《三洞众戒文》

Preface to the Collected Precept Texts of the Three Caverns

Compiled and recorded by Zhang Wanfu, a disciple of the Three Caverns (Sandong) and a Daoist of the Taiqing Abbey in the capital.

I, Zhang Wanfu, have examined the scriptures of the Three Caverns. The passages among them that discuss precepts are many, and it is difficult to explain them all in full detail. In studying the Dao (the Way) and seeking the true, there is no one who does not first observe purification and keep the precepts. Thus the Lingbao Shengxuan Buxu Zhang says: “Everything begins with purification and precepts; one accumulates merit and forms the good affinities of former lives.” The Left Immortal Duke of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) also said: “If one studies the Dao yet does not cultivate purification and precepts, then even if one withdraws to the mountains and forests to practice, it is only wasted effort.” From this the importance of purification and precepts can be seen.

What is called a “precept” is the prohibition of all kinds of evil conduct; it is an important norm for preventing faults. If one does not keep the precepts, the Dao cannot be attained; yet if one cultivates the Daoist scriptures without transmission from a master, practice is also hard to show any effect. In the Keyi (liturgy) of the Three Caverns, the articles of the precepts are already complete; however, transmission from master to disciple follows different lineages, and the manner of transmission sometimes differs among Wu, Shu, and the capital. This is because teaching and precepts must be suited to a person’s capacity to understand, proceeding step by step or instructing according to the individual. People’s endowments are higher or lower, and so different methods are established to accord with each person’s circumstances; what matters is conformity with the Dao.

I fear that people of narrow vision may therefore give rise to groundless doubts. The sequence for transmitting scriptures and methods has therefore already been set out in the Catalog of Methods of the Three Caverns. Now I have further excerpted the precept texts according to the scriptures and appended them after the various methods, so that when a method is received they are transmitted together with the method one receives. This allows Daoists to recite and study them, in order to prevent faults, stop evil conduct, and restrain the six passions (human emotions and desires), gradually raising the grade of cultivation, becoming a superior immortal, and departing from the Three Realms (the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm). Cultivation proceeds from the shallow to the deep, and the levels differ in rank; the passage from the ordinary to the sacred likewise has its different stages.

Here I only briefly set out the outline, hoping it may help people grasp the profound principles. Those who first arouse the aspiration and enter the Dao receive the Three Refuges precepts; those who receive registers receive the Five Precepts and the Eight Precepts; lay men and women receive the Unsurpassed Ten Precepts; those newly leaving the household receive the Precepts of Initial Perfection; disciples of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) receive the Seventy-two Precepts; male officers and female officers receive Lord Lao’s One Hundred and Eighty Precepts; disciples of pure faith receive the Celestial Worthy’s Ten Precepts and the Fourteen Articles for Maintaining the Body; those who cultivate the Five Thousand Characters of the Golden Button receive the Taiqing Yin-Yang precepts; High and Mysterious Masters of the Most High receive the Twenty-seven Precepts; the Cavern……

The Divine Way (Shendao) comprises three essential sayings of the Dao (the Way), the Five Precepts, the Thirteen Precepts, and seven hundred and twenty rules of discipline. The Inner Teaching of Ascending to the Mystery has one hundred and twenty-nine precepts. The initial Lingbao covenant establishes the “Precept of Closing Off the Six Passions,” which requires restraint of the desires of the six senses. The middle covenant has the “Great Precepts of the Supreme Grade of Wisdom,” and the great covenant has the “One Hundred and Eighty Grades of Precepts of the Three Primordials.” Shangqing (one of the major lineages of Daoism) has the “Two Hundred and Ten Gates of the Precepts of Wisdom for Contemplating the Body.” The precept lists of the Inner Teaching of Ascending to the Mystery, the initial Lingbao covenant, the middle covenant, and the great covenant are set out once more, and the end of the text again records that Shangqing has the “Two Hundred Great Precepts of Wisdom for Contemplating the Body.”

Whenever scriptures (Jing) and methods are transmitted, ritual vestments—the garments worn in the performance of Daoist rites—must be conferred at the same time. The regulations and precepts governing these vestments are explained, the corresponding ritual rank is determined and bestowed, and the important precepts of the Celestial Worthy are then transmitted. The recipient must also receive three days of admonition; after those three days, a purification rite (a zhai ceremony) is held in thanksgiving. At the time of transmission, the taboo names and physical appearances of the Three Masters, together with the direction and location of the abbeys where they reside, are all to be made known, and each of these matters is recorded in detail as follows.

The foregoing is to be written out together with the scriptures and methods being conferred. Although these items are already included in the scriptural text, they are not easy to consult when the rites are actually carried out, and they are therefore listed separately.

Collected Precepts of the Three Caverns (Sandong), Upper Scroll

“Text of the Precepts of the Three Refuges for First Arousing the Mind and Entering the Dao,” from the Taixuan division.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) said to the Most High Lord of the Great Dao (Taishang Dadaojun): “The Dao (the Way) is originally still and without form; when it comes into operation, it manifests as the myriad beings. It disperses Primordial Qi (Yuanqi, the fundamental vital energy, Qi, of which all things are constituted) and sets its wondrous power in motion, and thus the myriad things come into being. It embraces unity and holds the primal origin within, dwelling amid nothingness and empty stillness; pattern and principle then appear, and forms arise from them. It enfolds true Qi and breathes out and in pure essence, so that the myriad things, receiving numinous awareness, take on shape. It can turn yellow back and transform it into green, accord with the timely moment and meet the occasion, and through resonance correspond with all things. Therefore I tell you: set aside external disturbances and listen with the mind.

“The Dao is the root of all things. From ultimate non-being it gives rise to wondrous transformations, creating heaven and earth, the sun and moon, and mountains and rivers. It pours forth pure essence and sends Primordial Qi abroad, reaching every place: far off it has no end, and near at hand it likewise cannot be exhausted; in its greatness there is nothing it does not contain, and in its smallness there is nothing it does not enter. It runs through the cosmos and moistens the most minute things. Hold to it, and the inner mind becomes clear, still, empty, and luminous; awaken to it, and one can penetrate the wondrous. Tranquil and plain, it does not change, and it is undisturbed by restless clamor. It ever abides and does not perish; empty, pervasive, and unobstructed, there is nowhere it does not enter. Through countless kalpas it does not alter, and it may forever serve as the standard. By relying on the Dao one may nourish the vital spirit, guard one’s own person, and bring order to the state, and one may also attain the Dao and become an immortal.

“The Dao, the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master—the Dao, the classics, and the teacher who transmits the Dao—are the constant Way that all people follow in common. They can restrain evil conduct and promote good conduct, and by precepts regulate both the human world and the celestial realm. Body, Shen (spirit), and life are the precious and subtle parts of life; returning to the primal origin and transforming and ascending are the root of the path to the realm of the holy and the true. The body is only a temporary support, formed by the gathering and coalescence of Jing (essence) and the condensation of Qi, and in the end it returns to empty stillness. Shen has that on which it relies; it lives by moving with the operation of the Dao, and at last returns to the constant. Life comes from nature, while food, drink, and breath belong to the needs shared by all living beings. Sin and blessing, causes and conditions together with retribution, and good and evil, fortune and misfortune, all arise from this. The growth and change of every kind of form are like illusion and like something adrift, and cannot be relied upon for long. One should therefore take refuge in the Dao, the Jing, and the Master, just as an infant relies on its mother and all things depend upon the earth, and not for a moment let go of the precepts.

“If heaven does not follow this Dao, it cannot revolve; if earth does not follow this Dao, it cannot bear the myriad things and cause grasses and trees to grow; if the sun and moon do not follow this Dao, they cannot give forth light and shine; if Yin-Yang does not follow this Dao, it cannot generate and transform the myriad things; if ghosts and spirits do not follow this Dao, they cannot see all the way through; if the sovereign does not follow this…”

The Dao (the Way) itself cannot take the place of precepts in governing body and mind. If a Daoist does not observe these Daoist precepts, he cannot remain settled and at peace for long. The Three Ways—here referring to the Three Refuges set out below—are mysterious and subtle; by holding to them, one can safeguard the way of long life.

The Most High Lord of the Great Dao bowed his head and reported to the Celestial Worthy: “I wish to teach this body of Daoist methods to the multitudes of all the heavens.” Thereupon the precious incense of a hundred blended fragrances was burned, and the Broad Music of the Jun Heaven—the grand music of the celestial realm—was performed. The many Perfected, those who have attained the Dao, scattered flowers; the gods of all the heavens assembled; and the male and female disciples were ordered to bow and receive the Precepts of the Three Refuges.

The first precept is to take refuge in the Most High, Limitless Great Dao; the second is to take refuge in the thirty-six divisions of venerable Jing (scriptures); and the third is to take refuge in the Great Master of the Law within the Mystery, an honorific title for one who transmits the teachings in Daoism.

The Celestial Worthy said: “The Precepts of the Three Refuges are the pivot of the movement of Heaven and Earth, the root of the cultivation of immortals, the gateway by which one begins to cultivate the Dao, and the starting point for firmly establishing the mind of cultivation. To uphold the Precepts of the Three Refuges is to circulate Qi (vital energy)—the primordial life-energy spoken of in Daoism—and to open one’s spiritual nature, secretly according with the true Dao and entering into its principle. They embrace the myriad things and reach through to what lies beyond bodily form. One who keeps the precepts receives the protection of the divinities of Heaven and Earth. Mind and intelligence become joyful and clear; ears and eyes grow open; the myriad things show respect; the Six Storehouses, a general term for the internal organs, are harmonized and at ease; and the many Perfected stand guard. Such a person can also become a support for all living beings, and for a long time will not be abandoned, so that human beings and spirits communicate in harmony.”

Text of the Precepts and Regulations by Which Disciples Serve the Master

When a disciple has been away from the master for a full month, he should dress properly, hold tablets and documents in his hands, and go to pay his respects; he must not wear white mourning clothes. When a disciple has been away from the master for a single night, he should bow and kneel at length before the master, and he should do the same upon returning. A disciple may not call himself “disciple” in the master’s presence; when speaking, he should refer to himself by his own name.

When a disciple goes to see the master, he may not sit down of his own accord; he may sit only after the master orders him to sit. A disciple must not address the master as a “Daoist,” but should call him “my master.” A disciple must not offend against the taboo on the master’s personal name. If someone asks….

When a disciple answers the master, the voice should be low and respectful. A disciple must not offend the master, because spirit-officials (Shen) charged with oversight attend at the master’s side.

If a disciple discovers that the master has a fault, the disciple should seek out a secluded place, kneel at length, and remonstrate, and must not discuss the master’s errors or lapses in De (Virtue/Power) in front of others. When speaking with the master, one must not raise one’s voice or clamor. When lodging with the master, one must not retire first or rise later. When eating at the same table as the master, one must not take up chopsticks before the master, nor stop eating later than the master. When seeking instruction from the master, one should act according to what the master has transmitted. When a disciple pays respects to the master, the disciple should follow the rites and order fixed by the master, wear the kerchief and hempen robe, and hold the tablets, and must not casually put on white clothing.

In following the master in daily rising and resting and in every movement, the disciple must be humble and reverent, and must not fail in propriety even for a moment. Even if the master is younger than the disciple and the disciple is older, the disciple should still revere the master as one honors a high official or one’s father and mother, and must not slight the master by relying on greater age or exalted status. This matter is of great weight; the specific precepts are found in the Mingzhen Ke.

When a disciple sits with the master, if the master rises or makes any movement, the disciple should at once stand and wait in attendance, and must not remain comfortably seated. If the disciple has not previously received the methods and precepts, or shares the same class of Qi (vital energy) as the master, or is older, or is kin of the same ancestral line as the master, and only later takes the master and receives the methods, the disciple must still be humble and reverent, give his own name when speaking, and must not be as casual as in ordinary conversation.

If a disciple and the master are relatives within the degrees of mourning kinship, they must not take one another as master and disciple. For when the methods are received, the ancestors—father and mother, together with the three generations of great-grandparents and the seven ancestral forebears—are invited to bear witness and to watch over their descendants; if the covenant oath is violated, all nine ancestors are punished, and the calamity also implicates the person who received the methods. A disciple must not rebuke or revile the master out of anger or jealousy, nor harbor resentment in the heart; the relevant offenses are set out in the Mingzhen Jing (scripture).

When a disciple goes to the master to request the methods of the Dao (the Way), the disciple should set cap and robes in order, hold the tablets, and make the request with sincere humility, and must not act carelessly. After a disciple has been separated from the master for many years, on each first day of the month the disciple should dress neatly, hold the tablets, perform three bows, and then kneel at length to offer greetings; when the greeting is finished, bow twice more, five bows in all. The same rites are observed at parting, and this should be remembered.

A disciple must not argue with the master, talk back, or show a look of contempt and mockery. In serving the master one must be reverent, and must not be arrogant or rude; the punishment for those who violate this is given in the Mingzhen Jing. A disciple must also not contend with the master over merit or reputation, and should know how to yield. On going to the master, one should inquire about the methods of the Dao that one has received, and should not speak of private trifles.

When the master returns from a distant journey, the disciple should go out to meet him according to the length of the road, and must not sit at ease and wait. When traveling together with the master, one must not tread upon the master’s shadow. When a disciple sits with the master, the disciple must not accept another person’s kneeling homage, because two places of honor cannot occupy the same mat.

A disciple must not secretly carry out perverse and rebellious acts, nor grow angry and contend with the master. When going out or coming in, or when arranging affairs, one should first ask the master’s instruction and must not decide on one’s own. In serving the master there should be kindness and obligation, loving respect, and good faith; one must not be of two minds.

A disciple must not steal the master’s belongings, nor open without leave the chests and cases in which the master stores implements and writings; one who violates the prohibitions of the master’s lineage will be punished according to the precepts. One must not betray the master; the relevant rules are found in the Mingzhen Jing. While in the master’s company, one must not spit on the ground. When attending the master in receiving guests, one should stand reverently at the master’s side, and must not put on a haughty air or sit in a grand, self-important manner, lest one be lacking in propriety and filial respect.

When a disciple has received the methods of the Dao transmitted by the master and later succeeds in cultivating De and comes to be respected by many, the disciple should still remain humble, keep the original master in mind, and must not forget the master’s former kindness. A disciple must not sit without leave on the master’s bed or mat, or in the place reserved for the master; the spirits keep a very strict watch over this.

Disciples who observe the precepts transmitted by their master should be humble and reverent, constantly remembering their own original teacher and never forgetting the kindness the master has previously shown. In serving the master, a disciple must not sit at will upon the master’s bed or seat. This is an instruction examined by the divine spirits (Shen), and it must be observed with urgency.

The above are the thirty-six precepts that disciples should observe in serving their master.

Here ends the first fascicle of the Collected Precepts of the Three Caverns (Sandong Zhongjie Wen).

Second fascicle of the Collected Precepts of the Three Caverns (Sandong Zhongjie Wen)

Compiled and recorded by Zhang Wanfu, Daoist priest of the Taiqing Abbey in the capital

Precept Text of the Numinous Treasure First Covenant for Closing Off the Six Passions (Lingbao Chumeng Bise Liuqing Jiewen)

The first precept: the eyes should not look about greedily in every direction, lest they be disturbed by all kinds of gorgeous colors, the power of sight be injured, and the gaze lose its brightness.

The second precept: the ears should not listen indiscriminately to every kind of sound, lest the mixed five tones disturb the mind and Shen and harm upright Qi (vital energy), nor should one indulge in harsh clamor and the noise of weeping and crying.

The third precept: the nose should not sniff about everywhere, lest one inhale mixed, rank, and foul odors, the body be affected by turbid Qi, and one be unable to remain pure and upright.

The fourth precept: the mouth should not crave flavors, and especially should not greedily eat rich, greasy, or heavily fragrant foods, lest turbid Qi disturb the five spirits—the five Shen dwelling within the body—and the inner organs be harmed.

The fifth precept: the hands should not do evil deeds, should not steal the belongings of others, and should not covet profit and take it as one’s own; otherwise one may bring upon oneself misfortunes of which one is not yet aware.

The sixth precept: the mind should not indulge in desire and attachment, lest the five spirits be agitated, Jing (essence) and Qi be injured, and body and mind fall into confusion.

The Celestial Worthy said: These six precepts are where the great afflictions of the body, and of body and mind, reside. Even if men and women of later ages are born as human beings, if their six senses and mental impulses are not pure and upright, and if they have neither read the scriptural teachings (Jing) nor heard the methods of the Dao, they easily lose their way without knowing it and sink into wrongdoing. Their lives are then cut short, so that they cannot live out their natural years, and they fall for a long time into evil paths. This is truly pitiable. Therefore these precepts are set forth in order to save and deliver heavenly beings and the people of the world.

If one can trust, accept, and turn toward them with a good heart, devote oneself with a single mind, honor the sacred teaching, and close every gate of wrongdoing, the bodily form can return to emptiness and one can obtain the wisdom of the six penetrations—the six kinds of spiritual wisdom spoken of in Daoism. In this way the six senses and mental impulses become calm and peaceful, the spirits are naturally at ease, the breath is naturally harmonized, Jing and Qi are naturally secure, and one’s lifespan can be long, so that one does not die before one’s time.

Wanfu says: A person’s six sensory passions are the gateways through which one becomes stained with transgression, and they are also the root that brings about the loss of one’s life. Therefore, in keeping the precepts, one must first restrain the six passions. When the six passions are calm and settled, the Dao (the Way) of luminous Shen (spirit) returns. Those who study the Dao, on first entering the middle vehicle (a level of Daoist cultivation), must first close off the six passions; only then can they gradually enter the Way of the One (the realm of cultivation in which one returns to the Great Dao). That is why this section is placed here. Those who truly understand will naturally reflect with care on the principles within it.

The Text of the Three Precepts

The scripture says: All who study the subtle and profound, mysterious transformation, numinous powers of transformation, and the various methods of the Great Dao ought to purify themselves, observe fasting and quiet purity, recite and cultivate the pure precepts, and thoroughly understand their meaning. Whether in movement or in stillness, they should bring mind and spirit into communion with the Dao. They should diligently practice the way of goodness, carefully preserve subtle principles, earnestly discern merit and fault, and give rise to no false or deluded thoughts. They should make consciousness bright and stable and their observance of the precepts complete; only then can they practice the Dao, so that what the mind conceives accords with what the mouth speaks.

If one cannot cultivate in this way, the boundary between human beings and ghosts and spirits will be thrown into confusion, destroying oneself and misleading others. In cultivating the Dao one should also aid living beings; only by aiding others can one bring peace to oneself. One must never treat the methods of the Dao as a game, nor display them before others in order to show off; still less should one harm others for one’s own benefit. One ought to observe these precepts so as to restrain oneself.

The first precept: one must clearly understand causes and conditions, and must not forget the root while chasing after the branches.

The second precept: one must truly hold to having little selfishness and few desires, and must not, for one’s own benefit, boast of the methods of the Dao to others; nor should one harm others for one’s own benefit. One ought to observe this precept so as to restrain oneself.

The first precept: one must clearly understand causes and conditions, and must not forget the root while chasing after the branches.

The second precept: one must truly hold to having little selfishness and few desires, and must not harm other things for one’s own benefit.

The third precept: one must study in earnest and practice with diligence, and must not mingle with the mundane world and thereby lose one’s original truth.

These three superior precepts are practiced by the Supreme Sovereign, upheld by the Thearch on High, and cultivated by superior adepts. If a practitioner observes them without violation, the orthodox spirits of the Three Qi (vital energy)—the three primordial energies that constitute life and the workings of heaven and earth—will descend and become one with one’s own person; the various spirits within the body will likewise return to unity, and there will no longer be a divided mind. In this way one attains the Dao and endures forever, and is called “Taishang” (the Most High). If one does not follow these precepts, then even wearing talismanic writs is labor without result, and one is not a true disciple of the Most High.

The Text of the Five Precepts

The scripture records that Emperor Haoying told the Yellow Emperor: “I received from Taishang Laojun (the Most High Lord Lao) the essential precepts of the many scriptures and cultivated them diligently; that is why I have the attainment I have today. These rules ought to be transmitted onward, to exhort and instruct later generations. They must not be sealed off and cut short, so that those who come after are unable to hear them. You should cultivate with a concentrated mind if you are to move toward long life, and you should widely proclaim the precepts, thereby accomplishing the merit of aiding living beings.”

The Yellow Emperor knocked his head to the ground and bowed twice, accepted the charge, and carried it out in accordance with the teaching.

The first precept: the eyes do not crave all manner of colors; one vows to cease the taking of life and to learn the Dao (the Way) of long life. The second precept: the ears do not crave all manner of music; one is willing to hear wholesome words and thereby remains free from delusion. The third precept: the nose does not crave all manner of scents; one uses Dharma incense to drive out worldly defilement. The fourth precept: the mouth does not crave all manner of flavors; one practices embryonic breathing (a Daoist method of regulating the breath and nourishing Qi [vital energy]) and abstains entirely from evil speech. The fifth precept: the body does not crave splendid clothing and ornaments; one labors diligently and accords with the Dao.

Through these five precepts, each of the Five Elder Imperial Lords (revered deities of Daoism) dispatches twenty-five spirits to protect those who receive and uphold the five precepts, sparing them from calamity, lengthening their lives, securing the state, harmonizing the household, and saving all beings. When the five precepts are transmitted, the rite is to be performed according to the ritual of the three precepts. The three precepts draw in the three kinds of primordial Qi—the Mysterious, the Original, and the Beginning—while the five precepts cause the five kinds of primordial Qi of benevolence, propriety, faithfulness, righteousness, and wisdom to continue. Three together with five make eight kinds of primordial Qi, pervading all things and present everywhere; when cultivation renders them pure and refined, one can unite the great and the small and lack nothing.

The Text of the Eight Precepts

The Most High says: In principle, all precepts are to be observed in common, yet among them there are differences of greater and lesser weight, of urgency, of complexity and simplicity, and of higher and lower standing, each with its own significance. According to the ritual method of Xuanyuan (the Daoist name for the origin of the Dao), the precepts are established in keeping with transformation and the successive stages of cultivation, advancing level by level and bringing one another to completion—from three, five, eight, and nine, gradually extended to ten, a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand. Although one may choose a suitable sequence of practice according to one’s causal conditions and capacity, one must not skip or omit any stage. Those who know how to turn toward the correct Dharma and who cultivate in pursuit of long life without death, having already practiced the three precepts and the five precepts, should then receive and uphold the eight precepts.

First, one thoroughly understands the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and fully cultivates the five virtues. Second, one practices the five affairs (their precise reference depends on the scriptural transmission) and must not lack perseverance. Third, one regulates the eight rectitudes (eight upright criteria of cultivation), so that action and repose, advance and retreat, all accord with the proper time. Fourth, one understands the five guiding norms (five kinds of fundamental principles or laws) and preserves and nourishes them together with primordial Qi. Fifth, one carefully examines the Imperial Pivot (the principle that occupies the center, orders all quarters, and brings them into harmony), so that above and below are in concord. Sixth, one cultivates the three virtues, in the hope of joining the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities revered in Daoism.

The seventh is to dispel doubt with firm resolve and turn the false into the true.

The eighth is to examine and verify the results of cultivation, remove calamity and bring blessing, temper ordinary people until they rise to the sagely realm, and not fail the Three Worthies, Daoism’s honorific for the Dao (the Way), the Jing (scripture/classic), and the Master.

If these eight precepts can be kept, one can preserve oneself. If they are violated, one should admit the fault and repent, reproach oneself, change one’s mind and make a fresh start, and resolutely prevent any further offense. Practiced for three years, the benevolent spirits of the eight directions will come to protect and aid one. Practiced for six years, one can be spared the six adversities. The six adversities are meeting with misfortune and a shortened life; often suffering illness; constant anxiety in the heart; prolonged poverty and want; an ugly appearance; and a thin, weak body lacking strength.

Practiced for eight years, one may long enjoy the Five Blessings. The Five Blessings are longevity, wealth and honor, health and peace, a love of virtue, and dying a natural death in old age. Through cultivation, refining what has form until it becomes formless, one comes to know one’s own destiny. Cultivated for nine years, one attains spiritual powers, transcends the ordinary, and becomes a sage.

The Text of the Three Essentials

The scripture says: Those who set their minds on learning do not yet have firm ability; knowing too much, on the contrary, makes failure easy; slackness and idleness invite misfortune. A skillful teacher instructs step by step according to each person’s capacity and differing endowment, so that the learner is inspired and advances day by day. For the time being one does not take up complicated subjects, but first transmits the essentials; the various scriptures and methods of cultivation are then studied in sequence. When merit is accomplished, broad understanding comes of itself. To penetrate the many methods, one must begin from the root. The essentials are three.

The first is called “cause” (yin). From beginningless time, human beings still possess awareness and innate nature. This numinous nature is not extinguished; even after the suffering of death, it continues to exist. The happiness of life, however, has no fixed and unchanging guarantee. Those who do not understand “cause” will certainly not resent Heaven, blame others, or lay fault on external things, nor will they grieve over their own circumstances. They can accept suffering and joy with contentment, and are not misled by delusive thoughts.

The second is called “condition” (yuan). One accords with the movement and stillness of things and seeks harmony between the inner and the outer. One does not harm others in order to benefit oneself, nor put oneself in difficulty and implicate others. Even when there is loss, no injury is caused; even when benefit is gained, no misfortune is brought. When one understands the root and also knows the branches, deviant thoughts and doubts do not arise.

Note: After “the Five Blessings” the original text is obviously disordered and repeats the content of the “Six Extremities.” The above follows the five explanations listed after the words “the Five Blessings are.”

The third principle is called “diligence.” One must carefully restrain one’s thoughts and words, and strictly discipline body and spirit. After hearing the sacred Dao (the Way), one should actively seek instruction, accept the teaching, and follow it in practice. One should continually accumulate good affinities and cut off the causes of evil. Zhengjianzi (a personal name or a title) should press forward diligently and never retreat: not defying the master’s commands and deciding matters on one’s own authority; not lightly believing superficial talk and drifting with the current; not growing proud and slack and disturbing companions on the Dao; not clinging stubbornly to one’s own views and interfering with others; not concealing what is true while displaying what is false; and not beginning without seeing things through to the end.

These secret instructions should be memorized and recited over a long time, and repeated three times. In this way one can both transform and deliver others and also save oneself. The divine scribes of the Three Sovereigns (deities, historians, or ritual officers associated with the Three Sovereigns) will naturally manifest their forms and submit to being commanded. Thereby one may commune with true numinous beings, refine the ordinary and the vulgar until one becomes a sage, and transform the coarse and turbid into the fine and subtle. Without understanding these three principles, one can never in the end attain the Dao.

The Text on the Eight Failures

The scripture says: In fasting and abstinence, what matters most is to bring body and mind into proper order. One must first set body and mind straight; when body and mind are orderly, confusion and corruption can be avoided. Corrupting matters are many, but they may broadly be grouped into eight kinds: killing living beings in order to feed oneself; stealing the property of others in order to support oneself; taking pleasure in sexual desire; speaking falsely in order to deceive people; drunkenness and unrestrained indulgence; lying mingled with others upon a broad, high, and spacious bed; vying to enjoy fragrant oils and to pursue gorgeous adornment; and mixing in song and dance, singing tunes for amusement.

None of these eight kinds of conduct is practiced by great persons and men of noble character, nor by those who study and cultivate in order to become sages or who seek immortality. In this way the eight forms of corruption have no occasion to arise. When corruption does not arise, the eight accomplishments are established of themselves. Once established, they are not lost. One may then prolong one’s years and preserve one’s life, render spiritual powers penetrating and unobstructed, hold the true Dao in contemplative visualization, and practice the methods of the Dao, and the efficacious results one seeks will quickly appear.

The Text on the Three Essentials

The Celestial Sovereign says: The first essential is to seek long life before all else; the second essential is to seek to conceal one’s traces; the third essential is to turn away from the glory and splendor of the world.

The Text on the Thirteen Prohibitions

The immortal says: If one wishes to prolong one’s years and live long, one should avoid the various prohibitions mentioned above.

(Here the original text then repeats the three essentials from the Text on the Three Essentials, and again writes the opening of the Text on the Thirteen Prohibitions. The surviving passage breaks off in meaning at the words “It is forbidden to discharge Jing (essence).”)

Do not carelessly dissipate Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), or the span of life will be shortened and death will come too soon; do not eat too much, or the channels of Qi will become blocked; do not drink water to excess, or the bladder will be compressed; do not endure too much heat, or the bone marrow will be depleted; do not endure too much cold, or the muscles will be injured; do not eat cold and cooling foods, or one will easily fall ill and suffer stagnation and obstruction; do not cough and spit saliva excessively, or the fluids of the skin and flesh will be lost; do not look at things for a long time, or the eyes will be damaged; do not listen to sounds for a long time, or hearing and thought will grow dull; do not weep for a long time, or the spirit will be made sorrowful; do not suddenly shout in a loud voice, or the hun and po souls will be startled; do not think and worry too much, or the mind and will will become confused and unsettled; do not become angry, or the spirit will find no peace.

The above are precepts from the Essential Formula Text of the Seven Hundred and Twenty Precepts (Qibai ershi men yao jielü juewen). “炁” is Qi, a term for vital energy commonly used in Daoist cultivation; here “无” is interchangeable with “毋” and means “do not.”

The scripture says: the seven hundred and twenty important precept texts are secret methods treasured by the various heavens. They are to be worn close to the body and transmitted orally; they are not written down in the scriptures. If one has not yet met a master who can transmit them, one should hold a talisman (fu) and practice the method in order to seek a response; when the spirits descend, one may then request and receive these precepts.

From beginningless time, human beings have had consciousness in the mind. This consciousness drifts and is unstable, and its transformations occur in a single instant. A team of four horses flashing past a crack in a door is still slow beside the changes of thought; lightning among the clouds is not fast enough either. A person’s thoughts of good and evil shift without constancy, and nothing swift in the world can match the speed with which the mind changes. The mind is the hardest thing to hold—even harder to subdue than tigers and leopards—while monkeys, apes, deer, and horses are comparatively easy to tame. Among all things in the world, the mind is the most difficult to control. Those who can skillfully tame the inner mind are perhaps only the highest sages.

Sages and perfected ones of the middle and lower ranks still often contend with their own thoughts. Day and night they examine themselves and observe what is within and without, always fearing that mind and Shen (spirit) will stray and scatter. Once mind and spirit are lost, they cannot be recovered; if the body is destroyed, how can it be established again? To keep the body from ruin and the spirit from dispersal, to cultivate the longevity of a divine immortal and rise to the rank of the highest sage, the key lies in qingzhai—purifying body and mind and observing the fast and its precepts.

Fasting and precept-keeping have different grades. A person’s five emotions and six desires crisscross and rise in competition. When the inner and the outer fall out of balance, confusion arises. One turns away from the correct Dao (the Way) and toward deviant paths, abandons the root and chases the branches, deceives the gods in the unseen realm and people in the world, and invites trials and ruin. In the end one falls beneath the Nine Springs, suffers every kind of cruel punishment, and finds release hard to attain—all because one does not observe the fast and its precepts.

Those who resolve to study and cultivate the Dao should promptly practice the fast. The essential point of the fast is to make the thoughts uniform, with precept-keeping as the main concern. Precept-keeping restrains the inner mind, and when the mind is settled one can live. If one forgets the precepts and loses what governs the mind, the mind becomes disordered and then moves toward death. If one wishes to seek life within death, and to seek deathlessness within life, one should in every case purify the mind and keep the fast, reciting, studying, and practicing the precepts.

Human passions and desires are many, so the precepts are also countless. The many sages established various gates of method to guide beings into the Dao. Each has a suitable path, the heavenly realms differ from one another, and the precept methods appear or remain hidden according to the age and the conditions of the world. Although circumstances differ from age to age, the general purport does not. Among the many precept methods, the seven hundred and twenty gates are the most excellent. To observe these precepts completely is to reach the ultimate realm of cultivating the Dao. It is said that one can then transform throughout seventy-four directions: each of the nine heavens has eight directions, making seventy-two, and with the upper and lower directions added the total is seventy-four. Those who cannot keep the precepts, or who keep them incompletely, obtain different transformations according to the level of their own practice. Because the transformations differ, they still cannot avoid accumulating misfortune. For this reason the highest sages command people to hold the precepts.

Every living being possesses differing numbers and levels, such as the “three and five.” Some have more and some less; foolishness and intelligence also differ, and each governs, restrains, and influences the others. When a single consciousness is set in motion, all kinds of thoughts arise one after another in competition. Guarding the One (shouyi) is hard to achieve, and so the scripture points out the “three and five” and explains how they support one another: the three Qi (vital energy) circulate, the Eight Assemblies (bahui) assist one another, and Taiyi travels through the Nine Palaces (jiugong) so that they bring one another to completion. The source is the One, which transforms into nine. There is a root and there are branches, and nine and one together form the root and lineage. The root gives rise to the branches, and the branches in the end return to the source; the One of the source also responds to the branches. The branches are stirred and move, while the root remains ever still; the stillness of the root can in turn respond to every moving thought. What is called “movement” comes from outside; when the inner mind abides peacefully, it is called “stillness.”

Stillness and movement operate in alternation, and within this there is both sameness and difference. One uses movement of the same kind to correct deviation, and stillness of a different kind to harmonize disturbances that come from outside. When external things arrive they do not startle the inner mind, and when they depart they do not weary or disorder it. Though one is in movement, one is not fatigued and has still not left stillness; though one is in stillness, one is neither alarmed nor doubtful, nor does one reject moving thoughts. In stillness one contemplates, and the mind is clear, so there is no alarm or doubt. Action arises gently, so there is neither fatigue nor separation. Without fatigue or separation, one can constantly accord with long life; without alarm or doubt, one can remain at peace for a long time. To abide without clinging to the place of abiding, and to act without clinging to the act—this is the highest realm of the Dao.

Taking the One of the root as the basis, the various numbers are differentiated. Eight and nine circle and multiply upon each other, accumulating into the seven hundred and twenty gates. Here “gate” refers at once to the written text, to the meaning, and to the path of return: scattered thoughts ought to return, and practice must follow the text and the meaning. When one finds a gate of method, one can enter it, but this is not yet the same as having returned to the source.

At the beginning of cultivating the Dao, coarse and mixed factors are many. Later, assisting conditions are added and refinement gradually increases, so that the few and the many harmonize, supplement, and connect with each other. Understanding gradually opens, and the gates one perceives become ever clearer. Wholesome thoughts then increase, and one advances with courageous vigor, rapidly drawing near the Dao. If progress is not swift enough, one must continue even through long ages. The transformations that arise in practice are, in general, the abandoning of old habits and the turning toward renewal, presenting realms that astonish. All of these are contained within the seven hundred and twenty gates. Through the repeated accumulation and thorough forging of eight and nine, the seven hundred and twenty gates finally return to the One.

Guarding the “One” without losing it is not easy. Thought must succeed thought without a moment’s interruption. If there is a temporary break, deviant thoughts will enter; when deviant thoughts enter, correct Qi is obscured; when correct Qi is obscured, the gates are blocked and the person falls into confusion. The confused fall into states of suffering, and only when suffering reaches its extreme do they wish to turn back. When mind-consciousness is stirred and awakens, one can renew firm resolve and make thought succeed thought. Accumulating in this way over a long time, the one Qi pervades the whole body, body and spirit become thoroughly clear and penetrating, and the transformations of eight and nine suddenly appear, changing without end.

All these realms come from realizing and guarding the “One.” Guarding the One depends on practice, and the most essential part of that practice is the precepts. If one holds the precepts without deficiency, deviant qi cannot enter. Correct Qi becomes intimate with body and mind, and after long intimacy they naturally fuse into one and share the same truth as the Dao. One achieves something in cultivation by means of the precepts and enters the great Dao through keeping them; for this reason they are called “gates.” Those who single-mindedly seek the Dao should observe them with care.

Wanfu says: A person’s thoughts cannot remain single. Consciousness is sometimes dim and sometimes bright. The wondrous Dao has no fixed form or trace, and its divine transformations are hard to fathom. When the mind is bright, one can awaken to the Dao; when mind and spirit are dim, one loses the true Dao. The mind becomes bright through stillness, yet the spirit can be disordered by agitation. A disordered mind loses the Dao, and only a bright mind can accord with the true Dao. Therefore, if one guards what is correct and removes what is deviant, delusive thoughts do not arise; if one turns away from brightness and toward darkness, evil thoughts are produced. Good and evil are not caused from somewhere else; they are truly one’s own doing. Whether one is confused or awakened lies with oneself and is not decided by others.

Therefore the great sage Celestial Worthies (Tianzun), with vast compassion, teach living beings and skillfully employ various expedient gates to receive and guide them all. They broadly establish gates of method, draw in the many, and transmit suitable methods according to each person’s condition, so that every kind of affliction may be removed. Thus they universally exhort practitioners to hold the precepts. The precepts are of many kinds, and the greater and lesser gates each differ, but in the end they all return to the root and together accomplish the correct Dao. Methods of cultivation such as the three, the five, the six, and the eight differ slightly as to gradual practice or sudden awakening; once one understands, they all come down to holding the single precept.

What is called the “single precept” is to restrain one’s own mind and not give rise to miscellaneous thoughts. This is precisely the meaning of guarding the One without losing it and letting thought succeed thought. Those who seek to study and cultivate the Dao should carefully reflect on this and put it into practice.

The Lower Volume of the Writings on the Various Precepts of the Three Caverns.