《洞玄灵宝飞仙上品妙经》

The Feixian Jing (Scripture of the Flying Immortals) comes from the Palace of Profound Mystery on Mount Taiyuan. The Perfected Ritual Master of Emptiness, together with the Most High of the ten directions, the immortals of the Five Sacred Mountains, and the Jade Maidens of the Nine Heavens—seven hundred thousand in all—came to the Purple Jade Terrace of the Jade Capital in the Mysterious Metropolis and proclaimed the Sanmei Wuliang Shenruan Dajing (Great Scripture of the Boundless Divine Ruan of Samādhi), in order to teach and transform the world. At that time, three hundred and twenty thousand celestial immortals came forward, bowed before the Celestial Worthy, and asked for instruction:

“We disciples are dull of mind and cannot grasp the principles of opening and closing and of transformation and change. In the past we received the favor of former masters, who bestowed on us Fulu (talismans and registers) in the three colors of yellow, red, and purple, together with the true secrets of the Three Caverns (the three major divisions of the Daoist scriptures). Following these methods, we have cultivated the Dao (the Way) and saved others, and we have never slackened halfway.

“Nowadays the ways of the age are shallow and restless. Many people do not believe in the methods of the Dao, nor do they trust the teachings of the Three Caverns. The foolish instead believe heterodox doctrines and hold inverted views; after death they will fall into the Mansion of the Nine Darknesses and the Long Night (the dark and unfathomable underworld), with no day of ever coming forth again. Faced with those who do not believe in the methods of the Dao, we too are helpless. The great kalpa is at hand, and Heaven and Earth are about to be destroyed. Before long the floodwaters will come, inundating nine hundred million myriads of living beings. The common people will scatter and collapse, drifting with the current like clods of earth, and in the end merging into the great sea. How, then, can they be taught and transformed? The Celestial Worthy is compassionate by nature. Confronted with these obstinate and shallow people, we do not know how they are to be saved and delivered. Is there still some special method that might be transmitted to us?”

The Celestial Worthy replied: “You have asked well. This concerns the boundless Great Dao. There is indeed at present an art of cultivation practiced by immortals. If you only listen with full attention, I will transmit it to you in due order.”

The Jing (scripture) says: The people of Jambudvīpa (the human world), even when they have been instructed, are often unwilling to believe. Anyone who wishes to cultivate the Dao (the Way) and become an immortal should first seek to receive the registers of the Dao (the credentials of religious office that Daoism confers upon practitioners). Yellow, red, and purple Fulu (talismans and registers), and others of their kind, are the root by which people are led into the Dao. After that, one must also reverently receive the Three Masters (the teachers who transmit the methods of the Dao) and complete the corresponding rites of transmission.

Once one has received the thirty-six scriptural covenants (the classics and credentials that communicate with spirits and the Perfected) handed down by the Perfected, one can penetrate the luminous Dao of the Three Heavens; and once one further receives and upholds divine spells, one can drive off and destroy ghosts and malign spirits and protect and bless the living. If a Daoist priest wishes to heal illness for others and bring relief to the people, he ought to receive and practice this Jing. The Jing also mentions the “Panduo host of Great Nonbeing,” the military talismans of the Nine Heavens (Fulu for dispatching the soldiers and generals of the celestial realm), the ritual registers for summoning and commanding the hundred ghosts, the great talismans of cloud and thunder that guard the heavens and ward off calamity, and the True Covenant of Taiyi (the credential corresponding to the deity Taiyi). All of these are the methods of the Dao set forth in the Jing, and among them the True Covenant of Taiyi is the foundation for attaining the Dao and becoming an immortal.

After a Daoist priest has received and upheld these internal and external ritual registers, he can become an immortal. After attaining the Dao, he should still cultivate in accordance with the prescribed norms; when his merit is fulfilled to the number of three thousand, he may ascend to heaven in broad daylight. On gengshen days, jiazi days, and one’s natal day, as well as on the six purification days and the ten upright days, one should burn incense and practice the Dao, so as to dispel calamity, settle the household, and pray for blessing and protection.

These rites must not be performed only once or twice, nor may they be done in private concealment. Otherwise, retribution will entangle one’s descendants and seven generations of ancestors, leaving them long trapped in the Ninefold Darkness (the dark and remote underworld). Not only will one oneself come to grief, but one may also fall into poverty, low station, and hardship, constantly stirring up disputes and lawsuits, wasting mind and strength in vain day after day, and even having officers and soldiers following at one’s side in pursuit. If you wish to seek the Dao, the key lies in your own resolve.

If one believes wholeheartedly in the Great Dao (the Way), one can become a flying immortal. Helping others set up a zhai—making offerings and praying for blessings according to Daoist ritual—can also make one a flying immortal. Digging a well beside the road so that travelers may draw water can likewise make one a flying immortal. Teaching people to do good, supporting Daoist priests, protecting the teachings of the Daoist tradition, and respecting both elders and juniors can all make one a flying immortal as well.

Holding a zhai every month, completing a fast of three sevens (twenty-one days), not eating food offered to one’s master, speaking no evil words, revering the methods of the Dao with a single heart, and not craving worldly property can all likewise make one a flying immortal. The characters “不炔粖仯” in the scripture appear corrupt, and their meaning cannot be determined. “不坏七” may also be an error of transmission, and no forced interpretation is offered here. The scripture then repeats several items, including “not eating food offered to the master.”

Not injuring the hearts of others, not striving to outdo others, showing no partiality, treating people equally and with single-minded attention, often speaking kindly, giving alms to Daoist priests, caring for the sick, lending money and goods to the poor, and building zhai halls can all make one a flying immortal. Repairing bridges and paving roads, distributing scriptures (jing), helping to put out fires, relieving those in urgent distress, and saving people from the water can also make one a flying immortal.

Constantly keeping one’s master in mind and holding the Great Dao in one’s heart, burning incense day and night, helping to prepare the food for the zhai, establishing virtuous conduct (De, Virtue/Power) for others, providing for one’s master and not causing the master worry or anger, and at all times contemplating the Great Dao and cultivating it are all good deeds by which one becomes a flying immortal. Offering houses and rooms to one’s master, serving the master diligently, keeping the heart ever turned toward the Dao, observing the fast every day, not stealing the property of others, cultivating the Dao without slackening, delighting in doing good and in worship, giving away clothing, headcloths, and hats, caring for orphans and the poor, and instructing disciples can all likewise make one a flying immortal.

Presenting offerings to Heaven and the ancestors at the proper times—the original phrase “天祖年输” is not entirely clear and may mean offering sacrifices year by year—keeping the daily supply of food and drink from running short, not acting contrary to what is right according to the Dao, devoting oneself to serving one’s master, planting a thousand trees, and helping people cross at the ferry can all likewise make one a flying immortal.

The Dao (the Way) says: If a Daoist priest wishes to seek immortality and study the Dao, he must first establish the zhaiyi (the fasting observances and ritual ceremonies of Daoism). When the zhaiyi begins, myriad spirits descend from within the empty mystery, and hosts of divine officers and armed commanders all arrive at the fasting hall. If you can cultivate with a single mind, you may become flying immortals. Ferrying people at a river crossing and helping others across the river can likewise make one a flying immortal.

The Dao says: If a Daoist priest wishes to seek immortality and study the Dao, he must first establish the zhaiyi. When the zhaiyi begins, myriad spirits descend from within the empty mystery, and hosts of divine officers and armed commanders come to the fasting hall. If you concentrate with single-minded intent, you will be able to expound and discuss the ritual services. Those who come to witness this zhaiyi include countless flying immortals and celestial beings, a hundred thousand jade maidens, and innumerable persons in the retinue of the Most High. The key to the zhaiyi lies in diligence; you must on no account fail to be careful.

The Dao says: At that time the Immortal Kings of the Flying Heavens, the Immortal Kings of the Celestial Emperor, and the Immortal Kings of the Thirty-Six Heavens, together with the youths of the Immortal Township, the youths of Immortal Might, the youths of the Immortal Commandery, the youths of Immortal Deliverance, the youths of the Immortal Raven, the youths of Immortal Perfection, and others—thirty-six thousand persons in all—came together to the Daluo Palace to pay homage to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun). They bowed until their heads touched the ground, knocked their foreheads in obeisance, rejoiced and leapt for joy, and sat down each in his proper place. After circling the Celestial Worthy three times, they sat in reverent attendance for a long while, then once more performed devout salutations. Receiving the majestic radiance of the Celestial Worthy, they were able to behold the great sages of all the heavens. The assembly now gathers together to hear the teaching, receiving day and night without cease the Scripture of the Flying Immortals (Feixian Jing).

At this time, among the assembly there was an immortal surnamed Hao and named Gangwen. He debated with the Perfected of the Most High, yet could not make the underlying principle clear. The Immortal King then stepped forward and addressed the Celestial Worthy: “I still do not know which of the two is right and which is wrong, nor can I decide the outcome before the assembly. I earnestly beg the Celestial Worthy to bestow a judgment and an explanation.”

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, the honorific title by which Daoism addresses the supreme deity) then said: “Gangwen was devoid of principle. He has already been removed from his immortal rank and condemned to fell the cassia tree within the moon. From this day forward, you may no longer gather with your companions.”

At this, the Immortal King again addressed the Celestial Worthy: “To be able to attend in service before your seat today is a true joy. Great sages such as these, thirty-six thousand in all, stand before the Dao (the Way). The sages, the perfected persons, the immortals, and the rest were all wise cultivators and ritual masters of former times. They once cultivated merit and established De (Virtue/Power) in the void, yet the causes and conditions of their attainment of the Dao have now been forgotten, and they no longer recognize the grades of immortals and sages. In ages to come, Daoist priests in the world who study and cultivate the way of the immortals, together with good men and good women, will likewise fail to understand the merit accumulated through giving and through entering the ritual sanctuary, or the causes and conditions of studying longevity and of departing from the Muddy Pellet (Niwan, a technical term of Daoist Neidan, or internal alchemy, here referring to a realm connected with cultivation and transcendence). I earnestly beg the Celestial Worthy to explain these matters next, so that people of later generations may understand the path of good deeds, the causes and conditions that good deeds bring, and the field in which blessings and De are cultivated.”

At that time, within the Terrace of the Seven Treasures in the Jade Capital of the Mysterious Metropolis (Xuandu Yujing, the celestial capital of the heavens as spoken of in Daoism), the Celestial Worthy raised himself and snapped his fingers, exclaiming in praise: “Excellent! Excellent!” The whole celestial realm trembled. The Celestial Worthy said to the Immortal King and the others: “That you can put forward a question such as this can awaken all living beings, and it is especially important for the people of future generations. I shall now explain to you, in order, the causes and conditions of former times, point out the boat and the bridge of practicing good, and also set forth the causes and conditions of goodness and the field of merit. Listen with full attention.”

“From measureless kalpas past you have passed through birth and death, and only now have you been able to ascend to the station of Heavenly King. Merit such as this is inconceivable; it has all been formed through the accumulation of cultivation. When your merit is complete, you gradually advance toward the supreme fruit of the Dao. Even after you possess the wisdom of the Six Penetrations, you must still go among the assembly in the lower seats. Sages are of nine grades, perfected persons are of nine grades, and immortals too are of nine grades. Do you understand?

“This whole assembly has come through the kalpas of the past—Kaiguang, Longhan, Chiming, and the rest—cultivating merit and establishing De, and rising step by step through the nine grades. Those who cultivated also once passed through the cycle of birth and death, entered the various hells, and suffered punishments such as boiling cauldrons, furnace coals, mountains of knives and trees of swords, and bronze pillars and iron beds, and were even reborn as animals. Only after all these experiences had come to an end could they attain realization, arrive at the realm of long life, undergo birth and death no more, and abide in peace and constancy.

“Immortal King, you ought all to know: ordinary people and sages are not cut off from one another. An ordinary person who studies the Dao can become an immortal; from immortal one advances to become a perfected person, and from perfected person one advances to become a sage. All the accumulation required to become a sage begins in the ordinary human world. It is like building a high terrace: one must begin from the base. A journey of a thousand li must likewise begin with the first step beneath one’s feet. Therefore it is said that when merit has accumulated to the full three thousand, one can ascend to heaven in broad daylight.”