《三洞枢机杂说》

Each morning at daybreak, or during the fifth watch (roughly between three and five o’clock), first let the mind and Shen (spirit) grow clear and still. Practice wogu—clenching both hands to help gather and settle the mind—and visualize Shen and Qi (vital energy). Sit upright and with solemn composure, set aside ordinary affairs, quiet the mind, and allow no stray thoughts to arise. Imagine the body resting in the formless, with the mind and Shen abiding in the state of Wuwei (non-action).

In this way a harmonious Qi arises of itself. Then click the teeth seven times and swallow the saliva in the mouth seven times; with each swallow, imagine the saliva being sent all the way to the lower Dantian (energy center), the Dantian below the navel. Practiced over a long time, one comes to cherish the saliva as a precious treasure and to nurture it. Afterward, stretch the sinews and bones and practice the twelve forms of daoyin, health-preserving exercises that coordinate breathing with bodily movement.

The first form, “Opening the Hundred Passes”: Grasp the tips of both feet with the hands and perform the movement three times. With each repetition, swallow once and hold the breath; do not exhale.

The second form, “Pushing Left and Pushing Right”: Pass one hand between the legs and grasp the top of the foot, while the other hand pushes the calf; then reverse left and right, for a total of three times. Swallow once with each repetition.

The third form, “Extending a Single Foot”: Brace one hand on the bed and grasp the toes with the other; reverse left and right, three times on each side. Swallow once with each repetition.

The fourth form, “Grasping the Foot with Both Hands”: Grasp one foot with both hands, then reverse left and right, for a total of three times. Swallow once with each repetition.

The fifth form, “Holding Emptiness to Left and Right”: Clasp the hands behind the back, open both elbows outward, and then slowly relax. Next, one hand reaches toward the chest while the other is held as if supporting something in empty air, imagining that one is pushing a heavy object; reverse left and right, for a total of three times. Swallow once with each repetition.

The sixth form, “Lifting Aloft and Bracing the Earth”: Clasp the hands, lean the body backward as if supporting the sky, and slowly bow the head forward; the body may rise about an inch or two off the ground. Do this three times, swallowing once with each repetition.

The seventh form, “Dragon Coiling and Phoenix Beak” (the character zui means “mouth”): Pass the left hand beneath the right, each hand grasping the other’s wrist, and bring the hands up against the mouth; reverse left and right, for a total of three times. Swallow once with each repetition.

The eighth form, “Phoenix Spreading Its Wings”: First swing both hands backward, then open them forward as a phoenix spreads its wings; alternate the swinging from side to side, for a total of three times. Swallow once with each repetition.

The ninth form, “Swinging Left and Swinging Right”: Clasp the hands, embrace the head and face, and swing to the left and to the right, for a total of three times. Swallow once with each repetition.

The tenth form, “Pushing East and Pushing West”: Clasp the hands and hold them before the body, swinging left and right as if pushing toward east and west. Do this three times, swallowing once with each repetition.

The eleventh form, “Striking the Gate of Heaven”: Clasp the hands and rub the nose with them. Every seven rubs count as one round, followed by one swallow. Do this for three rounds, swallowing twenty-one times in all.

The twelfth form, “The Immortal’s Dry Bath”: Rub the hands together as if clasping them until a warmth is felt; then rub the eyes, and go on to rub the face, ears, neck, and shoulders, as if washing and toweling the body. The more one rubs, the better.

All of the above are everyday daoyin, a method of nurturing life by regulating the body through movements of the limbs. Although they are said to be suited to the early morning, they may be practiced both morning and evening. Practice them often whenever there is free time, and one will naturally grow ever more proficient: the sinews and vessels become supple, the bones grow strong, and the breath comes into harmony. When one is ill, they can help dispel illness; when one is well, they can leave the spirits clear and vigorous. Practiced after a full meal, they aid digestion; practiced when hungry, they can ease hunger; nor do they interfere with the various activities of daily life.

Even if they cannot confer deathless longevity, long practice can still lessen the minor aches and ailments in the body. As the common saying puts it, “Even if it has no effect, it is still better than wasting one’s thoughts for nothing.” This is precisely the point.

When walking at night, one often gently knocks the teeth. There is no fixed number of times. Evil ghosts fear the sound of tooth-knocking and so dare not harass a person. If at the same time one rinses the mouth, swallows the saliva in the mouth, and recites an invocation, the effect is also good.

The immortal Liu Jing said to Huangfu Long: “After waking in the morning, before washing, sit quietly and call the saliva in the mouth ‘Jade Spring’ (Yuquan). Let the saliva fill the mouth, then swallow it; next knock the teeth fourteen times; then, following the method just described, rinse the mouth and swallow the fluids again, and knock the teeth once more. Knocking the teeth is done to summon the Shen (spirits) within the body and settle them, and it can also keep the teeth from being easily damaged. Swallowing the fluids moistens and strengthens the body, gives a pleasing complexion, and drives out the ‘Three Corpse Worms’ (Sanshi; in Daoism, worm-spirits held to dwell in the human body, harm a person’s Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), and obstruct cultivation). This practice is called ‘refining Jing.’ If one can keep it up throughout life, one can become an immortal.”

The Zhen’gao Taisu Danjing Jing (Declarations of the Perfected: Scripture of the Cinnabar Radiance of Great Simplicity) says that one should often rub the whole face with both hands until the face grows warm, varying the movements with the rises and hollows of the face and rubbing as thoroughly as possible. In this way the face takes on a luster and does not develop wrinkles or spots. Persist for five years, and the appearance will be like that of a young girl. First rub the two palms hard until they are hot, then wipe the face and the eyes with the hands; next, following the direction of the hair, stroke it with the hands as if combing. The arms should also be rubbed in turn with the hands; it is said that in this way the hair will not turn white and the pulse will not become floating.

The Essence-Radiance Massage section of the Outer Great Cavern True Scripture (Wai Dadong Zhenjing) says that, when lying down or getting up, one should even the breath, sit upright, first cross the hands, then move them behind the neck and support the nape, and raise the head to look upward, so that the neck and the hands exert force against each other. Doing this three or four times harmonizes Jing and Qi and frees the blood vessels, so that the Qi of wind pathogens cannot enter. Long practice is said to bring freedom from death and illness.

Afterward, bend and stretch the body, extend both hands with full effort toward the four directions, then stretch backward and move every joint of the body, performing each movement three times.

If you feel discomfort within the body, curl the tongue back until it presses against the throat, rinse the saliva in the mouth, and swallow it once the mouth is full, repeating this many times. Before long the discomfort will pass, and the body will feel open and at ease. You may also press and rub both sides of the nose, as many times as you wish. This calms the breath, nourishes the “Central Peak” (here meaning the center of the body, where the spleen and stomach lie), and causes one’s name to be entered in the registers of the Divine Lord. When sitting quietly, often close the eyes and visualize inwardly the five viscera and the intestines and stomach; if this is kept up for a long time, they will gradually come to be seen clearly.

Often cover the mouth and nose with the hands, close the eyes, and let the breath pass gently in and out. After a while, saliva will form in the palms; use it to rub the face and the eyes. Done regularly, this can cause the body to give off a fragrance.

The Zhen’gao says: When combing and dressing the hair, one may comb many times; this helps the blood and Qi (vital energy) to circulate freely and disperses wind and damp. Several combs may be kept ready and used in turn, and it is not necessary to let the hair down before combing.

The Taiji Jing (Scripture of the Supreme Ultimate) says: When combing the hair, face an auspicious direction. At the start of combing, one may softly invoke: “Niwan Xuanhua (the deity of the head), guard and uphold the Jing (essence) and Qi, and preserve them for a long time; on the left is the Hidden Moon, on the right the Root of the Sun; the Jing and Qi of heaven, earth, and the four directions are refined and nourished, and the hundred spirits all receive favor.” When the invocation is finished, swallow the saliva three times. If this is done often, the hair will not easily fall out, and will grow day by day. When combing, give several extra strokes, but do not comb until it hurts. An attendant may also comb in one’s place, with several extra strokes. In this way the blood, Qi, and fluids circulate freely, and the roots of the hair remain firm.

The lower scroll of the Chishu Yujue says: The Northern Emperor of the Upper Palace of Great Mystery often, on Gengshen days (one of the days of the sexagenary cycle), chastises the people of Heaven. The hun-spirits of the Three Corpses (the spirits which, as Daoism holds, dwell in the human body, record a person’s faults, and report them above) will report that person’s offenses item by item.

The lower volume of the Chishu Yujue (Jade Instructions of the Red Script) says: The Northern Emperor of the Upper Palace of Taixuan (Grand Mystery) regularly disciplines the people of Heaven on gengshen days. On this day, the hun-spirits of the Three Corpses (Shen [spirit]: deities which Daoism holds lodge in the human body and scrutinize a person) list a person’s offenses item by item and submit them in memorial to the Emperor Lord. If on this day a person observes the purification fast and keeps the precepts, and day and night visualizes the divine spirits in meditation, the Three Corpses cannot ascend to Heaven to denounce the offenses; the Earth Office that administers the underworld instead memorializes this person’s good deeds. The Emperor Lord Taiyi is thereby pleased, records the person’s name on the left tally (the credential by which the deities register names on the rolls), and causes that person to remain for a long time a seed person (one preserved on the name registers of the school of the Dao [the Way] and engaged in cultivating the Dao).

The venerable deities of Utmost Perfection in the Upper Palace of the Most High regularly, on jiazi days, dispatch the Great Envoy of the Central Terrace of Taiyi to patrol Heaven and Earth, inspect the gods, and disperse the worldly ghosts, demons, and sprites of every place. If on this day a person keeps the fast and burns incense, the Great Envoy of the Central Terrace records that person’s good deeds item by item and reports them to the Three Heavens (the upper, middle, and lower celestial realms of which Daoism speaks). The Supreme Emperor thereupon, on that person’s behalf, removes the ghost-and-spirit masters who oversee the domains under Heaven’s surveillance (the office that scrutinizes the celestial realm and commands the ghosts and spirits of the earth), inscribes the person’s name in the Jade Register, and causes that person to remain for a long time a Perfected (one who has attained the Dao and become an immortal).

From the “Winding Invocation of the Northern Emperor” onward, the original text is unfinished at this point.

The Declarations of the Perfected (Zhen’gao) states that wind illness commonly arises from the yin-damp Qi (vital energy) near tombs and from the blockage of subterranean water Qi. When earth Qi and water Qi clash, a person readily contracts wind-bi, an illness in which wind pathogens obstruct the channels and vessels, bringing numbness and pain to the limbs. In severe cases the whole body cannot move; in milder cases one side is paralyzed; and sometimes the hands and feet also lose sensation or function.

If one often dreams of the northeast or the northwest, returns in a dream to an old dwelling, or sees a place charged with numinous significance, the ancients held that one was about to come into contact with the Qi of a tomb. The northeast of a burial ground is called “Severed Destiny,” and the northwest “Nine Calamities”; both are regarded as inauspicious sites bound up with tombs. If the deceased appear there in a dream, this is taken all the more as confirmation of the teaching.

On meeting with such a dream, one should, after waking, lie on the back, knock the teeth upward three times, and recite an invocation. Its sense is roughly this: I beg the Perfected of High Purity—of the Great Primordial, the Upper Mystery, the Nine Capitals, and the Purple Heaven—who orders the souls and protects life, to guard and uphold me. I have received the higher methods and the teaching of Great Mystery, and I wish for long life and enduring vision, a body grown light, and immortality. May the tombs be at peace, the disputes and accusations of ghosts and spirits come to rest, the hun and po souls be harmonious and glad, and malign Qi disperse. May the various wandering essence-sprites not invade my spirit-Qi. I beg the Northern Emperor to subdue them and send the deviant Qi back into the abyss. I have received the registers of the Supreme Sovereign and respectfully report this to Jade Dawn. After reciting the invocation twice, knock the teeth three times more; it is said that one will then no longer dream of tombs or of the dead of one’s own household. Those who often suffer nightmares and inauspicious dreams may also practice this method, and thereby disperse ghostly Qi and deviant sprites.

The scripture further says that numbness and clumsiness of the arms and hands come about when accumulated wind-toxin Qi congeals into illness within the channels, blocking the joints. It may be treated by acupuncture and moxibustion, or by reciting the “Invocation of the Northern Emperor’s Twists and Turns,” a Daoist invocatory method used to avert illness. According to the scripture, if the method is repeated a hundred times, the illness will also recede. One first massages the affected arm slowly with one hand; after a while, one closes the eyes and gazes inward, swallows saliva three times, knocks the teeth three times, and then, with a quiet mind, softly recites the invocation. The invocation entreats the deities of the Most High to protect the three hun and seven po within the body, the hundred spirits of the four limbs, and the numinous spirits of every place, so that body and mind return to their proper state; and it asks the Northern Emperor to cut down ghostly sprites, deviant Qi, and disease, to dissolve calamity, and to restore the person to health.

The scripture gives the example of Tang Lan, who lived in the mountains. He was once struck by a ghost and could not move at all, limp and powerless like a sack stuffed with cotton wadding. Later a Daoist taught him to practice this method, and the symptoms disappeared. The scripture calls it the “Method of the Northern Emperor’s Twists and Turns,” and says that illnesses of bending, cramping, and obstruction in general may all be treated by it, not wind-bi alone. It adds that Tang Lan is now at Mount Hua, united with the rainbow, and that by taking elixir medicine he has attained deathlessness.

A Perfected asked why people so often fall ill, and a divine person answered: it is because the Shen (spirit) in the various parts of the body have left their posts. When the liver spirit departs, one cannot see clearly; when the heart spirit departs, the lips turn bluish white; when the lung spirit departs, the nose is blocked; when the kidney spirit departs, the ears lose their hearing; when the spleen spirit departs, the mouth can no longer taste sweetness; when the head spirit departs, one grows dizzy and the eyes blur; when the belly spirit departs, the abdomen falls out of order and cannot digest and transform as it should; when the spirits of the four limbs depart, one can no longer move freely.

The scripture holds that Jing (essence) and Shen delight in clarity and stillness and are unwilling to remain amid turbidity. If one wishes the spirits within the body to settle, one should observe purification and abstinence and hang images representing the deities inside the chamber; the hundred illnesses will then recede. If one does not keep the fast, Jing and Shen will refuse to return to the body and will moreover report one’s faults to Heaven. The scripture therefore also attributes frequent illness and unending death to the unrest of the spirits within the body.

The scripture further advises that one regularly rub the face and eyes with both hands until they grow slightly warm. It says that when a person ages and wrinkles appear on the face, they begin first beneath the eyes, while decline of the body’s Qi and weakening of strength begin first between the two kidneys. These two places are called the gateways where wrinkling and decline first arise, and also the passes through which Qi and strength circulate. Thus, if in ordinary times one regularly practices such methods as rubbing the face and eyes, one can ward off aging and keep one’s Qi and strength in good health.

The Scripture of the Cycles of Heaven and Earth of Lingbao (Lingbao Tiandi Yundu Jing) states that the kalpic cycles of Lingbao’s spontaneous operation are divided into the “Great Yang Nine and Great Hundred Six” and the “Lesser Yang Nine and Lesser Hundred Six.” Three thousand six hundred and sixty years make one round of the Lesser Yang Nine and Lesser Hundred Six; nine thousand nine hundred years make one round of the Great Yang Nine and Great Hundred Six. “Yang Nine” means that the movement of the Dao (the Way) of Heaven is obstructed, while “Hundred Six” means that the movement of the Dao of Earth is depleted. After the Jin clan, in the jia-shen year, obstruction and free passage within the cycles of Heaven and Earth reach their end. When the Yang Nine kalpic cycle arrives, the Dao and De (Virtue/Power) become manifest, and the vicious and loathsome are at once dispersed; a sage and enlightened ruler will take up the mandate in the ren-chen year.

The Yellow Silk Scripture of the Forty-Four Methods (Huangsu Sishisi Fang Jing) says that each night, when one is about to sleep and close the eyes, one should stroke the heart three times with the hand, close the eyes, and softly murmur: “Great Numen of the Nine Palaces (Jiugong); the Great One (Taiyi) keeps the time. The Dao and De then become clear; the vicious and ugly are at once dispelled. The sage ruler receives appointment in the ren-chen year.”

The Yellow Silk Scripture of the Forty-Four Methods further says that each night, when one is about to sleep and close the eyes, one should stroke the heart three times with the hand, close the eyes, and softly murmur: “Great Numen of the Nine Palaces; the Great One guards the chamber. The hundred spirits each rest in their places; the hun and po souls are joined in harmony. Long life without death; evil and baleful calamity are blocked off.” When the recitation is finished, one goes to sleep. This is called the “Method of the Hidden Invocation of the Nine Palaces for Reposing the Souls,” that is, the method of silent invocation before sleep that settles the hun and po. Done regularly, it can bring peace to the hun and po and constant good fortune.

Ringing in the ears is said to be a sign that something from outside has entered. The ear spirit, Jiaonü (the Delicate Maiden), says that one should at once make a sound so that the Nine Palaces hear it, enabling them to detect the arrival of an outsider and take precautions. The “bell sound” spoken of here is precisely what is now called ringing in the ears. One who hears ringing in the ears should cross the hands, cover the ears, and invoke: “The Infant is in the palace; the Nine Perfected are in the chamber. Hear clearly the spirits’ command, and also discern the inauspicious. The Great One sends down streaming fire to destroy every baleful calamity.”

Grades of the Sage, the Perfected, and the Immortal

Sages, Perfected, and Immortals each have three classes, together called the Nine Grades; within the Nine Grades each is again divided into three classes, making twenty-seven grades in all. The final line, “Jade Clarity (Yuqing), by a single stream of fire, extinguishes the myriad baleful things,” continues the invocation above. It means that the Qi (vital energy) of Jade Clarity sends down one stream of fire in order to destroy every baleful calamity.

Sages (sheng), perfected beings (zhen), and immortals (xian) form three categories, each divided into three orders, making nine grades in all. Each grade is further divided into three orders, making twenty-seven grades altogether. Jade Clarity (Yuqing) takes the “sage” as its principal rank, Upper Clarity (Shangqing) takes the “perfected” as its principal rank, and Great Clarity (Taiqing) takes the “immortal” as its principal rank. A sage, however, may also be called a perfected being, and a perfected being may also be called a sage; an immortal may also be called a perfected being, and a perfected being may also be called an immortal; an immortal may also be called a sage, and a sage may also be called an immortal. A sage appears once in a thousand years, a perfected person (zhenren) once in five hundred years, an immortal (xianren) once in a hundred and fifty years, and a worthy once in a hundred years.

The Inner Biography of Wenshi, the Unsurpassed Perfected (Wushang Zhenren Wenshi Neizhuan), says that the divine kings of the various heavens scatter flowers and burn incense, making offerings to those who have attained the Dao (the Way). The book further says that the Taishang—an honorific in Daoism for the supreme deity—dispatched envoys dressed in brocade to convey commands to Junxi.

The seventeenth chapter of the Zhuangzi, “Autumn Floods,” records that Zhuangzi and Huizi were enjoying themselves on a bridge over the Hao River. Zhuangzi said, “The white minnows swim freely back and forth; this is the joy of fish.” Huizi asked, “You are not a fish; how do you know that the fish are joyful?” Zhuangzi said, “You are not I; how do you know that I do not know the fish are joyful?” Huizi said, “I am not you, and so I do not know your thoughts; you are not a fish to begin with, and that you do not know the joy of fish is surely beyond all doubt?” Zhuangzi said, “Please let us start again from our first words.” Huizi said, “When you asked, ‘How do you know the fish are joyful?,’ those words already show that you knew I knew of this matter, and that is why you asked me. I knew it on the bridge over the Hao River.”

Fang Qianzhi, whose courtesy name was Daochong, was a native of Boren County in Zhaobang, Jizhou. Heedless of his own gain or loss, he delighted in coming to the aid of others. Households in the mountains were often afflicted by mountain malaria; if they merely entrusted their names to him, the illness would cease.

Someone asked him for a prescription for treating illness, and Fang Qianzhi replied, “When the mind’s intent is upright, one can withstand malign Qi (vital energy). My family is poor, and I have no wealth to give in charity, so I often recite the dharma-wheel Daodejing (Classic of the Dao and of De, Virtue/Power), rejoice in the good deeds of others, and meet the wrongdoing of others with a compassionate heart. In this way one can regulate and heal oneself, and also be able to help others.”

The Shenxian Zhuan records that Magu scattered rice on the ground, and the moment the grains landed they all turned into cinnabar. Wang Fangping said with a laugh, “Aunt, you are still young. I am already old, and I no longer care to play at this sort of cunning and uncanny transformation.”

Sun Bo was a man of Hedong. His mind was lucid and keen, and he excelled at writing. Later he studied the arts of the Dao (the Way) and practiced the methods of Mozi. He could make grasses, trees, metals, and stones burn like fire, the light shining for several li around; he could also turn his whole body into fierce flame and spit fire from his mouth. When he pointed at a great tree, the plants upon it would wither and scorch; when he pointed again, they would return to their former state. He could likewise cause each of the officers and soldiers of the three armies to transform into a ball of fire. Whenever he set others ablaze, even if water was poured on the flames they would burn for a whole day before going out; only when Sun Bo himself pointed at them would the fire stop.

Walking through deep water, Sun Bo himself stayed dry, and he could also keep the several hundred people accompanying him from getting wet. He could spread mats on the surface of the water, sit there eating, drinking, and making music, and have people dance upon the water; the mats needed no support, yet all could revel to their hearts’ content. When the sick came to seek him, he would examine and treat them in person; sometimes he merely pointed with his hand and said the illness was cured, and it truly was cured. He could swallow knives and swords, and pass in and out through walls; he could turn a mirror into a knife, or bend a knife into a mirror, and the altered form would last a long time, until Sun Bo pointed once more and it returned to its original shape. Later he entered the mountains and forests; it is said that he left a divine elixir in the mountains and then departed as an immortal.

An Account of the Arts (recording magical techniques)

Wood may be used to avoid the passages of evil and to cut off the roads by which ghosts and demons come and go. Taking pills made from wood can cause the luminous and intelligent heart-mind to spread throughout the body, so that Qi (vital energy) and blood circulate with lightness, ease, and fullness; taking medicines prepared by decoction or by grinding into powder can cure all manner of illness, enabling a person to attain longevity and to preserve life for a long time. The formulas for compounding these wood medicines are not recorded.

Nanzhu (the name of a plant)

When one encounters a year of famine with no grain, or when a household is poor and cannot obtain grain, one may take nanzhu (the name of a plant) alone, or take it together with fuling, or blend nanzhu with honey, or mix in the leaves of pine and cypress. Pound the branches and leaves of nanzhu to extract the juice, use it to soak the “rice of the Azure Dragon” (a kind of rice so named in the original text), and then prepare it as a medicine to be taken. The tree of nanzhu has a form like grass, and for this reason it is called “nanzhu, herb and tree”; it also bears such alternative names as “monkey medicine,” “nandu,” “houzhuo,” “weina wood,” and “king of herbs and trees.” This plant is found in the famous mountains, and is especially abundant in the regions of Wu and Yue.

The middle fascicle of the Taizhen Ke says: Within the territory of the Son of Heaven’s capital, fields are set out over a range of a thousand li, to provide for the ancestral temple and to supply what is needed both near and far. The institution of a thousand li symbolizes the vast reach of the courses of the sun and moon, and for this reason it is fixed at a thousand li. Such a place is called the “jingshi”: jing means vast, and shi means numerous, because the Son of Heaven dwells there and the multitude gathers there. In the original text this passage is repeated once.

The Laojun Zhenzhong Kaihe Jing says: A person’s vital Qi (vital energy) should constantly remain settled within the body and must not be let out at will. The mouth is the gateway that draws in the five calamities; the heart is the passage that invites the eight poisons.

At this point a passage of the original text is missing and cannot be interpreted. Whenever one writes Fulu (talismans and registers)—the talismanic credentials inscribed in Daoist ritual—one must first recite them three times.

“Bulin nielin.” (The sense of the original is unclear; there may be corruption or omission.) Write the talisman on a hubing flatbread and secretly recite the incantation seven times.

The true script of the preceding talisman (so the original; what it specifically refers to is unknown).

Each morning at dawn, click the teeth twenty-four times, and, holding this incantation, recite it three times. Then face east and swallow three talisman pills with a decoction of maoxiang. The incantation says: “The precious treasure of the august spirits will not decay even through the passing of kalpas. Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) are constantly joined in harmony, and the span of life is naturally long. Hold it firmly and without the least shortfall for even a moment, and every calamity can be dispelled. The Perfected secretly treasure this text, cautious to the end just as at the beginning. Quickly, quickly—act in accordance with the oral command of the Most High Lord Lao.”

After the “Method of True Incense for Communicating with the Spirits,” the original text again gives part of the sentences of the preceding incantation and once more writes “Method of True Incense for Communicating with the Spirits.” Within this, the phrase “as for incense, it decays” does not make sense; it is suspected to be an error introduced in copying, and the original meaning cannot be determined.

Incense can summon spirits and communicate with the deities; it can also convey prayers and messages, guide the coming and going of divine beings, and show whether the one who offers sacrifice stands near to or far from the spirits. Those charged with incense matters—the incense director (dianxiang) and the incense attendant (shixiang)—together with the Jade Lads and Jade Maidens (yutong and yunü), the incense officers and envoys (xiangguan shizhe), and others of their kind, therefore each have their own proper duties and must not be treated lightly. These statements are found in the Sandong Beilian Ke (Liturgical Code of Preparatory Refinement of the Three Caverns).

The Liuzhu Jing (Scripture of the Flowing Pearl) says: Burning incense that comes from foreign lands, foul in odor and sharp and pungent—for example, frankincense (ruxiang) and luojiaxiang—violates a Daoist taboo. It is not the incense used by a zhenren (Perfected Person) in ordinary cultivation. The Perfected favor incense of the kind called the secluded wood of Purple Tenuity (ziwei youmu); all who smell it are pleased by it. What is meant here is chenshuixiang and jianxiang. Hu-incense is sharp, poisonous, and foul, and the Perfected detest it; hu-incense refers to frankincense.

The Tongbai Zhiren Wang Zijin (a Daoist immortal) said to the Qingxu Zhenren Wang Zideng: “In former times Su Shangqing liked to burn sharp, pungent incense, and its fragrance rushed up before the image of the Zhonghua Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of Zhonghua). After the underworld memorialized the matter, the Most High (Taishang) detested the practice and thereupon reduced his rank among the immortals.” At this point the scripture also repeats the account concerning hu-incense and Su Shangqing.

The Shenxian Xiangpu (Manual of the Incense of Immortals) says: People of the world commonly use frankincense in offerings to the deities of the heavenly realm, yet frankincense is also called hu-incense. The Supreme Thearch and the deities of the Five Stars do not like to smell it, presumably because its odor is sharp and its fumes are defiling. Luojiaxiang and musk (shexiang) are especially taboo to the deities.

Chenxiang, jianxiang, jiangzhenxiang, white sandalwood (baitanxiang), suhexiang, and qingmuxiang are said to send their fragrance as far as forty li. Clove (dingxiang) and benzoin (anxixiang) can drive off evil and remove impurity. Of borneol (longnao), only raw borneol may be used; processed borneol may be mixed with the smell of wood.

Method for Making Jiangzhenxiang Beads

Take three jin of chenshuixiang. The original text is left unfinished at this point, and afterward the heading “Method for Jiangzhenxiang Beads” appears once more.

Three jin of chenxiang (agarwood, a kind that sinks in water), two jin of xunmuxiang, nine liang of qingmuxiang, five liang of clove, three liang of wushen, six liang of quetouxiang (sparrow-head aromatic), two liang of fragrant baizhi, two liang of zhanfuxiang (champaca), two liang of white sandalwood, three liang of aixiang (mugwort aromatic), four liang of benzoin, and three liang of magnolia—twelve medicinal materials in all (jin and liang are traditional Chinese units of weight). Each is pounded separately and sifted; ten liang of dried jujube flesh are then added, and the mixture is pounded another thirty thousand times. It is placed in a white earthenware jar and steamed for one day. Three jin of white honey are then added and blended evenly, and pounding continues until everything is fully fused. The paste is formed into pills the size of a chicken’s head, strung on thick blue-green cord, and dried in the sun. These are called the “Sanzhen Jiuhe Xiangzhu Wan” (Incense-Bead Pills of the Three Perfected and the Nine Harmonies).

When these incense pills are burned in the ritual arena, their fragrance is said to rise straight to the Nine Heavens (the highest celestial realms in Daoism). Smelling it, the Tianzhen Yunü (perfected goddesses of the heavenly realms) descend from the void to look. This passage comes from the Jiutian Shengshen Zhaiyi (Zhai Rite for the Birth of the Spirits of the Nine Heavens; zhai is the purification rite).

The Method of Fragrant Oil for Divine Candles

The Dongshen Jing (Dongshen Scripture; Dongshen, the Cavern of Spirit, is one of the Three Caverns, and jing means scripture) records this method for making fragrant oil: take nine jin of chenxiang, three jin of green cassia bark, ten liang of qingmuxiang, ten liang of true sandalwood, eight liang of clove, eight liang of storax, ten liang of quetouxiang, eighteen liang of linglingxiang, twenty liang of dried jujube fat, ten liang of huoxiang, six liang of xuansu, and eight liang of baizhi—twelve medicinal materials in all. First observe ritual purification and fasting. From the almanac choose a ping day, a jian day, a kai day, or a cheng day. Facing east or south, cut the materials into pieces, place them in a silk bag, and steep them in chenyou (sinking oil). Do not open it for seven days.

If the materials are pounded, mixed with honey, and then lit with fire obtained by a yangsui (an ancient device that concentrates light to produce fire), they are said to resonate with and summon the true spirits. This method comes from the Sandong Daoshi Xiulian Ke (Liturgical Code for the Cultivation of Daoist Priests of the Three Caverns).

The method for preparing the oil for the divine candle is as follows. Assemble five liang of zhanfu, three liang of xunlu (frankincense), six liang of linglingxiang, six liang of gansong (spikenard), three liang of baimaoxiang, three liang of wushen, and three liang of baizhi (Angelica dahurica)—seven aromatic medicinals in all. Chop them fine, place them in a silk bag, and steep them in oil for three, five, or seven days; then remove the bag and light the lamp. Once kindled, the fragrance is rich and full, and it is said to open communion with, and to invite the descent of, the tianzhen, the divine spirits of the celestial realm.

In making incense lamps, the essential point is to cover the flame with a colored shade. This keeps out insects and wind, and it also allows the light to last longer. Besides the lamps and candles set upon the zhaitan—the altar ground where the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) is performed—one should also lay in an ample supply of wax torches, which must not be lacking. This method is taken from the Jiutian Shengshen Yi (Ritual for the Birth of the Spirits of the Nine Heavens).

For the incense formula, take twenty liang of fresh maoxiang, sort it clean and strip away the outer skin, and retain twelve liang of the cleaned material. Chop it and stir-fry it with two liang of honey until it turns yellow. Add two liang of xiangfuzi (cyperus rhizome), chopped; one and a half liang of clove bark; seven liang of yellow sandalwood, chopped; and one liang of jiangzhenxiang. Pound these ingredients and mix them evenly. Then take twenty-four liang of well-refined honey, blend and knead everything thoroughly, place the mixture in a porcelain vessel, and bury it in a cool spot some two or three chi underground. After ten days it may be taken out for use. Each time a portion of the incense has been blended with honey, add a further three liang of coarse jianxiang powder.

For the Qingyuan incense formula, take ten liang of gansong, thirty liang of fragrant baizhi, five liang of xuanshen, six liang of linglingxiang, seven liang of maoxiang, five liang of clove bark, three liang of huoxiang, three liang of xiangfuzi, half a jin of woody musk, and five liang of jiangzhenxiang. Wash and chop these materials, reduce them to a coarse powder, and blend them with refined honey. Place the mixture in a vessel, seal it, and set it aside for a time until it has mellowed, after which it may be used.

The latter part of the source text contains repetitions and corrupt readings; in particular, passages such as “锉啌v” cannot be deciphered with certainty. The Qingyuan incense formula above is therefore given only according to what can be made out.