《正一天师告赵升口诀》

The Celestial Master (Tianshi) said to Grandee Zhao Sheng: “I wish to tell you the oral formulas, yet I cannot bear to speak them.” Zhao Sheng kowtowed a thousand times, pleading with the Celestial Master to take pity and grant him a single word of instruction. The Celestial Master said: “Stop for now; wait until next year and I will tell you.”

When the Renwu year came, at noon on the seventh day of the first month, Zhao Sheng kowtowed a thousand times in a closed room at Yuntai Zhi (one of the parishes of the Way of the Celestial Masters). The Celestial Master said: “The Most High has me, and I have you. But the covenant of this Daoist method (the credentials and constraints of transmission) is of the utmost importance and cannot be fully explained. The Great Dao is profound and weighty, its principles mysterious and subtle, and it must not be transmitted at random.

“Now the Nine Heavens have jointly established themselves, causing the Six Heavens to withdraw from governance. Daoist methods circulate according to the ways of the world, dividing into three paths in order to restore order and reverse chaos; yet they cannot achieve true centrality and correctness. The Qi (vital energy) of the Three and Five (the transformative forces of Heaven and Earth) caused the Upper Three Heavens to become enraged. Thereupon the Rootless Parents (here referring to the relevant deities) personally descended to the human world to preside over the Correct Way, causing the Supreme Lord Lao to sever the dharma lineage of the former age and newly establish the Way of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and the Covenant with the Powers (the early Daoist methods of the Zhengyi tradition). The Most High used this to instruct the people of the world; it is not because my status is humble that I was made to receive the true methods and command the hundred ghosts.

“Therefore the twenty-four parishes were opened, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms; official bureaus, offices, and registers were established to educate those of heterodox customs; and longevity is cultivated by means of the Huang-Lao red registers. With these words of mine, arriving here, the essential purport of the Great Dao has been fully set forth.”

Taishang Laojun once spoke to me, Yin Xiangwu, by the banks of the Mengjin River: “The Heavenly Dao (the Way) has fixed laws of operation, and a great kalpic cycle is about to turn. Previously, the pure and orthodox order of the Three Heavens (the three celestial realms of Daoism) had not been properly governed, violating the will of the Great Parental Deities. Now I personally preside over Orthodoxy, governing the Three Heavens above, and send Lord Li down to the mortal world to shepherd the myriad people.

“I had originally wished not to take this on any longer, but Heaven’s appointment is severe, commanding me to release the residual Qi (vital energy) of the Six Heavens (the evil qi of the Six Heavens), along with the Three Officials and the hundred ghosts, and by means of military calamities, pestilence, tigers, wolves, snakes, insects, and all manner of poisons, to cleanse the filth of the world. At that time, those who suffered injustice and violent harm were many, dying with resentment; good and evil were intermingled, and cries of grievance filled the earth. Two hundred and forty thousand people became Seed People (those selected into the order of Great Peace and granted protection). Those who had already attained the Dao and become immortals are not counted among them.

“The Sage previously commanded the Three Yangs to examine the name registers: south to the Great River, north to the Northern Shores, east to the Eastern Yi, west to Mengfan. The names of one hundred thousand people have already been pre-registered in the Purple Register of Supreme Mystery (the immortal registers of the celestial realms). The remaining one hundred and forty thousand are to be selected from among three generations. I send twelve immortal officials riding flying dragons, with twenty-four officials accompanying them, and twelve jade maidens to patrol the world, examining every prefecture, commandery, and village, seeking those who are pure and upright, steadfast and chaste, compassionate, filial, loyal and trustworthy, and simple and honest, to fill the ranks of the Seed People.

“I first confer upon them the registers of office (the offices and name-lists of Daoism, a form of Fulu, talismans and registers) in order to observe people’s hearts; afterwards I confer the Yellow-Lao Red Registers, to distinguish the good, making them Seed People and immortal officials. I shall continue to patrol and investigate, screening the good. The term of the great kalpa draws to a close; when the Jiazi year of the Golden Horse arrives, the sun’s power already declines toward the west, yet my actions will not cease. Those whose De (Virtue/Power) corresponds with the sovereign of men will first serve as ministers and counselors in the world. The Jiazi year is the deadline; from then on the great register is determined, and there is no further need to receive name registers.

“When the Jiashen year comes, great waters will wash away the filth. Immortal officials riding dragons on patrol will find it hard to advance even an inch; they will not see the Seed People, but only those wearing the Yellow-Lao official registers, together with the Three Officials and hundred ghosts. Documents will be in confusion, mutually slandering one another and disturbing the pure and still liturgical texts. Many wear the official registers and call themselves Perfected Ones, elevating themselves by displaying magical arts and deceiving the foolish; they covet silk, money, and grain, amassing wealth, seeking only present security and paying no heed that the great kalpa is at hand. The Three Officials will record their crimes. Gains obtained through bribes belong to the category of plunder; if they do not confess truthfully, they are likewise guilty; those of improper conduct are listed as adulterers. The Three Officials will all record them as treacherous thieves, causing them after death to fall into the Three Paths (the realms of suffering such as hell, hungry ghosts, and animals), their names entered in the Black Register.

“Even with me personally presiding over this matter it is still so; not a single person has yet been selected onto the Purple Register of Supreme Mystery. If later generations mix the Yellow Registers and Red Registers together and treat them as ordinary transmissions, they will no longer be able to distinguish good from evil. The Most High pities the common people and cherishes the good, loving them as one loves one’s own children. The present deadline is pressing; the Most High requests that the term be extended. By the Renchen and Guisi years, the selection of Seed People will be even more urgent. Now is issued the Supreme Mystery Nine-Radiance Myriad-Designation Life Talisman, to examine and screen those who are truly suitable.

“The Most High sends twelve immortal officials to patrol the world. Upon seeing those who wear the Myriad-Designation Nine-Radiance Talisman, they register them according to the allotted number of Seed People onto the Jade Register of Supreme Mystery, and thereafter make no further inquiry. When the age of Great Peace arrives, the Sage Lord will naturally select anew according to De, and will command the hundreds of millions of ghost soldiers and ghost generals throughout the world, together with the hundred kinds of poisons and harms, all to protect the Seed People, so that their entire families remain at peace until the age of Great Peace. Should anyone suffer destruction or injury, after the cause is investigated those responsible will be executed.

“Now the three disasters arise together and strife is at its height. Great Peace will come only at the end of the Golden Horse; the present years remain as they are, not an age fit for the worthy to dwell in. I cannot bear to let you first pass through the earthen household (dying and being buried) and only then ascend in broad daylight. You should await the divine elixir; after taking it you will be lifted up and long remain in reclusion from the world. Gather essence-stones, marrow-jade, gui-luo pearls, phoenix brains, zhi-ying and other marvelous medicinal substances, refining them in accordance with the four seasons; after one thousand days the elixir is complete. Each take a small dose, and the body will turn five-colored, feathers will sprout, and the form will transform into golden light. The Most High will send immortal officials riding cranes and deer to welcome you and take you up to Heaven. Adorned with kingfisher feathers, riding light and swift, the two lads Ying and Zhi climb the dragon and ascend together; Zhao Sheng attends in service, and together they reach the realm of the Limitless.

“I, amidst the blue clouds, leaping upon a dragon and lingering on the heavenly road, looked back and called to Zhao Sheng, saying: ‘I now am about to ascend to the heavenly throne. All matters have been respectfully prepared, and we are distinguishing the living from the dead. The deadline of the great cycle draws near; I cannot turn back midway, but must wait until the time of Great Peace. You for now return to administer the parishes (the Daoist jurisdictions or seats of administration), and generally inform the pure-believing men and women and all the disciples: those who are loyal and steadfast must diligently keep faith, making loyalty and trustworthiness their concern, and must not covet wealth or the beauty of women. Heaven gives birth to the myriad things, all of which have a beginning and an end.’”

Laozi manifests in accordance with the transformations of the ages, all of this according with the great cycle of destiny. A person who lives to one hundred and twenty years must ultimately pass through the “Earth Door” (tuhu, here referring to the place of burial and transition that one enters after death). Even those who have undergone ten refinements and nine transformations, and whose names already stand in the Purple Registers of the Great Mystery, must still pass through the Earth Door when their allotted years are exhausted; only afterward do the hun and po souls ascend to the Purple Palace (zifu, a palatial residence in the immortal realm) to serve and protect the Sage Lord.

One must wait until the age of Great Peace before the hun soul and Jing (essence) can return to the original physical form, the white bones rise again, and blood and Qi (vital energy) circulate once more. In the course of a single night the dead can lie down at dusk and rise at dawn, thereby making the transformation manifest to the people of the world. When that time arrives, even those who have understood the true meaning of this talisman and have already received office, if they wish to cultivate the essential methods of the Way of Huang-Lao (the cultivation path of Daoism), must still possess the method of “Purple-Gold Adamantine.” Without the “Nine Lights Myriad Appellations Talisman” (jiuguang wancheng fu, a Fulu (talismans and registers) that confers protection and enables salvation), they cannot escape expulsion by the Three Officials; after death they will sink into the Yellow Springs, unable to pass beyond the Earth Door, their flesh and bones rotting into ash, while their hun and po souls are delivered to the Three Officials for interrogation and torment, a suffering beyond description. Those unwilling to seek liberation through “corpse liberation” (shijie, a cultivation method in which the physical remains transform and one leaves the mundane world) ought to compound the Divine Elixir, and therefore must possess the Nine Lights Myriad Appellations Life Talisman. Without this talisman one cannot be inscribed in the Life Registers of the Great Mystery.

The rank of this talisman is comparable to the jade imperial seal of the Son of Heaven, the yellow battle-axe of the Three Dukes, or the seals and ribbons of the feudal lords. If a person of pure integrity, worthiness, and unwavering resolve dies without having seen this talisman, it may be conferred posthumously; in the age of Great Peace the corpse will then revive and appear in the world together with the Sage Lord.

I originally could not bear to utter this talisman or to transmit it to disciples, for it is not a thing commonly found in the world. Those who obtain this talisman should only cultivate themselves and purify their conduct, be filial and compassionate toward their parents, remain loyal and upright, hold themselves with a sincere heart, and have faith in the True Dao (the Way). The Examination Officials (kaoguan, divine functionaries charged with examining and verifying practitioners) will come daily to the gate to inspect the person’s inner heart.

Should one encounter a crisis in which life hangs by a moment, one ought to rectify the mind, devote oneself wholly to the Great Dao, hold the Nine Lights Myriad Appellations Talisman, and pray to the Most High for deliverance. This is a grace granted at a special time; the Sage Lord condescends to assist, and the appointed term is already near. If one can receive the transmission before the Sage Lord appears in the world, one will no longer pass through the Earth Door and may naturally enjoy a lifespan of eighteen thousand years. Even so, the Sage Lord will still make a selection among them, and each person has an allotted place of belonging.

Those who obtain the Nine Lights Myriad Appellations Talisman before the years Renchen and Guisi all belong to the chosen Seed People; those who receive the talisman only after the years Renchen and Guisi will not arrive in time. The assembled officials will gather in the Purple Palace, the immortal officials will return to the Heavenly Bureau (tiancao, the official offices of the celestial realm), and thereafter talismans will no longer be conferred upon human beings. These are the secret words and secret talisman from the innermost depths of the Sage’s heart, which in ordinary times one cannot bear to make public. Now that the situation is urgent, I have no choice but to reveal everything I know.

Accompanying this talisman there will be an Attendant Gentleman (shilang, an accompanying immortal official) to escort one to worldly transcendence, together with a Jade Maiden in attendance. Those who are unkind, unfilial, disloyal, unchaste, insincere, or untrustworthy, even if they happen to see this talisman, the Attendant Gentleman and Jade Maiden will confuse and obstruct their minds so that they cannot receive it; those who accord with this talisman, the spirits will open their hearts, causing them to seek an audience urgently and to request the transmission with diligence. The original text further employs such expressions as “of the Three Ones there are a hundred people, of the Myriad Appellations Nine Lights there is one person” and “of the Three Ones there are a thousand people, of the Myriad Appellations Nine Lights there are ten people,” indicating that those who can accord with the talisman and truly obtain it are exceedingly rare.

You must understand that all the spirits under heaven jointly keep this talisman secret, and therefore it is rarely seen. Worldly people do not comprehend my words; look at later generations, among ten thousand people who cultivate the Dao there is scarcely a single one who can wear this talisman. Now I am handing it over to you; this is the utmost of what I am able to do. You must admonish those who come after, carefully selecting people who are loyal and good, pure and upright, and single-minded, conferring the talisman according to the regulations by establishing an oath of alliance, and no matter how much money is offered, never displaying it to others lightly. After thirty years I will send someone to come and receive you.

Zhao Sheng performed the ritual of bowing twice, received the command, took his leave, and departed.