《灵宝归空诀》

A person whose embryonic spirit has reached completion and whose spiritual consciousness has finished its transformation is a hero able to slip free and move at ease, without fear or restraint. Those who study and practice should cultivate with diligent effort and thoroughly understand the principle of “non-birth” (no longer being governed by the cycle of birth and death); in daily affairs they should constantly examine themselves and must not let mind and spirit become scattered.

Practitioners of the highest rank, whose elixir path is already complete and whose attainment of the Dao (the Way) is fully accomplished, can come and go of their own accord—what is called “My destiny is in my own hands, not fixed by Heaven.” Practitioners of the middle rank and below, even after they have entered the Dao, must, when nearing return to the void (departure from the world, when form and spirit return to emptiness), perceive the signs in advance, so that they do not sink into unconsciousness and remain unaware.

If from the crown gate (an acupoint at the top of the head) there comes the “Heavenly Drum,” roaring like thunder, as though heaven were collapsing and earth caving in—hearing three peals, two peals, or three and two in alternation, one calculates accordingly that three years or two years remain; if it sounds only once, then one year still remains.

On New Year’s Eve, or at midnight each night, sit in stillness, gather the mind, and contemplate the crown gate; this is called the “Great Bright Pass.” If a sound is suddenly heard, as if the head were splitting open, heard with perfect clarity like a thunderbolt, count the number of peals and from this infer the years that remain.

Cover both ears with the hands, then tap the back of the head with the fingers. If the sound is just like a bell, three years remain; if it resembles a qing (an ancient percussion instrument), one year remains; if it is like the cry of a cicada, one hundred days remain; if it is like the sound of an earthworm, departure will come within seven days.

On New Year’s Eve, or at midnight each night, cover the ears with both hands and tap thirty-six times behind the head with two fingers. If what is heard is like a drum, this indicates safety and stability; if it is like a bell, a qing, an earthworm, or a cicada, one may judge from the sound whether the date of return to the void is distant or near.

When the drum at the back of the head no longer sounds, and the Heavenly Pillar (the head and neck) has already toppled; when, before a lamp, one uses the forehead to compare the size of the arm, and tapping the teeth yields no sound—these are all signs of departure from the world.

The “drum at the tower’s head” refers to the back of the head, and the “Heavenly Drum” to the crown; “the Heavenly Pillar topples” means the head and neck have grown weak and cannot be raised. This is also called “Kunlun collapsing” or “Mount Sumeru collapsing.” Each night, before a lamp, raise the left hand against the forehead and observe: if the arm appears smaller, it is an auspicious sign; if it appears larger, it is an inauspicious sign. The front teeth are called the “Dharma Drum”; when tapping the teeth produces no sound, these likewise are signs that one is about to leave the world.

At night, in a place of extreme darkness, if one uses the fingers to pull the eyelids open and can see no light either above or below, this is called “the sun and moon give no light,” and it is a “sign of return”—an omen of departure. When the pulse in front of the temples stops beating, this is called “the angler lays down the rod,” and it is an omen that one will depart within a single day. The area beneath the tongue and along the rear gums is called the “Flowery Pool”; if the fluids there dry up, this is called “the waters of Cao Creek run dry,” and it is an omen that one will depart within seven days. If at midnight one burns incense, lights a lamp, and performs the bows, then turns to look and finds no shadow to the left or right behind oneself, this is called “the shadow does not follow the form,” and it is an omen that one will depart that very day.

If the left kidney retracts into the abdomen and then comes out again, this is an omen within seven days. Burning incense, lighting a lamp, and bowing at midnight, then turning and being unable to see one’s own shadow, is also called “the shadow does not follow the form,” and is an omen of that same day.

When the left kidney retracts into the abdomen, it will come out again the next day; after the right kidney retracts, one must wait seven nights.

As departure draws near and the kidney once more retracts into the abdomen, one must quickly bind it and hold it in place. Only then can the remains be kept from dying and the soul and Shen (spirit) ascend.

Of the external kidney (that is, the male genitals), the left side is called the “Yin Mother” and the right side the “Yang Lord.” If the left side retracts into the lower abdomen and then comes out again, this is an omen of the next day or within one week; if the right side retracts into the lower abdomen and then comes out again, this is an omen within seven days; if both left and right retract, it is said that the body will die within half a day. Just before the end it retracts once more; this is called “the urging of Yin-Yang,” also known as “coiling on the cliff.” One should bind it tightly to the leg with a silk band or a cotton cord, not allowing it to retract into the abdomen, so that the corpse does not die. When the five viscera begin to grow restless, that is the moment of returning to stillness. At this time, nature—a person’s innate nature, or spirit-consciousness—rises from beneath the feet and then ascends through the gateway at the crown of the head. If the corpse makes any movement, one must set one’s thoughts aright and depart toward the Gate of Heaven.

When one urinates, both kidneys contract, and the pain is like the stab of an awl, hard to endure.

If a pain like the prick of a needle appears in a man’s left foot or a woman’s right foot, this is called “the Gate of Life is cut off,” and it is said that one will leave the world within half a day. On meeting these conditions, one should sit upright and settle the Shen, firmly keeping the mind-seal—the essential method, in cultivation, of concentrating and stabilizing mind and spirit—and must not give way to laxity or scattering. Press both hands tightly over the heart, and do not let oneself fall into confusion. After a time, when the pain ceases, this is the omen that one will depart within half a day.

Here, “sign of return,” “one-day omen,” “seven-day omen,” and the like are terms the scripture (Jing) uses to name the omens of the time of departure; “Flowery Pool,” “waters of Cao Creek,” and the like belong to the vocabulary of Daoist cultivation and describe the fluids in the mouth and their changes.

When the whole body feels as if ants are crawling over it, one must guard the spirit (Shen) and firmly hold the “mind-seal” (the concentrated, sustained intention maintained in cultivation), and must not let it run loose. Press the hand tightly against the center of the chest, and do not allow oneself to grow drowsy and confused. After a long time, once the pain has stopped, this sensation may sometimes continue for half a day before it fades.

The whole body feels as if ants are crawling, and then suddenly as if a snake is moving within the body.

Such sensations arise again and again, as though conveying signs to the mind; the joints all begin to ache, and one can no longer attend to the affairs of the world.

At times the whole body, or the soles of the feet, feels as if ants are crawling, or as if a snake is gliding through it. When this sensation reaches the center of the chest, the joints ache, and one may even grow drowsy and feel tightness in the chest. When this recurs three to five times, it is called “the various desires leaving the body,” and also “the various spirits not being present.” This is an inauspicious sign. One must concentrate the spirit and settle the mind. If one’s thoughts go even slightly astray, one may fall into the “karmic path” (the realm into which one is drawn by the force of karma). One cannot fail to be cautious.

In the deep stillness of night, burn incense and observe whether two or three signs of “returning to emptiness” (the changes of body and mind spoken of in cultivation) have appeared.

Bathe in peach decoction, then change into clean clothes, and drink a cup of plain tea, so that mind and spirit grow calm.

At night, wash the hands and rinse the mouth; once properly dressed, burn the night incense in the manner described above, and check each item in turn. One must be careful.

In the deep stillness of night, burn incense and observe whether two or three signs of “returning to emptiness” have appeared.

Bathe in peach decoction, then change into clean clothes, and drink a cup of plain tea, so that mind and spirit grow calm.

At night, wash the hands and rinse the mouth; once properly dressed, burn the night incense according to the previous method, and examine each item in turn. If two or three signs appear, then, at the moment they manifest, bathe and change clothes, enter the room and sit in stillness, and drink plain tea or pure water. If some further scene then appears, leave if one is able to leave; if one cannot yet leave, drink one or two more mouthfuls of pure water, and then continue to settle the mind and spirit.

When all manner of figures and scenes appear, any of them may lead a person onto the karmic path, so that one is drawn by the force of karma and turns back and forth in cyclic transmigration.

One must firmly uphold the mind-seal, and must not crave or cling to these scenes. The “Axe-Cleaving Mother” is at once fearful and full of suspicion.

At the point of death, the eyes transform into the “Nameless Ghost,” the ears into the “Who-Is-It Ghost,” the nose into the “Dead-Tree Ghost,” the tongue into the “Swift-Army Ghost,” the body into the “Thinking Ghost,” and the mind into the “Male-and-Female Ghost.” All manner of ghosts and spirits arise from within the mind; they do not come from outside. One must therefore first recognize this clearly.

If one encounters Buddhas, bodhisattvas, teachers and Confucian scholars, and the like, in various forms, or sees processions and ceremonial retinues coming forward to receive and guide one, all of these belong to the scenes of celestial demons and heterodox paths. If one meets enemies or kin, or sees roads of yellow, red, or white, these likewise belong to the demonic realms of the karmic path. If one sees lamplight or fire appearing from outside, one must first recognize it clearly as well.

Encountering images of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Confucian scholars, and the like, or seeing columns of ceremonial escorts come to receive one and lead the way, all belongs to the visions of heavenly demons and heterodox paths. Meeting enemies or kin, or seeing yellow, red, or white roads, likewise belongs to demonic realms formed by the pull of karma.

Seeing a place of lamplight is a vision of the retinue of inner demons; seeing the open wilderness is a vision of rebirth in the human world. Seeing relatives or sisters may mean that one is about to enter the cycle of rebirth and be born into a womb or into the wilds. Seeing a sedan chair, a writing brush, or black and white carriages is a vision of rebirth as oxen, horses, and other animals; seeing halls and palaces is a vision of rebirth as pigs or sheep; seeing people dressed in yellow or white is a vision of rebirth as cats or dogs; seeing yellow banners and leopard-tail standards is a vision of rebirth as walking beasts; seeing an elephant is a vision of rebirth as a fox; hearing the sound of a flute is a vision of rebirth as earthworms, cicadas, and the like; hearing drum music is a vision of rebirth as crows, sparrows, insects, and ants; seeing lanes of flowers and willows is a vision of rebirth as a snake. Seeing markets, streets, and places where crowds come and go, or the appearance of colors such as black, white, green, and purple, all belongs to visions of the animal realm; seeing wine, meat, and food and drink belongs to visions of the hungry-ghost realm; smelling a wondrous fragrance is a vision of rebirth as a celestial being. Seeing the place where one’s parents and relatives are is rebirth into the Six Heavens of Desire, or becoming a spirit of the village or of a temple. Seeing a divine being clad in golden armor come forward to invite one is rebirth as a spirit who enjoys very great blessings and receives sacrificial offerings from the human world.

All these images of divine beings and these scenes are outer demonic visions that appear when one’s own spirit-consciousness is enticed; they are not the correct Way. When they are encountered, one should not leave or follow at will, nor be afraid, nor feel loathing; one should neither cling to them nor crave them. If the mind’s thought deviates even slightly, one may fall into some other womb-body. At the moment when the breath ceases, one may feel as if split open by an axe; do not panic. While one is in drowsy stillness, do not flee; hold firmly to the seal-formula in the mind, remain unmoving in suchness, and after a time one will naturally settle and grow calm.

If one sees only the road formed by thunder-fire and lightning-light, radiance like sunlight, and a shaft of light a thousand zhang long, one should go straight forward. Though the body advances, the mind does not move; then one can realize the realm of humans and celestials and return to the Pure Land.

Only these four kinds of visions may be advanced upon, and one will surely return to a good path.

If people of the underworld offer tea or broth, and if it is a drug that confuses the spirit and soul, one must on no account drink it. If one can keep these visions firmly in mind, one will understand the destiny of past lives and not forget it for a long time.

Here, expressions such as “womb” and “path” are used by the scripture to describe the visions one may encounter after death and the destinations of rebirth; “mind-seal” refers to the inner thought or secret formula held during practice.

If one encounters a woman offering tea, whether it is given as charity or offered for sale, and accepts it and drinks it, one will fall into an evil path of rebirth. If one does not drink it, yet secretly pours the tea away, in the next life one will meet a person from the underworld offering tea; that is a drug that confuses the hun and po souls, and one must never taste it. If, in such a situation, one can keep this matter firmly in mind throughout, one will come to understand one’s former lives and destined fate, and never lose that knowledge.

If one encounters a woman offering tea, whether it is given as charity or offered for sale, and accepts it and drinks it, one will fall into an evil path of rebirth; if one resolves not to drink it, yet secretly pours the tea away, in the next life one will be able to understand one’s former lives and destined fate.

The four classes of exalted persons (four kinds of people who cultivate the Dao (the Way) or practice Buddhism) are all learning to become immortals and buddhas, and they should advance swiftly and with diligence. Human life is impermanent; do not treat it lightly or grow slack. Through transmigration across a hundred kalpas, one undergoes every kind of hardship; the Six Thieves (the confusion brought about by the Three Corpses and the six desires) and the Three Corpses (the three corpse-worms, which Daoism holds to be worms within the body that make people greedy, deluded, and confused) lead people at will onto the path of inversion and error.

The “four classes” spoken of here refer, in Daoism, to male Daoists who have left the household, female Daoists who have left the household, male lay devotees who remain at home, and female lay devotees who remain at home; in Buddhism, they refer to ordained male monastics (bhikṣus), ordained female monastics (bhikṣuṇīs), male lay followers (upāsakas), and female lay followers (upāsikās). In the past, when the Celestial Worthies and the World-Honored One expounded the teaching, all four kinds of people were among those who listened.

“Impermanence” means that the human body is illusory and unreal; in the end it declines, decays, and is destroyed, and cannot last. The “Six Thieves” are the six desires. True nature is originally neither in motion nor at rest, yet it can respond in accord with external things: when the eyes see objects, one readily clings to visible form; when the ears hear sounds, one readily clings to sound; when the nose smells scents, one readily clings to fragrance; when the tongue speaks or takes food, one readily clings to flavor; when the body moves, one readily craves every kind of action; and when the mind thinks and deals with affairs, it readily gives rise to inverted thoughts and fantasies. When the six external objects enter the six avenues of perception—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—the six desires flourish because of this and obscure one’s original nature, and so they are called “thieves.” When passion burns fiercely, it congeals Jing (essence) and the soul and forms the three corpse-worms, causing people to crave without satiety and to hold inverted thoughts, turning again and again through the cycle of birth and death and enduring suffering without end.

One should be as valiant and decisive as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, able to make an opponent submit without ever taking up arms. The four seas rest in peace and order, and all return to the correct Dao (the Way); everything heeds the teaching of the Great Dharma King of Non-Arising (the Dao that transcends birth and death and awakens original nature).

The Dharma-body of self-nature (the originally pure nature, unaffected by the changes of birth and death) has from the beginning neither arising nor ceasing. Face it, and one does not see its beginning; follow it, and one does not see its end. It illumines past and present and exists in solitary independence. Only because it is disturbed by the faculties and dust (the senses and the external objects they contact) does it draw people into all manner of realms and cause them to lose their original face.

If one can rouse a valiant great wisdom and see through the faculties and dust, desire will disperse at once and the Dharma-body will naturally appear. Even if the four great elements of the body (earth, water, fire, and wind, which constitute the human form) decay, this has nothing whatever to do with true self-nature. This is what is called the “Great Dharma King of Non-Arising.”

When a person receives life and comes to possess a bodily form, that form passes through formation and continuance, and in the end cannot avoid decline and a return to emptiness. A hundred years flash by like a dream. At the point of death, feeling and consciousness grow dim and confused, and one is carried along by the karmic force and habitual tendencies accumulated in ordinary life, circulating into all manner of destinations, with little hope of a day of liberation. This is what is meant by the swift arrival of impermanence. Birth and death are the great matter of human life, and methods for returning to emptiness have existed since ancient times.

Some people respectfully transmit the tradition that the Formula for Returning to Emptiness (Guikong jue) was composed by Chan Master Bodhidharma. When I examine its wording and meaning, I find them disordered and incoherent, unlike the speech of a Mahayana bodhisattva. Moreover, Bodhidharma came to China from the West and taught that one should not establish words and letters. Was this formula not fabricated by later people, who borrowed his great reputation in order to win belief? Now, relying on an old text and consulting other transmitted accounts, I have corrected errors and removed what is superfluous, and arranged the material as a seven-character verse formula in fourteen chapters, four lines to each chapter, easy to memorize and recite. After each chapter I have added notes, explaining the sense as fully as I can. Those who have the affinity to read it should treasure and keep it with care, and not disclose it lightly.

One should awaken at once and thoroughly see through the conditioned thoughts formed since childhood. Facing outer circumstances, one is not dragged along by them; one widely practices skillful and helpful deeds and plants many good roots. Through the twelve double-hours, and within the four deportments of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, one upholds the precepts and meditative concentration, neither deliberately forcing growth nor carelessly letting practice slip into forgetfulness, and applies effort in a solid, down-to-earth way. In this manner, once inherent wisdom manifests, one can take it up in the present moment and become one’s own master. When the time comes, one holds the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan; the crucial juncture in cultivation that concerns the transformation of body and mind), examines the signs within it, and can then depart with freedom and ease. This is what a person of true greatness can accomplish, and the method of returning to emptiness is then genuinely of help.

I have also seen, among immortals and Buddhas, those who met with misfortune. Guo Pu (courtesy name Jingchun, an esoteric practitioner of the Eastern Jin) had already awakened to the Dao (the Way) of true permanence, yet he still suffered penal execution; holding fast to the correct Dao and to loyalty and righteousness, he died a violent death in the end. Chan Master Dahui had already understood the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (Zhengfa yanzang; what Buddhism calls the essential mind of the true Dharma), yet sores still broke out on his back, his suffering reached an extreme, and he died at last of illness and pain. In the human world there are also strokes of good fortune: untaught men and women, sunk in the toil of the dusty world and without practice in ordinary times, may nevertheless know in advance the day of their departure and leave in peace. Some sentences here are repeated or disordered in the transmitted copies, and the meaning of the text does not cohere.

All these cases arise from causal conditions of former lives and from fixed karma; each person receives the result according to his or her own share of conditions. Ordinary people do not understand the principle involved. Will they not then seize on the fact that some die a good death and others a violent one, and make it a subject of talk? Talk of this kind only reveals their own lack of insight. One should know that a person of clear understanding has already seen through to original nature. Even if such a person meets the calamity of weapons, the mind within remains peaceful and open; even if poison is encountered, one can stay composed and undisturbed. Their self-nature and Dharma-body (Fashen; the true body that transcends arising and ceasing) roam at ease beyond the dusty world.

If the feelings and thoughts of the dusty world have not yet been washed clean, and the discerning eye of cultivating the Dao is not yet clear, then when one’s allotted span is about to end, a person is still like someone inside a dream who does not know it is a dream—unable to forget familiar circumstances, and able only to go along with whatever circumstance arises. In the end, delusion and awakening are not the same, and sages differ from ordinary people. Only the various persons of high attainment who study immortality and study the Buddha, seeing that illusory appearances shift with great speed and understanding that it is not easy to leave the cycle of suffering and rebirth, can turn back early and together ascend the farther shore of awakening. Is this not a fine thing? For this reason I write a preface for it, and append a verse, saying:

The ceaseless changes of life and death are originally unrelated to the human mind; it is only craving and attachment that give rise to all manner of afflictions. Although there are methods for what is called “returning to emptiness,” in the end there is no fixed method to which one may cling. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; whichever direction one faces, the outcome is ultimately complete.