《太上紫微中天七元真经》

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) expounded the transformations of the Supreme Sovereigns of the Heavens through successive kalpas. Presiding over the central palace of Ziwei (the celestial palace at the center of the heavens), he convened a great assembly of the Dharma. Present at the assembly were the Emperor of Ziwei, the sages, Perfected Ones, and immortals of the many heavens, and the Seven Primal Perfected Ones (Qiyuan Zhenren, associated with the seven stars of the Northern Dipper), all of whom listened as the Celestial Worthy explained the profound meaning of the scriptures. The teaching spread widely to deliver living beings. As the Dongzhang (Daoist scriptural texts) were chanted, they gave off immeasurable light that illuminated heaven and earth in all ten directions.

Meanwhile, in the long night of the Nine Obscurities and the Five Paths and Eight Gates, prisoners, those banished to penal servitude, hungry ghosts, and tormented departed souls suffered every kind of affliction, confined in the Black Prison of Tianyi in the north. At the same moment, in the heavenly halls of the ten directions and the spirit lodges of the immortals, Perfected Ones, divine beings, and sages who had attained the Dao (the Way) had food and clothing arise of themselves, and lived free, untroubled, and joyful.

The Emperor of Ziwei bowed to the Celestial Worthy and reported: "Today's assembly is so marvelous that words cannot describe it. I see that the suffering and happiness of heaven and hell are utterly different. I also see that lifespans are long or short, fortunes favorable or adverse, and stations noble or humble. I humbly beg the Celestial Worthy to instruct us, so that everyone may understand the reasons for these differences."

The original text then reads, "The Celestial Worthy said," but his reply is not recorded. The phrase that follows, "free, untroubled, and joyful," is a fragment of the preceding passage, after which the Emperor's question is repeated. The text breaks off at this point, and the Celestial Worthy's teaching is missing from this section.

The Celestial Worthy said: Since I created heaven and earth, I have already passed through countless kalpas. In the world of the present, people’s honest and simple nature has gradually disappeared. Selfish desires and deluded thoughts entangle the mind and Shen (spirit), and they are sunk in the ten evils. The six desires that disturb body and mind (the six thieves) occupy the heart, and afflictions such as greed, anger, and delusion (the four snakes) lie hidden among the viscera. Whether walking or sitting quietly, they neither collect the mind and Shen nor set their bearing aright. They curse, make false accusations, and stir up gossip; they flatter the treacherous and form cliques for private gain. They are neither loyal nor filial, do not understand care and compassion, lack humaneness and righteousness, and are insatiably greedy.

Therefore, the demons of the Six Heavens secretly seize their Jing (essence) and souls, and the stars of the Five Dippers (the stars bound up with a person’s allotted fate and lifespan) also hasten the exhaustion of their years. Such people not only cannot attain long life and enduring vision, but will also sink to become hungry ghosts and animals.

If you seven Perfected Lords (the Seven Primordial Perfected Lords) wish to bestow grace and save the people of the world, you must obey my statutes. You are regularly to descend into the human world on the third, the fifteenth, and the twenty-seventh day of each month, to examine people’s merits and faults, investigate and adjust rewards and punishments, scrutinize right and wrong, widely proclaim divine majesty, and clarify and spread the teachings and precepts.

Thereupon the Sovereign Lord commanded the Seven Primordial Perfected Lords to arrange the stellar positions of the Northern Dipper and set the Dipper in motion, with the Kui star and the Gang star pointing upward, so as to assist the passes of the celestial realm, and he composed a hymn, saying:

The Most High Lord of the Great Dao (the Way) issues an edict summoning the Ruler of Central Heaven. Examine the merits and faults of the people of the world, and bestow reward or punishment according to the karmic conditions of their good and evil. Record the command in the black register and carry out the assessment; even in the smallest matters, favor neither side.

Life-Extending Spell of the First Pivot Star, the Perfected Lord of Yang Brightness

The Northern Dipper grants people extended life and brings true nature back to brightness. Starlight circulates and shines down, revealing a realm of natural clarity. The Seven Primordials register the rolls of names and firmly guard body, mind, and spiritual nature. The numinous perfected record the names, and the deities of the upper realm protect the bodily form. The hun and po souls endure, and the ears and eyes remain calm and unafraid. Divinities gather in, protect, and uphold life, and the power of the Perfected Lord of the Terrace Star is set in motion. True nature is guarded so that it accords with the natural, and at last one ascends to Yujing (the celestial immortal realm spoken of in Daoism).

Spell for Deliverance from Calamity of the Second Xuan Star, the Perfected Lord of Yin Jing

The Northern Dipper relieves people of adversity and bestows the protection of exalted perfected beings and numinous immortals. Starlight shines in splendor and guards life. The Seven Primordials uphold the registers of names, so that people may lengthen their years. Hardships and dangers are removed, and calamities are shifted away and dispersed. The viscera are clear and bright, and there is no fault within or without, in body or in mind. Brightness moves in its course, joining the radiance of heaven and earth and linking with the spirits. Through cultivation one is transformed and becomes perfected, and at last ascends to Yuxuan (the celestial realm spoken of in Daoism).

The star lords of the Northern Dipper (Beidou) protect life, so that hardship, crisis, and calamity are diverted and dispersed. They render the viscera clear and lucid, with no fault within or without. They set brightness turning so that it circulates and intermingles, linking one with the divine spirits. Through cultivation one is transformed and enters into ziran (the spontaneous natural order), ascending into the Jade Mystery (Yuxuan, the immortal realm).

Life-Protecting Incantation of the Perfected True Lord (Zhenren Zhenjun) of the Third Star, Jixing

The star lords of the Northern Dipper protect life, causing lofty and wondrous numinous Qi (vital energy) to spread the power of the divine spirits. With pure and upright Qi they restrain and subdue baleful specters, so that these attend as reverent guards. A person’s name is entered in the Seven Primordials (Qiyuan, the divine registers governed by the seven stars of the Northern Dipper), and through their turning one reaches through to the mysterious and wondrous realm of the true. The current of numinous clarity spreads abroad, uniting with the body of the Dao (the Way) and returning along one and the same path. One forever avoids the inauspicious and is guarded within the body and without. They lessen the peril of death and aid the renewal of life, enabling me to set forth my prayers before the divine spirits. They uphold me in accord with ziran, so that I ascend into the Jade Dawn (Yuchen, the immortal realm).

Incantation for Increasing the Allotted Years of the True Lord of Mysterious Darkness (Xuanming Zhenjun) of the Fourth Star, Quanxing

The star lords of the Northern Dipper increase the allotted years of life, causing true Qi to spread and be put into effect. Radiance shines down to protect me and gives mutual support to the body. A person’s name is entered in the divine registers of the Seven Primordials, so that it shines forth together with Xuanyuan (the original Qi of the Dao). The vital spirit is settled and guarded, and the body is protected. Majestic divine power suffices for defense, and the true numen rises with that impetus. Within and without, all is clearly discerned without obstruction, and one keeps company with the divine spirits. They uphold cultivation, enabling me to accord with ziran and ascend into the Jade Void (Yuxu, the immortal realm).

A person’s name is entered in the divine registers of the Seven Primordials, so that it shines forth together with Xuanyuan. The vital spirit is settled and guarded, and the body is protected. Majestic divine power suffices for defense, and the true numen rises with that impetus. Within and without, all is clearly discerned without obstruction, and one keeps company with the divine spirits. They uphold cultivation, enabling me to accord with ziran and ascend into the Jade Void.

Disaster-Dispelling Incantation of the True Lord of Cinnabar Origin (Danyuan Zhenjun) of the Fifth Star, Hengxing

The star lords of the Northern Dipper eliminate calamity, brightening the four directions and bringing forth the light of Kaiyang (the name of a star). Numinous Qi of the upper realm spreads mysterious power, and divine light shines through to what is obscure and subtle. The Seven Primordials guard the divine registers and preside over human destiny, so that good fortune flourishes. May the honored divinities record my name and lengthen my lifespan. They uphold and secure body and life, removing menace and disaster. The divine true ones display their might, causing wondrous Qi to spread in the four directions. They protect me in accord with ziran, so that I ascend into the Jade Hall (Yutang, the immortal realm).

Calamity-Scattering Incantation of the True Lord of the Northern Pole (Beiji Zhenjun) of the Sixth Star, Kaiyang

The star lords of the Northern Dipper scatter misfortune, and Xuanming (the profound and mysterious divine power) removes menace. The three lights of sun, moon, and stars shine forth in brilliance, setting the myriad Qi in circulation. The Seven Primordials preside over the divine registers and are arrayed within the Northern Dipper. They examine and guard body and life, so that calamity □ does not descend. The Supreme Sovereign (Shanghuang, the highest divinity) protects the true nature, so that allotted destiny and the blessings of rank and emolument are without end. One follows the correct Dao, attains long life without aging, and abides together with the divine spirits, forever without exhaustion. They uphold the body, enabling me to accord with ziran and ascend into the Jade Palace (Yugong, the immortal realm).

Incantation for Upholding the Waning of the True Lord of the Heavenly Pass (Tianguan Zhenjun) of the Seventh Star, Yaoguang

(The original gives only the name of the incantation and does not attach the incantation text.)

The Northern Dipper can uphold the weak and frail, so that a person’s Shen (spirit) circulates in full abundance; the Southern Office presides over the preservation of life and thereby lengthens the years of the body. The Jing (scripture/classic) of the Seven Primordials records the names of the numinous perfected; the superior officers descend together, and blessings and felicity gather and join. Cinnabar-red numinous light streams forth and shines into the deep and mysterious realm. The True Lord of the Celestial Pass, the Soaring-Empyrean Radiant Star, pronounces the Incantation for Upholding the Frail, saying:

The Northern Dipper upholds the weak and frail, so that a person’s Shen circulates in full abundance; the Southern Office preserves life, lengthening the years and increasing longevity. The canonical texts of the Seven Primordials record the names of the numinous perfected; the superior officers together send down blessings. Cinnabar-red numinous light spreads open and shines into the deep and mysterious realm. May I soar aloft and ascend, radiant as the divine spirits; may my original true nature be preserved, so that I rise into the Jade Court.

The Heavenly Worthy tells the Emperor of Purple Tenuity and the True Lords of the Seven Primordials: “If anyone wishes for long life and enduring vision, the removal of calamities and hardships, an increase in the allotted span of life, the prolongation of years, and release from fault, let that person follow my teaching, make offerings in a room set apart for this purpose, burn incense and light lamps, and recite and transmit the text of the Jing. Then all the perfected immortals will descend together; demonic prodigies and malign Qi (vital energy) will scatter and submit; and inauspicious matters will be cut off and destroyed. The dead will attain deliverance, and the grievances and opposing bonds of the Ninefold Darkness (the obscure realm of the underworld) will be laid to rest; the living will receive blessings and felicity, and generation after generation will enjoy ease and good fortune. Stipend and official rank will be raised, the household will flourish and prosper, ruler and ministers will be peaceful and secure, and all under Heaven will be at peace.”