《上清道宝经》Vol. 2

Ascending alone to the Jade Capital, the city of the immortals, and transcending the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—is the charge borne by the lofty Immortal Lord of Mount Tai. The road to the Mysterious Capital, the Daoist realm of immortals, is indeed no illusion. Precepts of the Original Vow

The primordial Qi contains wondrous principles. It can refine what is false and bring it back to what is true.

Heaven established Yin and Yang, and from them the Three Sovereigns were born.

The Lord, Ruler of Heaven; the Lord of the Southern Pole, Upper Origin; the Lord, Ruler of the Great Tenuity Heaven; and the Imperial Lord of the Nine Mysteries, the Latter Sage, of the Golden Palace.

Keep the mind clear and observe the fast for three months. With quiet contemplation, attune yourself to the Great Stillness, the highest and most profound state of tranquility. By steadily gathering your thoughts, you can open the way to Highest Clarity, the Daoist realm of immortals. Then □ Ying will still its radiance, the Nine □ cords will appear, and hidden numinous mushrooms will grow into beautiful spirit plants. Precious light will rise at night; □ excess will dissipate, revealing clarity. The Primordial Dao, the source of the Great Dao, will be strengthened, and people will savor the Qi of Great Harmony. The Jade Chapters, scriptures of the immortal realm, will thereby be nourished. The Most High Plain Numinous Scripture

The Jade Maiden who appears at first is not a realized immortal, but a manifestation. The Jade Maiden who appears on the fourth occasion, with a white jade grain the size of millet on her nose, is the true Jade Mystery.

The Numinous Sovereign observes your intentions, and the Supreme Ultimate has already entered your name on a jade register of the immortal realm.

Your name has been written among the officials of Green Script and Purple Void, in the Golden Book Pavilion of Bundled Splendor, and engraved in the brocade register of Highest Clarity’s Elixir Writings. You have been appointed Lady of Purple Void, Director of Fate in Highest Clarity, granted an honorific title as a revered figure of a sacred mountain, and invested as Lady of the Southern Marchmount.

The De of the Great Truth is lofty and vast. It is still and Wuwei, and thus accords with the state of non-birth.

The world’s countless struggles rise like smoke, while its myriad customs branch and scatter. Awaken to De amid the mysteries, and you can become a sage and a realized immortal.

When the great cycle arrives, take up authority.

Act in accordance with the time.

Receive the Mandate of the Three Heavens.

All who serve as teachers in the world should uphold the Orthodox Law. Teachers in the world who receive the Mandate of the Six Heavens uphold the Dragon Law. Whether their rank is high or low, each has a mandate from Heaven.

Follow the ways of the world to teach the people; advance or withdraw in keeping with the time, and keep the precepts continually in mind.

Cultivate diligently for nine years, and you will become a Perfected One of Great Simplicity, able to divide your body and change your form, manifesting in countless shapes in an instant.

Supplement and complete the chapters. Failure to do so will bring grave calamities. The Book of the Jade Thread

The Dao, the source of all things, has no form or image. Its mystery reaches the utmost extreme, and its depths cannot be fathomed.

The Jade Scripture transmitted by the Supreme Great One of Jade Capital, the highest divinity dwelling in Jade Capital, is the foundation of all scriptures. The Great One commanded that it be taught to the various Immortal Lords, Immortal Kings, Immortal Elders, and Immortal Ministers.

The Great Law says: Only after forty thousand kalpas—an immeasurably long span—was it transmitted to a single person. After receiving this scripture, I cultivated myself into a perfected person. I was then charged to accumulate merit three times before transmitting it to four people; with you included, five people in all have received it. These events are recorded in the True One’s Instructions on Naturalness.

When transmitting the scripture, one must use money as a ritual token, a pledge of the transmission. Write out a copy and give it to one person, ten people, a hundred, or a thousand, but the original must still be kept. The Determination of Intent says:

Among a million people, perhaps only one will obtain this text. This person has both an immortal endowment, a nature suited to the Immortal Way, and an immortal register, a destiny marked for an affinity with immortality. These were determined by the person’s fate in a former life. After hearing and receiving this scripture for forty years, one may use it to teach others and enter the famous mountains of every region, roaming among the lands of the eight directions. No ghosts or spirits under heaven will dare to obstruct such a person. Those of the highest attainment may ascend to immortality; those of lesser attainment may undergo corpse liberation, leaving behind their bodily remains as their spirit departs, a means of attaining immortality. The Three Sovereigns records:

An immortal attendant serving the scriptures once sought instruction from an Immortal Lord.

If someone receives the Daoist teachings without reverence or respect for their teacher, the Three Officials, who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, will mock that person. If someone carelessly divulges the teachings, their ancestors for seven generations will be imprisoned, and they themselves will suffer punishment in the three evil realms.

If lords and princes uphold this scripture, they can preserve the ancestral temples and bring stability to the state.

The Nine Subtlety Perfected One transmitted the Scripture of Knowledge and Wisdom to the Great Master of the Supreme Ultimate, and also to the High Immortal King of the Supreme Ultimate.

To transmit a scripture without a ritual token is called violating the Way of Heaven. To spread it without permission is to divulge Heaven’s treasure.

If one models oneself on Heaven and Earth, what cannot be brought forth and nurtured? What cannot be accomplished? If one models oneself on the rivers and seas—the Yangtze, Huai, and other great waters—what kind of water does not flow? Which stream cannot find its way onward?

Among those suited to the Immortal Way, those who show filial conduct, and those endowed with intelligence and wisdom, only people who meet these conditions may receive this scripture.

With utmost sincerity, one can bring about a mutual response between human beings and spirits.

From the era of the Dragon Han down to the age of Scarlet Radiance, those beings dwelling in the long night of the Ninefold Darkness who were able to attain liberation had their names entered into the registers by the officials of Southern Mound and the High Court of the Nine Capitals.

The Qi of the Nine Yin is dispelled, and their names are entered in the immortal registers of the Eastern Florescence realm.

In the eight paths, one looks up toward the mysterious clouds and the Seven-Turn Scripture that circles Heaven. This is the Great One’s true method of the Eight Su.

In a single day…

One person becomes the Most High, the supreme divine lord; another becomes an Imperial Lord; another becomes Laozi; and another becomes a Celestial Master (Tianshi), a revered master in Daoism. This can dispel the Qi of the Nine Yin and have one’s name recorded in Donghua, the immortal realm of the East.

The Eight Ways gaze up toward the mysterious rosy clouds and turn the celestial warp and weft seven times. In a single day, the Most High Eight Su True Immortals of the Shangqing tradition enable cultivators to transcend the Three Realms and rescue beings throughout the Nine Heavens.

After the Immortal Lord attained the Dao, the Three Masters—revered teachers who transmit the Dao and guide cultivation—came to deliver him, like the Seven-Treasure Mountain shining beneath the sun. The cultivator’s mind grew clear and his understanding opened. He prepared incense, oil, paper, and brush, offering them to accumulate blessings and cultivate De. A gentleman of deep virtue fasted, presented gold and treasures, and respectfully offered the True Writings, Daoist scriptures or talismanic texts.

A Three Caverns Master, a Daoist versed in the teachings of the Three Caverns, surpasses eleven thousand people who practice the Way of the Yellow and Red. The radiance of cinnabar hues illumines the Cloud Court, while purple mist lights the Jade Grove. The Seven-Treasure Brush gleams, and numinous sounds resound in splendor. The notes gong and shang, two pitches in the ancient five-tone scale, harmonize naturally, and a pure fragrance drifts into people’s garments. Accumulate the practice of the Dao, and one may become an immortal and ascend Mount Gui, one of the immortal realms.

The Vermilion Emperor’s Flying-Mysterious Purple Writings, sacred Daoist texts, are as precious as jade and must not be treated lightly. The names of those who attain the True Dao are recorded in the Emperor’s Jade Register, the celestial roster of immortals kept by the Heavenly Emperor.

They hang high beyond the heavens, in the highest reaches of the sky, and are written on White Slips and Azure Registers, symbols of immortal rosters. The High Saints and Imperial Lords receive these writings in the Nine Emptinesses, the loftiest celestial realm. They form naturally through Flying Mysterious Qi, recording the names of later cultivators who attain immortality, and are engraved in the Hall of Vast Numen. No one but the High Saints can read them. After seventy years, the writings are inscribed at the source of the secret Northern Cavern of Kunlun, each character a zhang tall.

The ranks of immortals lie above the Nine Capitals, and officials inscribe the names of those who attain the Dao in jade books. Though learners of the Dao may already be listed in the Azure Palace, the immortal register, they have not received full registration until they possess the Golden Slips and Jade Characters, the formal credentials of immortal status. The Attendant Director of Immortals oversees the rolls of the Jade Office. If cultivators diligently honor the Dao, the Jade Office reports their names to the Jade Emperor; the Three Primes, Donghua, and the Most High then send emissaries to bestow upon them the titles of immortals.

Immortal officials who serve the immortals and oversee the scriptures and jade registers report the names of diligent practitioners to the Jade Emperor. The Three Origins (the Upper, Middle, and Lower Origins in Daoism) and the Supreme High One of Donghua then send people to confer the true scriptures on them. Sages who attain the Dao in later generations, and the immortals, without exception first present their golden slips (golden registers recording the names of immortals) to Donghua, then send jade tallies (documents made of jade) to Shangqing. Only then may they receive the Great Cavern True Scripture. Those who have not studied or practiced have no name in the golden register on the Green Register (the roster of immortals), nor any mysterious writings recorded in the jade registry. They therefore cannot read the wondrous scriptures or receive the protection of the Jade Maidens.

Learning the Eightfold Purities Scripture of Mysterious Clarity, received by the perfected

Those who study this scripture are all entered by the Great Emperor in the immortal register of the Western Florescence Palace. In the Purple Palace are kept jade slips and books of elixirs (documents recording immortal methods and medicines). Five thousand years before this person is born, a register of mysterious destiny (a document that predetermines a person’s place in the immortal registers) is already in place. When the time is ripe, the person will encounter this scripture.

The Eightfold Purities: Golden Marrow and Jade Bones is a Daoist teaching of sublime mystery and profundity, and a chapter from the secret storehouse of Jade Clarity.

These scriptures are transmitted only to exalted immortals whose names are written in gold and characters in jade, and who are listed in the immortal registers.

The Heavenly King examines them with mysterious insight (the power of subtle and wondrous discernment); the Seven Sages engrave the chapters in the records; the Western Tortoise confirms their place in the immortal registers; and Donghua records their names. Documents such as the Mysterious Chart and the Emperor’s Slips also bear their names, which are entered in the Green Palace (an office in the realm of immortals).

The Kings of the Nine Heavens send the Perfected of the Four Extremes (Perfected Ones who guard the four directions) down to the world to transmit the Jade Writings and Imperial Chapters.

The Upper Origin of the South Pole

According to the treasured and secret jade registers (precious documents kept on jade), without a place in the immortal registers of the golden slips, jade marrow, and imperial chart, one cannot see the scriptural chapters.

No Golden Name in the Orchid Terrace

Without a cinnabar inscription in the Purple Chamber (a record in the immortal registers written in cinnabar), one cannot see the scripture.

Jade Writings and Imperial Chapters of the August Sovereign

The Upper Origin of the South Pole

According to the treasured and secret jade registers (precious documents kept on jade), without a place in the immortal registers of the golden slips, jade marrow, and imperial chart, one cannot see the scriptural chapters.

No Golden Name in the Orchid Terrace

Without a cinnabar inscription in the Purple Chamber (a record in the immortal registers written in cinnabar), one cannot see the scripture.

Jade Register of the August Sovereign for Determining True Names in the People’s Register

This is the jade register worn by the Perfected of Zhengyi of the Three Heavens. It is used to determine who has the allotted status to become an immortal.

The Lord of the Blue Youth said:

The Heavenly Register appears in the Green Palace, and one’s Qi (vital energy) can be examined through the form of the body. Green characters appear in Taiji, while the mind and spirit are set upright in the Purple Chamber.

Those whose names are listed as masters of the Golden Pavilion (names entered in the immortal registers) have eyes that shine like the sun and teeth that are blue-white, with pure Qi and blood. They are benevolent, delight in seeking immortality, and are exceptionally intelligent.

Those who possess golden books and jade registers in Shangqing have backs shaped like the River Chief (the name of a constellation) and a recumbent bone (a bone whose shape resembles something lying prone) on the chest.

Those who possess cinnabar slips and green writings in Taiji have markings on their hands that read “Cumulative Person, Inverted Great.”

Those whose names appear in the mysterious purple register of Fangzhu, an immortal realm in Daoist belief, have four lines in their eyes, with purple light shining through the middle.

Those whose names are written in crimson on the jade register of Taiqing, the pure and void realm of immortals in Daoist belief, have voices clear as jade, square-shaped mouths, and rounded foreheads.

Those whose names are engraved in gold on the jade tablets of Taiqing, made of gold and jade, have white marks on their abdomens and breathe purple Qi from their mouths.

Those whose names are written in crimson on the jade register of Taiqing have voices clear as jade, square-shaped mouths, and rounded foreheads.

Those whose names are engraved in gold on the jade tablets of Taiqing have white marks on their abdomens and breathe purple Qi from their mouths.

Those whose names appear in the purple register of cinnabar writings of the Southern Pole, an immortal realm in the south in Daoist belief, have five-colored Qi rising from their heads and joining the clouds at the Chonglou, the throat.

Those whose names appear in the mysterious jade register of the Dipper, the realm of the Northern Dipper, have purple apertures in their cinnabar heart. Yellow radiance surrounds their stomachs, fragrance issues from their mouths, and their teeth brim with jade liquid. From a young age, they delight in watching the rosy clouds stirred by the sun and moon, and in admiring the radiance of the stars.

Those whose names appear in the white jade register in gold lettering of the Cinnabar Terrace of Xuandu, an immortal palace in Daoist belief, have green livers veined with purple and dark-colored kidneys patterned like fine silk. Their chests are full of Jing and Qi, and their bodies are supple and fragrant.

Those whose names appear in the blue writings on the jade slips of the Three Yuan Palace, the dwelling of the Three Officials in Daoist belief, have purple brains and tongues the color of brocade, with dark marks showing at their temples. Their intestines are green, their marrow vermilion, and they have square crowns and rounded foreheads. Their bodies conceal distinctive bones and three gateways; their eyes shimmer with moving light, and their green Jing and Qi congeal into liquid. The lines on their palms twist like fungi, and their teeth are three-edged. They love water and are drawn to mountains, cherishing and nurturing their souls. All who bear these features are high immortals.

Next, they have a black mark called “Mysterious Mountain” on the nose. There should also be a Mysterious Mound on the abdomen, opposite the mountain on the nose, marked in reddish black.

Their bones are green and lustrous. They enjoy the scent of the five fragrances and delight in studying the affairs of immortals. They walk with the lightness of swans and the vigor of dragons. Marks grow on their necks, but marks behind the ears are inauspicious.

In addition, there should be a Mysterious Mound on the abdomen, opposite the mountain on the nose, marked in reddish black.

Their bones are green and lustrous. They enjoy the scent of the five fragrances and delight in studying the affairs of immortals. They walk with the lightness of swans and the vigor of dragons. Marks grow on their necks, but marks behind the ears are inauspicious. Fuchen (the reference here is unclear and may denote a body part or name) has a green mark below the lungs and vein-like patterns on the body. The heart is pure, the gallbladder steady, the ears firm, and the breath calm and broad. Xuanzhou, an immortal realm in Daoist belief, also has a register in which names are engraved in gold.

Next are the Three Palaces of Mount Tai.

The Xuanlu and Baiji record the native places of the living, but do not register where they die. The registers of life and death in the Great Yin—the divine realm that governs the underworld—are divided into the Black Record, the White Register, and the Red Cinnabar Slips. Whenever six thousand slips bearing true tallies have accumulated, one person is registered and admitted to the land without death.

Perfected Person Jinglin said to Hua Cun:

“Looking at your innate qualities now, I see your radiance shining brightly and your rounded, abundant Jing and Qi appearing in layer upon layer. Your bones have the shape of a phoenix, extending through your head and revealing the precious light of nine colors. Purple Qi gathers in your five organs, and clear, luminous patterns are present in your heart. Thus your body dwells among the stars and rosy clouds, while your spirit is attuned to the realm of the wondrous and numinous.”

Third: Celestial Categories

Among wondrous celestial signs and efficacious writings, none are more important than the numbers three and five. The sun, moon, and Northern Dipper together make three; the five planets together make five.

“One Great”

This character symbolizes Heaven, that is, the Great One. Heaven covers Earth, Earth supports the myriad things, and the myriad things grow between Heaven and Earth.

Heaven and Earth are the enduring embodiment of the Dao.

Heaven’s constant number is one, and the Dao’s constant number is also one. Qi transforms into nine, hence the name “Nine Heavens.” Each of the Nine Heavens is further divided into nine levels, making eighty-one heavens in all.

Heaven has three wondrous manifestations.

These are the sun, moon, and stars. They dwell in Heaven and are called the “Three Essences.”

The Heaven of Purple Celestial Essence

It lies within the Great Origin, where the Qi of the Three Origins is above, in the bright celestial passage.

The Three Lights Above

The sun, moon, and stars are the Three Lights in Heaven; together they form Heaven’s script.

Three Grades of Calamity

Calamities are divided into three grades.

First came a fire catastrophe, followed by a flood, and then a wind catastrophe. Nothing in the world lasts forever unchanged. What could there be that is truly firm and indestructible? After this great upheaval, a fourth sun appeared, then a fifth; rivers dried up, and even the seas ran dry. When the sixth sun appeared, all things were destroyed. As though every trace of fat had been consumed, heaven and earth split apart, and Yin and Yang were severed.

After nine periods had passed, all things came into being again. A great wind from afar lifted the cloud vapors and carried them up to the eleventh heaven. The clouds spread above and below, each as vast as a cartwheel. After tens of millions of years, rain fell from heaven, and the floodwaters rose all the way to the eleventh heaven. Water stretched in every direction, while a great wind surrounded it and held it in place so that it would not overflow. The wind stirred the surface of the waters. After hundreds of billions of years, thick froth formed in the water and became seven treasures: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, coral, fine jade, and giant clam shell.

A fierce wind drove these seven treasures upward to the eleventh heaven and downward to the thirteenth, creating nine heavens as a dwelling place for the heavenly beings. Later, the fierce wind stirred the water again, and its foam congealed into the seven treasures. The wind gathered at the center of heaven and formed Mount Sumeru, a jeweled mountain made of treasures. Then the wind once more condensed the foam on the water’s surface into the seven treasures, forming Mount Sumeru, which stood three million three hundred thousand li high.

Afterward, crystal and gold from among the seven treasures came together to form the sevenfold city walls of the Sun King; silver and lapis lazuli came together to form the sevenfold city walls of the Moon King. A substance called crystal was then gathered and raised to a height of four hundred thousand li, where it formed the dwelling place of the spirits of the various heavens. The great wind carried these things along as if they were floating clouds, and so they were called stars. The great stars measured four hundred and eighty li around, and the small ones forty li.

Then seven hundred Mount Sumerus were gathered, and eight rings of jeweled mountains were built around them from gold, silver, and other treasures. The fierce wind transformed the remaining water into thick earth, while the foam on the water’s surface became hard iron mountains, six million seven hundred and twenty thousand li high. These were the palaces of the Three Sovereigns.

The Great Sage, the Venerable Spirit.

We cannot say that there are only forty-nine layers of heaven; in fact, there are fifty-five heavens. The forty-nine layers people speak of are only part of them. The six highest heavens are lodged within the Dao Qi (the primordial vital energy brought forth by the Dao). The Dao lies above the Three Heavens and beyond the Luotian. The first heaven reached when ascending from below is called “Yitian,” or “Clear and Bright Heaven.” The highest of the Three Heavens is called “Supreme Origin, Ultimate Great Dao, High Yitian,” and is known as the “Three Heavens Above the Origin.”

Jade Capital Terrace

The Jade Capital Terrace lies above the Great Luo Heaven without Limit. It seems to exist and yet not to exist; it seems to be and yet not to be.

Great Luo Heaven

Jade-like treasures shimmer with light that reaches into the profound. The sun and moon shine upon them, radiant with numinous brilliance. Flying Immortals drift amid the green vapor of Brahma; immortals ride the sunlight and travel upon purple clouds. Numinous writings rise in profusion, and the Immortals of the Numinous Treasure appear in succession.

The Heavens of the Three Pure Ones

The Heavens of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) lie beyond the Three Realms. Immortals dwell in Great Clarity, Perfected Beings in Highest Clarity, and Sages in Jade Clarity; each has a palace formed naturally.

The Three Heavens

Great Crimson Heaven, also called Great Clarity, joins the Qi of the Cavern of Emptiness with the lower grade;

Yu Yu Heaven, also called Highest Clarity, joins the Qi of Purple Emptiness with the middle grade;

Qingwei Heaven, also called Jade Clarity, joins the Qi of Jade Emptiness with the upper grade.

Leaving the Sea of Birth and Death, Ascending Mount Leaklessness

Leave the sea of birth and death and ascend Mount Leaklessness, and you will reach the shore of Great Clarity and receive the transmission of the Orthodox Dharma. Its four sides are remote and unfathomable, so it is called “Cavern Mystery.” It lies at the furthest reach of the wondrous realm and cannot be explained in words.

Following the Way of Jade Clarity

When traveling, immortals from the heavens guard the carriage. Jade boys and jade maidens attend it, and banners of five colors are raised. The carriage rides upon purple clouds and has twelve wheels of fine jade. Phoenixes lead the way, singing, while a dark sword follows behind. This is the Cavern Mystery realm of the “Six Masters,” at the furthest reach of the wondrous realm, beyond words.

Those who cultivate the Way of Jade Clarity travel with immortals from the heavens guarding their carriage, attended by jade boys and jade maidens, with banners of five colors raised. They ride upon purple clouds in a carriage with twelve wheels of fine jade. Phoenixes lead the way, and a dark sword follows behind. The Six Masters open the road, while flying dragons protect the wheels. Their rank is equivalent to that of high-ranking Immortals and Perfected Beings.

Following the Way of Highest Clarity

When they travel beyond their abode, the guardian spirits of the five directions accompany and protect them, along with eight hundred Jade Boys and eight hundred Jade Maidens. They carry staffs in five colors and ride in dragon chariots through flying clouds of vapor. Nine phoenixes call out in long cries ahead, while eight luan birds play music behind; a pure white procession leads the way. Within Taiji, the halls where the immortals and perfected ones dwell are ranked by height, and entry into the mysterious realm has different levels.

The Primordial Origin connects with Jade Clarity; the three luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—shine through the heights above.

Winds from the eight directions circle and turn, while the clear breath of dawn flows onward. Golden light illuminates the essences of Heaven; Jade Radiance gathers into the Five Elders, and purple vapor moves among the clouds. Riding the primordial Qi, they roam through mysterious palaces, follow the natural Dao, and exercise their numinous powers as they enter and leave the realms of the scriptures.

They wander freely in Highest Clarity, one of the Daoist immortal realms.

To the various heavens, a hundred thousand kalpas are no more than a single day. The True One’s Natural Formula, a Daoist text describing methods for cultivating the “True One,” says:

“Stand tall and ascend into Great Clarity, surpass the light of sun and moon, and soar freely above the purple empyrean.”

Ten thousand kalpas seem like only last night; a thousand mornings seem as if they have just arrived. With precepts and wisdom, they spread the Dao of Great Mixture. Mysterious steps arise in its wake, like a whirlwind rising straight into the heights.

The three Qi transform and give rise to three tiers of Heaven, hence the name Nine Heavens. The foundation of the Nine Heavens honors the number three.

The Nine Heavens, joined with the upper Three Heavens, make twelve Qi. The first tier is the Heaven of the Peerless Primordial Radiance and Colorlessness, also called the Heaven of Mysterious Clarity and Upper Qi.

The heavens listed after it include the Heaven of Mysterious Brahma and Jade Void, the Upper Void Red Heaven, the Great Brahma Mysterious Origin Heaven, the Jade Void Mysterious Cavern of Serene Stillness Heaven, the Precious Brahma Colorless Mysterious Wonder Heaven, the Cloud Brahma Flowing Essence Central Origin Heaven, the Mysterious Upper Boundless Heaven, the Great Brahma Mysterious Essence Azure Heaven, and the Purple Void Upper Origin Heaven. Among the Nine Heavens are also the Heaven Without Dao and De, the Heaven of Ninefold Numinous Qi, the Nameless Utmost Brahma Sound Heaven, the Cicada-like Heaven, the Empty Brahma Central Heaven, the Taiji Boundless Purple Void Cavern of Darkness Heaven, and the Green Brahma Natural Heaven. The scripture then mentions “the sounds of the four heavens” and “the thirty heavens,” and continues by listing the Cicada-like Heaven and the Empty Brahma Heaven.

Zhongtian, the Boundless Taiji (the limitless realm of the Supreme Ultimate), the Purple Void Cavern of Darkness Heaven, and the Green Brahma Heaven of Natural Being are all names for heavenly realms.

The names of the Thirty-Six Heavens were established long before the primordial Qi of the Void came into being, and were inscribed on Mount Kunlun. The upper levels of the heavens display mysterious diagrams; the middle levels govern the Six Offices and the thirty-six kinds of heavenly music; and the lower levels encompass the Nine Earths and the thirty-six Earth Emperors. Their wondrous writings reach everywhere without obstruction, and their jade tones ring clear and numinous. They are hymns chanted by the Heavenly Kings as they travel on their rounds, as well as precious canons from the mysterious realms of the Void. Six sets of six join to form their meter, four sets of four align to embody the Real, and nine sets of nine arrange the various emperors; hence they are called the “Thirty-Six Heavens.” Above, they extend to the boundless and limitless realm; below, they reach deep into the hidden source of the caverns.

If the assembled High Perfected and flying immortals do not receive the jade tones, they cannot visit the scriptures of the Boundless Realm. If someone obtains these scriptures, the jade books record their name, engrave it on a purple talisman, and enter it in the register of Yuchen. After thirty-six years of cultivation, those whose names have been inscribed can become high immortals: they ascend to the Thirty-Six Heavens and reach the boundless upper realm, while also descending to the hidden depths of the cavern source. They can ascend to the Heaven of Primordial Color and penetrate to the source of the Nine Earths.

Once perfected, their bodies become like silver and jade, taking on a cool, luminous hue.

The Six Demon Kings of the Heavens are, in order: the First, Chixu Heaven; the Second, Taiqingdu Heaven; the Third, Haotian; the Fourth, Taixuan Heaven; the Fifth, Taixuan Cang Heaven; and the Sixth, Taiqing Heaven.

The Qi of the Primordial High Jade Emperor of Hundong Taiwu, the Qi of the Primordial Upper Jade Void of Chihun Taiwu, and the Qi of the Primordial Upper Jade Void of Mingji Xuantong have names that vary from age to age, yet in essence they all arise from a single source. They have no light, image, form, name, or color, and make no sound. When Yang Qi gathers, it forms Heaven; when Qi becomes dense and settled, it forms Earth.

The Three Qi are the sovereigns of Heaven and Earth, while the Nine Qi are their foundation. When the Three Qi unite, they form the De of Heaven and Earth and become the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth.

The Five Phases are arranged according to their directions, forming the governing framework of the eight regions of Heaven and Earth and sustaining the scope and order of the cosmos.

The Qi of the upper level is called “Beginning of the Sun” and is pure blue-green in color; the Qi of the middle level is called “Origin of the Sun” and is pure white; the Qi of the lower level is called “Mystery of the Sun” and is pure yellow. The Qi of Great Harmony is deep, distant, and obscure.

The so-called “Obscure Qi” lies above the Nine Heavens, exceedingly distant and profound, level with the Nine Mysteries—the nine remote and hidden celestial realms. Only by reciting the Jade Scripture of the Great Cavern can one connect with it. Afterward, the Jade Emperor rides upon red clouds to clear a path, and the Qi of Great Obscurity appears in radiance, draped in green mists. The Hall of Golden Walls fills with light, and the Court of Cloud Pearls welcomes the perfected beings.

Within the Palace of the Three Origins, where the divine beings of the upper, middle, and lower origins dwell, Qi of the Three Florescences rises. It shines like a lotus, bearing mysterious colors that spread through the empty expanse. Within the Primal Constellations stands a Golden Tower of Heaven, from which the Qi of the Upper Radiance ascends. Its abundant colors transform into purple clouds of smoke, shining in all ten directions as clouds cover the Golden Tower. This is where the Later Saints gather.

When Qi condenses, it transforms into purple radiance. Red clouds illuminate the celestial realm, arrayed and encircling the southwest. The Three Celestial Lights shine upon the Seven Luminaries—the Sun, Moon, and five planets—and the constellations gleam in orderly array within the Supreme Tenuity, the celestial region where the Heavenly Emperor resides.

The Three-One Primordial Lords, each embodying the Dao of the Three Ones, possess their own true Qi. When this Qi gathers, it transforms into thousands of chariots and riders, along with cloud chariots, feathered canopies, and other celestial regalia.

The true Qi of the Twenty-Four Spirits disperses into clouds and mists, and gathers into forms and images. When it manifests, it appears as the transformation into an immortal; when drawn back in, it returns to the True One. Above, it condenses into the Three Origins; below, it condenses into the myriad things.

The separation and union of Yin and Yang Qi each follow their own patterns and timing. The waxing and waning of the Three Paths—those of Heaven, Earth, and humanity—and the coming and going of Qi all unfold with the changing seasons.

The deeds of the Later Saint, the Lord of the Nine Mysteries, are recorded in the relevant chapters.

The Sun is the essence of Yang Qi and a sign of flourishing De. De is the power toward which all things turn. The Sun rises in the east, and all things grow there as well; it is at its height in the south, sets in the west, and is stored away in the north. All things change in accordance with the Sun’s course. The Sun in the south corresponds to the position of midday. In the fifth month, Yin Qi begins to arise within. This is the first stage of Yin Qi, when its power is still weak.

The Sun measures two thousand and thirty li both vertically and horizontally.

Within the golden branch, the essence of Water forms a halo of light inside, and its radiance streams outward. Within are cities and their inhabitants, along with bathing pools built of the Seven Treasures. Blue, yellow, and white lotuses grow in the pools. The people are twenty-four feet tall and wear vermilion robes; the flourishing and fading of the lotuses corresponds to their condition. As the sun moves through the sky, it generates five kinds of wind, which must therefore be regulated and controlled.

The courses of the sun, moon, and stars take shape according to an order called “Fan.” Its guiding principle is this: the sun passes above the Golden Gate. Within the Golden Gate lies a pool where the essence of gold is refined, in the region of the Western Pass, to the left. Thus, on the day of the Beginning of Spring, the sun renews and nourishes its hun and po souls within the Golden Gate, then sends its radiance beyond the gate. This process lasts forty-five days.

The sun then proceeds along its course to the Palace of Dongyang, the celestial lodge above the sun. At the Beginning of Summer, the sun rests at the Palace of Dongyang, releases the essence of smelted gold, and pours it into the Eastern Well. It then bathes in the Radiant Splendor, gathers the Qi of the Eight Whites, and returns to the Palace of Guanghan. After thirty-five days, it arrives there. The Palace of Guanghan is the celestial lodge above the moon and the canopy of the Seven Stars.

At the Beginning of Winter, the sun’s essence and Qi lie hidden within the Palace of Guanghan. Each year the sun follows the same course, passing through the four directions. The two lights of the sun and moon alternately separate and join, and the Qi of Yin and Yang correspondingly waxes and wanes.

The sun and moon are the “Minister of Heaven,” who governs the movement of celestial phenomena between Heaven and Earth.

The Central Scripture of Laozi’s Calendar Treasury records: “The sun’s surname is Zhang, its name is Biao, and its courtesy name is Changshi.”

The Three Sovereigns records: “The sun and moon have royal palaces and walled cities. The cities extend 2,040 li from east to west and from north to south. They have seven layers of walls, and within them grow bamboo and trees.”

In the east, west, south, and north, the city extends 2,040 li in each direction. It has seven layers of walls, and bamboo and trees grow within it. The city has four gates. Among the pools and trees inside are birds such as phoenixes, vermilion birds, and flying crows. The city contains the dwelling of a king, encircled by swirling winds and illuminated by the sun. A golden palace stands at its center, while golden towers rise on all four sides, extending for forty li at varying heights.

On the fiftieth heaven, someone descends from the sky and becomes the King of the Sun Heaven. He radiates a powerful light that illuminates the golden towers on all four sides and produces five hundred beams of light, which shine in every direction. The people of the heavens live for nine million years.

The Perfected of the Nine Heavens call the sun “Zhuoyaoluo”; the Perfected of the Three Heavens call it “Yuangangwei”; the Perfected in the Great Simplicity Heaven call it “Miaojing”; and the Perfected of the August Sovereign call it “Jiulou.” The sun produces five hundred beams of light that shine in every direction, and the people of the heavens live for nine million years.

The Perfected of the Nine Heavens call the sun “Zhuoyaoluo,” the Perfected of the Three Heavens call it “Yuangangwei,” and the Perfected in the Great Simplicity Heaven call it “Miaojing.” The Perfected of the August Sovereign call the sun “Jiayaosheng.” The August Sovereign often rides in a chariot with wheels made of luminous jade, traveling and feasting within the sun. The immortals of Great Clarity call the sun “Great Brightness,” while the Perfected of the Supreme Ultimate call it “Bright Circle.”

In the Heaven of Primordial Sovereignty and Purple Origin, a faint light is always present, like a thin mist. This is where the nine suns rise; their radiance shines like a full moon. The Perfected of the Jade Worthy Heaven call the sun “Weixuan.” The radiance of the sun and moon is the light emitted by the numinous spirit Yaohui.

The King of Red Qi is the supreme deity within the sun, named Jiangche Liang. Whoever knows the King of Red Qi’s name will never die and will ascend to Shangqing. Lord Lao calls the sun “Great Treasure”; the Perfected of Ninefold Radiance and Eastern Florescence call it “Purple Radiance,” and sometimes also “Yuanmei.”

The sun’s essence is red, round in shape and square in shadow. Five times each month, it passes above the Golden Gate, where the sun’s soul is refined and nourished with the essences of metal essence, stone radiance, and water mother. The radiance essence emitted by the sun’s soul has eight beams of light.

There is elixir Qi within the alchemical furnace.

The azure heavens give birth to vital essence and Qi, receiving the firm through the yielding. The Yin essence of flaming water, the essence of the sun, and the primordial radiance of the sun and stars are together called the “Great Brightness.” The Nine Yangs transform and give birth as one, and two kinds of vapor rise with them. The spirit and soul gather, primordial Qi comes into harmony, and five sovereigns emerge from the vital essence. They ride the light and command their forms, wearing dragon-patterned headscarves and vermilion robes bound with green sashes. The dark wings of phoenixes and crows ripple, while rosy clouds shine above against the azure sky.

The Azure Emperor in the Sun

His name is Yuanchang Yuan, and his courtesy name is Zhaolong Tao. He wears a blue jade-brocade robe and a long robe of deep azure, patterned with flying feathers.

The Vermilion Emperor in the Sun

His name is Danling Zhi, and his courtesy name is Lühong Ying. He wears a deep red jade-brocade robe and a red long robe, patterned with flying feathers.

The White Emperor in the Sun

His name is Haoyu Jiang, and his courtesy name is Huijin Xia. He wears a white jade-brocade robe and a white long robe, patterned with flying feathers.

The Black Emperor in the Sun

His name is Chengcao Ting, and his courtesy name is Xuanlü Yan. He wears a black jade-brocade robe and a black long robe, patterned with flying feathers.

The Yellow Emperor in the Sun

His name is Shouyi Fu, and his courtesy name is Piaohui Xiang. He wears a yellow jade-brocade robe and a yellow long robe, patterned with flying feathers.

The lady (goddess) in the sun is named Aixiao Tai. She is the inner spirit of the soul’s essence and governs the Nine Zhen within.

The Lunar House in the North

The Lunar House lies in the north, corresponding to the Earthly Branch Zi. Thus, in the eleventh month, all things begin to grow beneath the earth.

The moon measures 2,900 li from east to west and from north to south.

The moon’s circumference is 7,840 li. Within it are reflected silver, colored glaze, and crystal, divided into sixty parts, with bright flames shining at the center. The moon contains a city with walls and inhabitants, as well as bathing pools built of the Seven Treasures. The Forest of Eight Qian grows there. The people of the moon are one zhang and six chi tall and wear blue-green clothing.

From the first through the sixteenth day of each month, the people of the moon gather silver and colored glaze and refine them in the furnace of flame. Thus, as the moon gradually grows round, its radiance grows brighter and brighter. From the seventeenth through the twenty-ninth day, they gather the essence of the Three Qi beneath the Qian Forest and use it to wipe clean the radiance of the sun and moon.

On the day of the autumn equinox, the moon rests above the Hall of Vast Numinosity, over Dongjing, the name of a lunar mansion. Beside the furnace of flame, they bathe in the Dongjing Pool and refine and nourish the moon’s hun, the essence that constitutes the moon’s numinous nature and light, causing it to reveal the radiance of the Eight Brightnesses. The moon receives Yang essence, the vital essence of the Yang aspect, from sunlight, then exhales yellow Qi in the Jade Pool. The heavenly beings gather blossoms from the Jade Tree to wipe clean the radiance of the sun and moon, while the moon pours yellow Qi into their faces. The autumn equinox is the day when heavenly beings meet.

On the day of the winter solstice, the moon lies hidden in the Upper Palace of Vast Cold. In the Pool of Vast Cold, it nurtures the moon’s hun, taking yellow Qi into the Jade Womb, a chamber of jade, and exhaling Yang essence in the Cold Pool. The heavenly beings gather flowers and trees from the Forest of Azure Radiance to wipe clean the radiance of the sun and moon, while the moon pours Yang essence into their faces.

On the day of the spring equinox, the moon rests above the Golden Gate, the portal through which its numinous Qi passes. The moon is refined again in the Pool of Golden Essence and further cultivated by the Stone Radiance Water Mother, a divine being associated with water essence and moonlight, gaining in brilliance. At the Golden Gate, it pours out Yang essence; at the Jade Spring, it takes in yellow Qi. The heavenly beings gather blossoms from the Qian Tree to wipe clean the radiance of the sun and moon, while sunlight pours yellow Qi into their faces.

On the day of the summer solstice, the moon lies hidden in the Palace of Grotto Yang, the dwelling above the sun. This is the moon’s Court of Flowing Fire. The moon is refined amid the Eight Rays, making the sun’s hun more vivid. In the Palace of Grotto Yang, it pours out yellow Qi; in the Office of Fire, it takes in Yang essence. The Perfected of the Eight Su gather flowers and trees from the Forest of Kongqing to wipe clean the radiance of the sun and moon, while the moon pours Yang essence into their faces.

Her family name is Yue; her given name is Shen, and her courtesy name is Ziguang.

《The Three Sovereigns》

The Moon Heaven has eight paths of radiant light, brighter than the Sun’s radiance. It pours yellow numinous energy into Dongyang and draws the Sun’s vital essence into the Fire Office. The Eight Su Perfected Ones, Daoist immortals, gather azurite from the Forest of Empty Blue and use it to brush clean the radiance of the Sun and Moon. The Moon nourishes the faces of heavenly beings with the Sun’s vital essence.

Her family name is Yue; her given name is Shen, and her courtesy name is Ziguang.

《The Three Sovereigns》

The King of Moon Heaven dwells in a palace of colored glass. Golden towers stand on all four sides of the city, rising six hundred and forty li high. The King of Moon Heaven resides in the Fifteenth Heaven. He is sovereign among the heavenly beings and radiates vast light that illuminates the world without end.

《The Eight Transcendents》

The trees on the Moon are called “Kings of Medicines.” There are eight in all.

The Moon’s Yellow Radiance

The Moon’s form is square and its appearance is round and full. It follows a revolving course, gradually waxing until full; after completing one circuit, it gradually wanes. On the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth days of each month, the Moon passes above the Dongjing constellation. There it bathes in numinous light, renews its radiance, and reveals a bright yellow glow.

The Mysterious Radiance Disperses the Kings’ Numinous Power

The Central Perfected Ones ride through the air. The Three Su open the circular path, and yellow blossoms shine upon the vermilion Moon.

The Lady of the Azure Emperor in the Moon

Her personal name is E Yinzhu, and her courtesy name is Lingyanying. She wears a splendid blue jade brocade robe and a long skirt patterned with emerald dragons and phoenixes, adorned with flying feathers.

The Lady of the Red Emperor in the Moon

Her personal name is Yi Yiliao, and her courtesy name is Wanyanxu. She wears a cinnabar jade brocade robe patterned with medicinal plants and a splendid vermilion long skirt patterned with phoenixes and adorned with flying feathers.

The Lady of the White Emperor in the Moon

Her personal name is Ling Sulan, and her courtesy name is Yulianhua. She wears a jade brocade robe patterned with dragons in the four cardinal directions and a plain-colored long skirt decorated with ornate patterns and flying feathers.

The Lady of the Black Emperor in the Moon

Her personal name is Jie Lianqiao, and her courtesy name is Ting Tingjin. She wears a langgan-jade brocade robe patterned with nine clouds and a black long skirt patterned with dragons and adorned with flying feathers.

The Lady of the Yellow Emperor in the Moon

Her personal name is Qing Yingjin, and her courtesy name is Jiong Dingrong. She wears a yellow brocade robe patterned with clouds and mountains and a splendid green long skirt embroidered with phoenixes and adorned with flying feathers.

The Nine Stars

The Nine Heavens—the lofty, ninefold celestial realm—are the numinous root from which all things grow. The sun and moon are the luminous pillars that shine upon Heaven and Earth, while all things gather within the deep and vast palace of the abyss. Heaven has nine kinds of Qi, with the Nine Stars as hubs of numinous energy; Earth has nine provinces, with the Nine Stars as rulers of the spirits; human beings have nine apertures, with the Nine Stars as the foundations on which life depends; Yin and Yang have nine palaces, with the Nine Stars as their gates of entry and exit; and the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Seas, too, are storehouses in which the Nine Stars conceal numinous energy.

The “Five Nines” arrange themselves and move in relation to one another, setting the sun, moon, and stars in rotation and harmonizing the Qi of the four seasons. The Supreme God uses the Nine Stars to communicate with the True Dao; immortals rely on the Nine Stars to attain the immortal Way; the Five Phases follow the Nine Stars in their cycles of transformation; and all things receive the Qi of the Nine Stars and thereby grow. When Heaven and Earth are clear and at peace, the Nine Stars shine forth; when Heaven and Earth are in turmoil and disorder, the Nine Stars are obscured and dim. The Jade Pivot—referring to the revolving axis within the Northern Dipper—announces the times of calamity and deliverance, while the Celestial Pass—the aperture through which the Qi of Heaven circulates—sets the Qi of the Five Phases in motion.

The First Star: Celestial Pivot

The Celestial Pivot is the soul-spirit of the Bright Yang Star. It is august but does not display its power; it has light but does not shine outward. It lies hidden within the Great Void, the boundless expanse of emptiness, and its circumference is 920 li. It corresponds to the northwest gate of the Bright Yang Star, and its star-name is “Numinous Essence, the Dark One.” The Lady Shangzhen, consort of the Supreme True One, bears the surname Mingtong and the personal name Shangzhen. Her hair is arranged in a Flying Cloud coiffure; she wears a short robe of purple, yellow, and green brocade and a sash hung with nine bells. From her mouth she breathes forth green radiance.

The Second Star: Celestial Whorl

The Celestial Whorl is the soul-spirit of the Yin Essence Star. It can illuminate without appearing dazzling. It lies hidden within the Great Void, and its circumference is 550 li. It corresponds to the western gate of the Yin Essence Star, and its star-name is “Void Essence.” The Lady Shangxuan, consort of the Supreme Dark One, bears the surname Xuanjing and the personal name Jingui. Her hair is arranged in a Flying Cloud coiffure; she wears a Flying Brocade gauze skirt and a brocade shawl patterned with phoenixes, along with a purple sash of flying numen. From her mouth she breathes forth green radiance.

The Third Star: Celestial Balance

The Celestial Balance is the soul-essence of the “True Person Star.” It is fierce yet does not reveal itself, bright yet does not dazzle.

The ethereal essence of the Zhenren Star (the spiritual nature inherent in the stars) is fierce and strong, yet does not show itself; its radiance is bright, yet does not dazzle. It corresponds to the gate southeast of the Zhenren Star, whose star title is “Numinous Consort.” The wife of the Primordial Emperor has the surname Changming and the personal name Liulan. She wears a precious crown of Dawn Infants, a brocade robe of flying clouds and bright light, and a sash of six jade flying stars at her waist.

The Fourth Star: Tianquan

The ethereal essence of the Darker-than-Dark Star corresponds to the gate east of that star, whose title is “Numinous Spirit Consort Above.” The wife of the Radiant Emperor has the surname Kaisheng and the personal name Yingguan. She wears a seven-tiered crown and a crimson gauze robe embroidered with phoenix patterns, and a sash adorned with golden truth and jade radiance. Red vital energy issues from her mouth.

The Fifth Star: Yuheng

The ethereal essence of the Cinnabar Origin Star is vast and still; it moves in leaps and turns, yet makes no display. It corresponds to the gate northeast of the Cinnabar Origin Star, whose title is “Golden Canopy Above the North.” The wife of the Central Emperor has the surname Yuanfang and the personal name Bojing. She wears a purple crown of Dawn and Flying Blossoms, a nine-colored robe, and a sash patterned with the divine tiger in jade.

The Sixth Star: Yueyang

The ethereal essence of the North Pole Star is numinous and bright, its radiance hidden deep within. It corresponds to the gate below the North Pole Star, also known as the Gate of the Northern Cavern, whose title is “Dawn Radiance at Peace Above.” The wife of the Primordial Emperor has the surname Wangyuan and the personal name Minghui. She wears a jade crown of Dawn, a flying blue-feather robe, and golden flowing fire bells at her waist.

The Seventh Star: Yaoguang

The soul of the Celestial Gate Star is brilliantly radiant. Its light circles within the void, turning the Celestial Gate. Above, it corresponds to the gate south of the Celestial Gate Star; below, it corresponds to the North Pole Star. Its title is “Jade Radiance.” The wife of the Numinous Emperor wears a high coiffure of flying blossoms and drooping clouds, a seven-colored skirt of luminous night-cloud brocade, and at her waist the Staff of the Nine Heavens’ Awe-Inspiring Numinous Power, a ritual implement symbolizing divine might.

The Eighth Star: Dongming

The ethereal essence of the Assistant Star is bright and Yang in nature, its radiance shining back across all the heavens. Above, it corresponds to the gate southwest of the Assistant Star, situated above the Celestial Gate. It is also recorded as “Liang,” at the place of the North Pole’s Yang radiance, and its title is “Great Brightness.” The wife of the Chang Emperor wears a beautiful coiffure of flying clouds cascading downward and a robe of flying gauze clouds.

Wearing a sash of nine lights, he exhales blue radiance from his mouth.

The Ninth Star: Hidden Origin

The Po-soul spirit of the Assistant Star is bright and numinous. It lies concealed beneath the covering of breath, yet keeps its radiance hidden within the void. Above, it corresponds to the southeast position of the Assistant Star. Within the star is a Perfected One named Empty Mystery, Cloud Transforming, who dwells inside the star gate. The Lady of the Highest Sovereign wears a seven-tiered flying-heaven jeweled crown and a short robe of blue patterned brocade. She wears the Night Candle of Nine Lights and exhales black vital essence from her mouth.

The Bright Yang Star

The Bright Yang Star is the Celestial Grand Commandant. It governs ordinances and examines transgressions. Above, it commands the Supreme Perfected Ones of the Nine Heavens; in the middle realm, it watches over the flying immortals of the Five Peaks; below, it commands the Perfected Ones who cultivate the Dao in later ages. All the deities within the star are made of colored glaze and crystal.

Within the star grows a jade tree bearing blue fruit, where golden-winged crows dwell. Blue towers and jade fungi grow naturally upon its branches. A single bite of jade fungus can extend one’s life by ninety thousand years. The Bright Yang Star has nine star gates, each with four kinds of Qi, whose radiance shines across nine hundred million myriad miles.

Within the star stands a green city and a jade tower, where dwells a Perfected One who guards the Northern Dipper, titled Lord of the Nine Dawns. He wears flying robes of blue feathers, holds a star chart of the Northern Dipper, and sits within the jade tower.

The Yin Essence Star

The Yin Essence Star is the Celestial Minister of State. It governs stipends and noble ranks. Above, it commands the constellations of heaven; below, it commands the myriad spirits. All the deities within the star are likewise made of colored glaze and crystal.

Within the star stands a jade tower bearing black fruit, from which dark fungus and jade embryos grow naturally. Eating a dark fungus jade embryo can extend one’s life by fifty thousand years. The Yin Essence Star has five star gates, each with four kinds of radiance, shining across nine hundred million myriad miles.

Within the star stands a five-colored jade tower, where dwells a Perfected One who climbs the Dipper’s Ladle, titled Lord of the Northern Upper Dawn. He wears a crown of dark essence and jade, a flying robe made of black feathers, and holds a five-colored feathered tablet. He sits within the jade tower.

The Perfected One Star

The celestial Director of Destiny governs people’s lifespans and registers of fate, and presides over the affairs of immortals. It commands the spirits and gods of the nine heavens above and keeps watch over the numinous immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks. Within the star stands a jade tower, where yellow blossoms grow naturally, along with yellow essence and jade fungus. It is said that consuming them can prolong life by thirty million years. The star has twelve gates, each shining with four kinds of light, and a Yellow Terrace with a jade tower stands above. The perfected being is titled Lord of the Dawn, Immortal Splendor, and Morning Radiance. Holding the Azure in the Dipper, he sits within the jade tower and oversees the register of the living.

The Dark and Mysterious Star

It is the celestial spirit of mobile warfare, charged with campaigns against rebels. Above, it commands the spirits and gods of the nine heavens; in the middle, it leads the Three Offices of the Northern Emperor; below, it watches over the myriad people. Within the star stands a royal tree bearing red fruit, while cinnabar fungus and a jade tower grow naturally. The perfected being is titled Lord of the Dawn, Immortal Splendor, and Morning Radiance. Holding the Azure in the Dipper, he sits within the jade tower and oversees the register of the living.

The Dark and Mysterious Star

It is also the celestial spirit of mobile warfare, charged with campaigns against rebels. Above, it commands the spirits and gods of the nine heavens; in the middle, it leads the Three Offices of the Northern Emperor; below, it watches over the myriad people. Within the star stands a royal tree bearing red fruit, while cinnabar fungus and colored glass grow naturally. It is said that consuming them can prolong life by eight thousand years. The star has three gates, each shining with four kinds of light, and a Vermilion Terrace with a jade tower stands above. The perfected being who steps through the Dipper according to the Northern Dipper’s positions is titled Lord of the Dawn, Dark Radiance, and Ascending Canopy. Dressed in cinnabar-red brocade, he holds the Tally of Destiny and sits within the jade tower.

The Cinnabar Origin Star

It is the celestial Lord of the Dipper, charged with registers of fate and names, and commands the nine heavens above. Within the star stands a red tree bearing white fruit, and the elixir of refined gold grows naturally. The star has seven gates, each shining with four kinds of light, and a White Terrace with a golden tower stands above. The perfected being is titled Lord of the Seven Mornings, Golden Chief, and holds the Register of Azure Emptiness.

The North Pole Star

It is the celestial spirit of Great Constancy, charged with advancement and promotion. It commands the perfected beings of the nine heavens and leads the flying immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks. Within the star stands a plum tree bearing white fruit, from which numinous fungus and dark water-crystal grow. It is said that consuming them can prolong life by fifty thousand years. The star has eight gates, with a Dark Terrace and jade tower inside. The perfected being who follows the celestial Dipper steps is titled Lord of the Northern Dipper’s Star, Flying Splendor, and holds the Jade Register of the Northern Dipper.

The Celestial Gate Star

The Supreme God in Heaven governs the pivotal workings of Heaven and Earth and the length of the seasons. Where he dwells stands a tree of Three Blossoms, bearing fruits of five colors; from it, nine-flavored mushroom paste arises naturally. After taking it, the body radiates nine-colored light. The tree has nine tiers of jade halls. The Perfected One who rides a dragon is titled “Lord of the Northern Canopy, Total Spirit of the Nine Origins.” He holds the Tablet of Radiant Spirit and sits upright within the jade hall.

Assistant Star

This is the star of the Jade Emperor, the Celestial Worthy: above, it commands the Nine Heavens; below, it governs the Nine Earths. Within the star stands a tree of Azure Florescence, from which the characters of the Nine Sounds arise naturally. There is also a three-legged azure crow, which produces the essence of colored glass. Take a single bite, and you can ascend alongside the Jade Emperor to the state of the Perfected. Here are eight gates that connect with the Qi of the eight directions. In the jade hall of purple Qi, divine beings travel through the Three Realms. The Perfected One is titled “Lord of the Nine Mornings, August Sovereign” and holds a fire bell.

Benevolent Star

This is the true star of the Great Emperor, who governs transformations without limit. Within the star stands a tree of Three Blossoms, from which the Jade Emperor of the Nine Heavens arises naturally. In the tree is a phoenix with a golden beak, holding a fire bell in its mouth; the radiance of the Seven Luminaries also appears there naturally. The star has nine gates leading to the Celestial Market, where there are a jade terrace and a purple bell.

Benevolent Star

This is the true star of the Great Emperor, who governs transformations without limit. Within the star stands a tree of Three Blossoms, from which the Jade Emperor of the Nine Heavens arises naturally. In the tree is a phoenix with a golden beak, holding a fire bell in its mouth; the radiance of the Seven Luminaries also appears there naturally. The star has nine gates leading to the Celestial Market, where there are a jade terrace and a purple pavilion. Divine beings wander among the Three Yangs. The Perfected One is titled “True Origin of the Sun Emperor, Morning Light.” He wears a dragon robe of the Nine Heavens, holds the imperial seal, and sits upright within the purple pavilion.

Nine Dipper Stars

The Nine Dipper Stars are the proper canopy of the celestial pole, the splendid treasure within the dark pivot. The Dipper’s pivotal handle commands the eight directions; turning through nine degrees, it governs the great forms of Heaven and Earth. It gathers clouds and rosy mists within the Dipper constellation, through which souls take bodily form. To the left, it rides green clouds; to the right, it rides crimson dawn, and its body ascends into Great Simplicity.

It lies 490,000 li from the earth and is composed entirely of golden essence and glazed glass. The Seven Luminaries—the sun, moon, and five planets—radiate purple flames of light. The immortals of the heavens and the assembled perfected beings dwell within, enjoying themselves and feasting in their halls. A day and night there corresponds to one degree in the heavens, like the cycle of the sun and moon.

The Seven Treasures’ Vermilion Grove grows there as well. After people have settled down to sleep, when the vital energy of Heaven and Earth first stirs, the Seven Stars undergo refinement in the Guanghan Palace, displaying a vivid purple radiance that mingles with the light of the Seven Luminaries. At this time, the Seven Luminaries shine brilliantly, their essence and vital energy spreading across the sky. The purple radiance releases fluid to irrigate the heavens. The assembled perfected beings then gather orchids of purple radiance, and the light of the Seven Luminaries transforms into seven boys: the first is called Shu Ming, the second Yao Ling, the third Bei Yuan, the fourth Bao Jing, the fifth Dan Ying, the sixth Ling Qing, and the seventh Zi Ying. They are the essence and vital energy of the Seven Treasures, transformed into the perfected beings of the Seven Luminaries.

The Most High True One Lord (a revered Daoist deity)

In his left hand he holds the handle of the Northern Dipper; in his right, the firm energy of the Northern Pole. The unmoving star at the North Pole is called “Firm Star.”

The Five Planets

The Five Planets are the foundation of the sun and moon’s numinous energy, as well as the heavens’ embryonic breath and five viscera. The essence of Heaven condenses and interweaves to form the Five Planets. If the weather cannot bring forth the myriad things, the balance among the three forces will be disrupted, resulting in deficiency or excess. Scripture of the Eight Su

Year Star (Jupiter)

It is the essence of Wood, like a round mirror of precious stone, dark, luminous, and bright, situated at the narrow pass of Shuyang. There are nine gates within the star, each containing a Blue Emperor. These nine Blue Emperors serve and protect the True Lord, the Blue Sovereign at the center. The “True Yellow” is the Highest Perfected of the East, namely the Blue Emperor within the divine gate of the Heavenly Venerable of Primordial Essence. He is also called the Duke of Blue Numinousness, the Blue Spirit, the Blue Essence, or the Lord of the Blue Emperor.

Fire Star

It is the essence of cinnabar, like a round mirror of precious stone. There are three gates within the star, each containing a Blue Emperor.

Mars is like a round mirror, the essence of vermilion red. Within the star are three gates, and inside each gate dwells a Red Emperor. The three Red Emperors serve and guard the True Sovereign of the Southern Mountain. The reddish-yellow divinities are the Highest Perfected of the south—immortals of elevated rank—and honored deities among the elixir officials. The Red Lords within the star are sometimes called the Lords of Red numinous power, Red Spirits, Red Essences, or Lords of the Red Emperors.

Venus is like a round mirror, the essence of gold, its radiance illuminating the divine realm of the west. Within the star are seven gates, and inside each gate dwells a White Emperor. The seven White Emperors guard the Sovereign Lord of the Western Highest Emperor. The White August Lord is a Highest Perfected of the west and the honored emperor of Great Simplicity. The White Emperor Lords within the gates are called the Lords of White numinous power, White Spirits, White Essences, or Lords of the White Emperors.

Mercury is like a round mirror, the essence of water, shining clear as it reflects the north. Within the star are five gates, and inside each gate dwells a Black Emperor. The five Black Emperors together guard the Northern Highest Emperor. The Mysterious True Emperor is a Highest Perfected of the north and the honored lord of Great Mystery. The Black Emperors guarding each gate are called the Lords of Black numinous power, Black Spirits, Black Essences, or Lords of the Black Emperors.

Saturn is like a round mirror, the essence of earth. It holds the zodiac in check and answers to it. Within the star are four gates, and inside each gate dwells a Yellow Emperor. The four Yellow Emperors serve and guard the True Sovereign of the Yellow Elixir of Stillness. The Central Yellow True Highest Emperor is the supreme and unsurpassed honored deity. The Yellow Emperors guarding the gates are called the Lords of Yellow numinous power, Yellow Spirits, Yellow Essences, or Lords of the Yellow Emperors.

The Three Lights—the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars—move along the Way of Heaven, appearing in the sky and shining to the farthest reaches of the eight directions. The stars each occupy their own positions, while the Five Planets observe people’s transgressions in the world. When a person practices De, the Virtue Star protects them; when they engage in military affairs, the Martial Star protects them; when they follow the gentle way, the Gentle Star protects them; when they follow a vigorous and resolute way, the Strong Star protects them; and when they practice trustworthiness, the Trust Star protects them.

As day and night alternate, the mind and spirit travel back and forth through the hidden and mysterious realm. Before the eyes, the Milky Way shimmers, clear and far-reaching. The Jiutian Shengshen Zhang has disappeared. When a person does good and accumulates De, the Star of De guards them; when they perform acts of martial valor, the Martial Star guards them; when they follow the way of gentleness, the Gentle Star guards them; when they follow the way of strength, the Strong Star guards them; and when they follow the way of honesty and trustworthiness, the Star of Trust guards them.

As day and night alternate, the mind and spirit travel back and forth through the hidden and mysterious realm. Before the eyes, the Milky Way shimmers, clear and far-reaching. The Jiutian Shengshen Zhang says that Zhu Tong, a young attendant in the immortal realms, guides people across the River of Suffering.

The sacred scripture is difficult to cultivate. The Seven Mysteries ascend to the immortal carriage, undergo ten transformations, and reach the Milky Way.

Seven-colored jeweled clouds.

Yunshu Duming, the title of a Daoist scripture.

The clouds over Mount Kunlun appear in five colors.

Laozi Cangjing, the title of a Daoist scripture.

Auspicious clouds.

A place where clouds gather is called a “cloud camp.” In the Jade Chamber of Shangqing, jeweled clouds of seven treasures arise, with ten layers of color and nine tiers of cloud vapor. Only the young attendant Xuanmi can ride these jeweled clouds and ascend into the Heaven of Yuqing. Bifei is a deity of the Taiwei realm, while Xuanmi is a deity of the Yuqing realm.

When the Three Primordial Lords go out to roam:

The radiance of daylight pours down, and winds from the eight directions stir the waves. Sunlight stretches for ninety thousand li; dawn light dances high in the sky, crimson clouds unfurl in layer upon layer, and yellow clouds reflect sevenfold radiance.

Purple buds release their light.

Crimson clouds spread across the sky. The three luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—hang high and shine, illuminating all the heavens.

Nine-colored clouds.

There are clouds in purple and jade green, five-colored clouds, purple clouds, and the Three Plain Clouds, made up of three colors. There are also Dark-Spirit Crimson Clouds, green clouds, sunlight stretching for ninety thousand li, dawn light dancing high in the sky, crimson clouds unfurling, and yellow clouds reflecting sevenfold radiance.

Purple buds release their light.

Crimson clouds spread across the sky. The three luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—hang high and shine, illuminating all the heavens.

Nine-colored clouds.

There are clouds in purple and jade green, five-colored clouds, purple clouds, and the Three Plain Clouds. There are also Dark-Spirit Crimson Clouds and clouds in green, blue, and azure. Guishan Yuanlu, the title of a Daoist text.

Morning clouds appear in eight plain colors; purple clouds.

Seven-Plain Crimson Clouds, made up of seven plain colors; Six-Qi Green Clouds, made up of six atmospheric hues; and Five-Plain Azure Clouds, bright and clear. Ta dong zhen jing, the title of a Daoist scripture.

Auspicious clouds high in the sky gather from the four directions.

Light shines from all eight directions. The sun, moon, and stars shine together, and the nine primordial energies are clear and pure.

The Palace for Nurturing Jing.

Within the palace is the Chamber of Supreme Radiance. The green vapor inside the chamber is called “incense smoke that travels against the wind.” Its fragrance can travel three thousand li against the wind, and people can smell it.

The immortals of the Ten Radiances gather purple smoke and condense it into an immortal palace. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning chants in the emerald jade sky.

The Great Floating Li Land, a distant and lofty immortal realm in Daoist teaching, lies above the Azure Rosy Clouds. The Great Subtlety Emperor Lord was born amid bright clouds and rosy mists, wrapped in five-colored clouds. He is also called Jade Emptiness. Gathering true Qi and stabilizing Jing, he often turns his mind amid hidden and mysterious clouds, longing to roam through the skies and ascend to heaven. He commands the Qi of Dark Dawn, travels through the Ten Heavens, rides flying lightning, and drives a dragon chariot. By accumulating these thoughts, one can cultivate the true realm. He taught these essential methods to Lord Green Youth.

The eastern azure clouds are named Flying Emptiness; the western white clouds, Pure Emptiness; the southern red clouds, Knowing Radiance; the northern black clouds, Dark Image; and the central yellow clouds, All-Giving Life. Those who know the names of the clouds in the five directions can summon the flying spirits. By contemplating these clouds morning and evening, the Dark Empyrean, a celestial realm high above, will come to welcome them, enabling them to rise through the air into the Great Clarity, the Daoist heaven.

Auspicious clouds soar in layers, and vermilion orchids put forth blossoms. Cinnabar-colored radiance spirals upward and pours into the Jade Clouds. Green clouds release their essence, spreading it throughout the vast sky. In the purple void, cloud-mist gathers and circles around the Cinnabar Chamber, a quiet room for cultivating Neidan or visualization. By contemplating this morning and evening, the Dark Empyrean will come to welcome them, enabling them to rise through the air into the Great Clarity.

Auspicious clouds soar in layers, and vermilion orchids put forth blossoms. Cinnabar-colored radiance spirals upward and pours into the Jade Clouds. Green clouds release their essence, spreading it throughout the vast sky. In the purple void, cloud-mist gathers and circles around the Cinnabar Chamber. Three kinds of radiance shine through the clear heavens, while the sun, moon, and stars flow and gleam.

Purple clouds illuminate the Emperor Lord’s seat; five-colored clouds shine across the Nine Heavens. Winds from the eight directions rise from far away, and the quiet green pavilion is filled with clarity. Seven-colored jeweled clouds descend. The August Elder drinks the numinous mist of the Seven Luminaries and takes in the radiance of the Grotto Heaven.

If blue-white dew fails to fall continuously, it portends a year of scarcity. When the Qi of Heaven and Earth is in harmony, sweet dew descends. Drawing the sweet dew of the Dark Channel, one can turn white hair black and brighten the pupils. This passage appears in the Great Grotto Scripture.

When Yang Qi changes to its utmost, snow turns into rain; when Yin Qi changes to its utmost, rain turns into snow.

The Crown Prince. In the northwest, there is a fire that supports the heavens.

When the wind blows down from above, the climate turns cold. In the northeast stands a stone pillar supporting the vault of heaven; when the wind blows down from above, ice forms. In the southeast stands a pillar of fire supporting the vault of heaven; when the wind blows down from above, the weather turns warm. In the southwest stands a pillar of charcoal supporting the vault of heaven. When the wind of ashes blows down from above, people feel cold. Today, people’s breath is weak.

The wind stirs the banners, which whirl and dance with it; the ceremonial pennants and canopies dance as well. The jade trees ring out in clear, pure tones, while the sacred lin grass, like fine jade, plays as though it were an instrument.

Divine winds converge from the four directions. When Yin-Yang is harmonized, rain falls at its appointed time.

The people long for rain. The Immortal Lord has talismans and registers (Fulu) in the shrine of the local earth god. When heaven and earth grow dark, a heavy rain descends.

In the northern realm, heaven sends down water of eight flavors. Bathing in this water washes away the filth from one’s body. The Three Sovereigns

Benevolent spirits dwell amid steady rain and wind.

Evil spirits are present amid violent rain and wind.

When Yin energy gathers, it becomes snow; when Yang energy rises, it becomes rain. The Thunder Lord’s surname is Guo, and his courtesy name is Junwu. The Three Sovereigns

Kan and Li—the water and fire trigrams of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), symbolizing north and south—correspond to the north and south, and thus thunder and lightning display their might.

Thunder and lightning are the vital essence of fire.

The Southern Emperor stirs up lightning to drive away filth, poison, and heat on my behalf, preventing them from harming the cinnabar essence gathered through cultivation, and commands the numinous wind.

The winds of the eight directions sound like clouds of smoke; flowing lightning displays its might, and the hundred Yangs breathe in and out their vital energy.

The Five Elders assist the chariot of Xuanyuan: the winds of the eight directions blow behind it, divine lightning opens the way ahead, and jade radiance guards its wheels.

The winds of the eight directions sound like clouds of smoke; flowing lightning displays its might, and the hundred Yangs breathe in and out their vital energy.

The Five Elders assist the chariot of Xuanyuan: the winds of the eight directions blow behind it, divine lightning opens the way ahead, and jade radiance guards its wheels.

Stirring the hundred Yangs gives rise to lightning; rousing the thousand Yins displays the power of thunder.

The Great Sage and Sovereign.

Chapter Four: The Earthly Realm

“Earthly potential” refers to the earth, formed from gathered Yin energy and accumulated matter, bearing mountains and lofty peaks.

The Most High dwells within it. The Scripture of Karmic Retribution

The directions of heaven and earth are as follows: south is Wu, north is Zi, east is Mao, and west is You.

The four corners are each nine hundred million miles apart. The earth is ten thousand miles thick, with boundless emptiness beneath it. Under its four corners stand naturally formed golden pillars, along with 3,600 golden axles. The pillars are 5,000 miles across and joined to one another. Divine winds make them firm, allowing them to tilt up and down and move back and forth. This account comes from the Inner Traditions of the Perfected.

The earth has five kinds of virtue and follows five constant ways; it is the mother of all things.

The terrain of the Kingdom of Zhenguan is shaped like an upturned moon.

Beneath Mount Kunlun are nine layers of earth. Below the ground lies a layer of water, and beneath the water a layer of wind, with successive layers separated in this way, nine in all. Earthquakes occur when wind and water are set in motion. When a ruler has great merit and virtue, or when acts of resentment and cruelty take place, Heaven and Earth tremble, and ghosts and spirits are moved in response.

The earth is laid with interwoven treasures: glass, silver, purple gold, pearls, and jade. Its buildings are glistening with gold dust, and its palaces are built from seven kinds of treasure.

The account of Mount Yujing appears in The Immortal Lord’s Questions.

The spirit of Qian, corresponding to the Qian trigram of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), bears the courtesy name Zhongni and the title Paoxi. This is recorded in the Scripture Kept in the Canon.

The spirit of Kun bears the courtesy name Da Zengzi; the spirit of Gen, Fei Xianwang; the spirit of Zhen, Xiao Zengzi; the spirit of Xun, Da Xiahou; the spirit of Li, Kong Wenchang; and the spirit of Kan, Yang Xiongzhao, whose royal title is Nüwa. The spirit of Dui is called Yishi.

The earth of the Kingdom of Dafu Hall is formed by pouring molten gold over it. Its surrounding steps and roads are all made of jade and glass, and its four sides are encircled with ornaments of precious stones. This account appears in The Numinous Book on Deliverance from Fate.

At the Eastern Pole, in the Azure-Firmament Realm of Empty Song, the earth of the Kingdom of Taifuli is paved all around with jade; its steps and roads are adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones.

In the Western Pole, in the world of Great Blessing Hall, the land of Xina Yujian has steps of gold and is filled on every side with precious stones. Among the trees are dark-colored animals whose calls ring like jade. The faces of the kingdom’s men and women all shine golden.

At the Northern Pole, in the world of Benxian, the earth of the Kingdom of Yudan is made entirely of water-crystal glass that has solidified.

In the south is a country called Yusheng, also known as Yuyin. The faces of its men and women all shine with a golden radiance.

At the North Pole is the world of Benxian. The land of Yudan is formed entirely from crystal and colored glass.

In distant lands are many countries of the Seven Treasures. In the south is the country of Yujing; in the west, the country of Feixia; and south of Mount Kunlun are the countries of Xuanpu and Yulin. To the east and west are also gardens of sacred forests of the Seven Treasures. Gold and silver grow there naturally, and the trees are made of crystal and jade. Together, these places are called the countries of the Seven Treasures.

The Queen Mother of the West, a revered Daoist deity, received the Dao from the Primordial Heavenly King. This book was engraved in the northern country of Lüna, within the Dark Heaven, near Mount Wushan, home of the people of the Spirit Mirror. It is infused with the Qi of the Nine Mysteries and Orthodox Unity. Each character in the book is one foot tall, appearing in the wondrous void.

The Elder of the August One dwells in Dingzhen Ward, Eightfold Radiance District, in Highest Clarity.

The Elder of the Nine Heavens dwells in Wuhe Ward.

The Primordial Father of the Nine Heavens dwells in Dongyuan Ward, Danling District, above the Nine Heavens.

The True King of the Nine Empyreans dwells in Huaxian Ward, Upper Void District, in Jade Clarity.

The August Lord of Upper Void dwells in Mingguang Ward, Lihe District, in Highest Clarity.

The Primordial Lord Daoist Sovereign dwells in Tonghui Ward, Yuandong District, in Highest Clarity.

The August Jade Void Lord Above, the True King of the Nine Empyreans, dwells in Huaxian Ward, Upper Void District, in Jade Clarity.

The August Lord of Upper Void dwells in Mingguang Ward, Lihe District, in Highest Clarity.

The Primordial Lord Daoist Sovereign dwells in Tonghui Ward, Yuandong District, in Highest Clarity.

The August Jade Void Lord Above dwells in Sanbao Ward, Tadan District, in Highest Clarity.

The August Lord of Great Luminosity dwells in Taiming Ward, Qixiang District, in Highest Clarity.

The Jade Void Lord dwells in Liuyuan Ward, in Highest Clarity.

The August One’s Master of Ten Thousand Beginnings dwells in Shangzhang Ward, Mingling District, in Highest Clarity.

The Great Thearch dwells in Rijing Ward, Jinhua District, in Jade Clarity.

The Lord of the Cavernous Radiance dwells in Yazhong Ward, Zhuque District, in Jade Clarity.

The Jade Thearch dwells in Kongwei Ward, Xianlingbian District, in Highest Clarity.

The Lord of the Purple Pole dwells in Huagai Ward, Qiyuan District, in Highest Clarity.

The High Thearch dwells in Chengzhen Ward, Sanlun District, in Highest Clarity.

The Lord of the Purple Dawn.

The Lord of Purple Essence resides in Yongkang Ward, Natural Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of Mysterious Unity resides in Shengping Ward, Golden Aspect Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of the Heavenly Emperor resides in Three Passes Ward, Nine Origins Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of Great Simplicity resides in Five Mornings Ward, Three Perfections Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of the Three Essences resides in Nine Transformations Ward, Seven Aspects Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of the Cavern of Truth resides in Nine Transformations Ward, Seven Aspects Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord at the Center of the Dao resides in Golden Infant Ward, Royal Aspect Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of the Cavern of Truth resides in Nine Transformations Ward, Seven Aspects Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord at the Center of the Dao resides in Golden Infant Ward, Royal Aspect Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of the Great Dao resides in Nine Transformations Ward, Seven Aspects Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of Yellow Elder resides in Golden Radiance Ward, Purple Reflection Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of Origin Radiance resides in Everlasting Joy Ward, Upper Clarity Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Lord of Primordial Beginning and Purple Origin resides in Gathering Spirits Ward, Upper Origin Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The Elder Lord of Origin Essence resides in Divine Han Ward, Heaven’s Midway Village, in the Upper Clarity Realm.

The imperial domain—the capital and surrounding lands ruled by the Son of Heaven—extends a thousand li in every direction. It is laid out to mirror the courses of the sun and moon, and is therefore called the capital. This account appears in the Taizhen Code, a Daoist liturgical text.

The Perfected One Tongwu wrote: “I came to the Golden Court Abbey, unharnessed my carriage, and rested beside the Three Blossoms table.”

The place where the Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate resides reaches ninety thousand zhang deep and extends nine thousand li in every direction. All who later attained the Dao came to bathe in the Eastern Well before ascending to the Azure Palace of Eastern Florescence. This passage records the names of Yellow Qi, Yang Essence, and the Three Paths.

The Jade Flower Palace has a jade well. Drinking its water brings long life, equal in duration to the three celestial lights: the sun, moon, and stars.

Mount Heavenly Summit is a mountain in the celestial realm, its rocks made of the Seven Treasures. Sandalwood, styrax, benzoin, and turmeric grow there. Among its beasts are lions, pixiu, and qilin; among its birds are phoenixes and vermilion birds. The mountain has a jade well. Drinking its water brings long life, equal in duration to the three celestial lights: the sun, moon, and stars.

Treat the Seven Treasures as stones, and sandalwood, storax, benzoin, and turmeric as plants. Regard lions and bixie as auspicious beasts, qilin as walking animals, and phoenixes and vermilion birds as flying creatures. Springs shimmer among the mountains with five-colored rosy light, where enlightened immortals and perfected adepts of profound cultivation dwell.

To the Left of Fatiān

In every region there is an Eastern Meng Mountain, formed through the transformation of three kinds of Qi. The mountain has seven tiers and takes wisdom as its foundation, refining turbid Qi until it becomes clear.

Meng Mountain in Jambudvīpa

The mountain is home to sacred beasts and numinous birds, as well as golden fluids and jade nectar—the sweet secretions spoken of by immortals.

Western Turtle Mountain

Also called Dragon Mountain, it is the subtle source of the nine heavens’ root and the deep treasury where the myriad Qi converge. It lies in the northwestern corner of the celestial realm. The mountain’s circumference is four thousand li, and its summit reaches the Jade Clarity realm.

To the southeast of the mountain stand pavilions that lead toward the radiance of Yang and rosy clouds; above, they approach the gate of the Azure Palace’s divine emperor. To the northwest lie the plains of Vast Cold, connected above to the residences of the immortals of the Golden Gates. The south reaches directly to the land of Great Cinnabar and Pure Benefit, where its breath joins the light of Grotto Yang. The north points toward Junchen, meets the Plain Canopy, and carries its breath through to Vast Numinous. At the very center, the mountain opens directly onto Jade Capital’s Eight Su Wind Mountain.

The summit of Eight Su Wind Mountain is level, as if joined to the sky, and rises thirty thousand li. Its walls are gold and its gates green jade; it has golden terraces, jade towers, and twelve divine officials. Above stand halls of naturally flowing essence, the Purple Gate and Golden Splendor, and chambers of fine jade. Nearby is a passage to the Cave of Nine Depths, from which purple and white clouds arise naturally.

Purple cassia grows on the cliffs, and jade trees form forests along the ridges. Coral grows into branches, while jade takes root in the earth. Qian trees bear fruit containing red children and white jade rings. Three kinds of flowers gleam in the light of the red sun, their fragrance drifting toward the realm of Great Mystery. The Qi of the eight directions surges and swirls, while ethereal songs sound from jade chests. Dragons cry out along the cloud ridges, and phoenixes sing on the high peaks. Venomous beasts are everywhere, and great serpents stretch for a thousand fathoms. Divine officials stand in solemn dignity, while numinous immortals come and go in profusion. This is a manifestation of the Mysterious transformations of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, and the source of the numinous Qi of the Celestial Origin.

The Original Register of Turtle Mountain

Within the eight seas lies a numinous Crow Mountain.

The first mountain is called Mount Renwu. It contains palaces decorated with the Seven Treasures and high terraces and dwellings built of jade. The mountain’s inner chambers serve as its inner officials, while the palaces above are its outer officials. Gold, silver, pearls, fine jade, lustrous green jade, and medicines taken by immortals are found there; treasures of every kind fill the mountain in numbers beyond counting. Lions, divine dragons, luan birds, phoenixes, and qilin roam among jade trees and forests of precious gems. As a clear breeze passes through, the trees rustle like the Nine Shao, a fabled melody of ancient times. A hundred kinds of fragrance, including Suhe and You tan, drift with the smoke; even against the wind, their scent carries more than four thousand li.

The Queen Mother of the West, a revered female immortal in Daoist mythology, once studied the Dao under the Primordial King, a revered Daoist deity. After three thousand years, she attained the Great Dao and returned to Mount Kunlun. Before departing, she and the others carved an inscription into the mountain, each character eight zhang square:

The Supreme Mount Renwu belongs to neither Heaven nor Earth. It neither sinks nor floats. Primordial Qi rises like fiery smoke, and divine immortals and perfected beings come and go here. The jade well is clear and deep, its waters flowing without cease to irrigate the four quarters. One hundred and twenty palaces connect with the Heavenly Court. The sun and moon sometimes grow dim and sometimes shine bright. Ten thousand stalks of dark numinous fungus grow here, and crimson trees flourish especially in this place, bearing pearls as their fruit. White jade towers high, and sweet springs well up from the mountain’s corner, flowing to the left. Jade Maidens ascend among them as purple clouds drift by and sweet dew falls in profusion. Golden grounds and jade chambers stand within the mountain.

Mount Zhong lies north of the Weakwater, rises seven thousand li, and measures thirty thousand li around. A thousand kinds of numinous fungi and immortal herbs grow on it, their radiance reaching the Ninefold Darkness, the deepest and most shadowy region.

Mount Hongying lies in the Heaven of Highest Clarity, where the Five Elders, perfected Daoist deities, reside and govern, assisting the Jade Emperor in overseeing affairs.

Mount Guangxia lies in the Heaven of Jade Clarity. It is where the nine suns rise, and is governed by the Sun Emperor. It is also the dwelling place of the Five Emperors.

Mount Fuje Kong lies in the Heaven of Great Clarity. It is the abode of Shen Ren and the place where the True Qi of the Great Dao gathers and takes form. The talismans of the Five Spirits are bound to Mount Fuje, which is governed by the Illuminated Immortal.

In the Taiqing Heaven, where the spirit Ren resides, the true Qi of the Great Dao gathers. On Mount Fujue, spirit Ren formed talismans to protect the Five Spirits, and caused the radiant splendor of the immortals to appear in the flowers of the Five Suns.

Mount Xiuhua

In the Yuanjing Heaven below are the Jade Hall and the Five Numina, where the True Lords dwell.

Mount Hantongling

In the Ziyuan Heaven stands the Palace Hall of Round Splendor.

Mount Zikong

In the Inner View Heaven, the Blue Essence Lord and the Lad of Established Radiance manifest within a jade chamber.

Mount Jinhua

In the Taiyi Primordial Heaven is the office of the Five Ways.

The Boundless Immortals

The Elders of the Nine Heavens rode the morning circling wind and entered the Palace of Great Radiance.

Mount Jiulaojing

It lies beside Fusang.

Mount Gaoyuan

It lies in the Jade Truth Heaven.

The Eight Mountains of Liugang

Within these mountains are the Chamber of Radiant Splendor and the mists of Great Rosy Clouds. This is where the Queen Mother of the West governs and true immortal women dwell.

The Perfected of Shangqing

After ascending Mount Canglang of the Great Emperor, the Perfected of Taiji bestowed on him the Classic of the Cinnabar Green Jade Furnace and the Classic of Cloud Root and Soft Gold. “Bestowing scriptures” here means that perfected immortals transmit classics on cultivation.

Chronicles of the Lords of the Three Shangqing Heavens

In the state of Yinghua is Mount Feng, with mists rising above it. This is where the Queen Mother of the West governs and true immortal women dwell.

The Perfected of Shangqing

After ascending Mount Canglang of the Great Emperor, the Perfected of Taiji bestowed on him the Classic of the Cinnabar Green Jade Furnace and the Classic of Cloud Root and Soft Gold. “Bestowing scriptures” here means that perfected immortals transmit classics on cultivation.

Chronicles of the Lords of the Three Shangqing Heavens

In the state of Yinghua is Mount Feng, where stands the Purple Office Palace, a place where heavenly perfected immortals and Jade Maidens wander and dwell.

The Jade Clarity Emperor once held banquets on Mount Jinglong and Mount Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis. These mountains contain the City of Seven Treasures and the Palace of Seven Treasures. They are also called Mount Luoxuan, Mount of the Myriad Treasures and Hidden Kalpas, Mount Great Awakening, and Mount Great Perfection.

Yin Xi accompanied Laozi on a journey eastward and ascended Mount Changyang at the Grotto of the Sun.

The Kings of the Thirty-Six Heavens said: East of the Han state lies Mount Xiaoshi. Yellow stone paste is found there; take one dose, and the body will display five colors. From there, travel thirty thousand li to the northwest and enter Mount Tai. On the mountain grows a green, fragrant cassia tree whose fruit resembles a peach. Whoever obtains its fruit can ride a dragon to welcome it. Then travel another three thousand li to the northeast, and the body will display five colors. From there, travel thirty thousand li to the northwest,

Enter Taishan. In the mountain grows a fragrant green osmanthus tree, whose fruit resembles peaches. Whoever obtains its fruit can ride a dragon to go and welcome her.

Travel three thousand li northeast from here, and you will reach Mount Hua. Three thousand Starry Jade Maidens guard her there. They hold green bamboo slips inscribed with jade script, by which they deliver living beings.

Mount Fuluo.

In the Western Nayu Kingdom there is a grove of long mulberry trees.

Eastern Peak, Mount Tai.

The True Images of the Five Peaks: an illustrated register depicting the true forms of the deities of the Five Peaks.

The Lord of the Eastern Peak, Mount Tai:

His surname is Xuanqiu, and his personal name is Mulu. He wears robes patterned with blue feathers, over which he drapes a fur mantle marked with nine colors. He carries the Shanghuang Decree for Commanding Spirits and rides a flying carriage of blue clouds drawn by a nine-colored azure dragon.

The Lord of the Southern Peak, Mount Heng:

His surname is Lan, and his personal name is Yangguang. He wears a radiant jade crown of the Eight Luminaries, a flying skirt of red brocade, and a fur mantle patterned with crimson divine light. He carries the paired-spirit, subduing-demons seal and rides a flying wheel of red clouds. In his hand he holds divine zhi, the sacred fungus of the immortals.

The Lord of the Western Peak, Mount Hua:

His surname is Haoyue, and his personal name is Yuancang. He wears the Six Origins Crown for Communing with the Spirits, a flying skirt, and a plain brocade fur mantle. He rides a flying wheel of plain clouds.

The Lord of the Northern Peak, Mount Danshan:

His surname is Fu, and his personal name is Tongmeng. He wears a jade crown of the Five Qi and the Precious Morning, a flying skirt of black brocade, and a fur mantle of dark, patterned radiance. He carries a purple sash of interwoven spirits and rides a flying wheel of dark clouds.

The Lord of the Central Peak, Mount Song:

His surname is Jue, and his personal name is Pusheng. He wears a yellow jade crown of the Central Origin and the Morning Light, a flying skirt of brocade, and a fur mantle of dark yellow. He carries the seal of the Yellow Morning and Central Sovereign and rides a flying wheel of yellow clouds.

The cinnabar script of the Three Qi.

A True Text.

Cloud-Pearl Ridge.

The Supreme One’s Poem for Summoning the Spirits.

The Purple Lodge, Purple Cloud Peak, the Dark Well, and the Three-Blade Pass.

Songs and poems of the assembled perfected beings.

After receiving the scripture for nine years, Ning Xuanfu studied its meaning on White-Empty Mountain; then he entered nine feet beneath the earth. Li Zhongjun was at the White-Empty Crag, where there were jade-script texts on silver slips and golden-blue tokens. If these tokens are kept and honored for three years, the Three Origins will descend, and one’s lifespan may reach seven hundred years. This is the “Distribution of the Three Origins.”

The Perfected Beings of Shangqing.

The Great Marshal and Master of Longevity of the Immortals ascended the cavern terrace on Mount Canglang of the Great Thearch. He entered two jade grottoes and drank freely of the numinous fluid of bright mushrooms growing in the purple cliffs. Among the peaks high in the sky, he met the Shangqing Master of Ten Thousand Stones, who taught him the cultivation methods known as “Riding the Flying Chariot through Emptiness, the Steps of the Eight Qi and the Auspicious Dragon” and “Reversing the Embryo, Guarding the White, and Transcending the Pass.”

Jade-Rider Ridge

Numinous Chapters of the Empty Grotto

Eastern Ridge

Songs and Poems of the Perfected

The Southern Mountaintop of Mount Huo, in the Heaven of Red Radiance

“Riding the Flying Chariot through Emptiness, the Steps of the Eight Qi and the Auspicious Dragon; the method of Reversing the Embryo, Guarding the White, and Transcending the Pass.”

Jade-Rider Ridge

Numinous Chapters of the Empty Grotto

Eastern Ridge

Songs and Poems of the Perfected

The Southern Mountaintop of Mount Huo, in the Heaven of Red Radiance

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning led his guests into the Jade Hall.

Illustrated Record of the Twenty-Four Births

Mount Taiyue

Also called Mount Wujian. Beneath the mountain lies the Clear Abyss Pool, a thousand li across. It is the domain governed by the Central Lord of the Morning of Great Origin, and a place visited by the Three Primordial Lords of Great Simplicity in the Great Grotto Heaven.

The phoenix’s brain can prolong the kalpa. Dressed in brocade, one enters the dwelling place of the immortals.

Poem of the Divine Spirit’s Gestures

Perfected of Shangqing

He reached the Thousand-Day Mound in the Great Descending Green Grove, where he built Shaoye. The boy passed by the Terrace of the Golden Mother.

Chronicle of the Three Lords of the Shangqing Heavens

Long Grove Mound

Original Practice

At the ruins of Lang’e, they met the Nine Luan birds.

The Lord of the Green Lad said:

Purple Script of the Numinous Book

Ruins of the Nine Spirits of Cangxia

Original Practice

In the ruins of the Nine Springs and the Grotto Court, the Lord of the Great Dao, the Most High, washed his celestial countenance beside the orchid jade and gathered the essence of gold in the deep valleys. In accord with the Great Dao, he rode the highest auspicious visions, roamed in spirit through the hidden realms, and merged with the five Qi of primordial chaos. The waters of all nine places grew clear, and his work never ceased.

The Elder of Dragon Might said, “At the center of Baoshan’s grotto chamber…”

The four sides of the grotto chamber are made of blue stone, and the walls on the left and right are built of white stone. Within are the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure. The Elder of the Front Mountain

In Mount Weiyu, one can refine stone into water, then boil and refine the water into powder. Apply the powder to stone to make a medicinal preparation and offer it to the Lord of the Supreme God; the Heavenly Hun will then transform along with it.

Within Mount Taiyuan

On Mount Emei is the Jade Gate of a cave dwelling, connected to the realms of Great Nonbeing and Great Simplicity. After attaining his name, the Perfected Immortal of Heavenly De carved it into the walls of this stone chamber.

The True Writ of the Five Qi and the Mysterious Heaven’s Dark Emperor · Western Mysterious Mountain

A jade slip inscribed with golden characters is hidden in the cave terrace.

The Cave Chamber of Baoshan

Travel seven thousand li onward, and one will see many openings and caves, with paths crisscrossing in every direction. There stand a golden city and jade halls, radiant and arranged in a dazzling profusion, where purple jade reflects flowing yellow light.

Baizhi Gao

Climb Mount Tai Su San Yuan, open the Golden Gate, and enter the Dragon Cavern. Travel four hundred thousand li to reach the palace of the Supreme Emperor Taiyi of Central Yellow, in the illustrious capital of the Forest of Officials of the Moon-Gathering Palace. There one meets the Primordial-Beginning Youth and the little attendant who drives the handcart, receives the register of the Emperor of Emptiness, and practices the method of “transforming into one and completing it.”

The Scripture of the Great Cavern’s Truth

The Empty Song of the Blue Vault

In the realm of purity grows a tree whose leaves display purple characters. In the Western Naya Jade Kingdom stands a seven-treasure Qian tree, bearing red fruit encircled by white halos. Phoenixes, peacocks, and golden-winged crows perch in its branches, calling out at each of the six watches, day and night.

The Five Elders of the Primordial Beginning

The Lord of the Great Dao, the High Venerable of the Supreme Emperor, and the ten gods of the ten directions gather in the Upper Hall of the Western Elixir Cave of Yang. They sit beneath a seven-colored treasure tree, bright as a luminous pearl.

The Tree of Golden Roots

Its branches are like fine jade, and its fruit like jade essence. Inscribed on the tree are the script of the thirty-six kingdoms and the inner writings of the various heavens.

The Text on Offerings from Foreign Lands

Mount Tianshou

Within the mountain are seven tiers of treasure cities. Seven-treasure trees grow above the cities, their shade covering them and extending in all eight directions. Their roots are adamantine, their branches are patterned jade, their flowers resemble the bright moon, and their leaves shine like noctilucent stones. Their fruits are made of precious stones such as giant clam shell and agate, interspersed with treasure silver, pearls, and jade.

Fragrant Trees, Garland Trees, and Music Trees

Some of these trees are four li tall, others three, two, or one li.

The Three Sovereigns

Beyond the world, there is a tree whose branches bend and entwine, taking the form of dewdrops gathered together.

Within the Golden Gate, a towering tree stands. Yellow Qi and Yang essence move forward along three paths.

Within the Eastern Well, there is a Hall of Vast Numinousness. Three flowering trees grow inside it, standing three li, two li, and one li tall, respectively. [The Three Sovereigns]

Beyond the world, there is a tree whose branches bend and entwine, taking the form of dewdrops gathered together.

Within the Golden Gate, a towering tree stands. Yellow Qi and Yang essence move forward along three paths.

Within the Eastern Well, there is a Hall of Vast Numinousness. A tall, ringed tree grows inside it, rising four thousand zhang, with branches stretching two thousand li. At the end of each kalpa—a span of immeasurably long time—it bears plums without pits. Whoever eats this fruit can ascend and become an immortal. These are the so-called red-tree elixir fruits, the red immortal fruit borne by the red tree. Their radiant color can illuminate the five viscera.

Water it with yellow water, and moisten one branch with the liquid of phoenix brains. Dig one zhang into the earth and plant the branch there. After three years, a red tree will grow, resembling a pine and standing five or six chi tall. Its fruit resembles a pear and is as white as jade. Eating the fruit allows one to ascend to the Grand Tenuity, the celestial star-palace; saliva that falls to the ground turns into blue-green jade. [The Numinous Book of Purple Writings]

Dig eight chi into the earth, plant the seed of a red tree, and water it with Huai water. Huai water is water elixir; phoenix brain is the name of a liquid. After three years, a red tree will grow, shaped like a plum tree. [The Record of the Three Heavenly Lords of Shangqing]

The cypress is formed from the essence of the Eastern Well, a constellation. It rules all waters and is lord of the hundred plants. [Record Within the Dark]

The locust tree is formed from the essence of the Xu constellation.

The glossy privet is formed from the essence of Shaoyang, the state in which Yang Qi first arises. It occupies the position of the Horn constellation in the east and is born from the union of the Qi of the Four Gengs and the Three Qi.

The plum tree is formed from the essence of the Encampment constellation. It joins with the eastern Qi of the first month and is a treasure among trees; therefore, it blossoms before the others.

The mulberry tree is formed from the essence of the Winnowing Basket constellation.

The dogwood is formed from the essence of the Great Fire and the Heart constellation. It grows in the mountains and is nourished by water. Its leaves grow in pairs on its square stems, symbolizing the pairing of Yin and Yang.

The grain tree is formed from the essence of the Horn constellation.

Seven treasures, flowers and fruits.

Cultivate the Mysterious Scripture of the Three Caverns of Shangqing—the Three Caverns scriptures of the Shangqing school—and recite its passages. Eat the flowers and fruits described here, and you may become an immortal whose body radiates golden light.

Water-Essence Mountain

To the north lies a small sea that opens into the great sea. There are also range upon range of towering mountains, rising four thousand li. Water flows over the mountains, and the riverbed is covered in golden sand. Five-colored lotuses grow there, their blossoms as large as cartwheels. Pierce a lotus, and juice flows out, tasting like honey.

The flowers of the Green Grove are three Qi-blossoms transformed from the essence of the sun.

The Supreme One’s Five Emperors’ Inner Truth of the Nine Red Classes of Talismans records: “The flower of the Three Assemblies of Intertwining Dragons.”

The Chronicle of the Three Celestial Lords of Shangqing records: “The hundred grasses sprout.”

The Scripture of Karmic Retribution from the Womb of the Supreme One records: “The Great Emperor seized the medicine of the Green Grove.”

The Great Cavern Scripture of Truth records: “The flower of the Three Assemblies of Intertwining Dragons, the hundred grasses sprouting, and the Great Emperor seizing the medicine of the Green Grove.”

Springs flow away from solid ground and toward the empty places, rushing down from the high north to the lowlands and becoming five-colored waters.

Human Crow Mountain flows with a liquid that can restore the soul.

On the blue-green sea, soaring emerald waves rise up as nine dragons ride together.

At the eastern limit is the Weaver Girl’s water; at the westernmost edge lies Yu Abyss, where the Morning Star resides.

The wondrous numinous mushroom transforms into water; Heaven and Earth revolve, and the cycles of Qi change.

It stirs and draws along the rivers of Heaven.

The Scripture of Dispelling Demons records: “In the swirling waters is Jade Essence, and the Ling Spring is a deep blue. Drink it and rinse your mouth with the waters of Dongmeng; entrust your joy to the Canglang waters. This is associated with the Elder Lord of the Female One.”

Great Emperor Mountain

On the mountain stands the Dark Palace Gate of Nine Windows, a mysterious palace with nine windows. Outside it, sweet springs and jade nectar gather into a deep pool. There, the north is dark and profound, nourishing clouds of five colors; below lies the Abyss of Long Life, and in the middle is the dwelling of the Supreme One.

The Five Emperors sent golden dragons into the Clear and Cold Abyss. In the Blue Abyss, the Lord of the Great Dao of Numinous Treasure revealed dragon patterns. Beyond the divine palace of the Water Emperor of the Eastern Sea, sweet springs and jade nectar gather into a deep pool; the north is dark and profound, nourishing clouds of five colors; below lies the Abyss of Long Life, and in the middle is the dwelling of the Supreme One. The Five Emperors sent golden dragons into the Clear and Cold Abyss, and in the Blue Abyss the Lord of the Great Dao of Numinous Treasure revealed dragon patterns.

The divine king, Water Emperor of the Eastern Sea, has the surname Kai and the taboo name Neiling. He rides a jiao dragon and flies upon a cloud wheel.

The divine king, Water Emperor of the Western Sea.

The Divine Lord Dao is surnamed Dao and named Dongqing. He rides a flying carriage fashioned from white clouds and rosy mists.

The Divine King, Water Emperor of the Northern Sea, is surnamed Pen and named Yuanyuan. He rides a flying carriage fashioned from black clouds and rosy mists.

Beneath the Qihe Terrace lies a sea into which ten thousand streams flow.

The Great Cavern Jade Scripture records:

The deity of the Eastern Sea is surnamed He and named Linggui Jun.

The deity of the Southern Sea is surnamed Liu and named Xiao Jun.

The deity of the Western Sea is surnamed Li and named Rilai Jun.

The deity of the Northern Sea is surnamed Wu and named Qinqiang Jun.

The River Earl, deity of the Yellow River, is surnamed Feng, named Yi, and styled Ping Jun. He governs the waters. Those who understand the Dao do not fear wind and waves, and will neither go hungry nor feel thirsty.

In the Kingdom of Heavenly Mirrors, by the Langbi Stream, stands Mount Wuzhou. Five kinds of numinous fungi grow on the mountain. Drinking from the waters of the Dark Ravine grants a life as long as Heaven and Earth. There, thirty thousand immortal maidens drink from these waters.

In the Heaven of Great Beginning stands the Flowing Pond, a thousand li across. Its waters are fragrant and sweet. Jade trees and lotuses ten zhang tall grow in the pond, and immortals dwell within the lotuses. After drinking its waters, the five viscera become clear and bright, and purple clouds appear on the face. North of Xuanzhou lies the River of the Emperor, where the Jade-Spirit Immortal Mother and the Golden-Lotus Immortal Maiden often wander.

In the Western Nayu Kingdom is a pool of golden essence and jade. Flying celestial spirits bathe there three times each year.

The Yudan Kingdom has a cold pool, five hundred li across, in which flowing-essence jade fungi grow. After drinking its waters, the men and women of this kingdom acquire jade-like complexions.

The Pure Harmony Kingdom has a pool of seven treasures. Black crows live in it, along with birds of blue, white, red, and yellow, and emerald phoenixes. Their calls are extraordinarily beautiful; whoever hears them feels a longing for the Dao arise within.

Within the Golden Gate lies a pool for smelting golden essence. In the pool are stone-bright golden marrow, jade cream, cinnabar fungi, yellow Qi, and Yang essence. The three kinds of Qi circulate in turn.

At the Place of Luminous Liquid, the Perfected Ones sing poems, stirring thoughts of the Dao in people’s hearts.

In the Hall of Vast Numinous Presence.

Beneath the earth is a spring of green mushrooms and jade ointment. It is the spring from which the Divine King of Yang Valley drinks.

The Myriad Emperors of the High Immortals

On the day Autumn begins, one should bathe in the Spring of the Eastern Well.

The Myriad-Fathom Valley

Below Mount Luodeng lies a place where ghosts and spirits are confined. Golden Profound Feathered Writ

The Spring of Jade Nectar

The patterns by which Heaven and Earth move and transform.

A Continent Born of Five-Colored Flowing Springs

In the azure sea, the waters of Fusang extend westward to Penglai. There grow the flowers of the immortals, and tens of thousands of immortal families dwell there.

The Ancestral Continent

The Ancestral Continent lies in the Eastern Sea, east of Fusang. There grows the herb of immortality. After immortal officials gather and consume it, their faces retain their radiance even a hundred years later.

The Long Continent

The Long Continent, also called Green Mound, lies southeast of the Southern Sea, beyond the sky.

The Flame Continent

The Flame Continent lies in the middle of the Southern Sea, where fire gathers in great heaps and surges straight into the sky.

The Flowing Continent

The Flowing Continent lies in the southern part of the Western Sea. Tens of thousands of immortal families dwell on the island, which produces Kunwu stone. Steel smelted from it is bright and translucent like crystal, and can easily cut jade.

The Dark Continent

The Dark Continent lies beyond the Land of the Celestial Mirror. The Immortal Elder and Perfect Lord of the Great Profound Capital have a dwelling there.

Steel of the seven treasures shines bright and clear like crystal, and can easily cut jade.

The Dark Continent

The Dark Continent lies beyond the Land of the Celestial Mirror. The Immortal Elder and Perfect Lord of the Great Profound Capital have a dwelling there.

The radiance of the seven treasures surges toward the sky, veiling the sun and moon. Sutra of Karmic Retribution

The Heaven of Primordial Beginning

Within it is the Night of Celebrations, and the river is called the Ford of Deliverance.

A Jade Flute Played Above the Clouds

The sound of the phoenix’s cry reaches into the ninefold, distant depths.

Golden Bridges and Silver Pillars

Upon a thin sheet of glass are railings of the seven treasures. Their brilliant colors shimmer in the water and reach down into the depths.

Scripture of the Daoist Treasures of Highest Clarity, fascicle two, ends here

Scripture of the Daoist Treasures of Highest Clarity, fascicle three

On Life and Death, Chapter Five

When a person has spent nine months in the womb, the Nine Qi congeal to form the body. Once the body has taken shape, consciousness is also complete. At birth in the tenth month, the Nine Heavens celebrate. The Great One holds the talismanic decree; the Lord Emperor determines the infant’s allotted fate; the Director of Destinies assigns the lifespan; and the Five Emperors oversee the birth.

Human beings are born by receiving the harmonized Qi of Heaven and Earth and Yin-Yang.

At birth, people receive the harmonized Qi of Yin and Yang and also embody the qualities of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). The Inner Chapter on Mysteries says: once the body has formed, the spirits are present within it as well. After ten months in the womb, the child is born, and the Nine Heavens celebrate the event. Taiyi, a revered Daoist deity, administers the talismanic mandate; the Sovereign Lord assesses the child’s endowment; the God of Destiny determines its lifespan; and the Five Directional Emperors oversee the birth.

The Inner Chapter on Mysteries also says that the Elder of the Nine Heavens told the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens: the two Qi of Yin and Yang contain the true, wondrous Qi and correspond to the Nine Heavens. The true Qi undergoes nine transformations and gathers into essence. The refined Qi of the Nine Heavens becomes the human body—that is, the essence of the immortal embryo. Even in the womb, a person possesses six kinds of spiritual intelligence; the body corresponds to the five numinous powers, and within it dwell a total of thirty-six thousand spirits.

The human body is the dwelling place of Dao, De (Virtue/Power), and the spirits. For this reason, spirit-people should observe the precepts.

The Five Paths and the Spirit-Forms. The Original Life of Laozi.

The Three Paths of Inquiry: Mysterious fluid moves through the seven channels; the radiance of the sun and moon illuminates the empty space in the six directions; the mouth and eyes each exercise their own wondrous functions. Such, in broad terms, are the body’s physiological workings. Clouds move and rain falls; five factors bring life to completion. Here, the “five factors” refer to the five spirits, and the “three paths” to the Three Perfected Ones—that is, the Three One deities.

Taiyi’s name is Wuyou Shou, and his courtesy name is Gui Huichang. Those who understand this can live long and avoid calamity; the Jade Maidens will also descend to them.

The spirit of the Upper Qi of the Three Origins is Lord Zuo Wuying.

The hun and po souls are born in the Palace of the Nine Numinous Ones, while divine fluid moves through the Perfected Ones of the Three Qi. The deity who governs this is called Lord Baiyuan Dongyang, also known as Zhu Jing.

The central God of Destiny is sometimes called the Elder Who Controls Destiny, and is also known as Shenzong or Linghua.

Lord Peach of the Gate of Destiny is the root of the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth and the sovereign of the numinous Qi of Yin and Yang. He is as vital as the body’s gates and portals of gold and jade. A person’s lifespan is jointly governed by the Qi of Lord Peach.

The Three Qi and Five Qi blend as one and bring forth the five spirits. People receive the great numinous power of the Five Qi and also inherit the mysterious source of the talismanic mandate.

All living beings that breathe are born by receiving the Qi of Cangyuan.

Among the “six dusts,” the dust of form is color as perceived by the eyes, including blue-green, yellow, red, white, and black.

Sound dust is the sound perceived by the ears, including the five tones: gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu.

Scent dust is the odor perceived by the nose, including the five categories of mutton-like, burnt, fragrant, fishy, and foul smells.

Taste dust is the flavor perceived by the mouth and tongue, including the five tastes: bitter, sweet, pungent, sour, and salty.

Touch dust is the tactile sensation perceived by the body, including softness and roughness, lightness and heaviness, firmness and slipperiness, dryness and dampness, coldness and warmth.

Mental dust consists of objects that give rise to activity in the mind. When the mind encounters various external phenomena, it makes distinctions and forms perceptions. Each of the five senses has a corresponding consciousness, enabling it to distinguish and perceive the different objects of sensation.

The Four Great Elements

The four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind combine with four kinds of objects of sensation; together they are called the “Four Great Elements.”

The Six Houses

The wood spirit associated with jiayin governs hair and bones; the metal spirit associated with jiashen governs the teeth and nails; the earth spirit associated with jiangxu governs the muscles; the wind spirit associated with jiachen governs the breath; the fire spirit associated with jiawu governs moisture and warmth; and the water spirit associated with jiazi governs nourishment.

These six spirits together form the human body. The wood spirit corresponds to the liver, the fire spirit to the heart, the earth spirit to the spleen, the metal spirit to the lungs, the water spirit to the kidneys, and the wind spirit to the gallbladder. The human body therefore has five organs and six viscera, nine palaces and twelve chambers, one hundred and eighty vital joints, three hundred and sixty bone joints, as well as four limbs, five bodily parts, three burners, and six bodily regions. These structures all serve as symbols of Heaven and Earth. This account appears in the Inner Chapters on Mystery and Subtlety.

The Six Faculties

The ears, eyes, nose, mouth, body, and mind—that is, hearing, sight, smell, taste, bodily touch, and intention. This is recorded in the Western Ascension.

The Five Faculties

Original wisdom, right contemplation, and liberation.

The Five Things

The human being is formed through the combining of five things and is merely given the provisional name “person.”

Jade Fetus, Purple Gate

The Nine Elixirs rise and transform within the womb, taking shape in accordance with the Qi of the Nine Heavens.

Purple Veins Forming the Fetal Sac

Purple veins congeal to form the fetal sac, symbolizing a destiny ordained from a former life to become an immortal. This account appears in the Jade Book of the Highest Empyrean.

Mother of the Sun

The Old Mother in the Jade Clarity, a revered spirit who presides over the womb. This account appears in the Jade Scripture of the Great Cavern.

Purple Plain Primordial Lady

The Purple Plain Primordial Lady places the jade fetus within a purple fetal sac and nurtures the wondrous, numinous Qi within the Jade Gate.

Heavenly Worthy, Great Sage

The Heavenly Worthy, Great Sage first understood the jade palace where his birth would take place. Within the womb, he was clear both inside and out, and rested in the karmic retribution corresponding to his birth.

The Twenty-Eight Levels of Fruition

The incarnation manifests the marvel of the natural Way. By the seventh month, its form gradually changes; by the tenth month, it has a voice.

The embryo dwells within a purple womb, holding within the jade gate the refined beauty of empty stillness.

Heavenly Venerable, Great Sage

At its first manifestation, it dwells within a palace of jade, radiant and translucent within and without. The womb in which it resides also has its corresponding karmic causes and conditions.

Twenty-Eight Levels of Fruition

The incarnation manifests the marvel of the natural Way. By the seventh month, its form gradually changes; by the tenth month, it has a voice.

Master of the Clouds and Mist

He is a descendant born of the Qi of the Primordial Sovereign’s emptiness, and the Great Emperor’s second son. He holds within himself an embryo like fine jade and dwells in a jade chamber. At the golden gate, he gathers the essence of cloud Qi; within the purple womb, he contains the essences of the sun and moon. He transforms the vast dew and gathers the divine spirits.

At dawn on the first day of the third month in the ninth year of the High Sovereign, as the light of heaven opened, he was born in the Boundless Radiant Heaven above the Nine Mysteries. He watched the sun from a cloud cleft and revealed his radiant countenance in halls and pavilions of fine jade. He followed the foundations of the imperial Dao and the laws of kingship, taking as his model the natural, jade-like Qi of refinement. The radiance of the Nine Spirits bathed him, and sweet, fragrant jade springs poured over him. He fed on numinous mushrooms of seven colors and was nourished by flying frost refined nine times. A divine dragon guarded his side, while a jade phoenix shaded his head. Purple smoke rose above him, and luminous currents surged all around. The paired forms of sun and moon softened his firm Qi; the sun, moon, and stars brought his true nature into harmony. The Divine Continent sang of his mystery, and through seven transformations his divinity gradually became manifest. Swift, empty winds bore his body, while circling fragrances cleansed away the dust. He appeared at ease above the Great Void and wandered slowly along the shores of the Cavernous Waves. This passage comes from the Jade Writ of the Great Empyrean.

Primordial Father of the Dao’s Root, Nine Heavens

He is seventy million zhang tall. In spring, he establishes a palace of jade and wears a phoenix robe of the Nine Heavens, patterned with cloud phoenixes and dark birds. He often rides a flying carriage of blue-green radiance, attended by twelve flying dragons.

In summer, he wears a robe of the Nine Suns, decorated with red phoenixes, speckled patterns, and tiger forms. In autumn, he wears the Warm Dragonfly and the sword of the Dragon Abyss. In winter, he transforms into a radiance like the essence of the sun, reflecting purple light from afar and joining with the Qi of the paired Yin-Yang forms within chaos.

Mysterious Mother of the Dao’s Utmost, Nine Heavens

She is seventy million zhang tall and is attended by twelve phoenixes and thirty-six immortals. The immortals hold the essence of the moon in their beaks and ride clouds of twelve colors.

The Jade-Spirit Immortal Mother addressed the Youth of Azure:

“Before the Exalted Minister of the Crimson Radiance, you and I were born together into the household of a king.”

The Record of Original Practice says:

The gods of the Eight Radiances all became perfected beings, and the Nine Heavenly Emperors appeared together in radiance. In the south, in the land of Yue, there was Fuli; in the north, there was the Cold Bureau. Auspicious clouds layered upon one another, mysterious and profound, while roads in all four directions led freely between them.

The numinous, beautiful mountains are no ordinary dwelling place. Flying clouds are my dragon carriage.

The Book of the Jade Tablets says:

My companions are all perfected beings. With the Jade Youth as my dwelling, I rise into the Great Clarity and become a guest of the Most High.

When people wander alone among the Three Realms, the Qi of the Five Phases clashes within them. The three lights of the sun, moon, and stars move out of order; Yin and Yang contend, and the seasonal Qi of the four seasons and eight seasonal divisions falls into disorder. In this way, all manner of illness and calamity arise.

People of high antiquity could fully understand the intentions of Heaven and Earth. Those of the middle antiquity understood only half, while those of later antiquity no longer understood them. Within the human body are thirty-nine divine chambers.

The Chronicle of the Three Celestial Lords of Shangqing says:

Living beings turn endlessly through the Three Paths—the realms of suffering, such as hell, the hungry ghosts, and animals—and pass through the Five Destinies, the paths along which beings are reborn.

All pass together along the road of death, sinking for a long time into darkness. The Perfected Yin Xi of Great Clarity had the essence of the sun in his eyes, and a round halo rested upon his crown. Each of his five organs bore its own markings, and seven stars were arranged across his face. Above, he corresponded to the celestial patterns; below, he accorded with the features of the earth. These accounts appear in the Inner Biography of the Perfected Ones of the Primordial Highness.

Within the head are the Nine Palaces, the Immortal Lords of the Five Peaks, and other brain spirits. The Green-Robed Spirit commands a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen, and is one inch and two fen tall.

The Most High Purple-and-Azure Left Origin Lord guards the head and face, preventing all evil influences from entering.

The spirit of the eyebrows is named Primordial Radiance; he is the Great Numinous Lord. When Laozi passed through celestial transformations, the space between the brows was called the canopy of White Origin, also known as the Most High Sovereign Lord of Pure Numinous Power. He is also called the Sevenfold Spirit and Divine Pattern, and can prevent all evil influences from entering. Practitioners should guard the space between the eyebrows. This teaching is found in the Scripture of the Great Cavern of True Mystery.

The spirit of the eyes…

The Dao-guarding youths are three inches tall. They wear garments in five colors, and their whole bodies shine with the radiance of gold and jade. The youth in the left eye is called Mysterious Radiance; the one in the right eye is called Brilliant Insight. The eyes are the sun and moon of Taiyi, the spirit who governs all things, and of the Supreme Lord Su Ling, a revered Daoist deity. The youth in the right eye is called Morning Infant. He can see through the Gate of Heaven and patrol the imperial court. His radiance appears among the Three Mornings, and he acts in accord with the currents of fortune. The youth in the left eye is called Flying Spirit. His mystery and depth are boundless; he can see the brilliance of jade essence, like heavenly might sending forth a shooting star. The Scripture of Precious Radiance says:

The nose is called the “Mountain Source,” and is also known as the “Well of Ghosts,” the “Pool of Ghosts,” the “Root of Evil,” and the “Soul Terrace.” The Scripture of the Great Cavern of Truth says that the nose is the mountain where the Three Origins, the three kinds of primordial Qi within the body, reside.

The spirit of the mouth is called Lord Heavenly One, styled Vermilion Cinnabar. He governs the Hall of Brightness, the divine palace within the body in Daoist teaching. The mouth is the vermilion abyss within the Crimson Palace, the bodily palace associated with the heart. Su Ling says:

The spirit of the tongue is called Essence of the Dao Fork. He is seven inches tall and wears vermilion robes. The teeth are where the stomach official’s power resides. Su Ling says that the tongue is the dragon carriage ridden by Primordial Radiance, the spirit within the body. It is also where the Little Child of Supreme Subtlety meets the True Emperor. This child is stationed beneath the tongue, where the source of bodily fluids is connected. The Scripture of Precious Radiance says:

The spirit of the tongue is called Essence of the Dao Fork. He is seven inches tall and wears vermilion robes. The teeth are where the stomach official’s power resides. The tongue is the dragon carriage of Primordial Radiance and the place where the Little Child of Supreme Subtlety meets the True Emperor. This child is stationed beneath the tongue, where the source of bodily fluids is connected.

The spirit of the ear is called Charming Maiden, also known as the Jade Hall Official. She is a True One of the Nine Mysteries, named General Controller. She guards the right ear, making it keen of hearing and clear of spirit, so that one can hear sounds from ten thousand miles away. She dwells in an immense, boundless official residence and has a solemn bearing. She is an Immortal Sovereign, holding a divine office that teaches and guides living beings toward liberation. Her allotted lifespan accords with the tally of her sacred register. The soul of the Sovereign One is called Returning Above. It guards the left ear and governs all that takes place within the ears, bringing the three into unity and making their radiance equal. The ears are the gates through which the Emperor Lord hears sounds. When one hears the metallic and jade tones of bells and chimes, true Qi enters the body; when one hears string music, the Jade Maidens of the Six Dings, guardian spirits, come to protect one.

The revered spirit Taiyi returns and joins with flourishing Qi to guard my Jade Pillow, the region at the back of the head. The Scripture of the Great Cavern of Truth says:

The Cinnabar Sovereign circulates the divine pearl within the Crimson Palace, causing it to rise and fill the neck.

The Shangqing Daoist Treasure Scripture

Above, it fills the center of the crown, beside the great vertebra.

The Yellow-Silk Central-Origin Lord, named Perfected Radiance and Yellow Blade, guards the space between the chest and abdomen. He subdues ghosts and demons, destroys the Three Corpses—malevolent entities believed in Daoism to dwell in the body and consume its life force—and enables a person to attain the realm of the One True Heaven.

The spirit is quiet, settled, and at peace, guarding the chest and governing the life of the whole body. Clad in brocade and wearing a blue skirt, it lengthens people’s lives and seals the gate of death.

It contains and receives radiance, joining with the realm of the Nine Mysteries. Below, it guards the back, causing radiance to gather in the Central Field, one of the body’s inner alchemical sites for refining essence and Qi.

The Harmonizing Spirit Son is also called Kunlun and the Great Abyss.

On the left, Lord Wuying, styled Master Hefu, is also called the Lord of the Primordial Elements and the Divine Lord. He guards the gateway beneath the left armpit, behind the liver. On the right is the White-Origin Lord of the Grotto of Yang, also called Vermilion Essence and Qicheng, who guards the gateway beneath the right armpit, behind the lungs.

The deity of the two cheeks is named Daocheng and is four cun and one fen tall.

The deity of the palm is the essence of the sun, styled Po Shang. Within the sun is the Director of Destiny, named Birth Attendant, who guards the four great points of the right hand, called the Five Blossoms. He preserves the true Qi and settles the spirits; gazing up at the sun and moon, he swallows primordial essence. The sun also contains Lord Tao, named Fangying, who guards the left hand, sets the Dipper stars in motion, holds the Celestial Guideline, and commands the Five Spirits. He follows the course of forty degrees, regulates the Celestial Court, makes three circuits, and brings clarity to the Nine Grottoes.

The deity of the feet is the essence of the moon. The feet are the numinous apertures of the kidney’s origin. Visualize two white dragons emerging from the soles of the feet, one on either side of the body.

The deity of the throat is named Bai Liu Fang and styled Daotong.

The Five True Ones nourish radiance throughout the Three Heavens and guard the throat, where they hold the wondrous texts. The One Origin in the womb, Master Wuxuanzi, and the Essence-Soul of the Great One, Master Xuanguizi, guard the five organs and keep life from perishing.

The youth of the lungs is named Suming. He guards the lungs inside and out, keeping them clear, and entrusts wandering souls and scattered spirits to Huangning.

The heart resembles a monkey and also a sudden flare of flame.

The heart is the body’s yang hub and a fundamental basis for those who cultivate the Dao to perfection in the mountains.

Taiyi, the source deity who governs the myriad spirits, unites with the Five Spirits and becomes one great deity. It dwells in the heart and is called the Scripture of the Eightfold Purity of the Most High. It is also known as the Lord of Heavenly Essence and Fluid.

The vermilion deity of the south spreads the true Qi, while crimson cloud Qi comes and goes, changing form. The Qi of the Five Paths and the four seasons flows through the void. True Qi reverently nourishes the numinous spirits and fills the whole body. The Red Child, the body’s original Shen, carries light with him, and the gathered spirits return. The heart palace receives Jing and Qi; the palaces of the five organs shine open and clear. When a person joins with the Dao, they can become an immortal. The limbs rise lightly in flight, guarded and illuminated by the Five Emperors, and ascend to the Purple Tenuity, the dwelling place of the Celestial Emperor.

The Record of the Primordial Register of Mount Gui says: The Crimson Palace is the Dantian palace where the heart resides. Within it dwells the Sovereign Lord of Cinnabar Origin, whose courtesy name is Zinan Dan. He is also called the Elder of Life Above and Shi Yunju.

The gallbladder is the Purple Chamber Palace. Its deity is named Longdeju.

The Seven True Ones preserve life and extend its years, guarding the five organs and the stomach. The vital energies of Vermilion Flower, Jade Zhi, and the like naturally fill the body.

The essence of the sun shines with brilliance, clear as jade osmanthus. The Six Qi spread through the body, illuminating the Vermilion Court, where the heart spirit resides. True Qi appears between the Qi palaces, and the Qi of the six stomach chambers flourishes in splendor.

Within the blood dwells the Lord of Red Qi, who is the essence-spirit of the Director of Fate. These two deities, the Director of Fate and the essence-spirit, together guard the blood and Qi in the body’s hundred orifices.

“Golden Bones and Jade Name” is a title written in purple script in the Shangqing scriptures. Through cultivating it, one becomes fully prepared to receive the summons of the numinous spirits. The talisman for summoning spirits is the “Hollowing and Falling Seven Origins” talisman.

The third true deity within the joints is named Lord Firmly Established, with the courtesy name Yiyu Mo.

The Most High knocks the teeth seven times to open the Way of the Ten Luminaries. Five breaths of exhalation are used to sever the five afflictions of living beings. The Scripture of Ascending to the Mysterious says: “Knocking the teeth means making the heavenly drum resound loudly.”

Summon the perfected immortals of the celestial realms to gather. Sound the Heavenly Bell on the left and beat the Heavenly Drum on the right: this can drive away ghosts, evil influences, and calamities, and usher in a hundred blessings. The Taiyi Hidden Commentary on the True Record states: “For each breath, bow three times; both are virtuous acts. Snap your fingers once, and you can summon the celestial realms in all ten directions.”

The Shengxuan states: “When gathering herbs in the mountains, strike a chime stone—a ritual instrument—with each step, and cough once.”

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Unity commanded the Two Lords of Mysterious Unity to open the Purple Net’s Seven-Step Luminous Jade Palace. There they demonstrated the Golden Writ of Settled Life and transmitted it to the Dao Lord Yuangao of the Void Emperor and others.

Reciting one chapter of scripture by the Perfected One of the Riverbank can summon the celestial immortals of the Supreme Jade Capital to appear; the immortals join their palms and praise it as good.

When paying respects to the Youth of Azure Radiance of Eastern Florescence, face north and bow three times, praying for the fulfillment of your wishes and for the attainment of immortality. The rite should be performed on a Dingmao day. It can lengthen life and bring steady progress in cultivating the immortal Way. These are instructions passed down by ritual masters.

The Celestial Worthy ordered the Marshal of the Nine Heavens to bring out the Jade Writ of the Nine Heavens’ Generation of Spirits. The four assisting deities took their places, the Five Elders oversaw the rite, and Taiyi commanded the Jade Emperor to proclaim the oath of allegiance. All stood facing south for a long time, then entrusted the scripture to the Flying-Heaven, Boundless Spirit King.

When the Celestial Worthy bestowed the scripture upon the Lord of the Way, Lady Wang of Great Truth stood below, holding the numinous banner of the Ten Absolutes. The Jade Attendant of the Scripture stood to the left, and the Marshal who oversees the transmission stood to the right. The True King of the Nine Heavens stood upright at the center, holding a nine-colored tally. The Primordial Lady turned around three times, and the myriad spirits gathered. Facing east, the True King transmitted the scripture to the Lord of the Way, then turned the token of investiture three times and proclaimed the rite complete. The Celestial Worthy rose, and the great sages of the heavens, the perfected beings, and the jade maidens all bowed together. Jin Su Jianwen

The celestial perfection descends, and the Dao’s Qi becomes manifest. One pays homage to the Three Officials—the officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water—and makes a court visit to Jade Clarity. Ascending the high platform, one sees the forms of the spirits. The Celestial Worthy gazes up at the sky, standing with a smile.

Blue, yellow, and red breaths issue from the mouth, shining with a clear, penetrating light that reaches the ten directions, leaving no place dark or hidden. Golden books with purple characters and jade script with vermilion seals gleam within the three breaths. The Three-Eight Scene Spirits (named from the union of “three” and “eight”) and the twenty-four Perfected Ones each arrive above the emptiness of the Mysterious, riding in processions of a thousand chariots and accompanied by ten thousand attendants. They guard and assist these sacred writings.

“The Twenty-Four Becomings”

The Most High, Lofty and Mysterious Perfected Ones have faces bright as golden light and sit smiling. When they travel, they tread the patterns of the cloud-breaths and ride through emptiness, walking amid the subtle laws of the Mysterious. They pass through the world of dust and the cycles of calamity and fate.

The Primordial Beginning, through wise and upright contemplation, brings people to liberation.

The Dao Lord of the Most High sits upon a great lotus. The Perfected Ones and immortals of all the heavens, along with the entire assembly, each bring forth a lotus. Within the lotus leaves appear lands in the ten directions; within each lotus appear the countries and cities, government offices, and palaces there.

The Dao is the foundation that binds Heaven together and sets Earth aright. The White Tiger dwells in the west; primordial Qi dwells in the north.

The Azure Emperor Lord of the east, surnamed Wangchang and taboo-named Jingmeng, wears azure robes and a flying skirt of emerald brocade. He wears a sash of intertwined spirits adorned with kingfisher feathers and rides a cloud chariot of emerald clouds drawn by nine dragons. Twelve Jade Maidens with blue waists follow behind him. They hold flowers of the Green Grove and nine-colored staffs and banners as they tour the Eastern Peak.

The Red Emperor Lord of the south, surnamed Tu and taboo-named Dongdan, wears a brocade robe patterned with clouds and a skirt embroidered with vermilion designs. He wears the talisman of the Southern Pole and is girded with the Eight Lights of the Vermilion Officials. Twelve Jade Maidens with blue waists follow behind him, holding flowers of the Green Grove and nine-colored staffs and banners as he tours the Eastern Peak.

Another account likewise says that the Red Emperor Lord of the south is surnamed Tu and taboo-named Dongdan. He wears a brocade robe patterned with clouds and a vermilion skirt, bears the talisman of the Southern Pole, and wears the Eight Lights of the Vermilion Officials as a sword. He rides a flying wheel of red clouds, accompanied by twelve Great Cinnabar Jade Maidens. They hold flowers of the three breaths of the sun’s essence as they tour the Southern Peak.

The White Emperor Lord of the west.

His surname is Hun and his personal name is Zhigui. He wears a patterned crown woven from the interwoven radiance of seven kinds of Qi, and a white brocade robe glowing with cloud light and a plain brocade flying skirt. Riding a flying carriage of white clouds, he tours the Western Peak, followed by twelve Taishu Jade Maidens riding twelve white tigers.

The Black Emperor of the North

His surname is Xuan and his personal name is Shuomeng. He wears a black brocade robe and carries a divine sword decorated with patterns. Riding a cloud-borne flying carriage, he travels to the Northern Peak, followed by twelve Taixuan Jade Maidens riding flying turtles.

The Yellow Emperor of the Center

His surname is Ma and his personal name is Zhongshun. He wears a yellow brocade robe and a dark yellow brocade skirt patterned with flying clouds. Riding a flying carriage of yellow clouds, he is followed by twelve Huangsu Jade Maidens riding twelve flying qilin.

The August Jade Emperor

He wears an ornament patterned with golden tigers and phoenixes and fastens a divine tiger jade seal to his belt. He dwells in a radiant jade grotto, holding the stars of the Dipper in both hands. Beneath a canopy, he stands above purple clouds in the Purple Void. The Yuanlin of Guishan records the same account.

The August Jade Emperor

He wears an ornament patterned with golden tigers and phoenixes and fastens a divine tiger jade seal to his belt. He dwells in a radiant jade grotto, holding the stars of the Dipper in both hands. Beneath a canopy, he stands above purple clouds in the Purple Void. The Yuanlu of Guishan records the same account.

The True Lord Appears in the World

Phoenixes become domestic chickens; qilin and lions become farm animals.

The Great Assembly Is About to Convene, and the Perfected One Is About to Appear

The Great Assembly will be held west of Chang’an and Luoyang, near the Yellow River and Yize.

The Heart Is the Sage Ruler of the Human Body

The heart is the spirit within the human body. It shares the same Qi as the sun and resides among the five viscera, where it holds the most honored place.

The Heavenly King of Primordial Beginning

It was born in the midst of the Void, which symbolizes the primordial emptiness before Heaven and Earth were divided, and passed through more than seven thousand kalpas. At that time, the sky was clear and the breath pure; the radiance of the sun and moon crossed and coursed through the heavens. The Dark Void’s purple canopy illuminated its writings, while the Six Qi transformed into bolts of lightning that shielded its true texts. It alone held the appointed seasons of the spirit talismans, and rode in a carriage of fine jade with wheels of jade. The Lord’s brush was like a dark dragon; its vital essence flowed, shining like lightning as it toured the offices in the Void. It traveled east to the borders of the green waters and luxuriant forests. After more than seven thousand kalpas, the sky remained clear and pure, and the radiance of the sun and moon crossed and coursed through the heavens. The Dark Void’s purple canopy illuminated the writings, and the Six Qi’s lightning shielded the true texts. It alone held the appointed seasons of the spirit talismans, and rode in a carriage of fine jade with wheels of jade. The Lord’s brush was like a dark dragon; its vital essence flowed, shining like lightning as it toured the offices in the Void. Then it rested for a time in the chamber of the nine bends of the blue clouds, ascended far to the Golden Gate, and received the title of Jade Clarity.

The Son of Heaven of the Supreme Ultimate was a low-ranking member among the officials.

Through respectful deference, he rose to occupy the position of ruler of the world and became the Son of Heaven at its very center.

The King of the Ninth Heaven was about to be born in transformed form as the Son of Heaven.

The world therefore rejoiced greatly; all submitted to the king. Chaos returned to unity, and he became a virtuous ruler.

The emperor held the guiding principles, while the empress presided over the laws and ordinances. The Nine August Sovereigns, the True Lords, governed the precepts and prohibitions of the Shangqing scriptures; they were also the Three Primordial Lords of Jade Radiance.

The Primordial Lord of the Great One governed the myriad immortals and oversaw the true Qi of the mountains in every direction. She could remove names from the register of the dead and inscribe them in the register of the living.

The Primordial Lord of White Simplicity governed the way of the Five Viscera. She wore a white brocade mantle embroidered with dragons and a lotus crown beneath a purple canopy.

The High Primordial Lord of Yellow Simplicity possessed a form like gold and wore a lotus crown of purple radiance.

The Primordial Lord of Purple Simplicity wore a purple mantle of tiger-patterned brocade, a purple skirt patterned with dragons, and a lotus crown of purple stars. She preserved the Daoist methods, wore a white brocade mantle embroidered with dragons, and wore a lotus crown beneath a purple canopy.

The High Primordial Lord of Yellow Simplicity possessed a form like gold and wore a lotus crown of purple radiance.

The Primordial Lord of Purple Simplicity wore a purple mantle of tiger-patterned brocade, a purple skirt patterned with dragons, and a lotus crown of purple stars, adorned with a pair of purple-star pearls.

The Lady of the Primordial Beginning was the mother of the Three Heavens’ True Sages and governed the registers of the Jade Maidens of the Ten Directions. She wore green robes and a scarlet frost mantle, carried six or seven pieces of fire jade, and held the Flowing Yellow Sword of Refined Essence. The Inner Tradition of Lord Mao records:

Lady of Purple Tenuity.

This Immortal Maiden’s surname was Wang and her name Qing’e. She was the twentieth daughter of the Queen Mother of the West. Her Purple Tenuity Palace stood on Mount Xuanzhong in the Yuming Wilderness, beyond the northern desert, northeast of Mount Kunlun. Lady Purple Tenuity relayed the Queen Mother of the West’s words: “Within the circle is contained the image of the square; the square’s vital essence bears a gentle energy. The image is concealed within the body, and the vital essence hidden within the form. The scene is red, and the image yellow: these are the essences of the sun and moon. Understand their principle, and you can breathe in and out the rosy vapors—the radiant energy spoken of in cultivation. At dawn, take in the sun’s Qi; at midnight, hold the moon’s radiance in contemplation, visualizing and focusing the spirit on its essence, and let it remain nine inches before you. Allow its light to shine into my Niwan, the upper Dantian in the head, then descend to the five viscera, making the whole body clear and luminous, inside and out.” — The Supreme Hidden Book: Cavern of Truth, Mysterious Classic

Lady Zhonghou was the teacher of “the Great Union of Whirling Winds,” and Lady Purple Tenuity transmitted the Great Cavern Scripture of Truth.

“Lady” was also a title for a “young attendant.” The term “young attendant” referred to a beginner whose knowledge was still shallow, acting in reliance on a Great Lord.

Peng Jun, the teacher of the Lord of Later Holiness, assisted the official of Fangzhu. The Lord of the Azure Lad assisted the official of Great Cinnabar above. The Primordial Lord of the South Pole transmitted the office of Baishan above. The Perfect Lord of Great Simplicity served as chief minister to the official of the Western Citadel. Lord Wang of Total Truth was the chief overseer, with another teacher and four assistants. The assistants were the Left Aide, the Right Support, the Foremost Counselor, and the Rear Minister. Four or five officials who observed celestial signs also served alongside them in assisting the teacher. When spirit beings governed, Perfected Ones served as their ministers; when Perfected Ones governed, Immortals served as their ministers.

The sage served the ancient emperors as minister.

By adopting the words of the sage, one can share the De of Heaven and Earth and be of one mind with the spirits.

The Great General of Heaven’s surname was Wang, his name Yang, and his courtesy name Ziling. He wore a dark red robe. — The Central Classic of Laozi’s Hidden Records

The Left General’s surname was Tang, his name Hong, and his courtesy name Shiming. He was seventy-two zhang tall, with a ruddy complexion and a great crown. In his left hand he held a golden tally, and he commanded an army of thirty million. — The Five Thousand Words of the Lord Lao

The Central General’s surname was Zhou, his name Wu, and his courtesy name Wengang. He was eighty-one zhang tall. In his left hand…

The general of the Tang family, named Hong and styled Shiming, was seventy-two zhang tall, with a flushed red face and a tall crown. He held a golden talisman in his left hand and commanded thirty million troops. This account appears in the Laojun Five Thousand Words.

Middle General

The general of the Zhou family, named Wu and styled Wugang, was eighty-one zhang tall. He held the Jade Yang tally in his left hand and commanded thirty million troops.

Right General

The general of the Ge family, named Yong and styled Wendu, was seventy-two zhang tall. He held a jade halberd in his right hand and commanded thirty million troops.

Azure Dragon General

He was eighty-one zhang tall and carried a bow and arrows made of cloth.

Yellow Court General

He was seventy-two zhang tall and held a Kui-gang staff.

White Tiger General

He was thirty-six zhang tall and held a loaded crossbow.

Fluorescent Fire General

He was sixty-four zhang tall and sounded a horn.

Black Tortoise General

He was twenty-five zhang tall and struck bells and drums.

Taiwei Imperial Lord

He commanded an Immortal of the Supreme Ultimate to attend to the Nine Flores and ring the bell.

Immortal Ministers of the Highest Rank

The Three Sovereigns.

Immortal Sirs Who Attend the Scripture

Wang Sizhen, Kong Wenqi, and Liu Wenjing appeared at the command of the Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate. This account comes from the Scripture of the Most High, the One True and Natural Way.

Jade Youth of the Three Heavens Above the Void

He wore a seven-change brocade robe in alternating blue and yellow, and sat amid clouds of twelve shifting colors and lights. In his hand was a nine-sectioned golden staff, wrapped in radiance like the light of the sun and moon. Liu Wenjing appeared at the command of the Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate. This account comes from the Scripture of the Most High, the One True and Natural Way.

Jade Youth of the Three Heavens Above the Void

He wore a seven-change brocade robe in alternating blue and yellow, and sat amid clouds of twelve shifting colors and lights. In his hand was a nine-sectioned golden staff, wrapped in radiance like the light of the sun and moon.

Jade Youth of the Day of Zi

Xuanying.

Jade Youth of the Day of Chou

Tongwei.

Jade Youth of the Day of Yin

Youchang.

Jade Youth of the Day of Mao

Guangyou.

Jade Youth of the Day of Chen

Huangshui.

Jade Youth of the Day of Si

Yeshu.

Jade Youth of the Day of Wu

Sima Sheng.

Jade Youth of the Day of Wei

Gongsun Yao.

Jade Youth of the Day of Shen

Xiachi.

Jade Youth of the Day of You

Feng Ji.

Tai Xin.

On the Hai day, the Jade Youth—a page attending the Jade Emperor—

is recorded in the Gongche Yingyuan Lu.

The Golden-Radiance Jade Youth

is the Dharma Wheel.

Within the Great High Immortal Cavern:

The Heavenly Origin Solar Radiance of the South Pole Elder—a Daoist immortal’s title. The Jade Youth of the Crimson Palace was named Shangxuan and styled Shengxu. The Great High Pure Numinous Scripture

The Youths of the Jade Dawn Palace

number three thousand in attendance and guard. The Scripture of the Three Origins

The Hidden Writ of the Jade Clarity—the secret canon of the Jade Clarity realm

The Hidden Writ of the Myriad Spirits, which records the myriad spirits, was kept by the High Jade Emperor in a jeweled chamber within the Upper Palace of Jade Clarity. Five hundred attendants served the Golden Immortal, including Jade Youths who offered incense. They held luminous treasures, released the three mysterious Qi, and presented flowers of returning fragrance. The Golden Mystery Feathered Chapter

The Jade Maiden Cui Zhuqiong

carries the scenic wonders into the Golden Chamber. The Twenty-Four Life Charts