《太上灵宝首入净明四规明鉴经》

The Dao (the Way) is inherent in human nature; it is not imposed from outside. Reverence for one’s parents and affection for one’s brothers are the root of the Dao, and they too are not forced. When filial piety and fraternal love are extended more broadly, one can practice loyalty; accumulated without cease, this becomes De (Virtue/Power). When De is complete, the Dao grows daily more substantial. Therefore, those who aspire to learn the Dao should establish themselves through loyalty and filial piety. Once the root stands firm, the Dao will naturally increase day by day.

The Dao is an undivided whole and does not differ according to whether a person is foolish or wise. People merely depart from the Dao, each according to folly or intelligence: the foolish are benighted, and the intelligent are cunning. Benightedness cannot bring understanding, and cunning falls short of sincerity. Neither clear nor sincere, one drifts ever farther from the Dao. One who understands the Dao can turn benightedness into clarity and set aside cunning so as to return to sincerity. Only when the heart is genuine does one place faith in the Dao, and only then can the Dao truly come to reside in oneself.

To study the Dao in order to become an immortal is not difficult; one must first practice loyalty and filial piety. There has never been a case of someone neither loyal nor filial who sought the Dao and hoped to become an immortal. Bi Gan, a loyal minister of the Shang dynasty, gave his life to fulfill loyalty and righteousness. Life is what people treasure most, yet Bi Gan disregarded his own safety and died for the Dao. He had full faith in the Dao and knew that what he did was not wrong; therefore he was able to become an immortal. The great Shun, legendary for his filial piety and an emperor of antiquity, practiced the way of filial piety throughout his life. Toil is what people fear most, yet the great Shun did not fear hardship and willingly undertook labor in seeking the Dao. He had full faith in the Dao and knew that what he did was not wrong; therefore he was able to become an immortal.

The way of loyalty and filial piety does not necessarily grant the physical body everlasting life. What is called long life means that even if the flesh dies, the heart-nature does not grow benighted, and one is in the end enrolled among the immortals. Some rely only on nourishing Qi (vital energy) to prolong their years. Although they live somewhat longer, they have no merit; this is merely to have understood a small part of the Dao.

A person of noble character who seeks the Dao can reach the very highest realm. Thus Shan Juan, a worthy of ancient legend, gave himself to fulfill integrity; Nan Rong, an ancient worthy, returned a jade tablet and thereby fulfilled caution; Rong Qi—Rong Qiqi, the legendary recluse—was content in poverty and thereby fulfilled generosity of spirit; and Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius, was satisfied with coarse tea and plain fare, yet his life remained full. Such people rank foremost among the immortal ministers. Are they merely those who seclude themselves in mountains and forests, gaunt from austere cultivation?

In later ages, some who had lost the Dao were neither loyal nor filial and threw the state into disorder. Only when the state had fallen and they themselves had nowhere to belong did they hide in the mountains to study the Dao. This is like leaving a spacious house and running into a raging fire. Have you not heard? When the common people are disloyal, officials appear who seize and plunder wealth; when sons and grandsons are unfilial, those who ruin the family appear within the clan. War, drought, and plagues of locusts are not merely guilt that the state itself has brought upon itself. When the ruler above is neither loyal nor filial, and the subjects below are likewise neither loyal nor filial, the Qi of above and below resonate with one another and thereby invite war. Those who rise in rebellion accumulate disaster of their own making: evil thoughts fill them, offenses pile up, and rebellion sprouts within the heart. When those above and those below lose loyalty and filial piety, the movements of Qi respond to one another and bring on war; Heaven borrows the hands of the rebels to punish their crimes. If one says that the common people are all innocent, how can that hold?

I say these things to my disciples in order to make plain that loyalty and filial piety are the root. Only when the root is firmly established can one become an immortal; and in this way, all who become immortals in the world can be counted. There has never been a person neither loyal nor filial who could enter the court of Heaven and serve the Emperor of Heaven.

By upholding loyalty and filial piety, one can avoid wrongdoing and remain far from misfortune; by cultivating body and mind, one can remove falsehood and pretense. Without falsehood and pretense, body and mind come to rest.

The cultivation spoken of here is to observe the mind by means of the mind and to observe nature by means of nature, so that mind and nature become transparent and thoroughly clear, and light naturally appears. One gathers the Qi (vital energy) of the Dantian (energy center)—the Qi within the human body—and returns it to the celestial palace; one gathers the Qi of primordial Jing (essence)—the essential Qi at the source of life—and returns it to the great sea. In this way one is not entangled by external things, nor bound by the physical form or tempted by glory and wealth. If one knows contentment, vexation stays far away; if one knows how to harmonize and rests in that harmony, disputes over right and wrong disperse.

A person’s body is not his own possession—why, then, cling to external things? If external things cannot stain body and mind, how could falsehood arise? When mind and nature are pure and genuine and Shen (spirit) is abundant, by day there are no false thoughts, and what one does returns to what is real; by night one dreams no false dreams, and the mind within is calm and firm.

One gathers the mind’s intent and returns it to oneself; one gathers one’s thoughts and brings them back to what is upright. The Qi within the body circulates in a warm and gentle flow; the spirit opens and unfolds, and the scenes one perceives are light and soaring. When Shen meets Shen, Shen naturally manifests; when Qi stirs Qi, Qi issues from the Great Void. Within the Great Void, Shen stands alone and eminent, neither rocking nor wavering. What does not waver is mind and nature; mind and nature are originally one.

Once mind and nature have been harmonized, Fulu (talismans and registers) and medicines are merely tools of cultivation, like the trap used to catch fish and the snare used to catch rabbits: once the aim is reached, they may be set aside. A superior cultivator of the Dao (the Way) need not withdraw into the mountains, cut off human affairs, leave wife and children, dwell in the wilderness, and abandon glory in order for it to count as cultivation. To cultivate mind and nature so that the mind is lucid and the movement of Qi is unobstructed, while not falling short in filial piety and fraternal affection (honoring one’s parents and loving one’s brothers), is not the same as the austere practice of those who seclude themselves in mountains and forests.

If one understands the Dao set forth in this Jing (scripture/classic), it is not difficult to put into practice: observe the mind by means of the mind, and nurture nature by means of nature. Nature returns to unity, and the mind returns to spiritual illumination; when mind and nature are fully integrated, one naturally attains long life. Once long life has been gained, transformation comes of itself. The higher Dao is not hard to understand; on the contrary, it is easy. It is only petty persons who abandon the easy path and insist on seeking difficult methods.

Those beginning to learn the Dao of Jingming Zhongxiao (Pure Brightness, Loyalty and Filial Piety) should start from what is easy to do. Once the easy has been mastered, there is no need to fear the difficult. The key lies in mind and nature being clear and transparent; this is what everyone originally possesses, not something deliberately fabricated. When the Dao of true constancy is attained, the Dao is manifest right here.

In the world there is a profound and mysterious Dao (the Way). The achievements of the sages arise from it, and the realm of spirit and clarity is likewise made manifest through it. What is called “spirit and clarity” means that when the mind comes forth, this is Shen (spirit), and when original nature comes forth, this is clarity. Only when cultivation of the Dao is accomplished can one penetrate the great Dao; the Dao itself does not obscure our mind and nature. If one lacks meritorious practice and so loses the Dao, one drifts away from the way of mind and nature: the mind grows dim, and original nature no longer accords with the Dao.

Superior cultivators grasp the subtlety of the great Dao in returning mind and nature to the genuine and in keeping the false far away. Only when the false is kept far away can achievement be accomplished. The scripture describes cultivation in the language of alchemy: the moment a thought stirs, lead and mercury—symbolic substances in the practice of Neidan (internal alchemy)—arise; with further reflection, the yellow sprout, symbolizing the germination of the internal elixir, appears; with continued visualization, dragon and tiger, symbolizing the two forces of Yin-Yang, meet and unite, the precious cauldron, symbol of elixir refinement, grows stable, and auspicious clouds, clouds of propitious Qi (vital energy), appear. All of these are signs that mind and nature have been clearly discerned and that cultivation has succeeded.

On this foundation one must accumulate everyday practice and make clear the standards one upholds. What are these standards? They are humaneness, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety. When loyalty and filial piety are complete, De (Virtue/Power) has a root, and achievement can be established. The standard for establishing achievement is this: one does not seek blessings in the living world, does not commit faults in secret, is not entangled by external things, does not incur the censure of others, and does not bring upon oneself the punishment of ghosts and spirits. In this way, above, one accords with the Three Primes—the three celestial primes of Daoism—and below, one harmonizes with the myriad things.

Inferior cultivators know only how to draw talismans and recite incantations, prepare talisman water, or use medicines to treat illness. When they cure a single person’s sickness, they call it achievement; yet this still does not amount to the achievement spoken of here. These are merely expedient methods within Daoism for aiding others.

What is meant here by “Zhongxiao Jingming” is to take loyalty and filial piety, together with purity and lucid clarity, as the standards of governance and of conduct in the world. If one can do so, the people of the realm may enjoy long life and health, and the four seas may be brought to peace; the ruler is secure, the people are prosperous, and the myriad things all follow their natural course. Even one who commands the three armies can cause the enemy to submit without fighting. Only such an army is an ever-victorious host.

To transform the disloyal through loyalty, so that all become loyal, and to transform the unfilial through filial piety, so that all become filial—how could achievement of this kind be measured? For the world contains both the false and the genuine, and only the most sincere virtue under heaven can transform the falsity within human hearts. Those who fulfill loyalty remain loyal to the end and do not fear even the sacrifice of life; those who fulfill filial piety spare no effort and do not weary even of toil. This is the expression of the utmost genuineness in the world. Superior cultivators dissolve the false by means of the genuine, and the false then recedes of itself. In this way the achievement of all under heaven can be accomplished—how much more the affairs of a single person, and how much more the affairs of ghosts and spirits?

Learning is prized for having a beginning and an end. The seasons of Heaven begin in spring, and a year is complete only with winter; the Qi (vital energy) of Earth begins in the east, and its transformations are complete only in the north. Study and cultivation begin with the way of filial piety and reach the great Dao (the Way); only then is learning fulfilled.

Persons of the highest capacity establish loyalty and filial piety through writings and discourse; those of middle capacity establish loyalty and filial piety through resolve; those of lesser capacity carry out loyalty and filial piety through concrete action. Those who turn away from the great Dao do the opposite and cannot practice loyalty and filial piety. What is meant by persons of the highest capacity establishing loyalty and filial piety through writings and discourse? It means guiding the people of the world by words. What is meant by those of middle capacity establishing loyalty and filial piety through resolve? It means leading the people of the world by their own conduct. What is meant by those of lesser capacity carrying out loyalty and filial piety through concrete action? It means setting an example for the multitude by their own actions. Those who achieve this may leave their names in the Upper Palace of Nanchang (a palace in the Daoist realm of the immortals) and be entered in the registers of the immortals, and the way of loyalty and filial piety is thereby complete.

Those obscured as to the great Dao abandon loyalty and filial piety and therefore cannot accomplish the great Dao. While alive they violate prohibitions; after death they also transgress the statutes of the unseen realm. To violate prohibitions is to be punished by the authorities according to law; to transgress the statutes of the unseen is to receive retribution in the netherworld. The disloyal bring upon themselves misfortunes from those subordinate to them; the unfilial bring upon themselves misfortunes from their children. Lack of integrity brings disgrace; lack of caution brings unexpected disaster; lack of generosity breeds resentment with others; not knowing contentment leads to endless craving. Those who cannot accommodate others readily invite conflict; those who cannot endure are harmed by their own evil deeds.

Thus, if one lacks integrity in life, the hun and po souls after death are likewise affected: as a human one may sink among the lowly; as a ghost one’s lot is submissive and constrained; reborn as a creature, one becomes an ox or a horse. If one lacks courage in life, the hun and po souls after death are likewise affected: as a human one may become a common soldier; as a ghost one suffers slaughter; reborn as a creature, one becomes one of the six domestic animals. The remaining cases may be understood by the same reasoning.

Therefore, those who understand the great Dao hold this in awe and carefully cultivate the inner mind, taking their stand upon the eight directions (here meaning a foundation that is complete and expansive), and thereby establish a foundation and clearly see their original nature. Once mind and nature are lucid, one need not deliberately seek the miraculous; the brightness of Shen (spirit) appears of itself. This is called Jingming (Pure Brightness). To cultivate Jingming is to take loyalty and filial piety as daily practice; when the way of loyalty and filial piety has been fully accumulated, cultivation is brought to completion.

What is meant by “pure”? It means not being stained by external things. What is meant by “bright”? It means not being stirred by external things. When one is unstained and unmoved by things, loyalty and filial piety are naturally complete. In life one acts according to this; in death one returns according to this. When loyalty and filial piety are established, mind and nature are thereby fulfilled.