Lesser Vehicle.”

When Buddhist monastics practice the Lesser Vehicle’s methods, they sit quietly and count their breaths. Once they reach ten, they begin again, continuing year after year without allowing themselves to forget, even for a moment. Buddhism does not require them to visualize spirits within the body. Instead, breath counting is its essential practice, used to cut off distracting thoughts from the outside.

Daoist practitioners of the Greater Vehicle, by contrast, often visualize the true spirits within the body—their forms, clothing, and colors—and guide the spirits as they come and go, as if in the presence of a divine lord. They do this without pausing, even for an instant. In this way, external distractions cannot enter, the divine presences descend, and the mind is no longer disturbed by ordinary concerns.

Practitioners of the Lesser Vehicle are often entangled in countless affairs and burdened by worries, with their thoughts bound up in external things. The paths of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles differ and are not alike. Those who practice the Lesser Vehicle must be skilled in speech and able to serve as teachers in the world. Those who practice the Greater Vehicle take receiving Qi and guarding the One as their method, regarding it as the foundation for preserving themselves.

The Classic says that people are often troubled by sorrow and all kinds of thoughts, entangled by ideas from the outside world. The paths of the Mahayana and Hinayana, the Buddhist approaches to practice at different levels, are not the same and differ greatly. To study and practice the Hinayana, one must be skilled at distinguishing and debating matters, and able to become a teacher to others. To study and practice the Mahayana, one must absorb Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), and hold fast to the One—a Daoist cultivation concept of focusing on the One and gathering the spirit within—treating it as a treasure that nourishes oneself.

The Classic says, “Those skilled at planning need not use counting rods; all their work lies in the One.” Whoever understands how to focus the mind’s effort on the One can accomplish all things and therefore has no need of counting rods.