《太上洞渊神咒经》Vol. 5

The desert regions, too, were all called “China.” Yet today, those who revere the Great Dao are found mainly in the Central Plains, Wu and Chu, Shu and Han, Jiankang, and Luoyang. The practice of Daoist teachings among both men and women is most widespread in Jing and Chu, Jiangxia, Nanyang, and the lands of Zhou. Few people study the Way of the Immortals west of the Congling Mountains, in Liangzhou, or in the northern region of Xuantu.

The Dao says: Among the palaces and temples under Heaven, Duyang Palace ranks first, and Mount Wudang second. China has ninety trillion palaces and temples, including seven hundred thousand small ones. Their communities include thirty million people. There are forty-nine mountains in the range, of which Mount Duyang is the finest. The mountain stretches 1,200 li from east to west. It has level ground suitable for habitation, as well as places to rest and dry things, and a Yang Valley. Two hundred li into the mountain, one can live in seclusion.

In the past, a Daoist master came there to teach the Daoist arts, and the scriptures and methods of the Three Caverns, the Daoist system for classifying scriptures, were transmitted there. Within ten days, people responded to the Dao and became flying immortals. Among them were Ji Chao, Du Xuanzhi, Xing Tongfa, Li Majin, Zhang Nu, and Liu Shizi. They all ascended to Heaven and became immortals, serving as patriarchs within the Daoist tradition. Zhong Mountain holds the remains of ancient dwellings; today people call that place Xiangchuan. The younger son of King Hui of Zhou once attained the Dao and became an immortal there, and a palace and temple were built at the site. Many local people attained the Dao and became immortals. Later, when Daoists met this master and saw the scriptures of the Three Caverns, they too could become flying immortals. Among the men and women of later generations in Xiangchuan, many became Daoists and had the chance to meet sages. Why was this so? Because the ancient immortal Dong Xuanke once lived there and had already attained the Dao and become an immortal. From time to time, he came among the people to teach and transform them. The people’s devotion to Daoist teachings was the result of these immortals’ instruction.

The Dao says: In later generations, three thousand Daoists will come from across the sea. Phoenix Baimei and the palace official are in the Western Regions, where they have long lived and attained the Dao, becoming immortals. From time to time, they come among the people to teach and transform them. Those who follow Daoist teachings have all received instruction from these immortals.

The Dao says: In later ages, three thousand Daoist priests will come across the sea. The phoenix has a hundred eyebrow markings. The palace official lives in the northern mountains of the Western Regions, where Fuxi’s younger brother lived. Fuxi originally lived on Mount Qiuchi and also on Mount Niu in the Western Regions. Mount Nüwa, too, was a place where sages of antiquity lived; it lies in Xiangchuan. In the Zhou dynasty, thirty thousand immortals lived on this mountain.

The Dao says: On mountains such as Yuntai, Minxuan, Mianzhu, Chishi, Longhe, and Ningshu, people of antiquity and immortals all made their homes. These places are in Shu, around Chengdu. In the years Renwu and Xinsi, the Three Caverns (the classification of Daoist scriptures) were located on Upper Mount Fenyang, Mount Bamin, and Upper Mount Wu. Mount Zitong in Baxi also had many places where ancient immortals lived, including grottoes among the woods. Daoist priests in every region in later ages are all transformations of the Jade Immortals of the Mysterious Maiden. Each day, they go there and manifest as masters who transmit the teachings. They travel through the ten directions and appear on Mount Fushan, Mount Ba, and Mount Jianping, where seven hundred thousand immortals dwell in seclusion.

The Dao says: Households that follow Daoism should go to their master on the Three Assembly Days (set days for Daoist gatherings, worship, and related activities); they must not be absent. Each time they go to see their master on these days, they must pay one shi of Heavenly Rent, no less. Officials in charge of the granaries will inspect and punish people, bringing misfortune upon their households and causing their livestock to die suddenly.

The Dao says: Households that follow Daoism should go to their master on the Three Assembly Days; they must not be absent. Each time they go to see their master, they must pay one shi of Heavenly Rent, no less. Officials in charge of the granaries will punish those who fail to observe the rules, bringing misfortune upon their households, causing their livestock to die suddenly, and making their undertakings difficult to complete. These misfortunes are all caused by the poisonous epidemics of the world. When going to see the master on a Three Assembly Day, one should generally bring three liang of incense as an offering. There are also proper rites and arrangements for requesting an audience with the master; one must not go empty-handed. These formalities do not apply in cases of illness or urgent danger. Even so, one must continue to show the master the same respect one would show a father and must not be negligent. When staying away from home overnight, one must also take leave of the master; if the master tells one to stay, one should stay. Daoist priests set up their altars and carry out their duties according to their rank, without distinction between high and low. After taking part in the assembly and submitting to examination, they will no longer incur misfortune, and the gathered spirits and ghosts may also be granted pardon. If someone has received many scriptures but has done little actual cultivation, then those who have received more scriptures are considered higher in rank. Those who have received no scriptures but claim to have cultivated greatly are instead counted as having cultivated only a little.

The Lord of the Dao said: Families who receive the Daoist teachings and follow their precepts should present the “Heavenly Tribute of Respect” (an offering or ritual item paid to the Celestial Bureaucracy). They should personally deliver it to the administrative center each year, keeping this duty in mind rather than leaving it to their master. If beings from the celestial realm come to punish you, no matter how many petitions your master submits, they may not be enough to avert the disaster. After your master has reported the matter to the Celestial Bureaucracy, you, the head of the household, must still bear the corresponding blame; this has nothing to do with your master.

People in the world are foolish and instead blame their masters. A master who has not received the offering owed is not at fault. Reporting everything to the Celestial Bureaucracy will only put you Daoist followers in a difficult position. The same applies to receiving Daoist teachings and scriptures: even if not every matter can be handled fully in accordance with the rules, ritual work must not be treated as a mere pretense.

People in the world are often poor and unwilling to do what they can, hoping instead to receive something without giving anything. When they hear that a master collects offerings according to the regulations and ritual codes, they claim they cannot afford them. In truth, they are deceiving themselves and others. A Daoist who is devoted to the Daoist tradition should make every effort to prepare a token that shows sincerity and follow the teachings wholeheartedly. Only then can the master help dispel the relevant offenses. Nothing can be accomplished by preparing nothing and giving nothing at all.

The Dao says: From now on, the yellow books and covenant orders issued from Heaven—that is, the celestial documents bearing talismanic commands—as well as the scriptures, should be honored above all else. Anyone who no longer accepts them is a person at fault in the Yellow, Red, and Purple Offices of the present age, the celestial bureaus spoken of in Daoism. The Qi of examination and punishment has already drawn near. Why is this so? The Three Caverns, the three major divisions of Daoist scriptures, have already circulated widely. If someone suddenly falls ill, it is enough to invite Daoist priests of the Three Caverns into the room to perform treatment, bow with the head to the ground, burn incense, and dispel the affliction through offerings of incense. The matter will then naturally pass; there is no need to submit a separate memorial, and the Celestial Bureaucracy will handle it according to the scriptures.

In the years Renwu and Xinsi, anyone who refuses to receive a memorial but writes one on behalf of others will bring fatal calamity upon those seeking help, and the Daoist priest who composes it will also be guilty. When writing a memorial, record the words spoken by the person concerned, according to the matter at hand. The ritual may involve three ritual masters, or eight, five, or one. Facing east, the ritual master sets up the ritual altar, presents the memorial, performs the prescribed steps, and chants the “Pacing the Void” hymn, a liturgical chant accompanying ritual movement. The rite may end once the chant is complete; the ghostly troops will naturally disperse and return to rest. Cakes, fruit, and flour foods must also be offered to support the memorial. From now on, support each memorial in this way, and bow twice after the ceremony.

The Dao says: Anyone who receives a register and talismanic covenant—that is, is entered into Daoist registers and receives talismans as proof—must make offerings to the divine officials from the rank of General upward. These tokens must also be received according to the proper rules, with no step neglected. For the celestial Yellow Book rite, cakes, fruit, and flour foods must be offered to support the memorial. From now on, follow this procedure each time and bow after the rite.

The Dao says: Anyone who receives a register and talismanic covenant must make offerings to the divine officials from the rank of General upward and receive the tokens according to the rules, without any omission. At the celestial Yellow Book rite, eight people may share the meal. Those at the ritual altar must understand the scriptures, and twelve people take part in composing the text. The congregation’s sharing of these offerings is a fixed ritual requirement. People in the world do not understand the rules and often act as they please.

When Daoist priests pray for blessings on behalf of others, they should hold the rites at the proper times. Purification and the expounding of scriptures are of utmost importance, and they must honor their teachers in their hearts. If, on any day, someone breaks the rules and shows contempt for a teacher—if the teacher fails at the beginning or middle of the month to pay respects to the scriptures, honor the Ten Directions (the four cardinal directions, the four intermediate directions, above, and below), and pay respects to the teacher—then each reckless step will bring thirty-six forms of punitive examination. The resulting offense will cause the person to fall into a hell from which no rescue is possible. There will be no way to escape, let alone to attain the Daoist path to immortality.

The Dao says: From now on, through the years of Xinsi and Renwu, the scriptures and teachings of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen)—the three classes of Daoist writings—will spread widely to teach and transform the world. People will no longer need to submit petitions and memorials. Many men and women will uphold the scriptures and enter the mountains to cultivate the Dao. In particular, many women will receive and practice the teachings, guided by celestial maidens. After the year Jiashen, the Dao’s Qi (vital energy) will gradually flourish. The surrounding peoples will all submit and embrace the faith, and the immortals will together follow one and the same method.

Beginning in the year Renwu, Daoists must also wear three kinds of ritual clothing, including caps, coarse robes, skirts, and shoulder mantles, and carry staffs. They should eat one meal each day and take no food after noon. They must abstain from all pungent foods, meat, and alcohol, and taste none of them. When teaching laypeople, they must never act in violation of the precepts. Men and women should help one another attain the Dao; those with wisdom may serve as teachers. They must not raise livestock. Living things have their own proper way of being; people should attend only to their own cultivation. Their vocation should be the scriptures.

Those who enter the mountains to cultivate should observe an extended fast each month, eating only plain vegetables. They should live together in groups of ten, thirty, or even a hundred or more, open up fields, and grow garden produce and the five kinds of vegetables. They should also build dwellings, fasting halls, and towers. They must not live alone in groups of one or two, or three or five. Ghosts and spirits can deceive people, so the practice of the scriptures must not be undertaken alone. Many should cultivate together in a fasting hall, observe the fast three times each month, and burn incense and pay obeisance to the Ten Directions—the four quarters, above, and below—at three times each day. Only then will the divine beings descend and take up residence among people. If one or two people live alone in the mountains, without establishing rules for cultivation, observing fasts, or carrying out the rites, how are they any different from insects and deer in the mountains? They should follow an enlightened master. A teacher should have many skills and know many scriptures to be fit to lead a community in cultivation. When the group numbers ten or more, its members should not live scattered apart—much less when there are only two or five. Such practice cannot win the mountain gods’ trust. The mountain gods will deceive people, and people will receive no good fortune.

The Dao also says: People have been writing talismanic characters in yellow and receiving the teachings for a long time. If they have not received transmission and guidance from a teacher, they will continue to face trials in the future. They cannot win the mountain gods’ trust; the mountain gods will deceive them, and they will receive no good fortune.

The scripture says: Some people write out scriptures on yellow paper and have received the teachings for a long time, yet have never been formally initiated by a master. They will be tested each day and often fall ill; their fields and silkworm crops will suffer losses, their homes will be troubled, and they may not live out their full lifespan, but die prematurely. Nor can they return the talismanic covenant—the written token that authorizes the transmission of a method—to their master, because the spirits have already entered their bodies and organs, and this is what causes their illness. Those who practice according to the method and are initiated by three masters will not face these problems.

For a Daoist who receives scriptures, mastering their teachings is especially important: it is the foundation of cultivating the Dao and ascending to immortality. For this reason, among all the masters, the scripture master is most highly honored; immortals and jade maidens also revere the scripture master. Talismanic covenants are of the utmost importance. A Daoist who has not received the various covenants cannot be called a Daoist; nor can someone who does not follow the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the three major divisions of Daoist scriptures. Those who receive only the Inner and Outer Yellow, Red, and Purple Palace teachings are merely ordinary junior Daoists. Only by upholding the Five Thousand Words (the Dao De Jing) and fully receiving the talismanic covenants and associated rites can one become a high immortal.

The scripture also says: A Daoist who enters the mountains to cultivate should honor the master just as people in the secular world do. When the master dies, the disciple should visit the grave, bury the master according to proper rites, and wear the prescribed garments. The disciple should mourn for seven days, then establish a purification rite for the master. The rite is to be held once every seven days and ends after three such periods—that is, twenty-one days. If a disciple dies, the master should also visit and observe the same rites. No living creatures may be killed for the offerings; it is enough to present cakes and fruit from time to time. Daoists and their later disciples should all follow the scripture’s instructions. Those who fail to do so will incur Heaven’s punishment. Any remaining offerings may be given to others.

The Dao says: People in later generations should honor the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the collective name for Daoist scriptures. If they encounter this Flying Immortal Scripture, it is as though they have seen the image of the Great Supreme One, a revered Daoist deity. Those unable to enter the mountains to cultivate may choose to live near woods or forested hills, keeping away from worldly crowds. In a quiet place ten or five li from other people, they should plant vegetables and trees in abundance and lay out fields and gardens. They should observe purification rites each month without interruption, and teach the ignorant so that they believe in the Three Treasures: the Dao, the scriptures, and the teacher. A master, whether old or young, deserves respect if they are honored as a master.

Long ago, Luo He was already ninety-eight years old, while his master was only sixteen. Three times each day, Luo He bowed to his master and attended him with reverence and without neglect. Seeing this, people sighed: “This old man is nearing the end of his life. Why does he bow to a young child?” The celestial maiden Yunu explained: “This child was the master of the old man Xi in a former life. Though young, the child’s wisdom is profound.”

The Dao says: The bond between master and disciple is a deep connection formed in a former life, like that between father and son. They accompanied one another in past lives and made enduring vows together, passing through many kalpas; their closeness did not begin only in this life. The same is true of those bound by ill-fated ties. Even a ruler, minister, local official, or official receiving a stipend of two thousand shi who follows a Daoist in this life to study how to become an immortal and succeeds in doing good does so because of a connection from a former life. Without a deep connection, they could not become master and disciple, or be bound like father and son within a clan.

To be intelligent in this life, to love the scriptures, and to immerse oneself in reading are also the results of long study and accumulated effort in former lives. The accord between master and disciple, too, is a bond gradually formed over a distant past. They once vowed to be teacher and friend, and only now have the chance to encounter and receive this scripture. Those able to receive the scriptures have studied them in a former life. Others do not know the cause of this connection and simply think the person is intelligent; in truth, they have long been reciting and studying them.

The Dao says: In later generations, plague spirits will be numerous, and ghost soldiers will harm people. Daoists may teach people to observe purification rites on the Eight Seasonal Festivals—the solar terms marking the four beginnings, two equinoxes, and two solstices—with an entire village gathering to perform them. The more people who take part, the more good they can accumulate.

The scripture says that in later generations, plague spirits will grow more numerous, and ghost soldiers will harm people. Daoist priests can teach the people to fast on the eight seasonal festivals, with everyone in the same village taking part together; the more participants, the better. The days listed are the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, Winter Solstice, and the fifteenth day of the first, seventh, and tenth months. All are major fasting days. Daoist priests should perform the fasting rites according to the Great Method. A priest who cultivates the Way of the Immortals and recites scriptures and practices the Way for three days and nights in succession will receive immeasurable blessings. Among Daoist priests, unless they are already master and disciple, an older priest should be addressed as elder brother and a younger one as younger brother; they must not call themselves “servant.” One should be cautious when dealing with harmful spirits. Those wishing to perform fasting rites on the eight seasonal festivals may choose a quiet, remote place, such as a waterside in the wilderness, an island, or a sandbar.

The scripture also says that from the Renwu year onward, the method of submitting memorials was reinstated, and the “Yellow Book Contracts and Commands” circulated in the world were no longer accepted. The heavenly law books received by celestial maidens, however, are not restricted by worldly schools and may be transmitted directly. From now until the Jia Shen year after the Gui Wei year, worldly Yellow Book Contracts and Commands will no longer be used; only this “Yellow Book of All Under Heaven” will be used. Anyone formally initiated into the worldly Yellow Book cannot attain the Way and become an immortal. Men and women who do not already have an Immortal Register—a record of immortals or of those enrolled in cultivation—may receive the heavenly Yellow Book Contracts and Commands if they meet the prescribed qualifications, such as having “ten acolytes and one general.” They may also become great Daoist priests and receive the associated scripture contracts through three masters, or through instruction from just one of them. People do not know that a great flood is drawing near and refuse to accept the Daoist teachings. When the catastrophe strikes, they will die suddenly. If they cannot receive many scriptures and teachings, it is still good to receive and uphold the “Five Thousand Words” (the Daode Jing) and the “Scripture on Converting the Barbarians.”

The Daoist Patriarch said: From now until the years Renwu and Xinsi, many women will receive the Dao, and more people will accept the scriptures and methods of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen), the three categories of Daoist scriptures and practices. Most of those who enter the mountains to cultivate the Dao will also be women Daoists, while men will be fewer. The Mysterious Maiden, a legendary female immortal, will often descend into the human world, appear as a young woman, and seek to receive the Daoist methods. After the year Jiashen, men and women over the age of thirteen will all receive religious offices and talismans, including those of the Ten Generals and the Youths, as well as celestial yellow contracts and commands. Why will this happen? Because people in the world will increasingly believe in the Daoist methods. Immortals such as Magu, Du Lanxiang, An Qisheng, and Tang Gongfang will appear in human form and be received as Daoists. Every household will have someone cultivating the Dao; the scriptures will be held in the highest esteem, and many people will hold morning and evening purification rites and teachings. In the Jiangnan regions of Wu and Chu, as well as Hanzhong, Qin, and Shu, many people will practice the Daoist methods.

The Daoist Patriarch continued: As the scriptures and methods of the Three Caverns spread through the world, immortals will descend day by day. Daoist men and women should diligently study the scriptures and talismanic contracts, receive more Fulu (talismans and registers used to confer religious offices and practice ritual methods), and devote themselves to faith in the Dao and to doing good. They should remember their teachers’ merit and support Daoists. Daoists, whether high or low in status, must not refuse even for a single day the duty of offering incense when someone asks them to dispel calamity. They have attendant officers and troops—divine generals charged with guarding them and conveying celestial commands—and must not neglect them day or night. These officers and troops report people’s faults to the celestial court. If the officers and troops sent by Heaven go against a person’s wishes and leave their side, they will ultimately turn around and punish that person, causing illness, lingering sickness, and physical weakness, as well as all kinds of inauspicious dreams.

Long ago, there was a female Daoist official whom someone asked to dispel a calamity. She deceived them, saying, “Today the divine generals within me are at odds. I cannot perform the rites or dispel your calamity.” The consequence of her deception came two months later: she began to bleed, and did not recover for three years. A diviner told her, “You are guilty; your offense is grave. The celestial bureaucracy is punishing you.” Thinking back, the female Daoist official felt that deceiving someone was the only wrong she had committed, and feared this was the reason she had been punished. She then asked Daoists to conduct purification rites and repentance for a month, after which her illness gradually improved.

The Dao says: From now on, I will pass these words on to people in later generations. When you receive the Daoist teachings, both husband and wife should accept and uphold them together; only one of you must not receive them. A man who receives the Yellow Books must undergo transmission by the Three Masters, the teachers who pass on the Daoist teachings, and receive the Yellow Covenant in accordance with the ritual. Without these rites, it will be difficult to gain a human body again in the future, let alone seek immortality. You must not deceive others. Those who follow the Daoist teachings should uphold them together as a couple, without favoring one spouse over the other. A man’s reception of the Yellow Books, transmission by the Three Masters, and acceptance of the Yellow Covenant must not be omitted. Those who follow the Daoist teachings but fail to burn incense and perform the rites will surely face trials, and calamity may even befall their descendants.

Long ago, two households lived near each other. Both received the Yellow Books and the Inner and Outer Great Covenants, the tokens of initiation transmitted in Daoism. One household underwent transmission by the Three Masters and practiced the Dao every day. Daoist priests dispelled calamities for them, and their affairs went smoothly. Most of what they sought came to pass; in the end, husband and wife attained immortality, and celestial beings protected them. The other household also received the Daoist teachings, but did not undergo transmission and had no Three Masters. The couple quarreled with each other and later stopped practicing the Dao. They did not live out their allotted years: within two years, the entire family perished. This was punishment from the celestial beings. After receiving the Dao, one must observe every rule set out in the scriptures.

The Dao says: People in the world are often foolish. Husband and wife may both follow the Dao, yet jealousy can keep them from practicing it together. This will anger the Dao-Qi officials and troops, the divine officials and soldiers who carry out the Daoist teachings. After death, they will fall into the Hell of the Fire Cart and Eight Winds, a place of infernal punishment described in the scriptures. In a single day, they will die and revive three times, suffering for seven hundred thousand kalpas and never again attaining a human body. Even if they are later reborn as human beings, they will have only a human form, without ordinary feelings. They may be deaf, mute, or ill, with ugly features and a foul-smelling body that makes others unwilling to approach them.

Daoist priests should teach and guide people with compassion, helping them avoid these transgressions. They should wear plain, coarse clothing, eat a vegetarian diet, copy scriptures, study widely, and make service to their teachers their foundation. I give these words to Daoist men and women of later generations, and hope they will consider them carefully.

The Dao says: Daoist teachings are difficult to encounter, and very few people truly do so. If people in later generations encounter them, they should uphold them diligently and respectfully, without begrudging their wealth. A Daoist priest is a teacher to others and should not demand too much from them. Nor should a Daoist priest who hopes to uphold and wear the scriptures and attain immortality become attached to wealth. Apart from one’s wife and children, the members of one’s household and one’s cattle and horses should not become objects of greed either. In the past, some people gave away their wives and children or sold their children to obtain scriptures; they were not alone in doing so. From ancient times to the present, there have been only one or two people who truly believed in the Dao.

The Dao says: Although the Great Scriptures of the Three Caverns (Sanqing; the scriptures collected in Daoism’s Three Caverns) are of the highest rank, they are still not as profound as the Scripture of the Flying Immortals. Why? The Scripture of the Flying Immortals was transmitted by the Great Dao of the Ten Directions, the Most High, and many immortals and jade maidens as they traveled through the worlds in every direction, teaching and transforming beings. Countless divine beings and celestial troops also guard the scripture. Whoever receives and upholds it is protected by the immortals, and will meet with good fortune and success in all things. In the later generations, during the years of Xinsi and Renwu, this scripture will circulate throughout the world. People will teach, study, and recite it, valuing it above other scriptures. Daoist priests often recite it during purification rites because it enables people to ascend and become immortal. The Great Scriptures of the Three Caverns encompass more kinds of immortal ways, including corpse-liberation immortals (those who become immortal as their bodies transform and shed away) and earthbound immortals (those who attain immortality while remaining in the human world). The Scripture of the Flying Immortals does not discuss these; it speaks only of ascending to become immortal. This scripture comprises twenty scrolls and is held in common reverence by the beings of Heaven, the jade maidens, and the immortals of the Ten Directions.

The Dao says: From now until the Renwu and Xinsi years, Daoist priests should hasten to teach the people and help them accept the Daoist teachings. A great calamity is about to arise: pestilential Qi will descend from Heaven, epidemics will spread, and many people will die. This will happen because there are so many evil people. If someone does good and accumulates De, the ghost troops will distinguish them from the others and leave them unharmed. In the years when floods are near, Daoist priests should urge people to establish places of practice—sites for venerating and cultivating the Daoist teachings—and to receive and uphold the orthodox scriptures of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen). If they carry their scripture covenants—the tokens that attest to their faith in and acceptance of the scriptures—with them, officers and mighty warriors will naturally ward off evil. The flood will soon come, in the Jiashen year. If there is no flood in the Jiashen year, there will instead be the calamity of war and weapons, and the people will be thrown into turmoil. After that, floods will inundate the Jiashen year and wash the world clean. At that time, Heaven and Earth will be established anew, and the world will no longer be as it is today.

The Dao says: There is much evil in the world. If there is no flood in the Jiashen year, there will instead be the calamity of war and weapons, and the people will be thrown into turmoil. After that, floods will inundate the Jiashen year and wash the world clean. At that time, Heaven and Earth will be established anew, and the world will no longer be as it is today.

The Dao says: There are many evil people in the world, so the orthodox scriptures of the Three Caverns cannot be widely circulated in time and remain little known. Living beings are truly pitiable, yet they sink along with evil customs, as though mired in mud, and will eventually be executed by the ghost troops. Alas, this is truly distressing. The Most High (a revered Daoist deity) and Wenshi (the Perfected One of Wenshi, a legendary Daoist immortal) once stayed for three days and three nights in the Palace of the Dark Capital (a celestial palace in Daoist lore). They thought only of the life and death of living beings, pondering how they might save them. Then they entered the Golden Coffer, took out twenty scrolls of the Scripture of the Great Void and the Scripture of Flying Immortals, and gave them to Master Taizong, instructing him to transmit them to the people.

The Dao says: From now through the Renwu and Xinsi years, Daoist priests will often encounter the Scripture of Flying Immortals and the Scripture of the Great Void. In Shangdang (an ancient place name), a man named Chuwen Zhishen will encounter these scriptures and thereby become a High Immortal. Among women, 260,000 will receive the scriptures and enter the mountains to cultivate the Dao.

The Most High says: From now on, whenever anyone encounters this master and receives this scripture from him, the Flying Immortals of the Ten Directions, the Immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks, the Jade Maidens, the Elders of Limitless Longevity, and all the Mysterious Maidens will join together to protect the person who receives the scripture.

Wherever a ritual master resides, all under Heaven will be peaceful and harmonious, the five grains will yield abundant harvests, the people will live in comfort, and the emperor will enjoy long life. The Flying Immortals of Heaven, the Immortals of the Five Sacred Peaks, the Jade Maidens, the Elders of Limitless Longevity, and all the Mysterious Maidens will join together to protect the person who receives the scripture. Celestial beings will also descend each day to impart instruction and help the ruler govern the realm and guide the people.

The Most High says: The merit of a Daoist can bring blessings of this kind. If the ruler, ministers, regional governors, and officials of the rank of two thousand bushels also uphold and receive this scripture, their official positions will endure and flourish. Celestial beings will naturally guard them, ensuring that they never do evil. After hearing the Most High expound this scripture, everyone was filled with joy. They accepted its teachings together, bowed in reverence, and took refuge in the Three Treasures—the Dao, the scriptures, and the masters revered in Daoism.

The Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing, Volume Twenty, ends.