《许真君玉匣记》

The Jade Casket Record (Yuxia Ji) was written by True Lord Xu (Xu Zhenjun) of Jingyang. In the past, True Lord Xu relieved the people by the methods of the Dao (the Way). He once turned tiles into gold to repay their debts for them, cured illness with talisman water, slew a giant python at Shangliao, and destroyed a poisonous mirage-dragon in Jiangxi. His merit was so vast that it cannot be told in full. Later, after his entire family had ascended as immortals, he still never ceased to cherish the wish to bring relief to the world.

He saw that when people prayed for blessings and sought to avert calamity, they often brought disaster upon themselves by violating the taboos between Heaven and Earth, so that their lives were without peace. The Most High (Taishang, a revered deity of Daoism) takes the cherishing of life as his De (Virtue/Power). When the people perform Zhaijiao (purification rituals), their original purpose is to repent of their faults and pray for blessing and protection; yet, because they do not understand the taboos, they suffer calamity instead. Moved by compassion, True Lord Xu personally examined the records of the Celestial Bureau, the heavenly office that keeps the registers, carefully distinguished the fortune and misfortune, the auspicious and the inauspicious, corresponding to each day and each jiazi date—dates reckoned by the stems and branches—and compiled them into this book for circulation in the world. He hoped that those with a destined affinity, whether praying for blessings or averting calamity, would know how to avoid inauspicious days and choose auspicious ones, and thus turn from misfortune toward good fortune and enjoy long life.

The intention that True Lord Xu cherished is precisely the intention of the Most High. Recently, the Daoist friend Ni Shouzhen of Gusu (present-day Suzhou) obtained this book from an extraordinary person. He revered it deeply and believed in it without doubt. Concerned that too few people knew of it, he wished to have it block-printed and circulated. I have therefore written this preface.

Human fortune and misfortune, the auspicious and the inauspicious, are originally fixed by the mandate of Heaven. Without an understanding of the principles of creative transformation, they are hard to examine closely and clearly grasp. Only the sage can accept Heaven’s mandate with equanimity; the worthy can understand the principles within it. Ordinary people neither understand them nor find it easy to rest at peace with them. Thus some offend the critical passes of calamity and violate the taboos; even if they wish to repent and admit their faults, they may err again and incur still heavier heavenly condemnation and karmic retribution. This is precisely why the Jade Casket Record was compiled.

After obtaining the book, Ni Shouzhen did not keep it as his private possession but transmitted it to others. When people know which days are auspicious and which are perilous, they can avoid calamity, and the world will have fewer faults. Is his merit not exceedingly great? If those who revere the Great Dao can believe with respect and act according to the book, using it to avert calamity and confess their faults, to pray for blessings and prolong life, then blessing and felicity will naturally come to rest where they belong.

On the first day of the fourth month, in the summer of the guichou year—the eighth year of the Xuande reign of the Ming (1433)—Wu Zi of the Gengbi Studio respectfully composed this preface.

The Jade Casket Record (Yuxia ji) says that the wuzi and wuchen days may be used. I carefully consulted the Divine Empyrean Jade Instructions (Shenxiao yujue) and the Nüqing Heavenly Statutes (Nüqing tianlü), which record that the six wu days are not suitable for burning incense. Can it be that praying on these days will invite disaster? Perfected Lord Xu (Xu Zhenjun, an immortal revered in Daoism) must, one supposes, have transmitted something further; those who know of this taboo should choose their days with care.

Perfected Lord Xu saw that people of the world, in order to pray for blessings and fulfill vows, submitted memorials and petitions to the celestial court and held Zhaijiao (purification rituals), sometimes obtaining good fortune and sometimes instead calling down calamity. Some families performed rites to pray for blessings and yet met with disaster, even to the ruin of the household and harm to their descendants. Why was this? Perfected Lord Xu then went to the Celestial Bureau (the offices of the heavenly court) and examined the registers. It turned out that certain ritual masters, intent only on securing blessings close at hand, chose days when the ancestral Six Jia (dates reckoned by the heavenly stems and earthly branches) were in office in order to deliver the dead, not knowing that within the ten-day cycles of the Six Jia the Celestial Luminaries (the stellar deities of heaven) are sometimes in the underworld and sometimes in the human realm, and that people are thereby made to invite disaster.

Perfected Lord Xu therefore recorded the relevant matters under the title Jade Casket Record and entrusted the work to the State Preceptor. After Daoist priests had memorialized the celestial court, fortune and misfortune could be distinguished by means of it. This method does not require one to take into account such obstructions as the barrier of Heaven, the barrier of Earth, the barrier of spirits, and the barrier of ghosts; one need only check the dates within the ten-day cycles of the Six Jia to judge what is auspicious and what is inauspicious.

On the jiazi and yichou days, the host of deities is on earth. If anyone on these two days seeks blessings, holds a jiao to fulfill a vow, or prays for the birth of sons and daughters, the blessings received may be increased tenfold; the Jidu star (a stellar deity in Daoist astral belief) presides in heaven over the receiving of blessings. To perform rites of prayer for blessings on these two days is a sign of great auspiciousness.

On the bingyin day, the host of deities is in heaven. If anyone on this day seeks blessings and fulfills vows, sacrifices to the mountains and rivers, or summons a soul to substitute for a life (praying through ritual that another person or a departed soul bear the calamity in one’s place), disaster will instead be invited. Rites of prayer for blessings performed on this day are therefore greatly inauspicious.

On the dingmao, wuchen, and jisi days, the host of deities is on earth. If anyone on these days seeks blessings, submits a memorial and offers sacrifice, summons a soul to substitute for a life, holds a jiao to pray for offspring, or, in order to dispel disaster, presents a petition (submitting a written prayer to the deities), the blessings received may be increased tenfold; yet the original text also says that rites of prayer for blessings performed on these days are greatly inauspicious.

On the three days Dingmao, Wuchen, and Jisi, all the gods are upon the earth. If people wish to pray for blessings—presenting memorials and offering sacrifice, summoning a soul to stand in as a substitute life, setting up a jiao to pray for the birth of a son or a daughter, or performing rites to pass through adversity and submit petitions—the blessings they receive may increase tenfold. These three days are suited to such acts and are greatly auspicious.

On the two days Gengwu and Xinwei, the gods are praying in heaven, while Beishi is in the underworld. If people pray for blessings, offer sacrifice to fulfill vows, or submit memorials and present petitions, the head of the household will fall ill. This is greatly inauspicious.

On the day Renshen, the gods are in heaven and sojourn in the underworld. If people pray for blessings and offer sacrifice, submit and present memorials, or pray for the birth of sons or daughters, the blessings they receive may increase tenfold. This is greatly auspicious.

On the day Guiyou, it is fitting to sacrifice to the Water Officials of the rivers and lakes (the deities who govern rivers, lakes, and the affairs of the waters). This is greatly auspicious; all other prayers for blessing are inauspicious.

On the two days Jiaxu and Yihai, the gods are in heaven and are neither in the human world nor in the underworld. If someone seeks only a small blessing and makes a vow before the gate, the gods will indeed descend, yet they will bring calamity upon that person. If the matter is carried out before the gate during the chen hour (from seven to nine in the morning), it is auspicious.

On the three days Bingzi, Dingchou, and Wuyin, if one makes a vow before the gate, the gods will descend, yet they will bring calamity upon the person; if one acts before the gate during the chen hour, it is auspicious.

These same three days, Bingzi, Dingchou, and Wuyin, are also days when the gods are broken and in decline, when the Celestial Bureau (the office in the heavenly realm that manages documents and affairs) pursues matters as far as the gate, and when the West River carts stone and hauls sand to the straight bank. If anyone prays for blessings, it will instead invite sudden disaster, even to the point of killing. These three days are greatly inauspicious.

On the two days Jimao and Gengchen, the gods descend into the underworld. If someone prays for blessings, descendants may benefit and enjoy glory, wealth, and honor. These two days are also auspicious days for childbirth chosen by Heaven; those born during this time are greatly fortunate.

On the day Xinsi, the gods make inquiry in heaven, and beside the river they haul stone and earth and raise earthen towers, laboring there without cease for two or three days. If anyone prays for blessings, three generations will suffer: descendants will be poor and property will be scattered, and lawsuits will follow. This is greatly inauspicious.

On the two days Renwu and Guiwei, the gods are in heaven. If someone prays for blessings, the first two years may seem without incident, but afterward the head of the household will die and the fields will scarcely yield a harvest; gossip, disputes, and lawsuits will also be drawn in. One must not offer sacrifice on these two days, or else descendants will be impoverished, property will be lost, and lawsuits will be incurred. This is greatly inauspicious.

On the days Renwu and Guiwei, all the deities are in Heaven. If on these two days someone prays for blessings and first carries this out for two years, the head of the household will die, and the crops in the fields will be harvested too early. It will also invite quarrels and lawsuits, and is unsuitable for sacrifice; it may cause someone to fall into water and to meet with wind disasters and fire. These are days of great misfortune.

On the days Jiashen and Yiyou, all the deities are in Heaven and also descend to the underworld and the human world. If on these two days someone prays for blessings, offers sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or submits a memorial and presents a petition (delivering a written prayer to the deities) in order to repay Heaven and Earth and to pray for the removal of calamity, the blessings received may increase tenfold. This is highly auspicious.

On the days Bingxu and Dinghai, all the deities are in Heaven and also descend to the underworld and the human world. If on these two days someone prays for blessings, offers sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or presents a memorial and submits a petition, all of this is auspicious.

On the days Wuzi and Jichou, all the deities are in Heaven investigating the underworld. If on these two days someone prays for blessings and offers sacrifice, brings a heartfelt vow to completion, and repays divine favor, it is highly auspicious; but if one curses Heaven and Earth, it is greatly inauspicious, and the resulting calamity will be hard to dispel.

On the day Gengyin, all the deities are in Heaven auditing ledgers and documents. If on this day someone prays for blessings, submits a memorial, or offers sacrifice to fulfill a vow, it will instead bring the disaster of drowning, and may also cause the ritual master or those involved to suffer injury or death. This is a day of great misfortune.

On the day Xinmao, all the deities are in the underworld. If someone makes even a slight vow, summons souls to stand in for a life (calling on souls to bear calamity in another’s place), or sets out an offering to repay the deceased, presenting a small amount of food and drink and using water, it may cause the ritual master or those involved to suffer injury or death. This is a day of great misfortune.

On the day Xinmao, all the deities are in the underworld. If someone makes even a slight vow, summons souls to stand in for a life, or sets out an offering to repay the deceased, presenting a small amount of food and drink and using water, and proceeds in this way, there will be peace and good fortune.

On the days Renchen and Guisi, all the deities are in Heaven and at the appointed time dispatch envoys to examine the registers of life and death. If on these two days someone prays for blessings and offers sacrifice, it may bring illness and harm to neighboring households, and will also cause the ritual master or those involved to suffer injury or death. These are days of great misfortune.

On the day Jiazi, all the deities descend in general to the human world. If on this day someone prays for blessings, one may submit a petition presenting prayers and a memorial, give thanks to the Officers of the Five Soils and the Altar (deities who govern the land), make a vow for blessings, and present a memorial of repentance to the Perfected Lord Who Records Births (the deity in charge of childbirth). Praying for blessings on that day yields tenfold merit and also benefits descendants. It is extremely auspicious.

On the day Yiwei, all the deities are in Heaven. It is unsuitable to perform rites seeking blessings on this day; if one insists on holding them, there is only minor good fortune.

On the three days of Bingshen, Dingyou, and Wuxu, the deities compile and verify before the Jade Emperor’s hall in heaven the register of those due to die, recording all people in heaven and on earth; on Yiwei day the deities are in heaven. If people cultivate blessings but cannot have their wishes fulfilled, it still counts as minor auspiciousness.

On Bingshen, Dingyou, and Wuxu days, the deities compile before the Jade Emperor’s hall in heaven the register of those due to die, recording the causes and conditions of guilt and blessing, good and evil, of all people in heaven and on earth; if one seeks blessings and offers sacrifices, it is greatly inauspicious.

On Jihai day, the deities are in heaven and, at the Jade Emperor’s command, descend into the human world and the underworld; if one offers sacrifices to seek blessings, submits memorials and presents petitions (presenting memorials and petition texts), or performs the rite of summoning souls to substitute for a person’s allotted lifespan (a ritual of summoning a soul to receive the person’s fate in their place), it portends that people’s lifespans will be extended, greatly auspicious and beneficial.

On Gengzi and Xinchou days, the deities are in heaven; if one seeks blessings and offers sacrifices, it portends disasters of illness and plague, and afterward brings death; misfortune will manifest within ten years—great inauspiciousness.

On Renyin and Guimao days, which are the days of the register of assemblies (a record of gatherings); if one seeks blessings and makes vows, or gives thanks to heaven, earth, and the six domestic animals of the human world (horse, ox, sheep, chicken, dog, and pig), conducting affairs on this day will be greatly auspicious for all matters.

On Jiachen day, the deities are in the heavenly palace; seeking blessings is greatly inauspicious.

On Yisi day, the deities are in the human world and the underworld; if one seeks blessings, offering sacrifices and fulfilling vows to the River and Lake Water Officials (water deities/water officials), one will receive tenfold blessings—greatly auspicious.

On Bingwu day, the deities are in heaven and not in the human world; seeking blessings is greatly inauspicious.

On Ding days, at the heavenly palace, seeking blessings is greatly inauspicious.

On Yisi day, the deities are in the human world and the underworld; if one seeks blessings, offering sacrifices and fulfilling vows to the River and Lake Water Officials (water deities/water officials), one will receive tenfold blessings—greatly auspicious.

On Bingwu day, the deities are in heaven and not in the human world; seeking blessings is greatly inauspicious.

On Dingwei day, the deities are in the underworld; if one seeks blessings or fulfills vows by presenting memorials (submitting petitions to repay vows), it is greatly auspicious.

On Wushen day, the deities are in heaven and not in the human world or underworld; those who seek blessings and fulfill vows will bring harm to the head of the household and cause the death of the ritual master (injuring the Daoist priest/teacher)—great inauspiciousness.

On Jiyou day, which is the Heavenly Pardon Day of the Upper Realm (a day when Heaven pardons sins); if one seeks blessings, one may gain fields and sericulture (landed property and mulberry cultivation)—greatly auspicious.

On the days of Gengxu and Xinhai, all the deities are in heaven. Holding rites to pray for blessings, and sacrificing and announcing matters to the river gods and water deities (“Hebo daoshi”), in the form of relatively small-scale prayers for blessings, may still be considered auspicious; but if one submits memorials and presents petitions (delivering written prayers to the deities), it is greatly inauspicious and may instead bring on misfortune. These two days are suitable for rites to avert and dispel calamity.

On the days of Renzi and Guichou, all the deities are in the celestial palace. If anyone on these two days prays for blessings and protection, fulfills a vow, or presents memorials and submits petitions, it is said that this will harm human life and damage fields and crops; therefore, to act on these two days is greatly inauspicious.

If on the days of Jiayin and Yimao one submits memorials and presents petitions, it is likewise greatly inauspicious and may instead invite disaster; these two days are suitable for rites to avert and dispel calamity.

On the days of Renzi and Guichou, all the deities are in the celestial palace. If anyone prays for blessings and fulfills vows, or presents memorials and submits petitions, it is said that this will harm human life and damage fields and crops; to act on these two days is greatly inauspicious.

On the days of Jiayin and Yimao, the deities are in the human world and the underworld. Praying for blessings and submitting memorials, presenting petitions to repay divine favor, fulfilling vows in thanksgiving, or praying for prolonged life and increased longevity and for the removal of disasters and the passing of adversity—all are greatly auspicious.

On the days of Bingchen, Dingsi, Wuwu, and Jiwei, the deities are in heaven. If on these four days one prays for blessings or offers sacrifice, it may bring misfortune upon the household and also harm the six domestic animals (the livestock raised at home); therefore these four days are greatly inauspicious.

The day of Gengshen is a day of “the Five Blessings opening the way.” Every deity under heaven that receives sacrifice will descend along the spirit road and together have audience with the Jade Emperor; this day is also called “the Opening of the Gate of Heaven.” To pray for blessings and offer sacrifice on this day is said to extend blessings and protection for two years. When deities and humans together prepare in advance the water-and-land sacrificial rites (offerings and ceremonies for both water and land) and submit memorials and present petitions, all is greatly auspicious.

On the day of Xinyou, all the deities, sent at the command of the Jade Emperor, descend to the human world and the underworld. If one prays for blessings on this day, it is greatly inauspicious.

The days of Renxu and Guihai are “days when the Six Spirits are exhausted.” If people in the human world pray for blessings and fulfill vows on these two days, it is said that this will bring orphanhood and widowhood, and poverty; therefore it is greatly inauspicious.

The auspicious and inauspicious days within the six Jia decades—ten-day periods arranged in the cycle of the sixty Jiazi—have already been set out above. True Lord Xu then solemnly asked the Jade Emperor: “The Jade Casket Record says that certain days fall under Red Mouth and White Tongue (inauspicious days governing quarrels and disputes), Holding days or Breaking days (which, according to the calendrical art of selecting dates, belong to particular day-categories), as well as the Four Killings, Spirit Barrier, Receiving Death, and other days of baleful influence. How should these teachings be understood?”

The Jade Emperor replied: “There is no need to cling rigidly to these notions. Whenever the host of true immortals of heaven, of the world below, and of the Three Realms descend into the human world to convey their commands to the underworld, and the day coincides with a Five Blessings Connecting day (an auspicious day linked with the Five Blessings), then even if one encounters other so-called baleful influences, all are omens of great good fortune.”

True Lord Xu bowed once more and transmitted these words, which have circulated in the world, so that those who revere the Great Dao (the Way) may practice in accordance with this teaching.