《正一修真略仪》

The Explanation of the True Scriptures says that lu means “to record.” When those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) have refined themselves until the heart-mind and Shen (spirit) are luminous and upright, they can command the spirits of heaven and earth and subdue demons and ghosts. According to their meritorious deeds they are entered in different ranks of the immortals, passing in and out of being and non-being, attaining long life and the deliverance of the age, and uniting with the Great Dao. They can therefore relieve those who have died in calamity and save and deliver all beings. Such lofty merit takes as an important path the study and observance of the true scriptures (Jing) of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen—the three major divisions of the Daoist classics) and of the precious registers in golden script.

The registers are numinous writings transmitted by the divine perfected of the Most High, and also the secret words of the host of sages of the Nine Heavens. They are used to examine the officials of the Three Realms, to preside over the turning of heaven and earth, and to govern the myriad kinds of beings; to discern clearly hidden sins and blessings, and to weigh and record the relative gravity of good and evil, merit and fault. They further record, verify, and proclaim these matters, take charge of the numinous charts, and calculate the number of years in the cycles of the kalpas. The registers also record how the myriad spirits of heaven and earth act upon command, how immortal ranks are divided according to merit, and the duties and attendant commissions borne respectively by the officials, troops and generals, immortal lads, and jade maidens, through kalpas without end.

The Most High of the ten directions and the host of supremely perfected sages likewise receive transmission from one another as masters, forming covenants and handing on the teaching. From the ordinary they cultivate to the realm of the perfected, long preserving the path of cultivation and gradually ascending to the highest realm. Practice must follow the sequence of the Keyi (liturgy): one must clarify the ranks and grades at each level, carefully examine the entries within them, grasp their essential meaning, and then carry them out one by one. One should abide by the texts of the registers and understand the prohibitions and precepts in the liturgy, and must not act rashly. The fulfillment of sin and blessing, loss and gain, is in every case as the register texts record.

Divine talismans and precious registers (Fulu) take form spontaneously. At the beginning of the vast kalpa of the Primordial Beginning and the Crimson Brilliance, when heaven and earth were still in chaos, a flying, mysterious, and wondrous Qi (vital energy) spontaneously condensed in the void and formed dragon-shaped seal script. This was the result of the Divine Venerable of the Primordial Beginning transforming and manifesting responsive numinous Qi. Heaven and earth were thereby generated, and the transformations of the myriad things became distinct, all likewise depending on the Qi of the Dao and the numinous writings. The scriptures say: “The Dao has never not existed; Qi has never not existed; writing has never not existed.” From this it can be seen that the myriad spirits depend upon one another and exist together with transformation.

The reason the myriad spirits of heaven and earth do not perish lies entirely in my own mind. If not through the knowing of my mind, who could recognize the principle by which the myriad spirits of heaven and earth transform? Thus it is said that, among all things in heaven and earth, human beings are the most spiritual—how could one fail to examine this? Alas that some people are by nature dull and benighted, born in a land of arrogance, unable to be transformed by codes and regulations, and ignorant of the Five Constants (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness). How could they hear the instruction of the supreme sages and the wondrous teaching of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)? This is truly to bring heavenly punishment upon themselves. There are others who, though they have wisdom and a fortunate allotment and are born into a sagely age, when numinous writings and the great teaching all circulate in the world, are bound by worldly feelings and thoughts and cannot believe or accept them; they are then no different from the foolish.

When people of the world receive the scriptures of the Dao and the precepts, and wear and reverently uphold the texts of the registers, even if for the time being they cannot yet cultivate in due sequence according to the method, they will already not sink to the condition of inferior ghosts, will no longer fall into transmigration and annihilation, and will form a bond of affinity with the Dao—how much more so if they personally cultivate according to the teaching? Whether the efficacy is deep or shallow depends on oneself and cannot be determined in advance. For the present I shall simply set forth the general sense of cultivating the register texts of the Three Caverns, so that people may know that the teachings promulgated by the most sagely divine perfected ones—their writings and ritual procedures—all accord with the subtle and mysterious Great Dao.

The Precious Register of the Three-Five Covenant Authority of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity), belonging to the Most High (the supreme and unsurpassed venerable deity), is divided into twenty-four ranks.

“Tai” means what is most venerable and ultimate, and it also carries the sense of penetrating through and bringing to completion. It indicates that the Fulu (talismans and registers) accord with the profound and mysterious Dao (the Way).

The “Most High” spoken of here is the most exalted being in the Three Realms and the chief of all the sages, namely the Lord of the Dao. In terms of underlying principle, the Celestial Worthy, the Lord of the Dao, and Lord Lao are originally one body; only because the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities venerated in Daoism, respond and manifest in the world at different levels do distinctions of title and rank arise. When this register is discussed here, the reference is to Lord Lao. Lord Lao conferred the Zhengyi Covenant Authority Register upon the Ritual Master of the Three Heavens (the ritual master in the Daoist transmission), who then spread it in the world, enabling people to pass through calamities, to eliminate the black registers (rosters recording transgressions or disasters), to summon and command ghosts, spirits, and numinous hosts, and to rise in the ranks of immortal office. It is therefore called the “Precious Register of the Three-Five Zhengyi Covenant Authority.”

“Three” refers to the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and humanity), each complete in itself. “Five” is the full number of the Yellow Center. It holds together life and death and commands the myriad spirits, and it can settle a person’s body and mind and securely guard the primordial Jing (essence), the fundamental essential Qi (vital energy) of the human body. Three and five also represent the numbers of the sun and moon, and the two stems Wu and Ji are paired with the two trigrams Kan and Li. Human beings receive the orthodox Qi of Yin-Yang. The Three Origins and Five Circuits (a Daoist concept used to explain the movements of Heaven and Earth and changes in the cycles of Qi), together with the myriad phenomena, must all be set right through the heart-mind. Only when the heart-mind is upright are the Qi of Shen (spirit) and the Qi of Jing undiminished, so that body and mind can become one. One then fully possesses a radiance like that of the sun and moon and accords with the root of the Five Numina. The changes of life and death cannot shake one’s person, and deviant and anomalous things have no way to intrude. From this one can illuminate the darkness and overawe the Six Thieves (the six inner desires that disturb body and mind). This is the purpose of cultivating the Way of the Zhengyi Covenant Authority.

Practitioners of the Dao take these heaven-bestowed graphs of true numinosity, the vermilion petition texts, and the cloud seal script (the script of Daoist Fulu) to uphold the orthodox Dao, regarding them as a treasure for guarding the person over the long term. They are therefore called the “Precious Register.” After receiving the register, one may advance according to merit and practice, command numinous hosts and summon ghosts and spirits, be attended by jade maidens and provisioned by the immortal kitchen, and also ride the void and tread the mist. These capacities do not require the separate cultivation of various other ritual arts. It is only that worldly affairs are tangled and distracting, and the human heart finds it hard to remain single-minded, so efficacious responses often fail to come. In former times Celestial Master (Tianshi) Zhang received and transmitted this register for people to cultivate and apply according to it, performing ritual arts and exercising control when matters arose. The related ranks of the register differ in grade, and their titles are many.

As for the methods of cultivating the person, delivering one from adversity, and preserving true nature, twenty-four ranks have been transmitted from master to disciple through the generations. They correspond respectively to three groups—upper, middle, and lower—of the Eight Effulgences, and also to the twenty-four solar terms. One who receives the register must at the outset first receive and reverently uphold seventy-five generals of the immortal officers and seventy-five generals of the numinous officers, together called the one hundred and fifty generals. This is done in order first to rectify and settle the human person and to furnish in full the ranks, names, and numbers of the spirits within and without. The immortal officers and the numinous officers fall into two classes, each with one talisman, which communicates with the divine script of the Most High.

Those who receive the register need not fully understand every kind of talismanic seal script; they need only practice and uphold it according to the ritual regulations. Explanations of the talismanic seal script appear separately in the Explanations of the Talismans of the Three Caverns, where some points also remain not yet fully clear. If one has not reached the state of attaining the Dao and uniting with Shen, one cannot understand them completely. In explaining them, one also should not strain to force secular interpretations upon them, lest the original intent of the sages be misunderstood.

The immortal officers, numinous officers, and one hundred and fifty generals listed in a single rank of the register, together with the immortal youths, jade maidens, merit officers, and clerical troops, are all numinous hosts born in response to Qi. Although they are classified by rank and number, their transformations are endless and truly difficult to record one by one. Here we merely set out a general outline of the Yin-Yang numbers among them.

“Three Yang” refers to the three earthly branches Mao, Chen, and Si, counted respectively as six, five, and four, and then each multiplied by five, which together comes to seventy-five. Five is used as the multiplier because it symbolizes the central stems Wu and Ji and is an important guiding principle running through from beginning to end. The Immortal Officials govern the interior of the human body, protecting the five viscera and six bowels, the passes and orifices, the sinews and bones, Qi (vital energy) and blood, and the like. If a person commits none of the many evils and does not go against the Qi of the Three Yang, the Immortal Officials will offer their protection, harmonizing Qi and blood, bringing the five viscera to peace, and making the heart-mind and Shen (spirit) clear and lucid, so that one penetrates to the true Dao (the Way). One who receives and upholds this precious register (Fulu, talismans and registers) should guard it with solemn care.

“Three Yin” refers to You, Xu, and Hai, counted respectively as six, five, and four and likewise each multiplied by five, again totaling seventy-five. The Numinous Officials govern protection of the exterior of the human body, guarding a person’s physical form, dwelling, and the territory under their charge, out to the boundaries of the four directions. If a person commits none of the many evils, does not go against the Three Yin, and holds to the Dao of central harmony, communication between the hidden and the manifest will be unimpeded, and human beings can share the same De (Virtue/Power) with Heaven and Earth. After receiving and upholding the numinous writ, one should at the proper times observe the fast and perform Zhaijiao (purification ritual), inviting the Numinous Officials, clerks and soldiers, divine youths, and jade maidens to await dispatch. They can travel far beyond the Eight Seas to seek marvelous medicines, and they can also accompany the cultivator in flight to grotto mansions and numinous mountains. When merit is brought to fulfillment, one may receive from the Supreme Thearch the rank of Zhengyi Zhenren (Perfected Person of Orthodox Unity). How could those who have received the Dao and wear the register fail to cultivate with diligent effort?

The Immortal Officials, Numinous Officials, and Register of One Hundred Fifty Generals discussed above are, when explained separately according to their numbers, all orthodox spirits transformed from the six Qi of Yin-Yang. Within Yin there is Yang, and within Yang there is Yin; thus there are Numinous Officials among the Immortal Officials, and Immortal Officials among the Numinous Officials, and the two cannot be sharply separated. Yin and Yang each simply take the spirits under their own charge as their leaders. The “generals” are called generals because they command the many emissaries, coordinate and dispatch them, and are responsible for defense. All the rest is carried out item by item according to the text of the register and is not set forth in detail here.

The three generals “Tang, Ge, and Zhou” each serve, according to the office under his charge, as the corresponding master. They are called generals because they command the envoys of the host of spirits, keep order, and guard every quarter. All the rest is carried out item by item according to the register text (lu, within Fulu, talismans and registers), and is not set out one by one here.

Register of the Three Primordial Generals of the Most High Three-Five Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Covenant of Awesome Power

The three generals Tang, Ge, and Zhou are the orthodox deities in the Palace of the Three Primordials of the Most High who represent the Three Qi (vital energy); they are also the quintessence of the primordial Qi of water and fire. In the human body they correspond to the palace of the heart and the two kidneys; in the heavens they preside over the diagrams and numbers within the Northern Dipper, together with such contents of the register texts as talismans, seals, numinous writs, and covenant certificates. Wearing and receiving this precious register enables a person to understand the methods of the Dao (the Way) and to preserve true nature. If one practices the work at the proper times and sets up a jiao to pray and invite them—the jiao being the offering within Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—the three generals will manifest. When the record of merit is complete, the three deities ascend to heaven together with the practitioner. The specific method of the jiao is given later in the text.

Scarlet Register of Primordial Chaos and Original Destiny of the Most High Three-Five Zhengyi Covenant of Awesome Power

When heaven and earth were still at the beginning of primordial chaos, the embryonic Qi of the Primordial Beginning congealed and took form. The myriad spirits all received the endowment of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper (the Jade Pivot and the Seven Governors), and from this they differentiated and came into being. The methods of cultivation and visualization are given in detail in the register text. When meritorious practice is complete and the methods of the Dao are fully accomplished, the Primordial True ascends together with the practitioner.

Register of the Nine Phoenixes of the All-Heaven for Dispelling Impurity, of the Most High Three-Five Zhengyi Covenant of Awesome Power

The Jing (essence) of the Cinnabar Origin is one of the visualization methods for cultivating the “nine”; the particulars appear in the register text. When meritorious practice is complete and the methods of the Dao are fully accomplished, the Primordial True ascends together with the practitioner.

The Jing of the Cinnabar Origin transforms into divine phoenixes of nine colors. They tread the stellar gang (a pacing method arranged according to the positions of the stars), spread their wings to display their power, and guide the practitioner through to the road of heaven. For this reason, the Yin Qi of the six palaces (Yin within Yin-Yang) and every kind of demonic and deviant Qi cannot disturb the true spirit-officials. Those who study the Dao, by wearing and receiving this register, can cleanse away all manner of impure Qi. Whenever a ritual service is held, this register should be used first, and one should concentrate on visualization without growing lax. Long cultivation can make the bodily form pure, the ears and eyes keen, and sight and hearing unobstructed; when the merit of practice is complete, one ascends into the Nine Heavens together with the divine phoenixes.

Register for Protecting Life and Longevity of the Most High Three-Five Zhengyi Covenant of Awesome Power

It is said that if one wears, receives, and single-mindedly upholds this register, the Northern Palace of the Northern Dipper will cancel the registers of the dead and the Southern Dipper will enter one’s name in the registers of the living, the sun, moon, and stars will shine with brilliance, and a person will live as long as heaven and earth. The methods of visualizing and of inviting by jiao the spirits—Bian Que, the medical officers, the Jade Maidens, the immortals, and others—are all carried out as recorded in the register text.

Those who wear and reverently uphold this register—a Daoist Fulu (talismans and registers)—will have the spirits of the Northern Palace strike their names from the register of the dead, while the spirits of the Southern Dipper enter them in the register of the living. The radiance of the sun, moon, and stars will appear upon their persons, so that they may enjoy the same longevity as Heaven and Earth. Spirits such as Bian Que’s two medical officers, the Jade Maidens, and the immortals should be summoned through cunsi (quiet, concentrated visualization) and by arranging a jiao offering through which one prays and invites them; the details are to be carried out according to the rites recorded in the register.

The Most High Three-Five Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Covenant-Power Register of the Nine Palaces for Averting Calamity and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) for Protecting the Body

This register is the name-roll of the Nine True Spirits and also the numinous writ of the Eight Trigrams, issued from the secret decree of the Most High. It commands the spirits of the eight directions and the nine lands who preside over calamity and adversity, driving away disasters of every kind, so that deviant Qi (vital energy) does not encroach upon upright Qi, and it helps the one who wears and keeps it pass through Yin-Yang cycles of disaster such as the Yang Nine and the Hundred Six. If this register is cultivated over a long period, the true spirits of the Eight Trigrams will ascend to Heaven together with the practitioner and take up offices among the Nine Heavens; rank advances according to merit and the fruits of practice.

The Most High Three-Five Orthodox Unity Covenant-Power Register of the Grand Mystery in Four Divisions for the Prohibition of Qi

To command the myriad spirits and commune with the true Dao (the Way), one cannot do without such methods as binding and restraint, absorbing the essential Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), exhaling and inhaling primordial Qi, and mastering talismanic writs and tokens of authority. Through these methods one opens the key to wielding spiritual power. Advance and retreat, taking and relinquishing, all rest in one’s own hands, as if within the palm, and one thereby brings Heaven and Earth under one’s command. Venomous insects and minute crawling creatures, birds, beasts, fish, and other embodied living beings, and even formless spectral essences and strange kinds, can all be subdued and made to obey the prohibitions and direction of the practitioner.

Although these methods are recorded in the text of the register, they must still be transmitted by an enlightened teacher; each method has its corresponding oral formula. This is the Register of the Four Divisions for the Prohibition of Qi. It is used to register petitions and memorials for presentation to Heaven, and it is also the general outline of the arts of prohibition. One should therefore receive and wear it with due solemnity, practice and cultivate it, and thereby assist the true Dao.

The Most High Three-Five Orthodox Unity Covenant-Power Register of Dragon and Tiger for Cutting Down the Deviant

Dragon and Tiger are the quintessence of the two Qi of Metal and Wood, and they are also guardian spirits in attendance on the Lord of the Dao. When they display their awe-inspiring might, the myriad demons submit and the hosts of sprites are brought under control. If, in cultivating this register, one can obtain a response from the spirits, then when the way of immortality is realized, Dragon and Tiger will protect the practitioner and ascend to Heaven together with them.

The Most High Three-Five Orthodox Unity Covenant-Power Register of the Comprehensive Petitions and the Concluding Seal

Use the Six Jia seals to seal the various credentials listed for the positions within the register (lu), and then seal the memorials (documents presented to the deities), talismans (fu), and diagrams into the register together with them. If the spirits who hold the seals—generals and officers, immortal lads, jade maidens, and the like—see that the student of the Dao (the Way) cultivates diligently and moves them through sincere feeling, they will accept direction and place themselves at that person’s service. The practitioner should perform the jiao offering (a rite of setting out offerings and praying to the deities) at the proper times and must not omit it, so as to obtain numinous efficacy. The concrete methods for making these seals are given separately in the ritual notes.

The Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Mengwei Register for Pacing the Stellar Net (“pacing the stellar net” means the art of treading the positions of the stars and constellations according to prescribed steps): if the student of the Dao cultivates diligently and moves the spirits through sincere feeling, divine assistance will be gained and the spirits will submit to being directed. The jiao offering should be performed at the proper times so as to obtain efficacy. The method of making the seals is explained separately in the ritual notes.

The Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi Mengwei Register for Pacing the Stellar Net

The arts of the immortals enable a person to pass in and out between the formed and the formless and to change in countless ways, and all of this depends on the arts of pacing the stellar net and treading the successive stations. These steps all take their images from the breaths (Qi, vital energy) of the sun, moon, and stars, in order to draw the spirits. The related methods are divided into the upper, middle, and lower Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen; different levels of the Daoist system of methods and scriptures). Each has its own guiding formulas and a different use, and the concrete contents are to be carried out as recorded in this register. What is set forth here is the pacing of the stellar net of the middle division, the Three-Five Crimson Heaven. One who receives and wears this register can take command of the various arts of interdiction; if it is cultivated diligently over a long time, it is said that one may in the end ride the void and pace emptiness, and ascend as an immortal in broad daylight.

The Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi Mengwei Register of the Celestial Numina and the Crimson Office for Slaying Evil

This register is presided over by the Lord of Primordial Yang of the Cinnabar Pole of the Three-Five Crimson Heaven. The awesome might of the Lord of Primordial Yang is sufficient to overawe every kind of malign influence, to illuminate and investigate matters of ferocity, wickedness, and rebellion, and to punish and eliminate hosts of demons and evil ghosts, bringing them into submission to the transforming work of the Dao. Merit in cultivating and upholding this register can relieve those who encounter mortal peril, and can enable a person to refine and transform bodily form and be raised into the heavenly realms.

The Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi Mengwei Register of Interdiction Commands for the Nine Provinces

This register can summon the gods of the village altars, the terrestrial offices, and the host of spirits throughout the Nine Provinces, and order them to act according to the text of the register.

The Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi Mengwei Register for Summoning the Hundred Ghosts

This register is used to summon the hundred ghosts and the myriad spirits and to command them to obey direction. They must not act as they please, do evil and harm people, or harass the common folk. In using it one should abide by the statutes and ordinances. The concrete methods are recorded in the text of the register and are also transmitted by the master.

The related arts of the Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi Mengwei require the host of spirits to obey direction and not to act as they please, do evil and harm people, or harass the common folk. In using them one should abide by the statutes and ordinances. The concrete methods are recorded in the text of the register and are also transmitted by the master.

The Taishang Sanwu Zhengyi Mengwei Register of Investigation and Summoning

In the world there are the ghost-offspring of the clouds, the host of essence-sprites called the Nine Uglies, and essence-monsters in differing forms of earth, water, wood, stone, and the like, as well as demonic beings that change into all manner of shapes. Some resemble the chimei (goblins of the mountains and forests) and bring harm to the common people. When such a situation arises, one should employ the Sanwu Kaozhao talismanic clerks—the Fulu (talismans and registers) and clerk-soldiers of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) method, used to summon and interrogate ghosts and spirits—to pursue, seize, and examine them. The related methods and Fulu have complete regulations and must be transmitted by a master.

The Register of the Most High’s Sanwu Zhengyi Covenant of Awe (Mengwei) for Slaying a Thousand Ghosts and Ten Thousand Spirits

All manner of evil hauntings, vicious and rebellious, disturb the world and refuse to accept transformation by the Dao (the Way). One should summon the clerk-soldiers of the Sanwu Red Heaven, greatly display divine might, and exterminate them with axes and halberds. Methods of this kind, however, must not be used often.

The Soldier-Talisman Register of the Most High’s Sanwu Zhengyi Covenant of Awe of the Nine Heavens

The True Talisman Register of the Most High’s Nine Heavens

The Completed Register of the Commander-in-Chief of the Most High’s Nine Heavens

These Fulu command the numinous officers, clerks, and soldiers of the Nine Heavens and the Sanwu, together with the countless divine hosts of the four distant quarters and the Eight Extremities (the margins of heaven and earth). Practitioners should receive and wear them in full and cultivate in accordance with them. It is fitting, on the auspicious days of the Three Assemblies (Sanhui days, the particular days on which Daoism performs Zhaijiao (purification rituals) and other rites), to inspect the Fulu, establish a jiao to pray and petition, report merits, and apply for advancement. Everything is to be carried out according to the regulations set down in the registers.

The Register of the Most High’s Flowery Canopy (Huagai) for Slaying Evil

The Register of the Most High’s Sanwu for Averting Evil

Fulu of the kinds that avert evil and slay evil comprise roughly more than ten grades. Their exact number is not fixed, and they should be put into practice according to what the master has transmitted.

The Register of the Most High’s Three Sovereigns for Warding Off Adversity

The Registers of the Most High for Deliverance from Adversity and Passage through Disaster

The Divine Talisman Register of the Most High for Resolving the Six Harms

In addition, there are Fulu for averting and relieving the stings of venomous insects and all kinds of disasters, likewise comprising roughly more than ten grades. Their number has no fixed limit, and they should be transmitted by a master.

The Edict Register of the Most High’s Nüqing (Lady Green)

The Register of the Most High’s Nine Radiances and Ten Thousand Victories

The Red Register of the Most High’s Central Section

The Register of the Most High’s Northern Emperor

The Register of the Most High’s Seven Stars

The Register of the Most High’s Cinnabar Firmness and Powdered Fire

The True Warrant Register of the Most High’s Northern Dipper

All the various Fulu should be observed according to the transmission of one’s own master and in keeping with what the registers record. The grades of the Fulu are determined by the numbers of Qi (vital energy) to which they correspond, reaching at most twenty-four ranks.

The Register of the Most High of the Youth and One General

This is a Fulu for a youth to wear and uphold. It likewise belongs to the Sanwu Zhengyi method; the concrete details are found in the relevant Keyi (liturgy) regulations.

The True Warrants of the Sanwu

When methods of the Dao (the Way), scriptures, and oral formulas are transmitted between master and disciple, a rite of covenant and oath must be held. The General’s Register that is conferred is worn by youths and likewise belongs to the Three-Five Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) method; its particulars are given in the relevant Keyi (liturgy).

The Three-Five True Covenant is the token of alliance used when master and disciple confer and receive the methods of the Dao. At the transmission of scriptures and formulas, they form a covenant and swear an oath, agreeing not to disclose these methods to unsuitable persons. In the rite the jade ring is divided, the covenant document is torn, and elixir liquid is drunk as they vow not to betray the methods of the Dao, to cultivate good conduct with diligence, not to take life or perform improper sacrifices, and not to practice heterodox arts or false methods, lest they violate the Dao of Heaven and the covenant. The True Covenant is established for this reason. The methods of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen) are each prepared according to the Keyi of their own tradition; the details appear in the Ritual of Transmission.

The Parish Administration of the Celestial Master (Tianshi): Celestial Master Zhang established the parishes of the Zhengyi method in western Shu, and each place conducts its affairs according to its own ritual business and regulations. Places where the Celestial Master’s arts respond and become manifest are called “quiet parishes,” set in correspondence with the twenty-four solar terms; parishes are also distributed among the famous mountains of the various regions. Reception of a parish is arranged according to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the birth month of the recipient. Each parish corresponds to one Qi (vital energy). The presiding parish is called the Yangping Parish and corresponds to the left-level Qi; for women it corresponds to the right-level Qi, the matter being handled according to the Keyi and the method itself. If the Qi of all the parishes is to be received together, the Dugong tablets of the Celestial Master and the Three Masters are transmitted. Nowadays, when one receives a parish and accepts a Zhengyi register, usually only the parish Qi corresponding to one’s own parish is conferred; see the Ritual of the Parishes.

The Keyi related to the Zhengyi method include the Zhengyi Scripture, the Zhengyi Ritual of Audience with the Perfected, the Zhengyi Purification Ritual, the Ritual for Submitting Memorials and Petitions, the Ritual for Inspecting Registers, and the Ritual of Offering to the Registers.

These liturgies and documents are recorded in full in the Zhengyi Scripture. On the eight nodal days, the jiazi and gengshen days, one’s natal day, the Three Assemblies, the Three Primes, and the new and full moons, one may hold audience rites and offering sacrifices, inspect the ritual registers, or declare merit and submit memorials and petitions. Each rite has its own procedure and is to be performed as transmitted by one’s master.

The foregoing belongs to the Zhengyi Mengwei method. One then proceeds to receive the Dongshen method, as the rite of the intermediate grade of methods; see the Code for Revering the Dao of the Three Caverns.

There are also the True Writs in three scrolls and the Inner Sounds of the Various Heavens.

The True Writs of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Zhenwen), the Celestial Book of the Eight Effulgences (Bajing Tianshu), the Five Methods in Five Scrolls (Wufa Wujuan), the Secret Talismans of the Six Jia of Lord Lao (Laojun Liujia Mifu), the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Wufu), the True Form Charts of the Five Marchmounts (Wuyue Zhenxing Tu), the Inner Texts of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang Neiwen), and the Mountain-Prohibiting Text of the Duke of the Western Marchmount (Xiyue Gong Jinshan Wen) should all be taken up according to the contents of their respective scriptures: one should concentrate on contemplative visualization and cultivate and observe them according to their methods.

This middle method belongs to the Dongxuan, one of the Daoist Three Caverns (Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen), and is taken together with the methods of the higher vehicle. The scripture lists the categories for revering the Dao (the Way) within the Three Caverns, along with the register texts of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity). These contents have already been explained, and the important junctures of cultivation have also been passed through, so that one can enter into resonance and make verifications manifest. As for the concrete content of the middle method, it is recorded according to the ritual statutes.

Yet although the numinous writings of the Three Caverns have already been set out in full detail, the key to cultivation still lies in the ingestion of Qi (vital energy). If the Five Qi can be fully cultivated, the spirits and perfected persons will be complete. The oral formulas for cultivating Qi transmitted by the master are not written in the register texts, and so the “True Formula of the Five Qi and the Stellar Net” is recorded here with due care.

The True Master says: All living things are endowed with the One Qi and come into being through the transformations of Yin-Yang; only then do they have the capacity to move and change, and among them the human being is the most spiritually refined. The “four greats” of the human body (the four constituents that form the person) and the “five constants” (here meaning the constant virtues a person ought to possess) are naturally complete. Though one’s activity is subtle, it can communicate with the spirits. Wherever the mind’s intention reaches, it is not limited by near or far, depth or shallowness; without hurrying, one arrives swiftly, and without going in person, one can still resonate. Does the principle of resonance lie only in external things? Thus the performance and the verification of every method arise from the contrivances of thought. It is precisely by reaching the state of Wuwei (non-action), free of contrivance, that there is nothing one cannot do. If a person can be dispassionate and pure, true Qi is naturally whole; this is Wuwei. Such a person can preside over the myriad things and manage every kind of affair.

If one indulges desire and craving and disturbs the mind and Shen (spirit), one cannot resonate with true Qi or respond to external things. The affairs of the world are many. People are often stirred by emotion and give free rein to desire, so that Shen and Qi scatter into disorder. This inevitably affects both the hidden and the nether realms, and misfortune implicates those who came before and those who come after. Such consequences are not remote; how can one fail to be vigilant?

If a person neither impairs the five constants nor disturbs Shen and Qi, and cultivates for a continuous thousand days without admixture or interruption, one can resonate with the spirits and remove calamity. Carefully uphold the pure and tranquil method of the Dongxuan until the forms of the true Qi of the Five Numina appear. Only afterward may one visualize the appearances of the immortals, the perfected, and the host of sages, and, according to the rites, pace the stellar net and perform the bows and risings, so as to resonate with the spirits and dissolve disaster. After diligent cultivation for five years, or for seven or nine years, one may summon the cloud chariots ridden by the Five Emperors, and true officials will descend to receive one. One thereby attains the Dao of the immortals and freely commands life and death.

Guard the true nature and preserve the true Qi; pace the stellar net; do not violate the five constants; do not disturb the Shen; do not allow the viscera to be invaded by defilement; and do not set foot in disordered places. In a pure chamber of retreat, concentrate one’s contemplation, take these as the daily practice, and do not let them lapse. When a full year of cultivation is complete, one can overawe the myriad demons and command ghost officials. According to what the mind conceives, attacking misfortune and relieving every kind of suffering all take effect at once, unlimited by distance; even ten thousand li away seems to arrive in the turning of an eye. This is what is meant by the saying that, among the transformations of the myriad things, only the human being is the most spiritually refined. Only one who can preserve one’s own numinous truth and protect Shen and Qi may be counted an immortal. Therefore the scripture says: “The cosmos is in the hand, and the myriad transformations arise from oneself.”

This is the foundation of vast models and images, and the starting point for the cultivation of methods. Practitioners should wear the Five Talismans of the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) and the True Form Charts of the Five Marchmounts, visualize and cultivate the Qi of the Five Numina, pace the Nine Primordials, and master the hidden, subtle, and mysterious essentials, so as to communicate with Heaven and Earth. If there are people in the world who do not impair the “four greats” and do not go against the “five constants,” they may cultivate according to these methods.

The oral formula says:

If you lack benevolent De (Virtue/Power), the Azure Emperor (Qingdi)—the deity of the East, belonging to Wood—cannot be regarded as truly corresponding with you; if you lack righteous De, the White Emperor (Baidi; the West, belonging to Metal) is not genuine; if you lack the De of ritual propriety, the Red Emperor (Chidi; the South, belonging to Fire) is not genuine; if you lack the De of wisdom, the Black Emperor (Heidi; the North, belonging to Water) is not genuine; if you lack the De of trustworthiness, the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi; the Center, belonging to Earth) is not genuine.

The Dao (the Way) of the Five Qi (vital energy) can communicate with the spirits and the True. So long as one does not turn away from the Dao or go against the True, it may be cultivated and put to use. The Lord of the Dao preserved this method and transmitted it to the ultimate persons, in order to assist the workings of nature and harmonize the transformations of Heaven and Earth. Cultivated in one’s own person, it can resonate with Heaven above: in Heaven the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) proceed in due order; on earth the Five Sacred Peaks stand secure and keep guard; a person’s five viscera are brought into harmony; and the divinities revolve and hold command over the myriad things. Thus only a diminishing of the Five De brings on misfortune and harm. When a True Person cultivates the method of the Five Qi, one must first abstain from meat, rank foods, and blood, avoid contact with filthy things, cut off desires, and examine one’s conduct in body, speech, and mind.

After one has prepared oneself in purity, set aside a separate quiet chamber, bathe, and make oneself clean. On the day of Beginning of Spring, at cockcrow, face the yin direction (the northeast), sit level, and regulate the breath; close the eyes and click the teeth thirty-six times. The clicking should be deep and unhurried. Rinse the mouth and swallow the saliva; then, according to the method, close the eyes and form wogu (clenching the hands to preserve Qi), expel distracting thoughts, and empty body and mind. After sitting quietly for a time, when you feel warmth and free passage within the body, move the four limbs, expel the turbid Qi, and regulate the breath again. Keep the attention guarded in the Sea of Qi, directed toward the sites of inner refinement—Taiyuan, the Northern Pole, the True Palace of the Dantian (energy center), and the like. Inhale deeply with a slight effort so that Qi fills them, until you feel the Qi of the whole body gathering in. Repeat this several times, then let mind and Shen (spirit) return to empty stillness. If you feel the East suddenly opened and wholly unobstructed, slowly inhale through the nose, visualize the five viscera, and sense the True Qi of the Azure Emperor of the East moving out from the liver, penetrating within and without; visualize as well the thirty-six thousand spirits in the body uniting with the True Qi of the Azure Emperor. After that, regulate the breath and swallow the saliva. After a while, rise and bow, and the rite is complete. From then on one must practice every day, without interruption.

At Awakening of Insects, face the mao direction; throughout the solar terms of the yin and mao months, practice in this manner. From Clear and Bright, face the chen direction and visualize yellow Qi moving from within the spleen, penetrating within and without. From Beginning of Summer, face the si direction and visualize red Qi moving from within the heart; at Grain in Ear, face the wu direction. At Slight Heat, face the wei direction and visualize yellow Qi moving from within the spleen. From Beginning of Autumn, face the shen direction and visualize white Qi moving from within the lungs; at White Dew, face the you direction. At Cold Dew, face the xu direction and visualize yellow Qi moving from within the spleen. At Beginning of Winter, face the hai direction and visualize black Qi moving from within the kidneys; at Great Snow, face the zi direction. At Slight Cold, face the chou direction and visualize yellow Qi moving from within the spleen. Carried on in this way through a year, the Five Qi are all fully cultivated. The order of visualization and breath regulation follows what has already been set out; closing the eyes and clicking the teeth are likewise done the original number of times, with no further division into grades.

In the second year, at Beginning of Spring, one may practice continuously for another three days, or for five, seven, or nine days, following the sequence of the previous year, as the daily exercise of paying court to the Five Qi. The movement of Qi is initiated by the mind’s intent and then matched by the hand formulas. The practitioner should visualize command over the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, over the Five Phases, and over the myriad spirits. Wogu is the general method of the palm formulas. What the oral formula calls moving the Dipper’s cord, sealing the Five Peaks, closing the three endings, seizing the ghost path, and gathering the river’s source are all methods for securing True Qi and holding command over the realms of the hidden and the manifest.

When the rite is finished, gather the breath according to the method of regulating it, so that Qi disperses and returns to its ordinary state. In forming the mudras, women take the right hand as principal and men the left, according to the bodily nature of Yin-Yang. The five fingers correspond respectively to the Five Phases: the thumb belongs to Earth, the index finger to Fire, the middle finger to Wood, the ring finger to Metal, and the little finger to Water. From the root of each finger to its tip, they stand in turn for the early, middle, and late divisions. The points corresponding to the nails are called the blade-branches of the Five Phases; they govern slaying and attack, and are used to cut down deviance and punish rebellion. Once the Five Qi have been fully cultivated, one applies the methods of mutual generation and mutual overcoming according to the categories of the Five Phases, and may then carry them out as each matter requires.

The method of wogu is as follows: with the thumb sweep across the other four fingers, passing three times through such points as the Human Gate and the Ghost Path, then, according to the oral formula, hold the breath and clench the fist. The joints of the fingers are applied in coordination with the positions of the twelve earthly branches, and may also be used according to the relations of mutual generation and mutual overcoming among the Five Phases.

Every form of bugang—the rite of pacing the positions of stars and constellations by prescribed steps—begins from the “three paces and nine traces,” also called the Pace of Yu. Tradition holds that this method has long been handed down; Yu of Xia obtained it and transmitted it to later ages, but he did not create it. It serves to command the Three Primordials, the Nine Stars, the Three Extremes, and the Nine Palaces, so as to accord with the great numbers of the Heavenly Dao’s operation. In pacing, first raise the left foot and step in an order of one forward and one back, so that Yin and Yang alternate. The footwork of setting out and of closing the pace is the same; crosswise steps and straight steps succeed one another in turn, in the shape of the character “ding,” to symbolize the meeting of Yin and Yang. The steps must be steady and properly measured, neither too wide nor too narrow. While pacing, form wogu and hold the breath, keeping Qi guarded in the Palace of Taiyuan; at the same time close the eyes, click the teeth, and visualize the divinities. Visualize the Four Numina standing guard and mounted officers drawn up in ranks, the troops and horses of the Five Emperors of the five directions each holding their posts, the Northern Dipper covering the crown of the head, and the Dipper’s handle pointing toward the appointed direction. After the nine traces have been paced, hold the breath and step back, then return to the original place and go forward again, forming three sets of paces. Then turn to the left and, according to your intent, send off the divine Qi you have visualized, so as to drive away calamity. When the practice is finished, again close the eyes and preserve the spirits, regulate the breath back to the Palace of Taiyuan, and swallow saliva nine times.

When performing rites such as prohibitive methods, ritual commands, and talisman water, one should in the usual way invoke the True Qi of the Five Emperors of the five directions. The true master who transmits the teaching says: first cultivate the Five Qi for one year, then cultivate the three paces and nine traces together with the stellar cord for one year; only after confirming that there is no error may one carry out the various prohibitive methods according to intent, and the effect will then be as of the spirits. If one can remain pure and careful and guard the Dao without slackening, long cultivation can bring flying immortality and passage beyond the world. The True Persons, immortals, and sage-kings of antiquity all used this to assist in ordering the way of the world. Transmission in the world often loses what is true and adds arbitrary explanations; only by cultivating as set forth here can one see the efficacy.

The former master also said that the three paces and nine traces symbolize the hexagram Jiji (After Completion). To obtain the true formula of the stellar cord, one must also cultivate the Qi of the Five Emperors and the palm formula of wogu; only when these are matched with one another can one reach the source of the Dao. If one merely upholds talismanic charts and precious registers, yet lacks the methods of cultivation and application transmitted by a teacher, one will not obtain numinous efficacy and can only act according to the text of the registers; otherwise, it amounts only to reverent upholding and offering, used to accumulate good conditions and to aid the blessed recompense of the future.

The five methods above refer to receiving Qi (vital energy), the oral formulas for circulating Qi, the Yubu (the ritual pace of Daoism), the Xinggang (a method of stepping according to the positions of the stars), and the palm formulas (hand seals). The True Master says: if a person who cultivates the Dao (the Way) has an affinity with the Dao and is thus able to receive and wear, study, and practice such methods as the Inner Sounds of the Various Heavens, the True Writs of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao), the Jade Instructions of the Red Script, the Celestial Writs of the Eight Effulgences, and the secret way of refining the true; and if that person further cultivates the Six Jia talismans of Lord Lao, the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure, the True Form Charts of the Five Marchmounts, the Inner Texts of the Three Sovereigns, the mountain prohibitions of the Duke of the Western Marchmount, and other Fulu (talismans and registers), then each item ought to be received and upheld in accordance with the Keyi (liturgy) and earnestly practiced through visualization and cultivation. So long as one does not grow slack, one can refine and transform the bodily form and alter the substance of the bones, attain the state of seated transformation or of immediate liberation, and obtain the station of a Dongxuan Shangzhen (a title for revered Daoist deities and advanced cultivators; Dongxuan is one of the Three Caverns, Dongzhen/Dongxuan/Dongshen). The specific oral formulas for carrying out the practices in the Fulu are each recorded in the corresponding Jing (scriptures/classics) and are also transmitted by the master; among them there are, in addition, essential instructions and wondrous methods. After the methods of the Dongxuan division have been completed, if one receives a response from the divine perfected, one may then proceed to study the various methods of the Shangqing.

The Twenty-Four Grades of Shangqing Registers

The Shangqing ritual registers include: the Qusu Jueci of the Left Perfected of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), also known as the Register of the Great Perfected Writ of the Mysterious Hill of the Phoenix Qi of the Nine Heavens; the Register of the Orthodox Method of the Three Heavens; the Jade Register of the High Sovereign; the Primordial Register of Tortoise Mountain; the Register of Flight through the Three Realms; the Register of the Flying Feather Charter; the Jade-Case Register of the Three Primes; the Great Register of the Upper Prime for Inspecting Heaven; the Jade Register of the Lower Prime for Inspecting Earth; the Register of the Writ of the Middle Prime for Inspecting Immortals and the Perfected; the Shangqing Register for Inspecting Human Immortals; the Register of the Numinous Flight of the Six Jia; the Register of Inner Contemplation of the Numinous Flight of the Six Jia; the Register of the Cinnabar Talismans of the Plain Memorials of the Six Jia; the Genealogical Register of the Primordial Jade Sovereign; the Eight Registers of the Nine Heavens in the Yellow Writ of the Taiwei; the Register of the True Talisman of the Golden Tiger of the Celestial Thearch of the Taiwei; the Jade Tally of the Divine Tiger of the Most High; the Register of the Eight Awesomes for Summoning Dragons; the Precious Register of the River Chart; the Register of the Dawn Charts of the Eight Effulgences of the Most High; the True Talisman of the Seven Primes of Huoluo, also known as the “Register of the Awesome Numina of the Thearch”; the Register of the Flowing-Gold Fire Bell; and the Register of the Chart for Seizing Mountain Spirits.

The Various Tallies of the Shangqing Dongzhen

This section lists the warrants and tokens used in the Shangqing Dongzhen division: the purple-patterned crossed sash, the white-twisted crossed sash, and the Huiche Bidao (Returning Chariot Completes the Way).

All of the above belongs to the Shangqing division, that is, the Dongzhen division. Here only the general sense of the methods transmitted by the master is outlined; the ritual diplomas, scriptural texts, mandates of appointment, and the like used in receiving the teachings must be handled in accordance with the Keyi of those who revere the Dao.

Daoist scriptures are divided into the “Three Caverns and Six Divisions” (the Three Caverns being Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen, and the Six Divisions the related categories of classics), amounting altogether to sixty grades. The true scriptures of the Three Caverns total eighteen trillion, three thousand one hundred eighty scrolls. Now, after many kalpas and calamities, with immortal officials succeeding one another and the celestial realms and grotto abodes hidden from view, very few of the classics remain in the world.

The scriptures and Fulu (talismans and registers) copied and circulated in the world often contain errors in characters and symbols. Some have been arbitrarily cut or altered, or fabricated in keeping with secular custom, solely to seek fame, power, and wealth. Although the masters of successive ages have continually collated and revised the rites and norms of cultivating perfection, it is still difficult to ensure that they are entirely accurate. This is because, within the teachings of the world, the doubtful and the spurious are mixed together, and each person’s circumstances and explanations differ. How, then, can I know whether the principles transmitted in writing and speech—within and beyond the Three Realms, throughout the heavens and the world—might not also change along with particular events?

One should now rely on the versions circulating in the world, take the numinous writings of the celestial script as one’s warrant, and sincerely revere the Great Dao (the Way). So long as one holds an impartial and single-minded heart, shows benevolence and filial respect toward all people, cuts off private feelings and desires, and maintains clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action); so long as one handles affairs with fairness, judges in accord with what is reasonable, comprehends thoroughly and without obstruction, and clings neither to “being” nor to “non-being”—this is the essential purport of the Way of Dongzhen.

Formula for Copying Scriptures and Registers

The True Master said: “Utmost sincerity can commune with the gods and spirits; when the mind and intent are pure and sincere, there is sure to be a response. Among those in the world who receive the scriptures and registers (the classics and Fulu transmitted in Daoism), many do not conform to the ritual regulations; some masters transmit them carelessly, and cultivation and observance are likewise lax. Some people therefore conclude that the Daoist registers are ineffective, and that the spirits…” The original text breaks off here.

The True Master said: “Only when the heart is utterly sincere can one come into communion with the gods and spirits; if the work is done with careful attention and sincere intent, a response is sure to follow. In the world there are people who receive scriptures (Jing) and ritual registers—the scriptural methods and tokens of authority conferred by Daoism—yet they often fail to accord with proper ritual form. Sometimes the master has transmitted them carelessly; sometimes the recipient has been lax in cultivation and observance. Some therefore say that the scriptures and registers have no power and that the divine immortals are of no effect, but the fault in fact lies with themselves.

A master of an earlier time wrote a scroll of ritual norms for the making of scriptures and registers; the main points are set out briefly here. Paper, silk, cinnabar, pigments, brushes and ink, tools, and the other materials must all be purchased in accordance with the methods of the Dao (the Way), and a rightful source is especially to be prized. One must not quarrel with others or reckon only in terms of gain. The heart should be humble and even, willing to bring benefit to others; the work itself should be pure, quiet, and cautious, with the mind given wholly to preparation. While the objects are being made, filthy things, animals such as chickens and dogs, or other beings of a different kind must not be allowed to touch them, nor may women look upon them.

After more than a month of ritual fasting, abstinence, and bathing, one chooses a separate pure and quiet room, opens a small window facing east, and regularly burns incense on both sides within the room. The scripture is set squarely upon the desk. Dressed in proper order, one holds the Mysterious Master in mind—the patriarch, or the master of transmission, venerated in Daoism—and silently reports one’s intention to him. After the breath has been regulated and made even, one dips the brush and, following the ritual forms, writes the Fulu (talismans and registers) together with the cinnabar diagrams and texts.

In the making, ox-hide glue must be strictly avoided, for it is held to obstruct the descent of numinous Qi (vital energy). Deer-horn glue should be used, mixed with a little frankincense, a kind of incense, so that the finished writing will not easily flake away. Whether silk or paper is used, the rule is the same.

From top to bottom the register scroll is nine cun (traditional Chinese inches) in length, modeled on the great number of the sun. Vermilion borders are drawn above and below the heads of the columns, nine fen (tenths of a cun) in all, symbolizing correspondence with the Nine Heavens above and the Nine Earths below. The upper and lower vermilion frames symbolize the Qi of the Cinnabar Origin, meaning that the jade script is written in red. Red is the color of utmost Yang and is used to subdue deviant Yin, the two poles of Yin-Yang. The upper and lower vermilion frames are each one fen wide, symbolizing the One Qi as it circulates and spreads everywhere. Double lines are drawn both above and below the column heads; the lines must not be broken, and their width must be even, so as to symbolize the four seasons: the upper part takes spring and summer as its model, and the lower part autumn and winter.

Each column is seven cun long, modeled on the Seven Governors—the celestial phenomena associated with the sun, the moon, and the five luminaries—and each column is five fen wide, modeled on the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). In regular script or clerical script, no column may exceed twenty characters, and the number of characters and the spacing between columns must be balanced and even. The arrangement of the characters must not violate the rule. As it is said, “a dead character does not occupy the head of a column, and a living character does not stand at the foot of a column”; the placement within each column should be carefully ordered. The disciple’s name and style name must be written with particular care, and must not be placed at the head of a column. All these rules must be scrupulously observed.

The Fulu, diagrams, and paintings should be drawn with evenness and propriety, and the text of the register must be made with especial fineness and care. At the end of each rank, near the roller of the scroll, three columns are left blank for the ritual titles and names of the three masters of the methods: the Supervising Master of Transmission, the Guaranteeing and Recommending Master, and the Transmitting Master. The ornament of the scroll should be suited to one’s circumstances and kept within one’s means. What is required is dignity and cleanliness; there is no need for further display, nor should one give rise to needless anxiety over the matter.

Tokens of credential, talisman boards, sealing pouches, and the like should all be prepared beforehand and handled according to the Keyi (liturgy), the norms of Daoist ritual. When the writing of the scriptures and registers is complete, they are placed in cases according to the category to which they belong, then sealed and labeled as the rules require. Thereafter, incense is burned morning and evening in the quiet chamber, and the scriptures and registers are not allowed to come into contact with miscellaneous objects. When the day of purification appointed for receiving the methods arrives, the master should, following the rite, make the invocation and transmit them.