《太上洞玄灵宝飞仙度人经法》

Reading the Contents of the Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Feixian Duren Jingfa

Volume One

Chapter on Introducing the Subtle Teachings: Explains how beginners should enter the practice, including the oral instructions for the methods, how to begin cultivation, the Ten Precepts, and initiation rites for receiving office at three levels.

Chapter on Opening the Cycle of Destiny: Transmits secret oral instructions for opening the cycle of destiny and explains how to cultivate and study the ritual texts. Its contents include opening and expounding the Longhan Tribulation—the primordial cataclysm spoken of in Daoism—the Books of the Thirty-Two Heavens, the transmitted texts in the Jade Elder’s Red Script, reciting The Empty Song of the Azure Firmament, and methods for writing talismans.

Chapter on True Responses: Describes the circumstances in which the Dao Lord first received the teachings. The assembled Perfected Ones were all present. The master had the disciple observe the ritual text. Before it was unrolled, the disciple was to close their eyes, contemplate inwardly, hold their breath for a time, and recite, “The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning is now about to preach this scripture,” until they imagined themselves seated at ease upon a lion throne.

Chapter on Recognizing the Spirit: The master explains that this is the spirit-consciousness used in cultivating the various Lingbao methods. One should burn incense and pay homage each day, then practice according to the methods and ritual implements described later in the text.

Chapter on Manifest Responses: Describes the responses that appeared when the Dao Lord first received the teachings, as a way of explaining the proclamation of the scriptures and methods. After reciting ten times, one gathers them into unity and thereby summons the True Texts from the ten directions. Characters resembling those on golden books and jade registers are written on a ritual diagram. The scripture also provides oral instructions and spirit-summoning incantations for use in performing the rites.

Chapter on the Cavernous Realm: After the Celestial Worthy transmitted the teachings, various transformations appeared in the disciple’s Dharma Body. One may recite incantations over a ritual diagram. The scripture also describes empowering millet with incantations, making oneself invisible while preserving the spirits, and techniques for restraining and capturing souls. It includes oral instructions for visualization to guide the practice.

Chapter on Protecting the Body: After receiving the teachings and beginning cultivation, a disciple may be harmed because of past karma by ghosts and spirits, treacherous people, or robbers. The master teaches the disciple the “Three-Step Ding-Gang Method,” a form of stepping the Dipper, to protect the body and prevent ghosts, spirits, and evil people from causing harm.

The master who confers the precepts must explain this precept to the disciple: This teaching is noble and mysterious, and its merit is profound. What the scripture describes are the hidden inner names and mysterious sounds of the heavenly sovereigns, as well as the forbidden names of the demon kings and the hidden names of the spirits and deities. These are not words used in everyday human speech. If one has the good fortune to cultivate this teaching, it can keep ten thousand kinds of calamity from intruding. This teaching is also the root of the ten thousand Ways.

When explaining the precept regulations, the master says: This teaching has hidden names for its practice; they are not words used in everyday human speech. If one has the good fortune to cultivate it, it can keep ten thousand kinds of calamity from intruding. This teaching is the root of the ten thousand Ways.

When explaining the precept regulations, the master also says: Practicing this teaching can rescue one’s ancestors, freeing them from the suffering of the shadowy underworld. Here, ten precepts are taught, and a ritual is established for burning straw figures and covenant documents in order to offer aid to ancestors across the generations. The text also lists seven matters for disciples to follow when receiving the precepts and being appointed to office. Here, official certificates are issued, granting Daoist positions. In the chapter on ranks and offices, the ritual master teaches the rites for making one’s way through the heavens and proclaims documents such as the ordinances of the Three Realms and talismanic commands from the Primordial Beginning. The master again admonishes the disciples: This scripture has great merit. It is a teaching followed by superior practitioners, and when perfected, it enables one to ascend to the heavens. Thereafter, appointments to office may also be conferred in three grades.

The chapter on visualization says that at this stage of practice, one should use incantations for visualization and inward concentration. In daily practice, one need only recite them accordingly. The teachings in this chapter are a meritorious method for reverent cultivation, to be followed over the long term.

Volume Two

Narrative of the Scripture

The chapter on transformation says: After seeing the disciple receive this teaching and cultivate it for three years, the master sees spiritual diagrams appear within the disciple, revealing the Primordial Ancestral Qi (the original Qi of the Primordial Beginning). The Ancestral Qi gives birth to the heavens and opens and brings forth the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars. This is the root of Heaven. Beyond it, there is no other source: only the Dao is the root. This set of teachings is now transmitted to the disciple to wear and practice.

The chapter on generation continues the previous chapter’s account of the Primordial Ancestral Qi: the Ancestral Qi gives birth to the heavens and opens and brings forth the Three Luminaries. This is the root of Heaven. Beyond it, there is no other source: only the Dao is the root. This set of teachings is now transmitted to the disciple to wear and practice.

Continuing from the previous chapter, the chapter on generation describes how, when the five writings unfold, the red scripts of the Five Elders and Five Emperors, along with the jade characters of the Five Sprouts, appear and are shown to the world. The Qi of the spiritual writings transforms into red script, which in turn transforms into written characters and symbolic signs. Whenever one writes Fulu (talismans and registers) or practices visualization, one should recite the passage above as an incantation.

In the “Establishing the Chapter,” the transformation of the ancestral Qi (vital energy) into the various heavens is revealed. Among these heavens is the Jade Clarity Realm, the highest immortal realm in Daoism, situated within the Heaven of Heavens. The scripture then reveals three realms. Practitioners visualize these realms in sequence and make this a part of their daily practice. There are also three talismans of the Three Blossoms, written respectively in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers).

In the “Deliverance from the World Chapter,” the Great Pervading Brahma Qi, the sacred energy filling the vast cosmos, surrounds the ten directions and manifests figures such as the deity who delivers people and grants immortality. The Five Emperors are also called the Five Elders. The scene in which the assembled sages descend before the hall is a realm of supreme emptiness, imperishable and indestructible, and also a manifestation of the immortals who enjoy long life.

By the “Preserving Life Chapter,” wondrous efficacy and the transformations of the Dharma Body have already been revealed. The assembled Perfected Ones gather in their radiance and return to their chariots, carrying talismans and registers that record merit and transgression. They come together before the Emperor and perform the rites as needed, saving people from life and death so that they may endure through kalpas.

In the “Proclamation to All Chapter,” the Celestial Worthy issues the true texts of the Three Realms, creating covenants and seal talismans. The assembled Perfected Ones carry talismans and registers to the Emperor and perform the rites as needed, saving people from life and death so that they may endure through kalpas. The Celestial Worthy also issues the true texts of the Three Realms and creates covenants and seal talismans to help the disciples’ kin from across countless kalpas escape the gates of the underworld. These serve as credentials for proclaiming the message throughout the Three Realms.

In the “Talismanic Decree Chapter,” the Celestial Worthy issues the primordial talismanic decree, using seal talismans and golden writings to deliver the dead and save living beings. The rite is now performed for the disciples’ kin from across countless kalpas, removing them from the registers of evil, admitting them to the immortal path, and making them great immortals.

In the “Establishing the Covenant Chapter,” the ritual diagrams reveal the transformations of the sacred Perfected Ones of the thirty-two heavens, and a covenant for ascending to Heaven is established. After receiving this method, disciples practice in accordance with it. Through daily cultivation, they can examine and verify the sacred work. The evil karma accrued each day is also dissolved each day, allowing the transformed body to appear. The Celestial Worthy now creates covenant talismans and true texts for ascending to Heaven, delivering the disciples themselves and their kin from across countless kalpas to the heavens.

In the “Making the Covenant Chapter,” the Celestial Worthy establishes the covenant talismanic method. The true texts in golden writings and jade seals from the four directions and the thirty-two heavens accord with the covenant forms and together make covenant talismans, helping living beings escape the gates of the underworld.

In the “Passing Through the Heavens and Their Passes Chapter,” the Celestial Worthy creates true talismans for the various heavens and announces them throughout the heavens, cutting away the three roots of evil. These talismanic methods can prolong life, cure illness, ward off calamities, and deliver one’s ancestors.

The Master of the Chapter on Transformative Action reveals the meaning of the teachings here and gives universal notice to the endless ranks of exalted lords. They govern affairs between Heaven and Earth, causing the spirits and ghosts of the four directions to heed their commands and carry out the ritual rites.

The Master of the Chapter on Hidden Transformation explains and clarifies the Jade Record of the Primordial Cavern in the scripture. Before Heaven and Earth had divided, there were no forms or images. Later, through the Great Brahma Qi (the primal energy at the beginning of the cosmos), they were established, and only then did the myriad things begin to take shape. The Jade Record arose from Gang Qi (the circulating energy associated with the celestial pole). This method is now transmitted to restrain and govern the body: by following the Gang Steps (a prescribed sequence of steps), one can make the body disappear, then return Shen and Qi to their root. This serves as a visualization practice and incantation for concealment. When the incantation is performed, the body naturally vanishes.

The Master of the Chapter on Numinosity explains the contents of the middle section here. Only after chaos did people begin to create writing. The practices described earlier gave rise to Red Writing, sacred Daoist script. Red Writing was not created through cultivation and transformation; it already existed at the beginning of the cosmic cataclysm. Now the Celestial Worthy reveals the teachings, using “The Opening of the Red Illumination Chart” as the method. It is recorded in the Scripture of the Jade Emperor’s Original Conduct. The sage masters of the present age have incorporated these teachings into the scripture for shared use, completing the Way of the Flying Immortals.

The Chapter on Red Writing follows on from Red Writing, Jade Instructions, and other true writings and incantations, and discusses ancient script. Later generations of practitioners found it difficult to put these to use. Therefore, the essential meaning of the Jade Instructions is now explained, along with the ancient script and the middle section of the Primordial Beginning. Although writing and the myriad things all arise through transformation, there was no method for controlling them. Previously, only the four directions had been discussed, established according to the thirty-two heavens. The wondrous substance of numinous writings and jade characters arises naturally, and its Qi branches out from the Nine Brahma Heavens. The Instructions of the Luminous Jade and the Eight-Power Dragon Script (Daoist sacred writing endowed with numinous power to subdue) can govern the Nine Heavens and bring the host of demons under control. Only after Heaven established the rites were spirits and demons constrained within true writings and jade registers. These teachings may be consulted together and taken as a rule.

The Jade Instructions record that the master transmits several lines of true writing in red ink here. Before carrying it out, one must first perform the opening invocation—reporting the matter to the deities—and pacify the Five Sacred Peaks, settling their mountain gods. One must then submit memorials and petitions and put the documents of the divine realm in order; it is best to deliver them in person. Acting rashly without following these procedures brings no benefit. Therefore, the ritual procedures and methods for the opening invocation and memorial submission are compiled together in one chapter, so later students may understand and practice them.

The documents of the Five Emperors—the Celestial Emperors of the five directions—are placed before the scripture, and the Dragon Writings of the Eight Powers, texts imbued with numinous force, follow it. The five documents are listed directly below for use.

The True Writings in Red of the Five Directions may be used in two ways, or all five may be used together. Their secrets record the procedures for dispatching documents: first, report to the Water Court; second, report to the Earth Court; third, report to the Court of the Sacred Peaks. When using the five documents separately, one is to be deposited at a numinous mountain peak, with the writing prepared on a day selected according to one of the eight seasonal divisions, a Jiazi day, or the practitioner’s birth sign day. Another method is to perform the technique of summoning and controlling, using divine light to subdue demonic essences. When all five documents are used together, the same procedures for reporting to the Water, Earth, and Sacred Peaks Courts apply. They may also be used to stabilize the courses of the stars, avert celestial calamities, or summon dragons, celestial beings, and water deities to stop floods.

Scroll Four

The Dragon Writings record that the master transmits this method here to those who study the Dao. Recite this numinous text together with its divine incantation, and persist in virtuous practice with unwavering sincerity: in time, you will communicate with the spirits. Wherever you perform the rite and summon them, simply point with your hand and the response will come at once; every transformation and wondrous efficacy can be brought forth at will. Whether traveling in and out or dwelling quietly in seclusion, one’s place in the order is determined by Taiji, the Daoist source and highest order. The relevant ritual procedures are now clearly recorded here.

The “Chapter on the Originating Guideline” discusses the originating guideline: the fundamental order that governs primordial Qi within the human body. Understanding this guideline is an important path in cultivation and the quest for immortality, as well as a ladder leading to the celestial realm. The scripture says that the originating guideline is primordial Qi, the fundamental energy that forms the human body and sustains life. When a person cultivates according to the method, primordial Qi rises upward in reverse, connecting the bones, channels, and sinews throughout the body. Humans are born from primordial Qi, and the whole body, from top to bottom, is made of it. The entire body belongs to Yin; only “this thing” is Yang essence—the essence associated with Yang. The scripture then describes the transformations and divine beings involved, as guidance for practitioners. A method for cultivating the Dao in the Cavern Chamber—visualization practice conducted in inner bodily abodes where deities reside—is also included here.

The “Chapter on the Numinous Sprout” is explained here by the master to illuminate the preceding chapter. The myriad forms unfold from it, transforming into Red Script and Jade Characters, sacred red talismanic writing, and congealing into the Five Sprouts, the vital essences corresponding to the five directions and Five Phases. In Heaven, the Five Sprouts are the essences of the Five Emperors; within the human body, they are the essences of the five sense organs. Harmonizing the five kinds of primordial Qi within the body is the key to practicing the Cavern Chamber method. Practitioners circulate and distribute Qi according to the originating guideline, while ingesting or visualizing the Five Sprouts as part of their practice. What follows are methods for visualizing the Five Sprouts, incantations for the five directions, and the true writings of King Fang, among other contents.

The master of the Chapter on Benevolent Deliverance explains here that disciples who have received instruction in the Dao’s methods and understand how to cultivate and perform them in accordance with the rules will know that the human body, too, contains limitless realms through which others may be guided toward deliverance. Heaven opens the Eight Gates, among which is the Flying-Heaven Dharma Wheel. A person’s guilt and good fortune are determined by that person; observing the prohibitions and precepts is bound up with the causes and conditions of one’s destiny. The people should be guided and brought to deliverance in turn, so that they, too, may regain life. Above the heavens, each realm has a Gate of Life. Among them are empty, hollow realms from which songs are heard, as well as the numinous writings of demon kings. For this reason, the words of those numinous writings are placed below, so that students of the Dao may examine their meaning closely and put them to use.

There is also a massage talisman, found in the Scripture on Illuminating the Beginning. This chapter sets out the talisman separately as a means of aiding the world and a method of restraining harmful forces. It also describes the true seal-script characters used in talismans and registers for the Three Realms. The first belongs to the Realm of Desire: the Talisman for Cutting Off a Hundred Evils, called the True Writing in Jade Seal Script, is used to counter disturbances caused by spirits and monsters. The second belongs to the Realm of Form and consists of three talismans: one to guard a troubled household, one to resolve tangled grievances and obstructions, and one to restrain madness and demonic disorder. The third belongs to the Formless Realm and consists of two talismans: one to avert calamities in public and private affairs, and one for sending away ghosts.

The ancestors dwell above the Three Realms. Amid the flight through the air, the voices of demon kings can be heard. Another talisman is given here. It should be written on a bamboo slip to avert calamities in public and private affairs. It is used generally to communicate with the heavens and is also used within.

Scroll Five

The master of the Chapter on the Hidden Treasury says: This teaching is meant to show disciples that the sacred work of the sages is of great significance: it is a treasure secretly kept by Heaven. Now the methods of practice held in the hands are recast as ritual texts and incantations.

Here are the teachings of the masters on two chapters: one explains the cycles of Heaven and Earth’s movement, and the other explains their movement’s end. Both chapters are secret utterances of the Lords of Heaven and the most numinous demon kings, not ordinary words of the world, and are therefore called profound and difficult to understand. They are treasures kept by Heaven, secretly stored in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity in the Mysterious Capital, a celestial palace. By rule, they are transmitted only once every forty thousand kalpas, an immensely long span of time. The recipient must be a person of outstanding virtue and cultivation, who first swears an oath before the heavens of the ten directions. Only then may the teachings be transmitted; they must not be disclosed casually.

The master’s teaching on the Inner Sounds chapter says: The middle section of the Numinous Book of Primordial Beginning contains the hidden resonances of the thirty-two heavens, through which it reveals the accomplishments attained by those who cultivate the Dao. The scripture says that when the chart opened in the Red Illumination era, the true void remained indestructible and transformed bodies appeared; then the Five Writings emerged and opened out. These writings were all formed from the Qi of the Great Brahma, the primordial energy of the cosmos. They were then authenticated by the celestial book’s jade seal script, so that the true writings would correspond to practitioners and accord with the essential principles of the Mysterious Registers.

According to these writings, practitioners can deliver their nine generations of ancestors and their relatives from across countless kalpas, establish a ritual name, and obtain a register granting ascent to Heaven, a credential symbolizing eligibility to ascend. The celestial realm is divided into four quarters, each with eight heavens. The main text belongs to Primordial Beginning, while the middle section indicates the hidden names. If someone writes the true writings on yellow silk and wears it on their person, thereby bringing themselves into accord with the Mysterious Registers, they can cause their nine generations of ancestors to ascend to Heaven and become an immortal themselves. These teachings should not be transmitted lightly to those lacking virtue.

The master’s teaching on the Jade Characters chapter says: The wondrous substance of the Numinous Book’s jade characters came into being naturally. Its primordial Qi branched out from the Nine Brahmic Heavens, and its opening and manifestation appeared in later ages. Thus, there are principles governing how it is used and rules governing how it is transmitted in writing; those who recite and absorb it also receive its primordial Qi. Its efficacy lies in grasping its meaning. The true writings in jade characters are the foundation of the register granting ascent to Heaven.

The master’s teaching on the True Talismans chapter lists twenty-five talismanic writings.

The master’s teaching on the Absorbing Characters chapter brings together the characters, directions, months, and dates used throughout the year. It instructs students of the Dao to study and recite them diligently and thoughtfully, and not to act carelessly. It also lists twenty-five talismanic writings.

The “Chapter on Protective Characters” brings together the characters used throughout the year. The master explains how to write them, their directions, months, and dates, so that those who study the Dao may examine them diligently rather than glance over them in haste. Practices such as ritual performance, consuming sprouts, and guarding the center also each have suitable days. In practice, then, only a few days of the year are used. The characters shown here are those in common use among ordinary people; the true celestial seal script, used in the heavens, is written in the Ascension Warrant and should be chosen according to the principles embodied in these characters.

The “Chapter on Character Instructions” explains why these characters were created. They all emerged from the primordial Brahma Qi, the original vital energy of the cosmos, and were transmitted and used according to their particular purposes. This chapter explains them one by one: there are 256 characters, drawn from the Middle Volume of the Scripture of the Numinous Writings.

The “Chapter on Naturalness” says: The Dao is subtle, vast, and boundless; nothing lies beyond its reach, and nothing is overlooked, however minute. Written characters may be arranged vertically or horizontally, reversed, divided, or scattered, and still serve their corresponding functions. The jade characters of the Middle Volume of the Primordial Origin emerged from the Qi of Great Brahma: separated, they become characters; joined together, they become sounds. Used with subtlety, they can become talismans; condensed into a simple form, they can become incantations. Flying seal script and other variant forms are likewise based on the scriptures and serve the needs of ritual practice. They are therefore included in this book as models for ritual use.

In the “Chapter on Returning to Destiny,” the master reveals the scripture’s profound and subtle teachings. Most of the ritual methods presented earlier consist of the hidden words and measureless sounds of the various heavens. Though everyone possesses these sounds, characters, and written forms, almost no one can recognize them. The sage master therefore explains them again and again, clarifying the hidden words of Great Brahma and the measureless sounds of the heavens. Those who understand these sounds and characters can grasp the fundamental principles by which Heaven, Earth, human beings, and all things came into being. To know the sounds is to know; to know is to recognize one’s own nature and life. Recognizing one’s nature and life makes it possible to understand transformation and creation. Only when one understands the principles of transformation and creation in the scripture is one’s cultivation complete.

Explanatory Notes.

The chapter on Natural Jade Characters—that is, Daoist talismans formed naturally before Heaven and Earth—aims to explain the primordial ancestral Qi, the original Qi that existed before all things in Heaven and Earth took shape. Once this ancestral Qi transforms and gives rise to things, it becomes the human body. Here, however, the discussion concerns only the Great Brahma Qi, the original Qi that constitutes the universe. Sages use tangible numbers and patterns to teach people, helping them understand the harmony and mysteries of nature. From this they establish methods of deliberate cultivation, guiding people beyond the state of primordial chaos and to a realm beyond Buyi, the clear and empty domain described in Daoism.

Sages use written characters to spread their teachings, and through the sages, writing itself becomes a means of instruction. Thus the methods of practice are transmitted and named according to bodily forms and numerical patterns. After explaining three convenient methods through the Mysterious Pass—the subtle opening in cultivation through which one perceives the mysteries of body and mind—the text shows how all three use forms and numbers to regulate the body and determine the timing and course of cultivation. Qi is the Dao in its complete substance; when the Dao spreads and circulates, its essence becomes manifest.

The sages of antiquity taught people to observe the celestial signs and discern the changing seasons, and to observe the contours of the land and understand the shapes of mountains and rivers. The “patterns” discussed here are not writing in the usual modern sense. They are the designs manifest in Heaven and Earth, from which the ancients created written characters. Those who cultivate the Dao must understand this and must not mistake it for a commonplace worldly idea. Whoever grasps these words may transcend life and death and escape the cycle of rebirth.

The characters used for instruction are now divided into two parts and arranged in two chapters. This chapter briefly explains the principles of writing. Written characters carry on the sages’ original intent and convey it to people through words and sounds, enabling them to reflect. A single thought that strays from the proper way can send one into the cycle of rebirth. Now that you have been born into human form, if you truly understand the preciousness of this body, the difficulty of seeking the Dao, and the mysteries contained in written characters, then one may say that your numinous Qi has returned to the original palace and the perfected person has returned to the place of seclusion where they once lived.

All who cultivate perfection and study the Dao should read this chapter attentively. It contains many mysteries worthy of repeated reflection.

The Chapter on the True Principle of Naturalness explains the origins of talismanic writing. Characters condense from Qi (the vital breath that forms the basis of all things); talismans are the essence of characters, incantations express the principles contained in them, and incantation formulas embody their sounds. When written on paper dyed with cinnabar, the characters take shape, and the talismans appear through them.

Tracing characters to their source, they arise from the Qi of the Great Brahma (the primordial energy of the universe), from which the transformations of all things begin. “The myriad ones” refers to Heaven and Earth, people and things, and every existent that has form, number, and spiritual awareness. All of them arise through transformations of the Qi of the Great Brahma. Creation works in three broad ways: the Qi of the Great Brahma divides into clear, turbid, and harmonizing Qi. Clear Qi forms Heaven, turbid Qi forms Earth, and harmonizing Qi forms the third kind of being: humanity. The human body, too, comes from this process.

Ordinary people often remain immersed in turbid, impure Qi and do not understand that their bodies and minds also arise from the fundamental creative process that gives birth to all things. Most people have failed to grasp the roots of the wondrous writings handed down by sages of earlier generations. Even if they obtain this scripture, they may not understand its method and meaning, because the sages’ intent is concealed within its sounds and principles. Those who search desperately in the dark are like people dreaming all day long; even in old age, they may never encounter or comprehend this scripture. When sages transmit the teaching, they can guide only those who have good roots of virtue from past lives and are willing to believe.

People should understand the principles contained in these writings, cultivate themselves in accordance with those principles, and preserve the full span of their lives. This is the path they ought to follow. Some ordinary people encounter a Daoist speaking about the Dao and laugh in disbelief. On reflection, this is hardly surprising: though born human, they have received no nourishment from the Qi of the Dao. Across many lifetimes, they have formed only karmic ties of the animal kind, which is why they behave this way.

The scripture says that the roots of writing are born within the human body. Every character spoken of in the Scripture for Deliverance shines with light, illuminates principle, and takes part in establishing, fulfilling, delivering, and generating the myriad things. For example, as described in the Wondrous Chapter on the Nine Heavens Giving Birth to the Spirit, if the nine gates and apertures in the body are blocked and cannot generate Shen Qi, the forming embryo will be hindered. Though the fundamental Qi may be secure, the power of life cannot be preserved; with no nourishing Qi within, one has merely received a body in vain.

There are also people who formed good ties in past lives and, in this life, received their parents’ clear and harmonious Qi. They often hold kind thoughts, love the Dao and its teachings, revere Heaven and Earth, honor the spirits, and diligently burn incense and make offerings. Thus, they have not lost their original goodness. Even when karmic ties from past lives and obstacles created by former enemies and relatives temporarily cloud their understanding, a single word of guidance from a teacher who can awaken them—likened here to someone polishing a mirror—will make them believe at once.

Others fast from childhood, have no wish to marry, and devote themselves entirely to cultivation. This, too, has its causes and conditions: the scripture holds that the Three Primal Forces (the system of primal energies and spirits within the body associated with Daoist cultivation) already dwell within them, and that their palaces bear engraved golden names and purple characters. In a future life, they are destined to become immortals among the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).

It is because of these differing causes and conditions that the Supreme Sages left this teaching behind, transmitting hidden words, secret sounds, and written characters to reveal the principles of creation and self-cultivation. From this we may infer: what form or generation among the myriad things does not come from the Qi of the Great Brahma? Since people have life, they have the Dao; where there is the Dao, there is a method. Sages establish themselves through it, spirits carry out their work through it, and the Dao flourishes through it. The spirits attain sagehood through the Dao, and so make its teachings known to instruct the world. The Dao is made manifest through people, then takes shape in writing and becomes instruction. Once instruction is established, the Dao becomes clear; when the Dao is fulfilled, its teachings also gain wondrous power. Who could take part in this if not endowed with the most wondrous and subtle power in the world? And without cultivation through many lifetimes, how could anyone encounter and hear such teachings? These words are indeed well founded.

Here the master explains the true meaning of “naturally attaining the Real.” The meaning of “natural” is boundless; it does not mean “let things take their course,” as it does in everyday speech. When something cannot be accomplished, people say, “Just let it take its course.” That is merely a figure of speech, and people often do not understand the true origins of these two words.

“Natural,” as used here, means a person’s innate nature. Before this illusory body—the physical body formed temporarily—came into being, this innate, precelestial nature already existed. That is why it is called “natural.” It is the root of our inborn nature. We come into the world through it, as if it were the parents who gave us life through countless lifetimes and kalpas. It governs our food and clothing, poverty and status, longevity and early death, fortune and rank, and every advance and retreat in life. Our lives thus seem to have a governing master; this root is called “natural.”

In cultivation, one must seek out and recognize this root of life. Only by recognizing it can one cultivate in accordance with it and bring oneself to become an immortal. The operation of Yin-Yang and the subduing of demonic obstacles also depend on this “protagonist”—the inner root of life. Thus, the essential meaning of the ten thousand scrolls of scripture is inseparable from the words “natural.” If a practitioner can perceive it, they can act in accordance with their original nature and thereby become a sage.

The master also explains that Heaven and Earth, people and things, and all things with form are born from the Dao. The Dao’s power of generation is “natural,” and the natural is embodied by the “Qi of the Great Brahma”—the primordial Qi that is precelestial, vast, and able to transform and generate the myriad things. Qi can circulate and transform. The word “natural” alone does not fully explain the workings of generation and transformation, so the text also speaks of the “Qi of the Great Brahma.” Here, “Brahma” does not mean a language said in Buddhism to come from a distant land in the West. Within the human body is the “forest of seven precious flowers,” a scriptural term for states of inner cultivation. When the natural root of life takes birth as a human being, it settles and establishes itself within the body. The “Qi of the Great Brahma” therefore names the fundamental force that can generate and transform the myriad things.

The first two chapters have already explained the beginnings of written characters and the source from which life is generated. This chapter goes on to clarify the Qi of the Great Brahma: following a method, practitioners set this Qi in motion and refine it, returning life to its root and restoring its original state. They allow the Brahma Qi throughout the body to flow freely, permeating the five viscera and six bowels, the nine apertures, and the four limbs, just as the sun and moon move through Heaven and Earth, until it is ultimately transformed into the Real. The precious method by which flying immortals deliver people lies, in the end, in explaining the workings of “naturally attaining the Real.” It enables people to transform and ascend as celestial immortals. The scripture will go on to describe these methods of transformation in detail.

Finally, the master urges everyone to reflect on the words “natural.” People often use them in everyday speech: when something does not get done, they say that it was simply how things were meant to be; when someone puts on an act, they attribute the result to what came naturally. Reflect carefully on this principle, and you will understand how profound the meaning of “natural” is. If ordinary people do not understand what the words mean, merely saying them does not count as truly understanding them.

Table of Contents for the Supreme Taishang Lingbao Scripture and Method for Ascending as an Immortal and Delivering People

Volume One of the Supreme Taishang Lingbao Jingming Scripture and Method for Ascending as an Immortal and Delivering People

Explained by the High and Luminous Great Envoy, True Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Deliverance, Xu Jingyang

Preface on Subtlety

The “Preface on Subtlety” explains what this Dao encompasses and brings its subtle aspects to light. It concludes with an explanation called “Clarifying the Examples.” Here, “explaining the subtle” means using examples to illuminate the principles and show how they accord with the Way of Heaven.

Chapter One: Opening the Course of Destiny

The scripture says: Long ago, in the Beginning Azure Heaven, within the Great Floating-Li Land of the Biluokongge—the empty, pure realm of the heavens—the “Supreme Scripture for Delivering People Without Measure,” transmitted by the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, was handed down.

The master said: This passage is the Dao Lord’s opening preface. It is also the incantation and talisman used when the teaching was first received.

Face east, bow twice, burn incense, form the Zi hand-seal, then form the seals in sequence up to the Chen seal and draw a talisman. Next, recite the “Biluokongge Incantation and Talisman.” Form the Wu seal with the left hand and chant:

“Wondrous indeed, the Great Dao of Primordial Beginning! The Great Brahma Heaven proclaims the true text. It opened the Dragon-Han kalpa, radiant and clearly manifest. The heavenly writings of the thirty-two heavens were transmitted in red characters by the Five Elders. Compassionate grace descends to save living beings from birth and death; auspicious clouds surge forth in abundance. Within them lies the secret of longevity, which nurtures the foundations of cultivation and enables one to become an ascending immortal. Open the scripture chest and reveal its mysterious meaning; bow in reverence and cultivate with diligence. Look up and long for the High Perfected to descend, riding the original Qi back to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).”

Just as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning was about to proclaim this scripture, he circled the four directions ten times to summon the gods of the ten directions. As soon as he reached the seat of the Law, the great heavenly immortals, supreme sages and exalted worthies, perfected beings of wondrous practice, and countless other beings came riding through the air. Between the flying clouds and vermilion heavens, the immortals rode green carriages with wheels of precious jade. Their feathered canopies hung low to shade them; luminous essence flowed and jade hues shone. Five-colored clouds billowed thickly, illuminating the entire expanse of sky for seven days and seven nights. The sun, moon, stars, and the Youji and Yuheng instruments for observing the heavens all stopped turning. The divine winds fell still, and clouds gathered over the mountains and seas. No drifting clouds veiled the sky, and the Qi of the four directions was bright and clear. The mountains, rivers, and forests throughout the land became level and even, with no distinction between high and low. The whole earth turned to green jade, with no other color. The perfected beings stood in attendance beside the seat, while the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sat upright in the void, at ease upon a five-colored lion.

The master said: This was when the Dao Lord first received the teaching, and all the perfected beings gathered there. From that time came the two numinous books of the Pure Brightness. The Bright King based ritual procedures on these books and composed scriptures to purify himself. When reciting and reading the ritual text, one should visualize and recite the incantation.

The above describes the ritual for a disciple reciting and reading the ritual text.

The master said: This was when the Dao Lord first received the teaching, and all the perfected beings gathered there. From that time came the two numinous books of the Pure Brightness. The Bright King based ritual procedures on these books and composed scriptures to purify himself. When reciting and reading the ritual text, one should visualize and recite the incantation.

The above describes the ritual for a disciple reciting and reading the ritual text. After completing bodily purification, but before opening the ritual text, one should bow again, clasp the upper section of the middle fingers with both hands, hold the breath briefly, close the eyes, settle into stillness and visualization, and recite the incantation. After visualizing all the perfected beings gathered, one should bow again and release the hand mudra. When reciting and reading the ritual text and chanting the incantation, begin by saying: “I have heard that the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning sits upright upon a lion.”

It also says: “How fortunate I, the disciple, am to be willing today to receive salvation.”

Chapter Three: Consciousness Spirit.

The Patriarchs include the Supreme Lord of the Sun, the Filial-Dao Immortal King, the Celestial Worthy of Lingbao Jingming; and the Primal Lady of the Moon, the Filial-Dao Illustrious King, the Celestial Worthy of Lingbao Jingming Huangsu. The Scripture Master is the Filial and Reverent Immortal King, while the Register Master, who oversees the registers of names, is the True Lord, Censor of Xuandu. The Ordination Masters include the Celestial Master of Zhengyi, the Master of Chongxuan, Great Master Who Supports the Teaching and Assists the Origin in the Three Heavens; the Primal Lady of the Moon, the Filial-Dao Illustrious King, the Celestial Worthy of Lingbao Jingming Huangsu; the Filial and Reverent Immortal King; the True Lord, Censor of Xuandu; and the True Lord of Chongxuan Jingying, the Celestial Master of Zhengyi, Great Master Who Supports the Teaching and Assists the Origin in the Three Heavens. The Ordaining Master is the True Lord of the Highest Dao, Mysterious Response, Divine Merit, and Wondrous Deliverance, Grand Envoy of Lofty Illumination and Grand Historian of the Immortals throughout the Nine Provinces.

Also listed are the Holy Masters who transmitted the teaching of Lingbao Jingming within the Mysterious Center, the Immortal Envoys who transmit teachings below, and the ranks of divine beings and offices involved in flying through the heavens and delivering people: the Great Marshal, the Great Envoy, the Thirty-Six Emperors, the Divine Kings of the Ten Directions, the Three Million Six Hundred Thousand Divine Kings, and the Great Gods of Long Life in the Ten Directions. The list also includes adjudicating officials who oversee copying secret methods and maintaining registers of names; the Embroidered-Robe Great Gods of Long Life who fly through the heavens and deliver people; jade boys and jade maidens; the Five Emperors’ Direct Talismans and the Five Qi Merit Officers who attend to the scriptures; envoys responsible for transmitting messages, incense, and texts, and for handling canonical works; officials who protect the body, transmit the truth, guard the truth, and supervise the truth; the twenty-four historians and clerks serving before and behind; flying-dragon mounted clerks who transmit messages; the eighty-four thousand spirit officials, stockade commanders, stockade officers, and armored horsemen; attendant spirit officials; the Direct Talismans of the Three Realms; and the Tathasuka Merit Officer. Taken as a whole, this is a list of the Patriarchs, ritual masters, and guardian spirits honored in the transmission of this method and its rites for delivering people.

The master said: Among the various rites of Lingbao, an important Daoist tradition of scriptures and ritual lineages, this rite is especially important and should be performed every day with incense and worship. It is carried out as follows:

Each day at the hour of Zi, around midnight, rise to burn incense. Visualize the ritual altar facing west, with the ritual master standing facing east, arms lowered and hands forming the Yin hand sign. Knock the teeth together thirty-six times. Release the hand sign, bring the hands together, and bow once. Visualize the sun shining brightly, its disk several dozen feet across, its light falling on your face. Bow twice more, knock the teeth together nine times, then recite the incantation:

“Incense of the Dao, incense of De, incense of Wuwei and purity, incense of Lingbao Jingming: offered to the Lingbao Jingming Venerable One, the Six Chief Masters of the Rites, and all the Lords of Lingbao, the Emperors, the Heavenly Lords, the Spirit Kings, and all sovereign powers. May the rites I perform swiftly fulfill my wishes: above, may I repay the ruler and my parents; below, may I relieve the suffering of living beings. May true Qi, the original vital energy spoken of in Daoism, remain ever full within me, enabling me to command the myriad spirits and draw them all to take refuge. Swiftly, in accordance with the statutes!” When the incantation is complete, breathe in a mouthful of the sun’s Qi as visualized, then swallow it.

On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, at the hour of Zi, go into the courtyard, form the Yin hand sign downward, and knock the teeth together thirty-six times. Visualize the Flying Spirit Kings of the boundless ten directions standing in attendance all around, while the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise guard you. Release the hand sign and bring the hands together. Bow silently three times in your heart, knock the teeth together three times, then recite the incantation:

“Incense of the Dao, incense of De, the six penetrations…” (“Six penetrations” is a term used in the incantation.) Visualize the Flying Spirit Kings of the boundless ten directions standing in attendance all around, while the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise guard you. Release the hand sign and bring the hands together. Bow silently three times in your heart, knock the teeth together three times, then recite the incantation:

Burn the finest Dao incense, De incense, Wuwei Purity incense, and Lingbao Order and Radiance incense as offerings to the Venerable Lords of the Three Realms Above (Daoist supreme deities), the emperors of the heavens in the Eight Directions, the Pure Radiance Lingbao High Sages, the Great Demons of the Five Emperors in the Three Realms, the stars of the Seven Luminaries and Five Dippers, and the countless kinds of divine kings, officials, generals, and all numinous deities in the ten directions. Today, with joyful and reverent celebration, we cultivate and uphold this scripture and its teachings. May the state be at peace; may beings in heaven and on earth be delivered; may the nine generations of ancestors be raised to higher realms; and may the gods protect us. Bow and prostrate, taking refuge in the boundless Great Dao. Then click the teeth three times, swallow the breath twice, and bow twice.

The Master said: This section is the “Chapter on Confused Consciousness.” First, it explains that those who cultivate the Dao and receive its teachings are protected by the High True Ones. The essential thing in practice is to revere and uphold them. Each morning, offer incense, recite and maintain the scripture, and become familiar with the garments and ceremonial retinue described in it. Keep these in mind throughout daily life and never forget them. By upholding the Highest Dao, one is said to receive the influence of distant blessings, and one’s name is entered in the mysterious registers of the immortals. This clears the spirit-consciousness and opens the breath, allowing one each day to enter a true state of spiritual wandering. After death, one may enter the ranks of the immortals directly, taking a place below the thirty-six Lingbao Perfected Ones.

The Lingbao Perfected Ones are those who have attained the rank of Heavenly Perfected Great Spirit or Perfected One of Wondrous Practice. One example is the sage master who transmitted the teachings in the Mysterious Center. Today, when the Pure Radiance tradition establishes its teachings, Great Masters of the Mysterious Center and others also descend into practitioners, aiding their heart and nature so they may reach understanding and awakening on their own. This is why the rank of “Immortal Lord of the Cavern Spirit Who Descends to Teach” was established. If you can teach and deliver people, making the way of loyalty and filial piety clear and putting it into practice without letting it fall into neglect, thereby benefiting living beings, you will surely attain this rank and come under the authority of the immortals of the grotto heavens.

Chapter Four: Manifest Response

When the scripture is recited once, the heavens respond. If you uphold and practice it, keeping the way of loyalty and filial piety from being lost and benefiting living beings, you can attain the rank described above and come under the authority of the immortals of the grotto heavens.

Each time the scripture was preached, the great sages of the heavens praised it together, saying, “Good.” At the first recitation, the deaf in one country regained their hearing. At the second, the blind saw again. At the third, those unable to speak found their voices. At the fourth, the lame and those long bedridden with illness rose and walked. At the fifth, people who had long been ill, including those suffering from hernias, suddenly recovered. At the sixth, white hair turned black and lost teeth grew back. At the seventh, the elderly regained their strength, and the young grew stronger as well. At the eighth, women conceived and birds and animals became pregnant; all living things, born and unborn, grew and developed without hindrance. At the ninth, gold and jade buried underground came to light. At the tenth, dry bones came back to life, and all rose as living people.

At that time, all the men and women in the country sincerely turned toward the Dao. They received protection and salvation, and attained long life.

The master said: These were the remarkable signs that appeared when the Dao Lord first received the teaching. They served to summon the true scriptures of the Ten Directions. The text consists of 152 celestial seal characters.

Whenever memorials are submitted or Zhaijiao rituals and other liturgies are performed, this true scripture must be used to summon the Ten Directions. Write it on blue paper in cinnabar. Inhale a breath of Qi from each of the Five Directions, recite the upper, lower, and middle sections of the Book of the Numinous Writings once, then hold your breath and form the “Original Master’s Mudra” with your left hand. Write at the mao position. First write: “I, your servant, have heard that in ancient times, when the Heavenly Worthy began writing the celestial seals, after he had preached the scripture once and finished, everyone attained long life.” Then write: “Today, with joy, we celebrate the performance of the purification rite and hope to receive salvation.”

When you have finished writing, hold white mugwort facing east, recite the incantation, and burn it. The incantation begins with “the next section of the scripture” and ends with “all arrive together in an instant.” Then bow again and say: “Today, your disciple joyfully celebrates the performance of the purification rite and respectfully invites all the perfected spirits of the Ten Directions and Three Realms to descend upon the ritual altar. May it be carried out swiftly, in accordance with the statutes.” Finally, focus your mind on visualizing the holy perfected beings descending from the sky.

Recite the “Summoning and Arrival Scripture,” from “The Dao says” to “all arrive together.” Then bow again and say: “Today, your disciple rejoices and celebrates by performing a purification ritual. With reverence, I pray that the many perfected gods of the ten directions and three realms—the regions of the universe and their different levels—will descend before the altar. May it be done swiftly, in accordance with the law.” As you recite, focus your thoughts on the holy perfected beings descending from the sky.

Incantation for Summoning the Gods

The scripture says: When the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (a revered Daoist deity) first proclaimed this scripture, the immeasurable and many-formed Great Perfected Gods of the East came from the sky. When he proclaimed it a second time, the Great Perfected Gods of the South came; the third time, those of the West; the fourth time, those of the North; the fifth time, those of the Northeast; the sixth time, those of the Southeast; the seventh time, those of the Southwest; the eighth time, those of the Northwest; the ninth time, those above; and the tenth time, those below. Once the scripture had been recited ten times, the boundless celestial gods of the ten directions all arrived together.

The master said: This describes how the gods of the heavens gathered before the altar when the Lord of the Dao (a revered Daoist deity) first received the method. It may be recited as an incantation when burning the perfected text.

Chapter Five: The Cavern Realms

The men and women of an entire kingdom sincerely turned toward the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun). Those who came to hear the scripture were as numerous as fine rain and dense mist, beyond all counting. They gathered throughout the kingdom, occupying half its land. The ground sagged and tilted under their weight, and nothing could stop it. The Celestial Worthy then suspended a precious pearl, no larger than a grain of millet, in the air five zhang above the ground. He stepped onto the pearl and led the Celestial Perfected Great Spirits, the Supreme Saints and Exalted Worthies, the Perfected Ones of Wondrous Practice, and the countless Perfected Great Spirits from the ten directions into it together. The celestial beings looked up and saw the spirits entering one after another through the pearl’s opening. Once inside, no one knew where they had gone. The people throughout the kingdom then dispersed, and the ground returned to level, no longer tilted or sunken. The Celestial Worthy finished expounding the scripture inside the pearl, and the assembled Perfected Spirits supervised and transmitted it to me. The joy and celebration of that moment were beyond words. When the ritual was mostly complete, the gods of the heavens each returned to their proper places. In an instant, all around fell silent, without a single sound.

The Master said: “When the Celestial Worthy expounded the scripture, these transformations took place, and he transmitted the scripture to me. The joy and celebration of that moment were beyond words. When the ritual was mostly complete, the gods of the heavens each returned to their proper places. In an instant, all around fell silent, without a single sound.”

The Master said: “These transformations that took place while the Celestial Worthy expounded the scripture can serve as a model for ritual masters performing incantations. They can be developed into techniques for concealing the body and visualizing spirits through grains of millet, and for controlling souls and hun-souls. Here, ‘visualizing spirits’ means envisioning divine beings; ‘controlling souls and hun-souls’ means using ritual arts to summon and restrain the soul.”

Take one sheng of millet and perform the procedure on a Tian De or Yue De day, days considered auspicious in traditional date selection. Face north. With the left hand, form the Mao sign of the Master’s hand seal; with the right, form the Dipper seal, imitating the Big Dipper. First address the Six Masters, the True Masters, and the True Lords of the Big Dipper. Then take seven parts of the Big Dipper’s purple Qi and recite the incantation:

“I have heard that the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning widely saves living beings and, having finished expounding the scripture, was visited by the men and women of an entire kingdom, until all at last fell silent. I now consecrate this millet with an incantation, so that I may conceal my body, visualize spirits, and control souls and hun-souls. Its transformations are beyond measure; its power to transform and save people is boundless. I act swiftly in accordance with the command of the Most High.”

Next, blow onto the millet and place it in a clean, covered vessel as an offering. Visualize it each day and swallow it.

Each morning, enter a quiet room—a space kept peaceful for cultivation or ritual practice. After swallowing the Pure Brightness Treasure Register, a talismanic register from the Pure Brightness tradition, take 120 grains of millet and sit quietly inside. Visualize green Qi arising from the Muddy Pellet, an internal alchemy site above the head; white Qi arising in the heart; and a stream of yellow Qi arising in the navel. The three kinds of Qi rise together and envelop the body like clouds, then transform into a great mass of fire that burns the body. The inside and outside of the body become clear and luminous; let this continue for a while, then stop. Place the millet in front of you and practice breathing in Qi: inhale green Qi through the nose and swallow 120 times. Finally, swallow the millet with water.

Chapter Six: Protecting the Body

At this time, those who travel on patrol, stand guard, encounter this scripture and its methods, and put them into practice will all be saved, live out their natural lifespans, and remain unharmed. People will turn toward them with reverence, and together they will cultivate the intention to do good: they will not kill or harm others, feel envy, engage in sexual misconduct, steal, be greedy, indulge their desires, or harbor hatred. Their speech will be unadorned, and no cruel words will leave their mouths. They will care for one another equally, treating even people of another surname like family. The state will be at peace, the people will be prosperous, and everyone will rejoice in a peaceful age.

When this scripture is first transmitted, all within a state who take the Dao as their standard, hold sincere faith, and honor it with reverence will be delivered from the world.

The Master said: When the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning preached this scripture to the Lord of the Dao, the heavenly beings who encountered and practiced its methods all developed this kind of Dao-centered heart. This is also the incantation that ritual masters use to protect themselves.

The method described above is to be performed on your conception day, at the Yin position, by pacing the Dipper—a ritual walk along designated Dipper positions—seven times while reciting this incantation. Then all ghosts and spirits, as well as those with ill intent who would steal, commit wrongdoing, or try to harm you, will disperse of their own accord. Good people from the ten directions will also come to show you respect. If you wish to meet a person of high rank, pace the Dipper the day before, then go to meet them. As you pace, visualize yourself as the Lord of the Dao, holding the Lord of the Dao’s jade seal.

The following explains how to find your conception day. For example, someone born in the Jiazi month was conceived in the Yimao month. If born on the Wuchen day, since Wu combines with Gui and Chen combines with You, the conception day is the Guiyou day. Search backward from the Wuchen day before the birth; if you do not find it, search forward. This method may be performed each year on that conception day, at any time.

The taboo name of the Southern Dipper (a star asterism) is “Chiwang Meizi.” To calculate the date of conception, first consult the month of birth: take the second month, Yimao, as the month of conception and the day Wuchen as the day of birth. Wu combines with Gui, and Chen combines with You, so Guiyou is the day of conception. Look for the corresponding day before the birth, among the Wuchen days; if it does not fall before the birth, count forward instead. This method may be performed on that day each year, without any other conditions.

The taboo name of the Southern Dipper is written “Chiwang Meimeichikui,” corresponding to the Five Phases (Wuxing): Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth.

To perform the method described above, walk three steps using the Dinggang stepping method, enter the position of Kui, then proceed to the position of Piao. Begin with the right foot, stepping in the order Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth, moving from the tail of the Southern Dipper toward its head, then entering the center of the Dipper. Next, with the left hand, hook toward the Northern Dipper as if covering its head, then turn around and withdraw from the center of the Dipper. Continue with the Dinggang steps and enter the Northern Dipper. Repeat this seven times, then stop. Visualize yourself transforming into seven forms, which unite as one. Dinggang stepping is a ritual form of Daoist astral pacing, in which steps and visualization are coordinated with the positions of the stars to perform the rite.

Chapter Seven: Transmission and Reception

The Dao says: The scriptures spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning are all the inner names and hidden sounds of the heavenly lords. They are also secret taboo names for distinguishing the true from the false, and concealed names of the myriad numinous beings; they are not the ordinary words of the world. The highest sages have become perfected beings and understand the mystery, probing its utmost subtleties. Thus they can comprehend the meaning of these scriptures.

When the scriptures are recited ten times, the heavens respond from afar, the myriad emperors pay their respects, rivers and seas grow calm, and mountains conceal their clouds. The sun and moon seem to stop in their courses, and the stars’ paths cease to turn. Demons are bound, and ghosts and spirits lose their power; one can even cause corpses to rise, the dead to return to life, and bare bones to become people again.

When a deeply accomplished practitioner recites the scriptures ten times, the Five Emperors come to guard them, and the Three Realms pay their respects. Demonic spirits lose their sight, ghosts lose their power, those near death are saved, and those whose breath has stopped can be revived. This is because the practitioner’s impure Qi has not yet been completely dispelled, and the body has not yet reached a state of communion with the true Dao. Their ability to summon the power of the ten directions and command the decrees of the heavens is still insufficient; nevertheless, through their De they can subdue the earth deities, bind demonic spirits, and avert death.

Those who treat this chapter carelessly and recite it casually will bring calamity upon themselves. If they make offerings to this Jing and honor it with reverence, their household will prosper from generation to generation and find harmony with good affinities. Calamity will not trouble them, and the spirits will protect their home. This Jing is exalted and profound, peerless in the Jade Capital (the legendary dwelling of the Celestial Emperor in Daoism). It can deliver countless beings and is the root of the myriad Dao. Its power is vast and majestic, enabling people to be reborn. Those who treat this chapter carelessly and recite it casually will bring calamity upon themselves. If they make offerings to this Jing and honor it with reverence, their household will prosper from generation to generation and find harmony with good affinities. Calamity will not trouble them, and the spirits will protect their home. This Jing is exalted and profound, peerless in the Jade Capital. It can deliver countless beings and is the root of the myriad Dao. Its model is lofty, and its beneficence beyond measure.

The Master said: These are the words of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, spoken when the Dao Lord transmitted the Jing to the Celestial Worthy of Lingbao Jingming. The teachings of this Jing are so exalted and profound that they should be the first subject explained when it is transmitted. Everything from “The Dao says” through “its De is beyond measure” is part of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning’s discourse on the Jing. The text then continues: “Now I have obtained this secret method and will use it to deliver you. You should devote yourself to it and carefully observe its liturgical rules and precepts.”

Chapter Eight: On the Precepts and Their Specific Provisions

The Daoist Jing says: Whenever someone recites this Jing ten times, the spirits of the heavens will all descend together. The departed souls and suffering spirits of their ancestors across countless generations will immediately be delivered and ascend to the Vermilion Palace, a heavenly palace in Daoist tradition. There, after nine years of transformation, they will be reborn and become honored beings.

Chapter Eight: On the Precepts and Their Specific Provisions

The Daoist Jing says: Whenever someone recites this Jing ten times, the spirits of the heavens will all descend together. The departed souls and suffering spirits of their ancestors across countless generations will immediately be delivered and ascend to the Vermilion Palace. After nine years of transformation, they will be reborn and become honored beings. If they continue their studies and cultivate the highest scriptures and methods until their merit is complete, they will all become immortals, ascend to the Golden Palace in the heavens, and roam and feast in the Jade Capital.

The Master said: These are the Dao Lord’s words when transmitting the Jing to the Celestial Worthy of Lingbao Jingming. They explain in detail how this Jing can rescue ancestors and free them from dark and painful states. After speaking about the precepts, he continues: “This is for burning straw effigies and covenant documents on behalf of the disciples, to offer deliverance to their relatives throughout the ages of kalpas.”

“From ‘The Dao says…’ continue with the following” means: begin reciting this scripture at “The Dao says,” continue through “Jade Capital,” then recite the passage below:

“I now transmit this secret method to you so that you may follow the prescribed Keyi, or liturgical procedures, and deliver your deceased relatives from the countless kalpas past. Once you have received the method, do not seek only wealth and rank. You must spread the teachings and repay the Dao Lord for his kindness.” The master then visualizes the disciple and burns a straw effigy. The relevant rites are set out in detail in this chapter.

Those of the highest caliber who cultivate the Dao and recite this scripture will be delivered and ascend to the Southern Palace in the realm of the immortals. People of the world who receive and recite this scripture can prolong their lives, and in the end all can attain the Dao of corpse liberation—a Daoist means of freeing oneself from the physical form, so that the soul and spirit depart yet can return. The soul and spirit leave temporarily; without passing through hell, they can restore the body and roam through the vast expanse of space. This scripture is subtle and wondrous, able to deliver all beings. None among the celestial and human realms fails to receive its deliverance; its immeasurable blessings benefit both the living and the dead.

The master says: These are the words of prediction and recommendation spoken by the Dao Lord when transmitting the scripture to the Lingbao Jingming Celestial Worthy. After delivering the souls of the disciple’s ancestors, the master proclaims these words to augment the disciple’s rank among the immortals and issues the corresponding documents certifying that rank.

After burning the straw effigy and completing the documents, the master takes his seat and proclaims the passage above, from “Those of the highest caliber” through “benefit both the living and the dead.” He then continues:

“I now transmit this secret method to you to deliver your distant ancestors. In accordance with the liturgy, pray to and bow before the supreme holy and exalted ones. Ask them to recommend your name, enter it in the register of the immortals, and confer an immortal rank upon you from afar. Be cautious and do not treat this lightly.” The master then gives the disciple the documents for deliverance and the conferral of an immortal office, recites the passage below, and commands the divine generals to use the seal of deliverance.

“The method treasured by Heaven is not transmitted to those of shallow capacity. A scholar must make offerings of wealth and precious metals, and swear a sincere oath to Heaven, before it may be transmitted. If you recklessly reveal or neglect this method, calamity will reach your nine generations of ancestors, and you yourself will long be put to service by the ghost officials. The Five Emperors, Jade Youths, and Jade Maidens who attend the scripture number twenty-four of each kind. They guard the scripture and protect those who receive it.”

The master said, “These are the ritual words used when the Dao Lord, while transmitting a scripture, dispatches Jade Boys and Jade Maidens to protect disciples receiving initiation. They were therefore established as the prescribed practice. After supplementing a disciple’s appointment to an office, recite, ‘Heaven above treasures this scripture,’ until the scripture has been conveyed to the recipient. Then say, ‘These are the ritual words used when the Dao Lord, while transmitting a scripture, dispatches Jade Boys and Jade Maidens to protect disciples receiving initiation. They were therefore established as the prescribed practice.’ After supplementing a disciple’s appointment to an office, recite again, ‘Heaven above treasures this scripture,’ until the scripture has been conveyed to the recipient. Then say, ‘All who receive appointment to the office of an immortal official must have assisting officers and generals. You should therefore cultivate yourself with care and keep yourself disciplined.’”

Next, recite the incantation exhorting the officers and generals, and declare: “Within the Cavern of the Spirit, there is an oath. The Marshal and the Thearch jointly preside over it. The officials who oversee good and evil must all fulfill their duties diligently. Jade Boys and Jade Maidens guard and attend upon the scripture. None of the assisting divine officers may violate the sworn pact.”

Then form the Jade Emperor mudra with the left hand, using the middle finger. Send a breath of Qi from the middle finger, draw in a breath from the mountain before you, and blow it toward the disciple. Next, hand the disciple the ritual book, ritual sword, and ritual seal. Once these have been presented, recite the following scripture.

The scripture says: “If, during the first month, you observe a strict vegetarian fast and recite this scripture, you can free the souls of the dead from former lives from labor and confinement in the underworld, enabling them to attain deliverance and ascend to the Southern Palace. If, during the seventh month, you observe a strict vegetarian fast and recite this scripture, you can cultivate yourself into an immortal; your name will be entered in the registers of the various heavens, listed in the Yellow Registers and White Tablets, and removed from the death register so that you may be reborn. If, during the tenth month, you observe a strict vegetarian fast and recite this scripture, you can bring stability to the relationships between kings and emperors, ruler and ministers, and fathers and sons, protect the realm so that it endures through the generations, and enable local rulers to keep their territories at peace while the people praise the era’s peace and prosperity. If you recite this scripture on the Eight Seasonal Festivals, the eight days held sacred in Daoism, you can become a Perfected One of the Nine Palaces. If you recite it on your own birth date, your hun and shen will become clear and upright, your original Qi will endure, you will be free from suffering, and your body will shine with radiance. The spirits of the Three Realms will protect you; the Five Emperors will come to welcome you; and the myriad spirits will pay homage. Your name will be entered in the registers of Heaven. When your merit is complete, you will ascend to Shangqing.”

The master said, “These are the words the Dao Lord speaks after transmitting a scripture and its methods, to restate his exhortations and warnings. They are also the instructions of the Lingbao Tianzun of Jingming. Reciting them after bowing in gratitude is a way to give the disciple receiving the scripture a solemn and thorough charge.”

The master said: Whenever a rite is held to confer a religious office or ordain disciples, preparations for a Zhaijiao (purification ritual involving an altar and sacrificial prayers) should be made according to one’s means, and the Keyi (liturgy) should be performed in accordance with the prescribed rites. Once the three offerings have been made and the prayer text read aloud, incense tables are set before the six positions. The ritual master takes a seat and visualizes the divine presence within himself appearing with dignity: wearing a distant-travel crown, a crimson patterned silk robe, a blue headscarf, a black undergarment, red shoes, and a vermilion lower robe; holding a jade tablet and a bronze pendant. His bearing is as though a Dongshen deity (one of the ranks of Daoist immortals) had descended, or an immortal official had received a command to proclaim the teaching. First he bows to the ancestral masters and assembled perfected beings. Then he stands to one side and proclaims the precepts to the disciples, who all kneel upright.

The ritual master first burns incense and offers prayers, taking refuge in the Three Treasures (the Dao, scripture, and master revered in Daoism) and praying for blessings upon the ruler and teachers. He then declares: “The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning said in the scripture that the highest virtue is beyond full description…” He goes on to tell the disciples: “I have now received this secret method to guide and transform you. You should devote yourselves to it and carefully observe the precepts and liturgy.” The ritual master takes his seat and explains the Ten Precepts to the disciples.

First Precept: Do not forget the Eight Extremes.

Loyalty is the utmost in reverence; filial devotion, the utmost in obedience; uprightness, the utmost in purity; prudence, the utmost in vigilance; generosity, the utmost in breadth; contentment, the utmost in ease; forbearance, the utmost in harmony; and patience, the utmost in wisdom. The Northern Dipper is the extreme point of Heaven, and high mountains are the extreme points of Earth. With its own extreme point, Heaven can gather the many primordial energies; with its own extreme point, Earth can bring together the forms of all things. A house, with its ridgepole as its central support, can hold together many timbers. When a person embodies these eight virtues, they too can gather good deeds. Once good deeds have been established, the Dao is present. When Dao and virtue are complete, what one hears and sees naturally becomes clear and far-reaching, and one’s responses and practices naturally proceed appropriately and smoothly. This is the foundation for attaining the purity and illumination of Lingbao and becoming a flying immortal who guides and saves others.

Second Precept: Do not forget the Mirror-Water.

“Mirror” serves as a metaphor for the mind, and “water” for one’s nature and temperament. When the mind is clear, it can reflect all things; when one’s nature and temperament are pure, the Five Pollutions (afflictions and defilements that cloud the mind and nature) cannot intrude. Then the practice of the Dao naturally proceeds smoothly and appropriately. This, too, is a foundation for attaining the purity and illumination of Lingbao and becoming a flying immortal who guides and saves others.

“Yi” is used as a metaphor for the mind, and “water” for one’s nature and disposition. When the mind is clear, the principles of all things can be seen in it; when one’s nature and disposition are pure, the Five Turbidities—the term used in Buddhist and Daoist texts for the many impurities of the defiled world—cannot disturb them. The Dao resides within human nature, complete and unobstructed. It cannot be understood through ignorance, nor attained through deliberate agitation. To contemplate the mind and nature by way of “Yi” and “water” is to grasp the fundamental state of the Lingbao Jingming Flying Immortals.

Third, do not forget to record your words and actions each day.

A daily record is a way to examine good and evil. A common failing among people is that they do not know themselves and will not heed others’ advice; when they refuse to listen, they gain nothing from it. By keeping a daily record, you write down what you have done that day. Anything you find difficult to put into writing is a fault of your own, and correcting it is what matters. A daily record is like a teacher who needs no instruction, a friend who needs no many words, a ruler and parent who need issue no edict, and a law that needs no enforcement. Do not forget this practice. In this way, you can embody the character of the Lingbao Jingming Flying Immortals.

Fourth, do not forget to seek deliverance for the deceased and to establish peace and protection. “Seeking deliverance” means making offerings and prayers on behalf of the dead, asking that they be freed and raised beyond suffering; “establishing peace and protection” means using Daoist rituals to pray for safety and protection.

No one is closer to us than our parents, and no one is more worthy of respect than the ruler. We can recognize the kindness of our ruler, parents, and ancestors, and keep in mind that it must be repaid, by carrying out the rites of posthumous salvation and pacification.

“Posthumous salvation” means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for parents, ancestors, and other deceased relatives, helping them receive aid on their passage through the netherworld. “Salvation” means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for parents, ancestors, and relatives who are still alive, adding to their blessings and years of life. “Pacification” means reciting scriptures and performing talismanic rites to pray for the ruler and emperor to enjoy long lives and for peace throughout the land. Invoking dragon spirits to bring rain, driving away demons and poisonous forces, protecting the people and all living things, and averting calamities brought by the stars are also part of pacification.

At home, one can carry on and fulfill one’s grandfather’s aspirations; in government service, one can faithfully discharge the duties entrusted by the ruler. Whatever benefits others and can serve to repay kindness should be done. Even fallen leaves become nourishment for the roots, embodying the principle of repaying one’s source and sustaining life. People, too, should strive to repay the kindness that is the root of their own lives. This is the path taught by the Lingbao Jingming tradition of flying immortals and delivering people.

The fifth precept: Do not forget to aid and govern.

To heal others, one must first have a compassionate and merciful heart. Whenever someone falls ill, recite scriptures for them and perform Fulu rites, sincerely praying that calamity be averted and illness dispelled, as though caring for one’s own parents. Whether dealing with men or women, whenever there is an opportunity to help others and show kindness, give it your full effort.

For example, when attending to official business or performing ritual arts, strive to build up good deeds without seeking reward. In handling government affairs and enforcing laws, consider the long term, prevent problems from arising later, and reflect repeatedly before taking action. When using strategy and courage in warfare, remember that single-mindedly seeking advancement may lead to defeat; examine the matter carefully again and again before sending out troops. If building bridges, paving roads, planting trees along the way, or other such undertakings would benefit people, do your utmost to carry them out.

A person’s compassion is like the roots of a tree. Without benevolence, a person is no better than a beast. In ancient times, there were stories of apes saving elephants and righteous falcons—birds of prey known for their loyalty—fighting venomous snakes. If even these creatures could rescue those in danger and remove threats, people should all the more keep this in mind. This is why one practices the Lingbao Jingming method of becoming an immortal and delivering others.

Sixth: Do not forget the practice of ingestion and refinement.

Ingestion and refinement—a practice of taking in substances and refining body and mind—requires aligning oneself with Heaven and Earth and modeling oneself on Yin-Yang. Keep each thought upright and pure, and maintain this discipline without slackening. In this way, one can naturally transcend and undergo limitless transformations. Today, some insects can leave the ground and take flight, while others can leave their watery life and move about on land. If all things can transform in this way, why should people be unable to do so? This is the method for cultivating the Lingbao Jingming way of becoming an immortal and delivering others.

Seventh: Do not forget uprightness and purity.

Uprightness means holding firm to one’s principles and avoiding wicked or licentious conduct. Purity means abstaining from defilement and not craving food or drink that violates proper standards. By avoiding licentious conduct, one does not deplete one’s Shen; by abstaining from improper food, one does not kill living creatures. See another person’s wife or daughter as you would your own elders and family. Regard the lives of living creatures as you would the lives you have nurtured yourself. In this way, one can naturally preserve one’s Shen and lessen enmity and opposition. This is the essence of the Lingbao Jingming way of becoming an immortal and delivering others.

Eighth, preserve the spirit. By avoiding meat and fish, one does not harm living beings. Regard other people’s wives and daughters with the same respect one gives one’s own elders, and regard the lives of all beings as one regards the lives one has brought into the world and nurtured. In this way, one can naturally preserve the spirit and reduce grievances and conflict. This is the practical result sought through cultivating the Lingbao Jingming method of flying to immortality and delivering others.

Eighth, never forget to live simply and frugally.

In daily clothing, food, and household goods, one should understand that they are brought forth from the Primordial Ancestral Qi (the primordial energy of the cosmos, as described in Daoism). Use water infused with ash to wash away dirt, without concern for adornment; eat millet and wheat to satisfy hunger, without seeking precious delicacies. In this way, one can attain the blessings described by the Lingbao Jingming method of flying to immortality and delivering others.

Ninth, never forget the vows made at the beginning.

A “wish” is the aspiration made when first entering the Dao; a “pledge” is the oath established after entering the Dao. The gods of Heaven and Earth are watching, so these must not be changed at will. The Cavern of the Gods (Dongshen, one of the Three Caverns in Daoist scriptures) contains rules and precepts that must be observed with care. This is the conviction emphasized by the Lingbao Jingming method of flying to immortality and delivering others.

Tenth, never forget one’s teachers and fellow cultivators.

Teachers are responsible for instruction, while fellow cultivators are responsible for encouragement and admonition. One who teaches you is like a father; one who urges you on is like an elder brother. Since they are like father and brother, how could one fail to respect and cherish them, or abandon them and pay them no heed? This is the foundation of transmission valued by the Lingbao Jingming method of flying to immortality and delivering others.

Next, the principal contents of this Jing are outlined in seven points, as detailed in the “Explanatory Examples.” First, it explains the origin of the Primordial Ancestral Qi: first it gives rise to jade characters (sacred writings in Daoist scriptures), then sets the creation and transformation of the myriad things in motion. Second, it explains how this Qi generates primordial chaos and shapes the myriad things. Third, it explains that the great Lingbao method naturally generates diagrams and texts, encompasses all things, and serves as the pivot for the workings of the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. Its contents are preserved in the Book of Yellow Silk, its essential points appear in the profound teachings of the Thirty-Five Chapters of Jingming, and its full exposition is found in the Precious Method of Flying to Immortality and Delivering Others. Fourth, it explains that the great Lingbao method is the foundational teaching of the Three Caverns (the three major systems of Daoist scriptures): the Yellow Silk preserves the principles of creation and transformation, Jingming elucidates the key points, and the Precious Method of Flying to Immortality and Delivering Others brings them together, explains them in detail, and reveals their essential principles.

Fifth, it is explained that human life itself is also a Dharma-body. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning created the sacred embryo-body of Chaos, a holy fetal form made from the Qi of Chaos. Sixth, it is explained that the Primordial Source Qi, the original Qi at the beginning of Primordial Beginning, existed before physical form. What was it like, and what could it be compared to? It descended and condensed into material form, thereby giving rise to the myriad things. How should people in this world apprehend its form? They should seek out and cultivate this Primordial Qi, refining it into a precious elixir with which to ascend to true being and become an immortal.

Seventh, those who obtain this teaching may, at the highest level, ascend in broad daylight; at the next level, they may attain long life and pass beyond the world; or they may cultivate the Way of Corpse Liberation, casting off the physical body as their spirit-consciousness ascends and transforms. The key to cultivation lies in contemplating the mind and realizing that it has no form: this is the true mind. Contemplate the body and realize that it has no form: this is the true body. With no attachment to either mind or body, one naturally enters the formless realm. One can then reach a profound state of samadhi, with the spirit light clear and pure, and see distinctly the Jade Clarity Heaven, the highest heaven in Daoism. This is the method of ascending in broad daylight.

The disciples bowed twice, then knelt again, and the ritual master restated the precepts. The master said, “Whoever recites this scripture ten times will be able to reach the Jade Capital.” Having now transmitted the teaching to you, I will follow the ritual regulations and offer salvation to your deceased ancestors, praying for their blessing and deliverance, in repayment for the grace of the Great Dao.

The disciples bowed twice, rose, and stood in order. Following the liturgy, the ritual master read aloud the documents concerning the passage through the heavenly gates and the Primordial Beginning’s talismanic commands. Next, he practiced visualization, then burned straw figures and talismanic warrants. The specific ritual procedures are recorded in the “Chapter on Delivering the Deceased and Transmitting the Teaching.” After the burning was complete, the master returned to his place, and the disciples bowed again and knelt in thanks. The master restated the precepts. The account of the stages from initial study to ascending to Shangqing is found in the “Chapter on Transmitting the Teaching.”

The ritual master and disciples then rose together, performed a thanksgiving offering to the exalted Perfected Ones in accordance with the ceremony, and carried out the rite for sending off the deities.

The ritual master said, “Here are two chapters of ritual instructions explaining the ceremonies for entering the Dao.”

Chapter Nine: Grades of Office

The ritual master said, “All who receive the Precious Teaching of Flying Immortals and Delivering People must be registered in the Mysterious Register. In accordance with the liturgy, they are granted the appropriate office, and the grades of entry into the Dao are explained in order.”

Chapter Nine: Grades of Office

The ritual master said, “All who receive the Precious Teaching of Flying Immortals and Delivering People have their names registered in the Mysterious Register and entered into the immortal rolls. Their offices are then assigned according to the liturgy. They are ranked by their level of cultivation and gradually promoted according to their merits, serving as proof of their future attainment of the fruits of the Dao. For this reason, the grades of office are established here.”

The master said: Whoever is granted the “Treasure Method for Becoming an Immortal and Delivering Others” (a method for transmitting Daoist registers and cultivation teachings) is assigned an appropriate office according to the principle that deeds are recorded in the underworld and their results are answered for in the human world. There are three grades of appointment: entry into the Celestial Pivot Bureau, entry into the Grand Mystery Provincial Bureau, and entry into the Hall of the Cavern of Spirit. These three grades are now assessed together and ranked by level, according to each disciple’s foundation of merit and the depth of their blessings:

Those who study the Way at the initial level are granted an appointment in the Celestial Pivot Bureau; those at the middle level are granted an appointment in the Grand Mystery Provincial Bureau; and those at the upper level are granted an appointment in the Hall of the Cavern of Spirit and the heavens of the Three Luminaries. These three grades of appointment correspond to the depth of the teachings received, and determine the appropriate bureau office.

The master said: Beyond the three grades of appointment, there are also ranks. These are the ranks of the immortals, from Assistant to True Duke, and there are eight grades in all. Those whose cultivation is outstanding may enter the secret ranks of honor, of which there are three grades. Their titles gradually shorten from four characters to two.

The master said: Offices are divided into civil and martial posts. In the Celestial Pivot Court they are called civil and martial posts; in the Grand Mystery, the civil and martial academies; and in the Cavern of Spirit, the civil and martial gentlemen. Those who cannot read, have not studied the Confucian classics, and do not yet understand the meaning of the scriptures, but simply admire the Daoist methods, may be enrolled in the martial academy.

The master said: Tianshu, the celestial administration that records official appointments, belongs to the regular selection; Taixuan belongs to the elevated selection; and the Three Radiances of the Three Caverns’ heavens belong to the esoteric selection. These ranks fall into three grades. The elevated selection ranks above the regular selection. Those entered in the esoteric selection and about to be promoted to assistant immortals—officials who serve the immortals—rank above both the elevated and regular selections.

Dongshen is an important division among the Three Caverns, the three major classes of Daoist scriptures: Dongshen, Dongxuan, and Dongzhen. Each of the Three Caverns has its own hall and offices. But entry to the halls of Dongxuan and Dongzhen is impossible unless one holds the position of Celestial Emperor. Dongshen is different. Since the opening of the Red-bright Era, the time when Daoist accounts say the cosmos was created and divine beings appeared, it has been honored by celestial immortals. Its officials may hold modest posts, yet their standing is crucial. Those who serve among the Three Radiances but do not belong to Dongshen’s offices all rank below Dongshen.

The above is found in the essential instructions for the two administrative registers, Tianshu and Taixuan, and in the Statutes and Regulations for the General Offices of Dongshen.

Chapter Ten: Contemplation and Visualization

The Dao says: On the day of a ritual for following the Dao, one should first bathe with fragrant water, then enter a clean and quiet room. Facing east, click the teeth thirty-two times so that one’s prayer may ascend to the thirty-two heavens—the celestial levels described in Daoism—then make a mental bow thirty-two times.

Close the eyes and quiet the mind in contemplation: imagine yourself sitting upright amid clouds of blue, yellow, and white Qi, with clouds all around. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, lions, and white cranes stand in two rows at your sides. The light of the sun and moon shines down, illuminating the room. A circular halo appears above your head, its radiance reaching in all ten directions. Contemplate each of these scenes clearly and distinctly.

Next, recite the incantation: “Tanluo Yuluo, Fu Wu Sutu, Taichong Taiji, Yin-Yang embrace and harmonize. Emerging from being and entering nonbeing, entering life and departing death; ghosts and spirits cannot fathom it, and its transformations arise naturally. Primordial Original Qi, mystery within mystery, reaching above to where things end and penetrating below to the great abyss.” Reciting it once will cause long-standing illnesses to heal of themselves; the hun and po souls will be tempered and cleansed, and pure Yang Qi will be preserved.

Through fasting, bowing, and reciting the scripture ten thousand times, one can ascend to become an immortal. This supreme secret incantation makes one’s heavenly allotment endure without end. Then proclaim the heart incantation: “Tanluo Dongming. The highest reaches of Jade Clarity, permeated by the Qi of Brahma. Distribute numinous spirit and Qi, descending and infusing the body; body and spirit both attain wondrous subtlety and unite with the Dao in truth. I, your servant, attain the Dao; my seven generations of ancestors ascend with me. In accordance with the Golden Register, command and govern the myriad spirits. Hasten, in accordance with the ordinances of the Mysterious Capital of the Primordial Beginning.”

This heart incantation petitions for clear Qi to descend from the highest realm of Jade Clarity, distribute numinous Qi, and infuse one’s body, so that form and spirit both reach wondrous subtlety and unite with the Dao in truth. Once the practitioner attains the Dao, seven generations of ancestors ascend as well, and the myriad spirits are governed in accordance with the Golden Register, the laws of the celestial realm. The closing words, “ordinances of the Mysterious Capital of the Primordial Beginning,” give the incantation its forceful, commanding conclusion.

The Supreme, Mysterious Origin, the Most High Lord of the Dao, summons the Three and Five Merit Officers within my body, the attendants on my left and right, the incense-serving golden youths, the message-bearing jade maidens, the Five Emperors’ appointed talisman officers, and the incense officials assigned to each day—thirty-two of each kind. They convey and report the words that are to be spoken: “Today is an auspicious day. I am fasting in a pure and quiet hall. Practicing this scripture can save living beings through immeasurable power; reciting and circulating its text can enable people to be reborn. May my prayers reach the heavenly realm and be delivered directly before the august presence of the Supreme Emperor of Primordial Beginning in the thirty-two highest heavens.” Then face east and draw in the breath thirty-two times.

The Master said: “This is the method by which the Perfected of the Numinous Treasure recite the scripture and practice visualization—gathering the mind to contemplate inwardly while reciting. Those who practice according to this method need only recite this chapter of the Scripture for Delivering Humanity, thereby accumulating merit through sustained practice. This practice should be followed over the long term.”

End of volume one of The Method of the Supreme Taiyi Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness Flying Immortals Scripture for Delivering Humanity.

On examination, a spell should follow the preceding sentence, but it is missing from the original. The two characters “the continuation says” are also absent from the original; they have been supplied based on the pattern of the surrounding passages.

The Method of the Supreme Taiyi Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness Flying Immortals Scripture for Delivering Humanity, Volume Two

Explained by Xu Jingyang, the Great Envoy of Lofty Clarity, True Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Deliverance.

Preface to the Scripture

The scripture sets forth the constant principles of the Dao, enabling later people of understanding to interpret and explain its rules according to the text. The explanation of these rules comprises two volumes, symbolizing the earth and corresponding to the thirty-two chapters, in correspondence with the thirty-two heavens. The exposition of the scripture’s meaning comprises four volumes, symbolizing the four seasons.

Chapter One: The Opening of Transformation

The Primordial Beginning’s Cavern Mystery Dao takes the Numinous Treasure scriptures as its foundation; their highest and most subtle grade forms the opening chapter of the scripture. It repeatedly saves living beings throughout the ten directions. The hidden tones and rhythms of a hundred kinds of demonic obstacles, with their transformations of separation and union, all arise naturally. The red talismanic script that appeared at the beginning of chaos surpasses every supreme realm. The primordial Qi of Primordial Beginning gives birth to the heavens, bringing forth the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars. This is the foundation of heaven and earth. Above it there is no higher source: only the Dao as the original substance.

The Immortal Master says: This is the middle section of the Primordial Beginning’s Discourse on the Original Writings. Before the primordial Qi (the fundamental vital energy from which all things arise) appeared, this Qi already existed. It transformed and condensed, taking the form of writing. Thus came the talismanic script of the Red Writ and the two volumes of spirit writings, as well as the Precious Diagram of Pure Brightness. These are all the foundation from which the myriad things are brought forth. Now the middle section of the Primordial Spirit Writings is to be copied and worn, and its teachings put into practice, so that people may be saved and healed.

Before reciting the Cavern Chapter and abiding in the spirits (focusing the mind and visualizing the deities), first silently recite the words above, then continue: “Today I am fortunate to take part in this ritual and write these jade characters. I respectfully ask Heaven’s grace to open the gate of salvation.” After bowing, abide in the spirits according to the ritual. The details of the rite are recorded in this chapter.

Chapter Two: Bringing Forth and Transforming

The five kinds of talismanic writing opened Heaven and Earth and gave birth throughout the cosmos to the spirits. Without talismanic writing, there would be no light, nothing could be made manifest or established, nothing could be brought to completion or saved, and nothing could be transformed and brought forth. This is the Great Brahma—the boundless expanse of the cosmos.

The Immortal Master says: This is the preface to the scripture. The Qi of the middle section of the Cavern Mystery and of the two volumes of spirit writings transformed into the Red Writ; the Qi of the Red Writ, in turn, transformed into the myriad things. Now the Red Writ of the Five Elders and the jade characters of the Five Sprouts are to be copied. Whenever talismans are written, before summoning the spirits or engaging in visualization, first recite the words above, then continue: “Today I am fortunate to perform this ritual. I respectfully ask Heaven’s grace to open the gate of salvation.”

Chapter Three: Establishment

Within the heavens above the heavens are Yu Luo Xiao Terrace and Jade Mountain’s Upper Capital, situated in the supreme realm known as Great Luo Jade Purity. There, all is vast and remote, beyond measure—seeming both to exist and not to exist. Realms such as the Three Blossoms Li Bian, the Great Abundance’s Wondrous Court, and the Golden Watchtower and Jade Chambers lie interwoven, arrayed in solemn ranks within the pure, luminous heavens.

The master said: This refers to the Qi of the jade characters—the primordial Qi represented by those characters—giving rise to the various heavens. The Jade Clarity realm lies among them and is the highest heaven in the celestial realms. Yuluo Xiaotai is the jeweled terrace of the Jade Clarity Heaven, also known as the Numinous Treasure and the Divine Treasure. The Qi of the Three Heavenly Venerables dwells in empty space, unseen and unheard, seeming to exist and yet not to exist. The “Three Blossoms” refers to the division of one Qi into three. The magnificent pavilions and terraces, such as the Golden Gate and Jade Chamber, are forms that appear after Qi transforms. Practitioners today receive a share of the Great Brahma ancestral Qi, the Qi that is the source of the cosmos, and thus possess physical form. They should bring themselves into accord with Heaven and Earth. The preceding passage therefore describes the method of visualizing the Three Qi.

The master said: This is the method for cultivating the form of a flying immortal. Practitioners today receive a share of the Great Brahma ancestral Qi, the Qi that is the source of the cosmos, and thus possess physical form. They should bring themselves into accord with Heaven and Earth. The preceding passage therefore describes the method of visualizing the Three Qi.

The master said: Those who cultivate the Way of flying immortals and delivering people should enter their chamber to pay homage to the True Gods on the day corresponding to the Grand Duke Jupiter of their birth year, at the Hai hour (approximately nine to eleven at night), when the water clock has marked seven ke. After bowing twice, sit quietly and visualize a pool beneath your Dantian. Its banks are built entirely of gold and jade; above the pool stand the Golden Gate, the Jade Chamber, and a three-tiered pavilion. The Most High Lord Lao sits on the lowest tier, the Most High Dao Lord on the middle tier, and the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning on the highest tier. The pavilion faces the crown gate at the top of your head, with the three Heavenly Venerables seated directly above the Dantian, the Crimson Palace (the Qi chamber in the chest), and the Niwan (the upper Dantian in the head). Three-colored, cloudlike radiance rises from the Niwan.

Next, click your teeth nine times and recite the incantation: “Heaven within Heaven, utmost forest of myriad forms, pure and still.” Form the Du Jian hand seal, a Daoist mudra, and write one talisman for each of the Three Blossoms.

First talisman

Second talisman

Third talisman:

Swallow one of the talismans, visualizing it entering the Dantian, with red Qi rising from the Dantian and passing straight through to the Niwan. Then swallow the second talisman, visualizing it entering the Dantian, with red Qi rising and passing straight through to the Crimson Palace. Swallow one talisman.

First talisman

Second talisman

Third talisman:

Swallow one talisman and visualize it entering the Dantian (the cultivation area in the abdomen). Imagine red Qi rising from the Dantian and passing through the Niwan (the area inside the crown of the head). Swallow a second talisman and imagine the red Qi reaching the Jiangong (the heart area). After swallowing a third talisman, imagine this red Qi flowing up and down with the first two currents, mingling and blending with them. Repeat this nine times. The Qi then takes on three colors—green, yellow, and white—rushing toward the crown of the head and transforming into auspicious clouds like a canopy. Then offer a quiet prayer:

“Within the Golden Chamber dwell three divine lords. They transform the Qi of the Great Brahma and bring forth the radiance of precious treasures. Righteous Qi and true essence enter the mysterious realm, gathering into a high terrace like fine jade, formed spontaneously. The terrace rises majestically into the sky, with three levels; rosy clouds and crimson heavens surround it like wings sheltering a jade field. Above, it reaches the ninefold heavens; below, it overlooks a deep ravine with a spring. They gather at the cavern gate and bring forth the numinous root; the precious light of the Three Blossoms shines bright and clear.”

When the prayer is complete, swallow the Qi nine times.

Chapter Four: Transcending the World

The vast, active Qi of the Great Brahma pervades the ten directions. Within it are the gods who deliver people from death, the Lord of Longevity of the South Pole, the Great God Sima who delivers people from the world, the Elder Lord Han who cherishes life, and the revered gods of the Southern Upper Court: the Director of Destiny, the Director of Records, the gods who extend life and add years, and those who dispel calamities. These deities can revive dried bones and save the dead, delivering countless people from suffering. Now the ritual of verifying the registers is being performed, and the gods of all the heavens have come before the ritual altar.

The master says: This passage describes the beginning, when the Qi of the Primordial Beginning gave rise to all things. The vast Qi of the Great Brahma spread through the ten directions, dividing into currents and diffusing its radiance. From this, the assembled sages appeared to deliver countless beings. Now, when talismans and incantations are put into effect, whether memorials are submitted to seek healing, the spirits of the dead are called for deliverance, or a place is secured and misfortune dispelled, the various flying-heaven god-kings will travel to their appointed directions.

Whenever the Jingming method is performed, visualize all the perfected beings within the altar and the Six Masters (the six venerable teachers who transmitted the teachings) coming before it. Then dispatch the generals and recite the incantation. When reciting from “The vast, active Qi of the Great Brahma” through “the gods of all the heavens approach the hall,” face east, form the Mao-pattern hand mudra, and draw in one breath of Qi from each of the five directions, each in its corresponding color. At the words “diffuse its radiance,” release the hand mudra, breathe outward once with a soft exhalation, and visualize the breath transforming into five-colored Qi.

The Eastern Boundless Flying-Heaven God-King, Great Sage of Longevity, with immeasurable power to deliver people.

In the south, west, east, and north; in the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest; and above and below, each direction has its own Limitless Flying Celestial Divine King, the Great Sage of Long Life, who can save beings without measure. The text also records a “Limitless West” and notes that, when performing the ritual, one should use a hand seal and breathe out once, so that it manifests in five colors.

The Perfected Flying Celestial Divine Kings of the Ten Directions, and the immeasurable great gods who grant long life and deliver beings from the world, ride flying cloud vermilion carriages and green carriages. Their vehicles are fitted with feathered canopies and jade-trimmed wheels, and drawn by vermilion phoenixes and five-colored dark dragons. Their procession raises nine-colored ceremonial standards and Ten-Extinction spirit banners, flags used in Daoist rites. Ahead, nine phoenixes cry out and sing together; behind, eight luan birds play music in harmony. Lions and white cranes also give forth harmonious cries and songs. The Five Elders, divine beings of the five directions, lead the way, while assembled immortals guard the carriage shafts. Countless carriages, vehicles, and mounted attendants come through the air.

The master says: This passage describes the visualization practice used when dispatching a Divine King on an errand: one focuses during the ritual on the deity’s form and journey. At the outset, the Celestial Worthy dispatches the Divine King. The Five Elders lead the way, assembled immortals guard the carriage shafts, and countless carriages, vehicles, and mounted attendants come through the air.

The master said: This passage describes the visualization rite for dispatching a divine king to carry out a task. In the beginning, when the Celestial Worthy sent divine kings down into the world to save beings of every kind through countless kalpas, the ceremonial arrangements were made in this way. Today, when ritual masters handle such matters, they should follow the usual procedure and use a formal dispatch document—a written report to the deities that states the matter clearly. It should then be sent according to the direction in which the dispatched deity is to travel: if sent upward, report it to Heaven; if sent downward, report it to the Nine Earths, the realms below; and even when the deity does not pass through any of the four directions, this kind of document is still used. For any dispatch document submitted upward, write the divine king’s true seal script in cinnabar at the place where the divine king receives the commission, stamp it with the “Seal of the Lord of the Cold Radiance,” and write “Jingming Tatha Sujia Gongcao Talisman.”

In practice, the rite should be carried out in the same way, with the writing arranged in two columns.

Chapter Five: Protecting Life

The gods of the heavens turn back their divine radiance and descend into the human world to inspect the true officials and save beings. The celestial ministers, the Southern Palace of Nanchang, Han, the registrar in charge of the registers, and the Great God Who Oversees Birth all bear name registers and ledgers. Together they appear before the Supreme Emperor and carefully examine the celestial registers, according to whom each is meant to save.

The master said: This passage describes the great heavenly Perfected Ones and the assembled holy beings of the Great Lingbao Rite, gathered before the Supreme Emperor to save beings from life and death. Today, this method has been adapted into a rite for praying for the continuation of one’s family line.

Swallowing the Talisman

When writing the character “sun,” recite “Yuyi,” the name of the sun god, and draw in the sun’s Qi through the left eye. When writing the character “moon,” recite “Jielin,” the name of the moon god, and draw in the Yin essence through the right eye. Then unite the Qi of the sun and moon; the method is described below.

Wearing the Talisman

Write the character “bright.”

When writing the character “sun,” recite “Yuyi,” the name of the sun god, and draw in the sun’s Qi through the left eye. When writing the character “moon,” recite “Jielin,” the name of the moon god, and draw in the Yin essence through the right eye. Then unite the Qi of the sun and moon; the method is described below.

Wear the talisman.

When writing the talisman, first write down the person’s birth date and hour according to the traditional system of the Eight Characters. Draw seven sun marks on the left side of the talisman and seven moon marks on the right. Visualize the sun and moon giving off red and yellow light; after their rays meet, see them enter the talisman. Inhale once, drawing in the Qi of the East, then inhale twice more, drawing in the Qi of the West, and exhale while reciting the incantation and forming the hand seal (performing the rite with a prescribed gesture). To pray for a boy, move the hand leftward from the Yin position and release the talisman at the Si position. To pray for a girl, move the hand rightward from the Shen position and release it above the Si position. The husband and wife sit facing one another, the husband facing west and the wife facing east. Each day, swallow one talisman with clear water for one hundred consecutive days, and offspring may be obtained. Alternatively, burn the talisman in water and drink it. If wearing it on the body, first recite the preceding incantation to empower it. Write the talisman in cinnabar on white silk: men wear it on the left, women on the right.

Chapter Six: Proclamation to All

Let this be proclaimed throughout the Three Realms (the worlds of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, together with the spirit realms under their jurisdiction), so that all may know: the Divine Realm Beyond Measure, the Office of the Winding Springs, the Northern Capital of Luofeng (the underworld in Daoist belief), the Three Offices and Nine Bureaus (divine offices governing the affairs of Heaven, Earth, water, and the underworld), the Twelve River Sources, and all other such places. Release our ancestors and kin of every generation from the offenses and karmic burdens they have incurred. Quickly erase their names from the registers of offenses and destroy their evil roots. Do not detain them or drive them into the ranks of ghosts.

The master says: This passage speaks of the Nine Bureaus and the Twelve River Sources. It petitions for the release of our ancestors and kin of every generation from their offenses and karmic burdens, for their names to be quickly erased from the registers of offenses, and for their evil roots to be destroyed. They are not to be detained, nor driven into the ranks of ghosts.

The master says: This passage is a scriptural teaching spoken by the Daoist Lord, the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure. It can deliver the living and the dead. Now, by means of this true text and talisman, we seek the deliverance of the disciple’s ancestors and kin of every generation, so that they may leave the gates of the underworld. This talisman is the credential by which a proclamation is issued throughout the Three Realms.

Talisman for Proclamation to the Three Realms

When writing it, specify the Tai Sui year, month, and day.

Inscribe the title “Great Master of the Great Method of Numinous Treasure of Highest Clarity” on the talisman. Use the true text in writing the talisman, following the prescribed stages set out in the Central Directive.

Talisman for Proclamation to the Three Realms

Use a paulownia board nine inches long and three inches and two tenths wide. Write on a yellow ground with cinnabar, affix it to a bamboo tablet, and then stamp it with the seal of the Grand Mysterious Capital Bureau.

Chapter Seven: Talismanic Decree

When the talismanic decree of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning descends, the dead ascend in rank at the appointed time. The spirits of the Northern Capital’s Cold Pool are to protect their bodies and souls, subdue demonic obstacles, and recommend the dead for promotion, so they may ascend to the Southern Palace according to their rank. Through refinement and deliverance, the souls of the dead may become immortals; the living, too, may receive deliverance and endure through generation after generation. As the cycles of kalpas turn, they will live as long as Heaven, forever escape the Three Paths (the evil destinies of hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts), the Five Sufferings, and the Eight Calamities, transcend the Three Realms, and roam freely in the immortal realm of Highest Clarity.

The master said: This passage means that the scriptures and teachings proclaimed by the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure can enable people to transcend life and death and deliver the dead. Today, they allow disciples to endure the calamities of age after age and remain forever, flowing with the cycles of the kalpas and living as long as Heaven. They free them forever from the Three Paths, the Five Sufferings, and the Eight Difficulties, carry them beyond the Three Realms, and let them ascend freely to the Upper Clarity realm, a lofty celestial realm in Daoism.

The master said: This passage means that the scriptures and teachings proclaimed by the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure can enable people to transcend life and death and deliver the dead. Today, they can erase the evil records accumulated by a disciple’s relatives over countless billions of kalpas, allowing them to enter the lineage of the Immortal Way and become a talismanic mandate text of the Primordial Beginning—that is, a talisman issued by command of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning.

True Text of the Primordial Beginning Talismanic Mandate

Tai Sui, year, month, and day: Enter here the time when the talismanic mandate is to be carried out.

Rank and office: Enter here the relevant divine office or title.

Talisman of the Primordial Beginning Talismanic Mandate

When writing the talisman, accompany it with the true text and form the hand gesture by pinching the middle section of the middle finger. This is a ritual technique used in Daoist talisman writing.

As described on the right: Use a board of xiang wood or paulownia, nine cun long and three cun two fen wide. Write in cinnabar on blue paper. Affix the true text of the talismanic mandate to the wooden tablet, then stamp the seal of the Supreme Mystery Capital Bureau beneath the talisman. This is the seal of a Daoist institution.

Chapter Eight: Establishing the Covenant

The colorless realm of the Upper Clarity heavens, where the Jade Perfected Heavenly Emperor resides, belongs to the realm of Brahma practice.

The Eight Heavens of the East

The Heavenly Emperor of Great Sovereign Yellow Zeng Heaven is named Yu Jian Yuming.

The Heavenly Emperor of Great Bright Jade Completion Heaven is named Xu A Natiantian.

The Heavenly Emperor of Pure Bright He Tong Heaven is named Yuan Yu Qijing.

The Heavenly Emperor of Mysterious Womb Equal Peace Heaven is named Liu Du Neixian.

The Heavenly Emperor of Primordial Bright Literary Elevation Heaven is named Chou Falun.

The Heavenly Emperor of Upper Bright Seven Luminaries Moy Heaven is named Tian Kua Yanyan.

The Heavenly Emperor of Voidless Yueheng Heaven is named Zheng Dingguang.

The Heavenly Emperor of Pure Bright He Tong Heaven is named Yuan Yu Qijing.

The Heavenly Emperor of Mysterious Womb Equal Peace Heaven is named Liu Du Neixian.

The Heavenly Emperor of Primordial Bright Literary Elevation Heaven is named Chou Falun.

The Heavenly Emperor of Upper Bright Seven Luminaries Moy Heaven is named Tian Kua Yanyan.

The Heavenly Emperor of Voidless Yueheng Heaven is named Zheng Dingguang.

The Heavenly Emperor of Supreme Ultimate Veiled Heaven is named Qu Yu Jiuchang.

The Eight Heavens of the South

The Heavenly Emperor of Red Bright Harmony Yang Heaven is named Li Jin Shangzhen.

The Heavenly Emperor of Mysterious Bright Respectful Splendor Heaven is named Kong Yao Chouyin.

The Heavenly Emperor of Radiant Bright Ancestral Fluttering Heaven is named Chong Guangming.

The Heavenly Emperor of Zhu Luo Imperial Reed Heaven is named Mo Yi Miaobian.

The Heavenly Emperor of Void Bright Hall Radiance Heaven is named A Jing Shen.

The Heavenly Emperor of Contemplative Bright Dignified Serenity Heaven is named Yu Mi Luo Qian.

The Heavenly Emperor of Mysterious Bright Respectful Celebration Heaven is named Long Luo Puti.

The name of the Celestial Emperor of Taihuan Jiyao Heaven is Wanli Wuyan.

The Celestial Emperors of the eight western heavens are: the Celestial Emperor of Yuanzai Kongsheng Heaven, named Kaizhen Dingguang; the Celestial Emperor of Tai’an Huangya Heaven, named Polou Atan; the Celestial Emperor of Xianding Jifeng Heaven, named Zhaozhen Tong; the Celestial Emperor of Shihuang Xiaomang Heaven, named Saluolou Wang; the Celestial Emperor of Taihuang Wengzhong Fulong Heaven, named Minba Kuang; the Celestial Emperor of Wusi Jiangyou Heaven, named Mingfan Guang; the Celestial Emperor of Shangdie Ruanle Heaven, named Bobo Jian; and the Celestial Emperor of Wuji Tanshi Heaven, named Piao Nu Qionglong.

The Celestial Emperors of the eight northern heavens are: the Celestial Emperor of Haoting Xiaodu Heaven, named Huijue Hun; the Celestial Emperor of Yuantong Yuandong Heaven, named Fanxing Guansheng; the Celestial Emperor of Taiwen Hanchong Miaocheng Heaven, named Nayu Chouying; the Celestial Emperor of Taisu Xiule Jinshang Heaven, named Longluo Juezhang; the Celestial Emperor of Taixu Wushang Changrong Heaven, named Zongjian Guishen; the Celestial Emperor of Taishi Yulong Tengsheng Heaven, named Miaomiao Xingyuan; the Celestial Emperor of Longbian Fandu Heaven, named Yunhua Xuanxuan; and the Celestial Emperor of Taiji Pingyu Jiayi Heaven, named Daze Famen.

Each of the thirty-two heavens has its own Celestial Emperor. The hidden names of these heavenly realms, the honored gods’ sacred names, and their numinous registers contain the Way of empty, spontaneous nature. Their hidden tones are the sounds of the heavens and are bound up with the honored gods, spirits, and great demons of the heavenly realms. The many tones combine and transform, returning to Shangqing (the higher celestial realm in Daoism). Their mysteries are inexhaustible and cannot be fully described; they can proclaim the divine perfected ones and universally save humans and spirits.

The master said: These are the inner names of the Lords of the thirty-two heavens and their demon kings. If someone can learn and recite their numinous sounds, the demon kings will recommend that person for ascension to immortality. Therefore, these teachings are now transmitted to disciples so that they may unite with the Way of transformation in Shangqing. Their mysteries are inexhaustible and cannot be fully described; they can proclaim the divine perfected ones and universally save humans and spirits.

The master says: These are the secret names of the gods and demon kings of the Thirty-Two Heavens, the levels of the celestial realm in Daoism. If a person learns and recites these sacred sounds, the demon kings will recommend him for ascension to immortality. Therefore, a certificate of ascent to Heaven is now issued for the disciple, as well as for relatives across generations and lifetimes. Begin with the Eight Heavens of the East and recite silently until the disciple has gladly received salvation and the certificate of investiture. Then bow and stamp the certificate with the Jade Seal of the Dao Lord.

Chapter Nine: Making Certificates

Whenever a disciple is to be entered into the registers, or the disciple’s ancestors are to be recommended for salvation, a certificate must be issued. Men use the left certificate and women the right, and carry it on their person. Write in cinnabar on yellow silk, with each sheet nine inches high and three feet two inches long. Make two certificates each month and inscribe them with the talisman of ascent to Heaven, writing the testimony across the top: men keep the left certificate, women the right. Burn one copy and keep it on record beneath the Gate of the Celestial Pivot, the place where the workings of Heaven are governed; give the other to the recipient to carry.

When seeking to deliver the dead, make two certificates of the same size: burn one and send it to the deceased; send the other to the Celestial Pivot as proof that the two correspond. When writing the certificate, sit facing the direction of the Heavenly Gate and turn toward the Xun direction, the southeast. Form the Shangqing mudra, the Daoist ritual hand gesture, and visualize yourself becoming the Dao Lord. Pray silently, explaining the reason for the petition. When the prayer is complete, write the central section of the perfected text according to the rite.

The Demon Kings’ Song says:

The noble Brahman practice of pure cultivation transcends Tai Luo; the unadulterated ways of antiquity carry on the subtle guiding principles. Though formless, they endure forever. By observing the world, one may suddenly understand their truth. Practice repeatedly until the kalpas come to an end; probe the hidden and subtle, and deliver living beings beyond birth and death. The Three Vehicles, each offering a different level of practice, all lead by a convenient path to stillness and emptiness, free from worldly defilement. When a single soul is met in the long night, the five torments of hell are lifted; the branches of the sword trees no longer sway, and the body is unharmed by the mountain of knives. At the gate stands an immortal elder who oversees the great calamities, and no one in the world dies before their time. Today, as this ritual assembly is celebrated, all the heavens rejoice together.

When a single soul is met in the long night, the five torments of hell are lifted; the branches of the sword trees no longer sway, and the body is unharmed by the mountain of knives. At the gate stands an immortal elder who oversees the great calamities, and no one in the world dies before their time. Today, as this ritual assembly is celebrated, all the heavens rejoice together. My heart is filled with boundless joy; I sing aloud and bow in homage.

After reciting the hymn, inhale thirty-two times and visualize the Celestial Emperor of Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven, who resides there. Bow toward the northeast and invite the Celestial Emperors of the four directions to come. They command the Jade Youths and Jade Maidens, along with the officials on duty, who hold vermilion brushes and await the inspection of the certificates. Together they vouch for and attest to the disciple’s nine generations of ancestors and six kinds of kin, enabling them to leave the Gate of Earth, the entrance to the underworld, and attain the rank of great immortals. Following the ritual, stain the certificate vermilion.

Certificate Format

Write the five talismans inside the certificate, then burn it. At the same time, wear the sun and tread the Dipper, carrying out the prescribed visualization or steps among the sun, moon, and stars, as transmitted orally and personally in the Jingming Method. To form the hand seals, make the Yin sign for the east, the Si sign for the south, the Shen sign for the west, and the Hai sign for the north. When the certificate is complete, stamp it with the Jade Seal of the Dao Lord, recite the two sections of the Jingming Numinous Writ, and seal the certificate.

Supreme Numinous Treasure Jingming Court

Write this talisman across two certificates: the man keeps the left certificate, and the woman the right. The same procedure applies to rites for delivering the dead.

Text of the Certificate

In accordance with the Jingming Secret Canon, ascend to the immortal palace. The blessings earned by a loyal and filial child will also extend to their kin; the ancestors of nine generations will all receive titles and ranks and, by command, ascend to immortality. Wherever the numinous writ appears, the heavens will send escorts to welcome and see them on their way. The disciple, [name], is hereby appointed to the office of [title]. This certificate is issued for verification.

For a rite of deliverance, change the wording to: “The disciple to be delivered is a loyal and filial child, whose blessings extend to their kin. The ancestors of nine generations will all receive titles and ranks and, by command, ascend to immortality. Wherever the numinous writ appears, the heavens will send escorts to welcome and see them on their way. The disciple, [name], is hereby appointed to the office of [title]. This certificate is issued for verification.”

For the deliverance of the deceased, say: “The original spirit of the disciple to be delivered is entrusted to the Celestial Pivot Court, which will confer an office upon it.”

Jade Writ for the Celestial Birds and Terrestrial Beasts

The “Middle Section of the Primordial Beginning’s Numinous Writings” is the Heavenly Ascent Writ (a sacred document symbolizing ascent to the celestial realm in Daoism).

The Eight Heavens of the East

Danlou Ahui, Wuhé Guanyin, Xuyan Mingshou, Falan Putan, Jiana Ayi, Hu’a Liuyin, Huadu Quli, Xianpu Yuzhen, Daluo Dafan, Sanyan Qingyun, Feisa Yudu, Mingmo Shangmen, Wuxing Shangshou, Huizhi Liuxuan, Atuo Longluo, Sixiang Xuyuan.

There are sixteen lines, comprising sixty-four characters. These are numinous-writ characters representing the eastern celestial realm, arranged in the sequence recorded in the scripture.

The Eight Heavens of the South

Nanyan Dongfu, Yumou Shenshen, Fanxing Luokong, Jiuling Tuiqian, Zelu Putan, Lüluo Daqian, Miaomang Jiuchou, Shaoyao Yuanzhan, Yunshang Jiudu, Feisheng Ziqian, Nayü Yufu, Molu Falun, Hongchi Wujing, Lanzhi Yunrong, Fulang Kuoyi, Shenying Zigong.

There are sixteen lines, comprising sixty-four characters. These, too, are numinous-writ characters representing the southern celestial realm.

The Eight Heavens of the Four Directions

Daoli Chanyou, Boni Jiutong, Wansou Dixi, Taimiao Zhitang, Liuluo Fanmeng, Jingwei Xiaoyu, Yimiao Wuji, Wanshou Shaodu; Ayi Yuzhu, Huamo Yanyou, Jiukai Zibian, Ana Pinshou, Wuliang Mage, Fuluo Heshen, Xingdan Changsang, Baikong Duxian.

There are sixteen lines, comprising sixty-four characters. These are the numinous-writ characters for the celestial realms of the four directions, as listed in the scripture.

The Eight Heavens of the North

Juewu Ziyu, Jiuri Daoqian, Kunmu Dongfu, Xingshe Shangxuan, Tualuo Yumiao, Miaoqi Heyun, Feitian Dachou, Zongjian Shangtian, Shatuo Jieliang, Longhan Yingxian, Biluo Fuli, Kongge Baozhen, Eyi Wupin, Dongmiao Zizhen, Yuanfan Huimo, Youji Duren.

There are sixteen lines, comprising sixty-four characters. These are numinous-writ characters representing the northern celestial realm.

The talisman above is bestowed upon the disciple So-and-so to keep and carry. Once worn, it can dispel all five kinds of suffering and secure forgiveness from the three evil paths—the hells, the hungry ghosts, and the animals. Its roots of evil will be severed forever. The bearer will be reborn in the Southern Palace, receive salvation in every generation, and live as long as Heaven. In respectful obedience to the statutes, let this be carried out at once.

Issued and proclaimed on the first day of the [second] month of [the year] [specified] according to the cycle of the Grand Year.

Officials:

Ordaining Master, Supreme Immortal Grand Historian of the Nine Provinces, Great Envoy of High Illumination, Perfected Lord of the Utmost Dao, Mysterious Response, Divine Merit, and Wondrous Deliverance.

Supervising Ordainer, Perfected Lord Who Supports the Teachings of the Three Heavens and Assists the Origin, Great Master of the Law, Celestial Master of the Orthodox Unity, Profoundly Mysterious, Divinely Transformed, and Manifestly Protective.

Register Master, Perfected Lord, Censor of the Mysterious Metropolis.

Scripture Master, Immortal King of Utmost Filial Piety and Respectful Obedience.

Patriarch, Heavenly Worthy of Pure Radiance and Yellow Writs of the Numinous Treasure, Immortal King of Filial Dao, Primordial Lady of Great Yin.

Patriarch, Heavenly Worthy of the Radiant Mystery of the Numinous Treasure, Emperor of Great Yang, King of the Bright Dao of Filial Teaching.

Heavenly Worthy of the Great Sovereign, Heaven of Yellow Zeng.

Chapter Ten: Passing Through the Barriers of the Calendar.

Having passed through the various heavens, one petitions for the removal of a person’s three evils—perhaps the harmful karma of body, speech, and mind—and for the severing of their ties to the underworld, so that they may ascend, pass beyond the Five Households, whose precise meaning is unclear, and have their name inscribed in Supreme Mystery, the lofty and profound celestial realm. The Demon Kings oversee the examination and recommendation, ensuring that the person passes through the Gates of Heaven without obstruction. The Eastern Dipper, the deity of the eastern stars, governs lifespan; the Western Dipper records names; the Northern Dipper determines the time of death; the Southern Dipper governs the force of life; and the Great Leader of the Central Dipper commands all spirits. The Azure Emperor protects the soul, the White Emperor attends to the spirit of the bodily soul, the Red Emperor nourishes primordial Qi, the Black Emperor opens and clears the blood vessels, and the Yellow Emperor rules from the center. None of the gods may exceed their appointed duties.

The Demon King of the Azure Heaven is named Bayuan Choubo; the Demon King of the Red Heaven, Futian Danshi; the Demon King of the White Heaven, Fanshan Liumu; the Demon King of the Black Heaven, Jianshou Langfu; and the Demon King of the Yellow Heaven, Hengtian Yanli. The Five Emperors’ Great Demons are the ancestors of the myriad gods. They lead their retinues through the skies, command armies of ghosts, carry banners, ceremonial emblems, drums, and tallies, and patrol the vast heavens. They proclaim their great authority and power, equal to that of the heavens. Charged with ascending to heaven to save people, they strictly govern Beideng, a place akin to the underworld.

The Divine Lord is charged with sweeping away misfortune everywhere. The Eight Mighty Ones, fierce divine generals, breathe out poisonous vapors, while savage horses charge forth from the four directions. Heavenly soldiers clear the way ahead, and the Grand Marshal holds the banner. Flames are hurled across ten thousand miles, while the Flowing Bells, ritual implements with the power to drive away evil, thunder in all directions. Whoever dares to offend or obstruct the Supreme Perfected—those who have attained the Dao—is first slain by the god of the golden cymbals, then punished by the god of the Great Heaven. Ghosts and monsters are slaughtered and wiped out; wind and fire rage without cease, beheading thousands upon thousands and cutting down tens of thousands. Demons may not trespass, and ghosts may not wreak havoc. The Three Officials of Beifeng, divine authorities in charge of the affairs of the dead, inspect the ghost camps thoroughly and permit no one to hide. They send documents by golden horse to report their findings.

The Master said: This scripture was spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. It can prolong life, increase blessings, cure illness, avert calamity, and deliver one’s ancestors. When disciples perform the rites, they must write the relevant documents and submit them in sequence to the various heavens. Whether praying on behalf of a disciple for longer life, healing and protection from calamity, or the deliverance of ancestors, the written petition must follow the appropriate procedure.

To pray for a disciple’s life to be prolonged, begin by submitting a notice to the various heavens, then pass it up through each level to the Director-General of the assembled spirits. The Spirit Lord then receives the command, and finally the document is carried by the Golden Horse relay. To remove illness and avert calamity for a disciple, begin by submitting a notice to the various heavens and send it to the Gate of Unrestricted Heaven. The Azure Emperor then protects the soul, and the document is sent to the Place Beyond the Reach of the Myriad Gods. The Spirit Lord then receives the command, and finally the document is presented at the Golden Horse relay. To deliver a disciple’s ancestors, begin by submitting a notice to the various heavens and send it to the Gate of Unrestricted Heaven. The Azure Heaven Demon King then forwards it to the Golden Horse relay. Once the document is complete, stamp it with the seal of the Tai Xuan Metropolitan Office. Prayers for longer life or healing must be accompanied by a zhangjiao rite—a Daoist petition submitted to the gods—and must not be used casually.

The True Writ for Passing Notices Through the Various Heavens

Notice Form

To the Supreme High Lingbao Jingming Office:

I now respectfully submit a report on behalf of the disciple So-and-so regarding the matter requested. If the request is for longer life and healing, state “longer life and healing”; if it is for the deliverance of ancestors, state “deliverance of the forebears.” Since this matter requires a written notice to be submitted and reported, I respectfully present it here.

Approved.

The Secret Canon of Jingming (the esoteric scriptures of the Jingming tradition) stipulates that when someone is elevated into the ranks of the Immortal Officials, the blessings of a filial son or daughter also extend to their family. Nine generations of ancestors may all receive grace, be granted an immortal destiny, and be delivered to higher realms. Wherever this document arrives, the various heavens must carry out its instructions. The disciple So-and-so is now appointed to the office of So-and-so; this document is therefore submitted as formal notice.

Write the four characters meaning “submit a notice to the various heavens” in cinnabar. If delivering a disciple’s ancestors, notify the nine generations of ancestors and the forebears, so that they may leave the Three Evil Paths (the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) and sever their roots in the earth, the connections binding them to the underworld. Then present the document at the Golden Horse relay.

In the year, month, and day of the Grand Duke of Jupiter: submit notice.

Official title.

Write the four characters meaning “submit a notice to the various heavens” in cinnabar. If delivering a disciple’s ancestors, notify the nine generations of ancestors and the forebears, so that they may leave the Three Evil Paths and sever their roots in the earth. Then present the document at the Golden Horse relay.

In the year, month, and day of the Grand Duke of Jupiter: submit notice.

Official title.

When preparing a ritual warrant, write it on blue-green paper, add the year, month, and day in cinnabar, then stamp it with the Seal of the Dharma Master of Jingming (a Daoist ritual seal). If you are praying on someone’s behalf for a longer life or healing from illness, you must also issue the Five Pecks and Five Emperors talisman, associated with the Five Directions and Five Emperors.

The Seven Primordial Lords of the Northern Dipper, the divine lords who govern its seven stars, possess vast spiritual powers. Please remove my name from the registers of the dead, so that it no longer appears in the black register of death. Grant me longevity, and especially bestow upon me the essence of hangxie, the fabled dew of the immortals. Make me a flying immortal, free and at ease, and let me widely deliver others.

The Eastern Dipper’s Mansion of Generative Qi, the divine residence that governs the qi of birth and nurture, is where the supreme deities of Heaven dwell. Please add years to my life, so that my lifespan may equal Heaven and Earth. Grant me longevity, and especially bestow upon me the essence of rihua, the essence of the sun. Make me a flying immortal, free and at ease, and let me widely deliver others.

The Southern Dipper’s Vermilion Radiance Palace, the divine palace where the Southern Dipper resides, is where the deity of cinnabar clouds and supreme Yang dwells. Please add my name to the Register of Ascendant Life, which records those who rise to new life and attain longevity, and enter it in the Jade Register of the immortal realm. Grant me longevity, and especially bestow upon me the essence of the Cinnabar Pool, the refined qi spoken of among immortals. Make me a flying immortal, free and at ease, and let me widely deliver others.

The Western Dipper’s Realm of Great Simplicity is where the deity of the plain-colored Heaven and supreme Yang dwells. Please add my name to the Register of Ascendant Life and enter it in the Jade Register. Grant me longevity, and especially bestow upon me the essence of the Cinnabar Pool. Make me a flying immortal, free and at ease, and let me widely deliver others.

The Western Dipper’s Realm of Great Simplicity is the supremely radiant plain-colored Heaven. Please enter me in the register of immortals, beyond the reach of evil spirits. Let the killing qi be unable to harm me, and especially bestow upon me the essence of yuehua, the essence of the moon. Make me a flying immortal, free and at ease, and let me widely deliver others.

The Central Yellow Court Palace, the divine palace of the central direction, is where the most exalted and noble Great Dipper deity dwells. Please have the assembled deities watch over me and protect my deathless body. Grant me longevity, and especially bestow upon me the essence of Yin and Yang. Make me a flying immortal, free and at ease, and let me widely deliver others.

The Azure Emperor’s talisman corresponds to the Mao direction (east); the Red Emperor’s to the Wu direction (south); the White Emperor’s to the You direction (west); the Black Emperor’s to the Zi direction (north); and the Yellow Emperor’s to the center.

When writing these five talismans, first visualize each of the Five Emperors in their respective directions, then recite the incantation: “The Azure Emperor guards the hun soul; the White Emperor attends the po soul; the Red Emperor nourishes qi; the Black Emperor circulates the blood; the Yellow Emperor dwells at the center and directs affairs. Let none of the deities overstep their appointed place.” Then form the hand seals and write each talisman according to its direction. The talismans may also be worn on the body.

The Yellow Emperor’s talisman corresponds to the central direction.

When writing the five talismans mentioned earlier, first visualize the Five Emperors of the five directions and recite the incantation: “The Azure Emperor protects the hun and po souls; the White Emperor guards the bodily soul; the Red Emperor nourishes the original Qi; the Black Emperor keeps Qi and blood flowing freely; the Yellow Emperor dwells at the center and presides over all. May the myriad spirits each guard their own place and never cross its bounds.” Then form the hand seals and write the talismans according to their respective directions. They may be worn on the person or ingested. To pass through the heavenly gates with the aid of these talismans, one must also practice the longevity method described earlier. Another practice combines them with the Divine Strategy method.

Azure Emperor Talisman

Face east and click your teeth nine times. Visualize azure Qi entering through your mouth and flowing into your liver, where it transforms within you into nine layers of azure, jewel-like radiance that illuminate the crown of your head. Once you have written the talisman, place it before you and recite:

“Supreme Azure Essence—the great spirit of the nine Qi. Its divine light spreads far and wide, flowing across the eastern realm of azure; its radiance flourishes and illuminates my body. The palace and inner chambers are at peace, and the treasured po soul arises naturally. It penetrates all eight directions and flies upward to the Jade Court, the palace of the immortals.”

When you have finished, draw in Qi and swallow it in nine portions; then you may stop. Divide the talisman into two parts: ingest one and wear the other. If you wish to place it in a staff, insert one part into the staff.

Red Emperor Talisman

Face south and click your teeth three times. Visualize crimson Qi entering through your mouth and flowing into your heart, where it transforms within you into three layers of cinnabar-red, jewel-like radiance that illuminates your chest. Once you have written the talisman, place it before you and recite:

“Cinnabar-red radiance flows and turns; the treasured lingzhi, the immortals’ sacred fungus, brings forth light. Divine essence penetrates the hidden depths, and numinous Qi spreads through the eight directions. The talisman’s summoned spirit gathers the original Qi; its cry calls forth the Vermilion Youth, a red spirit among the Three Officials. The three essences shine brilliantly and enter my Crimson Palace, the seat of the heart. The Red Spirit settles and guards it; the five fragrances fill my entire body. Light shines beyond my body, and both inside and out gleam with radiance. The powers of water and fire arise within me, and I travel alone, ascending through flight.”

When you have finished, draw in Qi and swallow it in three portions; then you may stop. Divide the talisman into two parts: ingest one and wear the other. If you wish to place it in a staff, insert one part into the staff.

Yellow Emperor Talisman

Face toward the center and click your teeth twelve times. Visualize yellow Qi entering through your mouth and flowing into your spleen, where it transforms within you into twelve layers of yellow, jewel-like radiance that illuminate your entire body. Once you have written the talisman, place it before you and recite:

The primordial source is exalted and numinous; spirit and Qi (vital energy) revolve and flow, extending in all four directions. Yellow Qi radiates, scattering flower-like light, while the radiance of the Sovereigns of the Five Directions shines in mutual reflection. Jing (essence) and Qi flow outward and transform into twelve layers of light. Let these rays of light merge with my body as the assembled gods come to welcome me. Stabilize the spleen and nurture primordial Qi; protect my life in the central palace. Free me from countless eons of calamity, and let me remain forever stable and undiminished.

After reciting, draw in twelve breaths of Qi until the breath ceases. Take one of the prepared talismans, and wear the other. If placing one in the Divine Staff (a kind of ritual staff), put one inside.

White Emperor Talisman

Face west and click your teeth seven times. Imagine white Qi entering your lungs through your mouth and generating seven layers of pure white, flower-like light that illuminates the Dantian (the area of the body used in internal alchemy practice). Write the talisman and place it before you, then recite the incantation:

Seven Qi of metal’s numinous power, pure white flower-like Qi spreading its fragrance. The Metal Essence Youth (a deity associated with metal Qi) wears a primordial headcloth and carries talismans and registers, commanding the breath; the assembled gods gather before the gate. Precious light gleams, illuminating the root of my life (the foundation that sustains life). Stabilize the essence within my spleen, so that I endure through ten thousand kalpas and remain forever.

After reciting, draw in seven breaths of dark Qi until the breath ceases. Take one talisman, and wear the other. If placing one in the Divine Staff, put one inside.

Black Emperor Talisman

Face north and click your teeth five times. Imagine black Qi entering your kidneys through your mouth and generating five layers of dark flower-like light. Place the talisman before you and recite the incantation:

The Great Dark Qi of the north, five streams of black Qi winding in coils; five layers of precious blossoms turn and shine. Numinous visions flourish in radiant splendor, their light reflecting the Celestial Palace (the stellar region where the Celestial Emperor resides). The light and Qi pour upward into my body, making the seat of my kidneys bright and clear. Stabilize my numinous abode (the dwelling place of body and mind), so that all the gods come to gather within me. Feathered robes arise upon my body, and my entire form ascends through the air.

After reciting, draw in seven breaths of dark Qi until the breath ceases. Take one talisman, and wear the other. If placing one in the Divine Staff, put one inside.

Choose a bamboo stalk that has grown toward the sun, seven feet seven inches long, preferably with seven joints, and make it into a Spirit Staff, a ritual staff used in Daoist ceremonies. The staff should be straight from top to bottom, and sweet bamboo is best. Write the Black Emperor talisman inside the second joint, the White Emperor talisman inside the third, and the Yellow Emperor talisman inside the fourth. Then write the Red Emperor talisman, again choosing straight sweet bamboo: place the Black Emperor talisman in the second joint, the White Emperor talisman in the third, the Yellow Emperor talisman in the fourth, the Red Emperor talisman in the fifth, and the Green Emperor talisman in the sixth. Leave the topmost joint empty so it can connect with Heaven; let the bottommost joint stand upon the earth.

Seal the topmost joint with wax and place within it the Seal of the Primordial Beginning, also known as the middle section of the numinous scripture. Then seal the bottommost joint and place within it the Seal of the Five Emperors, also known as the Red Writ of the Five Elders. Write all the talismans and seals in red characters on yellow silk.

Make a room of suitable size to hold the bamboo staff. In daily life, whether resting, sitting, lying down, or getting up, keep the staff with you. When taking off your clothes, you may use the staff to cover them; when coming and going, carry it discreetly. If you do not keep it with you, place it somewhere clean and do not lose it.

After practicing with the staff for a long time, point it toward Heaven and the heavenly spirits will bow; point it toward the earth and the earth spirits will come to greet you; point it east or north and all ghosts will be subdued. Whenever you carry the staff while walking or standing, or prepare to perform a spell, click your teeth thirty-six times. Visualize the Directing Officers of the Five Emperors, each with a body of their own, wearing clothes in the color corresponding to their direction, as rays of five-colored light shine upon the bamboo staff. Each of the Five Emperors has a Jade Maiden, and together they guard both sides of the staff. Then softly recite the spell:

“Mount Taiyang, primordial essence above…”

The mountain of the Sun stores the vital essence of the primordial source. It opened Heaven and Earth and made the sweet bamboo spiritually perceptive. The attendant Direct Talisman officials and divine troops stand guard nearby. Five-colored radiance flows and shines; vermilion fire accompanies golden bells. Together they assist and protect the Highest Perfected Ones—those who have attained the Dao—enabling them to move between the realms of darkness and light.

Summon the heavenly gods, and they come with reverence. Call forth the gods of the earth, and they welcome the summons and obey. Point toward the ghosts, and they are destroyed; demons are restrained and can cause no trouble. The spiritual talisman and divine staff possess immense power, helping me achieve our shared purpose and attain long life together. Even after ten thousand kalpas, the staff can take the place of my body, freeing me from the constraints of physical form and allowing my spiritual awareness to ascend to Shangqing, the Daoist high celestial realm. No one who honors the spiritual talisman and receives its command dares disobey. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

When the incantation is finished, draw in twenty-five breaths of Qi from the five directions and swallow them.

On one’s birth-year day and on the days of the Eight Festivals, one should burn incense and bow in worship to the left and right. After nine years of such practice, if one remains sincere, careful, and free of error throughout, the divine Perfected Ones will appear on the divine staff. Then one can ride the staff through the air. If one wishes to transcend by corpse liberation—the Daoist practice of shedding the mortal body and transforming into an immortal—one may let the divine staff take the place of one’s own body. In an instant, one can become a Perfected One.

End of volume two of the Taishang Lingbao Jingming Feixian Duren Jingfa.

The phrase “zhongzhong zhi” here is probably a mistaken rendering of “pinch the middle finger.”

Taishang Lingbao Jingming Feixian Duren Jingfa, Volume Three

Explained by Xu Jingyang, the High and Illustrious Great Envoy, True Lord of Divine Merit and Wondrous Salvation—the Daoist-revered Xu Xun.

Chapter One: Transforming and Moving

Proclaim it throughout the boundless realms; let the myriad gods come and hear the command. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms together submit their report to Shangqing.

Xu Jingyang said: These words were spoken by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning when he proclaimed the scripture, in order to deliver his disciples and guide them through the celestial passes. The phrase “Proclaim it throughout the boundless realms; let the myriad gods all hear. The Five Emperors of the Three Realms submit their report to Shangqing” is now used as an incantation when performing arts of summoning and dispatching. After the ritual is complete, the ritual master softly recites the words from “Proclaim it throughout the boundless realms” through “submit their report to Shangqing,” while visualizing the ghosts and spirits of Heaven and Earth and the four directions obeying the command and carrying it out.

Chapter Two: Concealment and Transformation

Yuandong Yuli, Longhan, and Yankang are names for the beginning of the cosmos and the calamities of the distant past. At that time, immeasurably long ages passed while Heaven and Earth remained in chaos: above, no forms or colors were visible, and the dark, remote depths had yet to take shape. The breaths of wind and water flowed through the void, while the firm, solid Qi upheld the heavens. There were no shadowy or hidden realms above or below, nor any forms or shadows; everything was boundless and endless. The Qi of the Great Brahma—vast, primordial source Qi—spread everywhere, remote and empty, with no light yet appearing.

Chapter Two: Concealment and Transformation

The scripture says: Yuandong Yuli, Longhan, and Yankang are all names for remote ages of cosmic calamity. In the boundless, ancient chaos, above there were no forms or colors, and below there were no depths. The Qi of wind and water flowed through the void, while the firm, solid Qi supported the blue heavens. Above and below, there were no shadowy, hidden realms, no forms or shadows, and no boundaries. The Qi of the Great Brahma spread vast and wide, remote and without light.

The master explains: This is the Celestial Worthy’s account of the beginning of Yuandong Yuli. At that time, Heaven and Earth had not yet been established, and the Original Ancestor Qi—the fundamental Qi from which Heaven and Earth arose—had not yet divided. In the chaos there were no hidden realms, forms, or shadows; there was only the boundless Qi of the Great Brahma, subtle and profound, not yet manifest, and therefore without light. It was only in the first year of Longhan that the heavenly scriptures began to appear. Following the words of the Celestial Worthy, this passage is now used as a spell for becoming invisible.

The Way of concealment and transformation means that the body with form returns to formlessness, and things with number and limits return to the innumerable and boundless. From the place before beginnings, one returns to the end, back to simplicity, dispelling stray thoughts and entering stillness. Thus, neither heavenly spirits nor human ghosts can see even the faintest trace. To practice this method, visualize the Qi of the Five Viscera arising and disappearing in step with the astral pace—a way of walking according to the positions of the stars. Silently recite “Yuandong Yuli” until “vast and without light.” Then visualize yourself returning to the Qi of the Great Brahma, with Qi like clouds and mist covering your whole body. When body and Qi merge, you will naturally disappear. Yet a noble person can remain true to their proper conduct even in hardship; if petty people learn this method, they may despise life and recklessly perform strange transformations. Therefore, the method is only outlined here and not transmitted. Take great care.

Diagram of the Astral Pace

Chapter Three: The Sacred Diagram

The era of Chiming opened the heavenly diagram, and the cycles of calamity progressed according to the natural order. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning settled Heaven and Earth and laid out and transmitted five scriptures. Written in Red-Script Jade Characters—sacred writing in Daoist scriptures—and bearing the Dragon Characters of the Eight Powers, these scriptures could protect and regulate the cycles of calamity, ensuring that Heaven endured. The Qi of the Great Brahma spread throughout the celestial expanse, from which many forms of Brahma Qi unfolded.

The master said: These jade characters were generated from Qi by the great-granduncle of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, a supreme deity in Daoism. They are numinous writings that appeared in sequence to guide and save all beings. Careful examination shows that the four forms written in empty space—“Gong,” “Hua,” “Tian,” and “Fan”—come from Jade Capital Mountain and govern the numinous forces that set Heaven’s origin in motion and bring about change. From this we can infer that the middle section of the numinous writings took shape when the charts were first revealed. “Middle” refers to Yin Qi harmoniously joining to form a text. One gives rise to two, and two to three; thus the numinous writings divide into upper and lower sections. When the three converge and return to unity, the eighty-one characters of Yellow Silk are formed.

The upper and lower sections of the numinous writings correspond to Yin. Within Yin there is Yang, governed by the King of Filial Piety and the Way, the Sun Official. The eighty-one characters of Yellow Silk correspond to Yang. Within Yang there is Yin, governed by the Immortal King of Filial Piety and the Way, who resides in the Moon Palace. After Yin and Yang come the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water); these divide into five directions, giving rise to the writings of the Five Elders in Red Script. Once the Five Phases are divided, Heaven and Earth appear as upper and lower realms, and so there arise the Inner Writings of the Three Sovereigns. These writings unite as the Three Blossoms and then divide into nine chapters. This is the Scripture of the Generation of Spirits, which is followed by the Great Being’s Golden Books.

In ancient times, Primordial Origin, Writ of Illumination, raised Heaven with the four characters “Da,” “Luo,” “Da,” and “Fan.” With them he inscribed the three gates of transformation, opened the gate of the Great Being, and gained passage to the true realm of the Dragon Han era. Once the nine chapters were complete, the principles of the Three Powers were also made clear. The three give form respectively to Heaven, Earth, and humanity: two form Earth, while three form humanity. Their principles are thereby revealed. Thus it is said: “The Three Blossoms part from transformation; the Great Being’s wondrous court.”

These writings also show how they deliver beings from life and death and safeguard them through the kalpas. The overarching foundation of the Scripture on Deliverance of Humanity lies in the middle section of Red Script: from the One arise the Five Phases, encompassing the entire process of generation. To trace how these teachings refer to one another and work together is beyond the reach of any understanding that proceeds by simple means alone. The characters of Primordial Origin’s middle section appear at the end, expressing the idea that when things grow, their roots lie below; for this reason, Red Script is placed first. Here, following the meaning of the scripture, these teachings are explained as principles.

Chapter Four: The Red Writings

The master said: According to the Jade Instructions of the Red Writings, the true writings are called ancient script, and later scholars find them difficult to use. Therefore, the High and Lofty gods took up their brushes and added commentaries, explaining the true essentials in the Jade Instructions that are winding and hard to understand. They illuminated the ancient script and offered brief explanations, making its mysteries clear. The spirits of the heavens recited these writings and chanted their jade-toned words. From afar, the ten directions echoed them; Heaven established rites, and spirits and demon hosts were thereby subdued.

Nowadays, later generations compose books on Daoist methods and often use older writings to explain the true writings. As a result, many errors and discrepancies have arisen. Ordinary people prize what is familiar and are influenced by their prior assumptions, so they regard writings encountered earlier as precious. They also look down on writings they often see, and treat those they happen to come across as treasures. Ordinary people also regard what is hard to obtain as rare and precious, while what is easy to obtain …